While at first it seemed like Poppy Proudfellow would be just another mischief-maker next to her friend Nori Brandyfoot, The Rings of Power has given her character surprising depth by revealing that her entire family was lost in the Harfoots’ last migration.
There’s something incredibly tragic about the way Poppy carries herself and deals with this new stranger, especially after we realize that she’s only trying to protect herself as the last living member of her family. The fact that she carries her wagon on her own in the caravan is also another moment to give you pause.
For actor Megan Richards, finding Poppy’s individuality also coincided with the third episode, according to what she recently told Entertainment Weekly.
“She follows rules for a very specific reason and that’s because she doesn’t want anyone to be left behind ever again. She’s already lost so much, and she’s seen so much and been through so much that she doesn’t want that for anyone else. There’s a whole level of worry for her, losing one of the most important Harfoots in her life: Her best friend. She doesn’t want that to happen again, but she also doesn’t want that to happen to Nori.
“I’ve been saying in lots of interviews that the thing that moves her throughout this series is to stay by Nori’s side because of the loyalty and love that she has for her friend. And that, ultimately, comes from the loss she’s experienced before. Now that people have watched it, they also understand it, and it’s given me a broader, deeper level of understanding of how that does affect her life and the way she lives it.
“I remember when we watched it as a cast, we watched episodes 1, 2, and 3. I was sitting behind Owain [Arthur], and he was [so upset], like, “Aww! Now, she’s pulling the cart by herself! Oh my goodness!” I forget that people haven’t seen that. She is pulling it by herself, among all those families together. So, it definitely gave me a deeper level of understanding of Poppy.”
From what Richards says, there’s definitely something of Samwise Gamgee and his unwavering loyalty in Poppy, though there’s no denying that the character dynamic between her and Nori is nothing like the one we see in The Lord of the Rings.
The Harfoots were conspicuously absent from yesterday’s fourth episode, so we can’t wait to see where their journey takes them next when The Rings of Power returns next Friday.