Wheel of Time: How Logain’s Laugh Hints at The Show’s Biggest Reveal

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Wheel of Time season 1, episode 5, and the Wheel of Time books.

Logain’s laugh in Wheel of Time episode 5 is laced with meaning, as it hints at the show’s biggest reveal. This particular moment in the show was borrowed from the first book in Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series, The Eye of the World. While it may have come across to some viewers as a sign of the character’s insanity, Logain’s laugh actually holds a great deal of significance in regards to the show’s Dragon Reborn mystery.

In Amazon’s Wheel of Time show, Logain Ablar (Álvaro Morte) is a False Dragon, which is a term used to describe someone who has wrongly claimed to be the reincarnation of Lews Therin Telamon. Logain seemingly learned at the end of the episode that Moiraine (Rosamund Pike) was right when she told him that he wasn’t the Dragon Reborn. His bewildered response to Nynaeve’s remarkable display of her One Power capabilities suggested that he suspects it might be her. However, she’s not one of Moiraine’s primary suspects, which are Rand (Josha Stradawoski), Perrin (Marcus Rutherford), Egwene (Madeleine Madden), and Mat (Barney Harris).

Wheel of Time episode 5 dropped a big clue about the Dragon Reborn’s true identity when it showed Logain being transported through the streets of Tar Valon. The scene saw his gaze suddenly fixate on a window above him, where Rand and Mat were watching him pass by. In The Eye of the World, a similar moment occurred when Rand was observing a caged Logain being paraded through Caemlyn. The reason for his laughter wasn’t explained until Wheel of Time’s sixth book, Lord of Chaos, where Logain stated that it was a reaction to seeing Rand, the true Dragon Reborn. Upon laying eyes on him, Logain sensed at once that Rand would one day “shake the world” with the One Power. Rand had a “glow” that only Logain could see. He found humor in the idea that a male channeler far more powerful than him was running around free. In the context of the TV series, Logain’s laugh may be the biggest clue yet as to the identity of the Dragon Reborn.

Curiously, the TV version of the story framed this scene differently by focusing the camera on Mat, rather than Rand. This gave the impression that Mat was the real subject of Logain’s laugh. While it may seem like Wheel of Time is teasing a huge change to its Dragon Reborn story, the fact that Rand was included in the shot shouldn’t be overlooked. It stands to reason that Wheel of Time is simply using Mat to distract attention from Rand, not unlike what it did with Nynaeve (Zoë Robins) in Wheel of Time episode 4’s ending.

The inclusion of this memorable moment from The Eye of the World goes to show that despite all the misdirection the series is using with Nynaeve, Mat, and Egwene, Amazon’s Wheel of Time show is sticking to the books when it comes to the Dragon Reborn’s identity. For now, all but one of the show’s characters are in the dark about Rand’s true nature. It remains to be seen if and when Logain will mention the all-powerful channeler he caught a glimpse of in Tar Valon.

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