By Dan Skip Allen

“The Rings of Power: Season 3”, like the previous two seasons, takes place in the Second Age of Middle Earth. Though it’s five years after the events of Season Two. After the fall of Eregion. As the saying goes, there are 3 Elven rings for two realms Rivendel and Lindon, nine rings for mortal men, 7 rings for dwarves, and the Dark Lord Sauron is forging the one ring in secret to rule them all. Celabrimbor (Charles Edwards) left secrets within the rings that the dark lord didn’t know about so he has to give the remaining rings to the kingdoms of Rhun in the desert, and Numenor across the Sea. This will make his ring all powerful and make him the ruler of Middle Earth. 

A lot of the characters from the first two seasons of “The Rings of Power” have returned in Season Three. Like those seasons this season has a lot of those same characters embarking on various missions to help to save or rule Middle Earth. Starting first with Galadriel (Morfydd Clark). The showrunners and writers, JD Payne and Patrick McKay, use flashbacks to show the relationship between these two characters. She had a friendship with Celaborn (Jamie Cambell Bower). He was her husband. They have a fun sword fight, and the director uses wire work in this scene to show the amazing abilities of Elves, and that’s how they become friends with each other. They were separated for centuries. Back to the present time, she is fighting alongside Arondir (Ismeal Ctuz) against an army led by a servant King but she falls under her horse and the King approaches her to get her ring but she doesn’t give it to him and she is saved by her allies. She is injured and has to get back to High King Koher Konig Gil Galad (Benjamin Walker), who can help her with her wounds. This is one of many storylines in this season of the show that focuses on the Dark Lord’s quest to get the Elvin rings and give his rings to his allies, who will eventually fall under his control. 

Another storyline follows Duren IV (Owain Arthur), the king of the Dwarves who was appointed by his father to the throne. With the seven rings hanging over his head, there are various other dwarves who contest the tone and want the rings for themselves. That’s what the power rings do to men, elves, dwarves and anyone else who seeks them. They cause them to hate and / or be greedy and / or selfish. Sauron divides people like he is trying to divide brothers in the Dwarven realm Hasadoom. Duren IV’s brother Thrain (Eddie Marsan), the older brother and son of Duren III, has set a challenge to the throne. Trial by combat is the way these creatures have settled their differences for centuries; “this is the way” as the saying goes.

Another storyline involves Tom Bombadil (Rory Kinnear) and Gandalf (Daniel Weyman). They also seek the fall of Sauron, but they, like the elves, dwarves and men, are fighting an uphill battle. They also have issues with each other as to how to approach their mission. Bombadil is a confounding man. Gandalf has a hard time figuring  him out. Gandalf may have to go on his own to get the job done. He needs to first deal with the Dark King (Cerian Hinds), or Polando the Blue, as he once was called, who is the King of Rhun. And also deal with the emissary of Sauron, who has infiltrated the Rhun kingdom to give it to his lord Sauron. This is harder to do than he thinks as the Dark King is clued into their plans and is conniving himself.

A third storyline among many is dealing with an ork Marnuhk (Adam Young who turns on his ork brethren and Sauron. He believes helping the elves will save him and his kind, who are mostly under the mind control of Sauron. Orks usually do as their leader tells them, but like Adar in previous seasons, one sometimes breaks away from the pack to forge his own path. That’s why he is helping these elves. Sometimes, orks have ulterior motives. Unbeknownst to him, he finds a long-lost elf  held prisoner for many years that gets reunited with his closest friend Galadriel. This changes her whole outlook on life. 

There is a lot going on in season three of “The Rings of Power” but I can’t reveal all of the secrets of this season. The showrunner and writers Payne and McKay have brought the heat this season. No pun intended. The first two seasons were just a setup for all the crazy stuff that happens in season three. Most of these characters have gone through a lot, but they don’t realize what they are about to go through. The biggest bad guy in the Lord of the Rings books is Sauron. He is now at almost his full power. The second age of Middle Earth is one that doesn’t go well for those who lived during this time period. I feel the showrunner and writers are setting the viewers up for a major darkness that is not good for anybody. Except it’s good television/streaming for us to watch.

There are things that make this series so good other than the great characters/acting, writing, and directing, and those are all of its technical categories. First and foremost are the visual effects/cgi and cinematography. The cgi and mat paintings help with this, but overall, this is one of the best-looking series on any streaming service in the last few years. From the Elvin realms to the Dwarven kingdom and even in Sauron’s keep, all of the scenes look incredible. It was said years ago that this show cost $400 million dollars, and after watching it for three seasons, I can see every cent of this money this season and the last two. Add in all the production design as well, and I can’t say enough how incredibly good-looking this show is.

Another technical aspect of was on awe about is the score. It’s so big and souring on the level of the films. It doesn’t matter if it’s the small intimate scenes or the big and rousing sequences, the music in this series is that of a cinematic level. Two other things that are great in this show are the costumes and the makeup and hairstyling. As with the score, these elements of the series are all on an epic scale similarly to that of the score. The costumes are in the thousands, and they have so many different looks from all of the different types of characters in the show. The makeup and hairstyling are on an epic scale. All the elves, dwarves, and orks are completely covered, and all look so great. I love a series that has all of this much makeup and hairstyling and costumes because it helps transport the viewer into this world that the series takes place in. This is all awards level technical aspects.

“The Rings of Power” Season 3 manages to surprise, shock, excite, and delight. All of the returning characters have great third seasons. The new characters add a new element to the show. With most people knowing where this season was going beforehand, the results are almost anticlimactic. That being said, it’s still epic in scale from so many levels. The technical aspects are awards worthy. I can see this show winning a bunch of emmy’s next year. The score, costumes, makeup and hairstyling, visual effects/cgi, and cinematography are all on par with the great films over twenty years ago. The showrunner and writers, Byrne and McKay, have been doing some of the best work since the beginning of this show a few years ago. Fans of this IP are going to love this series because it gives the vibes of an epic scale film trilogy. Each season has gotten better and better subsequently from the last season. That means the creators are doing a great job.

The Rings of Power Season 3 Will Be Streaming On Prime Video on November 11th, 7/8 Episodes Been Reviewed

🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 stars