This article is about the 2022 television episode. For the chapter in J. R. R. Tolkien's novel The Lord of the Rings, see The Shadow of the Past. For the unrelated 1950 crime film, see Shadow of the Past.
1st episode of the 1st season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
The series was ordered in November 2017. Payne and McKay were set to develop it in July 2018, and Bayona was hired to direct the first two episodes a year later. The first episode introduces some of the key cultures and characters for the series, including the Elves and the Harfoots. The latter are precursors to the popular Hobbit race from The Hobbit (1937) and The Lord of the Rings. Each culture was defined through designs and music. Filming for the first season began in New Zealand in February 2020, but was placed on hold in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Production resumed in September and wrapped for the first two episodes by the end of December.
"A Shadow of the Past" premiered on the streaming service Amazon Prime Video on September 1, 2022. Along with the second episode, it had the most viewers of any Prime Video premiere within 24 hours and received generally positive reviews. Particular praise went to the visuals and production value, but some critics were unsure if the storytelling and slow pacing justified this. The episode received several award nominations, including a Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Award nomination for its costume design.
Plot
When the two trees that lit the world were destroyed by the Dark Lord Morgoth, the Elves sailed from their home in Valinor to Middle-earth and waged a centuries-long war against him. After Morgoth was defeated, his servant Sauron took his place. Galadriel's brother Finrod died hunting Sauron, and Galadriel vowed to continue the search. Thousands of years later, Galadriel and a company of Elves discover an abandoned fortress in the northern wastelands of Forodwaith. They are attacked by a Snow-troll and sustain injuries before Galadriel kills it. She wishes to continue the search north, but the others refuse and she reluctantly returns to the Elven capital Lindon.
A community of nomadic Harfoots—small, secretive beings—living in the wilderlands of Rhovanion are surprised to see human hunters passing nearby at an uncommon time of year. Harfoot elder Sadoc Burrows also believes the stars are appearing when they should not be and wonders whether they are watching something unfold in Middle-earth.
In Lindon, High King Gil-galad proclaims the war to be over and grants Galadriel's company the honor of returning to Valinor, where they can live in eternal peace. Galadriel intends to decline this offer, but her friend Elrond convinces her that it is time to stop fighting. Gil-galad tells Elrond he has foreseen that Galadriel's search for Sauron could help the latter endure. Gil-galad introduces Elrond to Celebrimbor, a great Elven-smith, who is beginning an important project that Gil-galad wants Elrond to help with.
Word that the war is over reaches a group of Elves in the Southlands of Middle-earth who have been watching over Tirharad, a village of Men descended from allies of Morgoth. One of the Elves, Arondir, has grown close with the human healer Bronwyn and is with her when a villager arrives with a sick cow. It had wandered to the nearby village of Hordern, and when Arondir and Bronwyn investigate that town they find it in flames. Meanwhile, Bronwyn's son Theo finds a broken sword bearing Sauron's mark.
Across the Sundering Seas, Galadriel and her company prepare to enter Valinor. Galadriel has second thoughts about abandoning her search for Sauron and jumps from the ship. At the same time, a meteor flies across Middle-earth and crashes near the Harfoots' camp. Young Harfoot Nori Brandyfoot finds a strange man in the crater.
The series is set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, thousands of years before Tolkien's The Hobbit (1937) and The Lord of the Rings.[9] Because Amazon did not acquire the rights to Tolkien's other works where the First and Second Ages are primarily explored, the writers had to identify references to the Second Age in The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and its appendices, and create a story that bridged those passages.[7] The first season focuses on introducing the setting and major heroic characters to the audience.[7][10] In February 2022, Bayona revealed that the first episode is titled "A Shadow of the Past", which comes from the second chapter of The Lord of the Rings, "The Shadow of the Past". McKay said the first season was influenced by dialogue from that chapter which he paraphrased as "After a defeat and a respite, a shadow grows again in a new form."[10]
Writing
The showrunners chose to begin the series with an "intimate" flashback sequence showing a young Galadriel and her brother Finrod talking under a tree. McKay said this was a conscious decision to subvert expectations for the "vast and incredible epic" that they felt audiences would be expecting.[11] The episode then gives a recap of the First Age. This was difficult to put together for the showrunners because there are so many events they wanted to include as fans of Tolkien, but they thought mentions of anything specific would confuse casual audience members. They instead chose to tell a very high-level summary using general mythological terms that they felt would be accessible to all audiences: there was a "great foe", Morgoth, whose actions triggered a war. This sequence went through hundreds of drafts throughout pre-production, filming, and post-production and had the most iteration of any sequence in the first season. The final version was settled on only days before the episode was completed. The showrunners did not want to change anything from the established lore and hoped their summary would allow Tolkien fans to fill in the gaps with their own knowledge. They also hoped new fans who were intrigued by the sequence would read Tolkien's The Silmarillion (1977) to learn more about the First Age.[12]:22:38–27:01
After the prologue, the episode features an older Galadriel though one who is still much younger than she is in The Lord of the Rings. To approach a young character who is actually centuries old, actress Morfydd Clark felt that naïveté would show in Elves as arrogance. She said there was an "innocence to [Galadriel's] arrogance" which she based on a quote from the character about "how with gaining wisdom, there's a loss of innocence".[14] Galadriel's characterization in the series differs from the "elder stateswoman" that she is portrayed as in The Lord of the Rings, allowing the series to show her journey to becoming that version of the character. The writers took inspiration from Tolkien's description of a younger Galadriel as being a strong fighter of "Amazon disposition".[7] Another key difference is that Galadriel does not yet have a Ring of Power which will have a big impact on her later in the story. Clark said the Elves of the Second Age feel the weight of their actions during the First, and Galadriel feels the weight of losing her three brothers during the war. She said Galadriel is lonely and wearied as the sole survivor of her family. The episode highlights her relationship with Finrod who Clark said was a particular favorite among fans of Tolkien. After Finrod's death, this relationship is symbolized by her taking his dagger and vowing to continue his search for the Dark Lord Sauron.[12]:3:01–20:13
The episode ends with a key decision for Galadriel in which she chooses to hunt for Sauron in Middle-earth rather than enter the land of Valinor to live in eternal peace. Tolkien did not explain why Galadriel chose to remain in Middle-earth in his writings,[15] though he considered several reasons including her pride, choosing to remain with her husband Celeborn, or being banned from Valinor for an unknown reason.[14] This gave the writers leeway to create their own reason, which is Galadriel's choice to continue Finrod's hunt for Sauron. Clark said Galadriel has a feeling of hiraeth, a Welsh word meaning "a yearning and longing", in wanting to finish "what she was meant to do".[15]
Payne and McKay felt it was essential to establish relationships in the first episode that the audience could invest in, such as the Romeo and Juliet-style love story between the Elf Arondir and the human Brownyn, the hijinks-filled friendship between the young Harfoots Nori Brandyfoot and Poppy Proudfellow, and the respectful relationship between Galadriel and Elrond. McKay described the latter two as "almost peers, but not quite".[16]:1:13–1:57 Clark said Galadriel was fascinated by Elrond because he is also an outsider, being a half-Elf who chose to be immortal rather than a full Elf from birth. She felt that Elrond, who is much younger than Galadriel, is just coming into his own and becoming a worthy foil for her.[12]:3:01–20:13 Elrond's introduction sitting in a tree was inspired by the film Young Mr. Lincoln (1939).[17]:41:34–43:00
Each group of characters in the series is introduced at "a time of enormous change in their worlds" which the showrunners hoped would help make the series more dramatic. This includes the Harfoots,[18] who are depicted as precursors to the popular Hobbit race from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.[19][20] They were included because the showrunners felt the series would not truly feel like Middle-earth to the audience without Hobbits or characters that were "satisfyingly Hobbit-adjacent".[19] The episode ends with a mysterious being landing "quite literally in [their] backyard",[18] which executive producer Lindsey Weber said was one of the foundational ideas of the series.[21] The showrunners chose to end the episode with the Stranger crashing in a meteor because they felt this was a momentous enough event to unite the different storylines, despite the major characters being spread across different areas of Middle-earth. The sequence brings them together by having them all watch the meteor from their own locations.[12]:22:38–27:01 Tolkien's tree-like Ents can also be seen watching the meteor.[22]
Rick Heinrichs was hired as production designer for the series by July 2019,[4] before Bayona joined the project.[30] Ramsey Avery was hired to replace Heinrichs around the end of August.[31] Avery said he was hired because most of what had been done initially "wasn't working",[32] and he had to "start from scratch" and work quickly to be ready for filming.[33]:11:58–19:33 Heinrichs is credited as production designer for the first two episodes alongside Avery. One of the initial "guideposts" that the showrunners gave Avery was to ensure that the audience could easily identify the different cultures of Middle-earth in the series.[34] Costume designer Kate Hawley had created mood boards that established a design language for each Middle-earth culture and Avery was thankful that he could use these as the starting point for his own work.[32][33]:20:33–33:08 A "war room" was assembled where the design language for each culture was defined.[35] Dialect coach Leith McPherson, who also worked on the Hobbit films, established different dialects for each culture, including standard English for Elves, Northern English for the Southlanders, and Irish for Harfoots.[36]:46[37] Daniel Reeve, who was responsible for calligraphy and maps on the films, returned to do the same for the series and also to invent new writing systems for some of the cultures.[38]
Bayona initially oversaw design work at home in Barcelona from September to October 2019.[30] He asked for at least one piece of concept art for every scene in his episodes, totaling around 150 pieces of art,[34] which Avery said was a "tremendous amount" to produce but created a basis for the whole series.[32] He prioritized the designs for the first episode to ensure they would be ready for filming.[32] Avery oversaw the concept artists while also beginning work on the initial sets. New Zealand supervising art director Jules Cook focused on the Southlands and Harfoot sets while another supervising art director, Don Macauley, was brought in to work with New Zealand art director Jill Cormack on the Elvish sets.[34] The northern wasteland of Forodwaith was another environment that was prioritized.[32] The production had use of seven stages and multiple backlot spaces across Auckland Film Studios, Kumeu Film Studios, and Kelly Park Film Studios; Kelly Park is a former equestrian center where they could dig into the dirt floor.[32][39]Wētā Workshop created props, weapons, prosthetics, and more for the series.[40]
Stars, pearls, and other jewels became key symbols for the Elves based on Tolkien's writings.[32][41] Avery examined close-up photography of plants to include in Elvish architecture, and studied Celtic art and La Tène culture for ways to make Elvish culture feel ancient.[32] Vertical lines were used to show the Elves "reaching for the stars",[42] including open towers.[43] Avery differentiated the Elf-capital Lindon from the films' dark forest realm of Lothlórien by using golden birches and aspen trees.[31] He was inspired by an image Hawley included in her mood board for the Elves which showed a pathway through a golden aspen forest. He felt this looked like both nature and architecture, and developed a series of illustrations with artist Roberto Fernández Castro which guided the design of Lindon.[34] Bayona wanted it to look like a forest in the shape of a cathedral. He was inspired by the works of architect Antoni Gaudí, such as the church Sagrada Família in Barcelona.[30] The production did not have access to any natural forests that could portray Lindon so sets were built on a stage with 125 artificial aspen trees. These were built on platforms that could be rearranged to portray different areas of Lindon. The Great Tree of Lindon was a large sculpture dressed with 14,700 handmade leaves. To show that the Elves are not just "lounging about", the design team created a tapestry about Valinor that the Elves could be shown weaving in the background of the Lindon scenes. This idea came late during pre-production, and it was not possible to hand weave the 24-square-foot (2.2m2) tapestry in time, so it was created with a machine by a weaver in France. The Hall of Memorial Trees was the one Lindon set that was created separate from the main stage. Illustrator John Howe, one of the main conceptual designers on the film trilogies, designed twelve sculptures for the set to represent different Elves from Tolkien's history, including Finrod,[34] and Lúthien. One of the carvings is based on the likeness of showrunner J. D. Payne.[12]:22:38–27:01 The ship that the Elves take to the Undying Lands is an Elven swan-ship from Tolkien's writings. Avery said initial attempts at designing a swan-shaped boat looked more suited for "an afternoon-in-the-park". This was solved by forming the swan shape from vines.[36]:18
Hawley differentiated costumes for the Silvan Elves (Wood Elves) like Arondir, who she saw as reflecting grass, hills, and trees, from those for the Noldor (High Elves) who reflect light, gold, and water.[44] Arondir wears a wooden breastplate with a large face carved into it, inspired by an illustration of Elves by Alan Lee. The carved face is based on the Green Man architectural motif, but in the series it is meant to represent the face of an Ent.[41] The art of William Morris was another inspiration for the armor.[36]:50 Elvish weapons were also differentiated between those of the High Elves, who are master metalworkers, and the Wood Elves. Arondir's swords were designed to look like a tree grew around the blade and that branch was harvested without harming the tree, with the blade and wooden hilt then being refined together.[31] Hawley felt, based on Tolkien's description of Elvish armor, that Galadriel and her companions at the start of the episode would likely be wearing chainmail. The design team generally avoided chainmail because of the difficulties of creating a large amount of it on a television schedule, but Hawley took the opportunity to do so for this sequence due to Galadriel being part of a small company. It took six months to create the chainmail for all members of the company, taking inspiration from depictions of Arthurian knights and a specific Pre-Raphaelite sculpture of a knight in armor. After the chainmail was completed, some links were removed to make it appear more like lace. Because Tolkien described Elvish heroes in The Silmarillion as being "covered in the dust of diamonds" and reflecting surrounding snow and ice, Hawley added hundreds of rhinestones to the armor so it could reflect light.[41] Damage was added to show that the company had been wearing the armor for centuries.[45] Galadriel's dagger, inherited from Finrod, has a stiletto blade design that is meant to represent a shaft of light. The hilt is decorated with depictions of the Two Trees of Valinor. It was created using 3D printers and the superalloy Inconel.[46]:17
Low Men
The Tirharad village set was built on a farm near Auckland. Bronwyn's house was built on a hill overlooking the village.[34] Avery said the Southlanders were downtrodden and the lowest of the human castes. He described their architecture as "melting into the landscapes". Their buildings have thatched roofs that are made from surrounding grasses, further embedding them in the landscape.[17]:10:38–12:13 The bright green countryside where the village was filmed was digitally altered to appear more grey and brown, to reflect the difficult living conditions of the Southlanders.[36]:44 The make-up team created the appearance of skin disorders, scabs, and psoriasis on the actors to show their lack of vitamins.[36]:32 The Southlanders use basic runes for writing which Reeve evolved so they could be written cursively in Bronwyn's apothecary notes.[38] The Ostirith tower set was built on a backlot at Kelly Park,[32] up to 40 feet (12m). The rest of the tower was created through visual effects.[47] The broken hilt that Theo finds in the episode was originally designed to look more like a traditional sword, but Avery wanted it to have a unique design. The final look was described as "dark [and] twisted", covered in barbs and spikes that are meant to draw the blood of the person holding it. This activates the "key" aspect of the artifact.[46]:17
Harfoots
Bayona took inspiration from traveler communities for the Harfoots.[30] Hobbits are known to be good at blending in with nature during the Third Age, which inspired the idea that their ancestors' clothing and wagons could camouflage with their surroundings as they migrate.[45][48][49] Elements were hand-made with techniques that the Harfoots would use themselves, such as coloring fabric with vegetable dyes, berry stains, and soot,[49] or weaving the canopies of their wagons from branches. New Zealand willow weaver Mike Lilian was hired to work on the latter.[50] Each wagon was designed to be unique to its Harfoot family and was engineered so they could actually be moved by the actors.[51]:16:40-20:00 Avery wanted the large wheels of the wagons to remind viewers of the round Hobbit doors seen in the films.[52] The Harfoot furniture was designed to be collapsible so it could fit inside their wagons.[50] The production spent several days planning out the introduction sequence for the Harfoots, camouflaging the around 20 different wagons and then choreographing their reveals.[12]:20:21–22:37
The Harfoot costumes include accessories to help them camouflage, including berries, acorns, leaves, and other natural elements. These were made bigger than normal so they would appear to be the correct size on the Harfoots, who are meant to be much smaller than humans.[41] The props team made 10,000 large scale gummy blackberries for the Harfoot children to eat in the episode.[34] The prosthetics for the Harfoots' large, hairy feet have the same design as those used for the Hobbits in the films, but modern technology allowed the new versions to be sturdier and have moveable toes.[53] The feet each took three weeks to create and could be used several times.[36]:29 Harfoot wigs were created from mohair which is made from the hair of Angora goats.[44] For the Harfoots' books, which record star maps and their collected knowledge, Reeve initially wrote in English with a "Harfoot-looking" script. Avery decided this was inappropriate for the Second Age and the text needed to be more primitive. He gave Reeve examples of early pictographs as inspiration, and Reeve developed a new script using simple pictures which the Harfoots could use to represent the natural world, things they would want to record, and phonetic sounds.[38] These pictures were also carved into the Harfoots' wagons and furniture.[51]:16:40-20:00
Filming
Filming began in early February 2020,[54] under the working titleUntitled Amazon Project or simply UAP.[55]Óscar Faura was the director of photography for the first two episodes, returning from Bayona's previous films.[56] Location filming took place around Auckland in February.[57] Filming for the first two episodes was expected to continue through May,[58] but was placed on hold in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[55] The majority of filming for the first two episodes was reportedly completed by then. Filming was allowed to resume in early May under new safety guidelines from the New Zealand government, but the production decided to segue into an extended filming break that had been planned for after the first two episodes were completed.[59] Filming resumed on September 28,[60] and Bayona completed his episodes by December 23.[61] The director felt like he was making a feature film rather than two television episodes. He was originally supposed to be in New Zealand for nine months for the project but because of the pandemic was ultimately living there for a year and a half.[62]
Vic Armstrong was the stunt coordinator and second unit director for the season.[63] It was important to Bayona that the fight sequence with the Snow-troll feature Clark doing her own stunts, which Clark said was easier than some other sequences because she was fighting a creature that did not exist. She described Galadriel's fighting style as being "scrappier" than the other Elves, indicating that the character is losing the "elegance and regalness" of an Elf.[45] For the moment where Galadriel jumps off a sword to kill the Troll, Clark was in a wire rig that was counterbalanced by a member of the stunt team. The latter jumped off a ladder to make Clark go higher and further than she otherwise could.[12]:3:01–20:13 Bayona took inspiration for the sequence where the Elves climb up a frozen waterfall from the film The Mission (1986), which Armstrong had worked on.[63] A part of the waterfall was created practically out of wax and resin for filming.[64] The origami boat that young Galadriel makes during the opening flashback was created by the series' practical effects team and filmed for real.[65] The meteor crater at the end of the episode was made to look like an eye, a symbol that is associated with Sauron, to set-up a mystery for the season: is the Stranger Sauron, is he related to Sauron, or is he opposed to Sauron?[12]:22:38–27:01
Visual effects for the episode were created by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Wētā FX, Method Studios, Rodeo FX, Cause and FX, Atomic Arts, and Cantina Creative.[28][66] The different vendors were overseen by visual effects supervisor Jason Smith.[67] ILM was responsible for the ocean effects throughout the season.[68][69] Rodeo handled much of the Harfoot storyline, including environment augmentation, scale work, and fire and magic effects.[70] Cantina Creative created transitions between locations using a map of Tolkien's world.[67]
Wētā returned from Jackson's films to work on the series.[71] The company was responsible for the episode's prologue, the Forodwaith sequence, and the watchtower Ostirith in the Southlands. In-house visual effects supervisor Ken McGaugh said the biggest challenge of the prologue was the large number of Elves and Orcs that appear in the battle sequences, along with the addition of Fell beasts and Great Eagles flying above the battlefield which Wētā brought back from the films.[72] The establishing shot of Tirion, a city in Valinor, was one of the first visual effects shots worked on for the series. McKay felt the completed shot was "pretty spectacular", and it became the first image to be released for the project.[11] Wētā based their digital environment for the frozen waterfall on Bowen Falls and the valley below Castle Mount in Milford Sound. A real frozen waterfall at Wye Creek near Queenstown was filmed as reference, just two weeks before it melted.[73]
The abandoned fortress Durnost in Forodwaith and the Snow-troll that lives there were also created by Wētā.[74] Smith said they considered questions such as "Why is that Troll there? What does he do? How healthy or not is he? How old is he? How long has he been there?"[65] They felt the Troll would be still for long periods of time, allowing ice to form that would crack once it moves.[45] The face and head were designed by Howe,[65] who did six or seven sketches of the Troll. He said the design came from various inspirations including his work on other Trolls for the films.[64]
Musicians Janet Roddick, David Donaldson, and Steve Roche, who form the group Plan 9, and their collaborator David Long returned from the films to provide music during filming.[75] Composer Bear McCreary began work in July 2021,[76] and started by composing the main themes for the series.[77] He wrote an "anthem" for each culture and then created individual character themes that relate to their culture's music in different ways.[78] The first episode's score introduces several of these: "Valinor", which represents all Elves, with themes for Galadriel and Elrond; a main theme for the Southlands and a love theme for Bronwyn and Arondir; a general Harfoot theme as well as a separate theme for Nori Brandyfoot; and Sauron's theme, which also represents Morgoth in the prologue.[79] Another theme, titled "Where the Shadows Lie", is heard during the end credits. This represents the Rings of Power and related elements and was primarily composed for the season finale. A chord progression from the theme is heard earlier in the episode over the opening title card and again when Celebrimbor is introduced.[79][80]
The first version of the episode McCreary received began with four seconds of black screen before Galadriel's opening narration begins. He wanted to use these initial moments to introduce the "Valinor" theme but found that four seconds was not long enough. The showrunners agreed to extend this to 17 seconds. When the Elves sail to Valinor in the episode, they sing a song "whose memory [all Elves] carry". McCreary wanted this song to be the "Valinor" theme, but by the time he was hired the scene had already been filmed with the actors singing a different song written by Plan 9. McCreary liked that song but did not think it would work as a theme for "Valinor" in the score. To solve this, McCreary spent a month working with the editors to select specific takes where the actors' mouth movements matched to the Elvish lyrics of his "Valinor" theme, which he also adjusted for the scene. McCreary chose to use Elrond's theme for the introductions of Lindon and High King Gil-galad. He did this so the audience would focus on Elrond in those scenes. McCreary wrote a choral piece in Elvish that is heard during the ceremony where Gil-galad proclaims the war to be over; he felt this sounded like it was being sung by an off-screen choir in Lindon. The composer had a specific theme for Gil-galad planned but did not use it during the first season. When the meteor appears at the end of the episode, McCreary added a clarinet that "slices through the soundtrack from its lowest to highest register". This is a technique he borrowed from composer Igor Stravinsky that was also used by film composers such as John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith. McCreary was pleased that the showrunners appreciated the addition considering some modern filmmakers are against the use of woodwind instruments.[79]
A soundtrack album featuring McCreary's score for the episode was released digitally on the streaming service Amazon Music on September 1, 2022.[81] McCreary said the album contained "virtually every second of score" from the episode. It was added to other music streaming services after the full first season was released.[82] A CD featuring the music from the episode is included in a limited edition box set collection of the first season's music from Mondo, Amazon Music, and McCreary's label Sparks and Shadows. The box set was released on April 26, 2024, and includes a journal written by McCreary which details the creation of the episode's score.[83]
All music is composed by Bear McCreary:
Season One, Episode One: A Shadow of the Past – Amazon Original Series Soundtrack
No.
Title
Length
1.
"Prologue"
7:26
2.
"Forodwaith"
8:38
3.
"Beyond Our Wandering"
7:17
4.
"Return to Lindon"
3:30
5.
"Gil-galad's Gift"
6:16
6.
"The Southlands"
9:35
7.
"Strange Skies"
3:55
8.
"The Boat and the Crater"
6:08
9.
"Where the Shadows Lie"
3:04
Total length:
55:49
Release
"A Shadow of the Past" premiered on Prime Video in the United States on September 1, 2022. It was released at the same time around the world,[84] in more than 240 countries and territories.[85] For two weeks leading up to the premiere of the second season on August 29, 2024, the episode was made available for free on the streaming service Samsung TV Plus in the US, Canada, Brazil, the United Kingdom, and Germany.[86]
Reception
Viewership
Amazon announced that The Rings of Power had been watched by 25 million viewers globally in the first 24 hours that the first two episodes were available on Prime Video. The company stated that this was the biggest premiere ever for the service. It did not specify how much of an episode a user needed to watch to count as a viewer.[87] Analytics company Samba TV, which gathers viewership data from certain smart TVs and content providers, reported that 1.8 million US households watched the first episode within four days of its release.[88][89]Whip Media, which tracks viewership data for the 21 million worldwide users of its TV Time app, calculated that for the week ending September 4, three days after the episode's debut, it was the second-highest original streaming series for US viewership.[90]Nielsen Media Research, which records streaming viewership on US television screens, estimated that The Rings of Power was watched for a combined 1.25 billion minutes during its first four days.[91] This is around 12.6 million viewers, the most for any streaming series or film for the week ending September 4.[92]
Critical response
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The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes calculated that 83% of 163 critics reviews were positive and the average rating for the episode was 7.3 out of 10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Forging its claim with astounding production value, vast scope and a dense—arguably impenetrable—amount of lore, 'A Shadow of the Past' suggests that this ambitious expansion of Tolkien's opus has a bright future."[93] Multiple publications found that the first two episodes received generally positive reviews, with particular praise going to the visuals and production value. Some critics were skeptical whether the storytelling and slow pacing justified this.[94][95][96]
An episode of the official aftershowDeadline's Inside the Ring: LOTR: The Rings of Power for "A Shadow of the Past" was released on September 3, 2022. Hosted by Deadline Hollywood's Dominic Patten and Anthony D'Alessandro, it features exclusive "footage and insights" for the episode, plus interviews with cast members Clark, Aramayo, Walker, and Edwards, as well as executive producers McKay, Payne, and Weber.[16][101] On October 14, The Official The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Podcast was released on Amazon Music. Hosted by actress Felicia Day, the first episode is dedicated to "A Shadow of the Past" and features Clark, Payne, and McKay.[12][102] On November 21, a bonus segment featuring behind-the-scenes footage from the episode was added to Prime Video's X-Ray feature as part of a series titled "The Making of The Rings of Power".[45][103]
Related Research Articles
The Rings of Power are magical artefacts in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, most prominently in his high fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. The One Ring first appeared as a plot device, a magic ring in Tolkien's children's fantasy novel, The Hobbit; Tolkien later gave it a backstory and much greater power. He added nineteen other Great Rings, also conferring powers such as invisibility, that it could control, including the Three Rings of the Elves, Seven Rings for the Dwarves, and Nine for Men. He stated that there were in addition many lesser rings with minor powers. A key story element in The Lord of the Rings is the addictive power of the One Ring, made secretly by the Dark Lord Sauron; the Nine Rings enslave their bearers as the Nazgûl (Ringwraiths), Sauron's most deadly servants.
Elrond Half-elven is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. Both of his parents, Eärendil and Elwing, were half-elven, having both Men and Elves as ancestors. He is the bearer of the elven-ring Vilya, the Ring of Air, and master of Rivendell, where he has lived for thousands of years through the Second and Third Ages of Middle-earth. He was the Elf-king Gil-galad's herald at the end of the Second Age, saw Gil-galad and king Elendil fight the dark lord Sauron for the One Ring, and Elendil's son Isildur take it rather than destroy it.
Galadriel is a character created by J. R. R. Tolkien in his Middle-earth writings. She appears in The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales.
Sauron is the title character and the primary antagonist, through the forging of the One Ring, of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, where he rules the land of Mordor and has the ambition of ruling the whole of Middle-earth. In the same work, he is identified as the "Necromancer" of Tolkien's earlier novel The Hobbit. The Silmarillion describes him as the chief lieutenant of the first Dark Lord, Morgoth. Tolkien noted that the Ainur, the "angelic" powers of his constructed myth, "were capable of many degrees of error and failing", but by far the worst was "the absolute Satanic rebellion and evil of Morgoth and his satellite Sauron". Sauron appears most often as "the Eye", as if disembodied.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is an American fantasy television series developed by J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay for the streaming service Amazon Prime Video. It is based on J. R. R. Tolkien's history of Middle-earth, primarily material from the appendices of the novel The Lord of the Rings (1954–55). The series is set thousands of years before the novel and depicts the major events of Middle-earth's Second Age. It is produced by Amazon MGM Studios in association with New Line Cinema.
The first season of the American fantasy television series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is based on J. R. R. Tolkien's history of Middle-earth, primarily material from the appendices of the novel The Lord of the Rings (1954–55). Set thousands of years before the novel in Middle-earth's Second Age, the series begins in a time of relative peace and follows various characters as they face the re-emergence of darkness. The season includes a mystery about the whereabouts of the Dark Lord Sauron and concludes with the forging of the first Rings of Power. It was produced by Amazon Studios in association with New Line Cinema and with J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay as showrunners.
The music of the American fantasy television series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is primarily composed by Bear McCreary. The series is based on J. R. R. Tolkien's history of Middle-earth, primarily material from the appendices of the novel The Lord of the Rings (1954–55). It is set thousands of years before the novel and depicts the major events of Middle-earth's Second Age. The series was developed by J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay for the streaming service Amazon Prime Video.
"Adrift" is the second episode of the first season of the American fantasy television series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The series is based on J. R. R. Tolkien's history of Middle-earth, primarily material from the appendices of the novel The Lord of the Rings (1954–55). Set thousands of years before the novel in Middle-earth's Second Age, the episode introduces the Dwarven kingdom of Khazad-dûm. It was written by Gennifer Hutchison and directed by J. A. Bayona.
"Adar" is the third episode of the first season of the American fantasy television series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The series is based on J. R. R. Tolkien's history of Middle-earth, primarily material from the appendices of the novel The Lord of the Rings (1954–55). Set thousands of years before the novel in Middle-earth's Second Age, the episode introduces the island kingdom of Númenor. It was written by Jason Cahill and Justin Doble, and directed by Wayne Che Yip.
"The Great Wave" is the fourth episode of the first season of the American fantasy television series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The series is based on J. R. R. Tolkien's history of Middle-earth, primarily material from the appendices of the novel The Lord of the Rings (1954–55). The episode is set thousands of years before the novel in Middle-earth's Second Age. It was written by Stephany Folsom and showrunners J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay, and directed by Wayne Che Yip.
"Partings" is the fifth episode of the first season of the American fantasy television series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The series is based on J. R. R. Tolkien's history of Middle-earth, primarily material from the appendices of the novel The Lord of the Rings (1954–55). Set thousands of years before the novel in Middle-earth's Second Age, the episode shows several groups preparing for conflict with emerging evil forces. It was written by Justin Doble and directed by Wayne Che Yip.
"The Eye" is the seventh episode of the first season of the American fantasy television series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The series is based on J. R. R. Tolkien's history of Middle-earth, primarily material from the appendices of the novel The Lord of the Rings (1954–55). Set thousands of years before the novel in Middle-earth's Second Age, the episode explores the aftermath of the volcanic eruption in the previous episode. It was written by Jason Cahill and directed by Charlotte Brändström.
"Alloyed" is the eighth and final episode of the first season of the American fantasy television series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The series is based on J. R. R. Tolkien's history of Middle-earth, primarily material from the appendices of the novel The Lord of the Rings (1954–55). The episode is set thousands of years before the novel in Middle-earth's Second Age. It was written by Gennifer Hutchison and showrunners J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay, and directed by Wayne Che Yip.
"Elven Kings Under the Sky" is the first episode of the second season of the American fantasy television series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The series is based on J. R. R. Tolkien's history of Middle-earth, primarily material from the appendices of the novel The Lord of the Rings (1954–55). Set thousands of years before the novel in Middle-earth's Second Age, the episode shows the Elves' reactions to their Rings of Power. It was written by Gennifer Hutchison and directed by Charlotte Brändström.
"Where the Stars are Strange" is the second episode of the second season of the American fantasy television series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The series is based on J. R. R. Tolkien's history of Middle-earth, primarily material from the appendices of the novel The Lord of the Rings (1954–55). The episode is set thousands of years before the novel in Middle-earth's Second Age. It was written by Jason Cahill and directed by Charlotte Brändström and Louise Hooper.
"Eldest" is the fourth episode of the second season of the American fantasy television series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The series is based on J. R. R. Tolkien's history of Middle-earth, primarily material from the appendices of the novel The Lord of the Rings (1954–55). Set thousands of years before the novel in Middle-earth's Second Age, the episode introduces the character Tom Bombadil. It was written by Glenise Mullins and directed by Louise Hooper and Sanaa Hamri.
"Halls of Stone" is the fifth episode of the second season of the American fantasy television series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The series is based on J. R. R. Tolkien's history of Middle-earth, primarily material from the appendices of the novel The Lord of the Rings (1954–55). Set thousands of years before the novel in Middle-earth's Second Age, the episode shows the Dwarves' reactions to their Rings of Power. It was written by Nicholas Adams and directed by Louise Hooper and Sanaa Hamri.
"Doomed to Die" is the seventh episode of the second season of the American fantasy television series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The series is based on J. R. R. Tolkien's history of Middle-earth, primarily material from the appendices of the novel The Lord of the Rings (1954–55). The episode is set thousands of years before the novel in Middle-earth's Second Age. It was written by showrunners J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay, and Justin Doble, and directed by Charlotte Brändström.
"Shadow and Flame" is the eighth and final episode of the second season of the American fantasy television series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The series is based on J. R. R. Tolkien's history of Middle-earth, primarily material from the appendices of the novel The Lord of the Rings (1954–55). The episode is set thousands of years before the novel in Middle-earth's Second Age. It was written by showrunners J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay, and directed by Charlotte Brändström.
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