The Wheel of Time Season 3 EP1-3
For it’s third season Amazon Prime’s The Wheel of Time makes a jaw dropping return.
From the beginning of the first episode of season 3, one thing is perfectly clear; season three of “The Wheel of Time” series has definitely found its footing. If the improvements made to the series between seasons one and two were big steps in the right direction, then season three is a downright impressive leap forward.
As we saw previously, liberties have to be taken in order to fit 14 books worth of world building into the allotted eight seasons. As a result, adjustments made to the original plot are significant and controversial among those who know and love the book series.
However, season three successfully continues to build upon the narrative path that has already been established in the previous seasons. One advantage of trimming down the storyline is the room it leaves characters to become fully developed and fleshed out. The writer’s seem to have sorted out which aspects of the original story they want to keep and how they plan to navigate restructuring the rest of the plot around those decisions. The creative choices made this season have given the show a noticeable increased confidence in its chosen storyline. The direction they have committed to so far has allowed the events taking place this season to feel more cohesive and the characters more grounded.
The visual representations of ‘the one power’ throughout the entire season, is both stunning and very well executed. Every explosion, crash, and forming weapons from air has an accompanying detailed visual effect, creating an accurate representation of this particular supernatural ability. The success of season two clearly gave the creators more resources to work with in order to continue living up to the raised expectations of its growing audience.
We spend the first few episodes catching up with our characters after Rand was proclaimed the Dragon Reborn at the end of season two. Not only does this allow viewers to get reacquainted with the characters, but also serves to show how they have changed after the events of last season. In the aftermath Perrin, Mat, Elyane, Nyneave, Egwene and Avienda) are forced to part ways as their individual situations become more complicated.
The dangers only increase from there as the season progresses. Viewers can look forward to spending more time with one of the most interesting and unsettling antagonists, Moghedian, the spider like and bone chilling forsaken introduced at the end of season two. In addition to Moghedian and Lanfear, more of the forsaken make their way into the plot this season bringing more chaos with them every step of the way.
It seems as though the show’s creators have listened to the feedback from previous seasons and taken it to heart. The first three episodes of season three do a great job laying the groundwork for the rest of whats to come. I’m excited to see the show gaining confidence in its direction and making the most of its new resources.
Everything from the costumes, make up, and set designs, down to the method of storytelling has received an upgrade this season.