Since its first season debuted in 2021, Prime Video’s “The Wheel of Time” has suffered from bloated storytelling and worldbuilding that has confused even the most fervent fantasy consumers. Despite reports that it is one of the streamer’s most popular series, it hasn’t fully garnered the attention of general audiences and the respect of devoted Robert Jordan fans. In a post-“Game of Thrones” landscape, it’s hard to craft a genre show that can withstand those that have come before it.
The season two finale of “The Wheel of Time” finally brought all of its characters back together during a heated battle in the city of Falme. When the battle was won, Rand al’Thor (Josha Stradowski) was declared the powerful Dragon Reborn. With one of the show’s biggest mysteries finally being put to bed, the series felt forced to hang in limbo. Thankfully, with its third season, it seems like showrunner Rafe Judkins is finally being given the space to make the show he initially set out to create. But in a culture that chews series up and spits them out, is it enough?
Season three begins immediately where the previous season left off, featuring a confrontation between the Aes Sedai, as their leader Siuan Sanche (Sophie Okonedo), confronts Liandran Guirale (Kate Fleetwood), who has been revealed to be a Darkfriend. Although she appears to be an outlier, it is quickly revealed that she’s not alone, and an all-out battle between heroes and villains occurs. The magical battle is full of bloody carnage and stunning choreography, something that “The Wheel of Time” has been lacking compared to its fantasy television peers.
While this spectacle is a fantastic change of pace, the rest of the season is far different. With the White Tower divided beyond repair, and enemies returning to the Two Rivers, it seems like the forces of the dark being in pursuit of the Dragon are the least of The Emond’s Field Five’s worries. They once again split up to take on varying tasks, but the characters who are paired with one another work in each other’s favor. The standout from this season, who previously felt like a duller version of “Dune”’s Paul Atreides, is Rand, whose newfound power begins to fracture his relationships with those he cares for most.
“The more he channels, the more the darkness will take him,” Moiraine Damodred (Rosamund Pike) tells of Rand’s growing power. The mysterious identity of the Dragon Reborn has plagued the series to a fault. Still, season three is finally allowed to deconstruct the “chosen one” trope, allowing Stradowski to showcase the best performance the show has had to offer so far. As his newfound powers entice and confuse him, his allegiance to the life he had before this journey begins to waver. It makes for some enticing drama with his love interest Egwene al’Vere (Madeleine Madden), who watches closely as her lover begins to change.
She herself is going through a transformation, one which, after breaking out of her enslavement in season two, leaves her haunted beyond repair. Along with her, the show finally takes time for all its characters to reckon with the trauma they’ve faced since leaving the Two Rivers, allowing them to understand themselves further and giving the series an emotional core for its audience to latch on to. It’s something this show has been lacking for too long, but finally, its characters are given a chance to shine in a story that previously was far too bloated to take interest in all of them.
It’s when one of the groups–featuring Rand, Moiraine, Egwene, al’Lan Mandragoran (Daniel Henney), and others– journey to the desert land of Aiel that each aspect of the show intertwines to create one of the best episodes of the series. Reaching the city of Rhuidean, our characters are forced into a clouded oblivion, making for a mesmerizing visual feast that this series’ peers don’t come close to matching. In it, Moiranie sees visions of lives she and Rand could have lived, together and apart. However, Rand sees visions of where his powers could have taken him had he embarked on a different journey. These dreams build different worlds from each of their memories, fracturing their hopes and fears to force each of them to contemplate the path they are currently on.
With season three, it finally feels like “The Wheel of Time” can become the show it was always meant to be. But, in a fantasy television landscape that grows each year, you can’t help but wonder if it may be too late. Though it slowly progresses into a fascinating examination of the prophecies that have plagued fantasy heroes and villains, the journey to get to this season has been nothing short of grueling. Hopefully, from here, the show can continue to grow, and the fans who have denounced the previous seasons are willing to give this much stronger venture a shot.
Entire season screened for review. Airs Thursdays on Prime.