Warning: This review contains full spoilers for season 3 of The Wheel of TimeSeason 3 of The Wheel of Time is by far its best yet, building on the rich worldbuilding of the first two seasons while largely avoiding their melodrama and pacing issues. Skillfully fusing aspects of three of Robert Jordan’s books – The Dragon Reborn, The Shadow Rising, and The Fires of Heaven – the show condenses plots to keep the action moving while improving on some of the characters by giving them more depth. It makes some bold choices of adaptation, but overall the series is making the sprawling fantasy epic look great while keeping to its themes and ambition.The ta’veren of Emond’s Field started the series as whiny, resentful, or wide-eyed about the change in fortunes brought by the Aes Sedai Moiraine Damodred (Rosamund Pike), but they’ve grown significantly as characters as they’ve gained more power. The most improved is Rand al’Thor (Josha Stradowski), who has embraced his destiny as the Dragon Reborn by heading to the Aiel Wastes to raise an army. Stradowski brings an intensity to the role that simmers in quieter moments and fully ignites when he ferociously makes his case as the chosen one in the finale.A major theme of The Wheel of Time is how change cannot be stopped or controlled, and it’s a lesson that many of the characters have to learn the hard way. Egwene al’Vere (Madeleine Madden) tries to cope with her traumatic experience at the hands of the Seanchan by resuming her relationship with Rand. But the childhood sweethearts can’t confront their demons until they make mutual respect, not love, the basis of their connection. It’s a richer portrayal of how those characters evolve together and apart than the books presented, enhanced by Madden’s ability to match Stradowski’s intensity as she blends both deep strength and emotional vulnerability.Meanwhile, Perrin Aybara (Marcus Rutherford) tries to escape the coming war by returning to the Two Rivers and finds he must instead embrace his potential as a leader. The character often feels tangential in Jordan’s books, but the show’s writers do their best to do right by him, strongly weaving in his desire to avoid violence with the greater arc of the season. Perrin’s plot is strengthened by the addition of Faile Bashere (Isabella Bucceri), who has more personality in the show than on the page, where Jordan’s women often feel too similar. Bucceri brings plenty of charm to the role with her wry smile and teasing of Perrin, a ferocious counterpart to the more reserved blacksmith. The Wheel of Time Season 3 Character PostersAes Sedai royal advisor Elaida do Avriny a'Roihan (Shohreh Aghdashloo) makes an even bigger impact as a series newcomer: Her ability to drip contempt with every sentence especially shines opposite her primary rival, Siuan Sanche (Sophie Okonedo), who projects authority with a mix of restraint and folksy wisdom.The efforts to build up the Forsaken Moghedien (Laia Costa) as one of the biggest threats on the show are less successful. Lanfear (Natasha O'Keeffe) continues to be an excellent villain, attempting to control Rand through a mix of Machiavellian scheming and vamping. Compared to her, Moghedien is just an overtly weird psychopath. At least the smug regality of the Forsaken Rahvin (Nuno Lopes) feels like a better fit for the catty dynamic the show has established among the Chosen.The Wheel of Time never relies fully on spectacle to carry an episode.“Showrunner Rafe Judkins has done a great job not only trimming excess characters and storylines but building on Jordan’s work as well. The attack on the White Tower by Liandrin Guirale (Kate Fleetwood) and the Black Ajah is only referenced in a few lines of the book The Dragon Reborn, but 34 years later, writer Justine Juel Gillmer and director Ciaran Donnelly have turned it into an epic battle that kicks off season 3 with a bang. The sword and sorcery combat looks great in the premiere, skillfully blending CGI and choreography, and that strength continues in the multiple big battles throughout the season. There are some issues with monsters created with practical effects for closeups looking much worse when moving, but overall the production value is high. Costuming is an especially strong point for the show, particularly the ornate outfits favored by the Aes Sedai.Unlike Prime Video’s other fantasy epic, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, The Wheel of Time never relies fully on spectacle to carry an episode. Pathos is as likely to drive the conflicts as magic is, which makes any moment of sacrifice or loss all the more excruciating. Jordan killed relatively few of his characters, but the show’s writers have a significantly higher body count, which keeps things tense even for book readers who think they know where this story is going.That tension is broken by some great comic relief. After the first two seasons were tarnished by the departure of Barney Harris, some of the shine has been restored by his replacement, Dónal Finn. His take on Mat Cauthon is a charming rake whose definition of “laying low” involves showing off a powerful magical artifact in a bar. And his tendency to turn everything into a joke makes it all the more meaningful when he asks for help. Princess Elayne Trakand (Ceara Coverney) is the season’s other major source of laughs: She steals the show in episode 6 with a hilariously bawdy musical number.It all amounts to a season of Wheel of Time that leans into the concepts of reincarnation and cycles of conflict core to Jordan’s marriage of Western fantasy and Eastern mythology. Nowhere are those themes stronger than in the terrific “The Road to the Spear,” which allows Rand to live through the long shared history of the Aiel and the Tinkers and come to an understanding of just how much was lost in the Breaking of the World. It’s another showcase of Stradowski’s acting talent, the makeup and costume team, and the writers. The keen understanding of Jordan’s vision – and ability to bring it to the screen in a satisfying way – in this episode, and season 3 as a whole, makes me eager to see where things go next.