Here’s the challenge with this series: it’s a prequel. Not everything in Tolkien’s lore is familiar to everyone, but the basic plot of his main trilogy is extremely well known. Elendil and Isildur will strike down Sauron. Therefore, neither of them can die in this series. Mt. Doom and Mordor will never again be the green Southlands. Therefore, Númenor will fail to take it back. Durin will delve too deep and his entire kingdom will perish. Therefore, the disagreement with his father has nothing at stake. Every plotline, with the possible exception of Nori, deals with failure. It’s a pretty depressing tale! I need to really love these characters to follow them on this tragic journey. How do these characters build the world of Frodo’s time? Their connection to the Tolkien I know engages me, even if this era is dark.
How does the map of this story become the Middle-Earth we know so well?
I want it spelled out. Where exactly is the White City? Show me that distinctive cliff face. Has the city been built yet, or is that something the displaced Southlanders will accomplish? What is the migratory pattern of the Harfoots? We see them in a known place, the future Dead Marshes, but they also say it’s been years since they’ve wandered to the land of The Stranger’s constellation. Is that the Shire? What is Galadriel’s connection to Lothlorien, and how does the angry warrior from this time become that realm’s great queen? Where is Celeborn, and why is Galadriel’s husband treated as a throwaway line?
The arc of this first season must be: How and why are the three elven rings made? That is the title of the series, and the elven rings are the focus of this first season. (Future seasons will deal with dwarves and men, the other ringbearers, I assume.) Anything not in service to this question should be left out. We need all the mithril information, and we need something about Galadriel’s dagger. (These are the metals used in the forging.) The elves are fading and are trying to find a way to extend their time in Middle Earth. (This is the motivation for the forging.) What has changed their eternal nature? Is it the Starfall comet? Is it the volcano eruption? Is it Halbrand/Sauron rescued by Galadriel? The first elven leaf to ooze happens with the comet. Why? We now know this is Gandalf coming to help. Why would his arrival bring destruction? The season doesn’t answer this question.
Also, we all know that Elrond and Galadriel will wear two of the three rings. Does Celebrimbor wear the third? (I don’t remember my lore!) Does Gil-galad end up with the third ring? Will Galadriel’s husband Celeborn come back and wear it? That question needed answering by the end of Season One. Start the elf part of the ring story and finish it properly.
And most importantly: What is Halbrand’s character arc? At what point does he realize that he’s Sauron? At what point are we supposed to realize that? The showrunners are so busy trying to bamboozle us over The Stranger and Halbrand — which one is Sauron? — that a lot of information gets lost. Ultimately, this series is his story. He crafts the rings and persuades others to wear them. He’s technically the protagonist; his decisions move the story. Or, they should. His intentions will roll out gradually over the course of the series, but we need more of a foundation in this first season.
With that in mind, let’s see what structure they actually gave us. If you look at my summary of the season, below, you’ll see that instinctually I didn’t include what seems extraneous. Elendil’s family serves no purpose in the elven ring plot, except as a fun easter egg. The dynamics of the Southlanders don’t move anything forward unless it relates to the orcs taking their lands. Arondir, bless his heart, is plot padding.. Most of the Harfoot section is a Willow’s Village. I will accept that The Stranger is necessary. He and Halbrand must perform the who-is-Sauron dance in the first season. However, the hobbits aren’t part of the ring lore until Bilbo.
LEFTOVER NINE
It’s Galadriel’s whole backstory that takes up the first chunk of Episode One. She chases Sauron for millennia and never catches him. Why is she so driven? What happened to Sauron? Is he Merlin-like, locked in ice for a while? Is he Voldemort-like, needing time to regenerate his powers after defeat? We have no answers here or anywhere else in Season One. In my initial review I focused on how lackluster and incomplete Galadriel’s character is in this section. I didn’t realize that this is also the time we should learn Sauron’s backstory. This — THIS — is where the first beat of The Witches’ arc belongs. Can you imagine an initial viewing with those creepy, mysterious beings on your screen within the first ten minutes? Hooked.
ONE
We meet the Harfoots. We meet Elrond and see more of the elven kingdom. We meet the Southlanders.
TWO
Theo discovers Sauron’s hilt in Waldreg’s barn. Galadriel refuses the Undying Lands and jumps overboard. The Starfall comet hits and Nori goes to investigate.
(These are all very promising Two Troubles. Mostly they resolve in the season’s Eight. Well done.)
THREE
Episode Two. Celebrimbor shows Elrond his plans for a massive forge.
(Another exciting structural choice. The Six will mirror beautifully.)
FOUR
We meet Durin and visit the dwarven realm.
Nori and The Stranger learn to communicate.
Galadriel meets Halbrand on the raft.
Bronwyn tells the villagers of the orc tunnels.
The Stranger kills the fireflies. Halbrand rescues Galadriel.
Arondir is an orc prisoner who must dig, which begins Episode Three.
Elendil rescues Galadriel and we’re told the backstory of Númenor. Galadriel rides to the Hall of Lore. Afterwards, she confronts Halbrand and calls him the King of the Southlands.
Nori steals the star map in Sadoc’s book. The Stranger helps Nori’s family pull their wagon.
SWITCH
The Queen’s dream of a Great Wave begins Episode Four.
(This Switch is serviceable and visually strong. However, if Númenor’s presence were reduced, another Switch could be found. This beat doesn’t give an essential turn to the plot. The fact that it’s replaceable is not to its credit.)
FIVE
We learn more about Elendil’s family. Arondir meets Adar.
Elrond discovers the mithril. Galadriel discovers the palantir. Theo discovers Waldreg’s scarred arm.
In Episode Five the Three Witches appear. (I strongly object at how late they’re introduced.)
The Stranger shows magical skill. Galadriel shows fighting skills.
The diorama of the creation of mithril. The elves are fading.
In the flashback of Halbrand and Adar, who actually bows to whom?
Halbrand seems conflicted about assuming his claim of kingship.
Galadriel boards the ship for Middle-Earth in slowmo.
The village is attacked by orcs in Episode Six.
Halbrand asks Adar if he remembers him. He does not. (This is a critical beat that blends into the background. The servant of Sauron doesn’t remember his own master! Without more context, this is a disastrous story choice.)
Adar tells his story.
Halbrand admits to Bronwyn that he’s King of the Southlands.
Waldreg uses the hilt to destroy the tower. The lava under the volcano is flooded, leading to an eruption.
The aftermath of the eruption hits in Episode Seven.
Elrond fails to negotiate successfully for the mithril.
We realize that the Southlands is Mordor.
Isildur is lost and the Queen is blind. The Witches return and destroy the Harfoots’ bounty.
Nori and friends set out to follow The Stranger and warn him.
Galadriel finds the wounded Halbrand. The Balrog waits at the bottom of the mithril vein deep in the mountain.
Episode Eight, the finale, opens with The Witches addressing The Stranger as Sauron.
Elves heal Halbrand.
SIX
Halbrand meets Celebrimbor in the forge and discovers mithril. (The Three was the introduction of the forge and Celebrimbor’s ambition for it. This Six is a beautiful juxtaposition and furthering of the original beat. Very well done.)
SEVEN
The elves decide to shape the mithril into a crown — no, rings. Galadriel hears Celebrimbor speak of using the power of the Unseen World, a term of Sauron’s. She decides to investigate Halbrand’s history.
EIGHT
The workshop bustles. The Witches control The Stranger and trick Nori. When he comes to save the Harfoots, The Stranger reveals himself to be Not Sauron. Sadoc is mortally wounded, though.
Galadriel receives the librarian’s scroll that reveals the King of the Southlands’ line of descent ended long ago. Halbrand confronts her, sending her into dream realities.
Elrond rescues her from the water. Celebrimbor shapes the rings, using her dagger as the alloy.
Nori, alone, joins The Stranger on his journey. Elrond finds and reads the librarian’s scroll. The Three Rings, finished, wait on the table for their ringbearers.
NINE
Halbrand walks into Mordor.
CRITICAL NOTES
For each episode, I looked at what made sense for that story. If the beats were there, I called it a success. However, a solid structure for a particular episode doesn’t mean it was helping the season-long arc. Take Halbrand. Until he’s revealed as Sauron, I can only judge his role as a bedraggled, reluctant king. He’s playing a version of the Fisher King archetype, one of the Arthurian tropes. The show is also tapping into our expectations from Aragorn, another vagabond king. However, just because his actions may fit within a certain episode’s structure, that doesn’t mean Halbrand is used wisely overall. His terrible wig and roguish behavior aren’t enough clues that we’re watching Sauron. The actor was Cast For The End, a choice I generally find to be laudable. He comes alive as Sauron. He’s a woeful Fisher King, though, and uninspiring to watch. The show needed more hints and a forceful character arc to bring out his skill.
In general, the structure of the season is sound. The key beats — Two/Eight and Three/Six — are excellent. It’s in the Four/Switch/Five that the season loses momentum.
If I were Head Writer For A Day, I’d have cut a lot of the Númenor information. Tease us. The sets are gorgeous, and meeting Elendil is fun, but much of this would probably fit better in another season that focuses on the men ringbearers. We spend too much time here.
Also, I’d cut way back on the hobbits. Right now a lot of it is twee. We need to meet them and get a sense of their society; we need information about The Stranger. The twig and acorn costume design is beguiling. Nori is interesting. Again, though, I would’ve preferred a tease rather than an involved plot. They’re a clever throughline for the entire show, but they need a lighter touch.
That leaves us with Elrond, Durin, and Galadriel as the main drivers of the story. I don’t want to care about Adar, but he’s important for the transition from a recovering Middle-Earth to the devastation of Sauron and Mordor. Bronwyn is the face of the Southlanders who lose everything. And, of course, Halbrand. His arc is opaque and needs reworking, but he is possibly the most essential character of the season. Every episode should’ve been propelled by his journey. With that in mind, The Witches are undefined and misused. How do they not know the difference between a good man and a bad one? They had one job, lol.
The biggest mistake this show made was to include too much. This is the elves’ story, the creatures who invent the first rings. Too many character branches and the motivations get muddy. Plotlines get confusing. A smaller, more focused show would’ve piqued more interest, I believe. Galadriel and Halbrand needed crystal clear motivations and character traits. An overly-broad story let the showrunners miss how empty their two leads had become.
And, for crying out loud, add another woman elf somewhere in the entire kingdom.