'The Wheel of Time' Season 3's First Images Introduce The Waste
The Wheel of Time turns... etc., etc. etc., and with every turn, the Season 3 premiere draws closer. The high-fantasy series based on the legendary 14 tome epic by the late Robert Jordan technically isn't British at all; Jordan was from South Carolina, Prime Video is based in America, and showrunner Rafe Judkins is from Salt Lake City, just to name a few of those involved. However, Bridgerton is equally American in its authors, producers, and production company, and no one in their right mind would categorize it as anything but British. (These are thing things that keep me up at night.) However, The Wheel of Time is one of the most fascinating of the "British-ish" fantasy series spawned by Game of Thrones' success precisely because it leans into the Euro-ness of the fantasy world Jordan created and away from trying to replicate exactly what's on the page.
If someone were looking for a faithful adaptation of the novels, The Wheel of Time would undoubtedly disappoint. But as an exercise in retelling an epic story relayed over a dozen-plus thousand-page books on screen, it's far superior to its sister series on Prime, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, and puts nearly everything on HBO to shame.
However, as the series continues, it will get more complicated to streamline and fix the host of issues the books contain. So far, the show's done wonders; the deeply unfortunate Asian-coded Seachan and their torturous behavior were dealt with compactly in Season 2 and summarily dismissed until needed again. Season 3 faces two challenges: introducing Aiel culture without leaning into ugly Indigenous stereotypes and bringing aboard yet another central character who the fandom has never liked: Faile. Judkin has already done a lot of groundwork on the first one, introducing the Aiel as individuals since Season 1, and the first images of their homeland of The Waste feel authentic. But Faile, who will join up with Perrin this season, will need a lot of work to remake her without Jordan's unconscious misogyny, which is, unfortunately, the bulk of her personality in the early going.
