The Wheel of Time Season 3 Episodes 1-3 Review: To Race the Shadow / A Question of Crimson / Seeds of Shadow

It’s impossible not to be captivated as The Wheel of Time Season 3 Episode 1, “To Race the Shadow,” opens; the series wastes no time throwing us into the action with an all-out showdown in the White Tower as Liandrin and the Black Ajah making a stand. 

The politics of the White Tower haven’t always been an engaging element of the series, but these first three episodes manage to hook us and make us desperate to know more about the various factions inside and outside of the White Tower.

The introduction of Elayne’s family and Elaida on The Wheel of Time Season 3 Episode 2, “A Question of Crimson,” adds another layer to the unrest plaguing the White Tower, while also giving Elayne a bit more conflict as a character as her familial duties clash with her Aes Sedai ones.

We briefly have our Two Rivers friends together in one place before they are split up once again.

Splitting them up allows for The Wheel of Time to give us a broader look at what is happening, and it makes sense why most of the characters are placed where they are.

Nynaeve and Elayne (and Mat) are tracking Black Ajah and adding to the political complexities of the season. There’s also the Dragon Reborn group following Rand as he prepares for the final battle.

And then, there’s our buddy Perrin who once again finds himself in the same place as the Children of the Light. Perrin needs something new to do, and the Children of the Light need to actually become interesting or just vanish and leave us alone.

Perhaps teaming up with Alanna and Maksim will lead Perrin down a more engaging path, but I’m afraid we’re locked in for another season of Perrin being given a boring storyline.

We can only hope that The Wheel of Time has learned from its mistakes and does a better job juggling all these characters and their storylines. 

One thing the show excels at is complex female characters who aren’t confined by the side of the battle they’re on. Villains are nuanced, and the light do some questionable things to get what they want.

On The Wheel of Time Season 3 Episode 3, “Seeds of Shadow,” Nynaeve acknowledges she does like Liandrin, despite everything. They had some good moments between them, and hopefully, we get to see more of Nynaeve trying to find that goodness in Liandrin again because it could lead to some great character work for both of them.

And with Lanfear, her alliance with Moiraine is fascinating and doesn’t feel out of character for either woman.

They both have shown that they’ll do whatever it takes to further their agenda, and it makes sense for them to join forces. It would have been fascinating to see how the first meeting went where an alliance was broached.

There’s so much potential with this alliance to further develop both women and their relationship with each other. They’re two very big players in this battle, and due to their opposing sides, it’s not as if we get to see them chatting often.

Then there’s their two very different relationships with Rand, romance aspect aside.

For Rand, Moiriaine is a known factor. He’s been the victim of her “help” numerous times, and it’s caused him to not fully trust her. But, Lanfear is a different situation. There’s still a lot Rand doesn’t know about her and her motives, and it’s unclear how much he trusts her (if he does at all).

The Wheel of Time Season 3 Episodes 1-3 sets up an exciting season. Here’s hoping the rest of the season can live up to these high expectations.

Stray Thoughts

• Aviendha and Elayne are adorable. I need them to be reunited soon.
• Lanfear meddling aside, it’s a relief that Egwene’s trauma isn’t brushed under the rug now that she’s reunited with Rand.
• Moghedien reminds me of Helena from Orphan Black.
• The Gaebril/Rahvin twist is nicely done and is a cool way to show how powerful the Forsaken are without relying on violence.
• I need Lan and Nynaeve to spend more than five seconds together, please.
• I love that Egwene goes through the arches, gets her ring, and then immediately leaves the tower.

What did you think of The Wheel of Time Season 3 premiere? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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New episodes of The Wheel of Time Season 3 air on Thursdays on Prime Video.

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