Alloyed (The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power)

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## Guest appearance

"**Alloyed**" is the eighth and final 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. The episode was written by Gennifer Hutchison, and the showrunners J. D. Payne & Patrick McKay, and it was directed by Wayne Che Yip.

Amazon made a multi-season commitment for a new *The Lord of the Rings* series in November 2017.

"Alloyed" premiered on the streaming service Prime Video on October 14, 2022.

## Plot

Galadriel and an injured Halbrand arrive in Eregion. Halbrand gives Celebrimbor the idea of forging the *mithril* with other metals to enhance its strength. Galadriel becomes suspicious and checks into the royal lineages of the Southlands. In the East, the Stranger meets the mysterious trio, who greets him as "Lord Sauron," whom they are pledged to serve. Nori and the Harfoots manage to steal the leader's magical staff, which the Stranger then uses to banish the trio into darkness. They realize that the Stranger is not Sauron, but one of the Istari. In Eregion, Galadriel confronts Halbrand with her discovery that he is not a Southland king, and the latter reveals himself to be Sauron. She refuses his offer to make her a queen who could rule Middle-Earth alongside him. Sauron flees to Mordor, while Galadriel, Elrond, and Celebrimbor forge three Rings of Power that are free of Sauron's influence. Elendil and Míriel arrive back to Númenór to find king Tar-Palantir has passed away. Back amongst the Harfoots, the Stranger and Nori decide to travel east, into Rhûn, to discover the truth about his powers.

## Production

### Development

Amazon acquired the global television rights for J. R. R. Tolkien's *The Lord of the Rings* in November 2017. The company's streaming service, Prime Video, gave a multi-season commitment to a series based on the novel and its appendices, to be produced by Amazon Studios. It was later titled *The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power*. The series is set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, thousands of years before the events of Tolkien's *The Hobbit* and *The Lord of the Rings*, and the first season focuses on introducing the setting and major heroic characters to the audience. Written by Hutchison, Payne, and McKay, the eighth episode is titled "Alloyed." The episode was directed by Yip.

### Filming

Amazon confirmed in September 2019 that filming for the first season would take place in New Zealand, where the *Lord of the Rings* and *Hobbit* film trilogies were made. Filming began in early February, primarily at Kumeu Film Studios and Auckland Film Studios in Auckland, under the working title *Untitled Amazon Project* or simply *UAP*. Filming for the season wrapped on August 2.

### Casting

The series' large cast includes Daniel Weyman as The Stranger, Markella Kavenagh as Nori Brandyfoot, Morfydd Clark as Galadriel, Robert Aramayo as Elrond, Charles Edwards as Celebrimbor, Charlie Vickers as Halbrand/Sauron, Trystan Gravelle as Pharazôn, Ken Blackburn as Tar-Palantir, Ema Horvath as Eärien, Leon Wadham as Kemen, Benjamin Walker as Gil-galad, Lenny Henry as Sadoc Burrows, Megan Richards as Poppy Proudfellow, Sara Zwangobani as Marigold Brandyfoot, Alex Tarrant as Valandil, Lloyd Owen as Elendil, Cynthia Addai-Robinson as Míriel, Will Fletcher as Finrod, Thusitha Jayasundera as Malva, Maxine Cunliffe as Vilma, Dylan Smith as Largo Brandyfoot, and Beau Cassidy as Dilly Brandyfoot.

### Visual effects

Visual effects for the episode were created by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Wētā FX, Method Studios, Cause and FX, and Atomic Arts.

### Music

A soundtrack album featuring composer Bear McCreary's score for the episode was released on Amazon Music on October 13, 2022. All music composed by Bear McCreary:

Additionally, Fiona Apple joined with McCreary to perform his composition "Where the Shadows Lie", the end credits theme for the episode. The song features Apple singing the Rhyme of the Rings, part of which is inscribed upon the One Ring in Black Speech.

## Release

"Alloyed" premiered on Prime Video in the United States on October 14, 2022. It was released at the same time around the world, in more than 240 countries and territories.

## Reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 88% approval rating with an average score of 7.7/10 based on 24 reviews. The website's critics consensus reads: "*The Rings of Power*'s central mystery is finally answered in 'Alloyed', a finale that is by turns sumptuous and staid while hinting at a more propulsive story to come."

## Aftershow

An episode of the official aftershow *Deadline's Inside the Ring: LOTR: The Rings of Power* for "Alloyed" was released on October 14, 2022. Hosted by *Deadline Hollywood*'s Dominic Patten and Anthony D'Alessandro, it features exclusive "footage and insights" for the episode, plus interviews with cast members.

## References

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1. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (November 13, 2017). Amazon Sets 'The Lord of the Rings' TV Series In Mega Deal With Multi-Season Commitment.
2. ↑ Otterson, Joe (January 19, 2022). 'Lord of the Rings' Amazon Series Reveals Full Title in New Video.
3. ↑ Oller, Jacob (March 7, 2019). Amazon Confirms Lord of the Rings Show is Second Age Prequel to Films.
4. ↑ Lussier, Germain (July 23, 2022). Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Is a 'Mega Epic'.
5. ↑ Robinson, Joanna (February 14, 2022). 10 Burning Questions About Amazon's 'The Rings of Power'.
6. ↑ Lane, Carly (October 17, 2022). 'The Rings of Power' Finale Writer Breaks Down That Sauron Reveal and Season 2's Path for Galadriel.
7. ↑ Template:Cite press release
8. ↑ McConnell, Glenn (February 26, 2020). Massive production underway for Lord of the Rings in Auckland.
9. ↑ New $1.5b LOTR TV series set to film in Auckland (June 30, 2019).
10. ↑ Keall, Chris (March 15, 2020). Coronavirus: Amazon's Lord of the Rings production in West Auckland shut-down.
11. ↑ Petski, Denise (August 2, 2021). 'The Lord Of The Rings' TV Series Gets Amazon Premiere Date & First-Look Photo.
12. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Hutchison, Gennifer; Payne, J. D.; McKay, Patrick (October 14, 2022). "Alloyed". *The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power*. Season 1. Episode 8. Prime Video. End credits begin at 67:10.
13. ↑ 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' Season 1, Episode 8 ('Alloyed') Soundtrack Album Released (October 13, 2022).
14. ↑ Saavedra, John (October 15, 2022). Fiona Apple's The Rings of Power Finale Song Is a Massive Tolkien Callback.
15. ↑ 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings Of Power'; Prime Video Reveals Rollout Schedule (August 16, 2022).
16. ↑ Bradley, Bill (September 2, 2022). How The Rings of Power Showrunners Handled a Massive Global Debut.
17. ↑ Template:Cite Rotten TomatoesTemplate:Cbignore
18. ↑ 'LOTR: The Rings Of Power' After Show 'Inside The Ring': Episode 8 (October 14, 2022).

## External links

* Template:IMDb episode

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