A new theory about The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has given rise to the idea that the final shot of the series will lead directly into The Hobbit. The Rings of Power‘s story takes place during the Second Age of Middle-earth, thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s best-known works, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. The series’ core focus is on Sauron’s rise to power and his inevitable defeat at the hands of Middle-earth’s core races during the Last Alliance.
The Rings of Power season 3 is set to happen during the War of the Elves and Sauron, a significant point in time wherein the Dark Lord created the One Ring. As the story keeps building to the final major conflict between Mordor and the rest of Middle-earth, though, it remains to be seen where in the timeline the ending of the series will actually take place. Many of The Rings of Power‘s characters hold significance across Middle-earth’s history, making it difficult to gauge where everything will end.
However, showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay have already confirmed they planned out the final shot of the show as far back as season 1. The pair not only have an idea as to where the series is going, but they also know the exact point on Middle-earth’s timeline that it will end. Given the rich history of the fantasy world coupled with the One Ring’s ominous presence throughout much of it after the Last Alliance, it only seems reasonable to final shot will have something to do with the powerful object.
Predicting The Rings Of Power’s Planned Final Shot
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The Rings of Power season 2 ended by laying the groundwork for the War of the Elves and Sauron, which will be the significant conflict of season 3. Based on Tolkien’s writing, season 4 will likely be about the fall of Númenor, the island nation that has already shown signs of fraying. Since season 5 will be the finale, this will be where the Last Alliance happens, and where Isildur refuses to destroy the One Ring. This later leads to his death, and the Ring becoming lost in the Anduin, laying dormant in the Gladden for thousands of years.
However, ending the series on Isildur’s death would be a rather dour finale. Instead, it would make more sense for the final shot to tie into the events of The Lord of the Rings proper. This could easily be done by having a scene reminiscent of The Return of the King‘s flashback featuring Déagol getting the One Ring while fishing with Sméagol. A scene like this would tie the end of the show directly into The Hobbit, where Bilbo Baggins ends up in contact with the corrupted Sméagol, now named Gollum, and ends up getting the One Ring for himself.
Why The Rings Of Power Can’t Go Further Than Déagol
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Unfortunately, The Rings of Power can’t go any further than Déagol in the timeline because of the current focus on the Second Age. By shifting focus away from the conflict between Sauron and the rest of Middle-earth in its final sequence, the show would end up losing what makes it stand out amid Middle-earth’s adaptations. But, by ending it at the moment the One Ring is found, it offers a perfect transition into the next chapter of the fantasy world’s history.
What’s more, the upcoming The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum will be delivering more detail about Gollum’s backstory and what he was up to during the time he had the One Ring. It wouldn’t make sense for The Rings of Power to shift too far ahead in the timeline when the next theatrical movie in the franchise will already be exploring that future. Instead, it makes sense for Déagol’s discovery of the Ring to be the final shot, succinctly leading into the events of The Hobbit by teasing what comes after.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
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