Even so, The Rings of Power has been a real feather-ruffler across its two seasons so far. From the characterization of Tom Bombadil and slither of sympathy afforded to Sauron, to Gil-galad being slightly useless and Elrond kissing Galadriel, Amazon's series has tested the limits of how much canon leeway die-hard Tolkien fans and those who grew up watching Peter Jackson's trilogy are willing to accept.
The 'final boss' of those changes is undoubtedly the addition of romantic chemistry between Galadriel, married forest elf, and Sauron, genocidal tyrant. Understandably, the progression of that romance hit a roadblock after Galadriel realized her crush's true identity, but rather than leave the angle alone, teaser footage for The Rings of Power season 3 confirms the show is doubling down.
Galadriel & Sauron's Complex Relationship Continues To Evolve In Season 3
After taking a slight back seat in season 2, it appears that Sauron is once again at the front of Galadriel's mind during The Rings of Power season 3. The first clue from the teaser is Jamie Campbell Bower's Celeborn curiously poking at his wife, "There is something you fear to tell me..." That "something" is, of course, that Galadriel not only fell for another, but that she fell for the Dark Lord himself. Not an easy conversation to have with an elf who suffered the jaws of Morgoth's war.
Evidently, Celeborn being alive will bring Galadriel's feelings for Halbrand/Sauron right back into focus, as she attempts to explain them to the person she very nearly moved on from.
Another key scene from The Rings of Power season 3's teaser involves Galadriel and Sauron separately experiencing restless dreams, their minds connected, whether by an unspoken force or via the Ring of Power on Galadriel's finger. It's not just that Galadriel is dealing with the aftermath of her magnetism toward Halbrand, then. Said magnetism is still very much active, continuing to unfold across The Rings of Power's forthcoming season as a major plot point.
One saving grace for skeptics is that The Rings of Power season 3's teaser features no hint of romance between Elrond and Galadriel following last season's kiss. The former is, frankly, too busy fighting a war and leading his own realm, it seems.
Galadriel's Relationships In The Lord Of The Rings Canon Explained
The Rings of Power's Galadriel x Sauron storyline couldn't be further from Tolkien's lore. For starters, Halbrand never existed. Galadriel's first encounter with a disguised Sauron was Annatar, and she sensed his deceit almost immediately.
For his part, Celeborn did not vanish at any time between the First and Second Ages of Middle-earth. He and Galadriel were wed shortly after Morgoth's defeat, and stayed together thereafter, even having a child (who should have already been born by the time The Rings of Power begins). Galadriel's love life is, compared to Amazon's TV version, very straightforward, and even the Elrond issue never arises on account of him being married to Galadriel and Celeborn's daughter.
Canon-breaking the storyline may be, but one could argue that The Rings of Power at least deserves credit for seeing it through. The series would've been well within its rights to acknowledge the backlash by changing course, forgetting season 1's romantic scenes as if they never happened. Having commitment to the original vision is to be respected, and perhaps even affords The Rings of Power an opportunity to justify the storyline's existence in the first place.
Release Date
September 1, 2022
Network
Amazon Prime Video
Showrunner
John D. Payne, Patrick McKay, Louise Hooper, Charlotte Brändström, Wayne Yip
Directors
J.A. Bayona, Sanaa Hamri
Writers
Patrick McKay, John D. Payne, J.R.R. Tolkien, Justin Doble, Jason Cahill, Gennifer Hutchison, Stephany Folsom, Nicholas Adams
Image courtesy of MovieStillsDb
English (US) ·