Harfoots: A Rings of Power Retrospective

Co-authors: Jessica and Webcrawler

Haven’t you ever wondered, what else is out there? There’s wonders in this world, beyond our wandering.

These were the first words we heard from The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, in the official teaser/Superbowl trailer back in 2022. They are spoken by Nori Brandyfoot, an adventurous young Harfoot, from the people who are the ancestors of the Hobbits we know and love from The Lord of the Rings. The inclusion of the Harfoots in Rings of Power was a surprise for many, as Hobbits only appear within the annals of Middle-earth around the year 1050 of the Third Age. However, Nori and her friends and family won us over with their encapsulation of all things Hobbit that we know and love. But right from the start, and even more as the show has progressed, their inclusion has proven controversial, as many others feel they take up space that should be dedicated to characters and plotlines more crucial to the Second Age, like Númenor and the War of the Elves with Sauron. Two seasons in, and their journey with the Stranger to help him restore his memory and learn his identity as Gandalf has left many wishing they would disappear into holes in the ground. While the plotline with the Dark Wizard in Rhûn, now revealed to be the Blue Wizard Pallando, shows promise, it feels the Harfoots have overstayed their welcome.

That creatures so universally beloved as Hobbits proved so polarizing to the audience is interesting. And now, after two seasons of the show, based on what we know about Season 3, we have strong indications that the Harfoots will not be returning. So for now, it looks to be time to wish them a fond farewell, and to look back on the audience reception of the Harfoot storyline within the first two seasons of The Rings of Power.

With the Harfoot chapter of Rings of Power seemingly coming to a close, we at Fellowship of Fans reached out and interviewed a few folks amongst our team, and within our fandom alike to see what they thought about the inclusion of Harfoots, and how they feel about the Harfoots not being in Season 3.

While the audience may have been split as far as the inclusion of the Harfoots, there are many who love them as a link to Middle-earth. As one fan noted:

I’ve always felt the halflings story in TRoP was very dear to me. I tear up about them more than anything else in the series I think. They feel like home. And I think I yapped about it to no one in particular when the first season aired… but even though their story had been disconnected from everything else, the moment we saw them coming out of hiding in that first episode was the moment I felt I was back in Middle-earth. We have ALWAYS experienced Middle-earth from the perspective of halflings.  — Eldarion @silvergifting.bsky.social

For so many, their introduction to Middle-earth was through the eyes of Hobbits. Whether they first read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings as children, discovered the books in adulthood, or were introduced by watching the Jackson trilogy, each of these is filtered through the lens of the Hobbits. Would it feel like Middle-earth without them? As another fan posited:

The fact that we might be losing [the Harfoots] for season 3 feels like we’re losing the whole reason for telling these stories in the first place. The Halflings represent us: the common folk just trying to find a home and settle down…They’re little folk, but with the potential to cause big changes…would it be Tolkien without Hobbits? Who are our heroes fighting to protect when they say they need to stay and defend Middle-earth from Sauron? Not empty land, but the people in it – the little people; those who cannot fight, but are still the heart of these stories. A battle without stakes is pointless. It becomes reduced to powerful people fighting over land rights. If you’re doing epic battles where the fate of the world is in the balance though, we have to see the people in it, who will in some way have to live with the outcomes of them – for good or ill. And nowhere is that shown more than with the Halflings. — Autobot Proudfellow @jobot935.bsky.social

While Hobbits have always represented the heart of Tolkien’s world, and many loved their initial inclusion, within the larger scope of the Second Age, their presence started to seem disparate from the greater story as the show has progressed:

I’m a Hobbit at heart, so it’ll always be sad for me to see them take a step back, even if I understand it and agree with why it’s happening. I love the show, and early on I thought the Hobbits were actually really strong. “Nobody goes off trail, nobody walks alone” worked immediately for me. People read it as comforting, but it isn’t. Yes, they’re kind and warm, but they can’t stay behind and wait for you, they have to survive. That mix of warmth and character with a little bit of reality underneath felt incredibly Tolkienian to me, very much by the books. But as the story went on, especially into the second season, the narrative justification just wasn’t there anymore. It was clear they were always going to be separate, and when there’s so much going on elsewhere in the Second Age, they end up taking precious time from stories that actually matter. I’m glad it’s happened, and I’m glad we got them, because on a fundamental level it still feels wrong to have a Lord of the Rings adaptation without Hobbits at all.— Barliman Butterbur, FoF @barliman_

A repeated insight we heard over and over again was the feeling that the crowded narrative of the Second Age simply wasn’t the time or place for a meaty, disconnected subplot, regardless of how charming and beloved they have become by fans. The hope shared that the removal of the Harfoots will grant time to explore the greater Second Age, doesn’t likewise banish hope that they may return again someday, as mentioned by these next two Tolkien content creators we interviewed.

The rumor that the role of the Harfoots will be largely diminished in the coming season(s) comes as welcome news to me. While I love Tolkien’s Hobbits and appreciate their role as the protagonists in both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, they simply don’t belong in a series about the Second Age. The Rings of Power already suffers from so many major plotlines competing for limited screen time, so the decision to reduce and simplify would make perfect sense to me. The actors and designers of the Harfoot storyline are massively talented, and I know they’ve won the hearts of many fans—I wonder if a spin-off might be considered? — TeaWithTolkien

The inclusion of the Harfoots in Rings of Power served as a bright spot in a show full of many dark and intense topics. But throughout the first two seasons I couldn’t help but feel as though every second spent covering their story was precious time sacrificed that could have serviced other (in my opinion) more vital storylines we may never get to see told onscreen again. I will lament their departure, and above all, the absence of Bear McCreary’s wonderful Harfoot themes, but do feel that this ultimately may lead to a tighter, cleaner, more connected story — Aidan Pocock (Dunaidan)

Others were more direct, and straight to the point, while still being fair.

Them being removed feels like they finally learned something we knew all along, which is that Hobbits didn’t quite fit with the stories that are important to the Second Age. Not to say that I completely disliked their story on its own, but it did take time from other things. — Jeremy, FoF

– I would challenge someone to ask themselves the function of “the little guy” in Tolkien’s main works compared to his prequel stories. It’s my opinion that one of the main reasons that the Hobbits get involved in the Ring narrative is because nobody else stepped up. In the Silm narrative, the peoples of Middle-earth do step up in the form of the Last Alliance – hence, the protohobbits have essentially no necessary function except introducing the wizard. — Sarah @sarahperedhel

One does stand to wonder if the absence of the Harfoots will make the general audience yearn harder for their lightheartedness, as the darkness of Sauron’s war against Middle-earth grows in earnest.

– I think that showing ‘ordinary’ Middle-earth inhabitants has a role in telling a richer story than just that of the heroes and people with high destinies. It would be good to check in with the Harfoots at some point after season 3, but getting the balance right is important. When the big Númenor event happens (presumably at the end of S4) there’s going to a bunch more space in the episodes and having set up the Harfoots early mean they can be waiting in the wings to be brought back to see how the increasingly climactic events impact unimportant people in Middle-earth. — DavidMichaelRoberts, FoF

By far one of the true tests we’ll have to wait and see for, is how the dangling Gandalf storyline is addressed going forward. Where his character goes, and the impact he ultimately has on the overarching plot will be by far one of the most important factors in the future when addressing the inclusion of the Harfoot storyline, and the true purpose it served for the overall narrative.

If the rumors are true that we will see less of the Harfoots going forward I will miss them a little bit. It is kind of like that feeling where you pick on them a bit like a buddy but then when that buddy is gone for a week on vacation you feel sad and await their return. I have shared this in the past but I always thought that the Harfoots were designed to get us big folks introduced to Gandalf in the show and then they were going to be their own mini-series away from the main show since Prime Video had the rights to 50 hours of television and an option for a spinoff. Where we left the Harfoots was the perfect spot to move them to their own thing and let Gandalf get closer to joining the other heroes and villains on screen. Then the Harfoots could make a return in the final season showing us an early version of what would eventually become the Shire. — Varking Runesong aka Big Poppa Vark aka Green Lanterns Podcast aka Dwarf aka Ulmo’s Best Friend on the Team. 

But in the argument of Gandalf’s inclusion into the story, some of those we interviewed argued the Harfoots were not essential for this to have happened.

Needless to say, after all the evidence laid bare, there is a deep divide and plenty of conflicting emotions surrounding the Harfoots. But the split exists not only within the fandom, but even here, within Fellowship of Fans, as the most ardent supporter of the Harfoot and Wizard inclusion has been granted the last word.

When you’re telling a story centered on the Rings of Power and the Lord who made them, why would you not include those who were paramount to his eventual complete destruction: Hobbits. The stories of the First and Second Ages are dark, and oftentimes all seems hopeless. So to not include the hope that the Hobbits offer, knowing how they go on to bring about the death of the one who caused so much evil and pain, would be antithetical to Tolkien’s entire worldview. The Hobbits are eucatastrophe personified, and I believe their presence is necessary to keep the tale of the Second Age from falling into despair. “Such is oft the course of deeds that move the wheels of the world: small hands do them because they must, while the eyes of the great are elsewhere.” 

On a textual level, that the Harfoots would be the ones who first influenced Gandalf, the only wizard to actually succeed in the task assigned to him, towards good, and also gave him the name for which he is most well known, lends a depth and sweetness to the relationship between them within The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings that previously didn’t exist. — Jessicannatar FoF

Although reception to the Harfoots storyline has been somewhat mixed, it’s undeniable that some of the most heartwarming scenes have featured them. The opening scene of Season 1, Episode 5, “Partings”, where Poppy sings her wanderin’ song, has been cited among the fandom as one of the most Tolkienian moments in the show. The same could be said of Poppy and Nori’s farewell scene in Season 1, Episode 8, “Alloy” (of course, Poppy does return early in S2.) But her speech at the end of that season, channeling Sam’s famous monologue from Jackson’s adaptations of The Two Towers, did a great job of wrapping up all the story threads and closing us out. These simple moments stand out and hold their ground amidst two seasons of fascinating characters, bombastic battles, and stunning visuals.

While they might return in a later season as Nori leads the Stoors to rejoin the Harfoots and search for the Shire (“Sūza-t“), for now, the road goes ever on and on, and if we are ever to meet the Harfoots again, we cannot say. But until then, we bid them a very fond farewell.

[Editor’s note: This article was co-written by Jessica and Webcrawler; current website technical constraints, which we are going to address in the near future, only allow a single author on articles]