Soon, The Wheel of Time will return for its third season, transporting viewers back into the world of Robert Jordan's beloved book series as the Dragon Reborn and his allies continue their battle against the Dark One. The hype has been high for this season, thanks in part to the fact that it's adapting one of the best books in the series, The Shadow Rising. Prime Video has unveiled a new full-length trailer for The Wheel of Time season 3, and it is stuffed to the gills with thrilling hints at what's ahead.
As Rand al'Thor (Josha Stradowski) sets out into the Aiel Waste to procure new allies, his friends scatter to the winds on different missions, all of which will have far-reaching impacts on the battles ahead. We're going to go through this trailer shot by shot, searching for every secret we can find. There will be SPOILERS for The Shadow Rising ahead.
Sercets of The Wheel of Time season 3 trailer
The trailer begins with a wide shot of silhouetted figures walking through a shimmering desert. That's Rand in the front, followed by a group of Aiel. The person behind him has a broad frame which matches that of Rhuarc (Björn Landberg) to my eye.
The next quick shot of the trailer shows three women in ornate dresses riding on horseback through a mountainous location. We've seen these three before in official images: that's Egwene (Madeleine Madden), Elayne (Ceara Coveney), and Nynaeve (Zoë Robins). Their clothing and horses match the photo we've already seen:
Madden confirmed that this scene is from Egwene's Accepted trial, writing on Instagram that "The way back will come but once." That's the cryptic line Aes Sedai say to novices as they head into the Arches beneath the White Tower. Remember that big traumatic trial Nynaeve went through last season where she walked through the Arches to become an Accepted? Well, this season it's going to be Egwene's turn.
Next is a close-up of Rand, standing in a river. Is that a hint of madness in his eyes?
A few interesting things about this image: the first is that Rand is wearing his iconic red jacket from the books; we saw him wear a similar coat during season 2, when Lanfear (Natasha O'Keeffe) brought him to a party for the nobility of Cairhien. The second is that Rand has long hair, while most of the scenes from the trailer have him with very short hair.
That means this is almost certainly a vision. But which vision? We know Rand will be getting a bunch of visions when he goes to the ruined Aiel city of Rhuidean, so that's an obvious candidate. Then again, those mountains seem a pretty close match to the landscape that Egwene, Nynaeve, and Elayne rode through in the previous scene. Could Rand's wild appearance be part of Egwene's Accepted trial?
Our next pair of images shows Moiraine Damodred (Rosamund Pike), channeling the One Power from atop a towering rock formation in the Aiel Waste:
Moiraine spent most of season 2 cut off from her magic; clearly, she's making the most of being able to use it again.
The White Tower in peril
This shot is the first jaw-dropper of the trailer; get used to it, because this thing is packed. We see Siuan Sanche (Sophie Okonedo), the Amyrlin Seat, lifting Liandrin (Kate Fleetwood) with the One Power in the Hall of the Tower.
Siuan is flanked by her Keeper of the Chronicles, Leane Sharif (Jennifer Cheon), and the Green Aes Sedai Alanna (Priyanka Bose). Nynaeve is on the right side of the image, back in her white Accepted's dress. There are also several Aes Sedai seated on the left side of Siuan's throne, from what looks like the Green and Brown Ajahs. That means a formal council of the Sitters — the heads of each Aes Sedai Ajah — has been called.
In season 2, it was revealed that Liandrin was a member of the Black Ajah when she kidnapped Nynaeve, Egwene, and Elayne and handed them over to the Seanchan. We've heard reports that this season will bring that plot thread to a head right at the start, as the Aes Sedai confront the traitor in their midst. Previously that felt like a spoiler to say...but look at this trailer. The next few shots show all hell breaking loose in the Hall of the Tower, as Liandrin and the rest of the Aes Sedai lay into each other with the One Power. It looks amazing.
And it doesn't look like Liandrin is without allies. In the books, she escapes the White Tower with 12 other sisters of the Black Ajah. That happens off-screen, and we only hear about it after the fact. It looks like the TV show will turn it into a big showdown.
"We cannot stand behind these walls and pretend we still have control," Siuan says as he we get a few shots of the White Tower. We start with a wide shot of rain falling over the Tower and city of Tar Valon:
Then a shot of several people walking by a few towering statues. This scene also appeared in the first teaser trailer for season 3. At the time, I said I thought it was the White Tower, and those people were members of one of the Ajahs, perhaps Yellow from the dresses. I'm sticking with that guess!
Then, a dramatic frame of Siuan sitting on the Amyrlin Seat. It looks like some of the other Sitters are seated around her, and you can just make out Leane on the right with her staff:
Next up, Liandrin, giving her usual scene-stealing steely-eyed stare:
It doesn't look like she's in the White Tower to me. Her hair also isn't tied up in the intricate knotwork we saw in the previous scene. I'm guessing this is sometime after Liandrin makes her escape from Tar Valon. It's also worth noting that she's bowing her head here. I'm guessing that's because she's meeting one of the Forsaken.
Our next image shows Moiraine and Lan, looking up at something in concern. The buildings look like Tar Valon. It's also raining, which would match the previous wide shot we saw of the White Tower. Perhaps they hear chaos breaking loose there?
"This tower is destroying itself from the inside out," Egwene snarls. She's looking a little haggard here, with dirt and sweat on her face. Given the dialogue and her white novice's dress, she's probably back in the White Tower...but she certainly doesn't sound happy about it.
Our next shot is another one we saw in the teaser trailer, of Alanna standing with her warders Maksim (Taylor Napier) and Ihvon, who was recast in season 3 to Anthony Kaye. Alanna launches a burst of magic through the street of Tar Valon. From the previous teaser, we know this is part of the rumble with Liandrin in Tar Valon.
Rand al'Thor will need allies for The Last Battle
"If the White Tower does not bend the knee to Rand al'Thor, he will lose the Last Battle," says Moiraine. It looks to me like she's in Siuan's fishing hut, probably speaking to the Amyrlin Seat.
Without going into spoilers for later books, this line set off bells in my head for a particularly important event that occurs in book 6, Lord of Chaos. With any luck, season 3 will be a massive hit, The Wheel of Time will get renewed, and we'll get to see it play out.
The scene cuts to Rand and Moiraine walking through a bunch of spears. We've already seen that Rhuidean is surrounded by spears sticking out of the ground, so I'm guessing that's where they are. I'm also guessing those two women behind Rand are Wise Ones; Bair (Nukâka Coster-Waldau) on the left and Melaine (Salóme Gunnarsdóttir) on the right.
Rand may need allies to fight the Last Battle, but he won't be the only person from the Two Rivers in the thick of it...because this season, the fight is coming to the Two Rivers itself. Our next bunch of shots show battle joined there, between the people of the Two Rivers and an army of Trollocs! Check out the cool wooden palisade wall they've built! If you squint just right, you can just make out some Whitecloaks helping hold the gate closed in the bottom center of the shot.
Perrin (Marcus Rutherford) will be leading this war effort against an invading army of Trollocs, and he'll be looking great doing it:
The Battle of the Two Rivers is a lengthy sequences from The Shadow Rising, and we're going to get to see it onscreen this season! It's going to be a hugely important event for Perrin in particular, who will head home and end up leading the war effort.
There's plenty more trailer to break down, so much so that we can't even fit it all on one page. Click the button below to continue:
The Two Rivers boys are back together
One element of the books I've really missed is getting to see Perrin, Rand, and Mat (Dónal Finn) all together. The opportunities to get all three Two Rivers lads in the same room are rare, but thankfully, we'll get some downtime with them this season. "There's not enough ale in the world to deal with this," Rand says, and Perrin laughs.
This scene is going to come early in season 3, since it'll have to be before Rand heads to the Aiel Waste and Perrin to the Two Rivers. That matches up with the book, where they all start in one location. I also have to note that Perrin has golden eyes! They're here to stay.
The shot above is hard to parse, but to me it looks like Joiya Byir (Joelle), the bald-headed Aes Sedai of the Gray Ajah we saw fighting alongside Liandrin earlier in the trailer. But what's she doing? Based on the architecture, it looks like she could be in the White Tower. Maybe she was taken prisoner? Then again, there are no signs she's under guard. Maybe she's just taking a squat to plot her next move?
Lanfear, looking stylish as always. The Forsaken was one of the breakout characters of season 2, and I can't wait to see her back this season. It's hard to discern where she is; we don't have much to go on aside from the lighting and the crumbling pillar.
My shot-in-the-dark guess is that she's meeting one of the other Forsaken. We get quite a few meetings between the shadowy group in the books, and the color palette seems to suit that sort of scene. With Moghedien and the rest of the Forsaken on the loose, there could be good reason for Lanfear to have some uncomfortable conversations.
"They won't just come for Rand. They'll come for all of us," Lan tells Nynaeve. His hair's down and she's in a shift. It looks like the two lovers are getting some intimate time this season, which is well-deserved! Lan and Nynaeve are one of my favorite romances from the books, and I'll always root for them.
Next we see brief flashes of the "all of us" Lan mentioned, starting with Mat in a very fine doublet:
That doublet matches the one we saw him wearing in the earlier scene where he was drinking with Rand and Perrin. The foliage and architecture looks like the White Tower to me, so I'm guessing that's where he's hanging out.
Egwene is standing in a bar, next to Perrin:
Next we have one of the more intriguing shots of the trailer:
Who is that person pushing open the door? Where is this hallway? Obviously, we can't say anything for certain; everyone is cloaked and details are sparse. But perhaps that's the point. My guess is that this is a palace in Tanchico where a Forsaken has taken up residence. The background and guards match the earlier shot we saw of Liandrin bowing.
Speaking of Tanchico...
Nynaeve and Moghedien
We have Nynaeve and Moghedien! The Shadow Rising features an exciting showdown between these two characters, and we're getting it this season. Here we see Moghedien stroke Nynave's face — clock the black fingers, which we saw she has at the end of season 2. Nynaeve looks dreamy in that shot, which makes me think she could be under compulsion, a form of forbidden magical mind control that few but the Forsaken dare to use. Moghedien looks very pleased to have Nynaeve in her clutches:
A sweeping outdoor shot shows a blooming orchard. Alanna walks up to Perrin, wearing some epic facepaint that we've never seen on her. Alanna is involved in the Two Rivers battle in the books, and it looks like she will be involved in the show as well:
As for this orchard location, that has significance too. In the book, Perrin finds out that his family was murdered during the raids on the Two Rivers. While grieving them, he thinks about how his younger siblings loved the apple trees. I have a strong feeling we're looking at the show's interpretation of that scene.
Next we cut to Rand:
"We're going to the last place anyone would ever look for me," Rand tells Lan. I'll bet it rhymes with "Ah, eel paste."
It's Loial! The ogier's looking pretty serious, and like he's gotten a serious makeover. At the very least, a new wig and some enhanced facial prosthetics that look like he might have a scar or two. He's also sporting some cool shoulder armor, so this shot is most likely from his experience during the Battle of the Two Rivers.
Our next pair of shots gives me a scar or two, right on the heart:
Yes, that's Rand and Lanfear, making out on a boulder in the valley around Emond's Field. It mirrors a very similar shot of Rand and Egwene from season 1. Presumably this is in the dream world, Tel'aran'rhiod, since Rand won't be returning to the Two Rivers this season. But that doesn't make it any more concerning! Lanfear still has her hooks in our dear sheepherder.
Speaking of Egwene, our next pair of images features her and the Aiel Wise One Bair:
"You do not belong here," Bair tells Egwene. They're in a desert that recalls the Aiel Waste; yes, Egwene will be heading out there with Rand this season.
There's more to these images than meets the eye. Bair is dressed as a Maiden of the Spear. In the books, she wears that garb in Tel'aran'rhiod, the land of dreams; in the real world, she's much older and dresses as a Wise One. A prominent part of Egwene's storyline in The Shadow Rising involves her learning how to navigate the dream world from the Wise Ones, so I'd guess that this scene is taking place there.
Our next pair of shots also must be in Tel'aran'rhiod. The first shows Egwene back in her damane outfit from season 2, when she was a prisoner of the Seanchan:
The second shows her being choked on the ground of her cell, before her head dissipates into black fragments:
The person on top of Egwene looks like they're wearing Seanchan clothing. It seems like she's having bad dreams about her time as a slave to the Seanchan. I wonder if we'll see Xelia-Mendes Jones, the actor who played Renna, at all this season? Egwene murdered Renna at the end of season 2, but all bets are off in Tel'aran'rhiod.
Next, we head to Rhuidean to get our brain melted by visions:
The Car'a'carn's arrival
This image above shows an Aiel Maiden of the Spear standing on top of a dramatic rise in the Waste. The obvious guess is Aviendha, especially since she narrates: "We have been waiting for the Car'a'carn's arrival...to think it might be you." Car'a'carn is what the Aiel call the Dragon Reborn; it means "Chief of Chiefs."
As Aviendha says this line, the scene cuts to someone pulling back their sleeve to reveal a golden dragon tattoo on their forearm. When Aiel chief candidates pass the trials of Rhuidean, they get a golden dragon tattoo. At first I thought this was Rand, but a closer inspection of the sleeve and woven armor points to Rhuarc, the Aiel standing beside Rand in the press image below:
Then we see the scene where Aviendha is actually saying the line, which is very clearly not in the Waste. Perhaps Tar Valon or Caemlyn? Wherever it is, I love the snark she's giving Rand:
The visions of Rhuidean
A mysterious narrator says "each step forward is a step backwards through time." I'm guessing that's Melaine or Bair, since it sounds like the sort of thing a Wise One would say.
This line refers to the trial of Rhuidean, where prospective Aiel chiefs are subjected to visions which show them the history of the Aiel. It's quite literal; the journey will take the person undergoing it gradually farther and farther back in time as they walk between a series of glass columns.
A robed figure takes a step:
We see a boot that looks similar to this in a later shot, seemingly belonging to Moiraine. I'm guessing this is her entering Rhuidean.
Bair, the Wise One, crouches over, smiling. She's wearing a flimsier outfit since she's in a sweat tent:
Our next shot is also in a sweat tent, where Moiraine sits naked:
In The Shadow Rising, prospective Wise Ones have to go into Rhuidean naked. Moiraine undergoes this trial, and has a scene where she strips down and discusses what awaits in Rhuidean with the Wise Ones. That's probably what we're seeing here.
The shoes of time
The following series of images flashes very quickly, showing a figure who I'm guessing is Rand stepping forward. The shoes and setting change with each frame, and seem to be progressing through time. Note the different styles. The first set of shoes are walking through Rhuidean:
The next are sleek black shoes that look slightly futuristic, walking on pavement:
And the last image shows Rand walking down a sci-fi looking hallway:
My guess is that last image of Rand is from the Age of Legends, or sometime close to it. That's the time the Forsaken are from, which was an era of advanced technology. And nice planters for mini-trees, apparently.
Let's take a breath and move away from Rhuidean for a moment, to Rand's relationship woes:
Rand and Egwene on the outs
The trailer finally gives us a break from the onslaught with our next two images, which we saw in the teaser. That's Lanfear, putting the moves on Rand:
Egwene will get no such break, though. "Do you love her?" she tearily asks Rand:
In the books, Rand and Egwene's romance gradually peters out into something more like a brother-sister relationship. The Shadow Rising is the book where they really start to put it behind them. The show has played their romance up more than the novels, and from this scene it looks like they're going to milk the break-up for all it's worth. It's hard to compete with a Lanfear dream affair, after all.
Here's another jaw-dropper of a shot. That's Rand standing before the glass columns at the heart of Rhuidean. These are a series of magical artifacts, called ter'angreal, which induce the visions Aiel chieftain candidates must pass through. We're going to see Rand walk through that otherworldly forest of glass and relive the history of the Aiel!
The three rings of Rhuidean
Moiraine will similarly undergo visions, but from a different artifact: the three rings. Think of them as the Aiel equivalent to the Arches that Aes Sedai novices walk through to become Accepted. Here's Moiraine's stepping over the threshold:
"What did you seen in the rings?" Lan asks Moiraine in the desert outside Rhuidean:
We get a few quick flashes as Moiraine is hoisted upside down into the rings. And we see that she's not alone:
We don't see much of the other person in this shot, but I do have a guess (SPOILER ALERT). I think it's Aviendha; the hair looks like it could be a match. Aviendha starts out as a Maiden of the Spear in the books, but in The Shadow Rising she is forced to begin the journey to become a Wise One once it's discovered she can channel the One Power. In the books, she and Moiraine go separately to Rhuidean. The show may be sending them together. (And fully clothed, in a totally understandable and welcome change from the book.)
Now, we get to see some of Moiraine's visions.
For Rand to live, Moiraine must die?
Moiraine narrates: "In every future where I live, Rand dies. And the only way he lives, is if I don't." And we see a bunch of those futures. Here's Moiraine and Lan, with the One Power swirling around them in a verdant field:
I think there are two possibilities for this shot. One is that we're seeing a flashback that shows how Moiraine and Lan first bonded as Aes Sedai and warder. The other is that this is a possible future where Moiraine releases Lan's bond, perhaps so he can go live with Nynaeve.
Here's Moiraine with Rand, in the middle of a circle of people. Are those Tinkers?
Next is Moiraine with Rand, bleeding out in her arms. She's dressed as the Amyrlin Seat and he has a blade wound in his side. His sword lies beside him, bloody. The setting looks like either the Aiel Waste or Tel'aran'rhiod:
And here's Moiraine once more dressed as the Amyrlin, condemning Rand in the Hall of the Sitters in the White Tower. I can't tell who her Keeper of the Chronicles is, but wouldn't it be nuts if it was Elaida or some other recognizable character?
We get a brief flash of the scene where Moiraine's actual narration comes from, where she's saying this line to Lan in front of a fire with a tear in her eyes:
And now we see the visions of Moiraine dying instead of Rand, starting with this terrifying shot in the Ways:
We already broke this scene down in the last teaser, but that's Lanfear and Moghedien with our Two Rivers heroes plus Elayne Trakand, who've all turned to the dark. Moiraine crawls across the foreground, seemingly soaked in either blood or sweat.
Then, Lanfear stabs Moiraine with a sword in the desert of Tel'aran'rhiod:
Then Lanfear strangles Moiraine in that same desert:
Moiraine is wearing a striking outfit in this scene that matches one we've seen in an official press images:
After that deluge of images, we finally get another shot that isn't Moiraine being murdered. This one's of a brand new character: Queen Morgase Trakand, played by Dune: Prophecy's Olivia Williams:
The Lion Throne of Andor
Yes, that is the city of Caemlyn! We're seeing Morgase prepare to sit the Lion Throne of Andor! Check out those big golden statues on the sides and the distinctive lion banners in the background.
If I'm being honest, I'm having a hard time focusing on them though...because Morgase appears to be pregnant?! Morgase is the mother of Elayne Trakand. Elayne has a brother, Gawyn (Luke Fetherston), and half-brother, Galad (Callum Kerr). All of them are adults already, and Morgase has no other children in the books. So it looks like we're going to get a flashback showing when she was pregnant with one of them, which is very exciting.
The next image shows Alanna and her warder Maksim. They look a little battle-worn:
A quick shot of Elaida, an Aes Sedai of the Red Ajah played by The Expanse's Shohreh Aghdashloo:
Elaida is the advisor to Queen Morgase, and a formidable Aes Sedai. She'll have a very large impact on the series moving forward.
Elayne is back in her novice whites at the White Tower...
...and her brothers are sparring, shirtless:
This sparring match takes place at the White Tower. Here we see Nynaeve, Elayne, and Mat watching them:
We're nearing the end of the trailer, but there are plenty more secrets to unearth. Click below for the final run of images:
The Battle of the Two Rivers
Our next image shows Perrin, looking ridiculously badass in his armor, as he examines a spiked barricade near the Two Rivers. "We don't win battles with politics and prophecies. We win with armies," Alanna says. She's wearing that cool white facepaint again and sounds pretty fierce:
I'm expecting a pretty big arc for Alanna this season. She has a very dubious choice to make down the line in the books, and it'll require her to go on quite a journey to get to the point where it makes sense for her character as she's depicted in the show.
She's undoubtedly delivering this line to Perrin, and it will hit on a core idea of the books: Rand is a mythic reincarnated hero, but he can't win the Last Battle without the military might of the world behind him. We're going to see that start to manifest in the Two Rivers and in the Aiel Waste this season.
Lots of battle shots of Two Rivers folk preparing to fight:
Alanna's warder Maksim shouts for the archers to loose their arrows at an oncoming horde of Trollocs. And in among the archers is none other than Faile (Isabella Bucceri), a new romantic interest for Perrin we'll be meeting this season:
Like Elaida and Morgase, Faile is another character book fans have been dying to see onscreen. It's happening! Here's the proof!
The next shot of battle reveals that it won't just be Trollocs attacking the Two Rivers; there are people mixed in with the beastly creatures as well:
We also see Loial, Bain, and Chiad charging through the forest...
...and Perrin fighting at night, with some Whitecloaks in the background:
Something to note is that all three of the battle scenes in the last images take place at different times of day, in seemingly different settings. In the book, the Battle of the Two Rivers is a prolonged siege that spans hundreds of pages and multiple clashes. It seems like the show will reflect that.
Here's an explosion of the One Power from four Aes Sedai at the White Tower, I'm guessing during Liandrin's escape:
Next we have someone weaving the One Power over a dark, foggy forest.
It's hard to tell who this person is, but the clothing and hairstyle looks like a match for Alanna. If so, whatever's happening probably happens in the Two Rivers.
From the Two Rivers we had back to the Aiel Waste, where a woman wearing a veil weilds a flaming sword and blade of air made of the One Power:
This person is wearing the same clothing Egwene had on in a previous scene. My guess is it might be some kind of garb that trainees under the Wise Ones have to wear. That makes me think this is an Aiel. It doesn't look like Ayoola Smart to me, so I don't think it's Aviendha, but it's hard to be certain with the veil. Whoever she is, you don't want to mess with her!
Harvesting the land
Next we see a group of people standing in a row, harvesting the land. We'll come back to them in a second:
Here's a shot of a crowd of Aiel, watching something from the top of a sand dune. Perhaps the Car'a'carn is emerging from Rhuidean?
Now we see Rand...or at least, someone who is played by Josha Stradowski, but has totally different clothing, bleached blond hair and a beard:
He's in the same field as that row of people reaping wheat; it's without a doubt one of Rand's visions in Rhuidean. I don't want to discuss more spoilers, but suffice it to say he'll learn a great many shocking details about how the Aiel culture developed into what it is.
Here's another shocker: Lanfear dressed for the Age of Legends:
The color palette and clothing kind of matches the shot of Rand we saw earlier, when he was wearing a black vest over a white shirt in a Rhuidean vision. Is he going to see characters like Lanfear and Ishamael, but in the past?
Nynaeve and Lan share a kiss:
Elayne gives Rand some advice:
"Make them believe in you, and they will follow you to the ends of the earth," she tells the Dragon Reborn. Elayne isn't in her novice white here. She won't be going with Rand into the Aiel Waste, and we've already seen images of her at the White Tower and in Tanchico, so this must be pretty early in the season.
Speaking of the ends of the earth, here's Perrin, Bain, Chiad, and Loial walking across a beautiful landscape, probably on their way to the Two Rivers:
Moiraine is having a rough time in the three rings of Rhuidean...
..and Alanna is having a rough time in the streets of Tar Valon:
Remember how I said Alanna will need to have a big arc? Well, I think it's pretty telling that we only see her warder Maksim in the Two Rivers, and her other warder Ihvon is nowhere to be seen. I think that has something to do with why Alanna is screaming here.
Back to the Two Rivers, where Faile runs through the carnage to give Perrin a smooch:
Lan lifts Moiraine, who's sobbing:
Moiraine is wearing the same outfit we saw when she was getting strangled by Lanfear. Maybe she wears it in the real world as well as in Tel'aran'rhiod? Or maybe Lan will make an appearance in Moiraine's vision? He looks like he's been in a fight, with the bloody nose and all.
Back to Rand, who's standing in the desert and proclaiming "This is what I was born to do":
Cut to Rand, obliterating the mirror men with the One Power:
We saw this scene in the teaser, and it almost certainly lines up with an early book scene where Rand is attacked by a supernatural force while resting on his laurels at a fortress called the Stone of Tear. We don't know if the Stone of Tear will appear in the show this season, but the scene itself looks to have made the leap to the screen.
And here's the final shot of the trailer, showing Rand al'Thor standing amidst the swirling vortex of his own magic power. It's laced with darkness, because the male half of the One Power drives men mad:
The Wheel of Time approaches, and soon it will be time, time, time to watch it. Season 3 premieres March 13 on Prime Video.
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