The fourth episode of The Wheel of Time continued the three plotlines from the third episode, with Moiraine, Lan, and Nineveh in the spotlight. Rand, Matt, and Tom dealt with Fade, while Perrin and Egwene learned about the pacifistic Tinker. The episode again featured strong performances from the entire main cast and most of the supporting cast, especially Zoe Robbins (Nynaeve) and Daniel Henney (Lan).

I especially liked the chemistry between Lan and Naive, both as characters and as actors. Their relationship continued to grow into something that fans of the book would recognize. However, this episode also featured Logain Abler (Alvaro Morte). Not only could he channel, but he was also the one who declared himself the Dragon Reborn.

Now let's dive into the latest chapter of Amazon Prime Video's "Wheel of Time" film adaptation.

In the previous episode, Darkfriends (those who pledge allegiance to the Dark One) attacked Rand and Matt. They met Tom the Gleeman who saved them and told them to flee town with him. In episode 4 they came across a farm and got lodging for the night in exchange for work. But at night, Rand and Tom find Matt sick and delirious in the farmhouse, where a farmer's family has been slaughtered. Fade suddenly appeared from the shadows and attacked them, so Rand and Matt fled, while Tom fought the monster.

So, did Matt kill his family or did Fade? Matt's dagger with a ruby hilt was clean and free of blood. In the Wheel of Time books, the Fade is known as a particularly violent and sadistic creature, so I am inclined to believe that the Fade in this episode killed the farmers. Matt was obviously very sick, since Matt's mouth was covered with the black goo of Shadar Logos.

Perrin and Egwene continued their slow plot. They were still traveling with the Tinkers and learning more about Pacifista. Their philosophy is called "The Way of the Leaf" and they believe that all violence and its tools are abhorrent. Even though the life of a hardcore pacifist in a world of murderous monsters seems a bit ridiculous, the show manages to make the Tinkers seem less stupid than in the book. (This is not a knock on real-world pacifists, because I generally agree.)

With Moiraine, Lan, and Nynaeve, an écédée named Kerene healed Moiraine's wounds, and Lan and Nynaeve further developed their relationship. Nynaeve met the Warders who accompanied the Ecedi who captured Logain. However, just as things were beginning to calm down a bit, an army of false dragons, who were believed to have fled when Logain was captured, returned. As a result, a fierce battle ensued in the camp of the Acedi. In the confusion, Logain escaped and killed Kelene.

Kelene's warders sensed this and rushed to the cave where the Esedai held Logain captive. When a Warder's Esedai dies, he almost always falls into fits of rage and grief, often throwing himself into danger to avenge her. Kelene's Warder did just that, attacking Logain with an axe. Logan blocked the weapon with his "strength," shattering it into pieces and scattering the debris all over the cave. The handle of the axe pierced Moiraine's belly, and a shard of the blade cut Ran's throat.

Episode 4 climaxed with the revelation that Nynaeve could channel as she desperately tried to stop Lan's bleeding. Not only that, she is extremely powerful.

The revelation of Nynaeve's power went really well. Her healing of everyone injured in the cave is very different from the main story, but it works well. Nynaeve is a very strong character, both in willpower and "power of one," and I was really glad that the program revealed this early on.

I noticed that Moiraine, Nynaeve, and Lan were in the Esedi camp, and the show used this moment to show how different these characters are. The women of the White Tower come from a variety of backgrounds and cultures, and their attire gives us a glimpse of this. Some women wore headscarves. The costume department pulled it off and showed the personalities within the organization (even though they were dressed in similar colors).

Logain's story in this episode features much stronger characterization than he did in the first volume of The Wheel of Time. Later in the series, he becomes very important, and I liked seeing the show take the time to truly establish his character. It also helped that Alvaro Morte's performance was incredibly well done and truly sold the role of Logain to me, as it did to the rest of the cast.

The Wheel of Time also continued to impress me with the quality of the camera shots. Everything looked absolutely gorgeous, from the beautiful, expansive landscapes to the harsh caves where the Es Sedai imprisoned Logain. I also thought the battle scene in the middle of the episode was well shot with well chosen camera angles.

This allows us to see more uses of the One Power, such as exploding the ground. This was followed by a brilliantly choreographed scene between the Eseedi and their Warders, which allowed the audience to see the bond they share.

I also enjoyed the visual representation of the esedi gentling the low gain. (The female channelers literally ripped the power from him. He truly believed he was the reincarnation of a dragon, which I found compelling--he was not really a villain, but rather a man determined to carry the burden of saving the world.

Overall, I think this episode is the best yet and has enhanced my view of the series as a whole. The quality of the acting, cinematography, costumes, and script all stood out even more than the previous two episodes.

The Wheel of Time is already halfway through its first season, leaving plenty of territory to cover, and I suspect we'll see more of Matt, Rand, Perrin, and Egwene in episode 5, which will air on December 3.