‘The Rings Of Power’ Season 2 Premiere Review: A Dreadful, Jumbled Mockery Of Tolkien’s ‘The Lord Of The Rings’

The Circle Of Strength

I managed to watch the first three episodes of The Rings Of Power Season 2 on Prime Video, but it wasn't an enjoyable or easy experience for me. The show has all the elements of a good fantasy series, with great visuals and a nice soundtrack. However, Season 2 seems to be even worse than Season 1, or at least more chaotic.

Certainly, Season 1 had a certain energy to it, but compared to the emotionless Season 2, it actually feels quite moving. I am shocked by the messy plot and the complete lack of genuine emotion in this new season. Despite the characters constantly sharing profound thoughts and the overpowering music trying to guide our emotions, there is still a noticeable absence of heart in the show.

The makers of this series, Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne, used Tolkien's work to create a new world, taking inspiration from his writing to attract more viewers. They have crafted a vast Middle-earth by piecing together elements of Tolkien's work, resulting in a show that feels both clumsy and impressive, like a Frankenstein's monster. However, they have overlooked the importance of giving viewers a reason to become emotionally invested in the story.

Forbes' latest season of "The Rings Of Power" has premiered to extremely surprising ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, according to Erik Kain.

In the blog, it talks about how there are many complicated storylines that don't seem very important besides the main plot. This includes Sauron/Annatar deceiving Celebrimbor, convincing him to make rings of power by appealing to his ego and mentioning his famous ancestor, Fëanor. However, the order of events in the show is all mixed up. The elves' rings were actually supposed to be made last by Celebrimbor in secret, after he had lost trust in Annatar (while Sauron made the One Ring secretly).

Season 2 of the show seems to be a bit chaotic compared to the first season. In this season, we see Elrond taking the three elven rings and trying to escape, while Galadriel and Gil-Galad are hot on his trail, in a manner similar to the TV show "Fugitive". These Mithril-alloyed rings are crucial for saving the elven kingdom. Elrond seeks help from Círdan, the shipwright, who initially agrees but then changes his mind and decides to support Gil and Gal instead, as the rings are too valuable to pass up.

Yes, that's mostly accurate. The elven rings in Tolkien's stories were not affected by Sauron. Only with the One Ring could he control the other rings. Even though men and dwarves were under his power, the Three elven rings remained hidden. People like to focus on these rings, creating conflict between characters, even if it doesn't really fit the story. It's all very odd.

little hard to keep up with, right? And don't even get me started on the whole Halbrand situation. It's all a bit confusing, to be honest. But hey, that's part of the fun of watching a show like this, I guess. Just buckle up and enjoy the ride!

It seems that Galadriel failed to inform Celebrimbor that he was really Sauron. It's unclear how this fits into the timeline. It's bizarre, especially since we saw Halbrand leave for Mordor at the end of Season 1. Why do we have to deal with all this confusing backstory and unnecessary details?

It's not making things any easier that they've compressed all the other elements, which means we're also dealing with the dwarves and their continuous arguments, the Númenoreans and their constant bickering, and a separate storyline involving Isildur and his new partner as they flee the Southern lands - not to mention Arondir, Theo, and the unexpectedly deceased Bronwyn (did they really have to abruptly kill her off offscreen?)

In the first three episodes, a lot is happening but most of it doesn't seem to be important. It feels like the creators took on more than they could handle. There are very few emotional moments or moments that make you connect with any of the characters. It feels like you are just watching a bunch of events happen without any clear story. The positive thing is that there is less of the bossy character Galadriel in this season. However, nothing very interesting replaces her role, and it's hard to figure out who the main focus of the story is. There are too many different stories and timelines squeezed into one show, making it difficult to care about any of it.

In the elven scenes, the dialogue is filled with deep and significant conversations that are overly elaborate and exaggerated, not realistic to how people, even elves, usually talk. The verbose writing style is draining and tiresome. Just thinking about it makes me feel worn out.

You speak Adar, I speak Annatar

To be honest, I thought the first three episodes of Season 2 were tiring. The storyline was scattered and there was a lack of emotional depth to draw us in. This show falls victim to the usual issues that prequels encounter, worsened by poor writing and flat characters that make Rings Of Power feel superficial despite its grandiose ambitions and high budget. Everything about it seems unoriginal. Fantasy should be unique and creative, but nowadays much of what we see leans towards this unremarkable aesthetic.

And I haven't even mentioned the storyline with Baby Gandalf, where Nori and a surprise appearance by Poppy take us to Rhûn. It turns out Poppy is quite the explorer, following her friend and not-Gandalf through the desert with ease. She even brings biscuits and maps, ultimately saving the day in a somewhat questionable manner. Then there's the new evil wizard hunting the ISTAR, which he mentions repeatedly to hint that the Stranger is actually Gandalf. And let's not forget about the masked figures that resemble characters from Star Wars or Mad Max, despite not quite fitting the Lord of the Rings aesthetic. If I sound frustrated and a bit sarcastic, it's because I am. These elements and more are just a bit too much.

There is a lot of unnecessary stuff in this show. When you really think about it, it's hard to tell if anything that happens is actually important. Is there a coherent story, or are we just following a bunch of characters doing random things and solving insignificant problems? The coup in Númenor was especially strange, with a giant eagle confirming the outcome while our heroes stood around looking just as confused as I did.

Well, it seems like the eagle is always correct. Or maybe not.

I have noticed some people saying that this book is too complicated. They think they are not fully understanding the story because they don't know enough about Tolkien's world. However, this story is not really connected to Tolkien's world other than the similar setting and characters. The characters in this book are not the same as Tolkien's characters. This is a different version of the characters.

I hope the rest of the season gets better because the first three episodes were tiring and dragged on. The battle for Eregion might be exciting, but battles are only interesting if we care about the characters involved. Besides the main characters who we know won’t die (Elrond, Galadriel, etc.), there aren’t many others to cheer for—although I do appreciate Arondir’s fighting skills and wouldn’t mind seeing someone defeat Theo. Honestly, this adaptation of Stories From Middle-earth makes me want to support Sauron, which is not good.

This isn't at all like Lord of the Rings. Amazon is purchasing small parts of the story and putting them together in a way that poorly imitates Tolkien's original work.

What are your thoughts on the first three episodes of Season 2? Do you agree with me, or do you agree with the general opinion on Rotten Tomatoes that this is the greatest thing since sliced bread (or in this case, sliced Lembas)?

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