It’s been a long time coming, but viewers finally got “Rings of Power,” the prequel to the Lord of the Rings series. If you have always been curious to actually see how the events took place before Frodo and the Ring, now’s your chance. Audiences grew up knowing the story of Frodo embarking on a dangerous journey with the Fellowship to bring the Ring back to Mordor and destroy evil once and for all. Fans can also recall Bilbo’s story of leaving the rolling hills of the Shire on a quest to help Thorin Oakenshield and co. reclaim their homeland and slay a dragon.  

It is very exciting to go back to a time with which audiences are not so familiar. In this time period, we follow our central character Lady Galadriel as she takes up her brother’s quest to vanquish Sauron and his army of Orcs. Along with that storyline, there are also many, many side plots, including Nori Brandyfoot, a harfoot who finds herself helping a Stranger that crashed down from the skies, a young and charismatic Lord Elrond as he navigates being the bridge between the Elves and Dwarves as they combine forces to forge a powerful artifact, and that’s not even all of them.  

We’re not nearly done with the series at this point given that “Rings of Power” is still ongoing, but there are a few things that are noteworthy for fans who have yet to watch the new series. “Lord of the Rings” has never been one to rush into anything. With several different storylines all crashing together and happening at once, there’s a lot going on. That said, the pacing of this show is incredibly slow. This is understandable, considering there’s a lot of world-building that needs to happen first. They intend to make this a five-season series, but after six episodes it almost feels like these characters are standing still and getting nowhere. There are a few storylines that have fallen flat, particularly Lady Galadriel and Halbrand’s. Despite the story supposedly revolving around them, they haven’t really been able to do much within their current situation. This gives the impression of a lot of talk and no action.  

Aside from the slow start to that storyline, Nori’s character has been an underdog fans may not have expected to like so much. Maybe it’s because Harfoots are the earliest ancestors of Hobbits, but the curiosity and determination of these “little fellows” has always made it easy to root for them. Another set of characters that are endearing are the Dwarves, Durin and his wife, Disa. Their relationship and the loving household they come from have easily become scenes to look forward to and adore whenever we get them. Despite the slow pacing, “Rings of Power,” is truly written for the fans. It provides all the history that we’ve always heard about for so long and has now brought it to the forefront to be enjoyed. All in all it’s a good time to be a Lord of the Rings fan.