# Rings of Power season 3 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** middle-earth, tv-shows-scripted, amazon-prime\ **Created:** [October 25, 2026, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rings-of-power-season-3/1034146 "2026-10-25T17:12:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2026, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rings-of-power-season-3/1034146/1 "2026-10-25T17:12:56Z")
Rings of Power season 3 is due to release on November 11th. Trailer: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GenCRscU3PU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GenCRscU3PU) I only recently watched season 2 and was surprised about much of the criticism. IMHO, it is a flawed show, but mostly in terms of pacing; earlier episodes particularly in season 1 really dragged and felt like they were struggling to fill an hour. Many characters aren’t great at emoting and some bits that are meant to be serious seem almost slapstick. However, one thing I’ve _enjoyed_ has been the divergences from the books. Yes I know; this seems to put me in a small minority. But I am very familiar with the books, so the differences allowed me to enjoy a somewhat new story even if the threads need to arrive at a known destination. Most of them made sense to me…it’s strange to me to hear so many people complaining that the forging of the rings should have taken centuries, for example. And I think the series found it’s feet towards the end of season 2. So I have high hopes for the third. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2026, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rings-of-power-season-3/1034146/2 "2026-10-25T17:18:27Z")
I enjoy it as fan fiction or like any Star Trek spin-off. ---
**Author:** ![cieskokid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cieskokid/32/5374_2.png) [@cieskokid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cieskokid)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2026, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rings-of-power-season-3/1034146/3 "2026-10-26T04:51:02Z")
No…just, no. 🤨 ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2026, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rings-of-power-season-3/1034146/4 "2026-10-26T11:10:43Z")
Any elaboration? I don’t know if you even mean that the last two series were bad and/or there shouldn’t be a third. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2026, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rings-of-power-season-3/1034146/5 "2026-10-26T14:20:15Z")
I like the series so far. I found the Numenor bits dragged a bit in the second season, but not too much. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2026, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rings-of-power-season-3/1034146/6 "2026-10-26T14:22:14Z")
I really liked Celebrimbor’s descent into insanity. But the Bombadil/Gandalf bromance was terrible. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2026, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rings-of-power-season-3/1034146/7 "2026-10-26T14:24:43Z")
Once i realized the actual story of this era would basically just be “and then Sauron goes over here and gets dunked on” over and over again i accepted this fan fiction as the best we are going to get. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2026, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rings-of-power-season-3/1034146/8 "2026-10-26T14:36:20Z")
I forgot about Bombadil it was that bad. I guess it’s hard to dramatize a god-like figure who doesn’t give a crap. I personally would have included his wife though; I could imagine dynamics between them where bombadil’s carefree thing would look cute, rather than smug. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2026, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rings-of-power-season-3/1034146/9 "2026-10-27T15:47:56Z")
I hear that the Harfoots will get zero screen time, which is amazing considering how much they got in the first two seasons. [Note I bailed a couple of eps before the end of S1, and the wisdom of my choice was confirmed when I came upon the infamous Sauron Shag Carpet scene early in S2] ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2026, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rings-of-power-season-3/1034146/10 "2026-10-27T16:22:21Z")
That death illustrates what I was saying; I like the idea of Adar and adding depth to the orcs. Sauron is killable in the books so seeing him killed and resurrect isn’t a bad thing to happen in the show. However the execution (excuse the pun) was very sloppy. He’s just banking on convincing this room full of people who are obviously not on his side? And then the means of death would be comical in a video game, let alone for TV. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2026, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rings-of-power-season-3/1034146/11 "2026-10-27T20:51:01Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > I hear that the Harfoots will get zero screen time, which is amazing considering how much they got in the first two seasons. [Note I bailed a couple of eps before the end of S1, and the wisdom of my choice was confirmed when I came upon the infamous Sauron Shag Carpet scene early in S2] I guess their purpose really was just to give Gandalf his name. ---
**Author:** ![cieskokid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cieskokid/32/5374_2.png) [@cieskokid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cieskokid)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2026, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rings-of-power-season-3/1034146/12 "2026-10-28T02:00:52Z")
None of ROP should exist in their current forms, disrespectful in terms of Tolkien source accuracy, and terminally crippled by bad writing and melodramatic acting. Anyone who knows the legendarium (LOTR, The Silmarillion & Unfinished Tales) knows exactly what I mean. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2026, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rings-of-power-season-3/1034146/13 "2026-10-28T08:53:56Z")
_Intimately_ familiar with the mythos, and don’t care. I like the show for what it is. > [@cieskokid](#): > > melodramatic acting Oh yeah, melodrama is _so_ unTolkienesque \s ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2026, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rings-of-power-season-3/1034146/14 "2026-10-28T09:26:37Z")
Fair enough. As mentioned, I personally don’t care too much about the faithfulness, given that 1) They didn’t actually have the rights to the silmarillion and 2) It would be a pretty hard thing to adapt. And many of the changes made sense to me. For example, stirring the balrog under Khazad dum…pretty much just bad luck in the book. IIRC it says something about the dwarves greedily digging…but that’s what they do. In the series, having it tied to the dwarven rings made good narrative sense. But of course all of this is YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![cieskokid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cieskokid/32/5374_2.png) [@cieskokid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cieskokid)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2026, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rings-of-power-season-3/1034146/15 "2026-10-29T04:24:24Z")
And I totally respect you & others w/a different POV on the ROP. We’re just coming @ it from different directions on how much to stay in concordance with Tolkien’s mythos. Kudos on your ability to enjoy what ROP has to offer ✌ 🤹