The action in Amazon Prime’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is starting to ramp up, and its tenser scenes are sticking with fans.
The plot in the latest attempt to bring Middle Earth to life has been a slow-burn so far, as the series takes care to develop its world and ground its characters in real experiences. In the background, Sauron’s looming presence is a dark shadow over the series, as fans await his inevitable introduction and the changes it will bring.
Due to its slower-paced nature, Rings of Power has been on the receiving end of heaps of criticism for failing to deliver the action and bloodshed of its primary competitor, House of the Dragon. This is all starting to change as the show reaches the halfway point of its first season, however, and tension builds in several corners of its expansive story. One suspenseful scene from the show’s third episode is sticking with fans days after it debuted, as they reflect on its well-structured tension.
Reddit user bogardianbongowurm took to the Rings of Power subreddit to share their reaction to a scene in “Adar” in which a group of enslaved elves stand off against their captors, a company of brutal orcs. Arondir is among the elves when they insist that an obstructing tree cannot be removed from their path, and is faced with a thoroughly unexpected reaction from the orcs. One of them, seemingly the leader, reacts with apparent kindness, offering the group a water ration for their bravery in identifying the problem. The scene absolutely bleeds tension, and fans can’t get it out of their heads, even nearly a week after the episode aired.
Applauding the scene for its “solid suspense,” bogardianbongowurm praised the purposefully uncomfortable scene as excellent television. It kept the tension high, without directly revealing what the outcome would be, and kept viewers on the edge of their seats the entire time.
Viewers in the comment section largely agreed with bogardianbongowurm’s take, heaping praise on the scene for establishing the orcs as the terrifying presence they are, while likewise working to build affection and sympathy for the enslaved elves. Comments commend the scene’s ability to put viewers “in the same place as the characters,” and not provide exposition in heavy-handed reveals.
Another comment puts it well, noting that the scene matches its’ series well, opting to avoid orienting itself around “pure suspense and later violence” and instead focusing on “the fear and anguish among elves—whatever the outcome.” User akaFringilla goes on to note that the elves’ hesitance in accepting the water ration is perfectly shaped, allowing viewers to suss out and discover the brutality of the orcs at the same time as the characters. The then compare it all to Legolas’ reaction upon first seeing the orcs, and note that the elves genuine fear of the orcs was born of moments like this.
There were also those who were more appreciative of the action that directly followed this tense confrontation, with one noting that “I’ve never seen a greater example of ‘hardcore/metal Tolkien’ than an elf killing an orc with a stick,” and a truer statement has never been made. Arondir, in many ways, encompasses much of what makes Tolkien Tolkien, and non-judgemental fans are taking notice.
