Episode 3 of The Rings of Power was packed with intense drama and some action. The episode’s ending gave rise to numerous questions: Who is Adar? Is he Sauron? Why was Arondir’s life spared? What is happening in the Southlands? How did Hano get killed?
Well, you might be wondering about all this and more. So here’s a quick explanation of Episode 3, where I discuss Adar’s identity, the crisis in Southlands, and Hano’s death.
The end of the episode showcases the Southlands to be a base camp for the Orcs and their leader Adar. Adar doesn’t appear in the books, and he could be Sauron’s subordinate in the show. Arondir is spared to deal with Adar, but Hano gets killed by one of the Orcs.
That’s quite a lot of information to absorb in one go. So, let me quickly break it down into smaller fragments.
1. Who is Adar? Is he Sauron?
The last scene before the end credits showcases a mysterious figure walking through the Orcs’ camp as all the creatures start chanting his name: Adar! Adar! Adar! The visuals give an ominous feeling and prepare us to witness yet another devious character.
As soon as people watched the episode, they had one question. Is Adar Sauron? I believe he isn’t. At best, he’s one of the subordinates of the Dark Lord, like a Commander. His role will most likely be similar to the Witch-King or Saruman in the OG LOTR films.
There are a couple of reasons which indicate why the character can’t be Sauron. First, he isn’t present in Tolkien’s works. So it is highly unlikely that a completely new character, developed just for the show, will be the main villain.
Second, Sauron in the Second Age transformed himself into a shapeshifter called Annatar. According to Tolkien’s lore, he managed to infiltrate the Elven people, learn their skills, and eventually betray them. So, these points make a compelling argument for why Adar cannot be Sauron.
2. What is happening in the Southlands?
When Arondir enters the Southlands with Bronwyn, he sees that the houses are vandalized, and it looks as if the complete place is devastated by a group of people. Well, Arondir was almost right.
When he inspected one of the huts, he saw a hole leading to a maze of underground tunnels. Here, he was captured by an Orc. All this occurs in Episode 2.
In Episode 3, Arondir finds himself in a small camp of Orcs where humans and a few elves are held captive. They are asked to dig the land and even chop down trees that come in the way.
Towards the end of the episode, Arondir forms some form of a bond with a couple of elves, one of whom is Hano. This much time is enough for them to formulate a plan to escape the camp.
However, after a rigorous fight between the Orcs and the slaves/victims, only Hano is able to escape the pit which leads to underground tunnels. But after moving just a few steps ahead, we see that he’s shot with an arrow.
The man falls, and as Arondir sees the body hit the dusty earth, the realization hits him. The Orcs haven’t just made a tiny base camp but have conquered the entire village and seem to be everywhere—both above and below the ground.
In the episode, it is also established that the Southlands is the place that, after three millennia, will be known as Mordor. At the center of this place would be Mount Doom, the base of Sauron.
This could mean only one thing. Through his commanders and army of Orcs, Sauron has started building a base in Mordor and Mount Doom. In fact, even Galadriel deciphers what the sigil means, and she confirms it after overlapping the sigil with the map of Middle-Earth.
3. Why was Arondir’s life spared?
This seems rather obvious. The Orcs weren’t hesitant about killing more people or creatures. But they spared Arondir’s life because he just wreaked havoc in a camp that expected the enslaved people to keep their heads down and work.
They kept him alive so their boss, Adar, could deal with him. Furthermore, after looking at his skills, they might want to know more or leverage him for some purpose that we don’t yet see.
Overall, this is all that happens at the end of Episode 3 of The Rings of Power. While we don’t know the answers to some questions, we might get them in the upcoming episode.
4. About The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is an American TV series, based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien, developed by J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay for streaming on Amazon Prime.
Set 3,000 years before the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, the show will be set in the Second Age of Middle-earth. Beginning with a time of peace, the series will follow the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron and the forging of the rings of power.
The cast includes Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Nazanin Boniadi, Morfydd Clark, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Markella Kavenagh, Joseph Mawle, and Dylan Smith among many others.
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