This review contains full spoilers for The Wheel of Time episodes 1-3.
The Wheel of Time turns, and a new season begins explosively with two excellent episodes showing what the series does best: creative magical battles, messy personal drama, and grappling with the world-shaking repercussions of the clashing agendas of powerful people. The episode that follows, however, is a bit of a let down by comparison, offering some good intrigue and emotional scenes but lacking focus because it has to weave together too many plots to set up what’s next.
Aes Sedai in the show wear the colors of their factions far more prominently than in the books, to make it easier for the audience to keep track of who’s who and on what their general deal is – and it’s hilarious that now that Liandrin (Kate Fleetwood) has been revealed to be secretly Black Ajah, she’s conveniently also splashing in some black along with her red apparel. Tensions are high in the White Tower: No one’s sure just how deep the contamination goes. Their concern is both warranted and misdirected, focused on the rest of the Red Ajah only to learn that the highest ranks of all of the groups have members who have devoted themselves to the Dark One. The contempt the Reds show for the Warders guarding the door when they try to join the fray is particularly funny because they’re actually in the right. It’s the Yellow and Green Ajah coming up behind them that are the real threat.
Aes Sedai dialogue is very cleverly written so that they twist words while always telling the truth. The Amyrlin Seat Siuan Sanche (Sophie Okonedo) acknowledges just how much trouble she’d be in if Liandrin’s allegations about her letting a male channeler go are true – which of course they are – before launching into her counteroffensive with Nynaeve al’Meara (Zoë Robins) as her key witness. Discovering Nynaeve has escaped the Seanchan to tell of her betrayal, Liandrin stops politicking and starts attacking.
All hell breaks loose in the White Tower, with the magical carnage quickly spilling out into the streets of Tar Valon. Lots of nameless Aes Sedai die in creative ways including balls of fire, magical evisceration, and being crushed by the ornate pillars of the White Tower itself. The use of shielding and healing makes for a particularly dynamic fight where combatants don’t necessarily stay down but death is still a real possibility.
That’s particularly true for a Warder, whose job is to protect their Aes Sedai at all costs. It’s beautiful that Maksim (Taylor Napier) and Ihvon (Anthony Kaye, replacing Emmanuel Imani) both dive to shield Alanna Mosvani (Priyanka Bose) from Liandin’s blade – it just happens to be Ihvon who takes the fatal blow. It’s a loss heavily foreshadowed by the throuple’s failed attempt to help the warder Stepin (Peter Franzén) deal with the death of his Aes Sedai in season 1.
The other strong emotional note of the fight is Moiraine Damodred (Rosamund Pike) saving Siuan despite being exiled by her former lover last season. The longing look the Amerlyn gives Moiraine before she disappears back in the city says so much about how even though their obligations may have drawn them apart, they would still do anything to help each other.
After the initial fireworks subside, The Wheel of Time provides something that’s been all too rare since the first episodes of the series: Moiraine and the five people she rescued from Emond’s Field all together, grappling with the weight of their destiny and the deep connections that bind them. The damage of Barney Harris’ departure in season 1 has now been largely undone and Dónal Finn has settled into the role of Mat Cauthon nicely, playing up his mischievous side while he pointedly ignores Moraine’s advice to lay low. He also shows deep vulnerability by turning to his former village wisdom Nynaeve for help dealing with the memories that have been tormenting him since he blew the Horn of Valere.
Season 1 and 2 largely corresponded to Robert Jordan’s first two Wheel of Time novels, and season 3 opens with a lot of talk about how Rand al’Thor (Josha Stradowski) should embrace his destiny as the Dragon Reborn and claim the sword Callandor in Tear – the plot of the series third book, The Dragon Reborn. But instead, the show skips that quest and moves to book 4, The Shadow Rising, by having Rand let his new Aiel bodyguards take him to the Aiel Waste to see if he is actually their prophesied leader.
After Rand used magic to tear apart a Seanchan who challenged him to a duel last season, I was worried that he’d entirely abandon the swordsmanship that’s so important to his character in the books. Luckily that’s not the case and Rand and Moiraine’s warder al’Lan Mandragoran (Daniel Henney) use physical training as an opportunity for some guy talk, giving Rand a break from the burdens of his immense magical power. The trust the men build provides a sharp contrast to Rand’s hostile relationship with Moiraine, who is so desperate to control him that she’ll cut deals with the phenomenally untrustworthy Forsaken Lanfear (Natasha O’Keeffe).
The Aiel warrior Aviendha (Ayoola Smart) gets the most new layers thanks to her sweet relationship with the princess and Aes Sedai in training Elayne Trakand (Ceara Coveney) and her general contempt for to idea of a “wetlander” being her people’s chosen one. (It’s an arc that’s very similar to Chani’s in Frank Herbert’s Dune, which Jordan said he was a fan of.) Aviendha’s fellow Maiden of the Spear Bain (Ragga Ragnars) and Chiad (Maja Simonsen) have strong moments of charm themselves in the form of the dangerous game of Maiden’s Kiss they play with Mat; hilariously, they also want to play it with the scholarly Ogier Loial (Hammed Animashaun). The numerous spear scratches on Mat’s neck provide a very funny testament to his courage and mediocre smooching skills.
Egwene al’Vere (Madeleine Madden) is having a tough time, haunted by nightmares of her torture by the Seanchan caused by Lanfear, who’s jealous of Rand’s childhood sweetheart. Madden beautifully conveys the character’s fierceness as she works to reclaim her own power by advancing rank in the Aes Sedai, even if it means confronting her fears that Rand will go mad with power. That scene’s impact is a bit diminished by how bad Stradowski looks in a wig that’s meant to give him the same wild look as the False Dragon Logain (Álvaro Morte). The Aes Sedai trials are such a good opportunity for character development that it’s a real shame Elayne’s isn’t shown, especially considering that she has a lot to fear based on the ruthlessness of her mother, Queen Morgase (Olivia Williams).
The show continues to be much bloodier and hornier than Jordan’s books. Elayne’s brothers attracting the attention of all the novices while sparring at the White Tower is straight out of The Great Hunt, but the loud sex they have after isn’t. Same for the extremely Game of Thrones-like palace scene where Morgasse ascends the throne with the help of her Aes Sedai advisor Elaida a’Roihan (Shohreh Aghdashloo) by having all her competitors murdered. It’s a bit over the top, but helps establish both Morgasse and Elaida as real threats to the Amryln’s authority, which is already fragile after the carnage Liandrin caused. Aghdashloo brings the same contemptuous dignity she demonstrated on The Expanse to her new role as she seeks to use the mistrust of the Red Ajah to her advantage.
Episode three is the weakest in this three-part premiere, pulled in too many directions as it sets up plots that will pay off in later episodes. Beyond Elaida’s machinations, the other strong arc is the emotional fallout over Ihvon’s loss, which provides some touching material on the complexity of shared grief. But everything else feels scattered. Mat shows off his new combat skills, Nynaeve and Elayne interrogate the Black Ajah to learn where Liandrin’s headed, Lan gets bugged about pursuing his own destiny, and Perrin Aybara (Marcus Rutherford) is denied a happy homecoming because the world’s falling apart and he killed a Whitecloak captain last season.
One of the episode’s biggest problems is how much time The Wheel of Time is devoting to its villains. It feels like the attempts to make Liandrin a sympathetic enemy have run their course. She might win a fight for the sisterhood by interrupting a child marriage, but she’s also killed many women or condemned them to fates worse than death. Lanfear is far more compelling in the conflicted nemesis role, but her fellow Forsaken assembling at the beginning of episode 3 don’t offer much menace themselves yet. The creepy Moghedien (Laia Costa) is clearly meant to be one of the season’s biggest enemies, but the fact that her assassins keep getting taken out relatively easily makes her an underwhelming threat.
