Wheel Of Time Season 2: The Hairy Reason Fans Should Be Excited For Episode 5 - Exclusive
"The Wheel of Time" features a lot of hairstyles — as is to be expected in a world known for its diversity of peoples, races, cultures, and biomes. The peoples from each area have their own distinct coiffure, ranging from the simple yet significant braids in the Two Rivers to the red-headed locks of the desert-dwelling Aiel to the elaborate avant-garde headdresses of the upper class in Cairhien.
Xoop recently had a chance to visit the set at Jordan Studios, where "The Wheel of Time" is brought to life by Amazon Studios' creative team. We dropped into one stage where iconic hair and makeup artist Davina Lamont told us some of the details that go into creating so many headpieces for a single show. (She said for Season 2, she had done around 560 fittings and had over 400 wigs ready to go at a moment's notice.)
When we asked Lamont if there was a particular episode in the new season that she was excited for fans to see, as far as hair is concerned, she confidently answered, "Yes — going forward, these are huge. I am really happy or proud of Egwene in Episode 5, so I can't wait for the fans to see this scene."
Lamont went on to tease the importance of the sequence in question: "It is dramatic, and it blows my mind the effect of what she has achieved in the scene. Once the fans all see this, they'll understand why I like it so much." With Episode 5 right around the corner, it will be interesting to see what this hairy sequence is and why Lamont is so proud of what she and Madeleine Madden (who plays Egwene) have accomplished.
There's more in store when it comes to Season 2 hairpieces
Davina Lamont may have singled out Episode 5 as the episode with her favorite hairstyle, but it wasn't the only headdress she had in mind. The hair connoisseur had another favorite much further into the show that she also couldn't wait for fans to see — in the finale. "There's stuff that I can't talk about yet," she said. "But in Episode 8 — the finale — there are some amazing hairpieces in this one, so I'm excited for people to see that."
She isn't the only one excited for the final episode of the season. When we asked the show's stunt coordinator, Jan Petrina, what his favorite stunt for the season was, his response was also "the finale." He explained, "It's great because there is all of them at once. That was challenging." The show's production designer, Ondrej Nekvasil, similarly had high praise for the final episode, saying he was the most excited for that installment "because there's a lot of stuff to see, a lot of interesting locations and all that. Plus, there's a whole story finale. Our characters are coming together, and they are suddenly all together in a new space, and ... that's something to enjoy."
It appears we're headed for an action-packed final episode. Regardless of whether it's Egwene in Episode 5 or everyone all together in the finale, it's fun to know that the headpieces hold up with the rest of the experience, especially in a show where culture and variety play such a critical role in defining all of the characters.
The first four episodes of "The Wheel of Time" Season 2 are available to stream on Prime Video. The remaining episodes will premiere on Fridays through October 6, 2023.