The Wheel of Time season 3 just came to an end with the release of episode 8, "He Who Comes With the Dawn." It was an incredible episode with lots of moving parts, epic sequences, and surprises, honestly, that I was not expecting to see.
I shared the major plot points of The Wheel of Time season 3 episode 8 and how it sets up The Wheel of Time season 4. Ultimately, I think there are four important points that casual fans like me need to remember as we leave The Wheel of Time season 3 behind.
Let's get things started with one of my favorite characters in the show, Moiraine Damodred (Rosamund Pike), who gets into an absolutely iconic battle with the real demon of the season, Lanfear (Natasha O'Keeffe).
Moiraine almost kills Lanfear
After the Aiel gather for Rand's little pitch to declare himself Chief of Chiefs, Moiraine, who learned in Rhuidean just how much her fate intertwines with Lanfear, gets into a scuffle with Lanfear to protect Rand (Josha Stradowski). You see, Rand and Lanfear officially break up after she tormented Egwene (Madeleine Madden) for weeks. Lanfear panics after losing control of her little Dragon Reborn, and she tries to stop him before he becomes the Car'a'carn.
Earlier in the episode, Rand and Moiraine make up. He thanks her for always trying to help him fulfill his destiny, even if it caused him and others pain throughout their journey to this point. And, it gives Moiraine the boost needed to kill Lanfear or die trying, as she says.
During the epic battle in the sand, Moiraine and Lan look like they're going to lose. Lanfear even skewers Moiraine with a sword, but Moiraine uses the One Power to remove the sword and slash Lanfear's throat. She flees the scene, and we don't know if Lanfear is dead or alive. Moiraine's life also hangs in the balance during the last few moments of season 3.
Obviously, this is not the last we will see of Moiraine if The Wheel of Time season 4 is ordered, but it's not looking good for her.
Siuan Sanche dies
At The White Tower, Elaida do Avriny a'Roihan (Shohreh Aghdashloo) finally reveals her true mission: to become the Amyrlin Seat by any means necessary. She stages a coup after getting some of the Aes Sedai who are loyal to Siuan (Sophie Okonedo) to leave, and she takes Siuan's job, stills her of the One Power, and then executes her.
Siuan has a chance to speak her truth, though, and she admits to working with Moiraine to save Rand and give the Aes Sedai a chance to win The Last Battle on the side of the Dragon Reborn. In the end, it's not enough to keep her alive, but it feels like a rallying cry for those left behind in Tar Valon.
Rand becomes the Car'a'carn and unites the Aiel
While Moiraine and Lanfear battle, Rand is forced to share his visions from Rhuidean in front of the Aiel people. Lanfear plants a false Dragon Reborn to stop Rand from fulfilling the prophecy, but it's not enough. Rand eventually shows off his incredible powers, makes it rain in the desert, and officially becomes the Car'a'carn and Chief of Chiefs. He also found his People of the Dragon.
Our boy, Rand, is now officially the Dragon Reborn, and he's ready to continue to the Stone of Tear to fulfill his destiny. More on that in a minute!
Moghedien acquires the Domination bands
Last but not least, we learn a lot of important things in Tanchico. Unfortunately, only one of them is good for Rand and the gang! The most important thing that we learn is that Moghedien (Laia Costa), thanks to Liandrin (Kate Fleetwood), now has the Domination Bands, which would basically give the Forsaken the power to force Rand to do their bidding.
We also learn that Liandrin is ready to take her next steps down that lonely road to become the next member of the Forsaken. Moghedien seems to be open to the idea, but there's probably more that they need to work out in the short term.
On top of that, and this is the only good thing, Nynaeve (Zoe Robins), after confronting Liandrin, reconnects with the One Power. And, it's a huge reminder about just how powerful she actually is and can be in future seasons.
What to expect in The Wheel of Time season 4
Speaking of future seasons, we're still waiting to learn a lot more about The Wheel of Time season 4, including if it's even going to happen. There's obviously some concern that Prime Video hasn't picked up the series for season 4 yet, but I still think it's going to happen.
We've heard the cast seems pretty optimistic about the renewal chances, so let's look ahead at what's going to happen next.
Of course, we have The Wheel of Time books as our guide, but I haven't read them all yet. Looking at what happened in the finale and what we know of this story, Rand should lead his army to Tear to fulfill the next steps of his destiny. He also needs Callandor, the powerful weapon, that could help him in the coming battles with the Forsaken and leading up to The Last Battle.
I don't think we've seen the last of Lanfear. The other Forsaken will probably not be super stoked about her failures in stopping the Dragon Reborn. Now, he has an army at his back. Moghedien and Liandrin working together should obviously cause some concern. There's also another Forsaken that has yet to reveal itself, according to our friends at Winter Is Coming, so that's another crucial part of this story moving forward.
Then, we have all the fallout from what happened at Tar Valon. Moiraine will, of course, want some revenge for what happened to Siuan, but she'll need to protect Rand from whatever the Aes Sedai are planning to do next. Remember, they want to cage Rand instead of helping him defeat the Dark One.
Of course, we also have Nynaeve, Elayne (Ceara Coveney), Mat (Donal Finn), and Min (Kae Alexander) heading back to Tar Valon with no knowledge that there is a new Amyrlin Seat in town. As loyal as they were to Siuan, they should probably find somewhere else to be, but hey, that's just my opinion.
Oh, and last but not least, Perrin Aybara (Marcus Rutherford) is now in the custody of The Whitecloaks! We need the whole Two Rivers gang to get back together soon.
So, that's basically where things stand heading into The Wheel of Time season 4. Hopefully, we'll get to see it happen! If The Rings of Power season 3 is happening, there's no way Prime Video is going to cancel The Wheel of Time.