REVIEW: ‘The Wheel of Time’ Season 3 Episodes 1-3

The Wheel of Time Season 3 Episodes 1-3 wastes no time grabbing our attention with an explosive and action-packed premiere. In a clear indicator of the strong narrative direction of Season 3, the first three episodes beautifully re-establish our core cast, introduce new characters, and divide the story to pivot us in the new paths the journey is taking us. Based on the rich, dense text of Robert Jordan, the series once more finds a balance of honoring the source material while bringing it to more cinematic life.

While plenty happens in The Wheel of Time Season 3 Episodes 1-3, the main push happens early to devastating results. There’s been tension brewing amongst the Aes Sedai throughout the series, but it finally hits its fever pitch during the bombastic opening moments. Liandrin (Kate Fleetwood) is called to speak to the Amirlyn Seat, Siuan (Sophie Okonedo), cut off from the rest of the Red Ajah. The trial lasts only moments before Nynaeve (Zoë Robins) is called as a witness to prove that Liandrin is, in fact, a member of the Black Ajah and a dark friend.

The following action is brutal, sparing no bloodshed as Liandrin rallies the other Black Ajah among them to battle it out with those who remain loyal to the tower. Whenever Liandrin or Siuan seems to have control, the other claws it back before the Black Ajah escapes, leaving destruction and casualties in their wake. While the scene lacks some finesse in its bigger moments (a woman is split in two, and the effects are not great), the tension it mounts is superb. It feels like the cumulative weight of the previous seasons as we finally get a consequential standoff between these powerful and morally gray women.

That sense of action courses throughout The Wheel of Time Season 3 Episodes 1-3. At the end of Episode 1, the group is preyed on by a Gray Man, an enforcer of the Forsaken who, when they forfeit their soul, become a mindless soldier. The sequence is bruising in its close-quarters effect as the Two Rivers crew, Rand (Josha Stradowski), Egwene (Madeleine Madden), Mat (Dónal Finn), Perrin (Marcus Rutherford, and Nynaeve are attacked by this mysterious force at the hand of the Forsaken, Lanfear (Natasha O’Keeffe). It’s both a test of their bonds and a test for the series to show how much fear they can instill in us regarding the safety of its characters.

Lanfear’s decision to attack them proves successful, though it’s not because they don’t trust Rand (Josha Stradowski) or fear his imminent power and prophesied descent into madness. Instead, the attack reminds all of them about what they’re lacking. Rand, Egwene, Lan (Daniel Henney), Morraine (Rosamund Pike), and Aviendha (Ayoola Smart) will now journey to the Aiel Waste, where he will study to become the Car’a’carn, the chief who will lead Aiel by the Prophecy of Rhuidean.

The Wheel of Time Season 3 Episodes 1-3 set up major adventures. 

The Aiel Waste and Rand’s first venture there is one of the most invigorating aspects of the early novels, making the adaptation all the more precarious. So far, it’s well-executed, though the journey is spent mainly as an excuse to explore the world’s lore. It’s pointed out often how rigidly Morraine sees the Dragon Reborn prophecy, and yet Aviendha points out that to Aiel, it’s not quite as rigid. In her mind, “Wetlanders” — those not of the desert where the Aiel reside — the idea of the Dragon Reborn is too black and white. He will either save or break the world.

In Aiel legend, however, the Car’a’carn (another name for the Dragon Reborn) “shall spill out the blood of those who call themselves Aiel…the remnant of the remnant he will save.” The Car’a’carn is balanced —creation and destruction rather than simply one or the other.

Despite the varying scenery and settings, every core character is on a pivotal, character-defining journey. Perrin doesn’t believe himself a hero, and it’s that, plus his belief that he has no affinity for adventure, that sends him home to the Two Rivers. However, he soon realizes that home isn’t how he remembered it, with the Trollocs a recurring threat and the White Cloaks, who continue to pursue Perrin. Perrin is a character who hasn’t always been served well by the series (especially considering how extraordinary his book counterpart is) since we don’t have the literal privilege of being in his head.

Yet the storyline with the Two Rivers is promising as it shows how, despite his beliefs, he’s already cementing himself as a heroic figurehead, changed by all that’s transpired.

How the series handles the effects of what the characters have endured is one of many highlights of the adaptation. We see it in Egwene’s trauma following her capture in Season 2. We see it with Mat, who is weighed down after he sounds the Horn of Valere in the Season 2 finale. Sure, he summoned heroes of legend in their pivotal fight, but the effect is more than that. He can now speak in the Old Tongue and is plagued by memories that aren’t his own. He recalls memories of death and loss that aren’t his own, making his commitment to alcohol and reckless fun all the more understandable.

New dynamics and new possibilities abound in the premiere. 

It’s part of why he agrees to stay at the White Tower in one of the significant book differences. While much of Season 3 is working on the fourth book in the series, The Shadow Rising, Mat’s storyline picks and chooses from the third and fourth. His staying means he gets a lot of scenes with Nynaeve, which is one of the better and more fun dynamics. He trusts her more than any other authority figure and will follow her. Their storyline, alongside Elayne (Ceara Coveney) and Min (Kae Alexander), is one of the most promising of the series due to the actors delivering near-pitch-perfect performances of their characters.

Not all changes work in The Wheel of Time Season 3 Episodes 1-3. I’ll never be fond of how they’ve adapted Lan’s character and made Morraine more of a driving force. But some of the changes — such as a sweet and intimate scene between Aviendha and Elayne, which is a playful wink to audiences in the know — work beautifully. Keeping Mat with the girls allows a fun and engaging dynamic to grow and develop naturally.

Despite all that takes place, there’s still a hint of more as Episodes 1-3 end. Despite its ever-expanding ensemble, the series is at its most streamlined and thoughtfully paced. The sides of the light and the dark continue to develop as we learn about the Queen of Andor, Morgaise, the Red Ajah Elaida, the Aiel, and members of the Forsaken. And despite how much we continue to learn about this universe with its rich and detailed world-building, it miraculously never feels overwhelming.

The Wheel of Time Season 3 Episodes 1-3 is a welcome return to the fantasy series. Refreshingly bold, the series reminds us of why we care about these characters and their tireless journeys in a world of prophecies where the fate of another profoundly impacts the thread of one life.

The Wheel of Time Season 3 Episodes 1-3 are out now on Prime Video.

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