Set thousands of years before the novel in Middle-earth's Second Age, the episode shows the Elves' reactions to their Rings of Power.
Elrond takes the rings to Círdan, the oldest and wisest Elf in Middle-earth, who agrees to throw them into a great chasm in the ocean.
However, Círdan accidentally sees the rings when a wave bumps his boat and he believes they are true perfection, choosing to put one on.
The Stranger—a Wizard who is slowly regaining his memories—and the Harfoot Nori Brandyfoot get lost on their way to the land of Rhûn in the east of Middle-earth.
Though Gil-galad sends a messenger to warn Celebrimbor—the Elven-smith who forged the three rings—of Halbrand's true identity, Sauron arrives at the gates of Eregion first.
[6] After introducing the setting and major heroic characters in the first season, the showrunners said the second would focus on the villains and go deeper into the "lore and the stories people have been waiting to hear".
[13] The season's cast includes Robert Aramayo as Elrond,[14] Morfydd Clark as Galadriel,[15] Charles Edwards as Celebrimbor,[16] Ciarán Hinds as the Dark Wizard,[17] Markella Kavenagh as Elanor "Nori" Brandyfoot,[18] Megan Richards as Poppy Proudfellow,[19] Charlie Vickers as Sauron,[20] Benjamin Walker as Gil-galad,[21] and Daniel Weyman as the Stranger.
[18] Also starring in the episode are Jack Lowden as Forodwaith Sauron, Ben Daniels as Círdan, Sam Hazeldine as Adar, Nicholas Woodeson as Diarmid, Geoff Morrell as Waldreg, Amelia Kenworthy as Mirdania, Virginie Laverdure as Abigail, Jane Montgomery Griffiths as Astrid, Berynn Schwerdt as Eamon, Robert Strange as Glüg, Zates Atour as Brânk, Jamie Bisping as Calenwë, Emily-Jane McNeill as Ídhiel, and Arkie Reece as Kilta.
[27] A soundtrack album featuring composer Bear McCreary's score for the episode was released digitally on the streaming service Amazon Music on August 29, 2024.
[28][29] All music is composed by Bear McCreary:"Elven Kings Under the Sky" premiered on Prime Video in the United States on August 29, 2024.
[29] Analytics company Samba TV—which gathers viewership data from three million smart TVs, weighted based on the US census—calculated that the episode was viewed by 902,000 US households in its first four days.
[34] Whip Media, which tracks viewership data for the 25 million worldwide users of its TV Time app, listed the series second—behind Hulu's Only Murders in the Building—on its US streaming chart for the week ending September 1.
[35] Nielsen Media Research, which records streaming viewership on US television screens, estimated that The Rings of Power had 1.02 billion minutes viewed in the week ending September 1.
Amin said Galadriel and Elrond's storyline was the strongest and most emotional of the episode, and also praised the backstory given to Sauron as well as the reunion of Nori and Poppy.
He felt the audience's knowledge this season that Vickers is portraying Sauron worked well for scenes where he interacts with other characters in disguise.
He particularly praised the focus on Sauron, but was less positive about Hazeldine taking over as Adar; he felt the first season's Joseph Mawle brought more gravitas to the role.
He appreciated the "attention-grabbing" opening sequence, feeling it was a response to the slow start of the first season, and highlighted Adar's role as a supporting villain.