The Wheel of Time - To Race the Shadow
The opening to the Third Season of The Wheel of Time gives us the chaos of the White Tower when Liandrin (Kate Fleetwood) is brought before her sisters and outed as Black Ajah leading to a battle within the the walls of the council as her co-conspirators are also revealed. Along with outing several characters as evil, and killing off a few as well, the sequences inform viewers that the struggle that's been happening mostly in private is now moving towards open war. The extended open scenes also include the theft of several magical artifacts by the Black Ajah which will provide side quests for some the supporting characters not concerned the main storyline this season.
As for the main storyline, Moiraine Damodred (Rosamund Pike) makes a partnership with Lanfear (Natasha O'Keeffe) to push Rand al’Thor (Josha Stradowski) apart from his friends realizing if he has any hope of growing into the Dragon Reborn he needs to leave his old life behind. With some knowing they are leaving earlier than others, we get some nice character moments before saying farewell such as Elayne (Ceara Coveney) and Aviendha (Ayoola Smart) admitting their feelings for one another. And the nightly activities, which do get a bit out of hand thanks to the involvement of another Gray Man, provide the other big action sequences of the season opener.
The attacks in the night play on his friends' preexisting uncertainties of remaining with Rand, and, in the end, serve their purpose as the group disbands going their separate ways. However, Egwene (Madeleine Madden) stays with Rand despite her glimpse of his possible future madness the growth of his power will bring. Partly to do the unexpected, and partly influenced by a conversation with the Aiel, Rand chooses a different path than Moiraine and Lanfear had planned and chooses not to seek out a legendary weapon, which is what his enemies will expect, but instead to head to the Aiel Waste in search of warriors for the army he will need for the upcoming battle.
- Title: The Wheel of Time - To Race the Shadow
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