Opening with a bumper four-hour premiere, The Rings of Power season 3 is pulling no punches. Five years have passed since the fall of Eregion from season 2’s finale, and the war between Sauron and the Elves is in full swing. The last strongholds of Lindon and Rivendell cling on, protected by the Three Rings, while the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm hide bravely underground playing out a hairier version of Succession. Determined to honor his friendship with Elrond, Durin IV is at least arming the Elves with decent weapons.
Down in Mordor, Sauron is rewarding good mortal lords with a treat from his box of rings, while also ardently working to craft the master ring to rule them all, the One Ring itself. Alas, the Dark Lord’s devotion to his task isn’t going down well among the residents of Mordor, with some orcs still loyal to their previous leader, Adar. Further to the east, Gandalf continues his battle against the Dark Wizard of Rhûn.
And all is not well in Númenor. Ar-Pharazôn’s power grab is complete, but not without constant opposition from the Faithful, who continue to rebel against the regime. As well as fending off threats at home, Ar-Pharazôn finds his eye wandering over to Middle-earth, where there is talk of another ruler reigning over the lands of men…
In the fourth and final hour of The Rings of Power‘s season 3 premiere, Galadriel and Arondir break Celeborn (Galadriel’s missing-in-action husband) out of an icy jail, only to be confronted by Sauron and an evil new assistant. In Khazad-dûm, meanwhile, Thrain bests his younger brother in combat to seize the throne, swaying the Dwarves towards Sauron’s grasp. As that’s happening, the Elves’ leadership trio of Elrond, Gil-galad, and Círdan decide to request aid from Númenor, but Ar-Pharazôn will be distracted by the Faithful taking his son as a prisoner.
What’s Happened To Theo By The End Of The Rings Of Power Season 3, Episode 4?
Since young Theo’s very first appearance in The Rings of Power, speculation regarding his potential as a Ringwraith has been rife. Speculation that season 3, episode 4 confirms was not unwarranted, as the prison escape sequence reveals Tyroe Muhafidin’s character in full black Nazgûl armor.
Theo’s transformation would not have been possible without an assist from Ar-Pharazôn. The Númenórean dictator’s ruthless approach to the mortals living on Middle-earth’s shores pushes the Southlanders to such desperation that they’d rather side with Sauron than take another lashing from a Númenórean whip. While Ar-Pharazôn inadvertently creates the conditions for Theo’s turn, however, Sauron finds a different psychological pressure point to exploit: Theo’s absent father.
Since The Rings of Power‘s first season, Theo has resented both not having a dad and the lack of information provided by his mother about that dad. Sauron uses necromancy to provide the answers Theo has always craved and emerge looking like the good guy. Naturally, Sauron also stokes Theo’s fire further by revealing the youngster’s birth father was apparently murdered by his mother – a claim that isn’t necessarily true. It greases Theo’s path toward becoming a Ringwraith, true or not.
What does appear genuinely true, judging from Sauron’s surprised reaction, is that Theo hails from a line of nobles in possession of magical abilities. That heritage seals the deal as far as Sauron is concerned, and Theo becomes the next Ringwraith.
In The Rings of Power season 3, the Nazgûl are “Nazgnagôl,” meaning they haven’t fully succumbed to the darkness of the Unseen World. This explains why Theo retains his face and free will, even offering to spare Arondir if the elf gives up Galadriel and Marnûkh. Theo’s will is still rattling around in there somewhere.
A point of interest for later episodes is whether Theo will later be known as the Witch-king of Angmar, who will later battle Gandalf and the Fellowship in The Lord of the Rings. The revelation that Theo’s bloodline possesses special powers could be leading toward that very conclusion.
So, Marnûkh Really Was A Good Orc After All?
The Rings of Power keeps viewers guessing right until the end: is Marnûkh really defecting from Sauron, or setting a trap to steal Galadriel’s ring? Ultimately, only the orc’s death puts his betrayal of the Dark Lord beyond question.
Several factors led to Marnûkh switching sides: Sauron having Adar killed and heavy losses in battle against the Elves being two of them. The most important reason, however, can be found in The Rings of Power season 3’s opening scene, where Sauron tests a draft version of the One Ring on an orc soldier who promptly explodes into flames. Adar treated orcs as a race; Sauron treats them as minions, and the likes of Marnûkh just want a quiet life.
Unfortunately, Marnûkh’s sacrifice amounts to very little. The purpose of his quest with Galadriel and Arondir is to reach Celebrimbor’s last surviving assistant before Sauron, since the elven-smith’s knowledge represents the final piece in the puzzle of making the One Ring. That quest turns out to be moot, since the prisoner is dead already. Indeed, the whole narrative purpose of The Rings of Power‘s prison break storyline appears to be introducing Celeborn and nothing more. Sauron is no closer, nor any further, from the One Ring’s creation than at the start of the season. He still needs to steal one of the Elves’ Three Rings of Power.
Thrain’s Association With Sauron Explained
Thrain wants to wear the crown of Khazad-dûm, and he’s willing to stab his brother in the back, front, and sides in order to take it, that much is clear. But The Rings of Power also confirms a secret agreement between the sibling usurper and Sauron that has been forged offscreen.
The issue of succession is a difficult one, even without Sauron’s interference. Thrain is the older brother, and even though Durin III was lucid when naming Durin IV his successor, he was also wearing the Ring of Power that had previously clouded his mind. On the other hand, Durin IV never left Khazad-dûm, so is better positioned to act as its ruler. It’s a real pickle.
Clearly, Thrain doesn’t need Sauron’s help to toss his brother from Khazad-dûm’s throne. A little flirting with Disa will manage that just fine. In truth, Thrain’s goals extend far beyond a single kingdom, and this is where his partnership with Sauron comes into play.
Since the First Age of Middle-earth and the ill-fated Silmarils, the Dwarves have been afflicted by a weakness to material greed (see: The Hobbit), while also enduring an eternal feud with the Elves (see: The Silmarillion). Some dwarves are better at resisting these ancient urges than others, so while Durin IV can see through Sauron’s machinations and befriend the likes of Elrond, Thrain will hear Mordor’s offer of power and jewels, as well as its distrust of forest folk, and see an ally in Sauron.
What does Sauron gain from the bargain? Dwarven Rings of Power on dwarven fingers. Much to the villain’s annoyance, the Dwarves are a hardy bunch, far more resistant to the Rings than mortal men. Worn over a longer period of time, the Seven would wear their owners down, but The Rings of Power‘s Durin IV made the wise decision to hide his race’s Rings completely. By working with Thrain, Sauron can bring the Seven out of hiding, and gradually coax the race of Dwarves under his control.
TV-14
AdventureFantasyActionDrama
Release Date
September 1, 2022
Network
Amazon Prime Video
Showrunner
John D. Payne, Patrick McKay
Directors
J.A. Bayona, Sanaa Hamri
Writers
Patrick McKay, John D. Payne, J.R.R. Tolkien, Justin Doble, Jason Cahill, Gennifer Hutchison, Stephany Folsom, Nicholas Adams
Morfydd Clark
Galadriel
Ismael Cruz Cordova
Arondir
Franchise(s)
The Lord of the Rings
Creator(s)
Patrick McKay, John D. Payne
