The Rings of Power stars teaser the Stranger and the harfoot’s journey into Rhûn

The Rings of Power stars teaser the Stranger and the harfoot's journey into Rhûn

As a seasoned gamer and Tolkien enthusiast with over two decades of immersion in Middle-earth, I eagerly anticipate the second season of “The Rings of Power” on Prime Video. The enigmatic journey of the Stranger (Daniel Weyman) and his harfoot companion Nori (Markella Kavenagh) into the unexplored lands of Rhûn promises to unravel captivating tales from the annals of J.R.R. Tolkien’s masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings.

The upcoming week sees the second season premiere of “The Rings of Power” on Amazon Prime Video. We’ll delve into a multitude of narratives, among them is the adventure of The Stranger (played by Daniel Weyman) and his companion Nori (Markella Kavenagh), a harfoot, as they venture through the relatively unexplored region of Rhûn in Middle-earth – a part that received minimal attention in J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” literature.

Towards the conclusion of season 1, an enigmatic character, possibly resembling Gandalf from the classic Lord of the Rings, acquired the ability to speak after being largely silent throughout the episodes. His purpose remains unspecified, but given his immense power, he and Nori are embarking on a quest to uncover the truth about him.

“Although The Stranger’s memory remains elusive, he can now articulate his thoughts. As Weyman explains, ‘He’s still in a process of learning, with each moment offering a fresh opportunity to grow.’ Moreover, The Stranger is unacquainted with the warmth of Rhûn as he has only experienced the cooler, greener environment of the harfoots. This unfamiliarity mirrors our own, making his journey through the story all the more intriguing.”

It’s clear that the Stranger’s voyage will lead him to encounter Tom Bombadil, a character less frequently portrayed in film versions of “The Lord of the Rings” novels. Weyman can’t wait for fans to witness this moment on screen.

Being inside Tom BombadiI’s house. Drop dead Gorgeous. An amazing amount of work. Production values through the roof. Detail, layers and layers and layers and layers. Keep looking. And what he does in there: fabulous.”

The Rings of Power stars teaser the Stranger and the harfoot's journey into Rhûn

Does Poppy go with the Stranger and Nori to Rhûn?

In the first season, Weyman was interviewed together with Megan Richards, portraying the character Poppy Proudfellow, who is similar to an earlier version of a hobbit. The Amazon series “The Rings of Power” is set thousands of years prior to “The Lord of the Rings,” and at that time, the hobbits as we recognize them do not exist. In the first season, the Stranger, who was human-sized, interacted with the tiny harfoots, creating some humorous visuals. The show utilized special effects and optical illusions to make it appear as if the actors were significantly different sizes. For season 2, the technical team upped their game.

In the first season, Weyman mentioned that due to size differences between him and Megan, it was necessary to use stand-ins or “scale doubles” for certain scenes. This is because when both of them were in the same shot, they had to manipulate the camera angle to make one of them appear smaller than the other. For instance, if we are looking at Megan, Paul (who was 8 feet tall) might seem taller due to a higher shoulder. Conversely, if the focus was on the Stranger, a small scale double would be used for Megan to look up at him. However, in season two, they developed clever camera techniques that allowed them to shoot together without such manipulations.

And there’s a load of people behind the scenes, sort of with rulers and measurements putting things into computers, going ‘No, no, no, they need to be 50 centimeters this way.’ But we didn’t have any of that. There are famous stories in the film versions of people, sort of being, you know, one person over here looking this way, one person back there looking that way, and it looks like they’re talking to each other, but we were able to look into each other’s eyes, you know. It was absolutely brilliant.

It seems that on screen, they managed to give the impression of a genuine hug, making it appear effortless, as perplexed Megan Richards remarked: “I just can’t wrap my head around it.”

As a long-time fan of J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic fantasy series, I must say that the question of whether Poppy will join the Stranger on his journey into Rhûn is a fascinating one. Given what transpired at the end of the first season, it seems plausible that she might not be part of the group that sets out. However, considering her adventurous spirit and deep bond with the Stranger, I wouldn’t rule it out entirely. It will be intriguing to see how Poppy’s character develops in future seasons, as she navigates her unique journey through Middle-earth alongside the other intriguing characters created by Tolkien.

It seems as though both Weyman and Richards hint that the three characters will be journeying together. At one point, Weyman remarks, “Placing each and every one of those characters in that situation is truly unexplored territory.”

Richard seems to imply that the group she might be considering is often overwhelmed by a barrage of questions: “They find themselves inundated with queries,” she stated. “You see, they started out aiming to discover the answer to one question: ‘who is the stranger.’ However, instead of finding the solution, they just keep receiving additional questions without answers, which leaves them utterly bewildered.”

In this case, there’s no conclusive evidence, but it makes me ponder if Poppy might one day meet up with her friends again. We’ll discover the answer when season 2 of The Rings of Power debuts on Amazon Prime Video on Thursday, August 29.

2024-08-19 22:41