Even so, it’s still neat to see the quasi-religious hold Sauron has over his minions more than just hinted at, so hopefully, this will be explored in greater detail going forward. True, we don’t learn anything especially profound (spoiler: orcs are horrible jailers). The Elven chain gang Arondir finds himself a part of, while hardly the biggest elaboration on existing Middle-earth lore The Rings of Power has to offer, serves as a storytelling springboard for Yip, Cahill, and Doble to flesh out orc culture. It’s not just the Númenor segments that bring something new to the table in “Adar” either. The small taste we get of the Númenórean’s seafaring ways - unheard of in Jackson’s largely landlocked adaptations - promises to add a welcome naval dimension to future set-pieces, too. Yet “Adar” takes this to a whole new level, showing us Númenor at its peak and really emphasizing how exotic this society was compared to the remnants that washed up on Middle-earth’s shores. Sure, Jackson’s movies made it clear that the inhabitants of Gondor (who descended from the Númenóreans) were a decidedly different bunch to their neighbors, the Rohirrim. Setting The Rings of Power episode 3 predominantly in Númenor also presents Yip, Cahill, and Doble with the opportunity to dig into the subcultures that exist within the world of men.
It’s reminiscent of Minas Tirith as described by Tolkien and later realized in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, but still has a look and feel of its own. Notably, “Adar’’ provides our first glimpse of Númenor on screen, and as depicted here, the island kingdom makes for a suitably impressive location. It also gives Yip, Cahill, and Doble space to broaden the scope of The Rings of Power’s vision of Middle-earth. Putting the spotlight back on Galadriel and those in her immediate vicinity doesn’t just make for a tighter, more briskly paced hour of television - although it certainly does that. While there are check-ins with Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova) and Nori (Markella Kavenagh), however, this episode is more concerned with advancing the core “hunt for Sauron’’ narrative than it is with advancing every one of the show’s surfeit of subplots. Written by Jason Cahill and Justin Doble and directed by Wayne Che Yip, “Adar’’ zeroes in on Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) and Halbrand (Charlie Vickers), while also making room for new characters Elendil (Lloyd Owen) and Isildur (Maxim Baldry).
Where was the clearly defined quest set against a lived-in world brimming with unexplored new vistas that defined Tolkien’s own work? Waiting just around the corner in the Prime Video series’ third episode, “Adar,” as it turns out.įirst and foremost, “Adar” is much more focused than either of its predecessors (especially the aptly named “Adrift”). Tolkien’s world in “A Shadow of the Past” and “Adrift” struck me as paradoxically over- and undercooked, with too many plot threads and too few new ideas. Payne and Patrick McKay took to adapting J.R.R. It’s fair to say the first two episodes of Amazon Studios’ The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power left me underwhelmed.
0 kommentar(er)
