Prime Video’s Most Rewatchable Fantasy Series Is Making a Major Shift in Season 3
*The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power* will make a five-year time jump in its third season, moving the story further into the war between Sauron and the Elves. The shift follows Season 2’s ending, when the fall of Eregion and the creation of rings for Elves and Dwarves established that the conflict was under way.
The jump could bring characters who have so far followed separate storylines together, including after the Stranger was revealed as Gandalf. It is also expected to darken the series as Sauron’s armies advance and the Dwarves remain sealed in Khazad-dûm. Co-showrunner Patrick McKay said the season will also show the building of Rivendell and a tower in Barad-dûr, bringing the setting closer to the Middle-earth familiar from Tolkien’s books.
In short
- Season 3 jumps ahead five years.
- The story moves deeper into the war with Sauron.
- Rivendell and Barad-dûr will take shape.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
A five-year jump could give the series room to show the consequences of the war and bring its scattered storylines into a more coherent, urgent conflict. Building Rivendell and Barad-dûr may also help connect the adaptation to Tolkien’s wider world while allowing the story to grow darker as Sauron gains strength.
The case against
The time jump could skip over character development and important events, making the transition from Season 2 feel abrupt or leaving viewers unsure how the separate storylines converged. Moving closer to the familiar Middle-earth of the books may please some viewers, but could also make the series feel more constrained by expectations and less able to develop its own approach.