Rings of Poweris one of the best-looking shows of recent memory, eagerly throwing the comically massive budget onto the screen in a variety of ways. Its solid visual spectacle is helpfully uplifted by charming writing, likable and identifiable characters, and a strong sense of immersion in the wonderful fantasy world so many fans have fallen in love with.
Episode 3, “Adar” introduces a new director to the series.Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdomdirector J. A. Bayonahelmed the two-episode season premiere, but he’s handed the reigns over to Wayne Che Yip, who’ll direct the next two and the season finale. Yip is a prolific TV director who worked consistently on AMC’sPreacherand directed many solid episodes ofDoctor Who, including the beloved 2019 New Year’s Day Special.
RELATED:Rings of Power: 5 Scenes That Took Inspiration From The Peter Jackson Movies
“Adar” finds Galadriel andher new sailor friend Harbrand rescued from their seemingly grim nautical circumstances by a regal vessel. After some argument, the odd couple is brought to a long-awaited new sight for the series. The series finally depicts Númenor, the kingdom of the Dúnedain in all its glory. It’s a glorious locale, reminiscent of Ancient Greece and Asgard in equal measure. Galadriel finds that, though the city has a long-established relationship with her kind, they’ve still come to despise Elves. The noble sea captain that brought them there is saddled with serving as her captor as fans learn that the one thing that themightiest of the Elvessimply can’t do is negotiate. The show will likely spend more time in the kingdom, and it’s a welcome new setting for adventure.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world,Arondir finds the darksecret in the deep hole he dared to investigate. The Elven sentry and his fellow town guards find themselves taken captive by a small army of orcs and forced to aid in their tunneling enterprise. The Elves struggle against their capture, mounting a daring escape that could lead to the end of all of their lives. The Orcish camp is a nightmare, a blasted wasteland where nature is destroyed so that evil can flourish. This segment is dark, angry, and action-packed. The battle against seemingly impossible odds lets the scenes of violence feel much more desperate and vicious than Galadriel’s elegant swordplay. The violent creatures speak of a new lord of evil, referring to them by the Elven name Adar. Though the heroes don’t seem to have met thenew main villain in town, grim things are clearly on the horizon for Middle-earth.
Also meanwhile, theHarfoot prepare for theirnomadic caravan trip across the humble forests to their new home. Young Nori seeks to understand the meaning and intentions of the seemingly mythical man who fell from the sky. However, her father Largo’s condition isn’t improving, leaving the Brandyfoot clan nervous and wary of being left behind in their tribe’s most important ritual. Nori does a ton of sneaking around and defying her parent’s wishes, as the star-man still seems to need her help. It all feels very charming and quaint in contrast with the Elven politics and fantasy prison break. It’s most reminiscent of a 90s movie about a kid who befriends an alien or a monster and must hide them from their family. Tolkien’s works always made time for little folk’s lovable pastoral life and this series is eager to reflect his love of that perspective.
Rings of Powerremains far from perfect, but it still captures so much of the high-fantasy magic of the stories that inspired it that it feels right at home. It still manages to feel epic and powerful, even when it’s focusing on the smaller details and the less central elements. The show is still a bit unfocused, however.The three central storiesare occasionally pushed aside unnecessarily for other ones that don’t feel as important. The sea captain’s relationship with his kids seems somewhat irrelevant to the proceedings in this episode, but perhaps this is a problem that goes away with binge viewing. The pacing gets a little messy as it cuts across its myriad events, some of which don’t seem to follow the same timetable. This is a fairly common issue for shows that run A, B, C, and occasionally D stories simultaneously, but it can be a bit distracting.
Rings of Powerdelivers on its massive pedigree and continues to deliver tons of thrilling fantasy spectacle. With 5 episodes left to go, the show is clearly ramping up to a lot of big interesting ideas. So much of the conversation surrounding the show has unfortunately been dominated by grifters using the show to stoke hate anddecent people trying to stop themthat its value as entertainment has been harder to discuss. Rest assured,Rings of Powerremains a fun adventure with multiple thrilling stories woven together and there’s a lot more to enjoy on the horizon.
MORE:Rings of Power: Does Gil-galad Have Ulterior Motives In Trying To Send The Elves Back To The Undying Lands?
