We’re already half way through Middle-earth March Madness 2024: Magical Moments – and now just eight contenders remain, as we reach the final round in each division. So how did the third round play out? Let’s take a look:
The Hobbit Division
We could have seen the final in this bracket being between the Moon Runes and the setting sun, both indicating the way into the Lonely Mountain. It was not to be; though the Moon Runes did beat the conversation with Smaug, the power of the One Ring could not be undone – by a very narrow margin of just over 40 votes, Bilbo’s disappearing act defeated the revealing of the secret door on Durin’s Day. So we have the first and second seeds in this division up against each other for the ‘regional final’:
Moon Runes Appear on Thrain’s Map (1)
Bilbo’s Ring Turns Him Invisible (2)
The Fellowship of the Ring Division
Last round we saw the closest battle in this bracket; but here in the Sweet Sixteen, both contests had pretty wide margins, with around 300 votes difference between the winners and the losers. This time, the Ring turning Bilbo invisible did NOT beat an entryway associated with Durin; the door to Moria is through to the regional final. Meanwhile water and fire had a show down – Gandalf’s river horses vs his confrontation with the Balrog. It’s the battle with the ancient demon which is still in the contest:
Durin’s Doors Open at the Right Password (5)
Gandalf Confronts the Balrog with Glamdring and the Flame of Anor (6)
Password into Moria, by Ted Nasmith
The Two Towers Division
The march of the Ents has come to an end! As we expected might happen, Gandalf’s return to life defeated them, with two thirds of the vote. More wizardly skill won the other Sweet Sixteen duel in this region, with Gandalf’s healing of Theoden taking three quarters of the vote against the Ent-draught.
Gandalf the White Returns from the Dead (1)
Gandalf Heals Theoden from Saruman’s Curse (3)
The Return of the King Division
Two massive battles in this bracket: two acts of destruction (the Fall of the Witch-king vs the final destruction of the One Ring) in one duel, with far lower seeded events (Rohan arriving to battle vs the regeneration of the Shire) making up the other.
Both contests were fairly close. For a while it looked as though Sam and his work in the Shire might be victorious, but those Riders from Rohan once again swept to victory, with about 100 votes between them in the end. The Witch-king and the Ring had half that number of votes between them – and this time the power of the Ring WAS undone! Ultimately voters felt that the wraith’s defeat by ‘No Man’ was a more powerfully magical moment than Mount Doom’s melting powers. So our final match-up in this division is:
The Witch-king Is Destroyed by “No Man” (1)
Rohan Arrives on the Pelennor Fields as the Rooster Crows (14)
Eowyn slays the Witch-king, by Stephen Walsh
Staffer Madeye Gamgee shared some of his thoughts on what lies ahead:
Moving on to the Elite (or Einior — Sindarin for Elder) Eight:
Gandalf continues to be the big dog of this Magical Moments tournament, with a direct contribution to three of our final eight magical moments, plus a strong assist at the Doors of Durin
The power of the One Ring proved more feeble than some could have guessed, with only Bilbo’s original discovery of the Ring of Power in the Hobbit making it to the final eight.
Three of the four #1 seeds as ranked by the OneRing staff have made it to the final eight: Moon Runes, Gandalf the White, and the Witch King Goes Down. The staff also successfully called a number 2 and 3 seed which are still alive in the tournament (Bilbo’s Invisibility Ring and Theoden’s Healing).
The FotR region seemed to befuddle our staff, though, with all four top seeds already out of the tournament. That leaves a #5 seed (Durin’s Doors) and #6 (a Balrog Battle) to fight it out for the Final Four spot.
The “Cinderella” of the tournament, the #15 seed Rohan arriving on the Pelennor Fields, may be simply a sleeper. A perpetual fan favorite (and one of JRR Tolkien’s as well), those stirring horns of the Rohirrim as the rooster crows still resonate. But can they overcome Eowyn’s “I am no man” moment?
There’s still some mighty magic yet to come!
Place your votes! In case you need a reminder, here’s how it works: click on one of the orange division buttons below. Then click the ‘Vote Now’ option that appears above the divisional bracket. This year, as with last year, you get to vote in each divisional match-up in one convenient and visual interface. Note – you need to click each division to vote in their respective brackets. So let’s get voting!
You have until the end of the day Tuesday April 2nd to vote in Round Four; on TORn Tuesday that evening we’ll discuss the likely results and the story so far! Wednesday 3rd we’ll open voting for the Final Four. Will Rohan ride their way to victory? YOU decide – vote now!
As you know, our theme this year is MAGIC – where and when does it come into play in Middle-earth, and which are the most compelling moments where magic lends a hand? TORn staffers choose the starting 64, from The Hobbit and the three The Lord of the Rings books; but now the decisions are up to you!
Let’s take a look at what happened in Round Two:
The Hobbit Division
The only close contest in this division was the Black Arrow taking on the last light of Durin’s Day. Two significant moments, both with narrow shafts finding their way to a chink – a gap in armour for one, and a key hole for the other. They were neck and neck for a while, but in the end Erebor’s door was victorious -but with only about 70 votes in it. All the rest of the Hobbit pairings had margins of 200 or more – easy wins for moon runes, Smaug, and a certain ring… Here’s what remains in this division (with original seeding):
Moon Runes Appear on Thrain’s Map (1)
Bilbo’s Ring Turns Him Invisible (2)
The Last Light of Durin’s Day Reveals the Keyhole (3)
Smaug is a Good Conversationalist (13)
By Anke Katrin Eißmann
The Fellowship of the Ring Division
The closest battle of all of Round Two was in this bracket, with a margin of just 4 votes deciding it! The Mithril shirt put up an heroic fight, but though it may be able to stop a spear which would skewer a wild boar, it could not stop Bilbo’s birthday vanishing. Mr Baggins’ party trick goes through to the Sweet Sixteen.
Galadriel’s magic was entirely overcome in this round; both her mind-probing and her perilous mirror are out of the contest. Her clairvoyance was conquered by Gandalf’s epic Balrog battle – which interestingly won by taking exactly 666 votes… Here’s what remains in The Fellowship of the Ring Sweet Sixteen:
Bilbo Vanishes at His Birthday Party (1)
Gandalf Adds Wild Water Horses at the Flood of the Bruinen (2)
Durin’s Doors Open at the Right Password (5)
Gandalf Confronts the Balrog with Glamdring and the Flame of Anor (6)
Elvish mind trick…
The Two Towers Division
Those angry Ents are still marching on – Hithlain rope is no match for them! Seeded 13 originally, they have now knocked out the #4 and #5 seeds. The closest duel in this region was between two magical effects on Halfings – Ent-draught making them grow, or the Palantir overcoming Pippin. The lead went back and forth for a while, and the final margin was just 27 votes – but once again, the power of the Ents prevailed. So now enraged Ents and their drink of choice go up against two acts of Gandalf. Surely the White Wizard will not be overcome in Round 3?
Here’s how this bracket looks:
Gandalf the White Returns from the Dead (1)
Gandalf Heals Theoden from Saruman’s Curse (3)
Growing Hobbits Drink Ent-draught (7)
Enraged Ents in battle (13)
Three-eight!
The Return of the King Division
It seems the TORn staff were not correct in their choice of seeding for this division! The 14th and 15th seeds are through to the Sweet Sixteen; could those Riders from Rohan sweep all the way to be the Champions for 2024, or will Sam and his replanting of the Shire defeat them in Round 3?
Two acts of destruction make up the other pair remaining – and facing off against each other – in this bracket. The fall of the Witch-king overcame the fall of the Dark Tower in Round 2, and the destruction of the One Ring easily defeated the White Tree rediscovered in Gondor. Is the power of Mount Doom and the melting of Sauron’s weapon of mass destruction the ultimate magical moment in Middle-earth? YOU decide – Round Three voting is now open!
The Witch-king Is Destroyed by “No Man” (1)
Turns Out You Can Destroy the One Ring (aka the power of Mount Doom!) (5)
Rohan Arrives on the Pelennor Fields as the Rooster Crows (14)
Galadriel’s Gift of Soil to Sam Sees the Shire Reborn (15)
Rohirrim Arrival, by Abe Papakhian
Place your votes! If you’re just joining us for this round, here’s how it works: click on one of the orange division buttons below. Then click the ‘Vote Now’ option that appears above the divisional bracket. This year, as with last year, you get to vote in each divisional match-up in one convenient and visual interface. Note – you need to click each division to vote in their respective brackets. So let’s get voting!
You have until the end of the day Friday March 29th to vote in Round Three; on Saturday 30th we’ll announce winners and open voting for the Elite Eight! Join us tonight for TORn Tuesday, to discuss the match-ups we’re considering in the Sweet Sixteen, and how the contest might progress from here. Who is your choice for ultimate Champion in 2024? Vote now!
As a reminder: this year our divisions are made up of moments where magic occurs, in The Hobbit and in the three parts of The Lord of the Rings. What exactly constitutes magic in Middle-earth? And what are the best, most thrilling, or perhaps most intriguing moments when magic occurs? YOU decide!
Staffer Madeye Gamgee shared some thoughts on what we’ve seen in Round One:
Many of the Round One matchups are much tighter this year versus years past, an indicator that there’s a broader sense of passion and resonance across the fan base over these magical moments. We’re not seeing any of those ‘Galadriel versus an Elven Loremaster’ or ‘Elendil versus a Librarian’ matchups with 95%+ victory margins like last year.
Some of the #1 and #2 seeds have not had easy matchups:
Disappearing Bilbo, #1 in FotR, only won with 54% against #16 Bombadil’s rescue songs
Bruinen Water Horses at #2 took only 60% of the vote versus #15 reforging of Narsil
#2 in The Two Towers, the Palantir snaring Pippin, only defeated a very well-aged Aragorn, the #15 seed, with 57% of the vote
And in the RotK region the #2, #3, and #4 seeds all went down to their lower-seeded opponents
Sam’s Galadriel Gift (#15) overcame the #2 summoning of the Dead
#14 Rohan arriving in the nick of time took out #3 Galadriel’s Phial in Shelob’s lair
Athelas at #4 lost to #13, the Discovery of a New White Tree
Interestingly, many book-only references, including the restoration of the Shire, finding a new White Tree on the slopes surrounding Minas Tirith, the two Bombadil entries (songs and Ring tricks), disappearing Elvish feasts in Mirkwood, and Beorn’s hospitable animals have all been very competitive. Of course, there are some, like William’s talking purse and Miruvor on the slopes of Caradhras, that got fairly overwhelmed.
So here are the winners who are continuing on to Round Two (with their starting seeding number):
The Hobbit Division
Moon Runes Appear on Thrain’s Map (1)
Bilbo’s Ring Turns Him Invisible (2)
The Last Light of Durin’s Day Reveals the Keyhole (3)
The Trolls Turn to Stone at Sunrise (5)
The Black Arrow Strikes Home/Takes Down Smaug (6)
Beorn Shape Shifts (7)
The Arkenstone Shines with a Brilliant Inner Light (9)
Smaug is a Good Conversationalist (13)
The only surprise in this division was seed #13, Smaug’s conversation with Bilbo, defeating the ‘orc-warning’ blue glow of Sting and Orcrist, which TORn staffers had voted to the #4 seed position. Now Smaug will have to take on the sun-struck stone trolls; will he talk his way to victory? See how the rest of the moments pair up in the coming round, in the full bracket below.
The Fellowship of the Ring Division
Bilbo Vanishes at His Birthday Party (1)
Gandalf Adds Wild Water Horses at the Flood of the Bruinen (2)
Galadriel Has Psychic Mind-Probing Power (3)
Gandalf Puts On a Spectacular Fireworks Show (4)
Durin’s Doors Open at the Right Password (5)
Gandalf Confronts the Balrog with Glamdring and the Flame of Anor (6)
The Mirror of Galadriel Proves Perilous (7)
Mithril Mail Stops a Cave Troll Spear (9)
In this bracket, two of Gandalf’s magic moments came up against each other in Round One: his confrontation with the Balrog, and his moth-whispering ability. Perhaps not surprisingly, the mighty deed of a Balrog showdown won, and goes on to face a talent of Galadriel – her mind-probing powers. Tom Bombadil, arguably one of the most magical (and mysterious) characters in all of Tolkien’s legendarium, didn’t make it past this first round, alas; once again, Tom is conspicuous by his absence…
Bombadil responds to his rescue song (Illustration by Henry Neff)
The Two Towers Division
Gandalf the White Returns from the Dead (1)
The Palantir Snares Pippin (2)
Gandalf Heals Theoden from Saruman’s Curse (3)
Hithlain Rope Comes When It’s Called (5)
Lembas Sustain the Fellowship on Their Quest (6)
Growing Hobbits Drink Ent Draught (7)
Shadowfax Can Run Really Really Fast (8)
Enraged Ents in battle (13)
An upset here was the magical camouflage of Elven cloaks (seeded #4) failing to make it past the power of the Ents. How will the shepherds of the trees fare against Hithlain rope, in Round Two? Seed #9, a surprisingly-attractive-for-an-87-year-old Aragorn, gave Pippin and the Palantir a good run for their money; but in the end, the #2 seed was the victor.
Pretty good for his age…
The Return of the King Division
The Witch King Is Destroyed by “No Man” (1)
Turns Out You Can Destroy the One Ring (aka the power of Mount Doom!) (5)
Elven Ships Leave Middle-earth and the Spheres of the World (6)
Gandalf the White Repels the Nazgul During Faramir’s Retreat (7)
The Dark Tower Falls (8)
It Turns Out a New White Tree of Gondor Has Been Growing for Years (13)
Rohan Arrives on the Pelennor Fields as the Rooster Crows (14)
Galadriel’s Gift of Soil to Sam Sees the Shire Reborn (15)
The Return of the King bracket saw the most upsets of all in this opening melee. The healing power of Athelas (seeded #4) was not strong enough to see it past this first round, being defeated by another plant – the 13th seed, the new White Tree of Gondor. Perhaps the most surprising result of this entire opening round was more plant power – Sam and his soil regenerating the Shire kicked out the #2 seed, the Army of the Dead. New life conquers death! The defeat of the phial of Galadriel (seeded #3) by the epic arrival of Rohan at dawn was also an upset; but can the Riders of Rohan overcome the Elven ships sailing into the West, next round? YOU decide – place your votes now, in Round Two!
Galadriel’s Gift, by Matěj Čadil
How does it work, you ask? Simple! Click on one of the orange division buttons below. Then click the ‘Vote Now’ option that appears above the divisional bracket. This year, as with last year, you get to vote in each divisional match-up in one convenient and visual interface. Note – you need to click each division to vote in their respective brackets. So let’s get voting!
You have until the end of the day Monday March 25th to vote in Round One; on Tuesday 26th we’ll announce winners and open voting for Round Three! Join us that night for TORn Tuesday, where we’ll have further discussion and debate on March Madness 2024. Rally the troops!
Hear that sound of swords clashing, of cries from the battlefield? It can only mean one thing – March Madness is here! Time to decide where your allegiance lies… This year, TheOneRing.net brings you Middle-earth March Madness 2024: Magical Moments.
Our ‘Regions’ are made up of moments where magic occurs, in The Hobbit and in the three parts of The Lord of the Rings. From the reading of moon runes to the secrets of Galadriel’s mirror; from Gandalf’s return in white, to the resurgence of the White Tree – what exactly constitutes magic in Middle-earth? Which beings have magical abilities, and what are the most compelling moments when they use those powers? YOU decide!
TORn’s volunteer staffers have voted and come up with a ‘long list’ of 64 events (16 from each book), which have been seeded based on staff votes. These moments have abbreviated titles on our bracket graphic, due to space limitations; but here’s the complete list in full (listed in their seeding order):
The Hobbit Division
Moon Runes Appear on Thrain’s Map
Bilbo’s Ring Turns Him Invisible
The Last Light of Durin’s Day Reveals the Keyhole
Orcrist and Sting Glow Blue
The Trolls Turn to Stone at Sunrise
The Black Arrow Strikes Home/Takes Down Smaug
Beorn Shape Shifts
Mirkwood Elven Feasts Disappear and Leave Intruders Stunned
The Arkenstone Shines with a Brilliant Inner Light
Beorn Has Highly Hospitable Animals
Mirkwood’s Enchanted River Leads to Bombur’s Long Nap
The Eagles Arrive at the Battle of Five Armies
Smaug is a Good Conversationalist
The White Council Dislodges the Necromancer
Troll William’s Purse Talks
Sentient Spiders React Poorly to Name-Calling
The Fellowship of the Ring Division
Bilbo Vanishes at His Birthday Party
Gandalf Adds Wild Water Horses at the Flood of the Bruinen
Galadriel Has Psychic Mind-Probing Power
Gandalf Puts On a Spectacular Fireworks Show
Durin’s Doors Open at the Right Password
Gandalf Confronts the Balrog with Glamdring and the Flame of Anor
The Mirror of Galadriel Proves Perilous
Boromir’s Horn Echoes Throughout Gondor
Mithril Mail Stops a Cave Troll Spear
Lorien’s Time Flows Differently
Gandalf Is a Moth-Whisperer
The Elven Tonic Miruvor Cures the Cold
Frodo Can See All the Way to Mordor from Amon Hen
Tom Bombadil Does a Parlor Trick with the One Ring
Narsil Is Reforged to Become Anduril
Tom Bombadil Responds to His Rescue Song
Enjoying a glass of Miruvor…
The Two Towers Division
Gandalf the White Returns from the Dead
The Palantir Snares Pippin
Gandalf Heals Theoden from Saruman’s Curse
Elven Cloaks Hide Their Wearers Very Well
Hithlain Rope Comes When It’s Called
Lembas Sustain the Fellowship on Their Quest
Growing Hobbits Drink Ent Draught
Shadowfax Can Run Really Really Fast
Elven Boats Are Unsinkable Even After Rauros
Saruman Upgrades Regular Orcs to Uruk-Hai
Faramir Dreams of Boromir’s Death
The Tower of Orthanc Is Indestructible Even for Ents
Enraged Ents in battle
Don’t Mess with the Huorns
Aragorn Ages Well
The Dead Marshes Have Party Lights
The Return of the King Division
The Witch King Is Destroyed by “No Man”
The Army of the Dead Is Summoned at the Stone of Erech
The Phial of Galadriel Stops Shelob
Athelas Will Cure Whatever Ails You
Turns Out You Can Destroy the One Ring (aka the power of Mount Doom!)
Elven Ships Leave Middle-earth and the Spheres of the World
Gandalf the White Repels the Nazgul During Faramir’s Retreat
The Dark Tower Falls
The Smoke from Orodruin Covers Vast Territory for Days
Aragorn Wields the Palantir to Confront Sauron
The Watchers at Cirith Ungol Warn of Spies in Mordor
Shelob’s Webs Are No Match for Sting
It Turns Out a New White Tree of Gondor Has Been Growing for Years
Rohan Arrives on the Pelennor Fields as the Rooster Crows
Galadriel’s Gift of Soil to Sam Sees the Shire Reborn
The Witch King’s Sword Is on Fire!
How you decide, of course, is up to you. We expect there may be some debate, out of the moments we have chosen, about which are actually ‘magic’. How/what defines such power, and how does it operate in Middle-earth? And for the moments you believe ARE magical – how do you choose your favourite? Will your votes be based on how these moment are described in Tolkien’s writing? Perhaps you have preferences based on childhood memories of Rankin Bass cartoons… Or maybe you’ll just toss a coin! It’s up to you; but however you decide, now is the time to place your votes!
How does it work, you ask? Simple! Click on one of the orange division buttons below. Then click the ‘Vote Now’ option that appears above the divisional bracket. This year, as with last year, you get to vote in each divisional match-up in one convenient and visual interface. Note – you need to click each division to vote in their respective brackets. So let’s get voting!
You have until the end of the day Thursday March 21st to vote in Round One; on Friday 22nd we’ll announce winners and open voting for Round Two! Join us for TORn Tuesday, where we’ll discuss and debate March Madness 2024; let the games begin!
The rollout of the Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power TV series has re-energized Middle-earth fandom, and one thing is clear, we all love to get together, online, at conventions, and at the theater and talk Tolkien.
Reading The Hobbit during the Baggins Birthday Bash
The Baggins Birthday Bash, coming to Los Angeles at 11:30am on September 24 at Griffith Park’s Mineral Wells picnic area is the perfect way for SoCal Tolkien fans to gather and party like Hobbits. There will be games, there will be food, there will be plenty of Tolkien discussion going on, and I’m sure we can fit some fun in there somewhere.
Regarding food, in the before times it was a big buffet, and last year, we decided to ask everyone to just bring enough food and drink for their own party. This year, it will probably end up being a bit of a hybrid. Some will just bring what they want to eat, and a few will bring shareable dishes, and we’ll let the food and drink sort itself out. It would be nice if some folks bring extra picnic plates and cups, maybe some paper towels, and of course, everyone should bring a portable chair or blanket and a popup if you have it.
We would like to bring back the Cake or Cupcake contest for the best Middle-earth designed desserts. We’ve had some really creative and beautiful designs in the past, so start contemplating now on how to wow your fellow fans this year. Costumes are welcome, as usual, especially any new 2nd Age costumes. If we do trivia, there is a decent chance it will include some references to the Rings of Power show, since the 5th episode will have screened just 2 days before the picnic.
Please do RSVP on our Facebook Event page, located at: https://www.facebook.com/events/1271178800320132/ and read through the About Details, including selecting ‘see more’ to access the directions for those driving from different sections of Southern California in order to get to Griffith Park and the Mineral Wells section of the park.
TORn Tuesday’s co-host Justin flew around the world — at his own expense — to experience the first showings of Prime Video’s huge The Lord of the Rings: The Rings Of Power with fellow fans in NYC and London. Now having seen it twice, after years of the most spoileriffic leaks, here is his review of the first two episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power on Prime.
Producers Lindsey Weber, JD Payne and Patrick McKay introducing themselves to fans in NYC
Back in 2002, I sat down in a theater full of fellow Ringers at midnight as an unknown jovial British man with a deep voice walked out to introduce The Two Towers. Andy Serkis had come at the invite of TheOneRing.net to opening night. Nobody knew who he was other than the IMDb credit and 3 seconds of trailer time — and this guy looked & sounded nothing like Gollum. There was also a lot of chatter leading up to the release of The Two Towers that book lovers were terrified of — that the elves had been reassigned from the books to honor the last alliance at Helm’s Deep (ruining Tolkien’s greatest battlefield reunion in The Return of the King). Leaked set pics showed Arwen fighting at Helm’s deep. Jar Jar Binks all-CGI characterization had “ruined” Star Wars, and all-CGI Gollum was ready to ruin Tolkien.
The lights dimmed. The screen showed the familiar landscapes. Then the camera dived INTO the mountain to replay one of the greatest scenes of Fellowship (natch, film history). Oh great, I thought, another film that does “when we last left our heroes” recap. And then the camera follows Gandalf as he falls into battle with Durin’s Bane, as an epic choral music laments their fall into the great chasm. I lept out of my seat! I couldn’t believe a movie had just shown me things I had never seen before, never expected, and a style of storytelling I didn’t think possible. The Two Towers changed my movie going life, and it is still my favorite of the trilogy.
My Rings of Power take after seeing the pilot episodes twice and really diving into the visual details:
Prime Video’s The Rings of Power brings back that feeling of discovery. It changes what television is capable of. It redefines multi-storyline TV. It completely immerses you in Middle-earth from the start, and delivers an incredible storytelling experience that stays true to the tone of Tolkien while necessarily charting a new path.
The Rings of Power finally delivers on Gimli’s promise to the Fellowship that his kin would provide a warm welcome in Moria. We finally see dwarven culture at its pinnacle — a fully realized society that is well-fed, well-worked, and well-machined. These dwarves will feel familiar to Hobbit trilogy fans, with great-looking, practical makeup FX (allegedly supported by Weta Workshop), but it’s the characterizations that really take this culture beyond the comedy of the movies. Fans of deep lore will rewatch the dwarven scenes to spot the many Easter eggs of items lost to time in the books.
All the other lands and races are equally fully realized, even the orc culture. We are all aware of the amount of effort needed to accomplish creative at this level thanks to Peter Jackson’s Appendices. It’s obvious hundreds of top creative talent are collaborating on this show. There is a visible sense of pride in the work from all the details both visual and narratively. This is a billion dollar TV show and it shows. It takes that much support to realize Tolkien’s vast imagination — which is larger in the Second Age than the Third Age seen in the films. The Second Age just has more of everything. More societies. More cities. More arid lands. More areas to explore. More destruction. My biggest fear now is that future seasons of The Rings of Power may not get the same generous budget, knowing what enormous cataclysms are to come.
Writing on the show is peak television at its pinnacle. Prime has assembled an all-star fellowship of writers from the best shows on TV — Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Hannibal, Game of Thrones, and more. Absolutely no characters from the vast collective on this show feel cardboard, short changed, nor one-dimensional. Everyone quickly has motivations created and their place in society established. TV has never seen a character break as bad as Sauron, the lord of all the rings, and the pilot episodes set up the stakes for Middle-earth.
J.A Bayona was absolutely the right director to establish the look and feel of this show. From his water work with The Impossible to the dark tones of Penny Dreadful, Bayona captures the existential dread that Middle-earth may not know is coming. Showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay are living our collective fan dream overseeing this massive project. Their imaginations are reaching for the same great heights that JRR Tolkien famously attempted, yet still under the guardrails and guidelines he established. Tolkien envisioned filmmakers expanding his Legendarium with his “other minds and hands, wielding paint and music & drama” and these guys are up to the task. Having chatted with them many times over the last six months it’s clear that these other and hands are the right ones to continuing shaping the history of Middle-earth.
Fans may forget that Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings was full of no-name actors. It was Orlando Bloom’s first work, Billy Boyd’s first movie, and the biggest job for the hundreds of longtime kiwi actors. Rings of Power continues that tradition of unveiling top talent on the global stage. These folks are future stars. All the recent discourse of how they look and talk — also things fans also complained about in 2001 — is put to rest the minute the show starts. There is no wink at the camera or in-your-face notice me going on. These performances live in Middle-earth, period. Tolkien’s source text allow for a very expansive visual canon which the filmmakers are developing with the highest of standards. All the fears fans have of this “looking like television” are proven invalid. Better than other space and superhero TV shows, this is Middle-earth looking exactly like it should: the proper continuation of a $6 billion franchise and most-awarded film series of all time.
Even if it’s not a continuation. We have covered the rights situation numerous times over the last 4 years on this site and on YouTube. Testament to loyalty to JRR Tolkien is the involvement of Simon Tolkien (the current elder family stateman) in the production of the show, and no less that 11 living Tolkien relatives showing up to the London premiere. It’s a privilege to have Royd Tolkien a longtime friend of TORn, but to have his family there at The Rings of Power premiere unlocked a feeling I didn’t know this franchise needed: full support of the sub-creator’s legacy, and a proper continuation of his life’s work. There’s a trust in the show there, now, that I didn’t know was missing.
Royd Tolkien & Justin at the London ScreeningTolkien Professor Dr. Corey Olsen, Clifford Broadway and Nerd of the Rings debate lore of the TV show in NYC
I’m looking forward to the many debates fans will have, and we will have at TheOneRing.net, over the choices made by the filmmakers. I’m reminded of the TORn staff that walked out of The Two Towers theatrical opening, disgusted that Frodo and Sam were at Osgiliath with an unrecognizable Faramir. My favorite film of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings has its detractors and I respect their perspectives, and The Rings Of Power will undoubtedly generate similar debates that can only strengthen our love of Middle-earth. Maybe we should bring back RINGER REVIEWS so all us fans can share our assessment of each of the 50 episodes to come.
As I walked out of that first screening, and now a second one in London, my one word review of Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power two-part pilot remains:
PERFECTION. No Notes.
Huge thanks to all the teams at Prime Video that have supported the fans throughout this journey of creation, for inviting hundreds of fans to these free screenings around the world, for all the support at Comic-Con and DragonCon, and for all the friendly (sometimes intense) conversations as we shared the excitement for this show. Fans are happy to be seen, and will be very happy with the finished product.
Tune in every Tuesday at 8pm ET for TORn Tuesday LIVE with Clifford & Justin, and chat anytime on the TORn Discord at https://discord.gg/theonering
