Galadriel's Opening Narration In The Rings Of Power Echoes The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy In An Interesting Way
Contains spoilers for "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" Episodes 1 and 2
When introducing audiences into a fantasy world, breaking things down from the start helps a lot. Sure we might be familiar with the world of elves, men, and halflings with hairy feet in "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power," but for many, their knowledge stretches as far as The Third Age, and Elijah Wood's doe-like eyes can see in the beloved movie trilogy. To put it in Middle-earth pub landlord terms, this here is the Second Age, with an entirely different cast taking on prominent familiar roles. One such massive player in this world-changing chapter of Middle-earth is Galadriel, brought to life in the show by Morffyd Clark. A core character within the historical events unfolding, the show looks set on chronicling her journey as a prominent figure in the prequel series.
As it turns out, though, besides being one of the toughest elves to sail out of the Undying Lands, she also helps catch us up on where she's come from, the tragedies she's endured, and the ominous threat that the world seems to have forgotten. Sound familiar? It should do, as just as Cate Blanchett's Galadriel started the tale of Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" 21 years ago, so does Clark in her equally suited storytelling. The difference here, however, is that her account is far less foreboding than the one we heard over two decades ago and matches a tone last established by a gardener turned guardian near the top of Mount Doom.
Galadriel's memory of The Undying Lands feels the same as Sam's Shire memories in Return of the King
While personal duty stops her from returning to it at the end of the first episode, Galadriel gives a heartwarming introductory account of Valinor, her homeland she left behind that set her on a mission to rid the lands of the evil now thought to be erased. Said with such enthusiasm, the elf lady's account taps into the same vibe that Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin in the trilogy) had when he recounted his memory of The Shire. Collapsing on the cliffside of Mount Doom, the devoted friend reminisced about the orchards soon being in bloom, and the taste of strawberries, right before Frodo killed the mood, complaining about not remembering what grass feels like and being haunted by an all-consuming evil or whatever.
We kid, of course. The struggle to avoid falling into darkness feels like a battle many characters in Amazon's "Rings of Power" must endure as much as the Ringbearer would in the centuries that followed. In the case of Galadriel, there's no doubt that her sense of duty and refusal to take the easy boat ride out ensures she won't be one of them. See how if she succeeds when "The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power" returns on Amazon Prime next week.