Season 1 (2022)

This season began incredibly slowly, but I was impressed by the direction that it took. So much of the first half of the season was gradual build-up that culminated in a series of action-packed battles, while the last episode set the stage for the next season.

There was some trickery here. In fact, the showrunners played me like a fiddle. I thought our friend the giant might actually be the villain (although I caught on pretty quickly that he wasn’t). On the other hand, I anticipated that Halbrand would be the ancestor of Aragorn.

Quite frankly, the way they treated Halbrand’s character development was disappointing. It was not until the last episode of the season that the writers began to portray him in a way that indicated that he could be the primary villain. This is in contrast to figures like Theo, Durin, Elrond, Nori, the giant, Míriel, Elendil, and Galadriel.

So many characters here are well-done, but we–the viewers–know that there is no redemption arc for Halbrand, although there could very well be for Adar.

The high point of the season was the developing friendship between Durin and Elrond. These two men–one elf, one dwarf–love each other so deeply, and they have a sense of loyalty and commitment that one might only envy. There’s a beauty in their friendship, and I hope that we can all have at least one solid friendship like theirs.

The worst of the season, on the other hand, was the relationship between Arondir and Bronwyn. Arondir, unfortunately, just stares and does different things. Much of this is a result of Ismael Cruz Córdova’s wooden performance. Bronwyn, on the other hand, seems like a multi-dimensional character. She loves Arondir, although we can only guess why, but she does have her son, Theo, and the relationship between mother and son drives her character far more than her romantic relationship.

At the time the season began, I wanted to fast-forward through the harfoot scenes (although I suspect that they are the progenitors of the hobbits). I stuck with them, and the final scenes we have with them in the season were so touching. Now I just want to root for these little guys!

Númenór was visually stunning, and it was an interesting place to observe from a distance, but the series seems to have gotten stuck there. Still, I came to love the inhabitants that we did meet, not least of all Elendil and Míriel.

By the time I finished the season, I wanted to devote time to the world that J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay built for us. It’s a totally different place than the Middle-Earth we discover in the Lord of the Rings trilogy (and The Hobbit), although this world does echo it. I can’t wait to invest another nine or ten hours in Season 2.