Spoiler-Free ‘The Rings Of Power’ Episode 3 Review
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If it was even possible, the third episode of Amazon’s The Rings of Power packs even more of a punch than the first two. Once again, showrunners J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay have brought to life even more of Tolkien’s world of Middle-earth than fans have ever seen before. And they did it with quite the “wow” factor. Wayne Yip directed the third episode titled “Adar,” which builds up the mystery throughout the 70-minute episode.
Once again, fans were transported to the beauty of Middle-earth. The sets, costumes, and overall production design of this episode would make your jaw drop. Fans finally got to see even more of Middle-earth, and the showrunners completely outdid themselves. Even the characters themselves seemed in awe of their surroundings. The color palette in this episode was even more vibrant than in the other two. It brings with it a sense of regality and power that hasn’t been felt yet in this series.
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This episode did not have quite the foreboding undertone as the previous two. However, some definite moments do make you realize that Middle-earth was not quite as safe as most of the characters believed. The episode also brought to light much more of what was actually going on in Middle-earth. In fact, there were quite a few reveals that definitely point to bigger things to come.
Episode three also slowly answered some of our questions. It was rather fast to find out these answers to the mysterious happenings in Middle-earth so soon, but given that Season One is going to be only eight episodes, they cannot stretch things out too long. If there is one thing this show does well so far in terms of storytelling, it is definitely keeping that air of mystery while giving fans little tidbits of information, whether correct or not. Even during the course of the episode, fans may find themselves believing one thing about a character and then five minutes later, believing another thing. The show’s storytelling is just getting more and more complicated and better as it goes along. Let’s just say, many fans’ theories are correct, and everyone else will be completely shocked.
Image Source: Filmfare.com
While we were introduced to many of the characters and the places in Middle-earth in the first two episodes, some key characters and places were noticeably missing. We finally got to meet them in this episode! We picked up where we left off with some characters, but with the introduction of new characters, we didn’t follow all of the character’s storylines that were introduced in the previous two episodes. This could be a pattern that the show will follow since, at the moment, all the characters are spread out throughout Middle-earth, and there are quite a few highlighted in the show. As fans of Tolkien’s world know, many of the characters do end up in the same place after a while, so we may eventually see more of each signature character in an individual episode.
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All in all, this episode packed quite a punch and took you on a rollercoaster of emotions. The camera work, production design, and setting alone made this episode worth watching. And the introduction of some titular characters in Middle-earth’s history, along with the revelations and hints at what is to come, gave the series so much more depth and beauty. If there was any doubt in the first two episodes about just how masterfully done this series is, this episode put all of that doubt to rest.
*I do want to briefly add a trigger warning for more blood than fans may be accustomed to in Middle-earth.
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