Rings of Power season 1 explained some secrets, but didn’t tell a story

When sassy minx George Lucas decided to tweak his blockbuster movie in April 1981 Star Wars, he inadvertently ignited a fuse that led to a bitter culture war to this day.Add subtitle Episode IV – A New Hope It hints at grand plans to come quickly and recontextualize everything that comes in the future, and even a quick glance at the original trilogy’s production history reveals that it’s largely overblown. , 18 years later, Lucas right He mostly has plans that followed the T: Prequel trilogy. Great art pretends to have a plan. Poor art often suffers from too much planning.

Like many big shows with huge stakes, Lord of the rings: Ring of power I wanted to assure the viewer that I had a plan in place. It is often profitable to insist that the plan works.

ring of power Showrunners JD Payne and Patrick McKay be very vocal about their plans: Exactly what are they going to adapt from JRR Tolkien’s Middle-earth legend and how long will it take to do it. It is a plan that roughly shows the crossing of rings, to end their new work where the previous one began. Unfortunately, the plan is becoming less exciting in its execution.

ring of power It’s built around a mystery that neither Tolkien nor his most famous adaptor cared. The driving force behind the first season all revolves around identities hidden by the writers rather than the characters’ deepest desires. Who is the stranger? What about Sauron? Or adder?

Lord of the Ring The works associated with it were less concerned with the mystery. Most of the characters seemed like they were and had a lot to hide.some were not other letter But the audience always gets clues — Aragorn, for example, isn’t what many in the story expect him to be, but from the moment the audience learns of his Broken Sword, it’s the meaning of it. is clear: he is the heir of Isildur, the king of Gondor making an honorable return return of the king.

It’s the strength of Tolkien’s brand of high fantasy, and ironically the same reason it’s been rejected by more modern interpretations of the genre.That’s why ring of power can coexist comfortably House of the Dragon Yet it feels like an entirely different experience. It’s a world where archetypal characters wrestle with abstractions that represent good and evil in the purest terms, darkness is an abyss, and the light that burns to defeat it is faint but hot. It never matters whether people like King Gilgalad or the famous genius Celebrimbor are good or bad. Characters in Middle-earth embark on a journey that will lead them either way: a growing class of people fighting for the Light, or a populace succumbing to despair.

For this reason, much of Tolkien’s work is about the incredible journeys he endured to cross incredible distances and reach impossible destinations.probably the biggest reason ring of power Failing the first season is also the simplest. I’m not going anywhere.

Image: Prime Video

Image: Prime Video

Sure, people travel. Faced with an Orc threat led by the enigmatic Adder, Bronwyn and the Southlanders continually flee in search of safety. Galadriel, who begins the story on his way to the elven heaven of Valinor, at the last moment decides to turn down paradise in order to continue Sauron’s hunt in Middle-earth. Elrond travels to and from Khazad-Dum. Long isolated under a policy of non-intervention, the island kingdom of Numenor finally sends its soldiers to Middle-earth, an act that marks the beginning of its collapse.

However, neither of these trips Journeys, not in the Campbell sense.And I would argue that this is a big part of why ring of power It can feel very empty: very little growth for that character. There are relationships here that are worth watching, and the best moments of the series are generally when those relationships are given room to unfold. Namely, between Durin, the Prince of Dwarves, and his wife, father, Elrond. This is why most other characters are so deflated that they can be reduced to simply learning the hidden role that the writers have been dealt in the werewolf secret games they’ve been playing. , Bronwyn’s plight in the Southlands with his son Theo, everything about Halfhut – it all boiled down to parlor room discussions about who holds the card that says they’re the Dark Lord.

Galadriel, the ostensible protagonist of the series, is the same person she was initially at the end of season one. The only obvious difference to her season finale is the one she shares with most of the big players. ring of power: A series of characters with projected abilities that look like giant dope. The reveal of Sauron’s true identity in the finale is mostly portrayed in a way that unfolds for the benefit of the viewer. Because those who learn the truth are deceived because they are made to trust less observant, inactive, and inherently depressed characters more. Their story in a climactic moment for no good reason to be there.

Photo: Ben Rothstein/Prime Video

Preamble continuously replaces characters ring of powerThe distance between a character’s position in the showrunner’s endgame plans and where they are now serves to justify current decisions rather than character development. Are they drawn into each other’s orbits? Why did Elendil and Queen Regent Myriel suddenly become connected? still using his ideas?

There is a simple answer to this. It’s all part of the plan. But good planning and good TV aren’t all bets that it will work out in the end. The present should be of infinite importance, as it is what ensures that a worthwhile journey reaches its destination in the end.

Ironically, ring of power There are many things to show us. Dwarf mansions, human naval forces, and elf forests. everything is beautiful. With a virtually unlimited budget, the series has never failed when it comes to sights and textures. This is Middle-earth where people live and viewers want to visit, and it would be a tragedy if faced with destruction. It features prominent gazes that draw attention to something, dramatic establishing shots that keep visitors in the majesty of the fantasy cities they visit, and thoughtful costumes that tell you where they are. All people are from It’s arguably more interesting to imagine yourself in this version of Middle-earth’s Second Age than to conjure up the inner lives of the characters. ring of power Enter the.

Image: Prime Video

Image: Prime Video

Image: Prime Video

ring of power That’s the job of the cartographer, not the storyteller. After all, maps are the product of arrogance. Maps can only be made if you are stupid enough to believe that the world is known. But most of the most memorable moments in the epic story of Middle-earth are No It is shown on maps that preceded Tolkien’s work.this thing Occur Mirkwood, Moria’s Haunted House, Rohan’s Fields. Whose story diverges, ends there, and how does it change after that?something is move These characters travel because someone has to, whether it’s treasure or adventure or simply a deep desire to do the right thing.

probably the best thing that could happen ring of power If we stopped mapping this world in such painstaking detail and instead simply traveled with us.

season 1 Lord of the rings: Ring of power is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.