The third season of The Wheel of Time is here at last, and it's easily the most thrilling start for a season the show has had yet. Across its first three episodes, The Wheel of Time season 3 introduces us to a slew of new characters, evolves relationships for those we know and love, and sets the stage for an intense journey ahead. This season is largely based on The Shadow Rising, one of the most well-loved books in Robert Jordan's iconic fantasy series, and the show will get darker and more complex to match the shifting tone of events.
Two characters we caught up with in the premiere are Elayne Trakand, the daughter-heir of Andor played by Ceara Coveney; and Aviendha, the Aiel Maiden of the Spear played by Ayoola Smart. These characters didn't spend a single scene together in season 2, but book-readers know they've got quite an intertwined road together. Season 3 wastes no time bringing them together, but in an unexpected way: during the premiere episode, Aviendha and Elayne share a romantic moment on the rooftop balcony of their inn in Tar Valon. Add in the appearance of some figures from their pasts in episodes two and three, and this is shaping up to be a very interesting season for Aviendha and Elayne.
We had the opportunity to interview Coveney and Smart ahead of the premiere of season 3, and couldn't resist asking about Aviendha and Elayne's romantic scene together. We also spoke about Aviendha's return to the Aiel Waste, and how Elayne's relationships will evolve this season with the appearance of new characters like her mother and brothers, all of them members of the royal family of Andor. Watch the interview below, or read on for a transcription:
DANIEL ROMAN for Winter Is Coming: What's something you're each most excited for fans to see this season?
CEARA COVENEY: I'm really excited for fans to be introduced to Elayne's family this season. The expansion of the cast and everyone that's joining, I think fans are really gonna love the visuals of the Andor family. Yeah, it's really exciting.
AYOOLA SMART: They're great. Similarly, I'm really excited for the Aiel Waste, and to be able to bring everyone into Aviendha's home and the expansion of that, and all of the characters that we'll get to meet. I think visually it's just such a stark, unique space to go into. And yeah, I'm really excited for everyone to see that because I think it's amazing.
WiC: I have to ask you both about filming Aviendha and Elayen's romantic scene in the season premiere. What were your reactions to getting that in the script, and what was it like on set filming that scene?
AS: I think it is something that is heavily implied and up to interpretation in the books. And so I think it's nice to make a strong choice with that, a kind of clear choice with where that's headed. It was nice to film, we're good friends. It was all set up and it was very comfortable, we had an intimacy coordinator.
CC: It was really lovely to explore that relationship between them looks like, and how they interact with each other. And for those characters to meet and then interact in this season...it felt really special. And obviously, it's a relationship that's so important in the books, and it just felt really special to bring it to life.
AS: Yeah, bringing those two worlds together, when they're such individual women was nice.
WiC: Elayne's got a lot of different dynamics this season. We've got her relationship with Nynaeve, with Aviendha, with the Aes Sedai, with her brothers and mother...which of those dynamics was the juiciest for you to dig into?
CS: I really enjoyed them all equally. I loved exploring Elayne's relationship with Nynaeve further, and how that's blossomed and grown since the [second] season. And then the new relationship with Aviendha, and then it was really wonderful to bring her family dynamics into it. This dynamic that is from before we even meet her on screen. So bringing that world into her new world was really exciting to explore, and the way she's torn between her old world and what that brings up for her, it was amazing.
A huge thank you to Ceara Coveney and Ayoola Smart for taking the time to talk The Wheel of Time with us!
The first three episodes of The Wheel of Time season 3 are now available on Prime Video, with new episodes dropping every Thursday until the season finale on April 17. We'll be covering it extensively, so make sure to check back for more in the weeks ahead!
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