The first four episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3, which are now streaming on Prime Video, have been incredibly eventful, to say the least. For one, Charlie Vickers' Sauron is finally on the precipice of creating The One Ring as he also builds his army of loyal Nazgnagôl. And then there's the storyline in Númenor, which follows increasingly intense civil unrest that ultimately leads to the death of Ema Horvath's Eärien in Episode 2.
However, it's Episode 4 that might have arguably the biggest moment of Season 3 so far: the tragic death of Ismael Cruz Córdova's Arondir at the hands of Tyroe Muhafidin's Theo, who had become one of Sauron's Nazgnagôl earlier in the season. The saddest part about the whole showdown is that Arondir almost got to Theo; Theo was almost convinced to leave his corrupted ring behind.
Unfortunately, as he does, Sauron walked into the scene and ruined everything. With one simple command, he shattered the brief connection Arondir had formed with Theo, and had his newly minted Nazgnagôl shove his blade into Arondir's gut, killing him.
The Direct sat down with The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3 star Tyroe Muhafidin to talk all about his tragic scene with Arondir, and why exactly Theo made the choices that he did.
Tyroe Muhafidin Breaks Down Why Exactly Theo Almost Broke Away From Sauron—And Why He Didn't
Arondir's Love Was Something "He Hadn't Felt In So Long"
- The Direct: "Theo is almost convinced to kind of change paths, and so before he makes his [fatal choice], what thoughts are going through his mind that are getting him to lean away from the darkness?"
Tyroe Muhafidin: Well, I think it's a sense of remembering what he always hoped for in the first place. I think he always saw him and Arondir leading something or living their life together in some way because of their shared grief. I think there's almost a weight. I think any time that Theo would see Arondir's face, [it] almost reminded him of his mother in knowing their relationship, and so I think when Arondir is talking, it's almost like he can feel his mother coming through at least...
When Theo heard Arondir's pleas, Muhafidin explained that, to him, "it was that pure love coming through," which was "something [Theo] hadn't felt in so long," which is why his loyalty to Sauron briefly faltered.
Muhafidin: If this is the man that my mum loved, and I love my mum more than anything, I should be listening to him, and it was that pure love coming through, and I think that's what he was feeling because there was no love from Sauron and no love from the Numenorians, and I guess it was something he hadn't felt in so long that instantly, the moment he feels it, it could almost let him slip out of almost the trance that he was in.
- The Direct: "Well, you know, Sauron comes in and ruins everything, and Theo ends up killing Arondir. How much of that was Theo's choice, as opposed to darkness forcing his hand?"
Tyroe Muhafidin: I'd say it was his decision to draw the blade and stab, but it definitely was heavily influenced by Sauron. But I think Sauron has sparked up ideas in Theo's head about the elves, and kind of did a great job of conjuring that hatred inside Theo. The elves were the oppressors of the Southlanders for many years, and as Theo grew up, that was his relationship with the elves. He hated them, and now he was at a point where he'd been so filled with hatred.
Unfortunately, his loyalty to Sauron, and the Dark Lord's influence, won over at the end of the day, leading to Arondir's tragic death.
Muhafidin: And this is the height of what they've been searching for in terms of this war, right? He just wanted to win because that's what Sauron wanted, and that's everything that Sauron, I guess, had been planting into his head. And so, that moment when Sauron says, 'Kill him,' It's okay. Here's the business because this is what I guess his mind has been put out for the last few days or whatever, is strictly business for Sauron.
- The Direct: "Would you say he's a prisoner in his own mind currently, thanks to the ring?"
Tyroe Muhafidin: 100%, and I think as instant as it was that the decision came for him to do it, as instant as the realization of holy shit, what have I just done? And so I think, kind of when the emotions are strong enough, he can almost pull out of it, and that I think seeing what he had just done was enough to kind of make him realize that he's just done something bad.
"And as much as you can have sparks of yourself come through, ultimately you are still under his control," the actor further explained.
Muhafidin: But I think having the ring on kind of blurs the line of what is bad. You kind of lose that sense of conscience, and [it] blurs the line. And those rings have been made by Sauron, and so as you are wearing it, you are being manipulated. And as much as you can have sparks of yourself come through, ultimately you are still under his control. And this is all still before the One Ring is made.
