Rings of Power - Episode 3

I have even more thoughts.

SPOILER WARNING: the following contains heavy spoilers (+ some lore spoilers) for the Rings of Power series.

If you don’t want spoilers, just save this post and come back to join the conversation once you’ve watched up to episodes 3 of the series!

“Ours was no chance meeting. Not fate, nor destiny, nor any of the words men use to speak of the forces they lack conviction to name. Ours was the work of Something greater. You must see it.” -Galadriel to Halbrand.

This quote was my favorite of this episode. Why? Because it so clearly communicated the intentions Tolkien threaded into all his tales from Middle-earth.

As a Christian, Tolkien believed God was actively working in obvious (and not so obvious) ways within our lives. When he wrote the mythos of his fantasy world, his faith directly influenced how he echoed God’s sovereignty at work in the everyday events of his fictional characters.

To remember as Gandalf so famously said, “There are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides that of evil.” has been a great reminder of the Lord’s faithfulness throughout many trials of my life

I loved how the scene of Galadriel visiting Halbrand in the jail was a clear callback to that.

Also, I got what I wanted.

One of my mild complaints with the first two episodes was their slower pace. But the pace definitely picked up here and gave us more time, dialogue and development with individual characters, which I loved.

Furthermore, I’ve realize after reflection that the slower pace has been needed to fit in all the lore that has to be covered for everyone to appreciate the vastness of this story.

Sidenote: If you’re a life-long Tolkien fan like me you can slip into a subconscious, “I know this already! Why are they slowing the story down to cover this?!” mindset. When the truth is, not everyone is as steeped in Tolkien-lore as I am and that’s ok! As the show progresses, I’m excited to see how they’re laying the proper framework so new fans (or ones that just aren’t as familiar with the history, like my husband) can get just as engaged as I am.

Speaking of being engaged, I was ALL IN for the kingdom of Númenor. The setting, the music, the wardrobe was all executed perfectly to showcase noble and proud sea-faring peoples. I especially loved how different it felt from anything we’ve seen on Middle-earth. The Mediterranean atmosphere just felt right.

Another thing that was done well were the scenes in the orc trench from Arondir’s perspective.

They nailed the orcs with their crassness and cruelty. It was absolutely horrifying to watch him realize how far evil had progressed unbeknownst to them (seeing him fell that tree as an elf was just gut-wrenching). Not to mention seeing him experience the deep loss of his comrades. It definitely drew me in and made me connect with Arondir’s plight in a needed way.

Now, let’s talk about Halbrand because he’s got everyone in a tizzy. Who is this guy?! I know we all have our theories (share yours in the comments!). Personally, I could see him being either Sauron in human form or becoming the Witch King later in the series.

His cunning diplomacy and outright trickery is in alignment with how Sauron came to politically infiltrate Númenor and eventually led to it’s tragic downfall.

Lore spoiler: in Tolkien’s world. Sauron is a one of the Maia—spirits who came to Arda to help the Valar shape the world. Sauron served for and studied under Aüle (a Valar responsible for craftsmanship and smithing). So to see Halbrand very interested in smithing is either a bold clue or the show runners giving us lore enthusiasts a clever red herring to throw us off the trail of how Sauron actually reveals himself in this storyline. Either way I say, well done.

Finally, the Harfoots. I’m surprised at how much people don’t like them. They very much feel like ancestral hobbits to me. Lovers of the earth. Traditional to a fault. Quirky but in the most lovable ways. And personally, I love how I can already feel all of that leading in a straight line to them settling in the Shire one day.

All in all, I very much enjoyed this episode and love how excited it’s got me for the next one to come out.

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3 things I loved: 

• Númenor, obviously. I know there are people complaining that the show leans too heavily on how it looks. I disagree. Yes, an onscreen story can’t hold up if it only looks good. But a surefire way to yank me out of it is if it doesn’t look good. Númenor looked amazing. I immediately connected with the culture they portrayed. The commitment to presenting the scope of it paired with the dedication to minute details were a big win in my book.

• The Harfoots remembering their lost loved ones. That entire scene was beautifully done and helped me fall in love with them even more than I already have.

• Isildur! I know everyone is freaking out about him being in the timeline right now but I literally don’t care. As long as the character development continues to be done well, I’m not letting the movement of timelines keep me from enjoying this story from Middle-earth.

3 things I didn’t like:

• That darn warg. The eyes were cartoonish, the sound was laughable and the movements felt jerky and out of alignment. As I mentioned in my last post, with the budget they have, I’m giving very little grace when it comes to the CGI in this show. The wargs need to look better than that.

• The Queen-Regent of Númenor, Miriel, not knowing who Elendil was. I do believe the show runners did this to help those unfamiliar get to know this very important character but could it have been handled better? Yes. Oh well.

• The Brandyfoots being left behind. Like, I get that Harfoots are traditional but that just felt unnecessarily cruel. Perhaps it’ll play into the Harfoot community’s growth arc because I can see that happening. It was just hard to watch.

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In case you weren’t aware, I’m going to be your personal tour guide through Middle-earth starting this Autumn. That’s right, I’m opening up my Lord of the Rings book read-through for the second time on September 22nd!

This read-through is for everyone. Long time Tolkien fans, book only fans, film only fans, completely new fans. All are welcome to grab a copy of the books and join me in journeying through Middle-earth again this Fall.

All you have to do to participate is a grab either a physical or audio book copy of the books and start reading them with me on September 22nd!

(also follow me on Instagram and TikTok for even more fun Tolkien content and community chats!).

The content I have planned for this informal book club will be hosted—completely free!—right here on The Redemptive (with special bonuses for paid subscribers only).

So make sure you sign up for free to join and consider becoming a paid subscriber if you want to support the work I do and get exclusive content I don’t share anywhere else.

And if becoming a paid subscriber isn’t feasible for you, no worries! I will still be sending out occasional free posts and I’m honored to have you read them.

ps. you can also show your appreciation for my work on these free posts by sending over a small, one-time gift and “buy me a coffee” by clicking here. This is entirely optional. I will continue to send out free posts, regardless!

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Something I need to make you aware of: I’m a massive Tolkien fan, but I’m not a Tolkien purist in the negative sense where every change they make bothers me to no end. For instance, if the timeline compression is weirding you out, check out this short TikTok that perfectly sums up how I’m adjusting my perspective for this new show (one f-word in the video).

I’m able to make the distinction from how I enjoy Tolkien when I read it in my head personally and also enjoy the sometimes necessary changes that happen in an onscreen adaptation. I don’t think I’m better than anyone because of this, I just seem to be a lot less stressed out when I watch the show.

Note: “the way I experience Tolkien in my head” and the way it’s being portrayed on screen in Rings of Power has nothing to do with people of color being cast in the show. The way I see it, they should have been there all along. If you have problems with that, this is not the space for you.

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Question for you:

What did you think of Episode 3? Any theories to share? What’s one thing you didn’t like or one thing you loved? I’m here to hang out in the comment section with you!