Adar – As the third episode of The Lord of the Ring: The Rings of Power begins, Arondir (Ismael Cruz Cordova) is taken to a prison camp of sorts. Lurka (Edward Clendon) and Vrath (Jed Brophy) argue over who should toss him out. They say for Adar (Joseph Mawle). Once he is thrown out, he is given a shovel and told to dig. Arondir is surprised to see Medhor (Augustus Prew) and Watchwarden Revion (Simon Merrells). Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) wakes up near Halbrand (Charlie Vickers) before they go up to the deck of the ship. They’re approached by Captain Elendil (Lloyd Owen) who notices that one of the Eldar is on his ship. He tells her to be at ease because he is obliged to deliver her to his betters. Galadriel learns that they’re nearly at their destination. Elendil will only tell them that they’re nearly home. Once they arrive, Galadriel tells Halbrand it is the Island Kingdom of Numenor. Halbrand wonders when men like him started building kingdoms like this.

Galadriel reminds him that his ancestors stood with Morgoth. These men stood with the elves so Valar granted them the island as a reward. She tells him how their people were like kin and the elves could travel here freely. Before long, Numenor began turning away their ships. Then, they broke off all contact. Galadriel believes they may soon find out why. As they walk inside, they hear Pharazon (Trystan Gravelle) speaking. Halbrand encourages Galadriel to show restraint and avoid antagonizing these people. Queen Regent Miriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) asks Galadriel to speak. They explain that they are companions by chance after meeting on the open sea. Galadriel says Captain Elendil saved them from certain death so they ask for Numenor to continue his mercy. She asks for passage to Middle-Earth. Pharazon says it has been generations since a ship of Numenor was permitted to make such a journey on an elf’s behalf. Galadriel believes they can spare a few planks and a rudder since the elves gave them this island.

The Queen refutes that by saying their ancestors weren’t given anything. Galadriel insists she will depart one way or another. The Queen welcomes her to try. Halbrand suggests they stay long enough to give the Queen and her advisors enough time to weigh their request. Pharazon says they’ll stay for three days and the Elf will be restricted to palace ground. Once that is decided, Halbrand approaches Elendil to show his gratitude. Halbrand tells Galadriel to look around because the place has plenty of opportunities. He would prefer to keep his peace. Halbrand asks her not to make any new enemies. Although the Queen says she is only one elf, Pharazon says an avalanche can start with one stone. She wants to know more about the captain. Paharzon explains he is originally of a noble line and now a Sea Guardsman with a son who is set to follow him into service. Isildur (Maxim Baldry) hears someone calling his name while on a ship. They make it to the shore.

Ontamo (Anthony Crum) says poor Imrahil because his father likes to toss him out on the stones. They tell Isildur that his mind was in the clouds all day. They believe they’ll make officers in four years if they pass the Sea Trial. When Isildur’s sister arrives, he is happier to see his horse. He asks her what she is doing here and where their father is. Captain Elendil tells the Queen he believes it is unwise for one to guess about signs and portents. When asked, he tells her that his name means one who loves the stars. In the ancient tongue of the Eldar, it can also mean elf friend. Once she asks if he is a friend to elves, he reminds her that he is a loyal servant of Numenor. The Queen says elves have been unwelcome here since the reign of her grandfather’s great grandfather. He is asked why he decided to break that precedent. Captain Elendil says the sea put her in his path and the sea is always right. She warns him that the sea cannot commit treason.

Elendil insists he only did what he believed to be most prudent. If that is the case, the Queen will have to ask him to perform a service. He is given a sword. In the Southlands, Arondir is still busy digging. While working, he is told that the passages reach all the way to Hordern. He believes that is how they’ve shielded themselves from sunlight and detection. They notice that they’re searching for something. The way the orcs are talking makes it seem like Morgoth has a successor. Revion asks them to look above the trench as soon as they get a chance. When the sun is at its strongest, they’ll make their escape. Even if one person makes it home, they can return in force. Lurka interrupts to tell them to get back to work and rip the roots out. Revion argues with them about the tree in their way until Magrot begins laughing. He decides to give them a water ration because Revion showed strength. The others drink with no problems, but Medhor is cut across the neck.

The orcs order them to get rid of the tree so Arondir says he will cut it down. When he climbs up to cut down the tree, he looks around to see where they’re at. Meanwhile, the guards argue about who should tell Pharazon that she has escaped. Galadriel drops down behind them as she tries to escape the city. Elendil walks up behind her and says it’d be wiser to steal the half-sail. He reveals the Queen tasked him with making sure she doesn’t cause any further disturbance. They argue about her desire to escape. She threatens to kill him, but he warns her that she’d end up in chains. When she reminds him that he doesn’t know her, Elendil says he has a daughter who runs fast and a son who runs blind. Galadriel thinks she is better off anywhere than here because everyone hates her here. Elendil tells her in Quenya that she isn’t hated by all. He admits many speak Elvish where he was raised. It is still taught in their Hall of Lore which is about a quarter day’s ride from here. Meanwhile, Halbrand tries to get a job at the blacksmith.

He is told he can’t forge steel in Numenor until he has earned his guild crest. Tamar (Jason Hood) asks him if he is the one who sailed in with the elf. As Tamar sits down with him, Halbrand notices the sigil on his shoulder. When things get tense, Halbrand offers to buy them a few rounds of drinks. He manages to steal the crest before leaving only to be followed by Tamar. Halbrand tries to give it back to avoid trouble, but Tamar and his men attack him anyway. He beats them up until guards arrive to arrest him. Elendil and Galadriel look through the Hall of Lore. She tells him that he never said it was assembled by Elros himself. Although she knew Elros, she was always closer to his brother. When she thanks him for bringing her here, he tells her to take the last king. The place wasn’t torn down because of him. He is still loyal to the elves, but they forced him from the throne for it. They say he spends his days in the tower now.

They receive the account of a human spy retrieved from an enemy dungeon. He made a drawing to record the tower’s location. When she sees the sigil again, she realizes it is a map of the Southlands. As for the inscription, it is the black speech. It speaks of a place and a plan to create a realm of their own. It would be a place where evil would endure and thrive. The plan was to be enacted in the event of Morgoth’s defeat by his successor. Galadriel worries it is worse than she imagined and the Southlands are in grave danger if Sauron has returned. The Harfoots go through the ritual. Marigold (Sara Zwangobani) finds out that Largo’s leg isn’t any better. She is worried they’ll be left behind since they can’t carry the cart without Largo (Dylan Smith), but he says no Brandyfoot has ever been left behind. After he lost Rose, it felt like the wheels broke out from under him. Then, he saw her in the grass and knew instantly he’d grow old with her. He promises that they’ll make it to the Grove.

He’ll stay at the front of the caravan and they also have Nori. Later, Nori (Markella Kavenagh) tells Poppy (Megan Richards) that they’ll have to look in the book if they want to help the stranger find the stars. She doesn’t want to help him because he is a giant with a brackish temper. Poppy thinks they should get rid of him by sending him to the nearest human village. Nori eventually convinces Poppy to help her. While Poppy watches, Nori quickly goes inside to look at the book. Poppy manages to warn her just before Sadoc (Lenny Henry) enters. Poppy helps keep him distracted while Nori tries to steal what she is looking for. Sadoc goes outside to address the rest of them. The Stranger (Daniel Weyman) looks at the stars while Sadoc continues. The stranger accidentally burns the paper so he begins freaking out and bringing attention to himself. The Harfoots hide as he calls for Nori. Later, she is scolded by Sadoc and the others. Nori argues with them about staying on the same path and not exploring anything new.

She is reminded that any Harfoot that breaks their laws have to be decaravaned. Sadoc says they’ll depart as planned and the Brandyfoot cart will be with them at the back of the caravan. Nori is told that she may as well have stamped their names in the book of the left-behinds. She tells Marigold that there is a reason the stranger came to them. Marigold asks if she thinks the stars reached down and touched her. Nori knows she is not special, but she thinks he is special. She is told to get packed. Isildur and his sister confront Elendil to ask why Galadriel is in Numenor. He tells them that he is in charge of keeping account of her. He reminds Isildur that it is just nine days until the Sea Trial. Isildur has been thinking about deferring. Elendil asks Earien (Ema Horvath) if she knew about it and why she didn’t say anything. Isildur says his brother Anarion told him that Elendil deferred twice, but Elendil doesn’t know what his brother has to do with anything.

Elendil admits he told him that there is nothing for them on their western shores. The past is dead so they either move forward or die with it. Elendil says it wasn’t easy to convince the sail master that Isildur was up to the task. They continue arguing until a message arrives for the Captain’s daughter Earien. Elendil knows his son has his doubts, but he has his best interest at heart. He is adamant that Isildur will be on the ship when the Sea Trials launch. His daughter interrupts to say she made apprentice and has been accepted into the Builder’s Guild. Elendil is surprised to learn that Isildur convinced her to reply. Galadriel finds that Halbrand has been locked up. She knows he is more than he claims to be now. She shows him the mark before he says he found it on a dead man. She explains a man with the mark united the scattered tribes of the Southlands under one banner many years ago. Galadriel tells him that his people have no kind because he is the king. Halbrand asks her to be careful because the heir to the mark is heir to more than just nobility.

Since it was his ancestor who swore a blood oath to Morgoth, he is not the hero she seeks. His family started the war while Galadriel’s family started it. She asks him to come with her to Middle-Earth so they can redeem both their bloodlines. He says she is stuck on the island without an army, but she claims that is about to change. The Queen admits the moment they feared is here because the elf has arrived. As the Harfoots travel, Poppy stops when she notices that Nori and her family are struggling. Once Largo has to take a break, the stranger surprises them and calls Nori a friend. They agree to let him help so they don’t fall behind. Arondir and the others try to break free and escape. More Orcs arrive to stop them. Before long, they’re ordered to release the warg. Arondir manages to trap it while Revion works to free himself. When Arondir climbs out of the trench, he sees Revion with an arrow in his chest. Another one hits him before he drops to the ground. Arondir is pulled back into the pit.

The orcs want to kill him, but they’re stopped so he can be taken to Adar.

 

The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power Review

The third episode of The Rings of Power saw Galadriel and Halbrand reach Numenor while Arondir was taken to a work camp. Several new characters were introduced, including Earien, Isildur, Pharazon, Queen Miriel, Captain Elendil, and many others. It seems Galadriel and Halbrand are going to work together to redeem their bloodlines. As for Arondir, he will be taken in front of Adar who will decide what to do with him. His friends were killed during the failed escape attempt.

Aspects of the episode were noticeably better than others. Again, the CGI and scenery really stand above everything else because the show is stunningly beautiful at times. Unfortunately, the rest of the episode didn’t match that quality. As mentioned above, there were many characters introduced to the point that it is feeling like overkill. Prior to this episode, roughly half of the characters were likable so adding more is just going to add more scenes that viewers may not care about.

The pacing is a bit too slow and it is compounded by the fact that the focus jumps from one story to another so frequently. Why do the fight scenes always have to include slow-motion jumps? That was just a bit silly truthfully. I’ll admit that I got bored midway through the episode and somewhat lost interest. The first two episodes were better so we can only hope things get back on track.

The episode scores a 6 out of 10. Recaps of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power can be found on Reel Mockery here. Find out how to support our work at this link.