We finally get the long-awaited Britannia S3

One of my favorite shows, Britannia, returns this week, huzzah! It’s been a long, patient wait to hit our shores in the States, but it’s been worth the wait, my friends. I am currently devouring the screeners and will post a full review soon, but what I’ve seen so far (the first half), is as freaky, psychedelic, dramatic, and funny as ever (mostly due to Nikolaj Lie Kaas’s Divis, who is even more irritated in a new mentoring partnership).

The series, created by brothers Jez and Tom Butterworth, centers around the Roman invasion of Great Britain of 43 A.D., led by Roman general Aulus Plautius, who would ultimately prove victorious in history, where Julius Caesar had failed years before, and a boon of success for Emperor Claudius.

As Plautius, The Walking Dead’s David Morrissey is simply spellbinding, and for his performance alone, you should check it out (it’s easy to get lost in the show, which you can stream on Amazon Prime for S1 and EPIX for S2 and upcoming S3 episodes). A foil for Plautius is the prophetic Druid and Chosen One, a native Brit named Cait (the extraordinary presence of Eleanor Worthington-Cox), who is destined to stand in the way of Rome, likely to become the celebrated Queen Boudica, who history records having almost succeeded in thwarting Rome in an epically brutal campaign in approximately 60 A.D. (although her future self is yet to be confirmed by the show).

Britannia’s S3 takes on an even darker turn with the introduction of Plautius’s wife, a wicked priestess, Hempel, played by the captivating Sophie Okonedo (trust me, you do not want to attend one of her banquets). Hempel’s presence brings about a new chaos into Plautius’s camp, you find out more about Plautius’s past, while Queen Amena (Annabel Scholey) continues to navigate the ever-shifting ground in her usual, scheming ways (that woman has a real knack for survival, I must say). Here’s the full description of the upcoming season released by an EPIX statement:

"Season three of Britannia sees a radical transformation in Cait’s (Eleanor Worthington-Cox) journey as the Chosen One with a decision that will tie her to the future of her war-torn people and their ravaged land. Aulus (David Morrissey) comes under pressure from a new and dark force – otherwise known as his wife (Sophie Okonedo), whilst Amena (Annabel Scholey) finds herself in a lethal ménage à trois with both of them. Divis (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) gets a new job which he despises, and Veran goes to the underworld and sees the future.As well as the first two episode descriptions:EPISODE ONE – Jan. 16, 2022 at 9:00 PM ET/PTIn Rome Aulus makes a sacrifice to the cult of Lokka. Back in Britannia Aulus tries to negotiate with the Druids before he receives a visitor. Cait has a bone to pick with Veran.EPISODE TWO – Jan. 23, 2022 at 9:00 PM ET/PTAntedia escapes from cruel captivity and Cait runs from a brief encounter with Lucius at a Roman Road Building Camp. Hemple and her Acolytes are now established in Aulus’s Villa."

Britannia is a dazzling fantasy series that successfully illustrates the history of the Roman influence in Great Britain from the viewpoint of the original Druids of the continent. You can look at Hadrian’s Wall (which would come later) and know who the victors will be, but the success of Britannia is that it leaves you guessing in each episode.

The cast is stellar-rate, with a highlight this season being former Queen Antedia (the always fun Zoë Wanamaker, Shadow, and Bone) redeeming the deplorable hand she was dealt last season. I still miss the alluring Kelly Reilly as Cantii Queen Kerra, who was killed in S1, but her surviving brother, the Cantii tribe’s prodigal Phelan (Julian Rhind-Tutt) is even funnier this season. A heavily made-up Mackenzie Crook (Veran), David Bradley (Quane), and Hugo Speer (Lucius) round out the excellent cast.

Britannia Season 3 began airing on EPIX Jan. 16, with episodes dropping weekly. You don’t want to miss it.