The highly anticipated extension of The Lord of the Rings franchise is finally here. In a drama set thousands of years prior to both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power provides a deep look into the Second Age of Middle-earth’s history.
Immediately in the opening of the premiere episode viewers are in for a treat as the precedent for gorgeous scenery is set. Showrunners and executive producers J.D. Payne & Patrick McKay are adamant that as admirers of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, they had no intention of trying to compete with him. While I don’t believe the series so far is comparable to Jackson’s storytelling or ability to utilize J.R.R. Tolkien’s mythical work as non-fiction, it does a phenomenal job reeling you in optically. Places like Valinor and Rhovanion are revealed for the first time on screen and are presented as if the viewer has stepped directly onto the set of The Fellowship of the Ring.
The series brings an ensemble cast of new and well-known characters together. It stars Cynthia Addai-Robinson (The Accountant), Robert Aramayo (HBO’s Game of Thrones), Owain Arthur (BBC’s Casualty), Maxim Baldry (Mr. Bean’s Holiday), Nazanin Boniadi (Showtime’s Homeland), and Morfydd Clark (Saint Maud) to name a few. Clark has huge shoes to fill in her portrayal of the younger Galadriel, taking the reins from Cate Blanchett.
In the first two episodes, we see more of and learn more about Galadriel than we’ve previously gotten from the films or novels. As an ethereal Elf-queen in her later years, it’s hard to imagine the Joan of Arc treatment Galadriel is given in the show. Of course, we already knew she was a wise, powerful leader, but for the first time, we are seeing her in more of an Éowyn position—that of a prideful warrior. Her goal, and perhaps the main premise of the series, is to find and destroy Sauran.
Like Galadriel, we are also introduced to a young Elrond. It’s interesting to see how well-matched Clark is to Blanchett, who complimented the physical traits of Galadriel as noted in Tolkien’s novels. In contrast, while Hugo Weaving was a replica of Elrond, Aramayo differs a lot from the descriptors given to him by Tolkien. Also worth noting is the relationship between Galadriel and Elrond.
In the book series, the two had many telepathic conversations but it was never mentioned they spoke face to face (although I would assume they had to sometimes). The films show them having fairly in-depth, verbal conversations. In this series, they are genuinely good friends. If I didn’t already know the pair end up son and mother-in-law in the future, I would consider their intimate chats with each other a budding romance.
Hobbits were nonexistent in the Second Age, so we are instead introduced to their ancestors called Harfoots for the first time as well. The non-canon Elanor “Nori” Brandyfoot (Markella Kavenagh) and Poppy Proudfellow (Megan Richards) are a duo quite similar to Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee, with Nori exhibiting traits of bravery and Poppy being willing to follow her lead. A few other characters were also written for the show, but it’s a bit early to tell where their paths are leading.
With so much mythological history to delve into, we are given an overabundance, yet necessary, amount of information in the first two episodes. The only issue this creates is several storylines we must keep up with in each episode’s hour. The first season will only have eight episodes, a new one coming out each week, so I imagine it will take a few seasons to catch audiences up to the Third Age we’re all familiar with.
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For super-fans of Tolkien lore, you may be slightly disappointed in the liberties this series takes: from creating new characters to altering predetermined characteristics of beloved characters and their arcs as distinguished in the novels. Even so, such concerns are minuscule in comparison to the breathtaking visuals and exhilarating exploration of Middle-earth’s realms and regions.
The Rings of Power premieres on Prime Video with two episodes on Friday, September 2nd. Check out the trailer here.
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