This week, The Wheel of Time returns for its third season on Prime Video. Based on the iconic fantasy book series by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson, The Wheel of Time is a sweeping epic with a massive cast of heroes, villains, and characters who fall somewhere in between. It's a fantasy saga with a capital F, and its highly anticipated third season should be high on the watch list for any fan of genre television this year. The Wheel of Time has improved with each season, and this time around it's bigger and more ambitious than ever before.
At the heart of the saga is Rand al'Thor (Josha Stradowski), a reincarnated savior known as the Dragon Reborn, who must gather allies to his side in order to face off against the ominous Dark One. But Rand isn't fighting this battle alone. While Rand and his Aes Sedai mentor Moiraine (Rosamund Pike) head out to the Aiel Waste to win the allegiance of the warrior clans of the desert, Perrin Aybara (Marcus Rutherford) returns home to the Two Rivers to find it besieged by monstrous Trollocs and fanatical Whitecloaks. Meanwhile, Nynaeve al'Meara (Zoë Robins), Elayne Trakand (Ceara Coveney), and Mat Cauthon (Dónal Finn) head to the seedy seaside city of Tanchico to hunt the dangerous cult of the Black Ajah — Aes Sedai who have sworn to serve the shadow. The existence of the Black Ajah also means trouble for the sisters of the White Tower, and as we've already seen from the season's explosive first 11 minutes, it will have bloody ramifications for Siuan Sanche (Sophie Okonedo) and the rest of the Aes Sedai.
As you can probably tell from that lengthy description, when I said this season was bigger and more ambitious than the last two, I wasn't kidding. Season 3 adapts The Shadow Rising, one of the most acclaimed books in the series (as well as one of the longest). Saying it's a make-or-break season for the television show feels like an understatement. Mat Cauthon has a catchphrase in The Wheel of Time that he uses when he's betting on his uncanny luck to win the day: "Dovie'andi se tovya sagain." Translated from the Old Tongue, it means: "It's time to toss the dice." In many ways, that phrase feels like the mentality for The Wheel of Time as a production this season; it's betting it all on this latest installment.
I've seen the entirety of The Wheel of Time season 3, and have returned from the deserts of the Aiel Waste and the forests of the Two Rivers to give you an account. Will this season live up to the hype? How good a job did it do adapting this crucial juncture in the book series? And does it deserve to continue in season 4 and beyond?
Read on for my SPOILER-FREE review of The Wheel of Time season 3.
The Wheel of Time season 3 is fantasy television at its best
Let's start with the obvious, unavoidable (if reductive) question: is The Wheel of Time season 3 any good? As a longtime fan of the books as well as someone who watches an obscene amount of fantasy and sci-fi television, I can say without doubt that the answer is an emphatic yes. It's fantastic, and gave me exactly the sort of rush I long for in a fantasy story.
The headline of this article claims The Wheel of Time season 3 is "the fantasy TV event of the year," and I don't mean that as hyperbole. This is a massive season of fantasy TV filled with magic, adventure, battles, wonder and romance. It's also adapting arguably one of the most important books in one of the most important fantasy series of all time. As much as I'm looking forward to other fantasy shows this year like A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms or The Witcher season 4, based on the source material and its place in the overall history of the genre, I genuinely think The Wheel of Time season 3 is the most important work of fantasy television we'll see in 2025.
The Wheel of Time is a more confident production this time around, and it shows in everything from the costuming to the visual effects, writing, acting, settings, choreography, cinematography and soundtrack. I won't say it's perfect — I do have a few qualms as well as some things I'm very curious about for future seasons — but this is as close to a perfect season as the show has yet delivered. It is darker, and more complex, and filled with compelling moments. Three episodes in a row brought me to tears, and I honestly don't think a show has ever done that to me with such consistency. The Wheel of Time knows how to play the heartstrings and play them well. Of course, it helps that the writing this season is levels beyond anything the show has yet achieved. The Wheel of Time has never had bad writing, but here it borders on poetic beauty so much that it helps elevate the material closer to the mythic inspirations for Jordan's novels.
The settings especially deserve a shoutout. While previous seasons have had their share of interesting locales, season 3 steps things up in a huge way. We spend ample time in the Aiel Waste, Tanchico, the Two Rivers, and Tar Valon, as well as a few smaller locations. Each feel like distinct, real places. The Aiel Waste and Two Rivers locations are often absolutely breathtaking, while Tanchico exudes character with its merchant-filled streets and narrow docks. One aspect that I feel is missing from many of the modern fantasy shows of our current genre TV era are journeys to places so wondrous or fun that you would want to step right through the screen and live there. House of the Dragon, The Witcher, and The Rings of Power have all struggled with this, but in its third season, The Wheel of Time really shows that it understands the strength of its settings. Cold Rocks Hold, an Aiel settlement, was a particular highlight that had my jaw on the floor.
But what would those settings be without interesting peoples to populate them? Here again, The Wheel of Time succeeds. One crucial element of The Shadow Rising is that it fleshes out the Aiel culture, and the show took this challenge seriously. The Aiel characters and culture are vividly realized, both on the personal and grand scale. The larger cultural quirks and patterns are given ample time to shine, which in turn makes arcs for characters like Aviendha (Ayoola Smart), Rhuarc (Björn Landberg), and Bair (Nukâka Coster-Waldeau) work even better, because the show has taken the time to educate its viewers on all the implications of their complex cultural interactions.
The magical channeling is also through the roof this season, and the action scenes are easily the best the show has ever had. Really, there are no shortage of ways to rave about The Wheel of Time season 3. In terms of sheer production values, the show has never been better. Given what it was able to achieve with season 3, it's stunning to imagine what it could accomplish given the time and space to tell the full tale. And I do think it really deserves the chance to continue.
How well does The Wheel of Time season 3 adapt The Shadow Rising?
Now let's put on the book reader cap for a second; I know that a lot of readers of this site are also readers of The Wheel of Time, and so you have a decent idea of what to expect going into this season. As an adaptation of The Shadow Rising, I think The Wheel of Time season 3 is a total triumph. Madeleine Madden (Egwene) told us in an interview that season 3 is "the closest season to the books that we've done so far," and I fully agree with her. Yes, there are still changes from the source material, but so much of season 3 is clearly recognizable from the books that it's hard for me to imagine any fan of Jordan's work not being ecstatic over it.
A huge part of that is Rand and Perrin's journey. Both of these characters come to the forefront in a major way in The Shadow Rising, and that is equally true of this season of the show. This feels like Rand's season, full stop. Yes, the other characters all get their due, but at its heart the show finally gives Rand — and actor Josha Stradowski — a chance to fully explore his potential as the Dragon Reborn. I think book fans will be very happy with Rand's journey, especially in the season's standout fourth episode, "The Road to the Spear." It sees Rand head to the mystical Aiel city of Rhuidean to undergo a dangerous vision quest, and in my opinion it is one of the single most impressive feats the show has accomplished to date. Rhuidean is incredible, and has probably edged out the Egwene-centric season 2 episode "Eyes Without Pity" as my new favorite hour of the series.
The Forsaken are another highlight. Now that we're deeper into the series, we get to know more of them, and that is a devilishly fun delight. Laia Costa's Moghedien is going to steal hearts in much the same way that Natasha O'Keeffe did as Lanfear in season 2.
However, I do think there will be some things book readers will get hung up on. The show makes some daring decisions, especially late in the season, that will have large ramifications for whatever comes next. I'm anticipating a lot of heated discussions once the season is over.
Some of those choices are obviously creative ones, where the show is simply figuring out how to navigate such a massive book series. But there are also a few elements from The Shadow Rising that didn't make the cut, which left me ponderous. Would the series have included some of these missing elements if it had an extra two episodes in the season? We'll never know. But I do think that even more than the first two seasons, The Wheel of Time season 3 feels like it's straining at the bounds of the episode restriction Amazon has set for it. It absolutely makes the most of those eight episodes, and they are such meaty chapters that they do give the show the feel of a big, thick epic fantasy tome. But there's no doubt in my mind the season would have benefitted from a few extra hours, and I think Amazon was remiss not to give it that.
Dear Amazon: give The Wheel of Time more seasons!
When all is said and done, any quibbles I have with this season are minor, or aimed at niche book reader complaints that we won't see fully resolve for years to come. The Wheel of Time season 3 is a triumph and deserves to be celebrated as such. It's still surreal to me that we get to see scenes like Rhuidean and the Battle of the Two Rivers play out on the small screen, and with such immense talent and dedication as the team behind this series brings to the table.
The Wheel of Time season 3 deserves to be seen, it deserves to be lauded, and the show deserves to get more seasons. It's a darker, fuller, more complex and mature season than the show's previous entries, which is right in line with the direction of the book series. I can't wait to see how viewers respond to it, but more than that, I can't wait for them to experience it. If the team behind The Wheel of Time was betting it all on season 3, then in this critic's opinion, they bet wisely.
The Wheel of Time premieres its first three episodes March 13 on Prime Video. One episode will follow each week after that until the season finale on April 17. We'll be covering the show extensively here at Winter Is Coming, so check back for more!
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