RINGS OF POWER SEASON 1 RECAP/REVIEW

RINGS OF POWER SEASON 1 RECAP/REVIEW

Welcome and thanks for reading this recap/review on Season 1 of the Rings of Power. The Middle-Earth stories like Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit have had a huge impact on my life and are at the top of my favourite books and movies list so I was beyond excited to get a TV with multiple episodes instead of a stand alone movie. But I was also very nervous bc telling Middle-Earth stories requires extreme loyalty to the Tolkien text and they need to be told a certain way so that they can appeal to both kids and adults bc families should be able to watch Middle-Earth stories together. Amazon originally bought the rights to make Rings of Power bc they wanted ‘the next Game of Thrones’ which is ironic considering S1 was competing for viewership with House of the Dragon, the next Game of Thrones show lol but Middle-Earth is completely different content than Game of Thrones so I was worried that they would try to bring things like nudity and extreme gore into the show. After watching the show, I am very happy to report that Rings of Power has none of that and absolutely feels like a continuation of the Middle-Earth that Peter Jackson’s team(PJ, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens) introduced us to.

They didn’t stay completely true to the Tolkien text but let’s be honest, the only actual completed works of Middle-Earth are the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings, everything else was released after he was dead and finished by other people. I know his son Christopher(RIP) wrote/edited most of the book releases but given his opinions on the movies, I don’t think he is any kind of authority on anything Middle-Earth. So I’m not totally opposed to making changes from the unreleased Tolkien text but they cannot do anything that changes the LOTR/Hobbit story, which they didn’t so that’s def a great start. I don’t agree with all of their changes but they have the story going in an awesome direction so I’m ready to see this ride through to the end. Gotta shout out the reddit user u/DarrenGrey who made an amazing post on the r/LOTR_on_Prime/ subreddit that really helped figure out how true to the lore they were, breaking down each episode. Really great work that is much appreciated, the post can be found here: https://www.reddit.com/r/LOTR_on_Prime/comments/x2ghtb/rings_of_power_tolkien_lore_compatibility_index/

Given the impact on my life, I had to write something about the show and I tried to make it flow along with the show but there may be some things written about out of order. The build through the 1st 5 eps is def slow at times but still very good, even great in spots and man those last 3 episodes are fn bangers and not only justify the build but also the existence of the series. The score by Bear McCreary is phenomenal and really helps make it feel like Middle-Earth. The cinematography is incredible and the scenery shots renew the fire to visit Middle-Earth somehow. Acting is top notch across the board and should get even better as the actors get more comfortable in their characters. Men, Dwarves, Elves, Orcs, it all feels like Middle-Earth and flows perfectly from the movies which should be the standard for anything Middle-Earth in the future. Once the entire Rings of Power storyline is told, I have no doubt it will be revered alongside the movies but I’m lovin it now and hopefully if you aren’t, this piece will change your mind. Don;t look at the seeds and judge them as trees, judge them as seeds and enjoy the process of watching them grow into their potential. I’ll go over each episode 1-8 trying to talk about the events as they appeared on the show with my opinions mixed in. Hope everyone enjoys!

Episode 1 – A Shadow of the Past

“Nothing is evil in the beginning” Galadriel starts off the show with these words as we see her as a child conversing with her brother Finrod and he drops and interesting line, “we cannot know light until we have touched the darkness.” On one hand, without an opposite to compare to you don’t really know what something it bc you have no idea what it is not. But on the other, you may not recognize light as light but you already use and appreciate all the gifts it gives like sight and all the beauty that comes with it so technically you do know light. You could def say that bc of the fall of Lucifer, Heaven and our existence itself is much more valued and appreciated. I think that is probably more what Finrod is talking about but love that the shows gets you thinking right off the bat. Galadriel then narrates the events that led up to the time period of the show talking about the heavenly existence they knew before Morgoth brought evil into the world and we see glimpses of the war the Elves raged on Morgoth and his evil armies. Sauron served Morgoth and is rumoured to have survived after Melkor was destroyed. Finrod pursues Sauron relentlessly but he pushes too far and is captured and killed by one of Sauron’s werewolves. Sauron then marks Finrod’s body with a specific symbol. I guess this isn’t exactly how it went down in the Tolkien text but I like the change and understand why they made these choices. Galadriel is going to be 1 of the main characters so the writer’s are choosing to generate sympathy for her through Finrod’s death and create a desire in the audience to want to hunt for Sauron. It worked on me bc I was drawn in to the search immediately considering we know that Sauron endured and is gonna come back with a vengeance.
Galadriel has taken up Finrod’s quest to find Sauron and we see her leading a group of elves through treacherous territory, searching to the ends of the Earth to find him. The group finds an abandoned stronghold called Forodwaith where Galadriel finds evidence of dark magic and the presence of evil, “our torches give off no warmth,” and uncovers the same symbol that was found on Finrod’s body. A giant snow troll attacks them but we get to see the badass skills of Galadriel on display after she kills the beast. Galadriel believes the symbol is evidence that Sauron survived Melkor’s defeat and is just hiding while he builds his strength but the rest of the company is done with enduring the conditions and say they believe Sauron is gone also refusing to go any further North to search. With no other choice, Galadriel reluctantly returns to Lindon with the group but only to find new companions to accompany her on her search.
Next we are introduced to the Harfoots, a clan of Hobbits that include awesome characters like Nori, Poppy, Sadoc, Largo and Marigold and man was it awesome to watch their scenes. It almost felt theraputic in a way, I guess bc Hobbits are so positive and good that it really feels good to become immersed in their world again. We see them hide from 2 “Hunters of Men” that are wearing big antlers to try and sneak up on their targets. The Harfoots don’t usually see other beings during that time of year so Sadoc and the others are concerned it could be a bad omen. Nori, Poppy and Dilly have crossed into forbidden territory to pick some delicious berries when they spot a Wolf print in the mud and quickly leave to go back home. We see Nori go home to talk with her Largo her Father and Marigold her Mother who scolds her about going into lands beyond their borders despite Nori longing to see what else is out there in Middle-Earth. She would fit right in with the Baggins family no doubt about that.
Galadriel has made it to Lindon, the capital of the High Elves to ask Gil-galad for more troops to resume her search for Sauron when she finds her good friend Elrond who advises her not defy Gil-galad and continue her search for Sauron. But Galadriel can’t just give it up, “You have not seen what I have seen,” really powerful scene. Gil-galad holds a ceremony to honour Galadriel and the Elves in her company for ensuring that no remnant of Morgoth or Sauron remained and I think you could almost hear the collective eye roll from the audience lol def could feel Galadriel’s frustration. As a reward, Gil-galad grants passage to Valinor, basically Heaven for the Elves, and Elrond again cautions Galadriel from going after Sauron. Everyone just wanted the war with Evil over so they overlooked things that should not be overlooked and that is how Evil took hold in the world again. I guess this part has a lot of things that go against the Tolkein text like Galadriel being subservient to Gil-galad. It is true Gil-galad was the High King but Galadriel in the Tolkien text was a respected commander and would have had to ask no one for more troops. Gil-galad granting access to Valinor also goes against the Tolkien text as the journey to Valinor was a personal choice that Elves would make for themselves. I don’t mind the changes, they establish Gil-galad as the highest authority and makes you want to root for Galdriel bc we know she is right.
We head to the southlands of Middle-Earth where an Elf named Arondir is at a bar owned by a man named Waldreg in the town of Tirharad but he is not welcome as the locals despise the Elves that are watching over them. Bronwyn, a local woman that Arondir is interested in, steps in to help Arondir and calm the situation. Great, intense introduction to Arondir and Bronwyn. Arondir goes back to his outpost and hears from his commander that news from Lindon says that any threat from Sauron is no more so the Elves will be leaving Tirharad and abandoning the outpost. Arondir is not pleased but his commander expresses his disgust for the people they are watching over, descendants of Men that fought with Morgoth and tells Arondir to focus on appreciating his return to Elven lands. Arondir can’t just leave so he goes to see Bronwyn to try and express his feelings for her but they are interrupted by a man with a sick cow as Bronwyn is the town healer. After inspecting the cow, Arondir milks an udder but only pure black liquid comes out. The man Tredwill, says that the cow wandered as far as the village of Hordern so Arondir and Bronwyn head there to see if they can determine the cause of the black liquid. We see Bronwyn’s so Theo and the man giving Arondir a gard time at the bar, searching Waldreg’s barn for a hidden item. Theo’s finds it and reveals the hilt of Sauron’s sword that starts filling the air with the Black Speech and we see the same symbol that Galdriel found on the sword. Arondir and Bronwyn make it to Hordern to find it on fire and they know that something bad is happening. Not much changes to the Tolkien text except Arondir’s claim that Elven wounds heal on their own bc while Elves heal faster/better than humans, they still have healers in their culture including Elrond.
Gil-galad talks about foreseeing that Galadriel would stir up the evil that she is seeking and I guess this is a contradiction to the Tolkein text as nothing like it happens. I don’t like this change, kind of undoes the work the have done to get the audience to root for Galadriel and makes Gil-galad seem like a bit of a coward implying he would rather let Evil exist and risk it rising again rather than seeking it out to destroy it. And the evil does rise again to terrible heights so some in the audience could be thinking that Galadriel brought on the rise of Sauron. Doesn’t leave me with much respect for the character of Gil-galad. Next we see Galadriel and others standing on a ship that is heading towards Valinor but at the last moment, Galadriel can’t do it when she knows in her heart that Sauron endured so she takes a massive risk and jumps off the boat to try and attempt the near impossible feat of swimming back to shore. As she jumps off, we see a meteor scream across the sky being seen all over Middle-Earth by the characters we have met finally crashing down right near the Harfoots home. Of course Nori needs to see what it is and sneaks to the spot where it landed she sees the remnants of the smouldering meteor and a man lying in the middle of it. Great way to end the 1st episode as it immediately creates even more intrigue for the episode 2. Tough to say if this is against the Tolkien text, people have been turned into starts but not technically the other way around so we’ll have to wait for further explanations into exactly who this man is.
Everyone should have expected most of the 1st season to be table setting for the main course of the action coming in later seasons and for the most part I liked how they did it. Galadriel needs to convince her fellow Elves and the world to both accept that Sauron has endured and not be scared to face the evil. Arondir, Bronwyn and the Southlands will be on the front lines of Sauron’s rise. The Harfoots will have a part to play with the arrival of The Stranger in the meteor. I was def excited to keep watching and see what E2 had in store.

EPISODE 2 – ADRIFT

Poppy finds Nori at the site of the meteor and worried about the wrong people finding him, they struggle to get him in a cart and try to relocate him. The Stranger wakes up but is speaking a strange language and unable to communicate so he starts to get agitated causing strong winds to start blowing. AT the same time this happens, back at the Harfoots home, Largo is trying to help move a wagon when his ankle gives out and he suffers either a break or a bad sprain. Seemed like this was caused by what the Stranger was doing. That evening, Nori and Poppy try again to communicate with the Stranger and watch as he uses his mind to break open Poppy’s lantern and the fireflies inside it all go to the Stranger. He speaks to them and they fly into the sky, arranging into a pattern that Nori thinks is a clue to where the Stranger comes from. I was loving this storyline but I’m not sure if I want the Stranger to be Gandalf or not. Obviously he looks like him but Saruman looked similar and there are 2 other Wizards that were on Middle-Earth during the Second Age so it could be one of them. For me this is lore that I wouldn’t want the show to change, if the Tolkein text says Gandalf was alive during this time then I want him to be the Stranger but if he actually comes later then I hope it is one of the other wizards.
Back in the Southlands, Hordern is a burned out ruin with no survivors present as Arondir and Brownyn survery the scene and they enter the home of Bronwyn’s friends who did not survive whatever happened. They find a tunnel and Arondir goes to explore it alone as Bronwyn goes back to Tirharad to try and rally the men there to seek shelter with the Elves to prepare for whatever evil wiped out Hordern. Arondir finds an underground pool but as he is sitting there trying to figure out his next move, he is seized from behind and pulled into the dark. In Tirharad, Bronwyn has no luck as the men are not interested in anything to do with the Elves and don’t believe her story so she returns home just as Theo discovers an Orc that has dug a tunnel beneath their floorboard and attacks them. It’s an intense fight, I thought Bronwyn might not make it but she ends up cutting the head off the Orc to finish the fight. She takes the Orc’s head back to Waldreg’s bar to show the men and this is enough to convince them to leave and head to the Elven-outpost. Theo checks out the sword hilt before joing his mother as they all head to the outpost. Def loving this storyline as I don’t believe any of these characters are in the Tolkien text so their fates are unknown giving their scenes a different level of suspense. Arondir is a great addition to the other kickass Elves in Middle-Earth.
We see Elrond go to Eregion, the legendary Elven country, to meet with Celebrimbor who talks about his desire to build a forge that can burn hot enough to forge the Rings of Power that he wants to create. I guess this isn’t technically lore but I like it considering that it takes the most intense heat to destroy it so it makes sense it would take the same to create it. They are going to need help from the Dwarves if they want to accomplish this so Elrond offers to use his friendship with Prince Durin to make the request. They go to Khazad-dum but do not find a warm welcome as they are denied an audience with Prince Durin unless Elrond can defeat Durin in a test of strength and endurance. The contest is going back and forth smashing rocks with a hammer until only 1 person is left standing to swing their hammer. Elrond gives a good effort but ultimately loses to Durin who was just getting started lol Prince Durin is very cold and clearly angry with Elrond who has no idea why until Durin delivers a great speech about how he has got married and had children in the time since they last saw each other 20 years ago. Time moves so much slower for Elves so Elrond didn’t think 20 years was a big deal but to Dwarves 20 years is a long time and I def think Durin has a right to be mad. Elrond immediately realizes he is in the wrong and gives a heartfelt apology to Durin who eventually relents and allows Elrond to meet his family. Man it was so fn awesome to see Khazad-dum in its prime, in the age of spinoffs I hope we get something with the Dwarves.

We are introduced to his wife Disa who plays the dwarf wife perfectly lol but of course some people want to cry bc she is black like I couldn’t imagine getting mad about something like that. That’s how racist some people are, even FICTIONAL characters have to be white. Thankfully the majority of LOTR fans are appreciating her performance, Disa is the reason Durin and Elrond repair their friendship and Elrond relays his request to Durin who agrees to talk to his father. King Durin hears his son’s request but is hesitant to work with the Elves and in a Pulp Fiction moment, opens a chest revealing a shiny object but we don’t see what it is. I was disappointed to learn that the Elrond/Durin friendship is not in the Tolkein text, seems like a big detail that would eventually clash with other parts of the story. Gimli and Legolas hate each other when they first meet so it seems out of place to see a strong alliance between Dwarves/Elves like this. Unless Dwarves get really pissed at the Elves for making and giving them Rings of Power once everyone realizes that Sauron gave himself control over all the Rings. With this friendship, something big needs to happen to create the type of feelings we see with Gimli and Legolas.

Galadriel is making her attempt at swimming back to Middle-Earth when she sees 3 people floating on a raft and they pull her on board but has no time to rest as they are trying to escape a sea serpent. The sea serpent destroys half of the raft killing 2 of the people oin the raft leaving the last one and Galadriel on the remains of the raft. Galdriel and the man who is called Halbrand, escape the sea serpent and start sailing East as they both question each other about who they are and their intentions. Halbrand was driven from his home by Orcs and Galadriel is pleased when he admits that Orcs still walk the ground on Middle-Earth proving she was right. At night the seas starts to storm and Galadriel is knocked into the sea but moments before death, Halbrand is able to find her and pull her to safety on the raft. Galadriel and Halbrand both lie out on the raft exhausted, basically waiting to die when a ship passes over them and a figure blocked out by the light of the sun looks to be rescuing them as the episode ends. You’re not sure if Halbrand is a hero or villain at this point so I was def drawn into the rescue and seeing where this story was going.

EPISODE 3 – ADAR

Arondir is taken to an enslavement camp run by Orcs and sees other Humans and Elves also taken prisoner including 1 humans named Medhor and Revion. The Orcs order them to cut down a beautiful tree as they taunt the prisoners with water and when Revion protests, 1 of the Orc leaders named Magrot kills Medhor. Def did the Orcs right in this show.
the ship that rescued Galadriel and Halbrand was from Numenor and we get to see the city for the first time and it is magnificent. But the Numenoreans are not happy to see an Elf in Numenor and the Queen Regent Tar-Muriel refuses to grant Galadriel passage back to Middle-Earth. We are introduced to Elendil, who was the figure Galadriel saw on the boat and became 1 of my fav characters in the series. Galadriel tells him that she plans to escape Numenor and while Elendil is reluctant to allow that, the two start to form a bond of friendship. She inquired about checking records for the digit she found connected to Sauron and he takes her to the Hall of Records and Galadriel learns that the sigil is actually a sideways map of the Southlands that Sauron plans to turn into a realm for his evil.

-We Are also introduced to Isildur who is kind of important to the story lol he is a young sailor working on a ship with his friends. We learn more about Halbrand, that he is an exiled King from the Southlands which is def interesting considering what Galadriel just learned. Galadriel wants Halbrand to come with her to middle earth and reclaim his throne but Halbrand wants no part of it and plans to remain in Numenor if he can. Halbrand tries to find work as a smith but doesn’t have training with the guild so he draws the ire of a few locals who attack him in an alley. Halbrand pleads with them to reconsider but seems less fearful of being hurt and more fearful about hurting them. Which he does after they attack but he is arrested and thrown in jail. Galadriel finds him and pleads with him to reconsider and come with her to middle earth to redeem their bloodlines since the Elves are responsible for Sauron enduring and Halbrand’s ancestors fought with Morgoth.
-Next we check in with the Harfoots who are getting ready to migrate again and we learn some new things about their culture. Their main motto seems to be “no one walks alone” yet they leave behind anyone that can’t keep up to the rest. They honour those left behind with loving words which is nice but they still leave them behind which is..kind of messed up haha it seems they look at their caravan the way Spartans look at their Phalanx, any weak point could bring down the entire thing so weakness is not tolerated. Never dreamed I would be comparing Spartan soldiers to Hobbits but here we are lol funny to hear the reason some were left behind like Bees but it makes you nervous as a viewer bc we know that Nori’s family is in danger of being left behind thanks to her fathers injury. Survival is not always pretty and I guess it has worked since the Harfoots are still around.
-During a meeting of the caravan, the Stranger who Nori has been trying to keep hidden, wakes up and reveals himself to the Harfoots who do not like strangers. Sadoc and the rest want the Stranger left behind but Nori speaks up for him with a great line, “Without friends what are we surviving for?” No doubt. Sadoc forgives Nori due to her youth and allows them to stay but moves Nori’s family to the back of the caravan which is basically a death sentence with Largo’s injury. The Stranger is starting to understand more language and the bond with Nori is growing as we hear his first spoken word, “friend.” The next day as the caravan departs and Nori’s family is struggling to move their wagon so Nori asks the Stranger to help move the wagon if they help him find where he is going and Largo and Marigold agree. Great moment to see Nori and her family get the wagons moving.
-At the end of the episode, Arondir, Revion and other elves decide to fight back and try to escape so they trip the Orcs with their chains and begin the attack. Arondir kills a warg and then kills Margot with a tree root which gives Revion a chance to escape but as soon as he clears the top he is shot with multiple arrows as Arondir watches helplessly. He is yanked back down to the ground and pinned down when an Orc tells the others to summon Adar who comes out as the Orcs bow and chant his name but we don’t get a clear look at him as the episode ends. I was sure Arondir wouldn’t escape yet but thought Revion might make it and bring back help so those arrows were a big shock. Was def ready to see Arondir kick some more Orc ass lol
-I guess this episode had some significant differences compared to the Tolkien text with the Numenor storyline 1 big one being that Tar-Muriel should not be alive in this time period, her birth comes almost 2000 years later so they are def condensing events and timelines. I don’t know if I like that, Tolkien left pretty clear story information about dates and stuff so I don’t see why you wouldn’t just follow it. The timelines are important to the overrall story so messing with them is dangerous bc the fans will not tolerate anything that changes things for the LOTR and Hobbitt stories. Not to say I didn’t enjoy the Muriel character bc I did, I just want the show to stay as close as possible to the Tolkien text. Other things like Muriel not knowing who Elendil is makes no sense considering he comes from a noble line and the relationship between Numenor and Elves wasn’t as bad as it’s made out in the show. The Tolkien text doesn’t say Galadriel ever went to Numenor so the fact that her going there is tied in with the formation of Mordor could cause problems. Don’t really understand why you would make changes like that but this is the writers interpretation of the events and I am still enjoying the show so I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt.

EPISODE 4 – THE GREAT WAVE

We open with a dream Muriel is having about a Great Wave crashing into Numenor destroying it. She believes this is a premonition of Numenor’s fall brought on by the appearance of Galdriel so she is unwilling to trust her or entertain any positive relations with the Elves. Galadriel confronts Muriel in court about the respect Numenoreans used to have for the Elves and also mentions Muriel’s ailing Father who had love for the Elves and this is enough to have Galadriel arrested and taken to a cell.
In the streets of Numenor, there is unrest amongst the people who are angry about an Elf potentially gaining power in Numenor and things seem like they are moving towards a physical confrontation. Pharazon and his son are walking by as this is happening so Pharazon steps in and delivers a great speech that pumps up the dignity of the human heritage of the Numenoreans and he vows that Numenor will always remain a kingdom of men. The crowd is now 100% with Pharazon and things calm down. I guess the Tolkien text says Numenoreans didn’t dislike Elves but were jealous of their immortality which obviously turns into dislike very easily so the dissent makes sense just wish they had mentioned the jealousy aspect. Gives more depth to the Numenoreans who right now just seem kind of racist but if the jealousy was mentioned then the audience understands the dislike better and might even relate to that drawing them further into the story.
At sea we see Isildur serving with his friends Valandil and Ontamo but Isildur clearly doesn’t have his heart in it and purposely makes a mistake to get himself kicked off. It works but all 3 are kicked off which is bad for Valandil and Ontamo bc they don’t come from noble families like Isildur and needed their place on the ship. I’m glad they were establishing Isildur as selfish bc it was that selfishness and pride that allowed the One Ring to endure.
We finally meet Adar who shows compassion and love for the mortally injured Orc Magrot and gives him a quick, merciful death. Not something you expect with Orcs but def gives them more depth and it’s revealed that Adar is actually a fallen Elf and is acting as Father to the Orcs so it makes sense he would put on a show like this. Adar then speaks to Arondir about lies being told and believed and the delivery of it is fantastic, “You have been told many lies. Some run so deep even the rocks and roots now believe them. To untangle it all would all but require the creation of a new world, and that is something only the gods can do. I am no god. At least, not yet.” Really great stuff. Arondir is allowed to leave so he can deliver a message to the people of the Southlands, “Your people may live if you forsake all claim to these lands and swear fealty to him.” ‘Him’ would be Sauron, of course. Theo barely makes it back to Ostirith alive after his scavenging efforts and runs into Waldreg who knows that Theo found the sword hilt in his barn and makes ominous predictions about Sauron’s return, “Do you know what it is? It is no sword. It is a power. Fashioned by our ancestors by his master’s own hand. A beautiful servant. He who was lost, but shall return. Have you heard of him, lad? have you heard of Sauron? Well, you must have seen it in the skies. A few weeks back now. The star fall. It means his time is near. And it is to you and me, lad, to be ready. THEO: Ready for what? WALDREG: Hush now, lad. You save your strength. You’ll need it for what’s coming.” Makes it easier to endure characters like Waldreg knowing that Sauron is defeated by 2 Hobbits lol

In Eregion, Elrond comments to Celebrimbor about the wonder of Elves and Dwarves working together as they observe the forge being built. Celebrimbor tells Elrond he reminds him of his Father and tells a story about how Elrond’s Father once made a casual remark that Celebrimbor’s fate would one day be in his son’s hands and says he had forgotten about it until that very moment. Back in Khazad-dum, Elrond arrives and looks for Prince Durin but does not find him so he talks to Disa to try and get some info out of her. Disa tries to play it off like a normal day but Elrond notices things are off like Durin’s chiselling axe still there and Disa is making Durin’s favourite meal when he shouldn’t be back for days if he was mining what they said he was. But Disa fires back that Durin didn’t bring his axe bc they were prying it out, not chiselling and an experienced Dwarven climber like Durin does not take days make the climb. She smoked every pitch he threw at her so Elrond has no choice but to be satisfied with the answers lol when Durin gets back Disa tells him that Elrond is there and is very suspicious of what Durin is mining but she was able to keep him in the dark for now. Durin says her cunning is one of the many reasons he married her and she wants to know the others but he says later. Love their relationship, pretty much exactly like I pictured a Dwarven marriage.
But we see Elrond wasn’t convinced as he has searched and found the secret mining operation and he is found by Durin. Elrond asks Durin what the operation is but Durin suggests that Elrond already knows and that the contents of the operation is why Elrond has come. But Elrond tells Durin that he knows nothing of the operation and only came bc of friendship which does not do well with secrets. Durin then asks Elrond to swear an oath, “Durin: I need your oath. Hand to mountain, you’ll never breathe so much as a whisper of what I’m about to tell you to another living soul. Dwarven anger outlives even Elven memory. Break your promise, and the power of this stone will doom you and your kin to sorrow, to your last day on this Middle-earth. Do you swear it Elrond? Elrond: I swear on the memory of my Father, Earendil the Mariner. Anything you tellme here will end in my ears alone.” Great scene. Durin eventually reveals the mithril to Elrond and tells him how the incredible properties of strength and light it has are very valuable to Dwarven society but that it is very dangerous to mine. Sure enough one of the mithril mines collapses trapping 4 Dwarves as Durin goes to try and rescue them. Disa tells Elrond that if he hadn’t gone down to talk with Durin, he would have been trapped in the mine with the other 4 Dwarves. Loved how she sang to the rocks to ask the mountain to release the miners bc it really gave new depth to the relationship between Dwarves and the mountain rock.
Durin returns and knows his father will be very angry since he does not support the mining of mithril but Disa says even the hottest coals eventually cool as Durin remarks that he sometimes wishes they wouldn’t so he could tell his father what he really thinks and be done with him. Elrond gives his friend some great advice, “Elrond: For many years, at day’s end, I would look up at it, wondering what might he think if he were watching me. Would he be proud of what I’ve accomplished with his legacy? Or disappointed by the countless ways I’d failed to live up to it? But then, one night, it struck me that I would only be too happy to hear any judgment, so long as it granted me opportunity to have but one more conversation with my Father. Do not waste what time you have left with yours.” Durin goes to his father to ask forgiveness about the mine collapse and is dismayed that his Father can’t even look at him. But his Father responds, “Our people believe that when a new Dwarf-King is crowned, the voices of all his forebearers flow into him, sharing with him their counsel and wisdom. Even their mistakes. But you, you need not wait for that day to hear my voice. For, ever am I with you, my son. Even in anger. Sometimes, in anger most of all. There is nothing to forgive.” This show is def great at world building. Prince Durin says he believes Elrond that there was no ill-intent in Gil-galad sending him there so King Durin asks his son to use his intuition and Prince Durin says he feels there is something more to it. So King Durin agrees to let his son go with Elrond to Eregion.

In prison, Halbrand tries to advise Galadriel saying that she needs to have a different approach to this situation bc she is not battling orcs or trolls. Galadriel scoffs at Halbrand giving her advice about war but he says the Queen’s court is not her usual battlefield and suggests that she figure out Muriel’s biggest fear and help her master it so Galadriel can master Muriel. Def clear now that Halbrand is a cunning manipulator and Galadriel better have her guard up. Eventually Halbrand helps Galadriel realize that Muriel’s biggest fear is her Father the King, “Halbrand: See what happens when you stop galloping and you give yourself a moment to think. Galadriel: Cease comparing me to a horse. Halbrand: Cease trying to convince me to leave this island and you have a deal.”

Galadriel escapes from the cell and goes to the tower where the King Tar-palantir is bedridden. Galadriel climbs up and into the bed chamber but is surprised to find Muriel and they end up having a heart to heart conversation where Muriel reveals the recent history of Numenor and the King. Muriel also reveals her dream which she first saw in a Palantir and shows Galdriel the Palantir that they have where Galadriel sees the Great Wave destroying Numenor. Galadriel clarifies that the Palantir shows many visions, including some that will not come to pass. Muriel says it has already started with Galdriels arrival. Galadriel responds that if the evil rising in Middle-earth is left unchecked it will devour them all and staying out of the conflict could be the catalyst that begins the downfall of Numenor but still Muriel refuses. Before she leaves Galadriel makes one last plea, “I know what it is to be the only one the only on who sees, the only one who knows. Perhaps neither of us have to bear that burden alone any longer. I beg of you, Muriel, choose not the path of fear, but that of faith. Stand with me. Let Numenor fight alongside the Elves once more. Miriel: Faith may bind one heart, Galadriel. But it is too fine a thread from which to hang a kingdom.” If anyone watching this is new to Tolkien and doesn’t know the LOTR story, Galadriel seems out of her mind but for everyone else we know that she is 100% right.
The next day as Galadriel is being escorted out of Numenor, Muriel sees leaves falling from the tree Nmloth the Fair which is a sign that the Valar, who gave Numenor to the humans, are displeased and she nows what she must do. Muriel stops Galadriel from leaving and announces to the city that Numenor will send ships and soldiers to Middle-Earth to fight alongside Galadriel to face the return of Sauron, “Muriel: There is a fateful hour in the destinies of men. An hour of judgement in which each of us,every one, must decide who we shall be. Are our hearts become as the statues that surround our isle? Or do they yet beat with the blood of the heroes that carved them? Is our valour confined to the graves of our slumbering fathers? Or is it here, amongst us even now, waiting to burst forth as the rising sun? I would neither command, nor invite you to any danger I myself would not face. And so, I’ve decided to personally escort the Elf back to Middle-earth. To aid our mortal bretheren who are now besieged in the Southlands.” Loved that speech and it established that she was a strong leader. Elendil starts to recruit soldiers to join and Isildur, Valandil and Ontamo are more than ready to go. This whole story of Galadriel trying to rally people to fight against Sauron was really dragging after 4 episodes of it so I was very happy to see it finally pick up some momentum at the end of the episode.

EPISODE 5 – PARTINGS

-The episode starts with the Harfoots as Nori tries to teach the Stranger some vocabulary, “Nori: Of course, the only trouble is there is 100 perils between here and there. The Stranger: Perils? Nori: Like a danger you know, wolves, big folk, fog, rain, hill-trolls, cave-trolls, anything that’ll kill you. The Stranger: I’m peril? Nori: No. No. No, you’re not. The Stranger: No. Fireflies. Nori: That was just an accident, you’re not a peril. You’re good. The Stranger: I’m good? Nori: You’re good. Bc you’re here to help” Man I could watch a show just featuring the Harfoots, Nori absolutely embodies everything that a Hobbit is supposed to be and I’m really invested in the Strangers story to see where it goes and who he actually is. Back at camp we get a funny exchange, “Marigold: Poke me with that crutch again, I’ll pluck the hair off your toes in your sleep. Largo: And I’ll pluck off my ears while you’re at it. It’d save me from listening to your snoring. Marigold: Oh stuff, I don’t snore. Nori & Poppy: Yes you do!” Lol
-We see that the 3 mystics that have shown up since the Stranger arrived, are checking out the spot where he landed so we know that they are after him but for good or evil we can’t be sure. Prob evil based on their look but you never know.
-In the Southlands, Bronwyn and Arondir try to rally the people to fight, “Bronwyn: I know I’m not the King you have awaited. But if you choose to stand with me and fight, this tower will no longer be a reminder of our frailty, but a symbol of our strength. Who will stand with me? Who amount you will stand and fight?” Waldreg immediately challenges her, “Waldreg: Stand and fight? Stand and fight? You will die. I’d say it’s better to take our chances bowing to the supposed enemy. Arondir: I have looked the enemy in the eye. He’s not your deliverance. Waldreg: You think you are? Elf? I’ll say this for our ancestors. They lived! Bronwyn: Together we can survive this. Waldreg: Follow me, and, together we will!” They did a great job with Waldregs character bc he was really pissing me off lol
-Numenor is getting ready for the voyage to middle-earth and we see a conversation between Elendil and Isildur about joining the expedition. Elendil isn’t just gonna let Isildur walk back into his position and says that while Isildur was feigning fidelity to the traditions of Numenor, the men on the ship were living them so they will be the ones that get the honour of defending and protecting Numenor. Loved the dynamic with the Father-Son/Commander-Soldier relationship and them both trying to find a balance. Isildur def didn’t deserve to go but you know they will need him.
-Halbrand isn’t happy with Galadriel who he feels used him and his heritage to get what she wanted but she says she is getting 5 ships to sail to Middle-Earth and they will put a crown on his head so maybe it was her being used by him. Oh if she only knew. Galadriel stops by the place where the soldiers are training and shows off her awesome skills by challenging anyone to score a flesh blow on her and Elendil adds that anyone that does will receive an immediate promotion to Lieutenant. A few try with no luck but Valandil is impressive and receives a promotion. Happy to see him make it right after getting screwed over by Isildur.
-Pharazôn debates the mission with his son Kemen who is vehemently opposed to it and questions why his father is taking orders from an Elf. Pharazôn clarifies that when it is finished, Elves will take orders from them and that Muriel may go to war for the elf but he goes to war for Numenor. Kemen doesn’t see how it benefits Numenor so Pharazôn explains that they are saving a people and giving them a King, the trade alone makes it worth it and they will also have a new ally to aid them when they require. Pharazôn says he wouldn’t stop it for anything and neither should Kemen.
-We see Muriel meet with her ailing Father who warns her about going to middle-Earth saying all that awaits her there is darkness.
-Isildur is trying to stow away on the ship when he catches Kemen trying to start a fire that will cause an explosion and he tries to stop him but it’s too late and the ship goes up with Isildur barely able to save Kemen. Beyond frustrating to have the story ready to get moving only for this idiot to try to ruin it lol
-In Lindon, Durin dines with Elrond, Celebrimbor and the High King Gil-Galad and is asked by Gil-Galad about the Dwarves recent surge in activity. But instead of answering, Durin throws the question back making note of the Elves recent quick jump in activity so Gil-Galad doesnlt push it further. Durin makes a big deal about how the table they were didning on actually belongs to the Dwarves and in a gesture of trust and friendship, Gil Galad offers to return the table to Khazad-dum with Durin when he leaves. We find out later that Durin was completely full of shit and just wanted the nice table lol after dinner, Gil-Galad tries to convince Elrond to break his oath and tell him if the Dwarves have found significant stores of mithril but Elrond refuses even after Gil-Galad tells him about the corruption of the mallorn tree in Lindon and that without a large quantity of mithril, the Elves will fade away. I guess this is a big step away from the Tolkien text as nothing at all suggests that mithril would stop the fading of the Elves. The whole ‘Elves need mithril to keep from fading’ is my least fav part of the show, I liked it when mithril was just a ridiculously strong mineral that could be turned into almost impenetrable armour and unbreakable weapons. I guess this is going to be a big reason why Dwarves and Elves hate each other so much in the LOTR story but I think there are far better ways to accomplish that.
-Elrond talks with Celebrimbor about being lied to by the High King and put in a position to either betray his friendship with Durin or use it to get what they need. Celebrimbor has a great response, “Celebrimbor: I was there, Elrond, the night your Father set sail. A mortal man, who believed he could convince the very gods to come to war in our aid. I heard your Mother pleading with him not to go, asking him, imploring him, why must it be him? And do you know what he said? Because he was the only one who could do it.” Would love to see a show about the life of Earendil.
-The Brandyfoot family is attacked by 3 wolves and are about to be killed when the Stranger arrives and saves the day by smashing the ground which knocks the wolves away. The family is grateful but stunned at what they just witnessed. Loved to see The Stranger prove himself as Good.
-Galadriel once again appeals to Halbrand to join them but Halbrand reminds her that not long ago, men like him fought beside Sauron and says she has no idea what he did to end up on that raft and when everyone does, they will cast him out. Galadriel says that sometimes to find the light we must touch the darkness and Halbrand questions what sho could possibly know about darkness. She admits that the dagger she carries belonged to her brother who was killed in a dark place of despair by servants of Sauron. Halbrand comes to the conclusion that vengeance is motivating her but Galadriel counters that one cannot satify thirst by drinking seawater. Great line. Halbrand pushes her to tell him why she keeps fighting, why she is forcing him to return to a place he swore never to return and she simply says she cannot stop. She tells him of her journey of mutiny by her crew, being casted out by her friends bc she feels they could no lomger distinguish her from the evil she was fighting. “Halbrand: I’m sorry. For your brother. For all of it. I’m sorry. Galadriel: Your sorrow cannot ease my pain. And nor will a hammer and tongs ease yours. There is no peace to be found for you here. And nor for me. No lasting peace in any path, but that which lies across the sea. I have fought for centuries, seeking to earn mine. This is how you earn yours.” LFG
-Waldreg takes half of the Southlanders to Adar and pledges their service to Sauron, “Long have I awaited this day. The day your kind would return at last, lift us up from the muck and the filth, to take our rightful place at your side. I pledge my undying service to you. I pledge my loyalty to Sauron. You are Sauron, are you not?” Adar tells Waldreg that he must kill Rowan to prove his loyalty saying that only blood can bind so Waldreg kills Rowan. Hope that Arondir is the one to take out Waldreg and soon please haha
-The other half of the Southlanders have stayed to fight but their will is fading. Arondir is trying to train Theo who questions why Arondir would want to die with them considering the Elves watched them like they were prisoners counting every whisper and every kitchen knife too sharp. Arondir says in counting the whispers and knives, he has come to know the voice and hands behind them saying that despite half leaving, there was half that stayed. Later Arondir discusses Sauron’s sword hilt with Bronwyn saying that the enemy needs it and they know they had it so they will becoming for within hours. Bronwyn starts to suggest submitting to Sauron but Arondir tries to inspire her courage asking if she would want to undue all that has been built by here people since they turned back to Good. She needs him to give her any kind of plan that could lead to victory for them beyond a last stand but Arondir can’t bc he knows their most likely outcome here is death.
-As Durin is set to leave, Elrond finally comes clean that he was sent to Khazad-dum by Gil-Galad to try and obtain mithril to save the Elven race that will fade away into shadow without it. Durin has fun with Elrond about a Drawf having the fate of the entire Elven race in the palm of his hand lol but eventually gets serious and agrees to ask his Father to help the Elves by giving them the mithril they need.
-On one of the boats, Valandil isn’t surprised to see Isildur get another chance he didn’t earn but before Isildur can get cocky, Elendil sends him to the horses for stable duties. As the episode ends the ships begin to depart, “Elendil: Clear the lines! Square the sail! We head nor’east. For Middle-Earth.” Finally lol but man was that a slow week waiting for the next episode.

EPISODE 6 – UDUN

-After a long build over 5 episodes, we finally get things going in Episode 6 and it starts right away as Adar rallies the Uruk to fight against the villagers and performs a pre-battle ritual which he must have learned as an Uruk bc if he was one of the original corrupted Elves, they were corrupted before War was a thing so they would have no rituals. The time is at hand so they march towards the town but it was a trap as a large portion of their host is destroyed when Arondir causes the tower to collapse on them. The villagers are waiting at another town preparing for the coming battle knowing the Orcs will be marching upon them shortly and we see Arondir and Bronwyn’s bond grow stronger as they lead the people. I liked that they were able to have some success against the Orcs, even if it was a small victory.
-The Numenorean host is maiking its way towards iddle-Earth and we see a conversation between Isildur and Galadriel who tells Isildur that his eyes will see the shoreline soon but hers have seen it for an hour lol there was a reason Aragorn used Legolas as his binoculars. Galadriel tells him his work as a stable sweep is honourable and builds character that could better serve a kingdom but he says he didn’t join to change his character. Isildur says he wants to get as far away from Numenor as possible bc it is not the same city that it began as. Galadriel learns his name and says he has his fathers look but he says people tell him he looks like his mother. Elendil approaches and Galadriel asks him about what happened to Isildur’s mother, “Elendil: It is strange. Most of my life, I’ve looked east to see the sun rise over the sea. And west to see it over the land. We’re sailing into the dawn, and yet, to me, it feels like the coming of the night. She drowned.” Man they hit a home run with casting Lloyd Owen as Elendil, I think it could be on the level of Aragorn if he has a big role through the rest of the series. I hope he does bc I love the character and he feels very authentic to Middle-Earth.
-Arondir tries his best to destroy Sauron’s sword hilt but he can’t even make a dent so he tells Bronwyn he is going to hide it and cannot tell her where. As the real battle is set to begin, Arondir tries to rally the villagers, “Take heart. All of you. I have seen smaller aries defeat greater foes. Soon, the sun will set. Do your part, and I swear to you, you shall see it rise again. Do You believe it!? Villagers: Aye! Arondir: Do you believe it!? Villagers: AYE!” Was hoping that Numenor would show up before the battle bc without them, no matter how courageous they were the numbers were not on their side. Theo asks Bronwyn to comfort him with the quote she would use to comfort him as a child when he would get scared during the night, “Bronwyn: In the end, this shadow is but a small and passing thing. There is light and high beauty forever beyond its reach. Find the light, and the shadow will not find you.” Fn love this quote and it’s up there with my fav things to come out of the show. Bronwyn finds Arondir performing a pre-battle ritual of planting seeds so to defy death by planting new life. This is something made up by the writers as the Tolkien text doesn’t have any kind of Elven pre-battle rituals but I don’t mind since his time with Men could have inspired this and it would make sense. It is a cool ritual but they prob should have used a different flower than the one usually planted on graves lol
-The Orcs finally atatck the village but are surprisingly subdued and it seems like the villagers have won the battle relatively unscathed. But as they inspect the dead they realize that the Orcs are not Orcs but the other half of their people that went to submit to the Adar dressed as Orcs. The Orcs learned quickly and excited a trap of their own as arrows rain down upon the shocked villagers. Many are killed and Bronwyn and Tredwill are seriously wounded. Bronwyn instructs a scared Theo on how to save her saying he either does it or she dies. After the villagers have been subdued, Adar enters the town and tells Arondir to give him Sauron’s sword hilt but he refuses to Adar starts ordering the killing of hostages. Theo can’t take it and discloses the location. Adar finds the key and gives it to Waldreg just as the Numenorean host arrives and starts massacring the Orcs in an awesome sequence. Gave me Game of Thrones vibes when(SPOILERS) Stannis and his army massacre the Wildlings. Adar tries to flee but is tracked down by Galadriel and Halbrand stands over him ready to kill as Galdriel tries to intervene, “Halbrand: You remember me? Adar: No. Galadriel: We need him alive, I need him alive! Halbrand: You don’t know what he did. Adar: Did I cause someone you love pain. A woman? Perhaps a child? Galadriel: Eat your tongue. Halbrand, put it down. One cannot satisfy thirst by drinking sea water.” That’s a great line. Really interesting to know that Halbrand had history with Adar.
-Galadriel continues her interrogation of Adar talking about the Elves that were captured and corrupted by Morgoth turning them into a new, evil form of life. Galadriel calls them the Moriondor or the first Orcs but Adar says they prefer Uruk. Galadriel demands to know where Sauron is and Adar says that after Morgoth’s defeat, Sauron sought to heal Middle-Earth and bring the ruined lands together in perfect order. He says Sauron sought to have a power over flesh, a power of the Unseen World and went as far North as he could go with anyone that would follow but something was always missing. A shadow of dark knowledge that he could not touch no atter how much blood he spilled in pursuing it. Adar says that he sacrificed too many Orcs(his children) for this cause so he finally killed Sauron. Galadriel doesn’t believe it bc she knows he is not the only master of this army and Adar tries to talk about his children having no master, that they all have a heart and are deserving of life and a home. This sends Galdriel into a rage saying that the only heart Orcs have was created by Morgoth, that they are pure evil and one day she will kill every last Orc saving Adar for last so he will know that the entire Orc species dies with him lol damn, safe to say Galadriel does not like Orcs. Adar challenges that he is not the only Elf to be transformed by darkness and that her search for Morgoth’s successor might be the reflection in her own mirror. That’s the last straw as she threatens to kill Adar and Halbrand actually has to stop her lol man what a fn great scene they way they had Adar trying to play Galadriel and Halbrand like puppets while they both need eachother to keep from going too far.
-My feelings on this depend on where the story goes. One of the things I liked about LOTR is that Orcs were incarnates of evil so you could hate them and wish for their destruction as much as you want. I def understand the desire to see redemption in those judged unredeemable but for fictional stories I don’t mind having characters that are just evil and that’s it. So if they go down the road of ‘Orcs can be redeemed’ then I prob will not be a big fan but it seems this is more the Elf in Adar wanting to believe that he is something more. Galdriel thanks Halbrand for pulling her back but he says it was her who stopped him first and she encourages hi to free himself of whatever he was talking about with Adar. Halbrand says he thought he never could but fighting beside her today gave him a feeling that ad ehim believe he could overcome anything and she says that she felt something too. This felt a little taboo in that I knew Galadriel was married to Celeborn and was almost sure Halbrand was Sauron but there was some def chemistry felt between between them. That def needs to tread lightly since any deviation would have a significant negative impact on the LOTR story.
-After the battle, Bronwyn thanks Queen Regent Miriel for saving them but Miriel gives credit to Bronwyn for helping them survive until Numenor could arrive. It is time to crown a King as Brownwyn asks Halbrand if he is the King they were promised and he says that he is. The villagers celebrate and start to hail Halbrand as king as Arondir remarks that the men of the Southlands have waited a long time for this while Galdriel adds not as long as the Elves. Theo seems tormented by something so Arondir tries to comfort him saying that anyone would have given up the sword to save lives but Theo says he feels the loss of the sword ore than anything. He says he felt powerful when he held it and Arondir knows that is a very dangerous feeling considering what he was holding so he tells The to be rid of it and give it to Numenor to toss into the sea. But when they unroll it they realize the sword hilt has been switched and they don’t have it.
-We see Elendil imparting some wisdom onto Isildur about the connection Numenoreans have with their horses, saying that when a horse of Westernesse rides into battle, he forms an unbreakable bond with the soldier he bears and they become one over time in tune with the feelings of the other. Isildur questions if Elendil believes he knows the horses feelings but he answers that the horse knows yours and puts an exclamtion point on it revealing that he learned this from Isildur’s mother.
-As the victory in battle is being celebrated, Waldreg has the sword hilt and has taken it to the area with the carvings in the rock where there is a spot for it to be insterted which he does. Waldreg then turns the hilt which starts a chain reaction that causes a dam to burst with the water pouring into the trenches that the Orcs were digging going all over the Southlands but a large concentration of water heads towards Orodruin(Mount Doom). As the water bursts into the magma veins of the volcano, it triggers a huge eruption that sends lava bombs to level the village as the rest of the fire and smoke completely devastates the Southlands. Galdriel can only watch in stunned silence as the devastation catches up and washes over her. I loved the gravity this gave the moment and we know she survives but she isn’t a Targaryen that is immune to fire so might have been pushing it a bit.
-Man what an incredible episode but the end showing the creation of Mordor justifies the entire series for me. Even if they get nothing else right, this can always be the story of the creation of Mordor for Tolkien fans and people that don’t like the rest can just ignore it or stop watching after this episode. But wow the visuals of this were incredible and it was a great moment as a viewer slowly realizing what was gonna happen as the water moved around. Great twist after a pretty much flawless victory by the Numenoreans. This perfectly explains the state of Mordor as we know it without contradicting anything and gives it an awesome backstory that I believe Tolkien himself would embrace. He never wrote a definitive origin for Mordor so I believe he would love this story. The Peter Jackson team allowed us to see the LOTR/Hobbit stories and now the ROP team has allowed us to see the creation of Mordor. Awesome moment that really got me pumped for the last 2 episodes and absolutely paid off and made worth going through the build in the first 5 episodes.

EPISODE 7 – THE EYE

-We begin with Galadriel awakening to the devastation caused by the eruption of Mount Doom and we see Queen Regent Miriel helping move survivors along as Isildur and Valandil discover Ontanmo dead. A woman is trapped in a house so Isildur goes in to get her ut but before he can get back out, the roof collapses on top of him and they have no choice but to leave assuming he is dead.
-The Harfoots have reached their destination, The Grove, but find it destroyed by one of the lava bombs from the creation of Mordor. This is a devastating sight bc they rely on the apples they pick from the Grove to survive over the Winter and there is no plan B until they call on the Stranger to help them. The Stranger obliges and seems to be speaking to the trees but ends up causing a branch to break off of the tree and almost crush Nori and her younger sister Dilly.
-Elrond presents his case to King Durin saying that in exchange for the mithril they need, the Elves will furnish Khazad-dum with game, grain, and timber from the elder forests of Eriador for the next five centuries. Other Dwarves present make comments in their tongue that precious few outsiders can speak but Elrond shows the respect he has by responding to their comment in the common tongue showing he knows how to speak it. King Durin asks why he should trust an Elf but Elrond asks him only to trust him for he is Half-Elven and can see Elves from a perspective full blooded Elves cannot. Giving no answer yet, King Durin asks to speak to his son privately talks to Prince Durin about the Dwarves being create by Aule out of fire and rock and that all things must one day fade away turning to ash. Prince Durin pleads that there is no safety risk to the mithril mining but King Durin isn’t buying it, “King Durin: Delving into depths beyond the darkness. Tempting shadow, rock, and mine to bury us all beneath the mountain. I will not risk Dwarven lives to help the Elves cheat death. Prince Durin: Cheat death!? Father! My friend is drowning, reaching for me to pull him to shore. You expect me to swat his hand away because you’re afraid of a bloody rock fall? King Durin: The fate of the Elves was decided many Ages ago. By minds much wiser, much farther-seeing than our own…Defy their will, and this entire kingdom might fall. Perhaps the entire Middle-earth…I am sorry, my son…But their time has come.” I think we can start to see where the Dwarf/Elf hatred comes from bc you know this is not going to end with the Dwarves happily helping the Elves.
-Prince Durin discusses the conversation with Disa and they are both pissed off at his father, maybe Disa a little more lol but Durin is hesitatnt to defy his father bc he is also the King and what kind of a Father would he be if he taught his kids only to obey they King when it benefitted them. Prince Durin meets with Elrond to try and offer him to stay for supper but Elrond says the High-King must be informed of the Dwarves refusal to provide mithril to the Elves. Instead of goodbye, Elrond says they use the word ‘Namarie’ which means “go towards goodness” and I fn love that. Elrond leaves and Prince Durin is very emotional until finally calling out for Elrond to come back.
-Galadriel is seemingly alone until she finds Theo and walks with him together to find the others if any survived. Theo asks why the euption happened and Galadriel tells him it is to create a shadowland that Orcs can freely dwell in day or night and Theo wants to fight to drive them off but Galdriel says the lands are dead and they don’t have enough anything to defeat them. Galadriel says they must allow this and rally towards the light and the living but Theo still wants to fight. He can see the sorrow in Galadriel and tells her it’s not her fault but she knows that it is.
-Isildur is at the survivors camp helping those just arriving and is looking for Isildur when he finds the Queen but when he asks where his son is, he knows the answer is his worst nightmare.
-Theo laments that all his loved ones are probably dead but Galadriel stops him with a great line, “What cannot be known hollows the mind. Fill it not with guesswork.” Have used this line to check myself multiple times since hearing it. Galadriel has more wisdom when Theo says ‘Good’ upon hearing Galadriel has killed many Orcs, “Galadriel: I would not use such words. Theo: Why not? Galadriel: It darkens the heart, to call dark deeds good, It gives place for evil to thrive inside us. Every war is fought both without and within. Of that, every soldier must be mindful Even I. Even you” So so good man that is wisdom that we need in our battle against satan and his influences in our real world. Great reminder for me personally, it’s content like this why I really embraced this show despite not agreeing with everything. Theo questions if he is now a soldier, so Galadriel gives him an Elvish sword and says they might be able to make one of him yet. Great scene.
-As the Numenoreans are walking towards the camp, Miriel asks how long until they will be clear of the smoke while a concerned Elendil says that they have been clear of it for nearly a mile. Miriel says she only sees gray so they have Elendil guide her horse so none of the people notice. Crazy development that I did not expect and it’s not a part of the Tolkien text so it will be interesting to see where they go with it.
-Nori gives the Stranger instructions about what to look for to find the stars from the page in Sadoc’s book and I was def kind of sad to see them part, even more so when Nori talks with her Mother, “Nori: Should’ve just stayed on-trail. When I saw that star falling, I should’ve just let it alone. Marigold: Elanor… Nori: You tried to tell me, Mother. But now I understand. I’m just a Harfoot. That’s all I’ll ever be. Marigold: Off to bed, Nori. We can tend to the rest in the mornin’” Harfoots are another thing that justifies this series, they are so great and add positively add to the Hobbits legacy. I know lots of people can relate to Nori.
-Theo asks Galadriel if anyone close to her has been killed by Orcs and she says that Orcs killed her brother and her husband which surprises Theo. Galadriel reveals that they met in a glade of flowers as she was dancing, a fact that once again surprises Theo but Galadriel adds that the war seemed so far away then. She even laughed at Celeborn before he left bc his armour didn’t fit, but the war found her as she never saw him again. This is apparently a big change from the text since Galadriel and Celeborn are rarely apart in the Tolkien stories but Celeborn is in the LOTR movies so I’d imagine he will be making some kind of comeback on the show. Theo admits that he gave power to the enemy to do what they did so he tries to take full responsibility but she won’t let him, “Galadriel: You did not intend for this to happen. Theo: I gave power to the enemy. So that makes me responsible. Galadriel: Some say that is the way of things. But I believe the wise also look upon what is in our hearts. And this was not in yours. Do not take the burden of this day upon your shoulders, Theo. You may find it difficult to put it down again. Theo: But how am I to let it go? Galadriel: There are powers beyond darkness at work in this world. Perhaps on days such as this, we’ve little choice but to trust to their designs. And surrender our own. Theo: My home is gone. Where’s the design in that? Galadriel:…I cannot yet see it.” Never understood the criticism Morfydd Clark has received for Galadriel bc for me she is crushing it and this seems spot on to the character that we met in both the movies and books. Orcs are hunting for survivors and start approaching the area so they are forced to hide until the Orcs pass.
-Prince Durin and Elrond are hard at work trying to continue the mithril mining on their own as they banter back and forth about Elrond saying he purposefully lost the rock smashing contest as Durin scoffs so Elrond admits he was winded haha they did a great job establishing their friendship, makes me sad to know something will happen to end it. Durin says he always thought Elrond was a mite Dwarvish for an Elf while Elrond counters that Durin is a rather Elvish Dwarf lol Elrond has some fun about so many of his family being named Durin but Durin says they have their real names that are secret and only blood family know which is true to the Tolkien text. They finally break through the rock and are blown away to find a massive deposit of mithril. King Durin surprises them and has Elrond seized by the guards and escorted out of the mountain.
-Prince Durin has a tough exchange with his father back in their chambers, “King Durin: When your mother bore you, something inside you was ill-formed. Your breathing was ragged and dry. A tiny, pitiful sound, like scraping chalk stones. Folk said you’d never see your first winter. And every night, after your mother’s weeping eyes had found refuge in sleep, I held you to the firelight, kept your chin up all night long. Seemed to ease the burden a little. And one night, I gazed down on your tiny, naked face, and I saw upon it the great gray beard of an old Dwarven-king. Mighty and terrible as an army with banners. And when your mother woke, I told her, she need cry no more. Our son would live and he would move mountains! Prince Durin: How do you expect me to move mountains, Father, if you fall to pieces when I dig a single hole? You speak of greatness for me, but you suffocate in me any ambition, any desire, any thought that does not originate in you. King Durin: The iron that must bear the most heavy of burdens must also endure the most rigorous tempering! Prince Durin: Consigning your allies to death is not tempering. Elrond is as much a brother to me as if he’d been fired in my own mother’s womb. King Durin: How dare you…HOW DARE YOU! Invoke your mother’s memory to defend your decision to betray your own kind? Prince Durin: No! It’s you that’s betrayed our kind! Squandering our future so you can cling to the past! You profane the crown you wear!” King Durin removes the royal neck-crest from Durin that signifies that he is the Prince and tosses it to the ground as he leaves. Durin goes to pick it up but King Durin coldly says, “Leave it. It’s not yours anymore.” What a fn intense scene man the King was really pissing me off but I was stunned that he would go that far to punish Prince Durin.
-Inside the tent, a depressed Nori scolds Poppy for eating an apple since they need to conserve what they have but Poppy tells her to look outside and when she does, Nori see’s apples as far as her eye can see. Looks like the Strangers magic worked and caused apples to start growing in such abundance that Margo says they have enough for multiple feasts with more than enough to last to Frozen Fish. Poppy is singing and the mood is celebratory until the 3 mystics that have been interested in the Stranger show up and do not look friendly at all. Nori tries to misdirect them but they threaten her as the Harfoots come to her aid and Margo tries to use his torch to protect them but the mystic grabs it and uses magic to cause the Harfoots camo to burst into flames asthey all scream in horror. Man in the moment I thought there were people in the tents that were burning alive so it was a pretty intense moment for me lol thankfully i guess it was just all their apple crops and some supplies which is devastating to them for sure but at least it wasn’t people they lost.
-Elendil and the others try to lead Isildurs horse but he won’t listen to anyonebut Isildur which is like a sword piercing Elendil’s heart and he exclaims that he wishes he had never pulled the Elf on board and just left her in the sea. Sad to hear that Elendil lose faith in Galadriel and the mission but you can’t really blame him.
-Galadriel and Theo find the survivors camp as Theo is reunited with Bronwyn and Arondir while Galdriel finds Miriel as the Numenoreans are preparing to sail home. Elendil is eager to leave the shores behind for good but is emotional when he hears Miriel vow to return with Numenors full force to confront thus newly risen evil. Halbrand there but is badly injured and requires an Elvish healer for his wounds.
-It’s somber at the Harfoots camp but Largo tries to rally their spirits, “Marigold: Pity’s sake, Brandy foot. Give us a moment to weep. Largo: Weepin’? Is that all you think we have left in us? We’re Harfoots! Look, we don’t slay dragons. Not much for diggin’ jewels. But there’s one thing we can do, I warrant, better than any creature in all Middle-earth. We stay true to each other. No matter how the path winds, or how steep it gets, we face it, with our hearts even bigger than our feet. And we just keep walkin’.” I don’t know, it’s a great speech and I love that he mentions the things Biblo was involved with haha but the Harfoots were gonna leave the Brandyfoots behind when Largo messed up his ankle so the staying true to each other stuff is probably more of a Brandyfoot thing than Harfoot lol Malva admits to Sadoc that Nori was right to help the Stranger and that they need to try to help warn him about the 3 mystics following him. They put together a team and head off to try and find the Stranger. Maybe not leaving the Stranger behind will begin a new philosophy for the clan.
-Arondir questions Galadriel about Miriel keeping her promise but Galadriel assures him that she will. Bronwyn says the surviving Southlanders will make a fresh start in an area that used to be an old Numenorean colony so Galdariel says she will return to the High-King to accept whatever consequences he has for her but Bronwyn asks, what about their King. Galadriel is shocked to find Halbrand alive but he wishes he had died since his wound is bad and has turned for the worse overnight. Despite being unsure if he can survive the ride, they have no choice bc his wound requires Elvish healers so they head off as the Southlanders chant for Strength to the King and the Southlands. Before they leave, Theo tries to give Galadriel back the sword she gave him but she tells him to “keep it, soldier.” Nice moment.
-Prince Durin is blaming himself for failing Elrond but Disa emphasizes that his father is the only one to blame and when he is gone, the kingdom will belong to them and they will dig for the mithril that is rightfully theirs. Back at the mine, King Durin is looking at the corrupted leaf that Elrond brought as he tells the to seal the mine and throws the leaf down the shaft but when the leaf hits the bottom, it immediately burns up and we see that a Balrog has been awakened. Def a badass moment but I feel like it all kind of contradicts dialogue in LOTR bc Saruman said the Dwarves delved too greedily and too deep and that awakened the evil that brought their doom. But in ROP we see that the digging was not out of greed but out of love for a friend. I guess you could argue that the reason they were digging deep enough to discover the mithril in the first place was greed but Saruman could be lying or twisting the truth as well. Or maybe in the coming seasons we see that King Durin does mine the mithril but uses all of it to create armour and weapons instead of helping the Elves which would tie in with the greed aspect of it.
-We end the episode with another badass moment as Adar tells the Orcs they can cast off their sun cloaks as they are no longer burdened by the sun in these lands bc it now belongs to them and is their home. Waldreg starts to lead the Orcs in chanting “Hail Adar, Lord of the Southlands” but he stops them saying that is the name of a place that no longer exists. They ask what name they should use as the text on the screen changes from ‘The Southlands’ to ‘Mordor.’ Fck what an awesome ending an like I said for episode 6, the creation of Mordor justififes the existance of this show and that name transition was the icing on the cake. Fn awesome stuff.

EPISODE 8 – ALLOYED

-The Stranger reaches a place called the Greenwood but is found by the Mystics who start to worship him and call him Sauron. Was really hoping he wasn’t but it was def possible so I was concerned lol
-Elrond is speaking with Celebrimbor about them being out of time to come up with a solution to their problem after being denied mithril by King Durin bc Gil-galad will be arriving shortly and then the Elves will have to abandon these shores forever. As they are discussing the thought of matching the powers that wrought the sun, Galadriel arrives with Halbrand and they quickly move to get Halbrand the help he needs. Elrond apologizes to Galadriel for not trusting her and forcing her to go on that ship but she says that she leapt from the ship bc in her heart she did not yet feel worthy and also felt that her task on Middle-Earth wasn’t finished yet.
-Celebrimbor is surprised by Halbrand in his workshop but Halbrand doesnt know who he is and immediately turns on the charm acting like he is a big fan of Celebrimbor and talking about how great he is. Clearly flattered, Celebrimbor qucikly confirms his identity and Halbrand gets right to it sniffing around Celebrimbor’s work clearly looking for something specific. Halbrand finds the piece of mithril Prince Durin gave Elrond and it’s clear he knows more than he is letting on, “Halbrand: What is it? Celebrimbor: Not enough. Halbrand: Enough for what? Please. Have you tried combining it with other ores? To better stretch it out? Celebrimbor: That wouldn’t be suitable for this ore. Halbrand: Why not? Celebrimbor: Because in the amounts we need, it would too greatly dilute its unique qualities. Halbrand: Forgive me, but, uh, at the risk of sounding a fool, couldn’t the right alloy also amplify those qualities? Celebrimbor: Uh… Amplify? Halbrand: Where I came up, precious metals were scarce as hens’ teeth. So we learnt to combine them, to harness strengths and hide flaws. I’ve seen a trace of nickel added to iron to make a blade lighter and stronger. Might there not be some alloy to amplify the qualities of your ore? Celebrimbor: Well, that is… an intriguing suggestion. Halbrand: Call it… a gift.” Motherfcker lol
-In Numenor, the King is dying so Pharazon informs his children they will have a half hour audience with the King every day so they should use it wisely. Earien is with the King to draw a sketch of him when he starts to die but before he does, he believes she is Miriel so he tells her Numenor must returns to their old ways or perish. Then he pushes her to look into the palantir but warns her not to look to long or end up like him not being able to tell the difference between what is from what was, what was from what will be. Looks like Earien will have a much bigger impact on the show in the coming seasons if she is looking into a palantir.
-Gil-galad has arrived in Eregion so Celebrimbor, Elrond and Galadriel propose their plan to turn the mithril into an object that will create a ‘power over flesh’ and save the Elven race. Gil-galad is surprised to hear that a low man like Halbrand gave Celebrimbor the key advice to potentially achieve this goal. Celebrimbor says it will be small but should be circular so the light can arc back upon itself in one broken unround building to a power that is all but unbounded. Gil-galad says they are out of time, since the eruption of Mount Doom the tree in Lindon is bleeding leaves and the last will fall soon which means the end of the Elves. Elrond appeals to be given 3 weeks to give it a shot but Gil-galad declines and orders they start disbanding the city and come to Lindon. Galdriel is shaken at Celebrimbors use of the phrase ‘power over flesh,’ the same line she heard Adar use when talking about Sauron and she asks where he heard it and Celebrimbor tells her it was Halbrand. Elrond catches up with Gil-galad asks for 3 months to complete the work saying he is owed that but Gil-galad says that he is owed nothing and that his request is merely a fools hope. Great response from Elrond, “Hope is never mere. Not even when it is meager. Or have you forgotten your own counsel?” Hard to argue with your own words lol Elrond finds Celebrimbor and tells him Gil-galad has given them 3 weeks and he is not optimistic of their chances but will give it a shot.
-Galadriel goes to the archives and requests everything they have on the Southlands but specifically royal lineages and bloodlines. The archiver tells her the record are limited and the information she wants would need to be scoured for in the catacombs but Galadriel needs it. She runs into Halbrand who thanks her for saving his life and pushing him to reach heights he never thought possible but she says he also saved her life so their scales are balanced.
-The 3 Mystics catch up with The Stranger and start talking to him about coming with them to their lands and telling him about who they think he is. They believe he is Sauron and watch as he struggles to control his magic saying that he will learn to control them when they get back to their lands. They are about to bind him when Nori and the Harfoot team shows up to try and rescue the Stranger but it was an illusion as The Stranger is really a Mystic but Marigold finds the real Stranger in the woods. In an awful turn of events, they lose track of 1 of the Mystics and Sadoc is hit with a knife thrown by 1 of the Mystics trying to help Nori escape. The Stranger starts to fight the Mystics with magic but is overpowered by 1 of the Mystics but the Harfoots start attacking her with rocks and Nori is able to steal her staff. She tries to give it to the Stranger but he says the Mystics showed him who he really is and that he wil only hurt her and her family but Nori says that each person chooses what they are by what they do and she knows he is here to help. The Mystics are winning and the Harfoots are trying to comfort each other as death gets closer but the Stranger finally accepts who he is, “Stranger: From shadow you came. To shadow I bid you return! Mystics: He is not Sauron. He is the other. The I star. He is… Stranger: I’m good!” Boom the Stranger delivers a powerful surge of magic and the fight is over and the Mystics are destroyed along with the staff. Such an awesome moment and was a beautiful pay off to the Strangers story this season.
-But the happiness is short lived as Sadoc is mortally wounded, “Marigold: Hold still. We’ll find a way to carry you back. Sadoc: Sorry, good lady. I’m afraid I’m about to go a’ wandering off-trail. Poppy: Mr. Burrows… Sadoc: It’s all right, Proud fellow. The missus will be waitin’. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d just like to sit a while, watch the Sun come up.” And they all sit with Sadoc to watch the sunrise and he passes away shortly after it comes up. Fn sad man I loved his character and thought we had at least a few seasons with him but he went out like a true leader and protected his people.
-Miriel is practicing counting how many steps it takes to reach things as Elendil tries to help and encourage her but she warns him about patronizing her as she knows she is struggling. Elendil tells Miriel that he could have left Galadriel in the sea or refused to go to Middle-Earth or not allowed Isildur to go but he did bc Elendil does not merely mean “one who loves the stars” he just never thought they would lead to his current tragedy. His father told him the cost of following the way of The Faithful is committing to pay the price, even if the cost cannot be known and trusting that, in the end, it will be worth it. Miriel knows the cost is dear but swears that she will make it worth it in the end. As they approach Numenor, Elendil is stunned to see the black flags of mourning flying meaning that the King is dead and Miriel senses something is wrong but Elendil is speechless. Oh man it might be a totally different scene that Miriel walks back into, she is gonna need Elendil more than ever.
-There is an explosion in Celebrimbor’s forge as another attempt to combine the metals and they are frusted thinking it would’ve worked this time. Galadriel suggests a break saying they have been pushing themselves too hard and this causes a lightbulb to go on for Halbrand who suggests they have been taking the wrong approach and should be trying to lightly coax the metals together instead of using great force. Later Halbrand tracks down Galadriel to excitedly tell her that they have made another breakthrough figuring out that it is too powerful for one object so they are making 2 objects but they will be smaller than a crown. He asks Galdriel to come see them but she has had enough and demands to know who he really is. Halbrand tries to feign ignorance but Galadriel reveals she has learned there is no King of the Southlands, that the line was broken and the last man to bear his crest died over 1000 years ago. He says he did tell her he found it on a dead man and she is in denial of the truth she knows is coming. She says he saved her on the raft but he says that it was her who saved him. She says that he convinced Miriel so save the Southlands but he corrects her saying it was her who convinced Miriel and he wanted to stay in Numenor. She reminds him he even fought with her but he says it was against her enemy and his. Galadriel demands to know his name and he says, “I have been awake since before the breaking of the first silence. In that time… I have had many names.” Chilling. She knows now that he is Sauron and attacks him but he sends her into her subconcious where she sees her brother and he is actually defending Sauron. The fn nerve of this guy.
-Galadriel then finds herself back on the raft with Halbrand who tries to say he is her friend but she says he is only a friend of Morgoth, “Halbrand: I am your friend. Galadriel: You are a friend of Morgoth’s. Halbrand: When Morgoth was defeated, it was as if a great, clenched fist had released its grasp from my neck. And in the stillness of that first sunrise, at last, I felt the light of The One again. And I knew if ever I was to be forgiven… That I had to heal everything that I had helped ruin. Galadriel: No penance could ever erase the evil you have done. Halbrand: That is not what you believe. Galadriel: Do not tell me what I believe. Halbrand: No. You told me. After our victory, you said that whatever I’d done before I could be free of it now. Galadriel: You deceived me. Halbrand: I told you the truth. I told you that I had done evil, and you did not care. Because you knew that our past meant nothing, weighed against our future. Galadriel: There is no such future. Halbrand: Isn’t there? All others look on you with doubt. I alone can see your greatness. I alone can see your light. Galadriel: You would make me a tyrant. Halbrand: I would make you a queen. Fair as the sea and the Sun. Stronger than the foundations of the earth. Galadriel: And you. My king. The Dark Lord. Halbrand: No. Not dark. Not with you at my side. You told me once, that we were brought together for a purpose. This is it. You bind me to the light. And I bind you to power. Together, we can save this Middle-earth. Galadriel: Save? Or rule? Halbrand: I see no difference. Galadriel: And that is why… I will never be at your side. Halbrand: You have no choice. Without me, your people will fade. And the shadow will spread and darken to cover all the world. You need me. Galadriel: I should have left you on the sea. Halbrand: A sea you were on because the Elves cast you out. They cast you out for deigning to beg them for a few petty soldiers. What will they do when you tell them that you were my ally? When you tell them voice changes that Sauron lives because of you? AND YOU WILL DIE BC OF ME!!” So fcking good man esp the part where Halbrand says the same line Galadriel uses in Fellowship of the Ring when she refuses to take the ring from Frodo so now we def understand why she was so afraid of the wearing ring.
-Galadriel thinks she is drowning in the sea when she awakens from her subconcious state but Elrond is actually pulling her out of the Glanduin. Takes a second but she gets her senses back and tells Elrond that Halbrand is gone but they must never treat with him again and gives him no other info than that just asking him to trust her. She also tells them they must make 3 rings bc 1 will corrupt, 2 will divide but 3 will keep balance. To accomplish this, they need the Gold and Silver that Finrods knife is made of so Galadriel must sacrifice this to make the rings and save her people.
-The Stranger is now able to fully converse with no issues so Nori asks if his memory has returned and he says only fragments but he can discover more when he gets to Rhun. Nori tries to dissuade him from going saying the Mystics might have been lying but he says he feels very strongly that it is right for him to go to Rhun. She asks what the other name, Ishtar, that they called him means and he says it means wise one or wizard. Nori doesn’t him to go but he says sometimes their paths are laid out for them and they have to follow their hearts no matter the perils that may lie ahead. Back at the Harfoots camp, Malva is getting ready to lead them for the first time and thinks she found them an easy trail but the map was upside down and it’s actually a hard journey lol they share a wish that Sadoc was still leading them but they know he is still with them. Nori’s family stops her and tell her she is going with the Stranger bc they know he needs her. Was def happy that Nori was going with the Starnger but it was tough to see all the goodbyes, “Largo: Some father. Here you’re heading into the big beyond and I haven’t taught you a bloomin’ thing. Nori: Oh. Hey. Sure you have. Always quench your fire with water and earth. Don’t squat by a river. Never know when you’ll need a drink downstream.(LOL) And… And a Harfoot without manners is as like to get far in life as a square wheel. Largo: Square wheel… Nori: I was listening to all of it, Father. Marigold: Find where the river runs. Where the sparrows learn their songs. Nori: I will, Mother. And I’ll be careful. Marigold: No. You’ll be bold” When’s the last time anyone dusted this damn place lol Ah man such a great scene, the Harfoots added so much to the show and this def brought out the emotions.
-Then we get the real goodbye between Poppy and Nori and man if anyone was holding out at that point they were def done lol I can’t believe she is going without her Sam! Loved Poppy and her frienship with Nori so I hope this isn’t the last of it for awhile. Nori and The Stranger get ready to leave, “The Stranger: Are you certain? Nori: More than ever. The Stranger: Well, they’re all waving at you. Nori: If I turn around, I won’t ever be able to leave. The Stranger: Well, then perhaps it would be best if you lead off. Nori: Uh… Uh, now that it comes to it, my feet feel heavy as iron. Not to mention, I haven’t an inkling which way to go. The Stranger: Ah. Hmm. Mmm. There it is. Nori: Are you sure? The Stranger: Not entirely. There’s a sweet smell on the air this way. When in doubt, Elanor Brandy foot…always follow your nose.” Man I can’t express the feeling of happiness and comfort that came over me after hearing the Gandalf line. You know I was initially hoping it was 1 of the Blue Wizards bc the timelines don’t really match up but fck it man I’m so down with Gandalf being the Stranger, he is one of the greatest fictional characters and I love watching/reading him. Absolutely cannot wait for S2 to see the journey of Nori and the Stranger continue.
-Celebrimbor, Elrond and Galdriel finish the 3 Elven rings but Elrond gives Galadriel a look of concern rather than happiness bc it’s a huge risk to mess with a power you don’t fully understand.
-S1 ends with Sauron, who has made his way to Mordor presumably looking to claim his throne and the scene fades to black as Where the Shadows Lie by Bear McCreary and Fiona Apple plays us out. Love that song man so haunting, just the perfect vibe for the story and where it’s going.

Man this is gonna be a long wait for S2 lol that brings us to the end of S1 and like I said in the intro, the last 3 eps of the season are absolute bangers and set up the series for an exciting future. I’m interested to see why they had the 3 Elven rings made first when the Tolkien text had them made after the 16 given to Dwarves and Men bc obviously they have a storyline reason for it and it wasn’t just a random oversight or change. Given the direction they have the story going, I’m more than willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and watch their vision play out. The energy I felt when you start to realize the Stranger might be Gandalf makes me fine with it being him despite the timeline not quite matching the Tolkien text. I’d also be fine if it was a Blue Wizard and they are all just awesome people that use similar phrases. I guess my biggest criticism would be that you almost need spoilers to really appreciate the show and specifically the ‘Who is Sauron’ mystery. Only reason I knew to be looking for who Sauron might be is bc I was reading all the discussions, but if I was watching blind, there is nothing that would make me think Sauron would be one of the characters in disguise. This seems like the rare case where you actually enjoy it more having spoilers so I’m almost thinking I should read the Tolkien text that the show is based on so I’m 100% ready for what is coming next. But at the same time it’s nice to have some legit suspense watching the show and not knowing for sure the fate of certain characters or the outcome of certain events.

Overall I think the show is great but I realize that it has recieved a ton of criticism, some legitimate and some ridiculous. I mean there are some people clearly hate watching the show to specifically pick out things they don’t like and there isn’t anything that the show could put on the screen to satisfy them. Stories flow differently in visual entertainment than they do in a book so things have to be structured differently meaning some changes need to be made but you have critics that expect the show to be a word for word adaptation of the books and that just isn’t possible. That’s why nobody could tell me JRR Tolkien wouldn’t love the movies, he would understand things need to be done differently for film and he would champion the changes and movies Peter Jackson and his team made. Books get to use ours imaginations which have no budgets, physicial limits, dangerous stunts, etc…. 1 paragraph of a book could be 8 figures of budget, require weeks of filming and stunt professionals pushing the limits to make things look real. Sometimes it just isn’t possible and things have to be changed but that doesn’t ever seem to be reflected in most criticism. They have changed things that didn’t need to be changed and some changes I don’t initially understand or like but we need to see more of the story to know whether the changes are truly good or bad for the story. Everyone can enjoy what they want but man I don’t think there are enough significant reasons to not let yourself enjoy this show, it’s worth to be back in Middle-Earth.

Once more seasons have been released and the story becomes more complete, I guarantee S1 will become a ‘cult hit’ in that it will become more loved long after its release. When Rings of Power was first announced I was nervous, but now I’m so happy to not only be watching an awesome TV show but to be back in Middle-Earth for the forseeable future. And now instead of only the 6 movies for our LOTR marathons, we have 8 more hours of awesome Middle-Earth content with many more to come in this story and others that might be greenlit down the road. I’m happy the show has introduced me to a great crew of actors, but gotta highlight Morfydd Clark picking up right where Cate Blanchett left off and Charlie Vickers crushing it as the new face of Sauron. Not easy but I think they are doing a great job. But as I said earlier, the whole cast is doing a great job. Dwarves feel like Dwarves, Elves feel like Elves, Orcs feel like Orcs, can’t think of anything that isn’t holding it’s weight. Creation of Mordor is the peak of S1 and will prob be the tentpole legacy of the show.

I’ve talked enough so I’ll stop here but hopefully I have convinced some naysayers to become yaysayers lol if that’s a thing. I fn love Middle-Earth man so I just want to help others that also do be able to appreciate this show and enjoy it. Can’t wait for S2 and hopefully the show is a success so we can see more Middle-Earth after they are done telling the Rings of Power story. Thanks for reading!

Namarie

Truth & Consequences

*If this blog offends you, deal with it.

RINGS OF POWER SEASON 1 RECAP/REVIEW

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