This article contains SPOILERS for The Wheel of Time season 3 Episode 8, as well as the book series up to Book 6, Lord of Chaos.
The Wheel of Time season 3 has ended, but the story goes on for the Dragon Reborn. "He Who Comes With The Dawn" was an epic finale to an excellent season of television, which saw our heroes take devastating losses on multiple fronts, while in the Aiel Waste slim victories were eked out which left a bitter taste in the mouth long after the credits rolled.
According to prophecy, the Dragon Reborn will either save the world or destroy it. The desert-dwelling Aiel people believe he will save and destroy it. The season finale exemplified this idea, as Rand al'Thor claimed his place as the Car'a'carn by revealing the secret history of the Aiel, a truth which shatters this warrior culture's perception of itself. To drive home his claim, Rand weaves an immense amount of magic to make it rain in the desert. When last we see him, he's standing in the middle of a swirling vortex of saidin — the male half of the One Power — as his former lover Egwene shouts for him to stop. Saidin has been tainted by the Dark One, and any man who channels it risks going mad. As we saw this season, that risk is all too real for Rand.
We caught up with Rand actor Josha Stradowski to celebrate the end of The Wheel of Time season 3, its many devastating twists and turns, and his hopes for future seasons. You can watch our full interview below:
Josha Stradowski was "really ready" to step up in The Wheel of Time season 3
Stradowski has been playing Rand since the very first episode of the series, and while he's always been one of the core characters for the show, season 3 felt different. Rand spent most of the show's first two seasons running from his destiny; in the third, he finally accepts it, and commits to doing whatever it takes to gather an empire behind himself in order to defeat the Shadow. Just like in Robert Jordan's book series, where the fourth novel The Shadow Rising felt like a turning point, season 3 of the TV series serves as a point of no return for the narrative. Stradowski agrees that this was a "crucial" moment, both for the show and for Rand.
"That's what I was really ready for this season," he said. "I was also as an actor, excited about the material that was to come because it demanded something else from me, also because now as a TV show we found our form."
Nearly every episode of The Wheel of Time season 3 was more than an hour long, and filled with important events. Rand himself is at the center of many of them, such as the millennia-spanning vision quest he undergoes at the mystical Aiel city of Rhuidean. Others installments, like the penultimate episode, focused entirely on Perrin Aybara (Marcus Rutherford) leading a desperate battle in Rand's home village of the Two Rivers. They're all connected, and they all deepen the world of The Wheel of Time.
"I don't even know where to start because there has been just so much this season," Stradowski said. "But you know, the trial of Rhuidean was a really important moment for an audience to understand more about why Rand is the Dragon, also to understand more about the history, because that's what The Wheel of Time is about for me as well," Stradowski said. "For example, when I saw Episode 7 the other day, I can feel the epicness of how big The Wheel of Time is, and how curious I get by the unfolding of the prophecy. I want to see more and more. As it continues, it kind of does get better."
"I might go mad, but this is what must be done"
One thing that sets Rand apart from many other Chosen One characters in the fantasy genre is that he's not just destined to save the world — he'll also leave immense destruction in his wake. That idea was pounded home this season with several crucial scenes, starting with an iconic moment from the book series where Rand tries to bring a young girl back to life following her tragic death. The TV show twisted the knife even farther by having Rand be the one to accidentally kill her during his battle against Sammael, a member of the deadly Forsaken.
In the books, this failed attempt at resurrection has a profound impact on Rand. Afterward, he begins keeping a list of women whose deaths he blames on himself, which he often mentally repeats like a mantra, similar to Arya Stark's list of the people she'll one day kill in Game of Thrones. But for Rand, it's rooted in guilt rather than vengeance.
"There's so many layers...the death of Alsera, you know, you see what recklessness does when you're the most powerful channeler in the world," Stradowski said. "The death of her is like also the death of this naivety in himself. It sets him up for his destiny, his purpose. Which Rhuidean already did, but then he feels like, 'Okay, this is the list here. This is where the list starts, this is what I'm supposed to do,' and it comes at the sacrifice of himself. And that's what takes him to Episode 8 to Alcair Dal, you see that, 'Okay, I'm going to do this, I'm going to save the people. I might destroy you. I might go mad, but this is what must be done.' It's not about me...duty is heavier than a mountain, and all those things. It all comes back, and I love that. I love to see that come to life. And I feel very lucky...I'm really proud of everyone this season."
Josha Stradowski "can only imagine" what The Wheel of Time could pull off in future seasons
The Wheel of Time is a sprawling book series, and the show will need many more seasons to adapt it all. Early in its run, showrunner Rafe Judkins predicted that The Wheel of Time would last for around eight seasons. But as of this writing, co-producers Amazon and Sony have yet to make an official renewal announcement for season 4. Many fans were champing at the bit for a renewal since before the season even started; now that it's aired, there's that much more fervor. How is Stradowski protecting his own sanity while he awaits the announcement that has the fandom on a knife's edge?
"I don't think there's sanity there, to be honest," he said. "I've really felt this season, where I can see the way. And I've had experiences on sets, you know, even things that didn't end up in the show that felt so like, 'Wow...we can even push it further.' And Episode 4 for me was really a proof of that...that we can even go more creative than we thought. And the material is just there for us to pick it up. And so in terms of keeping my sanity,...for me, there's no such thing."
Beyond just the obvious aspect of Stradowski being an actor in this show, part of what makes his investment so immense is that he's fully aware of what a responsibility it is to play a character as iconic as Rand al'Thor. The Wheel of Time is one of the most important fantasy sagas in the genre's history, and Rand is the fulcrum around which the entire series turns. Back when season 1 aired, Stradowski said Rand's arc is the "most incredible in fantasy." Part of why Stradowski knows this is because after he got the part, he devoured the entire book series. He's well aware of the material still ahead for his character, should the show get the opportunity to continue.
"I'm so engaged into The Wheel of Time and so engaged in Rand," he explained. "I can only imagine what we could do if...I've said this before...imagine the next season — I'm not one of the writers — but he's in a cave and he's barking like a dog and he kills 12 or I don't know how many men, and he makes them bow to him, and then he's captured by Aes Sedai and put in a box, and then that's when the real madness comes out, that's when the real voice comes out. And then he starts hunting Forsaken and goes for Callandor. I mean, can you imagine such a season? It's right there on the page."
Many of the events Stradowski referenced are from the sixth Wheel of Time book, Lord of Chaos, which features a game-changing set piece where Rand does indeed find himself captured and stuffed into a box by a group of Aes Sedai. As Stradowski hints, Rand emerges from that experience greatly changed. This is one of Rand's most important moments in the entire book series, and Stradowski has been waiting years to perform it. The last time I interviewed him in late 2023, Stradowski singled out "the box" as the Rand scene from The Wheel of Time books he was most excited for the show to tackle.
We're nearly there. Considering some of the foreshadowing in The Wheel of Time season 3, it's all but assured that the box scene — which is part of a larger set piece known as Dumai's Wells — will either happen in season 4 or season 5 at the latest. Showrunner Rafe Judkins even confirmed on a Dusty Wheel livestream interview after Episode 304 aired that Dumai's Wells is one of the next "big swings" similar to Rhuidean that he's hoping to tackle, saying the show is "definitely setting pieces up to hopefully deliver on Dumai's Wells."
Rand al'Thor is done holding back: "From now on I decide. I am the plot."
Of course, Rand is only one player in a much larger game. Every cast member and character has an important part to play in this sweeping fantasy saga. But because Rand is the Dragon, that means all roads lead back to him in one way or another. Similarly, because he's read all the books and has gotten so deep into Rand's headspace, Stradowski has a larger view of the series and how all its myriad plotlines fit together.
"Also having seen Episode 7, you know how it turned out...I think Marcus did an amazing job, when you see [Perrin] go and he just became a leader of the people," Stradowski said. "He stands for hope, and now he turns himself in. I'm just wondering...what is he gonna do? What are the Whitecloaks gonna do? What is Faile gonna do? What are the boys in the village gonna do? You can just feel the prophecy unfold, and I feel like season 3, we're finally seeing that."
"That's the finale for me, you know...Rand is aligned when he channels. He is the force. And someone says to him, 'Stop, you need to stop.' You know, what happens if he says no? I can do...from now on I decide. I am the plot. You know, that just gives me chills."
"No, there's no sanity for me there," Stradowski mused. "I'm completely obsessed, and that's how it should be with such material. That's what it demands from you."
A massive thank you to Josha Stradowski for stopping by the site to talk about all things Rand!
All eight episodes of The Wheel of Time season 3 are available to stream on Prime Video. We'll have our ear to the ground for any renewal news for season 4 and beyond!
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