The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 1 wrapped up with the season 1 finale episode on Friday, “Alloyed.” Reviewing the first two episodes of the Prime Video saga set in the second age of Middle-earth, she voiced an average opinion. It looked like a well-produced show with some good ideas, but there was a let-down in its reliance on puzzles rather than adventure to push its story forward. However, throughout its first season, rings of strength He surprised me with some of his plot rhythms and I liked many of his characters because he gave us the original stories of Mordor, Mithril, and others.
Now this rings of strength Revealing Sauron’s identity and confirming Stranger’s nature, I found myself thinking about what worked for me rings of strengthSeason one and what didn’t happen, starting with the season finale, which seemed like a rushed affair. Although I don’t object to the events of the epilogue, they did feel crammed into the loop, the televised equivalent of someone writing their letters too large on a piece of paper and having to write smaller toward the edge. It seemed like many solo scenes should have been two. More controversial is the complete seduction of the Elves and the rigging of the three episodes which eventually took place felt accelerating after seven episodes to build the Halbrand puzzle (although the episode co-writer mentioned that there are more episodes to be rigged).
Speaking of Sauron, while his secret identity was not an unsolvable mystery, the idea of a repentant Sauron (found in Tolkien’s writings) is intriguing. The question is whether Sauron’s remorse is real or part of his manipulations. rings of strength Deliberately leaving this open to interpretation, but to my reading, the revelations work if Sauron is honest. Gladrill was right to help Halbrand even if it turned out to be Sauron. Being willing to help lift fallen spirits toward the light is part of the burden the heroes of Middle-earth bear. Galadriel’s connection with Halbrand over their joint relationship with “The Darkness” is similar to Frodo’s with Gollum over the corruption of the One Ring. However, if Sauron is playing Galadriel, the desire to make up for the fallen becomes a ripe weakness for exploitation. This is less satisfying and less in keeping with Tolkien’s themes than Sauron has learned all the wrong lessons from his relationship with Galadriel.
But then, Gladrill has lessons to learn on her own. One of the most shocking moments of the entire season came when Gladrill brazenly announced her intention to wipe the goblins from the face of Middle-earth. Adar’s plea that his children had the same spark of sacred fire as any other being in Arda fell on deaf ears. Surprising to see rings of strength Addressing the depiction of imps in Tolkien’s writings, something Tolkien himself tried and failed to account for in his lifetime. Depending on the ending of the ending, it looks like Sauron will go to the newly created Mordor and exert his power on the Orcs there. Much will depend on the execution of the bow, but giving Mordor this history as an Orc haven only to be spoiled by Sauron adds a sense of tragedy usually reserved for western Middle-earth kingdoms. It adds something to Modor and the Orcs’ that makes them more than just legions in the East.
Besides the story of the Orc, the events in Khazad-dûm are easily the other highlights of the season, but for different reasons. Mithril’s origin is good, but Elrond and Durin’s friendship is the brightest. Brilliantly played by Robert Aramayo and Owen Arthur, these two have a warm chemistry absent from the rest of the show. There is joy in these Dwarven halls, and seeing Moria in its glory is a special treat for fans of The Lord of the Rings.
But for all the bright spots, some things worked less well. rings of strength Try to create his own Helm’s Deep in the battle against the Orcs in the Southlands. The episode is good, but inviting this comparison will always put her at a disadvantage and make her seem small compared to what Peter Jackson and his company have been able to do on the big screen. Halbrand’s line about his knowledge of ingots as a gift, in reference to Sauron Anatar, the gift lord who masquerades in Tolkien’s writings as shepherds, came up with an Easter egg to show that the writers did their homework. In all the time the show has spent in (well aware) Númenor this season, it seems like the island nation’s story hasn’t even begun.
Then there is the dependence on ambiguity, which is one of my primary concerns with this series. rings of strength Not the first series or even the famous IP-based premiere to go back to obscure boxes (and to a lesser extent, melodrama) to now partake in the standard TV X-hour-movie-as-streaming format. But it is difficult not to doubt its usefulness rings of strength. Many viewers guessed at the identity of Sauron and the nature of the Stranger long before the big epilogue was revealed. While Stranger remains anonymous, he gives so strong feelings of Gandalf that, even to Daniel Weyman’s speech and demeanor reminiscent of Ian McKellen, that it would be hard not to cry if he turned out to be anyone else. As for Isildur’s fate, we already know what it is, then rings of strengthThe writers of the book need to put a seriously compelling story in mind for its second season to justify acting like such an uninformed show.
Years ago, I wrote that I felt it was time for someone to do something new with Tolkien’s fictional world of film and television. rings of strength It seems to do, and I have no quarrel with the liberties I took with the history of the second age. But the show can learn some discipline and focus at its own pace. It can better balance Doreen’s warmth and sense of humor with the restless intensity of Galadriel and delivers more of the sense of adventure that defines Middle-earth’s most famous stories rather than largely empty mystery boxes. However, it did require some pretty big ups and downs in its first season, from expanding on the orc to explaining Gandalf’s (we suppose) fondness for Hobbits and showing a new side of Sauron. While the show is not with its failures, I am intrigued by it rings of strength And eager to know where to go next.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 1 is now streaming on Prime Video. The second season is in production.
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