The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Episodes 3-4 review: Uniting Middle-Earth!

3/5

Story: Galadriel attempts to convince Míriel, the Queen regent of Númenor, to join the war efforts to save the Southlands hits a dead end. Nori risks upsetting her Harfoot elders by helping the mysterious man. Elsewhere, Elrond treads carefully as he slowly regains the trust of his Durin, the Prince of the Dwarven city of Khazad-dûm.

Review: Two of the biggest medieval fantasy franchises, Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire and The Lord of the Rings, are in direct conflict with one another for the first time in history in a mad dash for viewership and ratings. While The Lord of the Rings is clearly the superior show in terms of visuals, the Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon has a far more compelling story with excellent characters. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power could yet match the storytelling prowess of its rival show, or even surpass it, but four episodes into the season and it is yet to truly settle into a rhythm with its narrative. Apart from Galadriel’s storyline, the others are yet to have a definitive arc.

The first two episodes had a great mix of world-building and storytelling, but the storytelling aspect of it has slowed down, with plot points that could be told in an episode being spread across two is needless. The story that is offering a bit of fast-paced action is Arondir’s imprisonment by the Orcs and their mysterious Elven leader Adar. It is also likely that every other storyline could eventually converge before the end of the season at the Southlands. The war with the evil forces is imminent but there is still a long way to go in terms of how all of the stories, especially those of Harfoots, serve the overarching narrative.

Despite a few obvious shortcomings, the performances, the visuals, and the overall experience of the series remain unblemished. Sceptics might argue that it is the bare minimum expected of a TV production which is probably the most expensive in history. But history has proven that extravagant TV productions need not always reflect the quality of the product. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power certainly boasts tremendous potential, but if episodes five or six do not significantly move the story forward, it risks wasting away the immense promise it showed in the first two episodes.

Verdict: The prequel series remains stunning as ever with its striking visuals and excellent world design, but it desperately needs the story to move at a considerable pace