The Wheel of Time Season 3 Review: Offers an Excellent Start Compelling and Surprising
On March 13, with the release of the first three out of eight episodes, he was released on Prime Video. The Wheel of Time Season 3 is the third season of the fantasy TV series taken from Robert Jordan’s saga of novels. To be clear, the one in which women have magical powers that are used by making strange gestures with their hands, while all men with powers are captured and locked up to prevent them from bringing the world back into chaos and destruction. All but one, Rand al’Thor, the reincarnation of the Rhinestone Dragon, the only one able to stop the attacks of the Dark One, the great villain of this world who always traces the same story as in a wheel of time. We previewed the first three episodes of The Wheel of Time Season 3, receiving a decidedly positive impression to find out more, Follow us in this review, which begins with the synthesis without spoilers of the plot.
There is a series on Prime Video that is less trumpet than The Rings of Power, perhaps because it comes from a not-too-well-known brand. Or, The Wheel of Time, taken from Robert Jordan’s book saga. Not too famous, but no less deserving of this, quite the opposite: he has been able to create a hard core of fans around him also in the audiovisual adaptation and to tell an ancient and fantastic world that forcefully winks at our contemporaneity, reversing the roles of men and women in society. After a second season with a sluggish start but which resumed ground in the running, leading to a final full of emotions, the third cycle returns with three initial episodes – which will then become weekly on the streaming service – which leave you speechless and promise well for what will come. The commandment of the third season of The Wheel of Time is to fight the Shadow using the most powerful weapon available to the followers of the Light: namely the humble country boy Rand al’Thor (Josha Stradowski) which is the reincarnation of the Rinato Dragon (the only one capable of stopping the attacks of the Dark One, a dangerous figure in history who, however, is destined to save the world or destroy it).
The Wheel of Time Season 3 Review: The Story Plot
This cycle of episodes is mainly based on the fourth book of the saga of Robert Jordan, The Shadow Rising, and its new episodes lead those who look into the expanses of the Aiel Desert, in the dangerous and fascinating port city of Tanchico and the ancient forbidden city of Rhuidean. The pilot explodes unusually and surprisingly, with a phenomenal, epic action opening sequence full of twists that we usually see in an ending. At the Council meeting called by the Amyrlin Seat to expose Liandrin Guirale and the Ajah Rossa as Friends of Darkness, the situation turns upside down when the Aes Sedai of the Black Ajah who have secretly sworn allegiance to Evil reveal their true face and detonate a fierce battle that revolutionizes the cards on the table. The initial scene activates new violent clashes, set in dark places that, together with the costumes, provide the basis for the visual aspect of the TV series, influencing its tone and contributing significantly to how the public receives the story, becoming, in this case, an integral part of the narrative itself. An ascent of the shadow is represented, all focused on the strength and dynamism of photography that bets on reddish (red is the color of blood and danger) and grayish (the color of the ashes, which also symbolizes the ambivalence of the Gray Men, the Senz’anima- very small group of Friends of Darkness The Wheel of Time – of both sexes).
Before diving into the new season, we advise you to go and reread how The Wheel of Time Season 2 ended, when Rand (Josha Stradowski) was made official as a Barbed Dragon after beating the outcast, or rather the former head of the outcasts Ishamael (Fares Fares), with the help of his friends and adventure companions. But at the Torre delle Aes Sedai, there is turmoil. As we saw in the first scene of the new season, published in advance as per tradition of this universe, the hateful Liandrin (Kate Fleetwood), the Aes Sedai of the Red Ajah who is in the service of the Dark One (to try to save her son from his inevitable mortal destiny, among other reasons) rebels against the attempt to imprison it and make it harmless by Siuan (Sophie Okonedo), the seat of Amyrlin, and starts an insurrection joined by the other conspirators of the infamous black Ajah. The purpose of the battle between Aes Sedai faithful to the light and those faithful instead to the Dark is to subtract from the basements of the Tower of Sa’angreal, very rare ancient objects capable of amplifying the One Power of those who use them (some are Saidar and therefore usable only by women, others are Saidin and therefore for the exclusive use of men), and gods Ter’angreal, objects with specific powers, not necessarily activated only by those who channel them, and in some way reproducible.
This theft is aimed at strengthening the Dark faction, which is preparing for the great final battle with the Rhinestone Dragon. Meanwhile Rand is still with Moiraine (Rosamund Pike) and its custodian at the Lan (Daniel Henney), the beloved Egwene (Madeleine Madden), the wise Nynaeve (Zoë Robins), the princess Elayne (Ceara Coveney), the old friends Perrin (Marcus Rutherford) and Mat (Dónal Finn), dear old Ogier warriors Aiel and everyone else who helped him in the battle last season. But now we know that it is not convenient to be too close to Rand because, sooner or later, his great power will drive him crazy. Therefore, once again, the forces of good are divided to gather other forces for the next battle against the outcasts. Among which there is no longer Lanfear (Natasha O’Keeffe), who as we remember from the final season is now sought after by the former colleague Moghedien (Laia Costa), who wants to take her out to please the Dark after Lanfear preferred his love for Rand (reincarnation of his beloved Lews Therin), even at the cost of sacrificing Ishamael. At this point, the review of all these very complicated names is completed, and you are ready to look with full knowledge of the cause at the trailer of The Wheel of Time Season 3, thoroughly reviewed. But first, here is our opinion on this first part of the third season.
The Wheel of Time Season 3 Review and Analysis
Maybe it’s still early to say, but so far, this third season of The Wheel of Time was the best view. Especially the most convincing and compelling. In the first season, it took a little effort to give confidence and credibility to this series in which magic is exercised in a choreographically funny way, with those rotary movements of the arms that seemed a little forced to us. Now, it will also be because we are partially used to it, but the impression is that the battle scenes with Unico Potere shots are more credible, without that halo of embarrassment that was at the beginning. As if, together with Rand and his friends of the Twin Rivers, the whole series had matured, which now has a more emotionally engaging and at the same time clearer narration, without losing a grain of the visual ladiness that distinguishes it from the beginning. A narrative clarity that relaxes despite a world where good and evil intertwine dangerously, dragging the public on a path fraught with twists and unexpected reactions. There are new characters in this Wheel of Time 3, of which we had already mentioned something in the presentation of the new season.
New characters allow Jordan’s story to acquire new horizons and new perspectives, adding to others whose strengths and weaknesses we have learned. The Wheel of Time Season 3 therefore presents itself as a season of high complexity, but at least in the first three out of eight episodes, this fantasy universe has been able to catapult us effortlessly to the center of it: if it continues like this, this third season could be that of definitive consecration. Rafe Judkins and the team of writers made an unusual choice and against any expectation for the start of the third season of the fantasy series. That is, let it begin with an epic sequence action full of twists that are usually seen in a season finale. At the closed-door meeting (without keepers) called by the Seat of Amyrlin to expose Liandrin Guirale and the Ajah Rossa as Friends of the Dark, the situation turns against the White Tower Reign: the Aes Sedai of the Black Ajah who have secretly sworn allegiance to Evil come out into the open, starting a fierce and bloody battle at the table.
This sect immediately sets a different tone and a decidedly different atmosphere compared to the soporific incipit of the second season, stirring up the roles of the various characters and opening up to a new crisis for the Tower, now hit by several fronts. At the same time, the awakening of the other Forsaken creates an imbalance also for Lanfear, who does not stop undermining Rand, and now also Egwene, becoming even more indecipherable thanks to the excellent interpretation of Natasha O’Keefe. The loss of control of the Tower reaches the borders of the Kingdom, up to the throne of Andor, whose heir, Elayne Trakand, whom we met in the previous season, will acquire even more importance. So much so that the mother will arrive (one increasingly similar to the genus Olivia Williams) and his Aes Sedai Elaida (Shohreh Aghdashloo, another known face of seriality) to make the waters tremble at the palace. The Wheel of Time Season 3 maintains fidelity to the chivalrous epic, which is inspired together with the more properly fantasy one in its preponderant element, of which Game of Thrones was the best representative. That is the fact that often our protagonists – i.e., the five chosen: Rand, Mat, Perrin, Egwene, and Nynaeve – are forced to say goodbye, hoping in their hearts to meet again in a short time.
The trips are in fact on horseback and on foot and often take months in their crossings, from one part of the world to the other told in the show. We had seen it before, and now it appears even more evident as the new storylines for team members develop. As always, it happened by Moiraine and Lan Mandragoran, who have regained their bond, and this promises a further evolution of their relationship thanks to the chemistry now tested between Rosamund Pike and Daniel Henney. Despite some technical impediments not yet perfected, even the visual rendering takes off more between direction, editing, and photography to return that imaginative universe. In this regard, this third chapter is mainly based on the fourth book of Robert Jordan’s saga, The Rise of the Shadow (The Shadow Rising), one of the favorites from the fandom. In addition to Tar Valon, the new episodes will lead the public through new regions and cities of the Western Lands. These include the vast expanses of the Aiel Desert, the dangerous and fascinating port city of Tanchico, and the ancient, misty ancient forbidden city of Rhuidean. Given these premises, we can’t wait.
Arriving in the third season, it can be said that you are not faced with a memorable product, but for some reason, I am happy to see it resist. It will be because a lot of seriality of this kind does not even reach the end of the first season (a clear example is My Lady Jane); it will be because it is always nice to enter a world so distant but so familiar. I say familiar because The Wheel of Time is a mix of all those genre series that bring to mind, first of all, The Throne of Thrones. It had already been said of the previous seasons, and it continues to be taken as a reference (note the beginning of the second episode: setting, colors, and characters undoubtedly recall the Lannister and Cercei house). You remember The Sword of Truth or The Chronicles of Shannara? Just look at the photo below … but the inspiration is more than lawful.
The third season struggles a little to mesh: it opens with a long and bloody fight, a lot of magic, and many deaths (yes, you start to lose some familiar characters, and finally, I would say a few twists raise attention). However, something is still missing … ah yes, a more decisive rhythm. And all too dilated, the episodes for over an hour totally flake the rhythm necessary for the advancement of the story. The really important events are few; the rest is just a bridge with dialogues to ensure a usual duration for such seriality. Occasionally returning to the famous 40-minute episodes wouldn’t be bad. They are, and so will all the fans of the saga, very curious to understand what will happen to the five protagonists, now that everyone is on their way, a road that will lead them towards the season finale (and probably standard). Without a doubt, Rosamund Pike has bet a lot on the project and has been paid with three seasons and generally positive criticisms, not bad…
The first and second seasons focused mainly on Rand’s journey and the battle against the Dark One; Rand’s journey continues in this third, too, but now we find villains really on the front line, more dangerous and influential, but above all more convincing as terrifying presences. Meanwhile, the internal conflicts between the Aes Sedai and the calculated moves of the Reietti help to create an atmosphere of imminent disaster. This new season excels in telling that the real dangers lie not only in the war but in the lies and pitfalls that come behind closed doors. The care of photography and costumes is undoubtedly as appreciable as the filming of the vast landscapes and the wide shots chosen to immerse us in the grandeur of the world of The Wheel of Time, emphasizing critical moments and beauty. However, we continue to record a not convincing acting style and the presence of technical impediments that have not been perfected. The visual effects are not original at all (but in fantasy, isn’t it the set of techniques and tools that allows you to create surreal settings and creatures never seen before?). The show also features other moles such as a cast “maximalist acting” and a somewhat questionable style, one Rosamund Pike that in some scenes he looks off and a character like Rand (nothing but the legendary Rhinestone Dragon) who crosses his arms like a Hollywood star sitting in his living room!
The third season of The Wheel of Time opens with great momentum and does not waste time bringing us back to the heart of the narrative: the White Tower of Aes Sedai. From the first minutes, the episodes catapult us into a climate of growing tension, culminating in one spectacular and full of consequences that immediately set the tone for the entire season. The action is immediate, engaging, and above all, full of meaning for future developments. This first event is not only a well-built visual explosion but also represents a key narrative moment, destined to leave a deep echo throughout subsequent episodes. It is evident from the outset that the series raised the bar: the direction is more mature, the rhythm between action and introspection, and the more self-confident narration. One of the most appreciable qualities of these first three episodes is how the authors deepen the characters of the protagonists. The dynamics between the characters become increasingly complex and layered: some choices that in the past seemed impulsive or poorly motivated finally find an explanation, revealing an emotional and moral background that gives depth to their paths.
Writing focuses on showing the consequences of the experiences lived so far, returning more aware, marked but also more determined protagonists. Each character has his moment to shine, but it is impossible not to notice how much the link between destiny and free will becomes an increasingly central theme. The Aes Sedai are more divided than ever, between power games and ideological differences that promise new fractures. Meanwhile, the Shadow continues to move in the dark, and the threat hanging over everyone is increasingly palpable. On a technical level, production continues to impress: the sets remain sumptuous, the costumes are treated in detail, and the combat sequences are carefully choreographed, without ever losing narrative consistency. The music, intense and suggestive, accompanies the most epic and the most intimate moments. Ultimately, the first three episodes of the third season prove to be an excellent start, full of rhythm, tension, and emotional depth. If the series continues on this trajectory, we are facing a potentially exceptional season, capable of exceeding expectations and giving further impetus to a vast and fascinating narrative world such as that created by Robert Jordan.
The Wheel of Time Season 3 Review: The Last Words
The Wheel of Time Season 3 offers an excellent start, compelling and surprising, which shuffles the cards on the table to the point of no longer knowing who to trust. The magical five must separate once again, respecting the gender stylistic elements, and while they are threatened by Lanfear and the other Reietti awakened by Ishamael, they leave in pairs, each for a different mission. We are curious to see the continuation, hoping to adjust the technical imperfections that still characterize the show. The history of the third season of The Wheel of Time makes the show more fascinating, even if some subplots could be as difficult to follow as the tight dialogues. The new episodes explore political plots and expand their fantasy world, placing the scariest villains at the forefront. Overall improves the viewer’s curiosity for this season, which is satisfactory about narrative complexity, but which still cannot stand out (except a damn handsome gambler -Stradowski) for technical qualities or actor performances.
Cast: Rosamund Pike, Daniel Henney, Zoë Robins, Joelle, Olivia Williams, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Callum Kerr, Nuno Lopes, Luke Fetherston
Directors: Ciaran Donnelly, Thomas Napper, Marta Cunningham
Streaming Platform: Prime Video
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 4/5 (four stars)
The Wheel of Time Season 3 Review: Offers an Excellent Start Compelling and Surprising | Filmyhype
Director: Ciaran Donnelly, Thomas Napper, Marta Cunningham
Date Created: 2025-03-13 14:36
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Pros
- The incredible initial sequence, both as a staging and as a stacked plot twist.
- The relationship between Moiraine and her caretaker.
- The magical five.
- New entries Olivia Williams and Shohreh Aghdashloo.
- Celebrate fantasy by separating the protagonists.
Cons
- A CGI and a technical sector not yet at the maximum yield.
- However, these are introductory episodes towards what will happen.
