Prime Video’s big-budget, visually stunning fantasy epic The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, a prequel to J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, is back for season two. It continues to draw passionate reactions: enjoyment from some fans, sneering disgust from others, and a lot of snark.
Considering Professor Tolkien has been ranked the 20th Century’s greatest novelist, beloved in particular by Christians for his transcendent themes and moral clarity, love for his creation, Middle-earth, is warranted.
So is this “a fine addition to the fantasy genre” (NY Post)? “Thoughtful and exciting” (Religion Unplugged)? Or is it a “sacrilege” and “horror” as some claim?
The Lord of the Rings Film Trilogy Is a Tough Act to Follow
Two decades ago, director Peter Jackson set a high bar with The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, with its finely executed introduction of the races of elves, dwarves, halflings, wizards, and the kingdoms of men. Alliances are forged, loyalties shift, and kingdoms clash in a grand epic propelled by small, human moments.
The films feature PG-13-level gory violence and frightening imagery, and this TV prequel comes with the same parental advisory. While The Rings of Power attempts a similar tone and scale –- and aims to resonate with the author’s weighty moral themes –- it falls short for many viewers.
Keep in mind, this eight-episode cycle picks up right where season one left off, so it’s best to start there.
Even then, many will struggle to make sense of all that it tries to juggle. In the words of one reviewer, it’s “too epic for its own good.”
A Dizzying Array of Stories and Characters
Ambitious showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, helming their first series, have created a format that rarely soars for most audiences. Every episode tries to play like a big-budget fantasy movie, intercutting four or five storylines –- only two of which usually intersect.
After starting the series motivated by vengeance –- a target of vocal criticism -– Elven commander Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) has been humbled after realizing she allowed evil to get a foothold in Middle-earth. Now the Dark Lord Sauron (Charlie Vickers), taking the form of Annatar, a k a “Giver of Gifts,” moves on to manipulate Elven craftsman Lord Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards).
In the nearby dwarves’ realm of Khazad-dûm, King Durin (Peter Mullan) is granted a ring that consumes him with greed to delve deeper into their mines. Not good.
Meanwhile, in the seafaring island kingdom of Númenor, power-hungry Pharazôn (Trystan Gravelle) is trying to usurp Queen Regent Míriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson), who was blinded at the end of last season.
Pharazôn imprisons Elendil (Lloyd Owen), a noble warrior and the Queen’s trusted captain of the Sea Guard.
A tangential thread concerns Sauron’s once-lieutenant Adar (Sam Hazeldine), a disfigured former elf, who is now leading Orcs to take over Middle-earth ... starting by killing his former master.
At one point, this Orc horde encounters Silvan elf Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova), his young charge, Theo (Tyroe Muhafidin), and Isildur (Maxim Baldry), son of Elendil.
Overwhelmed yet? Lastly, an oddly magical Stranger (Daniel Weyman) wanders in a barren region with two “harfoots,” a predecessor of the more familiar Hobbits. His supernatural skills are helped along by Tom Bombadil (Rory Kinnear), uncharacteristically portrayed here not in a forest or wearing his yellow boots.
Do You Need Cliff Notes to Follow Along?
Any TV series depicting this many storylines -- which are mostly separate this season -– would attempt to sequence the rise and fall of action to thematically provide a throughline. Producer Peter Morgan did this in The Crown. Showrunner Tony Gilroy does this in Star Wars: Andor.
That’s not the case here. For instance, viewers with a working knowledge of Tolkien will get how significant Númenor is to the events seen thousands of years later in The Lord of the Rings. Some are along for this ride, even if this season is mostly set-up.
But many will be lost at being dropped into these events, without much reason to care –- which applies to several of Rings of Power plotlines, particularly the Stranger’s diversions.
Memes and Mystery Boxes
From this rather shaky story foundation, some audiences have been waylaid by other concerns.
As a longtime reader of Professor Tolkien and his Middle-earth legendarium (a term referring to the entirety of Tolkien's works that are set in his fictional world of Arda), I can see where some readers take issue with this loose adaptation.
With the series set in an era of the mythology not often defined in detail, the showrunners invented about half the plotlines and changed others.
The bigger issue is how often the writers rely on tropes lifted wholesale from Jackson’s Rings trilogy, as if memes hold great meaning. For instance, Isildur was left for dead at the end of last season, though his father released his horse, Berek, into the wild.
In the season’s least surprising sequence, Berek finds and saves his master –- exactly how human warrior Aragorn was saved from death by his beloved steed, Brego, in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Echoes of Jackson are frequent.
Speaking of “least surprising,” these writers are obsessed with mystery-box plotting. Season one asked, Who is Sauron? But we all kind of guessed early on. This season, other questions become central. Who is the Stranger? And the Dark Wizard who hunts him?
It’s an odd waste of time, especially if the answers aren’t interesting. Worse, it prevents the drama and dialogue from going into more depth.
Light Breaking Through
Clearly this show bites off more than it can chew. But what works?
The Rings of Power continues to be aesthetically beautiful, reflecting the wonder of Tolkien’s Middle-earth. Renowned concept artist John Howe, who worked on the films, contributed designs here, and Weta Digital is among the VFX companies doing practical and visual effects.
Composer Bear McCreary layers haunting melodies and diverse styles into a memorable score, vastly expanding the emotional resonance of conflicts playing out on sweeping landscapes.
Notably, nearly every actor in this huge ensemble elevates scene after scene.
Of particular note are husband-wife dwarf duo Prince Durin (Owain Arthur) and Disa (Sophia Nomvete), whose pathos provides this series an urgency it needs. How Robert Aramayo as Elrond balances nobility, discernment, and friendship is also something to watch closely.
As the showrunners adapt a broad outline of the Second Age, they’re hewing closer to Tolkien’s work. It spends most time with the forging of rings, conflict in Khazad-dûm, Numenor splintering, and a coming clash over the Elven realm Eregion, with invented plots (the Stranger, Arondir/Theo) minimized.
Sauron Becomes the Main Character
The reason Amazon reportedly took a gamble on this show –- which will be at least a $3 billion investment over five seasons –- is the showrunners’ outline for adapting the Second Age.
Even fans barely versed in Tolkien have a clue that it’s an era defined by loss and death. Many characters won’t remain till the end, a backdrop that lends it weight.
In a bit of honest marketing, all this hype about "darkness is descending" signals how Sauron has become the protagonist of The Rings of Power. Viewers know him as the lidless eye, a mighty shadowy force. Now we find the nature of evil is also heard in a whisper of temptation.
Each plotline hinges on showing moral courage to challenge Sauron’s cunning. Tempted by power and fulfillment of dreams, will the heroes abandon their principles and friends?
Despite what numerous YouTubers may claim, there’s nothing “woke” about that message. True, some story beats are puzzling and even frustrating to longtime fans. While not always terribly deep, the heart of it leans enough on Tolkien to say something lasting.
The Rings of Power is a window into Tolkien’s legendarium –- often dim, obscured, and not stellar as TV drama, but it nonetheless has value. For anyone wanting to spend 80 minutes in Middle-earth every week, it fits the bill just fine.
“The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” season 2 is available worldwide on Prime Video.
Image: Charlie Vickers as Annatar/Sauron. PHOTO: Amazon Studios
Josh M. Shepherd covers culture, faith and public-policy issues for various media outlets. He and his wife are raising two children in Northern Virginia.
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