One of the biggest criticisms of the Rings of Power series is that it didn’t live up to the Peter Jackson movies in terms of its emotional resonance. Many feel that the series is struggling to have its characters connect, which is the one thing that the movie trilogies are known for. The films are still some of the most popular and loved of any franchise, over 20 years since they were first released, and that is due in large part to the heartfelt and uplifting nature that resides at their core. The Lord of the Rings movies are centered around love and loyalty, and the brave way in which characters can triumph over evil when they stay true to one another.

This is something that many fans have felt was missing within the Amazon series. Hints of it could be within Elrond’s relationship with Durin, and Finrod’s guidance of his younger sister. But Galadriel was predominantly a solitary character throughout the series, cut off from the rest of the world by her own pain and rage. This prevented her (and subsequently the series) from forming those lasting bonds that stay with the audience for years afterward.

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There is only one scene in the series that fans felt lived up to the sentimentality and the warmness of the movies, and it was the scene that depicts the Harfoots' travels with the stranger towards lands far away. This scene emulates all the challenges faced by those of little means in the world, but shows how their spirits and their determinations stay strong. After all, they have each other, which is more precious than all the gold and the power in their world.

This is the thing that Galadriel is missing, the reason that her journey didn’t emotionally connect with the audience during the series. Her lack of connection is also the thing that makes her vulnerable to Sauron’s manipulations, because she doesn’t have the people that she loves close to her, to guide and protect her in her darkest moments. That is why he is able to draw her in, to the point where she is even tempted to join Halbrand to rule Middle Earth, despite the evil she already knows that he is capable of.

the harfoots pushing their wagon

The Harfoots' journey across the perilous lands of Middle Earth speaks to all the reasons that hobbits need and love The Shire. It reminds audiences why this beautiful little piece of land is worth Frodo and Sam risking their lives to protect it centuries later. As the Harfoots journey along to Poppy’s walking song, which tells the fate of Middle Earth in its lyrics, they come across steep and treacherous hills flooded with water. They traverse bogs and quagmires which hold the remnants of previously fallen harfoot wagons, and vast deserts without a tree for miles. And during all this time they have little food or water. They have to push and carry all their worldly possessions with them, fight off giant insects, and survive the outdoors that throws every form of bad weather imaginable at them.

But despite the obvious hardships, the scene has a beautifully warm and genuine feeling. It recalls moments from the movies when these small but remarkable creatures defied everyone's limited expectations, and proved that they are made of both stronger and purer stuff than any of the other races in their world. It is as Galadriel tells Frodo in the Fellowship of the Ring:

“Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.”

This proves incredibly true of Bilbo Baggins from The Hobbit, Frodo Baggins from the Lord of the Rings, and Nori Brandyfoot, the Rings of Power version of these iconic heroes. It is this small harfoot and her loyal friend Poppy who essentially help determine the fate of the world. She teaches the Stranger that he is good, and that he was brought there to help, rather than to do evil deeds. So when the three sorcerers mistake the stranger for Sauron in the final episode, he has a moment where he must decide whether or not to believe them.

the stranger (1)

And at that moment, Nori is there to help guide him. The bond and the foundation that he has built with her allows him to choose the right path and defend the harfoots. Thus, his identity is finally confirmed as one of the Istari, and most likely Gandalf. But this connection he has with Nori all stems from the uplifting Harfoot travel scene. And it is this connection that will help him protect hobbits for the next thousand years, until the One Ring is destroyed — if he is in fact the grey wizard.

The stranger sits in the back of the wagon, sheltering from the pouring rain outside, sharing in the laughter and the warm drinks passed around by his adoptive harfoot family. This is the part in his journey where he learns of love and kindness, a lesson that will stay with him for all the years to come. Even though he is a stranger, and they fear his difference and his powers, Nori’s harfoot family cares for him. They shelter him from the rain, and share what little they have with him. The music in the background, paired with the touched look on his face, all contribute towards cementing this scene as the only scene in the Rings of Power that truly lives up to the emotion and the heart of the movies.

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