‘The Rings Of Power’ Premier Recap: The Prettiest Thing on Television
Last week saw The Rings Of Power premiere, and not only is it good, but boy is it pretty.
After a long wait, Amazon’s The Rings of Power has arrived. As the most expensive TV show of all time, we all had high expectations. It’s also garnered a ton of hate from online trolls. And yet its first two episodes, which premiered as one showed off not only a good show but maybe the prettiest show to ever be on TV. I’ll review the episodes together and take a look at what’s going on in Middle Earth.
The shadow of spoilers lies over all that follows – BEWARE.
The Rings Of Power Premier Gives Us Four Main Storylines
The two-part Premier can really be broken down into four main storylines. These take place over all of Middle Earth in a wide-ranging epic fantasy tapestry. While only two of the storylines directly interact in the first two episodes, it’s clear they will each have major implications for the future.
Galadriel’s Hunt
Galadriel is the first of the main characters we’re introduced to in the show. She gets one of the major storylines and probably has the most happen. After giving an opening narration (akin to that from Jackson’s LoTR movies) we are introduced to her quest.
Ever since the defeat of Morgoth in the War of Wrath Galadriel has been hunting his chief surviving servant, Sauron. It seems that several companies of Elves were sent out to hunt down Morgoth’s surviving servants, including all the Orcs. But f Galadriel, the hunt is very personal – Sauron killed her brother.
via Amazon
She has by now been hunting Sauron for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. And the other Elves are tired. None of them think he is a threat anymore or even alive. Despite finding a forge where he once did some work, her company calls it quits. In this, they are supported by the High King of the Elves, Gil-Galad.
Gil-Galad seems to be a bit of a politician here and wants an end to war. As such, he declares that evil has been defeated and the long war is over. As a reward for their work, Galadriel and other Captains are granted leave to return to sail into the West and Return to the Undying Lands.
And Her Hunt
via Amazon
Convinced by her friend Elrond to do so, she sets sail for the Uttermost West. But at the last moment before passing into the Undying Lands, she realizes she can’t let her quest go and jumps off the boat. Her plan seems to be to just… swim across the whole ocean. Elves do what they want.
She is, however, soon picked up by a raft of shipwreck survivors. These humans tell her they are fleeing from Orc attacks in the Southlands, thus proving her worries correct. After surviving all that, a sea monster attacks, and she and one other survivor are picked up by yet another boat. And that is where the Rings of Power premier leaves her.
Elrond Has a Job to Do
The second story we follow in the Rings of Power premier is that of Elrond. We find him at the court of Gil-Galad. His half-elven blood seems to make him a bit of an outcast. He wants to be a leader but is excluded from the cool Elf-lord meetings. He does however get to write speeches for the king, so that’s cool?
After chatting with his old friend Galadriel, he’s given a very important mission by Gil-Galad. He is tasked with helping Celebrimbor, the greatest of the Elven smiths, with a task.
Prince Durin IV (played by Owain Arthur) via Amazon
It turns out that the smith just needs a forge built quickly and doesn’t have enough people to do it. So he’s turned to Elrond as a sort of contractor. Elrond suggests they go to his old friends the Dwarves of Khazad-Dûm. His welcome there isn’t as warm as he thought it would be.
It turns out he hasn’t checked up on his friend Durin IV in, like, years. To an Elf, this is but a blink, but even to a long-lived Dwarf it’s a decent chunk of time. Elrond missed out on Durin’s marriage and the birth of his children. After making up with Durin, he convinces him to try and get his father, King During III, in on the scheme. But the Dwarves have their own secrets, it seems.
The Southlands Debuts in the Premier
via Amazon
Our third plot takes place in the Southlands of Middle Earth, a region we’ve never seen covered before. The men of the region supported Morgoth during the wars, and as such, the Elves keep a number of garrisons in place to patrol and make sure no evil rises again. The Elf Arondir is one of the soldiers protecting the region.
It quickly becomes clear that he’s in love with the human healer Bronwyn who seems to have feelings for him as well. Her son Theo, however, seems much less into the Elf. In a ripple of events we’ve already seen, Gil-Galad’s declaration that the hunt for evil is over has reached the Southlands. It means that the Elves will be leaving and the humans are on their own.
via Amazon
Just before leaving, Arondir and Bronwyn get word of some sort of strange sickness that might be coming for a nearby town. They go to check it out only to find the town destroyed and the people all missing. When they find strange tunnels under the town, Arondir decides to investigate but sends Bronwyn home to warn her people. After going into the tunnels, Aronidr is grabbed by hands from the dark and taken.
Theo’s Sword
Bronwyn (played by Nazanin Boniadi) and Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova) via Amazon
Back home, Theo is having his own adventure. Digging around in a farmer’s barn, he finds an old broken sword. Its hilt bears a symbol that, though he doesn’t know it, is tied to Sauron somehow. Not long after, back at home, he discovers tunnels under his own home and sees things in them. Bronwyn arrives home to find the house under attack by an Orc from the tunnel. She and Theo fight and kill the Orc. Using its head as evidence of the danger, they convince the townsfolk to evacuate to the Elf tower. As they leave, Theo discovers that his sword is activated by blood.
The Harfoots and the Stranger 
The final plot in the Rings of Power premier involves the Harfoots. These nomadic proto-Hobbits live in blissful isolation and peace with nature. We are introduced to Nori Barndyfoot and her friends and family. Young Nori is a bit of a rule-breaker and rebel but clearly loves her people. Things change for Nori when a meteor crashes nearby. In the wreckage, she finds a giant (to a Harfoot). He doesn’t seem to know who he is but does have powers. Nori decides to help him.
Overall Thoughts on the Premier
- The Rings of Power premier is gorgeous. Taken as a whole, this might be the prettiest show ever made. It also does a good job of tying its look to Jackson’s movies.
- Elrond’s story seems the weakest to me so far. It has much less clear stakes and I’m not sure where it is going for him personally. Obviously, this is leading up to the forging of the Rings.
- Galadriel’s decision to stay in Middle Earth seems consistent with her character. Going into the West diminishes her, and she’s not ready for that.
- The show does clearly have some lore errors or changes. An early map sown appears to be from the wrong age, but I think most of these are changes made to make the show more accessible.
Overall I thought it was a strong premiere and promises a great and fun show. With that said my rating for these episodes comes down to:
7 out of 9 Rings for mortal men
Let us know what you thought of the premiere in the comments!
