In Praise of "Rings of Power" or the hidden gem I nearly missed

Warning: This article contains a few direct references to events from the TV series Rings of Power. If any of you have not watched the series yet and might wish to watch it, tread carefully. Here be spoilers.

I am a huge fan of J.R.R. Tolkien’s works. This is probably one of the first things that people learn about me. I read Lord of the Rings, Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales during my formative years. I used to have a picture of Aragorn as a bookmark that I carried absolutely everywhere (alas, I lost it in a library book and mourned its loss for a very long time…). I decided to study Literature and Linguistics because of Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings and wrote my B.A. paper on Tolkien’s main themes and motifs and his approach to fantasy based on his On Fairy-Stories essay.

As you can see, "The Lord of the Rings" still has its own special place on my night-table.

When the tv series The Rings of Power was announced, I did not know what to feel. Although I had read the books first, and although I had loved the books most, I had grown up with the Peter Jackson trilogy. I felt attached to it. The movies had gotten me through some pretty tough times. My nostalgia for them made me feel as if I needed to defend them from this new and unexpected impostor. It made me feel as if I was faced with a test of loyalty, and I needed to choose wisely. I needed to reject the new, because it could be a threat on the old.

I am no psychologist and, although I am quite comfortable analyzing the behavior of fictional characters, I’m more hesitant to attempt a similar feat on real-life people. Yet I think that such thoughts are natural. Movies like Lord of the Rings are almost once in a lifetime events, and those who grew up with them and were shaped by them might be inclined to feel a certain possessiveness towards them. A certain ownership. Perhaps I had fallen into a similar trap, because my first reaction to The Rings of Power was to reject it. Firmly. I had no intention of watching it. I had absolutely no intention of acknowledging its existence.

Luckily , the pandemic delayed the production of the first season, and I had time to judge things with a cooler head. This did not need to be a re-imagining of the movie, but an adaptation of events from the books. And even if the series was bad, I told myself, and even if it changed things, both books and movies would still remain, accessible to anyone who wanted to check them out. And those that didn’t want to check out either book or movie, could have their TV series. In a post-pandemic world, we all needed a little Middle-earth in our lives. There was room for another adaptation. There was room for another vision of Tolkien’s world, because a writer as complex as Tolkien can be interpreted in many ways, each as valid as the other.

What really convinced me in the end to give the show a chance was a cast interview I accidentally stumbled upon one evening a few weeks before the season 1 release, while I was aimlessly browsing YouTube. I clicked on it on a whim, and I fell in love after the first five minutes of it. Because those people weren’t just discussing the show. They were discussing Tolkien. They were talking about themes and symbols and referring to lesser-read works, such as The Lost Road or the Letters. And they were all so, so complimentary about Middle-earth and its characters, and I heard so much respect and love from them, that I realized that they would do more than do right by the fans. They were fans. These were my people, and they shared the same love and wonder that I felt.

I wonder now about that evening – about randomly clicking on a link that would have such a decisive impact on my life. In Tolkien’s universe, there are no coincidences. Things happen because they need to happen, part of the tapestry of Song that came before the beginning of the world. In our world, a random assortment of events can lead to something wonderful – and this one sure did for me.

The Entwife Winterbloom during what is probably the scene most true to Tolkien's spirit from any adaptation. Image credit: Amazon Prime/Rings of Power

Rings of Power is not just a love letter to Tolkien for those that have the eyes and the open mind to see it. Besides the many little references to obscure lore facts (who spotted the oiolairë bough on Elendil’s ship in 1x05, a clear nod to The Story of Aldarion and Erendis?), besides the characters who – whether from the established lore or original – are 100% at home in Middle Earth, besides scenes that even Tolkien, a notorious critic of adaptations, would have probably loved (I have three words for you: Eldest. Arondir. Winterbloom), besides all that, we have many clever storytelling tools that keep you talking for years afterwards.

Some of these include:

-parallel storylines and characters placed in direct antithesis with each other (Kemen and Isildur are good examples of mirror characters. There are many more)

-blink and you’ll miss them bits of foreshadowing (the world blind is used several times in season 1, quite a few of these times are in Númenor, and one of them refers to Queen Regent Míriel, before her accident in the burning hut in 1x07).

-use of motifs and symbols (season 1 is dominated by the motifs of fire and water; the beginning of season two uses the symbol of wine several times)

- compelling and beautiful relationships. There are several friendships, a few romances, quite a few parent-child relationships, all diverse, all realistic, all compelling to watch.

-character arcs even for background characters who might not traditionally need it.

And this to name but a few. I will discussing most of these in later articles. The world needs as many clear, unbiased, open-minded analyses of Rings of Power as it can get.

And speaking of compelling relationships, Elendil and Isildur's father-son dynamic during season 1 is one of the most heartwarming AND heartbreaking aspects of the show. Image credit: Amazon Prime/ Rings of Power

And yes, you can argue that it is not perfect. Well, to quote one of the characters that is very dear to my heart: “Perfection lives only in Valinor”. That is, nothing made by human minds is ever perfect. But it can shine if it’s made with attention and dedication and love. Rings of Power is made with attention and dedication and love. And it shines – by God, does it ever shine!