Episode Grade: (6.9/10)
The series pilot of Rings of Power is visually stunning but offers very little substance. The writers spend an entire hour questioning whether Sauron is alive or not despite that being a known fact to the viewers. Still, that would have been excusable had there been any other plot or character development in the meantime. Instead, we were given a set of one-dimensional characters and the basis of a couple dull, repetitive subplots.
Plot (30/50)
The central storyline of the show will certainly be the battle against Sauron’s evil, in whichever way it might manifest itself, which makes the decision to spend the entire first episode questioning whether he’s alive or not rather odd. I understand that they were establishing how long its been since he was last seen and how complacent the residents of Middle Earth had become, but that could’ve been done in at most half the time. What’s even more baffling is that in the process, very little was developed. The backstory at the beginning was fine, but what followed afterwards seems pointless. Galadriel has a deeply rooted personal vendetta against Sauron so she hunts him down to the ends of the earth centuries to avenge her brother. Of course, no one will listen to her because they all want to believe that Sauron is gone or they just don’t want to deal with it. Hmm, where have we seen that before? Nonetheless, she’s relentless in her pursuit. I wonder if they were going for suspense in that ship crossing scene… For all that can be explored in the Lord of the Rings world, it’s disappointing to see them start off with a painfully repetitive forbidden love storyline featuring an elf and a human as well as an adventure-hungry wannabe hobbit (I know, I know, harfoots are the hobbit ancestors). My point is: Why should I care? It’s only the first episode and they’re planting seeds, but considering that there are many more important seeds to plant (e. g. humans, dwarves) and that there are only 8 episodes in the season, this seems like a waste of valuable time. None of this is helped by the jumpiness which made the 21 scenes of the episode feel like 40. At least there’s a full commitment to the fantasy genre and a clear sense of direction with the impending revelation of whatever evil Middle Earth has to contend with.
Character Development (9/15)
Much of the focus was and will almost definitely continue to be on Galadriel. She’s portrayed as a fierce warrior with a traumatic past that keeps her motivated in her pursuit of Sauron but by the end of the episode she just came across as whiny and bitter. I’m sure the intention behind showing her hesitate was to humanize her or make her feel more relatable, but it really fell flat to me. The only positive from that fiasco was that it established Elrond as an excellent talker. That and that we no longer have to hear from the devilishly annoying Thondir. Nothing about the High King Gil-galad makes him unique, and the same can be said about Nori. The townspeople of the South Lands were the most intriguing characters of this episode, and that says something…
Theme/Messages (4/5)
- In response to how one knows which light to follow: “Sometimes we cannot know until we’ve touched the darkness.”
- The most important truths are often simple.
- Evil waits until you are complacent.
- “The past is with us all, whether we like it or not.”
- “The same wind that seeks to blow out a fire may also cause its spread” is a really interesting quote actually.
Acting (13/15)
Morfydd Clark (Galadriel), Ismael Cruz Cordova (Arondir), and Nazanin Boniadi (Bronwyn) put in decent performances even they were a bit theatrical.
Cinematography (13/15)
As has been the theme for Amazon Prime Video Originals, the production was exquisite and the shots of nature were stunning. There were some scenes that stood out:
- Great shot of the light tree dimming out as a shadowy figure appears to engulf it from behind (4:35)
- Powerful shots to illustrate the desolation of the lands after the war as highlighted by all the burned trees and the massive pile of elvish helmets (6:26)
- Cool shot of the Elvan tower looking over the valley with the horizon in the distance (44:38)