While the mysterious Adar and his Orcs continue to ravage the Southlands, Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) and Halbrand (Charlie Vickers) finally find some common ground with the people of Numenor in Episode 4 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, entitled The Great Wave
The last episode found Galadriel and Halbrand brought to the island kingdom – once friendly to elves but no longer, as they tried to find a way to continue their mission.
The fourth episode – marking the halfway point of the eight-episode series – finds Galadriel and Halbrand finally finding some allies to their cause.
Common ground: While the mysterious Adar and his Orcs continue to ravage the Southlands, Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) and Halbrand (Charlie Vickers) finally find some common ground with the people of Numenor in Episode 4 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
The episode begins in Numenor, where Queen Regent Miriel (Cynthia Addai Robninson) gathers with her court, meeting the young babies of the kingdom.
She meets with the young mother (Laura Medes) who says she will name the child Alinel, as Miriel tries to bless the child when a rumbling is heard.
Miriel tries to put the women at ease, stating, ‘Sometimes our island just needs a stretch,’ though the rumbling continues even greater.
The rumbling winds make way for a tidal wave of water, rushing over the mountains that guard the kingdom, as bridges and buildings crumble… before it’s revealed to be one of Miriel’s nightmares.
She wakes up to one of her chambermaids saying it is a ‘perfect day’ and asking what business she would like to start her day with.
The episode cuts to the streets of Numenor, where the wounded Tamar (Jason Hood) bemoans the queen calling Galadriel and Halbrand to court.
‘Elf’s mate attacks four guildsmen and Miriel has her up for tea?’ Tamar says, as Earien (Ema Horvath) walks by and overhears.
Tamar tells a group of his guildsmen, ‘And while the elf whispers poison in our Queen’s ear, who’s speaking for us?’
Meanwhile, Kemen (Leon Wadham) seeks out his father, Chancelor Pharazon (Trystan Gravelle), who tells Kemen to keep his voice down.
‘Statecraft is the art of attending to small matters as diligently as grand ones,’ Pharazon tells the youngster.
Kemen jokes that he was only trying to be clever, while Pharazon adds, ‘Cleverness is for men of small ambition. I’d much rather it if you were wise, my son.’
Pharazon finally asks what is the trouble, as Kemen says they may have a ‘squall on our hands.’
The episode cuts back to Tamar, who is still speaking to a growing crowd about the possibility of elves taking their jobs.
‘I say the Queen’s either blind or an elf lover,’ Tamar says, as one worker adds, ‘Just like her father,’ as Earien looks on solemnly.
The crowd starts chanting, ‘Elf lover!’ for a few moments, before Pharazon enters their fray.
‘And if the elf were here now, what would she see? Men of Numenor or a gaggle of mewling children?’ Pharazon asks.
The show made history long before the first two episodes debuted on Thursday evening, since it’s considered the most expensive series ever.
The show’s inception can be traced back to July 2017, when a grueling lawsuit between Warner Bros. – the studio behind the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films – and the J.R.R. Tolkien Estate, was settled.
Both the studio and the estate started offering the television rights to the franchise to streaming services, with Amazon quickly becoming a front-runner.
History: The show made history long before the first two episodes debuted on Thursday evening, since it’s considered the most expensive series ever
Amazon co-founder Jeff Bezos has previously given a mandate to the Prime Video streaming service that he wanted a large-scale franchise.
Bezos was also reportedly a huge fan of the franchise and was personally involved in the negotiations for the just the rights alone, which were ultimately acquired in November 2017 for a whopping $250 million.
Amazon also struck a deal with the Tolkien Estate and the Tolkien Trust where they are believed to have given the green light for upwards of five seasons of the show.
Estate: Amazon also struck a deal with the Tolkien Estate and the Tolkien Trust where they are believed to have given the green light for upwards of five seasons of the show
With an estimated production commitment of between $100 million and $150 million per season, Amazon is expected to shell out $1 billion for the production costs and the rights, when all is said and done.
The series was created by Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne, who had previously only worked on 2016’s Star Trek: Beyond as uncredited writers.
The duo pitched a series that would be set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, a history glossed over in a five-minute prologue during the Lord of the Rings films.
Production: With an estimated production commitment of between $100 million and $150 million per season, Amazon is expected to shell out $1 billion for the production costs and the rights, when all is said and done
They wanted to expand this into roughly 50 hours of television, which would include the forging of the Rings of Power, the rise of the dark lord Sauron, the fall of the island kingdom Numenor and the final alliance between men and elves.
There will be characters fans will recognize, though, most notably Galadriel, played in the LOTR movies by Cate Blanchett, with the much younger version played Morfydd Clark.
There have been rumors that a white-haired character shown in the trailers, played by Bridie Sisson (previously thought to be Anson Boon), is actually Sauron himself, though producers have not confirmed that.
Characters: There will be characters fans will recognize, though, most notably Galadriel, played in the LOTR movies by Cate Blanchett, with the much younger version played Morfydd Clark
Executive producer Lindsey Weber would neither confirm nor deny Sisson’s character, she did offer a hint as to his origins to Time.
‘We are enjoying all the speculation online and can tell you Bridie Sisson is an incredible actor,’ Weber began.
‘We also thought fans might like to know that her character is traveling from far to the east—from the lands of Rhûn…’ Weber teased.
Teased: ‘We also thought fans might like to know that her character is traveling from far to the east—from the lands of Rhûn…’ Weber teased
The new episodes will roll out simultaneously across the globe, with the first two episodes dropping on Thursday at 6 PM PT/9 PM ET/2 AM UK.
The final six episodes will roll out weekly at 9 PM PT/12 AM ET/5 AM UK, with the finale of the eight-episode season arriving Thursday, October 13 exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.
New episodes: The new episodes will roll out simultaneously across the globe, with the first two episodes dropping on Thursday at 6 PM PT/9 PM ET/2 AM UK
Finale: The final six episodes will roll out weekly at 9 PM PT/12 AM ET/5 AM UK, with the finale of the eight-episode season arriving Thursday, October 13 exclusively on Amazon Prime Video
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