A Question of Crimson

I have been very impressed with the first two episodes of season 3 so far! You can see the show runners and production team have learnt their lessons from previous seasons. The dialogue has improved, the acting, the pacing of the episodes. We are getting the information we need and the world building has been brilliant, not obvious exposition dumps like in previous seasons.

I think the younger actors are really coming into their own now and carrying the show. I still want to see more from Mat and Perrin who have been criminally underdeveloped in previous seasons, but this season has made a really good start. If you liked previous seasons you will love this season, if you didn't like previous seasons, give this one a go!

Huge book fan and show fan. I've been good with the adaptions so far and have understood the greater story to be told. But my first impression of Morgase and the Andoran storyline and Gawyn and Galad isn't good. Fix Gawyn's hair for god's sake. And Galad especially should be younger and leaner and "the handsomest man anyone has ever seen". The actor is attractive, but doesn't fit the role. Too bulky, too manly, too much. Loved Olivia Williams in Dune Prophecy but a terrible Morgase. And that outfit is too much. She's incredible it's just terrible casting. Elaida is alright so far and good casting there. We'll see how this season evolves and I still have faith in the greater story arcs but... Gawyn is one of my favorite characters and he's been done no justice in his first episode.

I personally enjoy it when the show slows down and goes deeper into the story, even more than the action.

And this episode is a perfect illustration. Loved seeing more Andore plot on screen, especially knowing how important many of the characters are for the future.

And of course, Elaida. She really steals the show and every scene she is in. It was quite easy to hate Elaida in the books, so I'm always glad when the show gives us something more.

Honestly, I can't wait to see more White Tower politics this season. I believe it will be an important aspect of the story soon.

And Lord Gaebril is a delight.

As a huge fan of both the books and the show, this is the best episode yet. There is not a single wasted moment, a single wasted word of dialogue. Everything clips along in service of the plot and the world building which is expanding rapidly. All aspects but the gorgeous and unique costumes are darker, richer, and suggesting an utterly, deliciously tangled web of interests from multiple sides. I also cannot overstate how powerful the performances are of this stellar cast.

These actors really know and care about their characters, and make them shine with an authenticity that brings a tear to the eye. Standouts include newcomers Shohreh Aghdashloo as Elaida and Laia Costa as Moghedien, and old friends Kate Fleetwood as Liandrin, Sophie Okonedo as Siuan Sanche, Priyanka Bose as Alanna, Natasha O'Keeffe as Lanfear, and Donal Finn as Mat. Josha Stradowski also starts the subtle hints at the turmoil within Rand, and his delivery gave me chills. And this is only a fraction - if it isn't clear enough already, the cast is absolutely stacked with perfection.

While I adored each and every reference to the books, my show-only family had just as much fun as I did with this one. The show is absolutely amazing at making you care about these characters, even if you have no previous knowledge of them.

After an episode as tight and exciting as this one, it's hard to believe the story is just barely getting started. If the show can deliver on this level of quality consistently going forward, the higher ups would be mad to not renew this for as many seasons as it takes to tell the whole story.

The lore drops in this episode were incredibly well done!! Watching this episode was like reading the books all over again. There are so many characters in the book series, and that can challenging to make work in a TV show. This episode managed to juggle the switches between storylines beautifully and it didn't feel jarring. Each character has the screen time they need to set up their story in an intriguing and captivating way. Each scene was intentionally added to add to the story and character development. Though the action was less than in the first episode, this episode gave the story time to breathe and focus on character development.