The Rings of Power Season 1 Review
Season 3 of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” starts on November 11, 2026, so it is the right time to look back at where it began. Season 1 is a good series with a cool setting, very interesting character dynamics and a Sauron plot twist that I enjoyed. What holds it back for me are the breaks from Tolkien’s lore. It gets a 7.5 out of 10 from me.
The eight episodes of Season 1 premiered on Prime Video on September 1, 2022, with two episodes on day one and weekly episodes until the finale on October 14, 2022. J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay are the showrunners. The series is set in the Second Age and is based mainly on the appendices of “The Lord of the Rings,” because Amazon did not acquire the rights to “The Silmarillion.” It was filmed in New Zealand. Here is my full breakdown across our five categories (2 points maximum each).
Table of Contents
What Is The Rings of Power Season 1 About?
Spoiler-light: Middle-earth is in an age of peace after the fall of Morgoth, but Galadriel is convinced that the darkness has not gone. Her search for the servant of the old enemy leads through several storylines: the Elves of Lindon and Eregion, with Elrond and the smith Celebrimbor, the dwarves of Khazad-dûm, the Harfoots, the Southlands, where the Elf Arondir protects the human village of Bronwyn, and the island kingdom of Númenor. A mysterious stranger falls from the sky, and a man named Halbrand crosses Galadriel’s path at sea.
Over the eight episodes, all of those threads move toward the forging of the Rings of Power. I will not spoil how, and I will leave the big twist for you to discover.
The Rings of Power Season 1 Story – 1.5/2
Good Points: Interesting Storylines and a Strong Twist
Many Threads, One Direction
The season juggles many storylines, and most of them kept me interested. They are different in tone, from dwarven mines to Númenorean politics, and the series does a good job of showing how they connect.
Sauron and His Plot Twist
The Sauron storyline and its plot twist are cool. It gives the season a mystery to follow, and the finale makes the earlier episodes look different on a second viewing.
The Small Deduction
The cost of this structure is that the timeline is compressed to fit it, and some events feel rushed or arrive too soon. That is why the story gets 1.5 out of 2 from me.
The Rings of Power Season 1 Cast – 1.5/2
Good Points: Character Dynamics, and One Lore Deduction
Sophia Nomvete as Disa and Owain Arthur as Durin IV in The Rings of Power Season 1 (Picture Source: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power / Prime Video)
Very Interesting Dynamics
The relationships between the characters are the best part of the series for me. Morfydd Clark as Galadriel, Robert Aramayo as Elrond, Charles Edwards as Celebrimbor, Owain Arthur and Sophia Nomvete as Durin IV and Disa, Markella Kavenagh as Nori and Charlie Vickers as Halbrand all play off one another well.
A Note on Casting and the Source
At Gamersuniverse we judge adaptations by how they treat their source material. When a role is clearly cast against the source, that costs points. We have no problem with actors of any background in film and TV, and we love seeing them in roles where it fits. It just has to fit the role and the source, and it must not feel forced.
The Small Deduction
Tolkien describes the Eldar in Appendix F of The Lord of the Rings as “tall, fair of skin and grey-eyed”, and the show’s visual take on its Elves departs from that image. That costs 0.5 points in the cast category, which is why it ends at 1.5 out of 2.
The Rings of Power Season 1 World – 1/2
Good Points and Deduction: A Cool Setting, Lore Breaks
The Setting Is Cool
The setting is cool. The Second Age is a time that the films never showed, and seeing Númenor, Eregion, Lindon and Khazad-dûm brings Middle-earth to life from a new side.
Lore Breaks and the Compressed Timeline
This is where the series loses the most points for me. I am not a fan of lore breaks. In Tolkien’s writing, the Second Age spans thousands of years, and the series compresses its major events into a short period of time. The Tolkien estate approved this as long as the major events stay in order, and the writers added new characters and details of their own. It is a valid choice for television, but for fans of the source it changes how the world works, and that is why the world gets 1 out of 2.
Music Score and Effects – 2/2
A Score With Heritage
Bear McCreary composed the score, and Howard Shore, the composer of the Peter Jackson films, wrote the main theme. The mix of new and familiar music fits the series perfectly.
A Big Production
Weta Workshop and Weta FX are part of the production, and the landscapes of New Zealand, the sets and the creatures show the scale of the budget. It looks like Middle-earth, and the effects served the story throughout.
Originality – 1.5/2
A New Part of Middle-earth
Telling a story from a period that has never been on screen is a strong idea, and the series fills it with original characters and storylines, including the Sauron twist.
The Small Deduction
Part of what the series adds departs from what Tolkien wrote, and not every addition felt necessary. I would have liked to see the new elements work with the source more often, which is why it gets 1.5 out of 2.
What’s Next After The Rings of Power Season 1?
Season 3 premieres on November 11, 2026 on Prime Video, with eight episodes released in three batches: episodes 1 to 4 on November 11, episodes 5 and 6 on November 18 and episodes 7 and 8 on November 25. It is set about five years after the fall of Eregion. Jamie Campbell Bower joins the cast as Celeborn, and Simon Pegg voices the Balrog. The directors are Charlotte Brändström, Sanaa Hamri and Stefan Schwartz. We also wrote about the new featurette on the making of the One Ring.
Gamersuniverse Score:
7.5 out of 10 stars⭐
| Category | Points | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Story | 1.5/2 | Strong threads and a cool Sauron twist, with a compressed timeline. |
| Cast | 1.5/2 | Very interesting character dynamics, with a deduction for fidelity to the source. |
| World | 1/2 | A cool setting, with several breaks from Tolkien’s lore. |
| Music Score and Effects | 2/2 | Bear McCreary, Howard Shore’s theme and Weta craft. |
| Originality | 1.5/2 | A fresh period, with additions that depart from the source. |
| Total | 7.5/10 | A good series with a cool setting, held back by lore breaks. |
The Rings of Power Season 1 is a good series. The setting is cool, the character dynamics are very interesting, and Sauron and his plot twist are great. It loses points for me where it breaks from Tolkien’s lore: the compressed timeline and a look for its Elves that departs from Tolkien’s descriptions.
If you can accept those liberties, there is a lot to enjoy here, and I am curious how Season 3 continues the story.
Score Summary
- Story: 1.5/2
- Cast: 1.5/2
- World: 1/2
- Music Score and Effects: 2/2
- Originality: 1.5/2
Total: 7.5/10
Who Is The Rings of Power Season 1 For?
- Fans of Middle-earth who want to see the Second Age on screen.
- Fans of fantasy politics who like many storylines that slowly connect.
- Viewers who can accept adaptation liberties and enjoy the series for its own sake.
- Maybe skip it if you want strict fidelity to Tolkien’s books: this series takes many liberties.
How do you feel about adaptations that depart from their source? Tell us in the comments.
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Picture Source: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power / Prime Video
