A Shadow of the Past

"A Shadow of the Past" is the first episode of the first season of the American fantasy television series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, based on the novel The Lord of the Rings and its appendices by J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, thousands of years before Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, it follows a large cast of characters during a peaceful time. The episode was written by showrunners J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay, and directed by J. A. Bayona. Amazon made a multi-season commitment for a new The Lord of the Rings series in November 2017. Payne and McKay were set to develop it in July 2018, and Bayona was hired to direct the first two episodes a year later. The first episode introduces some of the key characters, relationships, and groups for the series, such as Morfydd Clark's Galadriel. Her characterization is depicted differently from The Lord of the Rings and was shaped by Tolkien's notes on the character's backstory. Harfoots, precursors to the popular Hobbit race from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, are also introduced in the episode. Filming for the first season began in New Zealand in February 2020, but was placed on hold in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Production resumed in September and wrapped for the first two episodes by the end of December. "A Shadow of the Past" premiered on the streaming service Amazon Prime Video on September 1, 2022. Along with the second episode it had the most viewers of any Prime Video premiere within 24 hours, and received generally positive reviews. The episode received several award nominations, including a Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Award nomination. Plot The Elf Galadriel grew up in Valinor during a time of peace. When the two trees that lit the world were destroyed by the Dark Lord Morgoth, the Elves sailed across the Sundering Seas to Middle-earth and waged a devastating war against him that lasted for centuries. After Morgoth was defeated, his Orcs continued to spread around the world led by his servant Sauron, a powerful sorcerer. Galadriel's brother Finrod died hunting Sauron, and Galadriel vowed to continue the search.