Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Battlefield 6 Classes - Support trailer image

    Battlefield 6 Really Wants You To Play Support (But Knows You Won’t)

    07/31/2025
    Battlefield 6 Multiplayer Reveal promotional image

    Battlefield 6 Classes, Maps, And More: Everything You Need To Know

    07/31/2025
    A glimpse at all the upcoming Star Wars stories coming to the galaxy

    Star Wars Stories: What We Learned At SDCC 2025

    07/25/2025
    Blindspot episode still

    It’s been 5 years since ‘Blindspot’ ended. Why haven’t you watched it yet?

    07/24/2025
    Strange Scaffold

    Strange Scaffold Summer Showcase Delivers Bizarre And Brilliant Games

    07/22/2025
  • Fantasia Festival
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Switch 2 Games
But Why Tho?
Home » TV » REVIEW: ‘The Wheel of Time’ Season 3 Episode 8 – “He Who Comes With the Dawn”

REVIEW: ‘The Wheel of Time’ Season 3 Episode 8 – “He Who Comes With the Dawn”

Allyson JohnsonBy Allyson Johnson04/17/20257 Mins Read
Rand in The Wheel of Time Season 3 Episode 8
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

In yet another standout season finale, The Wheel of Time Season 3 Episode 8 promises new directions for its core cast moving forward. It has been extraordinary to witness the leaps and bounds that this show, based on the fantasy series by Robert Jordan, has taken throughout three seasons. While the first was rocky, the second showed signs of promise. Yet Season 3 is its best yet, rich in scenic tapestries, expanding worlds, and pivotal, character-defining moments. “He Who Comes With the Dawn” is the perfect cap and, in a way, feels like the end of the setup to the larger, grand-scale story to come.

While Episode 7 dealt with Perrin’s (Marcus Rutherford) story in the Two Rivers, The Wheel of Time Season 3 Episode 8 has the herculean task of wrapping up the entirety of the rest of the cast. For the most part, this works because of the tight setup the writing has established up until this point. It’s essentially broken into three main settings: Tanchico, the Aiel Waste, and the White Tower. All three deliver high-stakes showdowns and direct each character down the path they will take. And many of them are armed with new, consequential strength and/or knowledge.

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Despite having the best group of characters, the Tanchico storyline is the most rushed. This is unfortunate due to the breadth of information unfolding. Nynaeve (Zoë Robins) and Liandrin (Kate Fleetwood) being in a race against one another for the a’dam collar, which possesses the ability to control the Dragon Reborn, could easily be its own episode. These characters have served as foils to one another throughout the series, both emboldened by the pain they have suffered. But while Liandrin believes that her affection for her son made her weak, Nynaeve knows that her love and care for others make her strong.

Mat and Nynaeve go through major changes in The Wheel of Time Season 3 Episode 8.

The Eelfinn speaks with Mat

So while Liandrin makes away with the collar by the end of the finale, Nynaeve has become a more formidable opponent. In a climactic moment as she drowns at Liandrin’s doing, she regains the ability to channel again. We keep hearing how Nynaeve is the most powerful channeler in a thousand years. “He Who Comes From the Dawn” finally delivers on that promise with a spectacular display as she splits the ocean to escape Liandrin’s clutches.

But for every success comes a new hurdle. Mat’s (Dónal Finn) storyline has significantly diverged from his storyline in the book. In the novels, he travels with Rand to the Aiel Waste and Rhuidean, though he doesn’t enter the columns with Rand. Here, the adaptation and the original story converge and work against one another. He walks through a ter’angreal which transports him into a room where an Eelfinn stands, ready to interrogate him. It’s a disorienting sequence where Mat, rightfully, responds with hostility to.

The Eelfinn repeats itself, asking Mat what his needs are. But Mat, too frustrated to think clearly, reacts in anger. He says he wants all of the magical beings of the world to leave him alone, that he wants the screaming in his brain to stop, and that he wants to be away from the Eelfinn and back in Tanchico. The Eelfinn grants his wishes, though he calls him a fool for not specifying how and why. He may leave, but it’s now up to the Eelfinn’s discretion on how, which leaves him hanging from the doorway, suffocating, just like in Min’s vision.

He doesn’t die thanks to Min (Kae Alexander), but it’s when another critical change happens. He no longer has the screaming of past souls lodged in his brain, but he also has spots in his memory that he can’t reconcile. While in the book, he asks the Eelfin for the holes in his memory to be filled. Ever since the start of the series, the adaptation has played with expectations and timelines for his storyline. But as he acquires the markings that will define his character —the scar around his neck and the foxhead medallion —we have to wonder how they will shift the narrative next.

The Light is threatened in the Season 3 finale. 

Lan comforts Morraine

The central plot points, however, in The Wheel of Time Season 3 Episode 8, work in tandem. As Siuan (Sophie Okonedo) fights for, and loses, control of The White Tower at the hands of Elaida (Shohreh Aghdashloo), Morraine (Rosamund Pike) does her best to protect Rand (Josha Stradowski) from Lanfear (Natasha O’Keeffe). Rand, who finally sees Lanfear for the monster she is, sends her into a frenzied rage. All of this happens as Rand is set to stand before the Aiel clans and declare himself the Car’a’carn. However, Lanfear acts quickly, roping in another Aiel to try to falsify Rand’s status.

The plan fails, however, due to Rand sharing what he saw in Rhuidean, a major taboo. However, as the Car’a’carn, he’s meant to break down the Aiel and make them see their truth. The prophecy foretold of a leader who would be of the blood but not raised by it. He speaks of their history, of how they’re Oath Breakers and must embrace their true selves to rise above. And then, in his ultimate move, he calls upon his power to make it rain in the desert. Stradowski remains the weakest link, but it doesn’t diminish the overall effect of the moment. Yet another stepping stone in his path towards leadership.

From here on out, it becomes a gamble on how he makes it to The Last Battle. But he and Morraine share the same goals in perhaps their strongest and most mature discussion yet. They both have the same objective – to see Rand make it to the Last Battle while fighting for the Light, rather than succumbing to the darkness. And if he should fall, they both trust that she’ll kill him.

It’s part of what makes her fight with Lanfear so intense (though Pike’s commitment to pulling faces nearly kills the tension). Because we know that without Morraine, it’s not just that they lose a significant source of power, they also lose the person who can and will stop Rand if the worst is to happen.

Darkness continues to lurk even as Rand triumphs.

Lanfear in The Wheel of Time Season 3 Episode 8

The story deals Morraine another killing blow, however. In another big change in the series (and major spoilers for the end of the finale), Elaida kills Siuan, accusing her of being a Darkfriend. Morraine feels her loss as she dies, using her grief to fortify her in battle before succumbing to it once Lanfear leaves. This shift in politics at The White Tower promises enormous consequences. As the Forsaken rally and Moghedien (Laia Costa) strengthen, the fact that the Tower is also succumbing to darkness and power-hungry leadership threatens Rand’s steps.

He may be accepted as the Car’a’carn, but he’s losing allies. It sets the series up for major storylines as each character has new paths to take. From Elayne realizing her mother is being betrayed, thanks to Mat losing the gaps in memory, and Rand acquiring an army, these characters are on the precipice of greatness or darkness. Or, even more interesting, something that lies in between.

The Wheel of Time Season 3 Episode 8 is a superb finale that raises the stakes. The characters are genuinely at the point of no return. Throughout all of Season 3, the production has demonstrated its detailed approach to worldbuilding through the costuming and makeup, and how it weaves together the book’s narrative and its distinctive twists. “He Who Comes With the Dawn” reminds us of how far the show has come while further cementing our interest in this epic tale of the fight between forces and the battle of souls as our hero tries not to succumb to the shadow.

The Wheel of Time Season 3 Episode 8 is out now on Prime Video. 

Previous Episode | Next Episode
The Wheel of Time Season 3 Episode 8
  • 8/10
    Rating - 8/10
8/10

TL;DR

The Wheel of Time Season 3 Episode 8 is a superb finale that raises the stakes. “He Who Comes With the Dawn” reminds us of how far the show has come while further cementing our interest in this epic tale of the fight between forces and the battle of souls as our hero tries not to succumb to the shadow.

  • Watch Now on Prime Video with Our Affiliate Link

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous Article10 Of The Best Harrison Ford Performances, From Indy to Shrinking
Next Article REVIEW: ‘Wind Breaker’ Season 2 Episode 3 — “Re:start”
Allyson Johnson

Allyson Johnson is co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of InBetweenDrafts. Former Editor-in-Chief at TheYoungFolks, she is a member of the Boston Society of Film Critics and the Boston Online Film Critics Association. Her writing has also appeared at CambridgeDay, ThePlaylist, Pajiba, VagueVisages, RogerEbert, TheBostonGlobe, Inverse, Bustle, her Substack, and every scrap of paper within her reach.

Related Posts

Better Late Than Single
7.0

REVIEW: ‘Better Late Than Single’ Is More Than the Name Suggests

08/03/2025
Foundation Season 3 Episode 4 still from Apple TV+
8.0

REVIEW: Foundation Season 3 Episode 4 — “The Stress of Her Regard”

08/02/2025
Lerato Mvelase in Marked (2025)
9.0

REVIEW: Moral Dilemmas Battle It Out In ‘Marked’

08/01/2025
Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen in Platonic Season 2
9.0

REVIEW: ‘Platonic’ Season 2 Is ‘Superbad’ For Grown-Ups In the Best Way

07/31/2025
King of the Hill Season 14 episode still from Hulu
10.0

REVIEW: ‘King Of The Hill’ Season 14 Is the Best Revival Ever

07/25/2025
Foundation Season 3 Episode 3 still from Apple TV Plus
8.0

RECAP: ‘Foundation’ Season 3 Episode 3 — “When a Book Finds You”

07/25/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
Wildgate promotional key art
9.0
PC

REVIEW: ‘Wildgate’ Is Co-Op Space Mayhem Done Right

By Adrian Ruiz07/25/2025Updated:07/30/2025

Built for friends and tuned for competition, Wildgate is messy in the best way: smart, surprising, and bursting with room to grow.

Simon in An Honest Life But Why Tho
3.5
Film

REVIEW: ‘An Honest Life’ Is Terribly Dishonest About Its Own Politics

By Jason Flatt08/02/2025

An Honest Life is an overly severe misfire about a law student who falls in with anarchist burglars that can’t decide who it resents more.

Glass Heart
7.0
TV

REVIEW: ‘Glass Heart’ Offers Messy, Musical Catharsis

By Allyson Johnson07/22/2025

The musical drama series ‘Glass Heart’ soars when it focuses on the epic performances of it’s fictional band, TENBLANK.

World of Warcraft The War Within Ghosts of Karesh But Why Tho Interviews

‘The War Within’ Patch 11.2 Addresses Raid Trash, Magic-Focused Comps, And More

By Mick Abrahamson07/31/2025Updated:07/31/2025

WoW Sr. Producer and Asst. Lead Quest Designer address The War Within 11.2’s Manaforge Omega, Reshii Wrap rewards, and Mythic+ balancing.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here