Amazon’s billion-dollar wager on its opulent Lord of the Rings prequel series, The Rings of Power, emerged onto the streaming airwaves last week with a two-fisted debut and a lot of narrative setup that took more than a little patience to slog through.
This monumental multi-season undertaking takes us back to the Second Age of Middle-earth, thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. As the series plays out, we’ll see Elrond found the Elven stronghold of Rivendell while the dark lord Sauron builds his citadel of Mordor and forges the notorious One Ring.
A quick recap — In Rings of Power’s first two episodes, “A Shadow of the Past” and “Adrift,” we’re drawn into a variation of Tolkien’s ancient history and its denizens of Ñoldorian Elves, Silvan Elves, (Wo)Men of the Southlands, Harfoots, and Dwarves. But no sight of Numenor, the legendary human island kingdom set to play a major role in the prequel series.
Our golden-haired heroine Galadriel (Morfydd Clark), equipped with her deceased brother’s sword, has vowed to slay Sauron, who’s seemingly vanished from the realm. Traveling back to the Elven city of Lindon finding only traces of the dark lord, she’s “rewarded” for her bravery by King Gil-Galad (Benjamin Walker) and sets sail for the Undying Lands. But she decides to leap from the boat and is eventually rescued by the castaway Halbrand (Charlie Vickers) after a sea serpent attack.
Elsewhere, a detachment of Silvan Elves led by Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova) occupies the Southlands searching for any malevolent signs in the aftermath of Morgoth’s War of Wrath. We meet a tribe of halflings called Harfoots who witness a blazing meteor fall from the sky and retrieve a naked bearded human (Daniel Weyman) from the smoking crash site.
Meanwhile in Eregion, home to the Elven Smiths, Celebrimor (Charles Edwards) tells Elrond (Robert Aramayo) of his desire to build a mighty forge and that they’ll require a massive workforce the Dwarves might provide. So it’s off to the Dwarven mining kingdom of Khazad-dûm where Elrond must convince Prince Durin (Owain Arthur) to aid in their endeavor. This is the storied mountain headquarters viewed in its heyday before it fell into ruin in the Third Age.
And as Theo (Tyroe Muhafidin) and Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi) pack for their exodus from the Southlands, the odd broken hilt bearing Sauron’s sigil begins to flicker and grow in his hand!
Time to venture forth into this week’s episode to see what quests and quandaries might arise!
When is The Rings of Power Episode 3 release date?
The third chapter of The Rings of Power arrives on Friday, September 9, 2022.
When is The Rings of Power Episode 3 release time?
Amazon delivers new weekly episodes at midnight Eastern time each Friday (or 9 p.m. Pacific).
How many episodes of The Rings of Power Season 1 are left?
The debut season of The Rings of Power consists of just eight episodes. After this week’s installment, there are five chapters remaining.
What is the plot of The Rings of Power Episode 3?
Galadriel and Halbrand are still adrift on a raft and that relationship is bound to intensify as she continues seeking out Sauron. With Halbrand revealing that the enemy is within the Southlands and its bizarre tunnels being excavated for some evil purpose, it seems that’s their destination.
Arondir was snatched by an orc deep within a subterranean cavern and we’ll no doubt learn where he’s been carried off to within that unholy warren. The identity of the mystical, firefly-whispering Stranger might be revealed further as he interacts with the Harfoots, with speculation emerging that this might be an original character not in Tolkien’s stable of canonical characters — or Sauron in disguise.
Will Elrond make amends with Prince Durin to help carry out Celebrimor’s grand forge plans? And what exactly is in that secret strongbox? Mithril perhaps? And who captains the ship that discovers the dehydrated pair of Sundering Seas survivors, Galadriel and Halbrand?
Who is in the cast of The Rings of Power?
Morfydd Clark stars as a young Galadriel, the Elven queen previously portrayed by Cate Blanchett. Game of Thrones’ Benjen Stark, Joseph Mawle (Oren), is the series other baddie. Robert Aramayo, the Game of Thrones actor who played young Eddard Stark, takes on a younger Elrond.
Rounding out other significant co-stars are Anson Boon (Sauron/Annatar), Maxim Baldry (Isildur), Markella Kavenagh (Tyra), Owain Arthur (Prince Durin IV), Nazanin Boniadi (Bronwyn), Ismael Cruz Córdova (Arondir), Ema Horvath (Earien), Tyroe Muhafidin (Theo), Sophia Nomvete (Princess Disa), and Charlie Vickers (Halbrand).
Is there a trailer for The Rings of Power Episode 3?
There is no specific teaser for Episode 3 but Prime Video released the final series trailer for The Rings of Power on August 23 and it’s fortified with striking imagery of Middle-earth, an armored Galadriel taking up the sword against looming evil, raging storms, sea monsters, bloody battles, blazing torches, and splendid cascading waterfalls. It also features a look at Numenor, which we’re hoping will play a role in Episode 3.
Will there be a Rings of Power Season 2?
Executive producers/showrunners Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne already mapped out a five-season agenda and word of the early Season 2 greenlight was first announced by Deadline way back in 2019. Filming does shift from New Zealand to the UK though for the sophomore season, however.
