‘Fingers crossed’: The Rings of Power stars don’t know if Nori and The Stranger’s ‘bittersweet’ goodbye is forever – but they hope it isn’t
Major spoilers follow for The Rings of Power season 2’s final episode.
The Rings of Power stars Daniel Weyman and Markella Kavenagh aren’t sure if The Stranger and Nori will cross paths again in the hit Amazon show, but they certainly hope they will.
Before The Rings of Power season 2‘s final episode was released today (October 3), I sat down with the pair – in separate interviews – to discuss their emotional goodbye in the series’ latest installment. And, while both actors don’t know if there’ll be room for a reunion in future seasons, they’re certainly trying to manifest in any way they can.
“I don’t have any inclination about [a reunion],” Weyman told me. “But hearing you say it really terrifies me. I mean, I’ve virtually filmed all of my scenes with Markella, and often filmed things with Megan [Richards, who plays Poppy], so I’ve got a strong relationship with them. So, it’s quite terrifying to think I may never work with them again. I’ll have to get onto the showrunners to see what I can do! Fingers crossed they get back together.”
“I really hope so,” Kavenagh added when I asked her the same question. “It’s difficult to imagine a world in which I don’t act opposite Daniel. It’s bittersweet [that they part ways] but hopefully there’s a way for them to reunite.”
For sections of the Prime Video show’s fanbase, The Stranger – I really need to start learning to call him Gandalf because, well, that’s who Weyman is actually playing – and Nori’s separation may be a satisfying development. After all, some viewers have grown tired of the Harfoots’ storyline and, the mystery surrounding The Stranger’s true identity notwithstanding, say that Nori, Poppy, and the other proto-Hobbits have offered nothing of value to one of the best Prime Video shows.
That, though, isn’t how Weyman and Kavenagh have viewed Gandalf and Nori’s Middle-earth adventures in Amazon’s Lord of the Rings prequel series. Indeed, the pair believe each character has enriched the other, and the lessons and life experiences they’ve learned – and shared – along the way have helped to shape the individuals they’ll become in The Rings of Power season 3, which co-creators J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay are currently “working on”, and beyond.
“For now, it’s the right thing for both of them,” Kavenagh added. “I think they have to embark on their own journeys and really find their purpose but, in my mind, I think Nori knows or feels she’ll see him again, albeit not where or when.”
“I think these characters have a clear and strong bond,” Weyman also mused. “I suppose that understanding friendship, love, honesty, integrity, being able to make mistakes and be forgiven, learning, becoming self-aware, and wanting to be a better version of yourself, all of these things have come from his interaction with the Harfoots. Wherever he goes, that bond is strong and is like an elastic band that connects them, no matter where they’ll be in the universe. That’s going to be one of his touchstones that he measures his future behaviour against in whatever he comes up against.”
Want more exclusive coverage on The Lord of the Rings‘ TV adaptation? Read my article breaking down The Rings of Power season 2’s ending and why Weyman is “still pretty shocked” to learn he was playing Gandalf. Once you’re done with those pieces, read snippets from my chats with other members of the high fantasy series’ cast, below.
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Major spoilers follow for The Rings of Power season 2’s final episode. The Rings of Power stars Daniel Weyman and Markella Kavenagh aren’t sure if The Stranger and Nori will cross paths again in the hit Amazon show, but they certainly hope they will. Before The Rings of Power season…
