The Wheel of Time 3×01, 3×02 and 3×03 Review: “To Race the Shadow,” “A Question of Crimson” and “Seeds of Shadow”

The Wheel of Time returns for its third season with an exciting three-episode premiere filled with intrigue and strong character moments.

After the thrilling conclusion of season two finale “What Was Meant to Be” back in 2023, The Wheel of Time finally returns for its third season. Amazon Prime once again opens the season by dropping three episodes in the first week. “To Race the Shadow,” “A Question of Crimson,” and “Seeds of Shadow” all feature great character moments as the heroes prepare for the next steps in their journeys to defeat the Dark One.

The highlight of these three episodes is the opening of “To Race the Shadow.” As Siuan (Sophie Okonedo) puts Liandrin (Kate Fleetwood) on trial for her association with the Dark One, a massive battle breaks out as more Aes Sedai members reveal themselves as Liandrin’s associates. The visually stunning magic-filled battle claims many casualties, and it’s great to see Siuan in action after having a limited presence in the first two seasons.

As the battle spills into the streets of Tar Valon, Moiraine (Rosamund Pike) saves Siuan and the two share a meaningful glance before Moiraine leaves. After the tense confrontation the two had when they last saw each other, hopefully a reconciliation between the lovers will come by the end of the season.

Elsewhere in Tar Valon, the rest of the recently reunited group try to make the most of their last night in the city. What follows is a series of meaningful character moments and reunions after a season of mostly separate storylines. Though there are many important moments throughout the rest of the episode, the stream of static conversations with little to break them up slows down the episode’s pacing.

Among the highlights of the group’s night in Tar Valon includes Egwene’s (Madeleine Madden) far too brief completion of the Aes Sedai trial through the arches, the romantic reunion between Lan (Daniel Henney) and Nynaeve (Zoe Robins), Egwene and Rand’s (Josha Stradowski) attempt to rekindle their relationship despite the trauma they’ve experienced, Mat’s (Donal Finn) boasting about his role in the last battle while struggling with hearing voices in his head, and the surprising yet welcome budding romance between Elayne (Ceara Coveney) and Aviendha (Ayoola Smart).

The plot moves forward once again when Moiraine and Lanfear (Natasha O’Keefe) team up to try and influence Dragon Reborn Rand’s next destination decision. A series of Lanfear-induced nightmares begin to inflict most of the group, but an assassination attempt on Nynaeve during the chaos makes Lanfear realize the group is in more danger than originally thought. As the group splits up once again, Moiraine is disappointed to find that Rand decides to instead go to the Aiel Waste to recruit more allies for the mission.

With Nynaeve, Elayne, and Mat deciding to stay behind at the White Tower, Siuan tasks Nynaeve and Elayne to try and figure out Liandrin’s plans through her captured allies. Nynaeve and Elayne prove to work well together as they navigate the tense atmosphere of the tower in the aftermath of the battle and gain a lead in their investigation.

Elayne also confronts her mother Morgase (Olivia Williams), who arrives at the tower with her family to try to bring Elayne home. A chilling flashback shows Morgase’s ruthlessness in her ascent to the throne and provides interesting insight into Elayne’s upbringing. Also, Mat holds his own against Elayne’s brothers in a fun fight sequence and ends up accompanying Nynaeve and Elayne in their investigation, unaware that Min (Kae Alexander) is also following them.

In the Aiel Waste, Rand reunites with Lanfear in his dreams as Egwene discovers that she may have the ability to manipulate dreams herself. Egwene’s discovery is an interesting development, though the inevitable revelation about Rand’s quasi-relationship with Lanfear will likely bring even more tension to the recently rekindled relationship.

Perrin (Marcus Rutherford) and Loial (Hammed Animashaun) return to Two Rivers, where they find refugees of the Aes Sedai battle as well as Whitecloaks looking for Perrin. It’s interesting to see the town that the heroes originated in again, and how much has changed in the world since the group left Two Rivers back in the series’ first episode.

The first three episodes of The Wheel of Time’s third season are packed with excellent character moments. Though it’s unfortunate to see the cast once again split up, each storyline has a lot of potential that will hopefully remain compelling throughout the rest of the season.

You can watch Farid’s recap of the first three episodes over on The Geekiary’s YouTube channel.

Author: Jessica Wolff

Jessica Wolff is a graduate of Drexel University with a BS in Film/Video. She has a passion for entertainment and representation in entertainment. She currently resides outside of Washington, DC.

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