Season 1 Episode 1 of The Rings of Power article written by the Elf and Hobbit on September 1st, 2022. This post contains affiliate links, you can find out more on our policies page or in the disclaimer at the bottom of the blog.
Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Episode and Discussion Guide
Season 1 Episode 1
**SPOILERS INCLUDED**
Episode Guide for Episode 1 Season 1 of The Rings of Power
Details
Show: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
Air Date: 9/2/22
Streaming Service: Amazon Prime Video
(Available to Amazon Prime Subscribers – You Can Subscribe Now)
Length: 65 minutes
How many episodes: 8 in season 1
Rating: TV-14
Genre: Fantasy, Drama
Warnings: The first two episodes are very similar to the movies in terms of violence and scary imagry. There are scary monsters, tense moments, violent battle scenes, and a limited amount of gore.
**SPOILERS INCLUDED**
Quick Season 1 Episode 1 of The Rings of Power Summary:
Thousands of years before Frodo’s journey in the Lord of the Rings, Middle Earth is starting to face a new and rising evil. Galadriel knows evil is back and has life altering decisions to make. Elrond tries to help a friend and meets a personal hero. We meet Nori, who is not content with staying within the bounds of her village, and Poppy- the friend who tries to keep her in line. The Elf and Human marriages of the past have ended in tragedy, but we meet Bronwyn and Arondir needing to decide if they will let the past rule their future.
Trivia for The Rings of Power:
1) They have been filming for three years!
2) The series is already -ALREADY- getting trolled for trying to fix the diversity problems of the book and the original movies. I will not post or link any of them- do not feed the trolls y’all! But if you enjoy the series GO give it a good rating and review on all the places. The books are fantastic but do have racist and misogynistic slants, but we think if Tolkien were alive today that he would enjoy the representation in the new series. Check out his essay on fairy stories for more on that.
3) It has been reported that the first two episodes are airing together for the premier so that the finale is not competing with the House of Dragons finale. The finale will air on October 14th according to the schedule.
4) They will be taking creative license with the original material, but all of the prior movies have as well. Those that do not have an issue with the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogy taking creative jumps, but do have a problem with the series, might just be pointing out their own racism and sexism.
*) Additional point- Tolkien wrote the least about the second age, which is the time period in which the series is set. Reviews from literary fans of Tolkien are coming in high.
5) This is the most expensive tv series to ever be made to date. The episodes are big screen, theatrical, quality. (I saw the first 2 in theaters and WOW!) It’s already scheduled for five seasons. Ultimately it will be like a 50+ hour long movie. It also will be able to have an incredibly wide reach, Amazon has over 200 million subscribers.
3 Discussion Questions for S1 Ep1 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
1) Which was your favorite scene? What surprised you?
2) Do you think Galadriel’s obsession is a valid one? Why or why not?
3) Nori is so curious about everything and doesn’t want to be kept in the confines of her village, why?
4) Which character did you most relate to?
5) Which character do you want to see more of?
Our Commentary on Season 1 Episode 1 of The Rings of Power
What’s going on with the characters we already knew in Season 1 Episode 1 of the Rings of Power:
Galadriel is having trouble convincing others of what she knows- Sauron is not gone and evil is rising. The conflict she faced on the boat was fantastically done. On the one hand, going home is all she has wanted. But at the same time, she can’t do that peacefully while evil is growing unchecked. Excited to see more of her storyline unfold.
Elrond is becoming a politician according to his friend Galadriel. He also just met the person who, according to the books, forges the rings of power.
What about the new character arcs introduced in Season 1 Episode 1 of the Rings of Power?:
I’m rooting for Bronwyn and Arondir, but things are looking bleak. And what exactly has Bronwyn’s son found? A dagger of Sauron’s??
The harfoots are one of three groups that eventually become the hobbits we know from The Lord of the Rings. Nori is obviously a leader among the younger kids in her village but she also likes adventure. Loved Nori’s mom! But especially Poppy- the friend who begrudgingly goes along with everything out of concern for their friend. Reminded me a little of Samwise.
Our Conclusion on Season 1 Episode 1 of The Rings of Power:
The production values – camera, sets, costumes, music – are all excellent. The acting is wonderful. The dwarves and the Harfoots in particular are outstanding. Not surprised by the misogynist and racist comments but disappointed by them. It’s absolutely unacceptable. Everyone deserves to see themselves represented in these grand fantasy stories! We were really impressed with the first two episodes of season one. Looking forward to episode three!
So far, the series seems to go well with the general arch of the books. Again, since the second age is the least fleshed out, they will have lots of creative wiggle room. And it seems very similar to the six movies that have already been made as well. If you enjoyed the movies, you will probably enjoy these first two episodes.
Thank you for checking out our episode 1 parent review of The Rings of Power
Before you go, check out…
-Lessons from Tolkien on Reading Day
-Tolkien: A Review of the Biopic Movie by a Fan
-5 Things We Learned from Mr. Roger
-Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe Book vs Movie
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