The Wheel of Time has been a fantastic show the previous two seasons on Prime Video. It’s a lot like the show on Prime Video The Rings of Power, but it’s not as talked about like that show is. It stars mostly unknowns with a few familiar faces. Even in season three, most of the cast is relatively unknown to American audiences. Rosamund Pike is the biggest star in the show, but she, as Moiraine  Damodred, steps back most of the time to let the younger stars of the series shine. Season three is a little more intense than previous seasons, and you can tell the budget is bigger as well. This season could be the last, and so the creators, writers, directors, and actors are going out with a bang, if indeed it is the last season.                

Season three starts off with a cold opening as a member from the Red Ajah’s, specifically Liandrin Aes Sedhai (Kate Fleetwood) taken over by the Black Ajah, confront Siuan, Mother (Sophie Okenedo) the leader of the Aes Sedhai and the White Tower, After listening to her appeal for her life she starts a fight involving all the Ajah’s in the room and those outside. After quite a brutal fight, Moiraine Aes Sedhai and members of the 6 get involved in the skirmish. Fearing for Rand al Thor ‘s (Josha Stradowski)  safety, the decision is made for the 5 to once again split up. So they all go their separate ways.

The 5 consists of Rand al Thor (Josha Sedowski), Believed to be the Dragon Reborn, a powerful figure destined to save or destroy the world. Perrin Aybara (Marcus Rutherford), a skilled warrior with a connection to the wolf,  potentially he holds a key role in upcoming conflicts. Mat Cauthon (Dional Finn), a character with the unique gift for luck and the knack for survival, often finds himself in situations that require quick thinking. Nynaeve al’Meara (Zoe Robins) A powerful Aes Sedhai  (Female Channeler) with a strong connection to the One Power who is a key figure in training young channelers  and Egwene al’Vere (Madeleine Madden) A determined Aes Sedhai, who rises to the position of leadership and plays a key role in the future of the channelers. Together, these five can save the world, but there are many obstacles in their way. They face many threats as the show progresses. The actors who play these characters have come into their own in these roles. 

This series has a great look about it,  but this season, the visuals regarding the cinematography are stunning. I was completely blown away by how gorgeous this season was. Especially scenes of mountain vista or desert landscapes. Every shot was impeccably well done. Even interior shots in various buildings or overhead shots of busy towns or ships sailing along the ocean. I could tell the budget was bigger, and that allowed for an overall  better-looking show. This season was literally breathtaking at times to look at.

After splitting up after the first episode of the season, the 5 all have various storylines built into the script based on Robert Jordan’s book series. They go their separate ways but always find a way to come back together again, somehow. I love seeing where their journey is going to take them. Sometimes overseas, others through deserts meeting warriors who live there or going town to town running into people they’d rather not see. Others went back home to the Two Rivers, where they inevitably ran into trouble as well. The subplots all lead back to the same place, similar to The Lord of the rRngs Trilogy. I like this aspect of fantasy storytelling.  These characters have been worth the time I’ve spent with them over three seasons.

 Along with the cinematography and the stories, this series has upped its game as far as the production design, score and costumes, and hairstyling. I couldn’t believe how amazing the sets and costumes and hairstyling were for this third season of The Wheel of Time. Hundreds of characters came on screen at any given time during the ten episodes, and nobody wore the same kind of clothes or had the same hairstyle. It was incredible how these characters all looked so different, even though some were in the same group as others. Such as the various factions of Aes Sedhai.  The sets were big and grand, and all the details involved in the streets and towns were amazing to behold. This was such a grand scale show that it was definitely an improvement of past seasons. The music was also on a large scope. It reminded me of today’s master at work doing the score. Big music for a big show now, I guess. The technical aspects this show brought to the table were exceptional. 

The Forsaken, conjured by Lanfear (Katie O’Keefe), who is trying to kill the 5,is everywhere .She can appear in the dreams of the characters, which makes her a huge threat. The White Tower is also threatened. Using flashbacks and scenes within the arches, the series shows how the threats are being made.  Using dreams and such can be misleading so that, as viewers, we never know what’s real and not real. That’s the interesting part about this series. It goes in so many different directions and deals with so many different encounters.  It truly reminded me of Game Of Thrones in many ways. That’s a good thing. Depth of storytelling and character development are keys in making a sci-fi fantasy show like this work so well.

The Wheel of Time Season 3 is bigger and grander in scope than the previous two seasons. The overall look, from the gorgeous cinematography  to the amazing score to the production design and costumes and hairstyling, is next level. It honestly felt like a film. From the first episode to the last. The character development is second to none. Using Robert Jordan’s texts as reference material, the screenwriters didn’t miss anything. I love all the various directions the characters and the story went. I didn’t feel overwhelmed by anything the directors or showrunners threw at me at all. I was truly in awe of what I watched in this third season. If this is the last, they went out with a bang. I loved all of it. 

7-10 episodes reviewed, and the show is currently streaming on Prime Video

5 stars

Dan Skip Allen