The Rings Of Power Season 3 Introduces Long-Awaited Fan Changes

Amazon’s epic series “The Rings of Power” has enchanted audiences with its ambitious storytelling, weaving an intricate tapestry that spans both the familiar realms of Middle-earth and the uncharted territories beyond. While the epic has admirably tackled J.R.R. Tolkien’s rich and complex lore, some plot threads felt like a challenge for casual viewers trying to keep pace. A storyline that particularly demanded more attention than perhaps warranted was the journey of the Harfoots, but that narrative focus is shifting.

“It was time for them to take a little bit more of a backseat,” showrunner JD Payne told Empire Magazine (via fan site Fellowship of Fans). He did add, “I will also say: never count a Halfling out,” but that initial statement, and the absence of all Halfling cast members in the promotional circuit so far, seem to confirm that the half-pint heroes really will be sitting on the sidelines — at least for Season 3.

These forerunners of the Hobbits have played an integral role in the tale to date, especially with the magical figure known as the Stranger (played by Daniel Weyman) crash-landing into their lives—literally. Eventually revealed to be Gandalf, this twist added intrigue to their plot. Meanwhile, moments of charm and glimpses of potential heroism in the Harfoot community were endearing but felt overshadowed by the far more sweeping and cataclysmic events transpiring across other parts of Middle-earth.

Since the debut of “The Rings of Power,” the Harfoot storyline has been prominently featured. Central to this tale are the curious and daring Elanor “Nori” Brandyfoot (Markella Kavenagh) and her more cautious yet courageous companion Poppy Proudfellow (Megan Richards). Together, they find themselves in mischief within their peaceful Harfoot enclave, even before their fateful encounter with the enigmatic Stranger who descends from the heavens in a blaze.

Throughout Season 1, viewers followed the Harfoots as they endeavored to welcome the Stranger and embarked on a trek across eastern Middle-earth, fending off a menacing triad of mystics from Rhûn. As the narrative unfurls into Season 2, Nori and the enigmatic Stranger, along with the ever-loyal Poppy, set off on their own thrilling journey eastward. This new path leads them deeper into Tolkien’s world, allowing fans to explore the unexplored lands of Rhûn and beyond.

This is also the point where showrunners JD Payne and Patrick McKay chose to introduce the enigmatic and overpowered Tom Bombadil (Rory Kinnear) and another mysterious character in the form of an evil, still-unidentified Dark Wizard (played by Ciarán Hinds).

It’s here that the Harfoots also discover another conclave of Halflings — namely, Gollum’s ancestors, the Stoors. Led by a matriarch (a Tolkien-accurate fact), the group learns a lot from the Harfoots, ultimately deciding that their best bet isn’t to continue living underground, but to migrate back west to greener pastures. The last we see of the Harfoots and Stoors is the beginning of that journey, one that will end centuries later as they link up with other Halfling groups and then settle the Shire.

Tolkien doesn’t mention Harfoots, Stoors, or even any Halflings at all in the Second Age. That isn’t to say that they didn’t exist. On the contrary, the little bit of pre-Hobbit history the author does give us confirms that they are related to Men, but we don’t get any details about how the transition from tall men to short Hobbits takes place. And that’s precisely the aura that surrounds these furry-footed Shire dwellers when we meet them in “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings.” While epic stories with ancient histories unfold around them, Hobbits remain grounded in the present, unworried about the future, and unaware of the past (other than family history).

The Hobbit, Stoor, and Harfoot backstories even hinge on the fact that they don’t really know much about their origin. Tolkien wrote in “The Fellowship of the Ring”: “Of their original home the Hobbits in Bilbo’s time preserved no knowledge.” The group doesn’t enter written Middle-earth history until over a thousand years into the Third Age (i.e., a millennium after “The Rings of Power” story will end).

Again, that doesn’t mean they don’t exist before that point. They are just a blank canvas, one that the “Rings of Power” showrunners used to fill in with their own creative adaptation for two seasons of their five-season story. The Harfoot part of the story helped introduce some important characters, but at most points, it was slow and felt a bit out of place. Now, as we enter Season 3, the story has officially picked up too much steam for them to keep up — and that is probably for the better.