The Wheel of Time Finale Finally Sees Rand Ascend As The Dragon Reborn but at What Cost?

Lives are lost as Moiraine and Lanfear face off while Rand ascends as The Dragon Reborn. Read The Wheel of Time Season 3 Finale Review here!

The post The Wheel of Time Finale Finally Sees Rand Ascend As The Dragon Reborn but at What Cost? appeared first on TV Fanatic.

For a minute there, it didn’t seem like anyone was going to make it out of The Wheel of Time finale alive.

There’s been like ten significant deaths between this and the last episode.

This was quite the epic ending to a rather incredible season of the Amazon series. It was pulse-pounding from start to finish with stunning visuals.

The Wheel of Time had us at the edge of our seats, and for good reason. If you’re like this TV Fanatic, you’re still processing Siuan Sanche’s fate.

That scene had me clutching my pearls while breathing the gayest gasp you’ve ever heard.

But nothing compares to what happened right after with Moiraine. I think there was literal fire in her eyes.

The Wheel of Time Season 3 Episode 8 was a finale that will leave fans shaken for quite some time. The writers have a lot of work ahead of them because the story is just getting good.

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At the very least, it looks like Mat will finally serve a purpose.

Mat, The Wheel of Time’s Most Useless Character, Can’t Hold a Candle to the Heir of Andor, Elayne, and Her Badass Fighting Skills

If you’ve kept up with The Wheel of Time Season 3 Reviews, you know I am not a fan of Mat.

In three seasons, the guy has done ONE thing of importance. Why are we still making Elayne and Nynaeve drag him around?

Granted, he now has, by far, the most interesting and mysterious storyline currently on the show.

He went into a strange arch Sirius Black style and encountered what I assume can only be what the writer once saw in a night terror.

That thing was supposed to be like a fox trickster demon, right? It gives you what you need, but at a cost you didn’t see coming. It’s the classic genie trope.

Either way, it gives Mat something to do because his story is entirely plot-driven.

He has barely developed as a character and seems uninterested in the important missions he keeps finding himself involved in.

Elayne’s shoulders must be exhausted from constantly carrying the team. However, I am not mad about it because the character has quickly risen to the top of my list of favorite characters.

Not to mention, the girl is a total powerhouse and a badass. When she rolled up behind that Black Ajah, blasted her, and then took her magic stick, I actually rewound that part multiple times.

We may have only known Elayne since The Wheel of Time Season 2, but she has certainly earned her keep.

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Except now she has to get her butt back to Andor because her family is going through the usual case of mind control and royal espionage. Nothing serious. It’ll probably work itself out.

But if Elayne is heading that way, bringing along the strongest channeler seen in a thousand years may not be a bad idea.

The Problem with the Villains on the Wheel of Time Is That They Are Too Damn Fun to Hate

Did anyone really think it was the end of the road for Nynaeve when Lilandra chained and threw her in the water? Granted, I might have been worried if it had been closer to the end of the episode.

I would say that Nynaeve is way too overpowered, but it’s hard to tell how powerful everyone is. It seems like all anyone has to do is get mad enough, and then they have God-like powers.

Speaking of power, it’s finally clear why the hell Lilandra has been so hellbent on caging The Dragon Reborn. She wants to be a Forsaken.

In my review of The Wheel of Time Season 3 Episode 7, I pointed out the apparent lack of reason why all the bad guys were doing what they were doing.

It even seemed like they were all actively working against each other. Though, no character is quite as mysterious or hard to pin down as Moghedien.

What. Is. Wrong. With. That. Woman? There is unhinged and creepy, and then there is this chick. I swear, every time she smiles, I think her face is going to split apart to reveal mandibles.

Lanfear has stated that the other Forsaken don’t care if Rand joins The Shadow or breaks The Wheel. They just want him dead.

That doesn’t seem to be what Moghedien wants. She seems squarely focused on killing other members of The Forsaken, and I am kind of here for it.

Apart from sending a few Gray Men and taking the bracelet from Elayne and Nynaeve, Moghedien really hasn’t bothered much with the good guys.

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And now that Lilandra and Moghedien have everything they need to cage Rand, the next step will be getting reinforcements.

If I had to guess, I’d say the Red Ajah and her Forsaken companion are headed for The White Tower. Suffice it to say, The Amyrlin Seat is screwed.

Also, one last thing about Kate Fleetwood’s (Harlots) Lilandra and the other evil Ajah: How incredible were their outfits? They looked like a straight-up league of villains.

If you’re going to kill, you may as well do it with incredible style and impeccable hair. Isn’t that right, Elaida Sedai?

The Best Thing the Wheel of Time Can Do for the Next Season Is Give the Fans Exactly What They Want, And That’s to See a Lot of Red on Some White

This woman really showed up in the third season of a show and said, “I run everything now. Off with her head!”

There has been a lot of coming full circle for most of the characters. On The Wheel of Time Season 3 Episode 7, Perrin’s story came full circle from his return to The Two Rivers to now leading it.

Sadly, Sophie Okonedo’s (Slow Horses) Siuan Sanche did not experience the same fate. She started The Wheel of Time condemning a Red Ajah to be stilled, only to turn around and be stilled by a Red Ajah.

That was truly heartbreaking, but nothing beats how dirty the writers did the character in her final moments. Filthy, bloody, and in tattered clothes, the last thing on Siuan’s mind was Moiraine before her head was cut off.

So, I fully hope Lilandra and Moghedien are headed for The White Tower. I really do. I want to see Elaida confidently stand up to Lilandra, only for Moghedien to step out of the shadows and weave her web.

Maybe Moghedien will do Elaida the same way she did Sammael. Then again, that was way too nasty and disturbing for my taste.

Whatever happened to a good old-fashioned stabbing? Or even strangulation? What is with these Hellraiser-style deaths?

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At least Moiraine and Lanfear got the memo. Now, that was a battle for the ages.

Moiraine Was Supposed to Fall So Rand Could Rise. Does Surviving a Sword-Stabbing to the Torso Count as Falling?

Amazon did not skimp on the budget when it came to the fight scene between Lanfear and Moiraine.

Even though Moiraine saw her future on The Wheel of Time Season 3 Episode 4, I thought we had longer before she and Lanfear faced off against each other.

Did it go as I imagined? Not even a little. Did I love every second to the point that I rewound the scene ten times out of pure obsession? This is TV Fanatic, right?

First, when Lanfear sent her initial blast that sent Moiraine flying, I nearly jumped out of my seat. I was living. I felt bad for my girl, Moiraine, but that was just too damn good.

However, Moiraine ABSOLUTELY ate at the end when she ripped the sword out of her stomach and slit Lanfear’s freaking throat with it.

Did you see the look on Moiraine’s face? The fire in her eyes? The way she had Lanfear literally running scared? That’s my girl.

Unfortunately, she may have survived that battle just to lose the war. She said herself that she has always been the knife at Rand’s throat, ready to cut it if he ever chose the dark.

I’ll just say it: Rand’s weaves were pretty damn dark by the end. So, either he will be all the way evil when the series returns, or he will just be super-duper crazy.

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Either way, that was a genuinely pulse-pounding ending to one of the best seasons of this Amazon series.

Honestly, Prime has been putting out some real hits over the last few years between The Wheel of Time, Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power, and The Boys. Let’s hope the trend continues.

Until we meet again, friends, may the light be with you.

What was your favorite part of the finale?

What do you think the series will have in store for Rand if The Wheel of Time returns for Season 4?

Please drop a comment below to let me know what you think, and join me again when I review more of your favorite new and returning shows right here at TV Fanatic!

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The post The Wheel of Time Finale Finally Sees Rand Ascend As The Dragon Reborn but at What Cost? appeared first on TV Fanatic.