The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Season 1)
Series, 2022, The Rings of Power, Set in Second Age
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Season 1) is #7 of 9 in release order and #1 of 9 in chronological order in the Middle-earth.
The story
Beginning in a time of relative peace, we follow an ensemble cast of characters as they confront the re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Season 1) recap
In the Second Age, Galadriel hunts the vanished Sauron while the Elves believe him gone. Elrond seeks help from his dwarf friend Prince Durin IV for Celebrimbor's great forge in Eregion, and learns the Elves are fading and need mithril to survive. Galadriel is shipwrecked with Halbrand, a man who claims to be the lost king of the Southlands, and they reach Numenor, where Queen Regent Miriel agrees to sail with an army. In the Southlands, the Elf Arondir and the healer Bronwyn face orcs led by Adar, who uses a hilt-shaped key to flood a dam and turn the region into Mordor with the eruption of Mount Doom. Miriel is blinded in the battle. A strange man falls from the sky and is befriended by the harfoot Nori, while three cultists hunt him as Sauron.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Season 1) ending explained
The Stranger is not Sauron; he is a wizard, and he leaves with Nori for Rhun. Galadriel works out that Halbrand is Sauron, after he has helped Celebrimbor design rings. He tempts her to rule with him, she refuses, and he walks off to Mordor. Galadriel and Celebrimbor forge three Elven rings from mithril. The season ends with the Elves holding rings that Sauron helped shape, which season 2 builds on.
Where to watch The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Season 1)
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Season 1) is streaming on Prime Video and Amazon MX Player in the US.
Ratings
IMDb 6.8/10, Rotten Tomatoes 84%
Where it fits
- Release order: after The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, before The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Season 2).
- Chronological order: first, before The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Season 2).
What to watch before The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Season 1)
In release order, the essentials before The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Season 1) (2022) are The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012), The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013), and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014). The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Season 1) itself is optional in the Middle-earth order.
Cast
- Morfydd Clark as Galadriel
- Robert Aramayo as Elrond
- Owain Arthur as Durin IV
- Sophia Nomvete as Disa
- Markella Kavenagh as Elanor 'Nori' Brandyfoot
- Ismael Cruz Cordova as Arondir
- Charlie Vickers as Halbrand
- Charles Edwards as Lord Celebrimbor
- Daniel Weyman as The Stranger
- Megan Richards as Poppy Proudfellow
- Benjamin Walker as High King Gil-Galad
- Lloyd Owen as Elendil
Created by Patrick McKay, John D. Payne.