The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power

It has been eight years since we last watched the story that J.R.R. Tolkien has created. That was the Battle of the Five Armies, the last installation of The Hobbit Trilogy. Even without the big screen, Amazon Prime Video, let us into the world of middle-earth (and beyond) again in The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power! The fans of the best-selling author had journeyed again to the endless seas, mountains, kingdoms and remarkable characters of the new series! 

SPOILERS AHEAD

The Rise of Mordor

Let’s cut to the chase. The last episode got us caught off guard. It was such a fool of us to think that Halbrand (Charlie Vickers) could be the ancestor of Aragorn from Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Thanks to the resemblance of the brunette hair and most sincere eyes! In this series, not only did we find out the birth of Mordor but also the revelation of Halbrand’s true identity; SAURON. The Orcs, or “Uruks”, as what they wanted to be called, confirmed by the “Lord Father,” have succeeded to make their own lands by getting rid of the Southlands for good only to welcome the being- who-went-by-many-names. 

The elf, Arondir, the human Bronwyn, the people of Southlands, Queen Miriel of Númenor and her people, together with Galadriel, they fought to save the land. They’ve put up a good fight. It made me reminisce the most-awaited fight scenes I always look forward to in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Well, the fall of the Southlands was also in the hand of a human who was blinded by Sauron’s power. He turned the key to make the volcano erupt, thus, the rise of Mordor.

Friendships Divided

In The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings, we were introduced to how divided are the Elves and the Dwarves. In the first episodes, we learned how deep the friendship is of Prince Durin IV (Owain Arthur)  and Elrond (Robert Aramayo). The fondness of their friendship is contagious to the point where the viewer asks, “what has gone wrong between these 2 creatures.” Although, we have much to confirm maybe in the next seasons how these 2 folkes of J.R.R. Tolkien’s world hated each other. It is with great sadness that Elrond and Prince Durin had to break off a good friendship just because King Durin (Peter Mullan) forbade them to allow elves to harness the ore hidden in their mines knowing that it could be the lifeline of the elves.

The Halfling and the Giant

Have you also guessed that The Stranger could be Gandalf? How about the “Harfoots”? It could be the “hobbits,” right? We await for the next seasons if and when the Harfoots find their homes under the hills! 

In the last episode, we identified The Stranger as “Istar” yet it is still unclear who he is! We have the harfoot, Nori Brandyfoot (Markella Kavenagh) to thank for saving and befriending him so we can find out who he is. 

The Rings of Power

I’ve also guessed that the “Mithril” stone could have been another name of the “Arkenstone,” which was introduced in the Hobbit, only to find out that it can be the source of power and life of the elves. A piece of the ore was given as a gift by Prince Durin IV to Elrond. The elves managed to harness its properties, thanks to Halbrand or a.k.a. Sauron for giving them a hint how to amplify the ore. Indeed, by the last few minutes of the episode, we have seen the three rings forged with Mithril, gold and silver. The most exquisite elements were sacrificed by  Galadriel’s (or Lady Galadriel as we’ve known in LOTR) dagger, made from her home; Valinor. 

Galadriel’s Journey 

We couldn’t forget to highlight Galadriel, played by Morfydd Clark. We are now following her story in this epic series. She is more than something we only knew in The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings. She had much power shown in the past films but here in Rings of Power, we witness even her vulnerabilities. Her perseverance and wisdom is just indeed endearing.  

What to expect?

It has been announced that the production of Season 2 just started this October of 2022. May we be reminded that the first season was made in 18 months which took awhile because of the pandemic. We will be expecting five seasons for this gem of a story of J.R.R. Tolkien. The second season is yet to be announced but we are just as stoked as you are!