In season 2, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power somehow manages to feel both streamlined and bloated, but it retains a glorious investment in craft.
Season 2 Directors: Charlotte Brändström & Louise Hooper
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Drama
Number of Episodes: 8
Release Date: Three-episode Premiere on August 29, 2024, followed by weekly episodes with the Finale on October 3, 2024.
Where to watch: Prime Video
A few words about myself before diving into The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2: I think it’s no exaggeration to say that I wouldn’t be the person I am today without JRR Tolkien’s landmark fantasy novels. I devoured “The Hobbit” and the “Lord of the Rings” books in high school (along with “The Silmarillion”), I met some of my oldest friends while bonding over the novels, and I hold Peter Jackson’s adaptations of the latter trilogy amongst the greatest films of the century.
All of this is to say that I don’t think I can truly, objectively review season 2 of Prime Video’s massive prequel series. There are flaws to be found this time around, but perhaps I’m more willing to overlook them because of my longstanding fondness for the material.
I was mostly positive on season 1 back in 2022, content to see grand storytelling on the small screen that could easily belong in theaters. Amazon has spared no expense (reportedly anywhere between $100-150 million per season!) in bringing Tolkien’s world to life again, with top-notch visual effects, production design, costumes, and every other manner of craft to make Middle-earth feel otherworldly. Season 2 is no exception, with new locations, massive set pieces and stunts, and a dedication to spectacle that is rarely seen on television today.
While season 1 mostly dealt with Galadriel (Morfydd Clark), Elrond (Robert Aramayo) and the Elves’ pursuit of Sauron (Charlie Vickers), season 2 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power concerns Sauron and his deception of the Elves as he seeks to create the titular Rings of Power. Of course, there are secondary and tertiary characters and storylines to be found, including Nori Brandifoot (Markella Kavenaugh) and Poppy Proudfellow (Megan Richards) as Harfoots (early predecessors to Hobbits) and The Stranger (Daniel Weyman), who was revealed to be a wizard at the end of season 1. We also have Durin III (Peter Mullan) and Durin IV (Owain Arthur) the Dwarf king and prince of Khazad-dûm, respectively. As if that weren’t enough, there’s drama in the island kingdom of Númenór, mostly concerning Elendil (Lloyd Owen) and his son Isildur (Maxim Baldry).
If all of this sounds too much to you, well, it doesn’t always work together. The material in Númenór especially feels superfluous, save for the inclusions of Elendil and Isildur. Were it not for their importance to the later fate of Middle-earth, it’s hard not to feel like this storyline could have perhaps been better served as a spin-off series, since the palace intrigue barely relates to the A- or B-plots of the season. There are entire episodes where certain characters don’t appear at all, which is kind of miraculous, given the extended runtimes of each of the season’s 8 episodes (the shortest clocks in at 58 minutes, and most hover around 70 minutes).
This would be more of a complaint if the story at large was harder to follow but, against all odds, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power sort of feels streamlined, in a sense. Showrunners JD Payne and Patrick McKay make the stakes of each of the storylines feel clear and concise; it would be the easiest thing in the world for the show to get lost in Tolkien’s boundless lore dumps. Essentially, season 2 deals with Sauron’s creation of the rings and how the Elves, Dwarves, and Men react to the ideas of whether they need them – or whether they can trust their source. For all its scope and spectacle, the show grounds itself in the characters and story first and foremost. There will inevitably be comparisons between The Rings of Power and Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon, but the most noticeable aspect those shows have in common is the uncanny ability to make every night scene nearly impossible to see.
I have no idea how the lay people – people with no longstanding affinity for the source material – will find The Rings of Power. Thankfully Payne and McKay don’t lean heavily into lazy fan service or call-backs, though there are, inevitably, going to be references to future events from The Lord of the Rings. Prequels come inherently from a place of disadvantage, as they have to make us care about characters and events when we already know the outcomes. Perhaps this is the fondness speaking, but I remain heavily invested in following these characters and their world, regardless of their predetermined fates.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 is now available to watch on digital and on demand.
