After nearly 20 years, Rings of Power brings us back to Middle-earth with Episode 1, A Shadow of the Past. Showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay developed the series for Amazon’s Prime Video, and it’s set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, thousands of years before The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. While the overall feel of the episode isn’t exactly the same as The Lord of the Rings trilogy (for better or worse, neither was The Hobbit), it’s still promising a cinematographically beautiful journey through the fantastic land of Middle-earth and even gives us some glimpses of the elves’ homeland, Valinor.
We open to a prologue with a voiceover from Galadriel (spectacularly brought to life by Morfydd Clark), noting the beginning of time and of evil. We see some of her childhood, including her relationship with her older brother, Finrod. She tells the tales of the elves’ resistance against the Great Foe, Morgoth, and their voyage to Middle-earth, where they stay and fight. Many elves die before defeating Morgoth, but his most loyal servant, Sauron rises to continue in his stead. Sauron kills Finrod, leaving behind a symbol engraved on his body that cannot be interpreted, and Galadriel takes up her late brother’s mission of killing Sauron. Centuries of continuing her brother’s legacy pass, but Sauron seemingly disappears and remains hidden until many elves are convinced that his threat is over. Our story starts on one of Galadriel’s journeys in search of Orcs or any lingering signs of evil. Her and her team travel through brutal conditions until finding a mark, matching the one on her brother, inscribed in stone. Her and her party fight a snow-troll, which is where her party draw the line, demanding they return to their capital, Lindon.
We then move to the land of the harfoots, a short group of human-like beings, very similar to hobbits. Their entire village is able to hide on a moment’s notice, to avoid detection from passers-by, with structures folding in on themselves and being covered by foliage. We are introduced to the adventurous Nori Brandyfoot (played by Markella Kavenagh), a young harfoot that leads the children of the village into a berry patch. She seems to be respected and loved by the younger children. After being shown a large paw print, she leads the children out of the berry patch, being wary of the large wolf creature that she knows to have caused it. We see Nori to be curious, exploring areas and asking questions she shouldn’t, not fitting in with the reclusive ways of the harfoot.
In Lindon, we meet Elrond (played by Robert Aramayo) and see both his desire to climb the political ladder as well as his deep and genuine relationship with Galadriel. The two don’t mix well when Galadriel wants to continue her quest for Sauron while the high elves wish to put the matter to rest and declare a time of peace. High King Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker) bestows Galadriel with the highest honor of sending her back to the Grey Havens, Valinor, but he then confesses to Elrond that there is, in fact, still cause for concern.
The third story we follow during this episode is that of an elf, Arondir (Ismael Cruz Cordova), keeping watch over a city in a sort of law enforcement, military capacity and a human woman, Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi), a healer, who have fallen in a forbidden, unspoken love in the South Lands. We see some of the issues that come between men and elves when one man becomes belligerent toward Arondir, claiming a victimized position that we don’t see to be the case, as Arondir seems to be personable enough and allow humans to go about their lives. Though, the humans are being watched as a result of their ancestors’ allegiance to Morgoth. News of the High King’s declaration of peace means Arondir will have to leave his secret love, which has him conflicted. The two meet to say goodbye when a visitor asks Bronwyn of a problem with his cow that raises concern for Arondir. The two set off to Horden to see what seems to be amiss.
From a production standpoint, the series’ first episode meets, and possibly exceeds, the highest fantasy standards we can have from The Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, and The Witcher. The cinematography is everything you can expect and hope for in a return to Middle-earth, seeing the rolling hills and freezing mountains. The mystical forests of Lindon are beautiful, covered in golden leaves, and have some of the most skillfully crafted wooden sculptures that I’ve ever seen (I’m unable to find confirmation if they were digitally or physically sculpted). The wardrobe is immaculate, seeing the craftsmanship that goes into the elven armor, especially that of Arondir. The village of the harfoots (harfeet?) is also a marvel in itself. The intricacies of crafting an entire village that can hide away in plain sight are incredible.
However, my favorite part of the return to Middle-earth is the world building, more specifically, the dynamic relationships between those that inhabit the lands. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring treats us to squabbling as the fellowship is formed, and we see the ongoing rivalry between Gimli, the dwarf, and Legolas, the elf, with a comedic flair courtesy of the films. Rings of Power, as a series, goes deeper and starts with its first episode taking a dive into the intersectionality of the world that three movies with a linear story to tell doesn’t have the capacity to do. We see humans’ disdain for elves through an argument that doesn’t move the story forward. We are shown the harfoot’s active aversion from outsiders, a step beyond just residing in a secluded hillside like the hobbits in the Shire. There is also language used that is local to Middle-earth, even when delivered in english for the viewer, such as an insult that one smells like “rotting leaves.”
Rings of Power episode 1, A Shadow of the Past is a great step back into J.R.R. Tolkien’s wonderful world. The beautiful cinematography used to capture the deeply developed world has me enamored, ready to continue the season each week with its Friday releases.
9/10