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Amazon’s massive fantasy series, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is set to kick off its second season on the streaming service on August 29. The prequel takes place thousands of years before the events of the J. R. R. Tolkien novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, though there are some familiar faces, including Sauron, Galadriel, Elrond, and even an unnamed character who is most likely (definitely) Gandalf.
The series follows the stories of several different important characters as they deal with a rapidly changing Middle-earth. A lot of stuff went down in the first season, from fiery volcanic explosions to the reveal of a big bad lurking in the body of a big hottie. But since it’s been two full years since The Rings of Power season one aired, you probably need a refresher on what went down in Middle-earth before you settle in to watch the first episode of season two in a few days. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
Click through for a thorough Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season one recap. Spoilers, obviously.
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In season one, Elrond (Robert Aramayo) returns to visit his old friend Prince Durin IV (Owain Arthur) in Khazad-dum, requesting that the dwarf help him mine mithril, which the dwarves have discovered in their kingdom. The powerful material is needed by the elves, but the dwarves stopped mining it because of how dangerous it was. It took nearly an entire season of convincing, but Elrond managed to get Durin to help him get some mithril—however, just as they’re about to start mining again, Durin’s father (the king) stops them. He strips Durin of his title and banishes Elrond from Khazad-dum.
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Early on in season one, a Stranger (David Weyman) falls from the sky and lands in the land of the Harfoots, who are one of three breeds of Hobbits. Small in stature, brown-haired, and big-footed, the Harfoots are a migratory species, avoiding conflict and relying on nature to keep themselves safe and well-fed. One Harfoot, named Nori (Markella Kavenagh), discovers the Stranger after he crash-lands nearby, and the two forge a bond as he travels with the Harfoots. The Stranger is a wizard (everyone knows it’s Gandalf even though the show hasn’t said it outright yet) who appears to have lost his memory and is struggling to regain the use of his powers. When he leaves to go on an adventure to discover his identity, Nori agrees to go with him, leaving her family behind.
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The rings of power are magical artifacts bestowed upon men, elves, and dwarves that highlight and enhance the user’s innate abilities. However, these rings can easily be corrupted by the wearer—hence the One Ring that’s at the center of The Lord of the Rings storyline, the one that Frodo must destroy in order to restore peace in Middle-earth. During The Rings of Power season one, we learn that the Elven smith Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards), is forging these rings with a small amount of mithril. He gives these first three rings to the elves: Galadriel (Morfydd Clark), Cirdan (Ben Daniels), and King Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker).
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Towards the end of The Rings of Power season one, we learn exactly why the orcs were doing all that construction: to trigger a massive volcanic eruption in the Southlands, covering the beautiful, verdant land in flame and thus creating Mordor, the realm of Sauron.
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We first meet the elf Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova) on patrol in the Southlands, where he’s remained for nearly 80 years after being placed there to ensure the humans did not turn to evil again (pesky humans). Much to the chagrin of the humans, who distrust the elves, Arondir has fallen in love with Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi), and the feeling is mutual. Throughout the season, their bond grows stronger, even after he’s captured by Orcs and forced to work on their dam. Arondir and Bronwyn help defend the Southlands against the Orcs, and are saved at the last minute by Galadriel and the Númenóreans. Bronwyn plans to lead her people, who are now without a home, to the port of Gondor.
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Adar (played by Joseph Mawle in season one, and Sam Hazeldine in season two), is a fallen elf who became leader of the Orcs. He oversees their work to create Mordor, torturing the people of the Southlands, but he soon becomes disillusioned by Sauron’s plans and his treatment of the Orcs and decides to seek a magical sword hilt that can bestow great power upon him. That sword hilt, first found and stolen by Bronwyn’s son, Theo, is believed to have been forged by Morgoth (the big bad before Sauron) and will lengthen into a full sword if imbued with someone’s blood. In the final episode of season one, Adar is captured after the Númenóreans and Galadriel come to the rescue of the people of the Southlands, and it’s believed he leaves the sword hilt behind. But he escapes, and we discover that he switched out the sword hilt for a decoy—now he has the sword and Mordor.
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A huge focus of The Rings of Power season one is the tension between races, especially men and elves. In Númenor, Galadriel is treated like a prisoner until she convinces Queen Regent Miriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) to team up and head to the mainland to retake the Southlands. But some Númenórean senators are unhappy with this decision, and by the end of season one, it’s clear that this is going to become a problem for Miriel going forward. After the horrific battle at Mordor, Elendil (Lloyd Owen) thinks his son Isildur (Maxim Baldry), the very same Isildur who eventually is corrupted by a ring of power, is dead, and Miriel is blind. The future of Númenor and the relationship between men and elves hangs in the balance.
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For much of season one, Galadriel is hanging out with a hottie known as Halbrand (Charlie Vickers) in Númenor, the great island civilization of man. Halbrand was once, supposedly, the king of the Southlands before he was driven out of his home by Orcs and forced to set sail on the Sundering Seas—this is where he finds Galadriel, and the two are eventually rescued by captain Elendil of Númenor. After spending some time there (Galadriel was not allowed to leave at first), she convinces Halbrand to join her in the fight to reclaim the Southlands, and the two defeat Adar, the leader of the Orcs. However, Halbrand is wounded when the massive volcano erupts, and must be healed with elven magic in the city of Ost-in-Edhil—it’s there that he meets Celebrimbor and helps convince him to create the rings of power with mithril.
But while Halbrand is helping Celebrimbor, Galadriel discovers that the last king of the Southlands died ages ago with no heir. It’s then that Halbrand reveals himself to be Sauron in disguise and, after a brief fight with Galadriel, flees to Mordor—his new home.
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