I am SO EXCITED that THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER is back. Absolutely one of my favorites from 2022, and after almost 2 years, it’s back and more Tolkein-y than ever! This season wastes no time diving deeper into the second age of Middle Earth and how the creation of the titular rings will transform this world for thousands of years to come. Before we dive into my thoughts on the first 3 episodes of S2, I want to say: Is there a modern fantasy character whose name is more fun to say than Lord Celebrimbor? (Pronounced keh-leh-breem-bore with a trilling of the r’s.) CeleBRIMbor! CelebrimBOR! CeleBRIMBOR! I love saying that name, even though my trilling needs a lot more practice. This means many more opportunities to yell Celebrimbor!
Ok, down to business. The season kicks off with a pretty good catch-up on the events of season 1, but if you can’t recall what happened among these sprawling locations and characters, I recommend you find a good recap. E1, ELVEN KINGS UNDER THE SKY, gives some necessary backstory to the show’s great antagonist, Sauron. I haven’t read anything from Tolkien outside the THE LORD OF THE RINGS book trilogy and THE HOBBIT, so forgive me – I don’t know what is taken directly from THE SILMARILLION or other writings. Or if the writers of the series made it up.
From there, we pick right back up where we last left everyone. S2 feels like a sequel in the way that so many sequels put more of what viewers loved from the original into them. For example, if you love the elves, don’t worry -there are more elves! More orcs, too! More humans, more dwarves, you get the idea. There are famous scenes from the books and movies that seem like they were adapted for the series. Again, these could be directly from Tolkien’s writings. From my perspective, it felt like the writers or producers said, “Well, that was a huge hit in the movies, so let’s figure out how we can do something similar here.” I’m not complaining. These moments are handled really well, and they have immersed me even more into the world of Middle Earth. As I write this, I know some purist Tolkien fans will hate these moments.
One critique I had of E1&E2 was that my favorite character from S1 was nowhere to be found. But when they finally show up in E3, it’s one of those WOW entrances. Now Lord Celebrimbor(say it!), the elven smith who forged some rings for the elves last season, is a much bigger character thus far. Charles Edwards, as Celebrimbor, is an accomplished British character actor that you may recognize from THE CROWN or TERROR. He gives Celebrimbor the perfect amount of pride, empathy, and credulousness. The elves know the importance of saving themselves and Middle Earth, and each has their thoughts on what must happen. The scenes between Galadriel, Elrond, and the Elven High King Gil-Galad, plus any with Celebrimbor, are some of the best of the series.
Elsewhere, the hobbits and the stranger continue their journey of self-discovery. Nori, Poppy, and their big god-like friend were a huge part of season 1. Their story continues in E2, WHERE THE STARS ARE STRANGE, but given everything that’s going on with the elves, dwarves, and humans, this subplot is now less interesting to me. I hope we learn more about the stranger soon and the season doesn’t drag this out to having the three of them wander around Middle Earth for weeks without getting any answers.
The residents of Númenor were the biggest group I had mostly forgotten about between seasons. Last season, we saw Galadriel and Hallbrand visit there, which is man’s greatest kingdom. It introduced us to Isildur, his father Elendil, and Queen Regent Míriell, among others. Númenor is central to E3, THE EAGLE AND THE SCEPTRE. It’s a stunning city, but inner turmoil between the royals and the residents threatens to tear it apart. Possibly because these are the humans in the story and not fantastical beings, it’s been the hardest for me to keep straight who each of these folks is. Mostly, every scene in Númenor was a struggle for me to recall each character’s desires and allegiances. As the season progresses, I hope it begins to focus on who is the most important for the audience and shift away from introducing an additional supporting cast.
The dwarves were some of my favorites from S1, and I especially loved every scene between Durin and his wife, Disa, as well as Durin and Elrond. Knowing what I know from THE HOBBIT and THE LORD OF THE RINGS book trilogy, they’re also the characters I worry the most about. Durin and Disa’s story takes a quick and harrowing turn early this season. I trust they’ll make the right decisions as the season progresses. Durin and Disa have been rightly protective of their home, even when this caused tension between Durin and his good friend Elrond. Unlike with the humans, I’m 110% invested in where this plotline goes.
I haven’t written much yet about Elrond (Robert Aramayo) and Galadriel (Morfydd Clark), the two most well-known characters from the series. I spent the first season rooting for them, even when they disagreed on what was best for the elves and Middle Earth. The events of last season’s finale have significantly changed their friendship and the power dynamic between the two. We are finally starting to see just how and where they end up during the events of THE LORD OF THE RINGS. Yes, there are still a thousand years to go, but we know this is nothing for the elves.
One big worry I had going into S2 was knowing that the show’s production had moved from New Zealand to the UK. New Zealand IS Middle Earth. It’s irreplaceable. I don’t know if a second unit filmed some of the exteriors in NZ and then fit them into the show in post-production, but so far, the move wasn’t an issue for me. There are a lot of indoor big set pieces, and they’re all gorgeous. No one can ever say Amazon didn’t pay great attention to detail. Each set, each costume, and each creature looks like it was plucked out of Jackson’s big-budget features. As the season moves through Middle Earth, I will be curious if any sweeping landscapes will be featured. And if there are, please let them be filmed in New Zealand.
S2 of THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER premieres on Prime video at 3am EDT on August 29th, or midnight Wednesday night Pacific time.
E1 ELVEN KINGS UNDER THE SKY 🤩
E2 WHERE THE STARS ARE STRANGE 🤩
E3 THE EAGLE AND THE SCEPTRE 😊