It's been just over two years since the second season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, but at long last, the wait is over. It's time to return to Middle-earth! The first four episodes of the epic fantasy TV series based on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien have arrived on Prime Video, hitting us with half a season all at once in a dizzying rush of adventure, fellowship, political turmoil, quests for power, and vistas and feats that defy the imagination.
Much has changed since Eregion fell. Five years have passed, and during that time, Sauron (Charlie Vickers) has solidified his grip on Mordor and spread his power across much of Middle-earth, pushing the Elves back to a handful of safe havens protected by the influence of their three Rings of Power, which were created by the smith Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards) without the Dark Lord's touch. Now, Sauron seeks to forge the dreaded One Ring to rule them all, drawing Middle-earth and viewers alike ever closer to one of the most iconic and crucial turning points in Tolkien's legendarium.
Yet Sauron is just one piece to the vast puzzle that is The Rings of Power season 3. We're diving deep on every episode as it premieres, exploring everything that this latest chapter in the on-screen legacy of The Lord of the Rings has to offer.
We begin with the season 3 premiere, "Marnukh." There will be FULL SPOILERS beyond this point.
Tomorrow, the war for Middle-earth begins again. Here’s where the map stands as you prepare for Season 3. pic.twitter.com/dUd353M54Q
— The Rings of Power (@TheRingsofPower) November 10, 2026
Rings of Power are precious gifts
The Rings of Power season 3 begins with a monologue from Galadriel (Morfydd Clark), laying the stage for where the war against Sauron and the Elves stands after the five-year time jump. While this felt like a bit of an easy out in terms of dealing with the time jump, there's also no denying its effectiveness. It conveys a lot of information quickly that could have bogged down early scenes, and it's nice to spend a little time looking at a map in Tolkien's drawing style.
From there we're sent into the true opening scene, which introduces us to the core storyline that drives much of the season as a whole: Sauron's attempts to forge his one master ring, which will grant him unprecedented control over the other Ring-bearers, and through them, Middle-earth. Such a powerful weapon isn't easy to create, and we start out with a failure, as Sauron forges a ring which spontaneously combusts the Orc unfortunate enough to serve as a test subject.
This opening does a solid job of re-introducing us to Sauron in his new form, which is his most honest yet. Vickers fully transforms into the Dark Lord, and everything from his movements to his more animalistic line deliveries to the excellent costuming (the gauntlets!) drives home that we're finally seeing Sauron in all his terrifying glory. At the same time, there are some surprisingly funny moments in this opening, especially compared to the self-serious gravitas of the sequences which kicked off seasons 1 and 2. Yes, an Orc's hand is on fire, but he's screaming in ridiculous fashion while it's happening. It's a nice bit of levity in an otherwise brutal sequence.
Just because Sauron rules the Orcs doesn't mean he's never questioned. This scene also introduces us to Marnûkh (Adam Young), an Orc who posits that Sauron may well have destroyed the key to creating a Ring capable of mastering the Three when he ordered all of Celebrimbor's records burned along with Eregion. Sauron takes note of this particularly curious Orc, before setting his followers on the path to finding one of the three Elven Rings so that he can try to reverse engineer their weakness. Marnûkh will come back around by the end of the episode, but for now, I thought this was a great way to start introducing us to him and his somewhat opaque relationship with Sauron.
As for the Dark Lord himself, while he remains more intimidating than ever, he's also got secret doubts. I loved the scene that shows how he's haunted by Celebrimbor, with a surprise cameo from Charles Edwards. The verbal sparring between these two was the highlight of season 2, and it's nice to get a tidbit of it here as Sauron grapples with the possibility that the Orcs are losing faith in him. It's also a deliciously evil detail that Sauron carted Celebrimbor's corpse all the way from Eregion to his new stronghold at Barad-Dûr, so that he could gaze upon the lifeless body of his former colleague whenever he desires.
The rest of Sauron's story in the season premiere revolves around the creation of the Nazgnagôl, the earliest incarnations of the Nazgûl from The Lord of the Rings. In this age, they still retain their human forms, but the Rings of Power already make them something more. First, we see Sauron meet with the leaders of Rhûn, who themselves are subservient to the Dark Wizard (Ciarán Hinds). Sauron offers to break them free of the Wizard's yoke in horrifying fashion, having his Orc servant slay any of them that question him until he informs the last three standing that he would make one of them a king again, if they would swear themselves to him instead. Charlie Vickers' delivery of the lines "Rings of Power are precious gifts. I'm afraid Mordor can share but one this day," is chilling.
It was a good choice by the show to leave most of the actual fight for the Ring off-screen, because after seeing those first fingers go flying, our imaginations were primed to fill in the rest. The warrior to emerge triumphant is granted one of the Rings, and healed of the leaprosy that was bestowed on his people as a curse from the Dark Wizard. He is Khamul the Easterling (Zubin Varla), "the fairest of the Nine," and a figure destined to become one of Sauron's most devoted Nazgûl.
Theo is all grown up and ready to do some evil
We only return once more to Sauron late in the episode, where he receives another batch of hopefuls for a Ring. Yet while he expected Númenóreans, instead those who came were Southlanders who want to rebel against Númenor, on account of the brutal treatment happening at the Pelargir colony. Among them is none other than Theo (Tyroe Muhafidin), who is all grown up into a tortured, scarred survivor during the five-year time skip.
Earlier in the episode, we see that Pelargir has turned into a slave encampment, with the Southlands refugees being forced to cut trees to build the Númenórean armada, under the cruel oversight of Pharazôn's son, Kemen (Leon Wadham). Theo is there, and it is shocking to see how much he has changed since season 2. Kemen is offered a Ring by Sauron via messenger, but he discards the note in disdain — only for Theo to pick it up when he's not looking, an act that earns him lashes, since it looks like he's slacking off. So much is made of the threat of Sauron that it's kind of refreshing how Kemen just outright dismisses his offer; Kemen may be awful, but in this case, his pride is actually his saving grace.
Back at Barad-dûr, Sauron gives his same speech about Rings of Power being precious gifts, and the Men of the Southlands begin fighting over one. There can be no doubt that Theo will emerge victorious, which sets up a totally unexpected and fascinating arc ahead for him. It's wild to think that Theo was once the kid of the show, and he's now poised to become one of Sauron's Nazgnagôl. I'm very excited to see what comes of it.
The source of Lady Galadriel's loneliness
The other primary storyline of "Marnûkh" revolves around Galadriel. Just like Sauron's story opened with a scene informing us about who he is at this point in the story, Galadriel's takes the opposite approach. We flash back to the First Age to meet her husband, Celeborn (Jamie Campbell Bower), and see a montage from their first meeting to the day they discovered Lothlórien and he asked her to marry him. This entire sequence is a beautiful way to introduce Celeborn, and it's a testament to how good it was that I was sold on their relationship after only a few minutes. Bower and Clark have wonderful chemistry, the sparring/dancing flirtations are joyous, and the score from Bear McCreary does a lot to elevate the scenes.
The cherry on top is how the show fades directly from Galadriel saying yes to Celeborn, to her standing on a battlefield in the Second Age, where she's fighting for her life against Orcs alongside Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova) and a legion of Elves. The ensuing skirmish really gets the blood pumping; it's an excellently shot and choreographed action setpiece that serves as a good reminder that The Rings of Power is capable of such scenes.
It also introduces a number of important story elements on the fly. We learn that Men are now fighting for Sauron. We see Arondir is still wracked with guilt and fear for Theo, who he hallucinates killing in the middle of battle. We get the introduction to a Nazgnagôl, who charges in and utterly messes things up. I was surprised that the show decided to include Nazgnagôl out of the gate like this, but as the episode goes on it does a lot to fill in the blanks. Ring-servants are a known danger to the Elves, but the one Galadriel faces in this battle comes as a surprise, showing how Sauron's influence over Men is growing. I was also a huge fan of how intimidating the Nazgnagôl was; there was a weight to his movements that gives him a very different sort of energy from the Elves or Orcs, and once again, McCreary's score emphasized the chaotic terror of Galadriel being forced to flee this dangerous enemy.
The safety of Rivendell
We next pick up with the Elves in their burgeoning safehaven of Rivendell, where Elrond (Robert Aramayo) is tending to the wounded from the battle. Rivendell is yet another example of the five-year time jump's influence; at the end of season 2, it was just a forested glen with no buildings, but now it's a city in the making. Even though it's a far cry from what it will become by the time of The Hobbit, there's still a very effective sense of peace that permeates the setting even in these opening moments.
After Arondir has a nice little reunion with his dog, Galadriel and Elrond discuss the battle in private. We find out that the Nazgnagôl who attacked them was the King of the Lossoth, an ancient people who dwelt far in the north of Middle-earth. They had sworn to be allies to the Elves; now, they have seemingly turned to Sauron. It's a bleak development that's indicative of the way the war is going.
Galadriel wants the Elves to reach out to a new ally: Númenor. But Elrond is reluctant, because he knows that with Pharazôn in power, the promise of aid made by the former queen, Míriel, no longer stands. He insists, however, that it ultimately isn't his call: it's High King Gil-galad's (Benjamin Walker), and he "closed the door" to an allegiance with Númenor. There's also an interesting moment where Galdriel brings up Elrond's twin brother, Elros, and his "decision" — which upsets Elrond enough that he cuts her off. We know that Aramayo is playing both Elrond and Elros in a flashback this season, so expect to learn more about that later on.
As Galadriel sleeps that night, she's plagued by a vision of Sauron lying next to her that wakes her up. One interesting detail here is that Galadriel told Elrond she hadn't seen Sauron in person or in her mind in five years, likely owing to the fact that her Ring is supposed to provide her a measure of protection against him. So is this Sauron the true Dark Lord, or just Galadriel's subconscious?
She takes to walking to try to banish the troubling dream, and runs into Arondir, who is keeping watch in the night after seeing off Elrond, who departed on an errand. The bond between these two has grown much deeper in the five years since the end of season 2, during which time they've been fighting alongside each other time and again in the war. Despite that, Arondir wishes to leave to find Theo, fearing for what has become of his former lover Bronwyn's son during the intervening time period.
I can't help but wonder if the fact that Arondir is only now deciding to go after Theo is a reflection of the Elves' disassociation with time, just like the one we get when Elrond meets with his old friend Durin IV (Owain Arthur) and hears how his children have grown. To Arondir, it no doubt feels like a good time to go look for Theo. But as we see in Theo's storyline, he has changed dramatically in those years. Half a decade is a lot for a mortal, but even more so for a teenager. Whatever help Arondir might offer, it feels like too little, too late.
As he and Galadriel prepare to part, he asks her of her own secret pain, to which she replies "loneliness." A line that is made all the more poignant by the flashback we saw of the life she had with Celeborn, before her crusade against Sauron began.
Trouble in Khazad-dûm
We spend much of the final stretch of the season premiere in Khazad-dûm, where Durin IV and his wife, Disa (Sophia Nomvete) have been ruling for the last five years following the death of Durin III (Peter Mullan) at the fiery hands of the Balrog. Despite seemingly being a fair ruler, Durin IV is sitting on a time bomb waiting to explode. He's secretly supplying the Elves with weapons to fight Sauron, something which would no doubt earn the consternation of some of his people, who would rather not risk the Dark Lord's ire by getting involved in the war. And on top of that, he's got a succession crisis on his hands, as his estranged older brother Thráin (Eddie Marsan) returns with a pair of Dwarf-Lords, with unclear intents toward the throne.
While I usually love Durin and Disa in this show, their section of the season premiere was my least favorite part. The back-and-forth with Thráin is certainly amusing, as poor Narvi (Kevin Eldon) is forced to run to an inn in the bowels of the city and back over and over, relaying messages as the drunken Thráin refuses to show up at court. The following scenes with Thráin putting the Dwarf-Lords in their places and then learning the truth about Durin III's death were also compelling, but as soon as it became about a love triangle with Disa, the storyline started feeling strained. We already know that we're getting a love triangle of sorts between Galadriel, Celeborn, and Sauron at some point this season; to also have one here feels repetitive, and like it distracts from the larger issues at hand.
It does, however, add to how untrustworthy Thráin is. Marsan is engimatic in the part, and his abrasive performance is a great counterpoint to how charismatic and immediately likable Arthur is as Durin IV. I don't trust him, and that very much seems to be what the show is going for.
The Dwarven storyline culminates with Durin delivering another shipment of weapons to Elrond's people, only for Thráin to discover his secret. The two fight, rolling along the ground, until they bump into the foot of none other than Marnûkh, who has come to surrender, saying he has vital information that could save Middle-earth.
We then get a final closing montage, teasing a few different storylines. The Elves Gil-galad and Cirdan the Shipwright (Ben Daniels) have seen a vision of Marnûkh surrendering, and believe this mysterious Orc could impact the fate of Middle-earth. They also talk over a map, reflecting on the different human kingdoms which have joined with Sauron, and the most dangerous one still standing — Rhûn. The cross-cutting makes it clear their greatest fear is already realized, as Khamul is now a Nazgnagôl capable of bringing 100,000 warriors to Sauron's cause, a force the Elves cannot hope to defeat.
But there is one person who might stand a chance: Gandalf (Daniel Weyman), who has been a thorn in the side of the Dark Wizard's forces. Sauron plans to deal with Gandalf personally, which provides a great closing stinger for the episode, paired with Theo's trial to become a Nazgnagôl.
Verdict
"Marnukh" hits the ground running, providing a solid opening for The Rings of Power season 3 which seamlessly gets viewers reacquainted with the world of the show and where things stand following its five-year time jump. There are plotlines I missed, such as Númenor and Gandalf, but on the whole the focus of this episode staying so firmly fixed on Galadriel and Sauron for most of its 71 minute runtime worked well, and left me eager to catch the rest of the show's players in the next episodes. If this premiere is any indication, The Rings of Power is hitting its stride this season.
Episode grade: B
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