TV

The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power

One does not simply make a 'Lord of the Rings' show, and Prime Video spared no expense.

Photo: Amazon/YouTube

Prime Video invites you back to Middle-earth — before Bilbo, before Frodo, before the Fellowship. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is set in Middle-earth’s Second Age, thousands of years before the events of the iconic trilogy. Partially based on J. R. R. Tolkien’s  The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales, The Rings of Power features an assortment of characters and locations, some new and some familiar, as it tells the story of Sauron’s rise to power during a time of peace.

The Rings of Power is, by some accounts, the most expensive television show ever made, with Prime Video’s five-season commitment reported to have cost $1 billion. It was created by showrunners J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay and stars Morfydd Clark, Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Maxim Baldry, and more.

  1. Episode 8 Alloyed
    Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season-Finale Recap: Mask-Off Middle-earth The season finale finally reveals Sauron’s identity, and there are some actual rings of power in The Rings of Power.
  2. Episode 7 The Eye
    The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Recap: Misty Mountain Hopelessness There’s a lot of desperation to go around in this episode and more than a few hopes dashed.
  3. Episode 6 Episode 6
    The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Recap: Here Comes the Flood The Rings of Power has its first big battle episode, and it’s worthy of Helm’s Deep.
  4. Episode 5 Partings
    The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Recap: Table Talk Númenor sails off to war while Durin scores himself a sweet new dining-room table.
  5. Episode 4 The Great Wave
    The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Recap: Visions and Portents It’s starting to seem like everybody in Middle-earth straight-up hates elves.
  6. Episode 3 Adar
    Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Recap: A Fugitive From an Orc Chain Gang The Rings of Power introduces a whole new continent and even more characters — and a mysterious baddie named Adar.
  7. Episode 2 Adrift
    The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Recap: An Overdue Visit Episode two goes under Middle-earth, and Khazad-dûm seems a whole lot nicer in the Second Age.
  8. Episode 1 Shadow of the Past
    The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Series-Premiere Recap: Tolkien Time The first episode of Prime Video’s ultraexpensive Lord of the Rings show traverses Middle-earth from top to bottom.
  1. Episode 8 Shadow and Flame
    The Rings of Power Season-Finale Recap: A Stranger No More! The finale puts a nice cap on a pretty good season and leaves the series plenty of room to explore.
  2. Episode 7 Episode 7
    The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Recap: Under Siege The siege of Eregion makes for the biggest and best episode of the season.
  3. Episode 6 Episode 6
    The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Recap: My Dinner with Adar In a week with big developments, the long dinner conversation between Galadriel and Adar makes for the episode’s best moments.
  4. Episode 5 Episode 5
    The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Recap Celebrimbor’s solution for all the bad rings is to … make more rings. And for men, one of Middle Earth’s more disappointing races?
  5. Episode 4 Eldest
    The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Recap: Ent It Cool? A busy episode manages to bring in some old favorites from Tolkien and the Jackson films.
  6. Episode 3 The Eagle and the Sceptre
    The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Recap: When Coronations Go Wrong It’s the extremely rapid rise and fall of Míriel, the queen regent who seems destined never to be queen.
  7. Episode 2 Where the Stars are Strange
    The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Recap: Dark Times Come to Khazad-dûm It’s another setup-heavy episode, but Sauron’s plan is becoming clearer and it’s nice to have the dwarves back in the picture.
  8. Episode 1 Elven Kings Under the Sky
    The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Premiere Recap: Sauron Unmasked You just can’t keep Sauron down.

The Latest on The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power

  1. chat room
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    Rings of Power’s Charles Edwards Found Celebrimbor Between the Lines“There are only crumbs left by Tolkien in terms of his character. There is a beginning, middle, and end all in two or three sentences.”
    By James Grebey
  2. close read
    The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2
    Not My Tom BombadilThe Rings of Power’s version of J.R.R. Tolkien’s most inscrutable character is a failure of imagination.
    By Roxana Hadadi
  3. precious gems
    Let’s Appraise the Rings of PowerAre the most important accessories to ever exist in Middle-earth … ugly? Or is it good that Durin’s looks like a Ring Pop?
    By Roxana Hadadi
  4. tv review
    Shouldn’t We Be Having More Fun in Middle Earth?The Rings of Power returns — big, expensive, and static as ever.
    By Jackson McHenry
  5. the rings of power
    How Much More Sauron Prologue Do We Need?Middle-earth has so much more to offer!
    By Roxana Hadadi
  6. animal rights
    A Horse Died on the Set of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of PowerThe horse was one of many prepping for a big battle scene.
    By Bethy Squires
  7. coming soon
    The Rings of Power Season Two Continues to Expand MordorMordor? More like more cast members (18 new ones, to be exact).
    By Zoe Guy
  8. best of 2022
    The Standout TV Performances of 2022Individually and collectively, these 14 performers embody what made this year’s television interesting and special.
    By Jen Chaney, Roxana Hadadi, and Kathryn VanArendonk
  9. exit interview
    The Long Road to MordorThe Rings of Power creators explain Sauron’s identity and their plan to explore the edges of Tolkien’s map.
    By Jackson McHenry
  10. close read
    The Fantasy-Prequel ProblemHouse of the Dragon and The Rings of Power have been presented as shining new jewels in the streaming pantheon. They also belie a lack of imagination.
    By Kathryn VanArendonk
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