Middle Earth is expanding rapidly thanks to the efforts of Amazon Prime’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, which takes aim at J.R.R. Tolkien’s world in the midst of the Second Age.
The stunning series remains a hotly debated topic among fans, some of whom are beginning to take on the cadence of perpetually unappeasable Star Wars fans, and others who continue to revel in delight at the thought of a new Lord of the Rings offering. And, while the series falls short of its predecessors in plenty of ways, it carries the soul of the franchise in its careful approach to world building.
The series is a direct—but distant—predecessor to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, so it’s no surprise that it shares plenty in common with Peter Jackson’s trilogy of films. The show’s setting fleshes out the world in the ages before Sauron’s defeat, in a time of peace that directly preceded one of Middle Earth’s most devastating wars. That war will change the face of the world fans know, and transform it into the more familiar version we know from films.
A number of details within the series still hint toward the future of the world, however, and fans are taking notice. One appreciative viewer took to Reddit to share their slightly obvious, but no less striking, takeaway from the show’s third episode, which officially introduced viewers to the land of Númenor. They shared a pair of photos, one from the Second Age and one from the Third, and noted their love for Prime’s decision to design “the palace of Númenor to look like a grand ancestor of Minas Tirith (which it is).”
The pair of included images showcase the innumerable nods carefully crafted into the palace of Númenor, each of which will remind longtime fans of the grand kingdom of men as it was in the Third Age. Commenters quickly piled on with their own thoughts, praising the “incredible detail” included in Rings of Power‘s “spectacular” Númenor, and compared it to the pale shadow of men that remains in the Third Age.
“It drives home how the Third Age realms of men are so diminished,” the original poster noted in a comment. “Númenor here looks vibrant and inspiring, while Gondor (as seen in the movies) is drab, bleached and mostly in ruins.”
The palace of Númenor is far from the only detail reminiscent of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but its one that’s gotten quite a bit of attention from fans. It’s reminding them of all that is to come for this rich, expansive world, and ramping up excitement for the story that has yet to unfold in Rings of Power. The structure is quietly speaking to the larger story, telling in small details how the world will change with the rise of Sauron.