Lord of the Rings fans will notice in episode 3 that Amazon’s The Rings of Power series celebrates on the Orcs, which was swept under the table by Peter Jackson.
In episode 3 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, we get to see significantly more of the new series Orcs of Middle-earth on Prime Video *. One crucial trait of this evil race finally becomes really clear: they fear the light. This was important in Tolkien, but was rather neglected by Peter Jackson.
In the Lord of the Rings series, the Orcs hate sunlight
Orcs do not burst into flames (like vampires) when exposed to the light of the sun. But according to J.R.R. Tolkien’s mythology, direct sunlight harms orcs and weakens them. Whether this orcish discomfort (as shadow creatures towards the light) is physical or psychological is a matter of debate. But Amazon’s fantasy series highlights the trait properly for the first time, after Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies paid scant attention to it.
In particular, the 3rd episode of The Rings of Power, Adar (named after the mysterious orc leader), emphasises this light weakness of the orcs in various scenes and details:
- The orcs dig tunnels under the Southlands to get around better.
- Amazon’s orcs wear masks, helmets and clothing with wide hoods to protect themselves from direct sunlight outside.
- The orcs prefer to stay in the shade of a shelter in the supervised workers’ camp.
- When camp resistance flares up (at the end of episode 3), humans hissingly pull Orcs’ hoods off their heads during their attack, trying to drag them into the light by their chains, and Arondir even brings down the shady tent canopy to use the light-hate as a combat advantage.
Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson neglected the light aversion of the orcs
Strictly speaking, we can’t accuse Peter Jackson of making a “mistake” when it comes to portraying light-averse orcs. After all, in his work the creatures were mainly seen underground in Moria, at night or at least under cloudy skies. It’s more that in the Lord of the Rings films this orc weakness was just never important.
Orc at night in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
The fact that in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers mainly a new orc crossbreed emerged as an enemy pushed the orcs into the background anyway: Saruman’s breed of the Uruk-hai distinguished themselves in the Lord of the Rings books not only by their strength and size, but also by the fact that they could easily withstand sunlight (unlike other orcs). That is why they could easily drag Merry and Pippin through Rohan by day.
For example, one of the adaptations in the film The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is that Sauron darkens the sky as an important move so that his troops can also charge the battlefield outside Gondor’s gates during the day. Indeed, in Peter Jackson’s work, black clouds loom over the battlefield as well. The reason for their appearance, however, is not discussed in detail in the film.
Podcast: Is the Lord of the Rings series already a triumph after episode 1 & 2?
After over 4 years of preparation and endless trailers, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is finally here. We have already been able to see two episodes of the lavish Amazon series. But are the first hours of the fantasy project any good? In the podcast we give free rein to our enthusiasm – but also criticise the series.
Narrative clarity, attention to detail and effort put in can already be seen in episodes 1 and 2. The potential for another Middle Earth triumph after Peter Jackson’s revered Tolkien trilogy is undoubtedly there.
