You’re not alone if you binge-watched The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’s opening two episodes. The expensive investment made by Amazon Prime in the universe of J.R.R. Tolkien appears to have paid off, as the launch of the series attracted a record-breaking 25 million viewers. Even though The Rings of Power was likely to succeed based just on name recognition, the favourable buzz around the series has increased fan expectation.
Anyone who has seen Peter Jackson’s movies will be familiar with the world of Middle Earth, but The Rings of Power transports viewers to a different time period thousands of years before The Hobbit. As a result, the series has a cast that is primarily made up of new individuals, while there are a handful that were alluded to in flashbacks. A few significant characters from The Lord of the Rings trilogy do, however, make a reappearance.
In Jackson’s movies, Cate Blanchett played Galadriel, a regal elf who leads Elijah Wood’s character Frodo Baggins and his companions on their adventure. Blanchett is fundamental to the cosmos; it is her introductory narration that launches The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’s thrilling opening prologue, introducing audiences to Middle Earth for the first time. Galadriel is a graceful leader who stands out for her innate calmness.
Galadriel is depicted as being younger and more fervent in The Rings of Power. Galadriel fought on the front lines of conflict, repelling the forces of the dark lord Morgoth and his principal lieutenant, Sauron, long before she rose to the position of ring-bearer and revered elder within the Elven community. Galadriel confesses that her brother Finrod (Will Fletcher) was killed in battle in the first episode, “A Shadow of the Past.” Galadriel’s relationship with the elven commanders is rocky; because she doesn’t think evil has been totally defeated, she ultimately decides against travelling to Valinor with the other elven warriors.
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