The Rings of Power’s Third Episode Resolves Its Early Pacing Problem

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is a stunning show that faced some early criticisms with regard to its pacing. The first episodes were very dense with exposition and world building. While it was necessary for setting up the show and future conflict, it made those episodes a little dry. This was a minor issue that many audience members understood was necessary. Yet, The Rings of Power Season 1, Episode 3, “Adar,” helps fix that issue and puts the show on track to be one of the best fantasy series of the year.

The Rings of Power is showing Middle-earth at its peak of prosperity and peace, and is setting it up for a fall into darkness. The episode introduced the audience to the island kingdom, Númenór, and brought in the character Elendil, ancestor of Aragorn. It also continued to push forward the story of the Silvan Elf, Arondir, and his captivity by the Orcs in the Southlands. Each element of the story felt like it made great leaps forward and is closer to revealing the darkness lurking behind the corners of each moment in the story.

The discovery of Númenór and bringing in characters like Elendil, Isildur and Pharazôn shows that the story is really pushing forward towards its main conflict. Númenór is a realm of “Men” that was bestowed upon people who were faithful to the Valar during Morgoth’s war. On The Rings of Power, the city has turned away from the Elves and the Valar, except for Elendil and a select few. The story with Elendil moved fast, he quickly revealed himself as an Elf-Friend and set to helping Galadriel discover more information about Sauron. Since many of the factions and characters have been explained already, the story can move forward rapidly, allowing for bigger events to happen in each episode, such as discovering Sauron’s plan for Mordor.

Arondir’s story also had a very slow start, but took massive leaps forward in “Adar.” He went from a simple Elven Scout, to being a slave and starting a rebellion against his Orc captors. The series allowed the audience to uncover new things about his character, while also showing the devastation of the Orcs and how they’re transforming the Southlands. The episode also highlighted the Elves’ reverence for nature and established Arondir as a person with an indomitable will. There was far more to see and learn about his story in the third episode than in either of the previous two episodes.

Sauron is going to be the main villain of this series, as he is for a significant portion of Middle-earth’s history. He has yet to be seen, but he may have been revealed in the final moments as a character named Adar. Bringing in Sauron this early shows a dedication to developing his character far more than ever before. The show’s sudden change in pace is a good thing because it allows more time for character and story development. If The Rings of Power can bring more elements in early, then each part can develop more naturally without slowing the pace of the series later on.

The Rings of Power had some criticisms that it had a slow, almost crawling, pace, yet it immediately rectified that situation. The recent episode proves that the series is going to be moving at a quicker pace, spending less time on exposition, and more time on character and plot development. Combined with the great performances and stunning visuals, The Rings of Power is quickly becoming one of the best series of the year.

New episodes of The Rings of Power stream Fridays on Prime Video.