Adar

There are a lot of slow motion shots exploring the beauty of middle earth or the sets that have been built or just Galadriel horse riding. It feels like the show runners think they are selling holiday packages to middle earth. Almost every scene starts with a beauty shot, and the visual are stunning. So I guess I will take the deluxe package please.

This episode was better. The story has finally started moving. Loved the scenes of Numenor, that story arc was awesome. Must admit, every time they cut to the harfoots, it was annoying. I'm not enjoying watching these ancestors of hobbits.

Its been a long, slow buildup for almost 3 episodes. Please, please let there be some payoffs soon. If they have a great action packed Episode 8, my rating will jump from 7 to 8 or even 9. I am hopeful.

I think this episodes has some improvement from the last two. Keeping the episode focused on only three different stories is much nicer than the back and forth of 4-6 stories in the last two episodes. So far in the series I haven't really been interested in any of the characters or story lines however the Númenóreans has so far been the most interesting setting and characters so far and this episode managed to make me more interested in Arondir. The Halfoots were much of the same, I didn't really care for it but it you liked them in the first two episodes you'll probably like them here. On episode 3 and it's still feels like there's a lot to set up, and I'm nervous the whole season will end up feeling like set up however it does seem to start to get its footing.

The introduction to Númenór as it was slowly revealed was great.

The writing and dialogue is a still not anything great however my issues seemed reduced in this episode and contains a couple stronger written scenes. The action and cgi wasn't great in its direction and I really hope they'll change the style of action in the future.

If you liked the first two episodes I think you'll like this one even more though if your like me with some criticism and skepticism I think this episode is at least an improvement from the last.

Episode 3 of Rings of Power is a vast improvement over the previous episodes. I know the bar for that is pretty low, but ep3:Adar is actually pretty decent. It's not amazing, there are plenty of problems here like the usual bad dialogue the average acting and poorly paced story - of which is finally progressing. In the first episode and we are finally moving forwards with the plot, that is a major issue.

The characters are all still stiff and only few of them stand out. Halbrand is the stand out here, he plays a street smart rogue and the actor does a pretty good job. Everyone else.... not so much. Galadriel is still dull main character as is Arondir. Although the parts with the orcs were good moments. I was glad to see the orcs in full make-up and costume.

I'm not fully knowledgeable of Tolkien's works, but I know some of it and a lot of the story and characters don't add up, which is my biggest issue with this series as a whole. I know you can't critise the series without being named all sorts of insults, but the Elves are the weakest part about this episode and the series. They just don't work at all. The elves are supposed to be elegant and stunning and should never look old. There are several old looking elves and it is just weird.

That aside for the bad, the best thing about this episode were the scenes in Númenor. The visuals and sets built for this place were astounding, even if it didn't make a lot of sense.

Ep3 was a better episode but it still isn't great. The story is still poor, the characters bland and is carried mainly by it's visuals (apart from that warg, that looked horrific).

The cinematics, visuals, and similar elements of this show continue to be fantastic. It's also at a point in the story where it's expanding into other realms and cultures (Numenor, Orcs, etc.), so this is also an exciting part of the series.

The thing that sticks out and, in my opinion, is lacking is the writing and storytelling. There's a lot of (for lack of a better word) lazy dialogue that's added to explain the deeper lore or character history. For example, Muriel asking Pharazon who the captain (Elendil) is not only doesn't make sense for the greater lore, but I think it's also a device the writers use to quickly tell the audience who the character is. There's a similar moment when Halbrand doesn't seem to know what Numenor is so Galadriel just tells him the quick backstory. Just my opinion but this feels like lazy world-building. Strangely enough, mainly because she's such an important character to both the show and in Tolkien's universe, Galadriel's storyline is the only storyline that I've completely lost interest in. I do like Morfydd Clark and think she's doing as good a job as she can, but I'm just not interested in Galadriel's storyline.

Overall, I did enjoy the episode and think there are some interesting storylines developing, but I think it fell short when it came to writing and world building.

I hope this episode wins more over to the show, as I felt it really got things moving story wise. The visuals and music really whisk you away and immerse the viewer in this vibrant world. That is something to behold, even if you don't like the story.

I enjoyed seeing Númenor, as well as other familiar characters from the history of Middle-Earth. The episode does a good job switching between storylines, and while there are a few moments where I thought it lagged or wasn't the best, it just delivers with each new scene.

The Harfoot's continue to be the heart of the story, and they very much have won me over with the character of Nori Brandyfoot. She's a kind, sweet, and curious person who wants to do the right thing.

There are some Orcs in this one, and I won't get into spoilers, but the scenes surrounding them were great. I loved seeing practical Orcs again, and not the terrible CGI ones from the Hobbit films. Bravo to The entire makeup and costume department. They most certainly will wins some awards for this.

Overall, and exciting episode with some more great word-building and some tender heartfelt moments that really shine out and remind me why I love Tolkien and his world.