Rings of Power Showrunners Talk Season Three’s Opening Scene

A couple of days ago, a Q&A involving The Rings of Power showrunners, J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, was conducted, and there were some fascinating revelations to come out of it. Among those revelations was the possibility of another flashback scene being the opening to season three. Though it wouldn’t be anything necessarily new, a fresh flashback scene to start a new season of The Rings of Power is a welcome prospect to many of the show’s fans, and both J.D. and Patrick seem happy to oblige.

McPayne’s Q&A

When asked about potential flashbacks in season three, Patrick McKay responded, “We actually like the idea that each season might start with a different slice of Middle-earth focused on a different character than it was last time. Maybe you’d go to title after an extended section that tells you something new about a character and maybe goes to a time in their life that we haven’t yet explored or seen on screen. We like the idea that this becomes one of the refrains of the show. That could change at any time as rules are made to be broken.”

“But I will say at this time, as we’re thinking about the story, we have a flashback that would start season three, and then maybe a couple more flashbacks sprinkled throughout the season.”

“We always want to explore new corners of Middle-earth, and we always love showing you a new side of a character you haven’t seen before. So that’s a non-answer, but hopefully answer enough.”

J.D. would go on to confirm what Patrick said and added that they have a love for ‘Tolkien’s rich and layered histories, characters, worlds, and peoples.’ He would also say, “The immortal characters go back thousands of years, and even the characters that aren’t immortal are part of lands and people whose histories go back thousands of years.” This might be a hint at their subject for season three’s opening flashback scene, or it might just be their thought process for any and all flashbacks they decide to add. Either way, it’s definitely something to consider.

Flashback Theories

As for what we might see in the opening flashback of season three, who knows? By the sound of it, the flashback should be tied to the overall main character or protagonist of the season, much like Galadriel was in season one and Sauron in season two. For me personally, I would love to see the flashback center around Gil-galad, and by virtue, the entire season. He plays a pivotal and vital role in The War of the Elves and Sauron, and considering that is what much of season three is going to be focusing on, it would only be right that Gil-galad gets more attention than he has the past two seasons.

As for what the flashback could entail, I am not really sure. It could show a young Gil-galad fighting in the Wars of Beleriand, watching his family fall one-by-one, and being crowned High-king of the Noldor as the last of the line of Fingolfin still remaining in Middle-earth. The flashback could also give us a glimpse into his friendship and the almost paternal relationship he has with Elrond along the way.

Outside of Gil-galad, there are a few other characters that I could see earning some time in the spotlight with season three’s opening flashback. The first being Celeborn. A popular theory among The Rings of Power community is that of Celeborn’s first appearance in the show being in season three’s opening flashback sequence. Some speculate that we will see him and Galadriel in their early years together, possibly first meeting each other, falling in love, and then being separated.

The sequence could also walk us through on how Celeborn fought and almost died in the War of Wrath yet still somehow survived. He is a character that many are looking forward to seeing, including myself, and to watch his story play out from the outset and play such a massive role so early on is something I would be stoked to see.

But Gil-galad and Celeborn aren’t the only Elves that I could see as the main protagonists, not only for the flashback but also for the entire season, as Elrond should play a crucial role in next season’s conflict against Sauron–even more so than he did in season two. Theorized by Vi on the Fellowship of Fans Discord, the flashback could focus on Elrond as he’s in Númenor celebrating the kingship of his brother, Elros, at the dawn of the Second Age. This would not only help to tie Elrond closer to the happenings of Númenor but also visually link him to the line of kings in a manner that the tapestry from the Hall of Lore in season one just simply couldn’t do.

Lastly, the final potential flashback that we could see at the beginning of season three comes from Varking, who theorized that we could see Durin IV take center stage in a sequence dedicated to him and his brother. Considering the show hasn’t really set up their relationship all that much, it would make sense for them to hit the ground running and show us what their relationship is like right out of the gate.

But what do you think? Do these theories sound plausible to you? What would you like to see highlighted in the opening flashback sequence of season three? Let us know in the comments below!