In the fifth episode of The Wheel of Time, five of the seven main characters reached the city of Tar Valon, bringing the three plot threads closer together. But the episode didn't give us much time to catch our breath, showing us what happens when a Warder's bond is broken. Warder Stepin, who attacked Logain in the previous episode, is grieving the loss of Es Sedai.

In short, episode 5 explored how grief manifests itself. Everyone reacts differently to the loss of someone close to them, and The Wheel of Time takes it to the next level by including two very emotional scenes with Lan. And with Perrin and Egwene, we get to see even more of the brutality of the White Croaks, further cementing how awful this particular group of religious fanatics can be.

Now let's dive into the next chapter of Amazon Prime Video's "Wheel of Time" film adaptation (see our review and recap of "Wheel of Time" Episode 4 if you haven't already). And please also see our review and recap of "The Wheel of Time" Episode 6.

In Episode 5, Moiraine, Lan, Nynaeve, Rand, and Matt arrived in the city of Tar Valon, home of the White Tower and the Aesedai. A month had passed since the previous events, and Warder Stepin was still mourning the loss of Kelene.

At the end of episode 4, Nynaeve showed us the raw strength of the Power of One as she healed everyone wounded by Logain's attack. Since then, the former Two Rivers Wisdom has kept to himself, and Lan commented that they "hardly ever talk." Moiraine expressed doubt as to whether Nynaeve was ready to go to the White Tower.

The three eventually reached the tower. Moiraine hid Nynaeve in a spare room in the warden's quarters, and Lan helped comfort Stepin. After the ceremony, Lan stayed the night with Stepin to comfort him, and Stepin drugged Lan. In the morning, Lan woke up to find Stepin missing. Stepin had killed himself out of grief.

Meanwhile, Rand and Matt also arrived in Tar Valon and went to the inn recommended by Tom. Matt's illness continued to worsen, and he was verbally abusive to the children on the way to town, but he and Rand took up lodging for the night before heading to the White Tower.

While Matt rested, Rand went to the inn's study, where he met Ojeh's Royale (Hamed Animashaun). Ojeh is a large humanoid creature of deep intelligence and kindness. Royall called Rand an "Aielian," which puzzled Rand.

The Es Sedai paraded the gentler Logain through the streets as Matt and Rand watched from the balcony. They made a promise not to corrupt each other as Logain had done.

Royall succeeded in entering the grounds of the White Tower and eventually brought Nineveh to the inn to meet Rand.

Egwene and Perrin continued their journey with the Tinkers to Tar Valon, but were stopped by the White Croatians. Eamon Varda, the questioner from the second story, recognized Perrin and Egwene and ordered their capture. Varda was convinced that Egwene was an ésedi and tortured Perrin into confessing. If she channeled, Varda would kill her and release Perrin; if she did not channel, Varda would kill Perrin and release her.

Egveen decided to channel and in the process freed Perrin from her bondage. Wolves attacked the Whitecloak encampment and the two fled for the night.

Tar Valon is gorgeous, especially with the Dragonmount volcano in the distance. The city is a center of world trade and culture, and the program did a good job of showing its diversity and bustle. The interior of the tower is stunning, even in its small design. The floors, doors, arches, and statues all gave the tower a sense of history and mystery, adding depth to a building that has stood for thousands of years.

Once again, the acting was excellent across the board. Hamed's performance as Royale was excellent, portraying the gentle and excitable Ogier. I don't agree with the overdesign of the character of Royale, but I think he gave a great performance in his few minutes on stage.

This episode focused on Stepin's grief over the loss of Esedai. Grief is complicated, and unfortunately Warder is unable to cope with the pain. Depression is a terrible thing, and some people do not survive it. Determined to end his pain, Stepin drugged his friend so that he could end his life of his own volition. That is not a man in a rational state of mind.

The final funeral scene bothered me when I first saw it because Lan's facial expressions were so expressive, but I came to appreciate it later. In the book, Lan starts out as a stony, stoic man, but in the show he was able to show more emotion. Daniel Henney's performance is a great portrayal of a man grieving the loss of a friend. The raw emotion in that scene was very moving. Because I know what it's like to lose someone close to you and what it feels like to have depression try to bury you.

The Perrin and Egwene plot finally became interesting and I disliked Whitecloak more than I did the book. Varda herself is a jerk, and Abdul Sarris' portrayal of him is just creepy. I liked and disliked the scenes between Perrin and Egwene, especially the intense discomfort when Whitecloak started beating up the peaceful Tinker.

Rand and Matt were again underutilized in this episode, with little development. I was glad to see Royale, as he is one of my favorite characters, and I really enjoyed seeing the two boys reunite with Naive. Seeing Matt's illness getting worse made me feel sorry for him. I wonder how the show is going to handle this in the future.

But I am eager to see more of Rand and Matt's journey.

At first, Episode 5 felt a bit disappointing after the intensity of Episode 4. However, upon rewatching and reflection, I realized how important this episode actually is. Not only did it continue the excellent character development, but it also took a major step forward in world-building. The show is really building up to showcase the culture and politics of Esedi, and I can't wait to see the results.

Episode 6 premieres on December 10, and if Brandon Sanderson is to be believed, it may be the best one yet. (Sanderson finished writing "The Wheel of Time" after Jordan's death, and the showrunners brought him on as a consultant.)