Prime Video viewers last visited Middle-earth’s Second Age in October 2024. That’s not all that long ago, but The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is a show dense with characters, settings, and lore. You’d be forgiven for feeling a surge of panic ahead of season three, wondering if you’ll be able to jump right back in without doing a rewatch.
io9 watched most of season three—Prime Video provided the first seven episodes for spoiler-free reviews—and can report that this is the most accessible season to date. There’s a quick “previously on” to remind you where Rings of Power left all the major players at the end of season two. Then, it’s five years later, with narration from Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) getting us up to speed on the current situation in Middle-earth, complete with an animated map to reorient us to the geography.
It’s a succinct summary, and with the added aid of some dialogue cues and a few flashbacks once the different stories get going, you’re ready to dive right back in.
And all told, things haven’t really changed in five years, though the War of the Elves and Sauron (Charlie Vickers) has absolutely escalated. Sauron’s Orc army has stomped across the continent while the Dark Lord himself spends his days in lurking in Mordor within Barad-dûr, repeatedly trying and failing to craft the One Ring.
A big reason for his failure is because Celebrimbor, who made the three Elven rings that Sauron would dearly love to get his claws on, was a casualty of season two, as was all the smithing knowledge and records he possessed. Killing him off wasn’t Sauron’s best decision, and though his ability to feel regret is surely limited, we know he feels something because he keeps Celebrimbor’s corpse mounted on his wall. He also has visions of the master smith taunting him about his failures in rare and private shows of self-doubt.
In case this makes you worry that Rings of Power has allowed Sauron to go soft, fear not; some of his most diabolical cruelties come in season three. But he does start to expand his ways of thinking, giving the go-ahead to Marnûkh (Adam Young), an Orc who declares he knows how to track down the secrets needed to complete the One Ring. We’ve never met an Orc like this before, something that becomes even more evident once we realize Marnûkh’s motivation isn’t what Sauron thinks it is.
Young is a fantastic addition to the cast, bringing not just a fresh perspective on Orcs but also a fair amount of grimy humor. His interplay with the skeptical Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova), who reluctantly agrees to help Galadriel and Marnûkh track down an Elven-smith who may have escaped Sauron’s purge, adds some welcome levity to the proceedings.
Another important new character—not invented for the series, though; he’s one Tolkien fans will recognize—is Celeborn (Stranger Things’ Jamie Campbell Bower, intense as ever), Galadriel’s long-absent husband. We get to see their meet-cute, which involves a flirty clash of swords. The brief glimpse of their golden romance makes their thousand-year separation and the events surrounding their surprise reunion feel all the more wrenching.
We also meet Sauron’s new besties—the Nazgnagôl, his “Ring-servants.” They’re still men under those ominous black masks and robes, and we get insight into how certain ones among them felt their only choice was to align with the Dark Lord. But since they’ve come under Sauron’s thrall, their humanity is dwindling. They’re well on their way to becoming the shrieking Nazgûl, or Ringwraiths, who make such a chilling impression in later Lord of the Rings stories.
Other returning faces in season three include the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm, led by King Durin IV (Owain Arthur)—crowned after his father’s death-by-Balrog in season two—and his formidable wife, Disa (Sophia Nomvete). Though the Dwarves were given seven rings, Durin has wisely kept them hidden, having seen their devastating effects. This judgment call becomes an important season three plot point when his estranged older brother, Thráin (an explosive Eddie Marsan), makes a sudden return.
Another population facing political turmoil is the men and women of Númenor, where the slippery Ar-Pharazôn (Trystan Gravelle) still rules. The former queen, Miriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson), lives in exile but has the full support of the Faithful, led by Elendil (Lloyd Owen) and his sons, Isildur (Maxim Baldry) and Anárion (Andrew Richardson), who have become increasingly impatient with the state of their realm.
Though Númenor has plenty of in-house drama to keep its people busy, the war in Middle-earth comes calling when the Elven High King Gil-Galad (Benjamin Walker) and Elrond (Robert Aramayo) arrive to ask for help in the fight against Sauron. For the half-Elven Elrond, this is a particularly poignant journey. His dearly missed twin brother, Elros—who decided to be mortal, while Elrond chose to embrace their Elven side—was the founder of Númenor, and his legacy lingers there.
And no, that is not everyone. There’s also our pal Gandalf (Daniel Weyman), who unfortunately doesn’t get a ton to do in the first seven episodes, though of course we already know he plays a big role in the future of Middle-earth. He does get his signature hat in a moment of well-earned fan service, and his interactions with the Dark Wizard (Ciarán Hinds), who controls the desert of Rhûn, bring some important history and context to season three.
If that feels like a lot to keep track of, remember Rings of Power episodes run an hour long—the pacing has gotten a lot quicker, thankfully—and feature incredibly lavish production values. Each setting is visually distinct, and the show is careful to make sure you know exactly where you are and who you’re with. (And to that point, the performances are across-the-board excellent.)
In some series that would feel like hand-holding, but Rings of Power uses this framing in a way that doesn’t feel intrusive. If anything, it makes for a more entertaining viewing experience because there’s no need to scramble to remember what’s going on every time a new character or subplot pops up on screen.
That said, there’s one very crucial throughline that takes precedence over all others: Sauron is going to make the One Ring no matter what it takes. We know his success is assured, but the route he takes gets there, and the people and creatures who get involved in his journey (willingly or otherwise) still manage to spring plenty of surprises.
With plenty of dazzling spectacle packed into each installment, season three’s offbeat release strategy—episodes will arrive in blocks rather than once a week—feels like a smart choice for Prime Video. The propulsive pace will make binging each new drop an irresistible but also manageable time investment. And hey, if you prefer to feast on eight hours of Rings of Power all at once, you only have to wait three weeks for your chance.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power returns to Prime Video starting November 11 with the first four episodes. Episodes five and six arrive November 18, and seven and eight arrive November 25.
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