DRAGONMOUNT

Kathy Campbell: Thom has seen the first three episodes and I’ve seen the entire season. Season Three of The Wheel of Time on Prime Video. And now we’re going to tell you about it. And just so you know, This is going to be a non-spoiler review for the first three episodes from Thom and then I’m also going to provide my thoughts for the whole season. Let’s start with Thom.   Thom DeSimone: The lovely folks who work on the Wheel of Time show on Amazon [Prime Video] deemed us worthy for screeners of Season Three and thank the Light because mother's milk in a cup they're amazing. Really. Cut. We can end there, like that's my feelings for this.   If you're coming into this wanting it to be negative, you're gonna find negative, but honestly as a twenty-five-year-long Wheel of Time fan; as someone who has a character in the books based off of them, I love this show. And this season is by far the best one yet.   First off I want to do the looks of this show.To sum it up in one word, simply gorgeous.   Costuming is next level; the variation of color and texture and material. I paused several times just to look at background characters because they were just stunning. So awesome. We all know at this point that we're going to be seeing more of the Aiel in this season. And what lead costume designer Sharon Gilham did with this particular group is just nothing short of Emmy winning.  I'm looking at you, Television Academy. They're the ones apparently that vote on who get Emmys or who is nominated. Sharon produced such a unique beauty with this group of people who wear such a limited color palette and are mostly utilitarian in their outfits (except, you know, looking at you, Savannah) that she had me backtracking to re-listen to dialogue. I was just lost in looking at their costumes. When we see some particular favorite characters of the Aiel pop up on screen, I was lost in watching them.   Though I really do think that my favorite aspects still, even through Seasons One and Two, is going to be the Aes Sedai, Particularly their costumes, hair, and makeup. The way Sharon Gilham and Davina Lamont capture the Aes Sedai and their uniqueness of culture, personality, and everything within their costumes, hair, and makeup is just, just, like, I love it. It's so great. You can really see how each Aes Sedai comes from a different culture and a different country, different ages, different personalities. It's beautiful.   Speaking of Divina Lamont, Davina Lamont is a multi-award winning hair and makeup designer and the lead hair and makeup designer on the Wheel of Time television show, which for the layman's that includes things like the Trollocs and Myrddraal or the practical effects on the Trollocs and Myrddraal like prosthetics and things.   Davina and Sharon work a lot together, as you can imagine, more often than not. I had a unique opportunity to speak to both of them together prior to Season Two, and they are absolutely lovely. And the passion they have in their work and the camaraderie they share between the two of them was palpable when I got to speak with them.   They spoke at the time about working together to come up with a look for Cairhien and their enjoyment in getting to play with a mashup of 13th century France and feudal Japan was just palpable.   Listening to them talk about how they played with hair and makeup and clothing of both cultures and also putting it into a fantasy setting was just so much fun. You could really hear the passion and excitement in their voices. And they got to play with their toys together again in this season with the Aiel. Everything from armor and weapons and hair. It was just absolutely beautiful. The Aiel are so individually unique and beautiful that I just like, I want to go through and grab a screenshot of Aiel that pops up onscreen just to pick out the differences in each one's personal armor and cadin’sor.   But according to interviews that both Sharon and Davina did for Season Three, Tanchico is going to be the one that they had the most fun playing. So Davina had to say that one of her favorite designs was the characters of Tanchico, a world and look that we haven't seen on television before, wild and raw bunch of ruthless people. This is where we can really go crazy with our look. And Sharon, on the same thing, said “Tanchico was my favorite, especially because it challenged us to incorporate veils into society in a new and fresh way.” So book readers know that veils are a big thing within Tanchico. Most people wear veils in some form or fashion, regardless of their social standing. So really just be on the lookout for background characters, really, in all of our settings, just at their costumes and hair and makeup. It really encourages watches and rewatches and reWoTches and reWoTches and reWoTches.   Still sticking with the looks for a minute. Two men who I lovingly have given the name the Ondřejs, mainly because their names play hell on an English-only speaker with dyslexia. Mouths [me!]. But I'm going to give it a shot saying both of their names. And I'm sorry in advance if I butcher them.  Lead production designer, Ondřej Nekvasil and lead special effects coordinator, Ondřej Nierostek. Again, for those keeping track at home, a production designer would be someone that is like leading building and designing the sets. And the special effects coordinator is not, as you might think, anything to do with computer effects, but actual practical effects on the set. So, you know, explosions and things.    I also had an opportunity to interview the two of them together, and it was so much fun. I don't know why, but my very first thought seeing the two of them sitting next to each other was just like, that they were cute sitting next to each other. And I'm happy with myself that I got them to laugh when I said that whoever put them together had a sick sense of humor because Ondřej Nekvasil builds the sets, and then Ondřej Nierostek blows them up. They laughed at that, which I, you know, I will continue to think about as a highlight of my life. The beauty that Ondřej and his team brought to life seems just really taken right out of the mind of Robert Jordan himself. It just, in one word, it was stunning. The sets are gorgeous. Every single one of them. I have absolutely no notes on anything. No feelings in the negative at all on any of set design. Absolutely gorgeous   And then I was equally as impressed on how Ondřej blew them up, particularly in episode one. Seeing the cold open in episode one had me really excited for posibilities in the future Speaking of episode one and things that happen, we could talk about the story a little bit. And I will again, still be non-spoilery, I promise. There’s a ton to unpack in the first episode let alone the first three. But I’ll try to keep it short, you know. Well this is probably a good time to mention that, if you’re interested in a more spoiler filled review, you can check out Dragonmount’s YouTube where Chrystal and I are taking a deep dive into the first three episodes, screenshots, and clips all over the place.  And, if you’re liking our content, make sure to smash that subscribe and share our channel with some friends who you think might enjoy as well. We’re welcoming to all here, even those who don’t really like the show as long as, you know, you can sit around and have discussion about it and not be toxic No need to munch on other peoples' bunch of crunch.   Okay, we get taken for quite a ride right off the bat in episode one, both emotionally and physically, with another 17 minute cold open. Yes, 17 minute cold open. Those of you who watched the 11 minute teaser preview will notice the time difference there. I will say that is the cold open just sans a lot of information. So it is still worth watching in its entirety when the episode airs. I will say, steel your hearts and gird your loins, it’s a doozy.   We get tossed right into moral dilemmas, tough decisions, and budding new love; as well as some old flames maybe going out. A few notable changes to some character behaviors that was a bit jarring for me at first but after it cooked a little in my brain I really grew to like it and I’m interested to see how they build out on that particular character. . . See if you guys can figure out who i’m talking about. I think it'll be pretty epic. There are some trials that our characters go through that were particularly exciting for me to see on screen, both going into those trials and what our characters actually saw in the trial themselves.   Now to harken back to set, costume, hair, and makeup again, damn, those scenes and the actors and crew's creativity really, really just sing through. I absolutely loved it. By the end of episode three, if you're anything like me, you'll end up on your feet cheering and laughing one minute and then wiping tears away from your eyes for a character from the books that you never thought you'd have any emotion other than hatred.   And really that's all I can do non-spoilery for those first three episodes. I really can't tap myself any further without divulging more info. I'm sure we'll have so many edits to cut out my accidental spoilers already. Really just watch and rewatch and rewatch and rewatch The Wheel of Time over on Amazon, especially if we want to see a Season Four! Make sure to just leave it playing on all your devices in your home as much as you possibly can.   With that, I love all of you awesome nerds. Thanks for hanging out with me.   Kathy’s Review   Kathy Campbel: Now, first off, the incredible things. Visually, this season is even more of an upgrade than Season Two.   Season One was good.   Season Two was great.   Season Three: a whole other world.   I cannot even begin to explain to you how many times I paused the show just to look at the incredible visuals that were on the screen. So many massive wallpaper worthy prints. Just the entire world feels so much bigger than it did before and so much more detailed. I cannot wait for you all to see it.   There were so many breathtaking moments with the visual effects, how things were framed and the scenery ,how the One Power was done. Everything was just incredible.   For costuming especially, Sharon Gilham has outdone herself. Her and her team have done some incredible, incredible work this season. There is one particular character that shows up that I actually had to stop because I, like, I audibly gasped out loud with how incredible this costume was. It was , I know I'm, listen I'm gonna say incredible a lot okay because this season was incredible I can't wait for you folks to see this because it truly is just awe-inspiring, just like with Season Two hair and makeup. All of that is another step up, like it just looks so real. There's so many more battles, so many more, let's say arguments, and moments where the hair and makeup just add an extra little something.    It is flawless on the eyes. When people are having altercations with each other, it still looks stunning in the most  perfect way. It is flawless.   And, of course, let's talk about the casting.   The returning cast feels like they've settled even more into their characters than they did before. There's something really comforting about seeing the Two Rivers Five, and Moraine and Lan, and all of these characters that we've grown to love from Season One. It feels like they're even more real but on top of that the new cast, oh my goodness, the number of Zaddies in the world! Let's just say, so many attractive people it should be illegal. Everyone's going to be so impressed with the new cast this season, all of these characters that we know from the books feel amazing. Even the Forsaken that show up, let me just say, y'all are gonna love it.   It's so exciting to see this world that we've seen, that we've read, that we've lived with for years, come to life. And this season especially feels like authentically Wheel of Time. As somebody who's been reading the books since, you know, the early2000s ,it's exciting to see new surprises with the Wheel of Time. And that's something that this show does.   There's so much packed into this season and yet it still feels like Wheel of Time. There are some scenes that book fans have been waiting for that are here and they are very good. However, there are some things that I know folks are going to be missing. . . There are a few moments that I wish so desperately had been in the show that were not. And you know what? That's okay.   Because I know if there had been more time, more episodes, longer episodes, any of this, the thing that gets me through these moments is the fact that I know Rafe tried as hard as he possibly could to get these bits onscreen because these are iconic moments for the books that I know are sad to be missed.   So maybe we'll see some behind the scenes, or cuts, or here's stuff we filmed that we couldn't put in the scene, like in the show, because of time or whatever. I really hope that we get to see those because again I know that Rafe loves these bits just as much as we do, but again, there are some moments especially ones that I know people have speculated would not show up they're there get ready to be swept away with an incredible season I feel like this season especially is really going to turn around people that maybe have not read the books you can get friends to watch the other seasons and then watch Season Three they're gonna be hooked they're going to want Season Four.  This season shows what the show could be without the pandemic without strikes without all of these things that I know have affected previous seasons. We're finally to the point where I feel like it's spread its wings and it's ready to go.   And I think, I really, really hope that we can get more seasons of this show because this story deserves to be told and these people deserve to be the ones to tell it. So, overall, this season is wonderful. It's high fantasy at its best. It's The Wheel of Time at its best.  It's the characters that we know and love being their true selves.   It is visually stunning. It is something, it's a world that you're going to want to live in. It's a world that you're going to want to hug and embrace and visit over and over and over again. And I cannot wait for you to see Season Three of The Wheel of Time on Prime Video. Goodbye.    

Dragonmount (Kathy Campbell): Egwene is a lot of people’s favorite character, and Madeleine Madden brings her to life. I’m so excited for everyone to see how incredible she is this season, especially with the intensity of season two. Which is in fact my first question. So let's get to it. Hi, I’m Kathy with Dragonmount.   Madeleine: Hi, How are you?   DM: I’m wonderful. You were so kind to Humberto in Brazil, thank you so much for that.   M: Oh my God, it was. . . Honestly I still think about that. Brazil is on my mind all the time and how wonderful that experience was.   DM: I’m so glad! Well, it was so special for us as well.   M: Good! I’m glad I’m glad!   DM: So thank you. So season two was incredibly intense for Egwene and the audience. And season three is a very different type of intensity. How did you separate yourself from that mental space after filming last season’s trauma, and then again dealing with the post traumatic healing journey this season.   M: It was difficult! To step back into where we left off in season two. Even between seasons, it feels like a lot of time, and sometimes to get back into that mindset and even that physicality, and I mean when I saw in the script it's like “Egwene is back in the cells”  and I’m like Goddddd. That’s always a bit of a challenge for me as an actor, and I think for any actor, is just trying to find where you left off. However, for me personally, and I know for the audience, I think it’s really important for us to see how Egwene heals from this experience and moves forward and picks herself back up. And that she is going to be okay, but she is going to need the help of other people in her life to guide her into that path of healing. But you know that’s it’s a challenge! But I feel really blessed to have been able to have such an incredible character and character arc so early on in the series.   DM: Many book readers were so excited about the first hints of dreamwalking that were confirmed to be part of the show. And I will say, it does not disappoint, it is incredible. And then as someone of Aboriginal descent, which has a long history of dreaming traditions, what resonated with you in this part of Egwene’s characters and then how you presented it on screen?   M: I mean so much of the magic and spirituality and the lore in Wheel of Time has always drawn me to this series. I think that’s what makes the Wheel of Time such a standout in the fantasy genre and Robert Jordan’s writing in his books and his appreciation for all the elements is really special. So for me like you said, and thank you for mentioning my heritage, we carry a lot of spirituality, in our culture as well and also reincarnation. That is a big element in First Nation Australia culture and that’s obvious something that we have in the Wheel of Time, and it’s such a gentle wonderful way of looking at time and lifetimes and cycles and destiny and it's really wonderful.   DM: thank you.one last question. Egwene travels to the Aiel waste with Moiraine, Lan, Aviendha, and Rand while the rest of the group scatter throughout the world. Which location or experience do you wish you could have taken part of, especially with the temperatures being apparently 45 degrees Celsius, 113 Fahrenheit in South Africa and all of the challenges that that brings.   M: Yeahhh. . . Goodness me, there's I think. . . Goodness, yeah it was SO hot in South Africa but it really helped inform the way our characters moved in where they were at emotionally and energetically. As hard as it was, we were very lucky to be filming on location. The scene that I wish I was involved in… It’s a scene that involves a Forsaken and two of the other actors that were working in this scene with the Forsaken. They had  such a fun time and like, I don’t know how I can explain this. . .   DM: I think I know what scene you are talking about. . .   M: I think you know what scene! And even Rafe was texting the actors and was like “just watch the dailies.” And I’m like DAMNIT I want to have a little laugh and so I would have loved to have even just been a fly on the wall for that scene.   DM: Amazing, thank you so much for doing this. I'm so excited for everyone to see your incredible season in just a few days!   M: Thank you! Ahh I know! It’s crazy   DM: Finally!   M: It was lovely to see you again!   DM: Lovely to see you! Thank you.