Once more we find ourselves treading the familiar (and oft unfamiliar) paths of Tolkien's Middle-Earth, though this time in television form. I must admit, when I first heard that Amazon had bought the rights to The Lord of the Rings I was a little angry and largely sad. Sure, in a Game of Thrones world it makes sense to reach for the king of fantasy, but it will be decades before I think it is worth someone taking another shot at that particular tale – you just won't manage to live up to Peter Jackson's epic, no matter how much cash or cameos you throw at it (I mean, just look at The Hobbit prequels...).
But when I learnt that they were going to set the series in the Second Age, my ears definitely got a little pointier 😁 Beyond some of the prologues in the movies, this is a period that barely anyone has attempted to tackle. Plus, crucially, it's also not that fleshed out. Tolkien himself spent most of his life working on the Silmarillion and LotR, which cover the First and Third Ages respectively. But the Second is largely untouched, with a few chapters in the Silmarillion used more as a bridge between that book and those that came (chronologically) later, plus the appendices of LotR itself. That last part is ultimately where this series gets its story from, as the Tolkien estate has utterly refused to sell any of the rights to the Silmarillion or any of the surrounding stories. Honestly, it's basically a fluke that Amazon can make this show at all, and I imagine they've had to tread particularly finely around copyright concerns, considering the trigger-happy nature of Tolkien's legal team.
Throw in a general thumbs up from Jackson to let the show makers base their designs and overall aesthetic around his movies, and I went into the opening salvo of episodes with slightly elevated hopes. Right off the bad, those hopes were largely held up. There are definitely some moments where the show stumbles, but it looks absolutely beautiful and every set, costume, environment, and character just screams Middle-Earth. I loved the world-building and the way characters – both new and old; canon and novel – were introduced. They successfully wove a plot together that had me intrigued and simultaneously reminded me of the aspects of the films that I loved. Best of all, they had clearly learned from the failures (and successes) of The Hobbit films. Orcs were gritty and rag-tag, but showed no signs of advanced cybernetics. The CGI was used sparingly, and monsters were mainly hinted at, rather than front-and-centre (and where these were added, they were done for legitimate story need, such as the sea serpent and snow troll, rather than creature design kicks, like those weird tunnelling worms). Indeed, it felt like everything that could be done practically was done that way, which is either an extremely high standard of CGI and VFX work, or just precisely how they approached things. But best of all, the fight choreography felt real.
Yes, characters still make ridiculous, gravity-defying leaps and mid-air twists; elves still regularly dodge arrows and hang off horses; and sword work is more Jedi than Knight, but it feels real somehow. The elves shown aren't green-eared younglings; they've been fighting for centuries and millennia. Their swordsmanship and battle tactics feel well-worn, practised, and second nature, rather than mere showmanship. It's like that epic moment in The Fellowship where you see the lines of Noldor outside Mount Doom, fighting in perfect unison. These are warriors at the height of their superhuman ability and it shows. Their stunts don't feel forced or actively magical, but merely reflexive, and they still get worn down, drop weapons, even end up dying at times. It's an unusual blend of fantasy and gritty realism and it works so damn well, resulting in some utterly incredible set pieces in the latter third of the season.
So the action and world-building get two solid thumbs up, but what about the plot (and the lore 😬). Well, to the first I'd say that, narratively, the show hits the ground running and gives the story the time and space it needs. I've seen quite a few people complaining about pacing issues, but I honestly didn't ever feel that way. I want there to be slow points; I want the show to explore the universe it inhabits. So, sure, the first full episode on Númenor has some elongated scenes and not much action, but I felt this was nicely counteracted by the political intrigue and interpersonal suspense that we were focusing on. I will say that I felt the story did struggle a little at first, but by the midpoint I rarely had any complaints, and although I did see the big twist of the finale coming, I still wasn't entirely sure of myself and thought they landed the payoff really nicely.
As for the lore, frankly, I didn't find myself caring. Look, the original story takes place over three thousand years (or so): this was never going to make it to the screen fully intact. Nor should it. Even putting aside the fact that Amazon only has the rights to some of the history of the Second Age, no book-to-screen adaptation should ever try to just make a clone straight from the words of the page. Peter Jackson sure as hell didn't, and I don't hear many people complaining about the narrative shortcuts, tidying, and general characterisation improvements that he made in The Lord of the Rings. Why? Because giving more characters actual depth and cutting out overly flowery prose is necessary when changing mediums. In the same way that Tom Bombadil not appearing isn't really that big of a narrative issue, foreshortening the Second Age is a necessity. You can't introduce a character like Isildur in the penultimate episode and expect us to care that much; that's just not how good stories work. Overall, I think they've done a really great job of weaving the key points together, giving the characters all a distinct sense of place and purpose, and still making it entertaining to watch 👏
Elsewhere, I'm really digging some of the lore expansions that they've got going on. I wasn't immediately sold on the whole mithril angle, but I actually think it's low-key genius. Tying mithril to the Silmarils; connecting that essence of the Valar to the mystical properties of the Rings; looping it all back to the plight of the elves, it all works quite neatly. I'm sure there are a million reasons why it contradicts the books or general source material, but from a narrative perspective, I think it's a solid device.
Similarly, the Harfoots are just a really joyous inclusion. Yes, fan pandering with hobbits feels a little forced, though we know from the Appendices that the Harfoot people were roaming these areas of Middle-Earth during this period of time, but the real benefit of this plotline is twofold:
- It gives them an excuse to play constant double-bluffs around who Sauron actually is. Is it the "sky giant"? Is it the elvish orc in the Southlands? Is it the rogue of a man with a seedy past? Or are we all being deceived and Sauron hasn't even cropped up yet? It adds intrigue and the pay-off works, so whatever;
- And it lets us have a story arc which isn't all warfare, high politics, and immortal beings. The Harfoot clan are the everyday folk; their story is smaller, but all the more personal. And even here, I might see some case that LotR has this bit of the plot covered and just doing it again is lazy, but Nori and her family are so damn well written and acted that they become the emotional hook of the show. Because in a world of haughty elves and treacherous men, having some honest-to-goodness everyday people knocking around is just nice. It gives you a connection that would otherwise be missing, and still provides plenty of intrigue, suspense, and scares in their own way.
- Okay, this isn't really a valid point, but Lenny Henry as a hobbit is worth mentioning and he was absolutely stellar in the role of Sadoc, so I had to mention it 😁
That said, I'm not too sure how I feel about Gandalf or Galadriel, though each for different reasons. Gandalf is played perfectly and (meteor aside) doesn't feel like his portrayal or story really goes against anything that we know from the lore. He arrives in Middle-Earth, generally tries to help out, befriends some proto-hobbits, and heads East. That all broadly fits. Sure, in the books he arrived by boat and isn't quite so confused as to why he's here, though at the same time we don't get a huge amount of detail and his subsequent reincarnation to Gandalf the White does seem to come with more than a little memory loss, so it feels fitting enough. The bigger issue is just the timeline. Why are the Istari on Middle-Earth before the battle of the Last Alliance? Before Sauron's return is even known about? Why would a Maia suddenly just drop in, and where are the others? And, most importantly, what does this mean for the Last Alliance itself? Gandalf can't be at that battle, but we know also have to explain why he isn't. And if they do retcon him into taking part, doesn't that diminish the valour of the Alliance in the first place? Having a literal god on your side does feel like it balances the scales somewhat 🤷♀️ Still, I enjoyed his storyline, the reveal was well done, and the casting felt perfect. I wouldn't hate it if this is the last we see of Nori or the Harfoots, but I also have a sneaking suspicion that won't be the case (particularly now that the Witch King and two other wraiths have been introduced).
And then there's Galadriel. Now, she is absolutely meant to be central to this story. Her brothers fought Sauron and Morgoth; she was on Middle-Earth for the whole of the Second Age; she is a Ringbearer and member of the White Council. Her involvement is practically non-negotiable. Was she a warrior? Well, why not? Tolkien was clearly dabbling with the idea and whilst she may have laid down arms by the time that Frodo meets her, we know that she leads her army to attack the Necromancer in Mirkwood and she certainly doesn't seem like the sort of person that is okay taking a backseat. She's also millennia old, so has had plenty of time to do just about anything, and has a solid motivation for revenge (and, before I hear any "elves are above revenge", is absolutely tempted by the power of the One Ring, so clearly isn't all goodness and sunshine).
But it's that millennia-old thing that feels jarring. From the first episode, her skill and drive are unquestionable, but she feels way too young. To be clear, I think that Morfydd Clark does a fantastic job in the role and absolutely looks the part; I'm not saying that she looks too young. What would that even mean for an unaging immortal being? It's more that she's written too young. She has the hot-headed temperament of youth, yet she's technically the High King's great aunt. She should understand how to play the game way better than this; understand the benefits of careful strategy. She feels too human, too immature, too, well, not like Galadriel. Sure, she has a temper, she is headstrong, and I can completely get behind an elven attitude towards humans of frustration that they move too slowly, because if you've been around as long as she has then you've probably made whatever decision it is multiple times before and can more accurately understand the likely outcomes. Perhaps that's what they were going for, but it comes across as a bit silly, and that isn't helped by her arc in the show. Over the course of about a year, she seems to mature more than several thousand had managed before 🤔
That said, I do think the casting was right, and I really enjoyed warrior Galadriel. I just wish the initial tension between her character and the other elves had been done differently. I think a more in-character opening storyline might have been them discovering Sauron's ancient fortress (through planning and strategy, rather than simply sprinting head first into a blizzard), finding evidence that it was long since abandoned, and her resigning herself that Sauron was either dead or so long gone that her task was done. In this version, she would have chosen to return to Valinor (which is how that actually works), but possibly seen the comet en route, realised that something was up, and made the decision to strike back (perhaps in a boat, rather than just trying to swim across an ocean). I dunno, I think there could have been other ways to play a slightly older, more mature character who is just as stubborn and powerful (and who still has room to grow, particularly around trust) without doing things the way they did.
What else? It's a little odd that they have two Durin's alive at once (as the lore is clear that can't happen) and I'm not sure why his wife doesn't have a beard (though apparently the source material is a little unclear on this), but otherwise I thought the dwarves have been done perfectly. Whilst I could have done without the whole Beren/Luthien angle to their relationship, I absolutely loved Arondir as a character and thought the whole plot around the Southlands was just a really interesting exploration of how the elves are still punishing the distant descendants of those that actually betrayed them, showing how immortality doesn't lead to particularly rational decisions from a mortal's perspective. Elendil is another perfect casting, and I'm intrigued to see how they develop Isildur as a character; plus, in general Númenor is beautifully designed and just wonderful to get to see brought to life! And I thought the villainous twisted elf was a really interesting take, both on the larger lore around Morgoth and how it expanded on the orcs as a race (and I thought the way they went about creating Mount Doom was really well done, even if a little convoluted, it still pulled all the threads together in a surprising and neat way).
The final result is one that I really enjoyed and felt that went from strength to strength. Casting, effects, design, and plot were all consistently solid, and even if some aspects of lore and characterisation felt a little awkward at times, overall these negatives are minor blips in an otherwise thoroughly enjoyable journey. Oh, and for anyone getting annoyed at inclusive casting: y'all are just bad at the concept of fantasy 😂