The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3 picks up five years after the events of the previous season, following the fall of Eregion, the home of the Elven smiths. With Celebrimbor dead at the hands of Sauron, the Dark Lord’s power continues to grow, but he is still missing something pivotal to creating the One Ring. As dark forces rise, Galadriel, Elrond, Arondir and King Gil-galad’s Elven forces hope to fight back against Sauron and his orc armies by forming alliances in unlikely places.
Meanwhile, Númenor adjusts to Pharazôn’s new reign, but the ousted Queen Regent Míriel, Elendil and loyal Númenorean forces plan to retake the throne. As for Gandalf, he continues to learn more about the Secret Flame and his purpose, keeping him in Rhûn alongside the mysterious Tom Bombadil. Durin and Disa are also adjusting to their new roles as king and queen of Khazad-dûm, but a new problem arises. While Galadriel continues to battle the darkness, she also finds herself thinking back to her husband, Celeborn.
Based on the first episode of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 3, the main storyline surrounding Galadriel moves along much faster than in the previous two seasons. The latest season kicks off with some much-needed action, showcasing the team-up between Galadriel and Arondir, two of the fiercest Elven warriors in the series. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing some of the wirework stunts this season, which reminded me of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
A problem that persisted from its two prior seasons was how much screen time each storyline received. Even though the Harfoots/Hobbits’ storylines ended last season, Gandalf and the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm continue to get shafted for those who care about those characters. Honestly, those two character threads are the least action-oriented of the rest, so I am not complaining.
“The latest season kicks off with some much-needed action, showcasing the team-up between Galadriel and Arondir, two of the fiercest Elven warriors in the series.”
Instead, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3 primarily focused on anything between Sauron and the Elves, and the people and events leading up to the fall of Númenor—the set pieces that are the most intriguing and visually gripping. For everything that occurred this season, I can see showrunners J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay’s vision for this five-season arc covering the highlights of the Second Age of Middle-earth.
For someone who refuses to read the thick books from J.R.R. Tolkien’s original works, the lore-building of this show continues to kill it. This high-fantasy world can get bogged down with all the lore-dumping and dropping many in-world words. For fans of the LOTR cinematic universe, there were plenty of lore drops throughout The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3 that will make you point at your screen like the Leonardo DiCaprio meme.
The set locations and set designs have been flawless again. The coolest set to see this season has to be Gundabad since it was the most in-depth look inside the orc fortress in the North—not really seen since The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies and the video game The Lord of the Rings: War in the North. We also see much more of Mordor and Mount Doom as Sauron attempts to forge the One Ring. As with previous seasons, this season also showed more top-down and wide-angle views of Númenor, along with new rooms and areas around the city.
“Truly, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3 is one of the best seasons yet.”
VFX, CGI, and practical effects were on point again this season. The teams behind the special effects and costuming always deserve praise for this show because the gothic, metallic armour on Sauron and the Nazgnagôl this season was super menacing and sassy. The special effects team worked with cinematographer Alex Disenhof, and they nailed the settings and creatures that couldn’t be built practically. One certain creature later in the season looked so good, reminding me of why I liked the original LOTR trilogy.
The songs and score from Bear McCreary have been great this season, adding familiar notes from original film composer Howard Shore. I couldn’t believe McCreary and AURORA made a song together to represent the love between Galadriel and Celeborn. I never thought AURORA would be a perfect match to score a fantasy story, but it made so much sense with her ethereal voice.
Truly, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3 is one of the best seasons yet. While the lows weigh down the whole experience, the highs outweigh the lows. The pacing wasn’t the problem either. I enjoyed some of the slower beats this season, but the dwarven storyline was genuinely the least interesting to me. Despite that, each storyline contains something of interest to different viewers.
This was as much a story about the rise of Middle-earth’s heroes of the Second Age as it was about Sauron and his growing army of darkness. Overall, it was another great season for those curious about how these events lead to the War of the Last Alliance, the fall of Númenor and the creation of the Nazgûl, as well as how Gandalf, Galadriel and Elrond continue to evolve into the characters we know from the original The Lord of the Rings film trilogy.
