IGN rates Rings of Power Season 3, Episodes 1-4, 'Great.' Here is what the review praises, what it criticizes and when Episodes 5 to 8 arrive on Prime Video.
IGN gave the first four episodes of "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" Season 3 a "Great" rating in a review published Wednesday, Nov. 11, calling the batch "a welcome return to Middle-earth." The score is IGN's, not ours. We have not reviewed the season. All four episodes are streaming now on Prime Video, and the other four arrive in two batches on Nov. 18 and Nov. 25.
When do new Rings of Power Season 3 episodes come out?
Season 3 is releasing in three drops instead of one episode a week, according to IGN. Here is the schedule it gives:
- Nov. 11: Episodes 1 to 4, available now
- Nov. 18: Episodes 5 and 6
- Nov. 25: Episodes 7 and 8, the season finale
GamesRadar+ reported that the premiere went live at midnight Pacific, which is 3 a.m. Eastern on Nov. 11. The show streams only on Prime Video, and the first two seasons are still there if you need a refresher. The story picks up five years after the end of Season 2, per IGN.
What does IGN like about Season 3?
IGN's reviewer, Jim Vejvoda, says the new season "smartly gets back to basics." In his telling, the show has trimmed past characters and subplots and rebuilt itself as a more focused war story, with every remaining character either trying to defeat Sauron or serving him. IGN calls it a clear attempt to bring in new viewers without pushing away the ones who stuck around.
The review singles out a few things. A flashback to Galadriel and Celeborn meeting, played by Morfydd Clark and Jamie Campbell Bower, gets praise for showing how far Galadriel has changed over a thousand years. The Khazad-dûm storyline adds Eddie Marsan as Thrain, the older brother of King Durin IV, and IGN says it produces one of the strongest and most emotional scenes between Durin and Disa so far. IGN also likes that Gandalf, played by Daniel Weyman, feels more like the wizard viewers know, and it describes Theo's arc as an Anakin-style turn toward the dark side.
What are the complaints?
IGN is not all praise. The reviewer says the Númenor storyline is less compelling than the others and that Pharazôn seems better suited to a historical drama about court intrigue than to this fantasy story. He also says the first four episodes are not heavy on epic fight scenes, with the big battles apparently saved for later in the season, and that a key change for the character Eärien goes unexplained for now.
That last point matters if you are a stickler for plot. IGN says the show does not yet explain how or why she ended up working as a spy for her family, and it is not clear whether this was always the plan.
Should you binge all four episodes?
This is our analysis, not reporting, and it rests on one outlet's review. A single review is a single opinion, and this show has split critics in the past, so it is worth a look at a second source before you rely on a score. Still, the pitch from IGN is easy to understand: if you drifted away during Season 2, the reviewer's case is that this is the easiest point to come back.
The release format helps. With four episodes at once, you get enough runtime to judge whether the tighter story works for you. If it does, the wait for Episodes 5 and 6 is one week, and the finale is two weeks away. If it does not, you have lost an evening, not a season.
One practical note: IGN's review includes spoilers for the first four episodes and for earlier seasons, so skim carefully if you have not watched yet.
What is not known yet?
- The rest of the season: IGN reviewed only Episodes 1 to 4.
- The big battles: IGN says they are being held for later, and the latest trailer teased a Balrog fight and Sauron wearing the One Ring. Nothing is confirmed about how they play out.
- Other critics' scores: we have not summarized any beyond IGN.
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Picture credit: Prime Video / Amazon MGM Studios (official still)
