1.01: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power - A Shadow of the Past

[Dave]

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Creating topic, remember you
can only discuss this episode
inside this topic. Reviews of
the episode are encouraged
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Galadriel is disturbed by signs of an ancient evil's return; Arondir makes an unsettling discovery; Elrond is presented with an intriguing new venture; Nori breaks the Harfoot community's most deeply-held rule.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

I watched the first two episodes on the same night, and that was a couple of weeks ago, so I think I've got parts of them mixed up in my mind. To write anything like a coherent review, I think I'll have to watch Ep. 1 again. That will be no hardship, I am sure I will enjoy doing so, but there are some posts I want to answer in the more general thread on the series first.

In the meantime, I am eager to see what people have to say here.

 

[Elckerlyc]

Part I of my review of
Episode 1...

… which starts with a black screen for 22 seconds, filled with soft music that reminds us of the theme-score for Elves in the LotR movies by Peter Jackson, before the openings monologue starts.

Intro (voice-over by Galadriel) [interspersed with my commentary]:

Nothing is evil in the beginning [we see and hear Elvish children playing, we must assume in Valinor].
And there was a time when the world was so young, there had not yet been a sunrise. But even then there was light [though not immediately shown or mentioned here, that light comes from the Two Trees of Valinor, illuminating Valinor].

Little Galadriel is folding a paper boat, while whispering… something. Under the watching eyes of the other children she sets her boat afloat. Next, the boat enfolds into a swan-like vessel, but is promptly bombarded with stones by the (not evil, but mean or petty) children, until it sinks. Little Galadriel is mad and assaults the main culprit. But her mature brother Finrod interferes. What follows is a chat / lesson telling her (and us) that rocks only see downwards (more on that later) contrary to boats and that he, Finrod, won’t be there forever (more on that soon enough). Galadriel seems affected by that last bit of information.

We had no word for death. For we thought our joys would be unending. We thought our light would never dim [we get to see the 2 Trees (named Telperion and Laurelin (just so you know (that I did my homework)))].
So when the Great Foe, Morgoth, destroyed the very light of our home, we resisted [the light of the Trees is being extinguished].
And a legion of Elves went to war [an armada is seen sailing, accompanied by flying… somethings overhead].
We left Valinor, our home, and journeyed to a distant realm. One filled with untold perils and strange creatures beyond count. A place known as Middle-Earth [Elves battle Orcs, unexplained flying creatures (dragons?) attack other flying creatures].
They said it would be over quickly, but the war left Middle-Earth in ruin. And would last centuries [a grown-up Galadriel stands on the battlefield amidst countless fallen].
Now we learned many words for death [the helmets of the fallen form a gigantic monument of the dead – reminding me, perhaps unintentionally, of the monument at the killing fields in Cambodia].
In the end Morgoth would be defeated. But not before much sorrow. For his Orcs had spread to every corner of Middle-Earth, multiplying ever greater under the command of his most devoted servant, a cruel and cunning sorcerer. They called him Sauron [depicted as we know him from the movie].
My brother vowed to seek him out and destroy him. But Sauron found him first and marked his flash with a symbol. One whose meaning even our wisest could not discern. And there, in the darkness, his vow became mine [had Finrod foreseen his death of was it just forced foreshadowing by the writers?].

And so, we hunted. To the ends of the world we hunted Sauron. But the trail grew thin. Year gave way to year. Century gave way to century. And for many Elves, the pain of those days passed out of thought and mind. More and more of our kind began to believe that Sauron was but a memory and the threat, at last, was ended.
I wish I could be one of them [but it remains unclear why she thinks the threat still exists].

At this point the story begins, as we see Galadriel climbing her way up into Forodwaith, the Northernmost Waste], clothed in, I assume, elven-cloth that keeps you warm even in arctic conditions and howling blizzards.

This was a somewhat lengthy summary of the intro, which lasts about 8 minutes. For a reason.
A lot is being presented here and even more was omitted. A curious mix of necessary and unnecessary information, of half-explained background, with a (forced) foreshadowing of death and shipwrecking and false lights.
It tells us that there was no evil in the beginning, nor death. It doesn’t tell us how this Dark Duo entered the Undying Lands. Who was Morgoth and how did he become evil?
It tells us there was no sun, but all light came from… eh no, we were shown the Two Trees, but that didn’t tell us that was all the light there was. So when Morgoth, for unclear reasons, destroyed these lights there was only darkness in the world. But... then were did light, the sun, the moon suddenly come from? Well, from the last remaining flower and fruit of those Two Trees, which were turned into the Sun and Moon. But that piece of information I had to google first to learn.
There was clearly a hopping on 2 thoughts here. On the one hand you have the people who only have seen the LotR movies and perhaps have read the books. They are ignorant of what went before. (And if you think, ‘speak for yourself’ – I am actually.) Some basic education is required, without overdoing it because some people get easily bored. On the other hand you have the ones who I will dub the lore-ites, who know the background. And omitting details or simplify matters to keep the intro acceptable, lengthwise, is like entering dangerous, swampy grounds.
The result isn’t great, unbalanced if not confusing. The writing overall didn’t impress me (this is me, foreshadowing.)
Luckily the scenery, the images, the acting was great. And though I have so far only covered 8 minutes, 22 seconds, it promises to be an entertaining hour.

to be continued...

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

I think you're doing great so far, [COLOR=rgb(0, 0, 0)]Elckerlyc[/COLOR]. This is a very good description and analysis of the prologue. I eagerly await the rest of your review.

but that didn’t tell us that was all the light there was. So when Morgoth, for unclear reasons, destroyed these lights there was only darkness in the world.

This is an example of the kind of omission that will leave viewers who don't know the lore confused, and will frustrate viewers who do. (As I have stated elsewhere, I am not a fan of the way they handled the prologue. Past events needed to be summed up quickly, so there had to be some things that were either condensed or left out, but I think they chose poorly in doing so.)

But in fact, that was not all the light there was. When the elves first awoke in Middle Earth (which is where elves originated, not in the Undying Lands) they awoke under the light of the stars. Since elves have such excellent eyesight, they could probably see by starlight a lot better than humans could have done. In any case, they weren't stumbling around in total darkness. And the stars would have still been there after Morgoth and Ungoliant destroyed the trees, which was, if I remember correctly, in large part to make a distraction so Morgoth could steal the Silmarils.

I don't mind that the writers of the series left out a lot of details that aren't really important to understanding the story, but I think a lot of characters and events that would have made the prologue much more interesting and comprehensible were cut, and in doing so the scriptwriters undoubtedly alienated many viewers, some new to Tolkien, some familiar with the Silmarillion, etc., who stopped watching the series in disgust right there.

 

[Elckerlyc]

Part II (of III or even IV) (slow writer, too extensive, not enough time to write today... take your pick )

Galadriel is still on the hunt with her company, unwaveringly, unstoppable, and doesn’t want to hear any objections or any doubts about their objective. She takes her vow very serious indeed. But if you can’t find Evil, after chasing it for centuries and into the far reaches of Middle-Earth, shouldn’t you pause and say: “I have done everything I could and failed. If it is still out there, somewhere, it cannot be found by us,” and end your quest?
Her fierce single-mindedness on this hunt seems so far removed from the Galadriel we met in the LotR movies. But that was a Galadriel thousands of years later in time. And (correct me if I am wrong here) Elves are not Stoics or unfeeling and can be affected by circumstances during their ultra-long lifespan, prone to evolve as every person. I suspect – well OK, hope - that in the episodes and seasons to come, we will see this change, this transition, taking place until we see the serene, ethereal Galadriel we love and admire (with compliments to Cate Blanchett.)
Evil must be gone, surely. Surely? This is wishful thinking. Evil will never go away. Besides, we all know that Sauron will re-emerge at one point in time. Therefore, for now, I support the staunch huntress.

In the ruins in Forodwaith she encounters that symbol again, saying “Sauron was here.” It re-enforces her to continue the search and not return home, until they are certain that all traces of their enemies are vanquished.
Thondir, the entire company, rebels. Though, technically, Galadriel is the rebel here. They have already gone beyond King Gil-Galad’s orders. And the attack by a snow-troll (which seems mainly there to have Galadriel display her prowess as a fighter) is, as far as they are concerned, the limit. There won’t be going any further.

Meanwhile, in Rhovanion, the Harfoot are being introduced. They (predecessors of the Hobbit?) are presented as expressive, quirky people with 2 feet in the soil, or greenery. The Omen of the two Travellers, lost or not, bodes nothing good. And indeed, it seems the Harfoot are doomed to take care of the comic relief department. It will be hard to overcome the downside of this burden.

We move on to Lindon. The capital of the High-Elves consists of arches and curvatures build upon a cliff (beautiful, but slightly impractical), and is partly hidden between trees with golden autumnal colours and warm sunlight. A lovely image.
Elrond sits under a tree and is reading a text in Quenya (Elf-speak. I mention it because one of the first words he encounters is ‘Nóri’. I wondered if there was a connection between this Elvish word and the Harfoot girl Nori (which is short for Eleanor) we met only moments before. Probably not but I tend to stumble at such things. Much like Elrond falters over the sentence, ‘Like the spring rains over the bones of a... dead animal.’ Perhaps a translation error by the composer of this text.)
This text is apparently meant for a ceremony celebrating the return of Galadriel’s company. Who happens to have arrived just at that very moment. She is admiring a painting of a ship sailing towards Valinor. We will see a likely image later on. Elrond and Galadriel greet each other with affection and then they both study the painting. But soon Galadriel speaks of returning to her hunt, which doesn’t sit well with Elrond. The King has magnanimously overlooked her previous defiance of his will and she is now risking losing that favour. But she still does not want to listen or abandon her vow and stresses her request to arrange an audience with the King.
But first the ceremony. The company is being honoured for their victorious campaign and triumph, for the ‘washing away of the last remnants of our enemy, like a spring rain over the bones of a spoilt carcass.’ Galadriel probably didn’t appreciate one single syllable in this eulogy. High King Gil-Galad however, looking regal as only an Elf can, is telling Galadriel to her face: “Today our days of peace begin.”
She bows her head. For the moment.
But the High King knows her. And what follows might be more than the unrivaled honour of being sent Home, to Valinor. It might simply be a way to force her to surrender her obstinate quest.
Yet Galadriel looks at Elrond and silently repeats her request.
The last word has not yet been spoken on this subject.

to be continued.

 

[Elckerlyc]

And finally, Part III


After the ceremony Elrond and Galadriel argue about her unwillingness to put up her sword and thusly losing the unique opportunity of returning to Valinor. This is, I think, the strongest part of this episode. Though I imagine some will have trouble with Galadriel’s line: “Without my sword, what am I to be?” while at the same time Elrond’s answer “My friend.” seems rather thin.
For the moment the outcome of this discussion remains uncertain.

The Harfoot already did mentioned them; Men and their fields of grain. Such as in Tirharad, a small rural village in the Southlands (which seems to be located in the east of what would later be named Mordor. Or thereabout.)
A thousand years ago the ancestors of the local people had served Morgoth. They are ever since being watched (or guarded, depending on who you asked, no doubt) by Elves. Clearly it is not only Galadriel who cannot let go and forget the past. Naturally, the locals resent it and, on their turn, watch the watchmen with an unfriendly eye. If only their true king would return, to pry them free from under the Elves’ pointy boots. Exact who and where their king is remains hidden.
Two of the watchmen enter the village, hoods up, almost completely hiding their faces. Dress-code? That seems unlikely; it obscures their own soldiery eyesight, except for their own feet. It is only in the tavern, when Arondir pulls back his hood, that ‘the reveal’ takes place; he is a black Elf. That will raise several eyebrows.
Should it matter? Diversity matters, but beside that? Probably not lore-wise (see this post.) But as with many things that shouldn’t really matter, it nonetheless does. Take Amazon Prime’s own approach, for example. You may admire them for the audacity to introduce black Elves in their 1 billion dollar project, but at the same time raise your eyebrows about them making such a show within a show of it.
Anyway, Arondir, the world’s first black Elf, has more shocking news up his sleeve. He has an eye on Bronwyn. (Warning: Irrational behaviour is imminent.) Men won’t like it, nor Elves. His fellow watchman Médhor suspects what’s going on and warns him. Pairings between Elves and humans have always (twice!) ended in tragedy. Unfortunately, Arondir suffers from the same ailment as Galadriel does; refusal to listen to wise advise.
When news arrives that the High King has declared that the days of war are over and all outposts are being disbanded, Arondir does not look happy at all. Revion, the watchwarden, notices his lack of enthusiasm for leaving, but thinks it is that Arondir has grown fond of the local people after 79 years of service. He warns him that the people of Tirharad, because of their service to Morgoth once (a 1000 years ago), probably still are corrupted. Isn’t this a bit discriminating?
Arondir sneaks away to visit Bronwyn to ask… but is interrupted by a farmer who seeks Bronwyn’s help as a healer. His cow seems to have a sickness. The udder spurts black goo in stead of white foaming milk. It is the second clue something is amiss in the area and it points to a place called Hordern. Arondir immediately goes to investigate and Bronwyn accompanies him. It gives her son Theo the opportunity to show a friend what he has found under the floorboards of a barn; an iron torchlike object bearing Sauron’s sigil. It flares. Theo hears Black Speech. Will or can he be corrupted? Are these people still tainted with Morgoth’s legacy?

Is turns out that Galadriel has given in and is now sailing towards Valinor. She and all of the soldiers of her company stand up straight and in line, staring ahead, wearing their armour and holding their swords before them pointing down. Is this the normal way of travelling for Elves? How long does it take to journey across Belegaer, the great sea?
Later, when they near Valinor, they are still standing there like statues but in a slightly different order. I can understand the producers wanting to give the Elves going Home a certain loftiness or exalted stature. We have not seen much of that which differentiates them from Men, until now. But really, this is more ludicrous than elevated.
The company is being freed of their harness and weaponry, in preparation of their entering The Undying Lands. Ahead of their ship a light appears from behind the dark, boiling clouds. Birds come forth to greet the no doubt weary travellers. A song is heard and the company joins in singing, except for Galadriel, who seems uncomfortable. Then the clouds, perhaps even the skies, parts and a blindingly white light fills the scene. Which makes me wonder. Has Valinor meanwhile changed? Transcended into a celestial realm? What is this supposed to represent? It is unclear. Even more so because Galadriel seems to doubt this light. She takes a step back. Her thoughts go back, several thousands of years, to a never forgotten memory of her brother Finrod whispering in her ear the secret of how to distinguish between true and false lights and which to follow, a secret so profound the viewer was not trusted with it. It is revealed now; 'You cannot know how, until you have touched the darkness.'
Wow. Like young Galadriel already understood, that seems so simple. It had to be kept a secret.
Galadriel has touched the darkness, either by encountering the works of Sauron or by letting herself unrelentingly being driven by her hatred of him. Forsooth, Valinor must be the false light!
She jumps ship.
One can only hope she brought a lunchpack for the journey, swimming back to Middle-Earth.

Elrond, saddened to see his friend go, had to choose between friendship and duty. It appears it had been decided beforehand that Galadriel had to go. While hunting evil, it might very well be awakened by her. Apparently, there is some awareness with Gil-Galad that evil has not been fully erased. To set Elrond’s mind at rest he has a new assignment for him; to assist Celebrimdor, the greatest Elven-smith, with a new project of ‘singular importance.’ Yes, weighty words. But it has a certain... ring to it, doesn’t it?

Sadoc (Harfoot shaman, headman or Bearer of the Big Book?) is studying the stars. According to him (or rather his book) they act strangely. You will have to take his word for it, though. I don’t see it. Nor does nosy Nori. who very un-harfoot-like longs to see some of the wonders in the world.
Under the same evening sky Arondir and Bronwyn are nearing Hordern. Bronwyn is born in that place, so it stings when Arondir basically repeats Revion’s claims that its people especially had a strong loyalty to Morgoth. Loyal or not, they find the village is burning.
A falling star shoots through the sky from West to East. Gil-Galad in Lindon sees it (and receives another sign), Elrond and Celebrimbor on their way eastwards, Arondir and Bronwyn holding hands at Hordern, the Ents in Fangorn and finally Nori in Rhovanion, who is about to see her first wonder of the world. A stranger who has fallen from the sky.

---

The stage is set. A lot had to be introduced, of which not everything as successful as wished. It had its lows and highs, strong and weak points. But has a whole it is promising. The acting is for the most part excellent, with special mentions of Galadriel (both young and mature) and Elrond. The visual are pleasing. The story well told and engaging.
Of course, for those who are familiar with Middle-Earth’s lore and have strong opinions what is canon and what is not, this is probably difficult to watch. While writing this review I did some ‘research’ to get a bit more acquainted with ME-history and its people, in an attempt to not make a complete fool of myself while describing what was going on and where. I had to quit that as the omissions and deviations became more clear to me.
The series is best appreciated when you are able to disconnect it of its sources. It is well worth it, but I understand that it does take a certain level of tolerance. Fantasy requires being able to suspend disbelief. Surely some additional tolerance must be doable?

 

[ctg]

Surely some additional tolerance must be doable?

Why?

 

[Elckerlyc]

Why?

I gather from your response that some tolerance is not doable.
I don't think I can answer your question. Nothing that I could say which I haven't already said before will be sufficient to sway you otherwise.

Anyway, this is a topic that's more suitable for that other general thread about the series. My fault, I shouldn't have added the last 2 sentences.

On that note, I think I will leave at this one review. It's a lot of work and nobody is really interested in my prattle.

 

[ctg]

That's not what I meant. Tolerances are tolerances. What I'm trying to suggest is that we often see from the very beginning, and it took you three posts to get to the end of the first episode, is that your love for the RoP is definitely greater. To me, it's personal to draw a line, when it goes over. To me as a critic there is a limit on what one can defend, and you've done an admirable job. Well done.

So don't be disheartened that nobody has commented because it takes a lot to comment, and a lot has already been said. I wish I could have gone and done the posts, but it is saying a lot that it took you so much of analysis to get this far, instead of trying to encapsulate the whole feeling of the story threads in a few words.

I've been, ranting about things, because it was needed to be said. And you said here enough for them, and for any reader to understand that it should be so much. They'd pooped the thing.

If you want a personal story, thanks to Dave's, ReBergs and other people help I saw how bonkers the Wolves went, and I couldn't find a way to defend it in any way. It was just crazy. The same thing went along with the WestWorld as it became too difficult to comprehend. Just like this series. And it's not helpful for this series when they make cardinal story-telling mistakes.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

I find your review very insightful, Eickerlyc, and I enjoyed reading it. But I didn't want to keep interrupting you with comments until I was sure you had finished. On the other hand, such a long review represents a lot of work, and I can see why you wouldn't want to repeat that.

I've been trying to write a review for Episode 2, and it's taking days. It's partly because the thread for that was only created last week and during that week I had a root canal one day and a tooth extracted two days later, so I haven't been feeling my best! But I also think it might be difficult to write one of these things when the first reactions one has had, have had weeks to fade. I'm watching the episode again to make sure I don't miss anything important or remember anything the wrong way, but it's not the same as reacting to one's initialimpressions, I don't think.

So I think you did an excellent job, especially under the circumstances. (And I'm impressed that you did so much homework to get things right.)

 

[Elckerlyc]

That's not what I meant. Tolerances are tolerances. What I'm trying to suggest is that we often see from the very beginning, and it took you three posts to get to the end of the first episode, is that your love for the RoP is definitely greater. To me, it's personal to draw a line, when it goes over. To me as a critic there is a limit on what one can defend, and you've done an admirable job. Well done.

So don't be disheartened that nobody has commented because it takes a lot to comment, and a lot has already been said. I wish I could have gone and done the posts, but it is saying a lot that it took you so much of analysis to get this far, instead of trying to encapsulate the whole feeling of the story threads in a few words.

I've been, ranting about things, because it was needed to be said. And you said here enough for them, and for any reader to understand that it should be so much. They'd pooped the thing.

If you want a personal story, thanks to Dave's, ReBergs and other people help I saw how bonkers the Wolves went, and I couldn't find a way to defend it in any way. It was just crazy. The same thing went along with the WestWorld as it became too difficult to comprehend. Just like this series. And it's not helpful for this series when they make cardinal story-telling mistakes.

It isn't so much that my love for RoP is greater than that of others or that I'm defending the show. I want to do them justice. Yes, canon-wise they took too many liberties, but for me that's only part of the story. A review is putting the finger at the good and the ugly points. To tell a complete story. Which took me 3 posts, but I wanted to do a decent job. Besides, it was the first episode, so there was a lot to tell and explain (for those who have no knowledge beyond the LotR movies.) Also, even bad shows deserve a review.
If Amazon had presented their show as "The true and complete story of the Second Era and the Rings, all according to Middle-Earth canon' , than indeed you should judge the show accordingly and reject it as rubbish. But that is not what they did, nor do I think anyone really expected it to be fully canon, only hoped it would be somewhat. It is entertainment, a TV-show for the big market, not a literarily sound visual representation of Tolkien's books.
But each his own. I wouldn't do it for House of Dragons, a show without any substance, only skindeep entertainment about violence, sex and human degradation or armies gleefully being burned by dragonfire. And a struggle for a throne by a family I have no connection with whatsoever. Targaryen A or Targaryen B on the Iron Throne. Who cares, what difference does it make? Tolkien would be tolling around in his grave if he knew, but apparently it is what people want these days, in stead of a show that at least has some literary basis.

 

[Elckerlyc]

I find your review very insightful, Eickerlyc, and I enjoyed reading it. But I didn't want to keep interrupting you with comments until I was sure you had finished. On the other hand, such a long review represents a lot of work, and I can see why you wouldn't want to repeat that.

I've been trying to write a review for Episode 2, and it's taking days. It's partly because the thread for that was only created last week and during that week I had a root canal one day and a tooth extracted two days later, so I haven't been feeling my best! But I also think it might be difficult to write one of these things when the first reactions one has had, have had weeks to fade. I'm watching the episode again to make sure I don't miss anything important or remember anything the wrong way, but it's not the same as reacting to one's initialimpressions, I don't think.

So I think you did an excellent job, especially under the circumstances. (And I'm impressed that you did so much homework to get things right.)

Thank you for the compliments!
I don't mind the work, as long as it serves a purpose. I did enjoy doing it, but found that it took a lot more time than expected. Which is fine, but does need some justification.
I'm sorry to hear about your dental privations! (shudder) Hope you recover soon.
Yeah, it does make it more difficult when everyone has already moved on 2 or 3 episodes. So, if you work on episode 2, I'll do episode 3, in an attempt to catch on with the rest.

 

[Extollager]

Just a big thank-you to all involved: I’m delighted that discussion of this series, which I’m not watching, is in a Chrons section for TV and not in the Tolkien section. Thank you!