The third season of The Rings of Power puts Durin on the throne of Khazad-dûm
The Prime Video series returns on November 11: after his father's death, the dwarf prince has become king and hides the Seven Rings even from his wife, while other Dwarf lords seek them.
The third season of The Rings of Power will arrive on Prime Video on November 11 and will open on a Dwarf kingdom very different from the one left at the end of the second season: Prince Durin has become king of Khazad-dûm, has inherited the Seven Rings forged for the Dwarves, and has decided to hide them from everyone, including his wife. Owain Arthur, who plays him, spoke about how the character changes in an interview on the sidelines of San Diego Comic-Con, where the first teaser for the season was released on July 24.
The starting point is a loss. In the finale of the second season, King Durin III, played by Peter Mullan, sacrificed himself by confronting the Balrog in the depths of the mountain, after briefly regaining control over the Ring that was corrupting him and reconciling with his son. His death leaves the throne empty, and the five-year time jump planned for the new season finds Durin already in power, grappling with a role that, Arthur said, came to him "too soon."
At the center of his story are the Seven Rings, now in his possession. Arthur explained that Durin has realized that at the moment "they are not a good thing" and that for this reason he keeps them hidden from everyone, including Disa (Sophia Nomvete), for fear that they will repeat on him what they had done to his father: corrupt him. It's a reversal of the dynamic seen in the first two seasons, where the two had together faced the old king's increasingly destructive behavior; the secret now risks straining their relationship.
The season's tensions are built around that secret. On one hand, some Dwarf lords set out in search of the Rings; on the other, Thráin, played by Eddie Marsan and introduced as Durin's older brother, returns to the mountain, after his father's death the only close relative remaining. The brother's return, the actor anticipated, brings with it "a lot of drama." However, the information released so far does not clarify how Durin's ascent to the throne reconciles with the presence of an older brother, who according to normal rules of succession would have had precedence.
The story of the Dwarves fits into the general framework of the season, set in the midst of the War between the Elves and Sauron, as the Dark Lord forges the One Ring to dominate Middle-earth. Prime Video has planned a staggered release: the first four episodes on November 11, two more on the 18th, and the last two on the 25th.
For Durin, the risk is double. In terms of plot, the discovery of mithril in the mines, shown in the second season, is what in Tolkien's chronology will lead to the ruin of Khazad-dûm: the season will have to decide how close to that predetermined fate it will get. In terms of character, a grieving king secretly accumulating objects of power is exactly the premise that destroyed his father.