The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power Season 1 allowed fans to return to Middle-earth while introducing a new side to J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendarium. Depicting the Second Age, the period when the Rings of Power were forged, there was a lot of ground to cover. While some Rings of Power‘s characters and places seemed unrecognizable, this was still the same Middle-earth and the story held all the themes Tolkien cherished. Power can be forged, cities rise and fall, evil tries to rule while the most unlikely heroes beat it down, and hope never fails.
Season 1 of the Amazon Prime Video series laid the foundations of a broader story about the forging of the 19 Rings of Power and the One Ring in the Second Age. From the beginning, it explored many different subplots, set in different awe-inspiring places and driven by characters with their own unique abilities and strengths. It took viewers on a turbulent ride full of cinematic action scenes, shocking plot twists, and tons of juicy drama that warmed hearts, quickened pulses, and inspired many emotions. Every episode had a purpose to the story and set up Season 2. Whether an episode took time for world-building or set a fast pace with epic scene after epic scene, it was all part of the ride that was Rings of Power Season 1.
8 “Adrift”
Season 1, Episode 2
Nori (Markella Kavenagh) yearns to explore the outside world, but she never imagined something from literally outside the world would land in her lap. The Stranger (Daniel Weyman) falls out of the sky, and she struggles to keep it a secret. Something mysterious also happens in the Southlands. Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova) explores a tunnel dug under the remains of Hordern but is captured by orcs, leaving Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi) and Theo (Tyroe Muhafidin) to fend for themselves during an attack. In Eregion, Elrond (Robert Aramayo) suggests asking the Dwarves for help making Celebrimbor’s (Charles Edwards) forge, as he’s old friends with Prince Durin (Owain Arthur). However, at Khazad-dûm, Durin reveals his hurt at Elrond’s long absence. In the Sundering Seas, Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) meets Halbrand (Charlie Vickers), someone she thinks can lead her to where Sauron is wreaking havoc. After saving each other, they are finally rescued.
Rings of Power Season 1, Episode 2, answers the few questions left unanswered in the first episode, but that’s really all it does. There aren’t even many burning questions at this point in the series. The meteor turns out to be a man of some kind, but nothing else is revealed about him. It’s not too shocking that Arondir is captured in the tunnels or that Galadriel finds something out in the Sundering Seas. There are a few great action scenes, including Bronwyn’s fight with the orc, the worm’s attack, and Galadriel and Halbrand’s fight through the storm on their raft. It’s also fascinating to finally see Khazad-dûm in all its glory. However, overall, the episode is the slowest of the season, as the drama and storyline have yet to reach the high of its complexity.
7 “Adar”
Season 1, Episode 3
Arondir discovers what’s been happening in the Southlands right under the Elves’ noses. The orcs have been kidnapping Elves and Men and making them dig trenches. His friends die during an escape attempt, but he’s spared and taken to Adar (Joseph Mawle). Meanwhile, Galadriel and Halbrand’s dire situation drastically changes after a sea captain called Elendil (Lloyd Owen) rescues them and brings them to Númenór. However, their presence shakes things up for Queen Regent Míriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) and the careful bubble around the island. While Galadriel makes discoveries in the Hall of Lore with Elendil, Halbrand is thrown in jail after getting into a fight. Galadriel returns to tell her companion she knows why he doesn’t fit in with the islanders. He’s the heir to the Southlands’ throne. As Elendil’s son Isildur (Maxim Baldry) struggles to find his path, so does the memory-less Stranger.
Episode 3 only mainly contains filler or minor details that build the greater storyline. The Southlands’ subplot thickens as we discover what the orcs have been up to, at least on a base level. Discovering the Southlands are in peril makes Galadriel even more impatient to leave Númenór but also ignites a desire to involve the Númenóreans. Apart from that, the episode is only memorable for introducing Númenór and two of Tolkien’s famous characters, Elendil and Isildur.
6 “The Great Wave”
Season 1, Episode 4
Halbrand and Galadriel’s stay in Númenór gets more complicated as the Númenóreans protest their presence following the fight. Galadriel doesn’t help, trying to convince Míriel she came to the island for a reason: to secure an army for the Southlands. Her persistence and insolence landed her in prison. After escaping, Míriel condenses she will not send aid as the palantir has warned of disaster. Galadriel’s appearance on Númenór is the beginning of the end. The Southlanders’ situation worsens as they have little food, and Arondir tells them Adar’s message. In the Eregion, Elrond becomes suspicious of Durin. After investigating, he discovers that the Dwarves are hiding Mithril in Khazad-dûm, but Durin makes him swear to secrecy. As Galadriel leaves for Middle-earth, the white tree petals fall, letting Míriel know she’s made a mistake. She decides to send aid to the Southlands.
Like Episode 3, Episode 4 thickens the season’s plot, but many details are hardly memorable. The only major moments happen in Númenór, but even Galadriel’s quest to gain aid for the Southlands is drawn out. All it proves is that she’s persistent, which we already knew, and puts some padding into Míriel’s story. It was inevitable that she’d send aid to the Southlands. Elrond discovering the Mithril is a pivotal moment, but at this point, we don’t exactly know why. Nothing about Soutlanders’ situation in this episode is particularly surprising either.
5 “Partings”
Season 1, Episode 5
The Southlanders decide whether to fight or stand with Adar. About half leave, but Arondir reassures Bronwyn there’s hope. Galadriel prepares the Númenóreans soldiers accompanying her, Míriel, and Elendil to Middle-earth. The expedition is nearly ruined when Kemen (Leon Wadham) sets two of the five ships on fire, but it also inadvertently allows Isildur to join the ranks. Halbrand initially refuses to come along, but after a tense conversation with Galadriel about good and evil, he decides to leave. On the trail, The Stranger proves his worth again by protecting the Harfoots as the Mystics follow close behind. In Lindon, Elrond discovers Gil-galad’s (Ben Walker) scheme involving the Dwarves and Mithril. However, his oath to Durin keeps him from exposing the ore’s existence, even though he wants to save his people. Elrond confides in Durin, who agrees to help.
This is when things start ramping up in Rings of Power. Preparations for battle have commenced, and some of the most powerful characters are placing their pawns and showing their true intentions. Two storylines are about to diverge, while the third gets juicier as the Mystics close in on the Harfoots and The Stranger. Everything is on the line, and every character is starting to find their true path. Still, despite this being the first episode where the story feels like it’s changing, building toward something epic, it’s still pretty slow and actionless.
4 “A Shadow of the Past”
Season 1, Episode 1
Reminiscent of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, Rings of Power‘s Galadriel begins the story with a monologue and backstory. She grows up in Valinor, but the Elves leave their home to fight Morgoth after he destroys the Two Trees. During a centuries-long war, Sauron, Morgoth’s lieutenant, kills Galadriel’s brother. She takes up Finrod’s mantel to find and destroy the Dark Lord. Her persistence in finding the enemy earns her a mutiny, and she’s doubted further by Elrond and Gil-galad in Lindon. They conspire to exile her back to Valinor, having grown tired of hearing her claim evil is rising. Meanwhile, Nori feels confined in the bubble the Harfoots built and yearns for adventure. The Southlanders feel just as confined, being kept under careful watch by the Elves. As a meteor soars over Middle-earth, Galadriel jumps from the ship bound for Valinor.
Rings of Power Season 1 Episode 1 effectively introduces a very complicated story. The beginning backstory lays the foundations for the series and Galadriel’s hatred for Sauron and all the evil in Middle-earth. Her origin story might seem a little slow initially, but it explains almost everything about her. The rest of the backstory shows a war-ravaged First Age that transitions into an even more discontent Second Age through an epic cinematic lens. However, when Galadriel is not fighting a cave troll or looking Valnior in the eye, parts of the first episode drag while setting the stage for more.
3 “The Eye”
Season 1, Episode 7
Following Orodruin’s eruption, Galadriel awakens under the cover of ash and smoke, separated from everyone. She finds Theo, and they make for the Númenórean camp. While helping survivors, Isildur is caught in a collapsing building, while Míriel is left blind. Somehow, the eruption reaches the Harfoots’ trail, but after The Stranger’s attempt at fixing the orchard proves almost deadly (at least initially), he departs. Things get deadlier when Nori tries to throw the Mystics off his trail. Elrond’s endeavors to treaty with the Dwarves for Mithril prove just as fruitless, and when Durin tries to help, the King strips him of everything. Thankfully, Elrond has one piece of Mithril to take to Celebrimbor. Eventually, Galadriel and Theo reunite with the others, and there’s still a shred of hope for the Southlanders’ future despite most of the Númenóreans leaving. However, their king’s fate is less certain as Halbrand is gravely injured. Galadriel decides to take him to Eregion to heal.
In Episode 7, things are the deadliest they can get for everyone in Middle-earth. Hope is nearly snuffed out, choking on the fumes of the explosion Adar sparked or crumbling under the weight of evil spreading and threatening an entire race. The lull after the chaos of Episode 6 isn’t exactly slow. Its purpose is to reflect Galadriel’s burnt-out will and sense of failure, Elendil’s grief, and Míriel’s fear. Everyone’s knocked down a peg. Still, it can’t exactly compete with the earlier episode’s epic battle and aftermath.
2 “Udûn”
Season 1, Episode 6
The Southlanders win their first battle against Adar and the orcs after Arondir lures them to Ostirith, triggering an explosion in the watchtower. They think they’ve won their second battle at Tirharad but realize they’ve killed the men who sided with Adar. While they’re sidetracked, the orcs unleash a surprise attack. Adar corners them and demands the sword hilt. When he doesn’t get it, he starts killing. Thankfully, Galadriel and the Númenóreans arrive. In the chaos of battle, Galadriel and Halbrand capture Adar. While questioned, he reveals he killed Sauron and that the Southlands will soon be his. A victory celebration commences, and Míriel introduces Halbrand, the king they were promised. Peace is blown to smithereens when Waldreg unlocks the dam, unleashing a torrent of water into the orcs’ tunnels that head straight for Orodruin’s lava pit.
Episode 7 is one of the best episodes of Season 1 because everything comes crashing into an unforgettable climax. The Southlanders and Númenóreans come together to drive out Adar and the orcs just when hope is thought to be lost. It’s like every battle in Tolkien’s legendarium. The eruption of Mount Doom crushes their victory, but even that is epic in its own right. Every moment keeps you on your toes, not knowing what to expect.
1 “Alloyed”
Season 1, Episode 8
The Stranger is alone and unsure where to go after leaving the Harfoots. The Mystics find him and claim he’s Sauron, but he still has no memory. Nori and the gang arrive to save him, but they’re no match for the sorceresses. The fight turns deadly before The Stranger obliterates them. Galadriel gets Halbrand to Eregion in time, but Elrond is shocked by her arrival. Once better, Halbrand suggests Celebrimbor combine the Mithril with an alloy, and they begin to work together, which makes Galadriel suddenly suspicious of his identity. Having proof he’s not who he says he is, she confronts him, and he reveals he’s Sauron. He pulls her into a vision to convince her to join him. He wants to heal Middle-earth, but she knows he’ll be a tyrant. Sauron throws her into the river when she denies him, but the forging of the Elven Rings of Power commences.
Season 1’s finale doesn’t have much action or the cinematically pleasing scenes of earlier episodes, but that doesn’t mean it’s boring, slow, unimpressive, or uninspiring. Who knew anything more could happen after the events of Episodes 6 and 7? While those two episodes are the season’s climax, Episode 8 sets up Season 2 with shocking reveals and cliffhangers. Plus, some ring forging had to happen to close everything out, right? It tides us over until the following season. The events of Episode 8 finally start showing signs of a complexity worthy of Tolkien.
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