REVIEW of Rings of Power Season 2

Overview of Plot

The Rings of Power Season 2 plot was, for the most part, enjoyable and well-crafted. There were many good things about it, however, one of the lows was the Stranger/Harfoot/Rhun storyline. It was very disconnected to the rest of the world, and almost nothing significant happens compared to the other storylines. The first scene of the Stranger in the final episode was cut very strangely with no continuity from where we had last seen the Stranger with Tom Bombadil. I spent the entire scene thinking it was one of his visions or dreams, and I could not tell what was going on. Later in the episode, I realized the events of the scene had actually happened. I am not a fan of the Stranger turning out to be Gandalf. I was hoping for Blue not Grey. It is not how Gandalf was supposed to come to Middle Earth, and it is one age too early.

The Annatar/Celebrimbor part was by far the best thread. I liked how Annatar/Sauron played on Celebrimbor’s vices of pride and lust to create the best and most marvelous things of the age. Every time Celebrimbor started to catch on, Annatar manipulated him some more, making it Celebrimbor’s fault that the rings were flawed and turning the smiths and garrison of Eregion against him. It was enthralling to watch as Celebrimbor broke Sauron’s hold on his mind to get away and to prove whose will was mightier. In the end, he stood up against Sauron and died knowing that Sauron would one day be defeated.

The Southlands storyline served only to get Arondir to the siege of Eregion and make Theo in charge, and to introduce Isildur to his girlfriend who can’t go to Numenor with him (Boohoo!) At the ending of the Southlands story, it was fun to see Kemen demoted to the lowly task of dealing with the Southlanders after he messed everything up back home on Numenor with the Faithful and the Kingsmen.

The Khazad-Dum plot was good but could have been better. Durin IV was amazing. But Durin III’s ring obsession was too similar to the Bilbo scenes from the Peter Jackson LOTR trilogy. In the original story, the dwarven rings did not corrupt; they just enhanced wealth. But in Rings of Powers, they made the dwarven rings corrupt the king and drive him beyond sanity. During III’s last moments were moving as puts down the ring, tells his son he is strong, and jumps to strike the balrog. The balrog ends up killing the old king and collapses the passage. Although in the real lore, the balrog was not meant to be disturbed until much later, it was still an outstanding scene. The dwarf Narvi was nice to see, but it would have been nice to see more of him and Celebrimbor working together on the Doors of Durin and maybe even on the dwarven rings.

The Lindon, Elrond, and Galadriel plot was a fine plot–not the worst but not the best. Cirdan was a great canon character to see, and I really missed him in the second half of the season. I liked how Elrond was against using the rings, and it was fun to see him lead the charge of the Lindon army. Galadriel still needs improvement as a character, but she did get a lot, lot better. I enjoyed how when she sees the Eregion guards she puts them in their place by reminding them of Celebrimbor’s authority as the true lord of Eregion.

The Numenor plot was amazing, one of the best, how Ar-Pharazon steals Miriel’s eagle and throne and how the political infighting becomes serious. One nice part was when Elendil turned in his sword as he was stripped of his position, and Valandil said, “Captain leaving deck.” All the Faithful sailors turned and saluted in a dramatic gesture which made Kemen upset. Another great part was when Kemen killed Valandil and blamed Elendil for starting the fight. Elendil’s unwavering moral compass was nice and accurate of his character. He said lines like: “Faith is not faith unless it is lived,” making the Numenor plot great to watch.

Favorite Characters and Events

My first and most favorite character from Season 2 is Elendil. We got to see who he really was at his core this season, how when everyone else says Yes, he says No. He knows what is right and what is wrong. He lets nothing get in the way of his faith, even his family. The actor Lloyd Owens captured Elendil perfectly.

My second favorite character is Annatar, Lord of Gifts (Sauron). It was nice to finally get this plot back to canon, the way it should have been in Season 1. I like how he says that he will choose good, but every time a choice comes, he chooses evil. His romance with Mirdania is just a tool. When the time comes, he throws her off the wall, making it look like Celebrimbor did it. He manipulates nearly everyone in the show.

Some other great characters are Elrond, Arondir with his cool elf stunts, Cirdan, and Celebrimbor. These actors had amazing acting talents.

One of my favorite scenes is the Elendil trial where he says, “Yes, I will renounce my crimes. No, I will not pledge loyalty to Ar-Pharazon the traitor.” The tension and the Numenorean music playing in the background turns it into one of the best scenes.

Another great scene is when Narvi says to Durin IV, “There’s an elf that needs to talk to you,” and Durin says, “Let him in!” Narvi says, “We need to do it quietly, for this elf has been banished from all dwarven realms.” The Watcher and Durin both realize that it is Elrond at the same time, and we feel their deep connection.

A fun scene is where Arondir and Isildur kill the Nameless Thing and Arondir says: “There are many nameless things in the deeps of this world. This one we shall call…supper.” It was fun to see the grim and serious Arondir make a joke.

Least Favorite Characters and Events

My least favorite character is the Stranger because his story is boring and takes away from the Numenor and Eregion story, Oh yeah, and also because he is Gandalf.

I still dislike Nori (the Harfoot) a lot.

Tom Bombadil was cool to see. The actor looks like how I imagined him. But his outfit was poorly done. His bright blue jacket was more a pale, faded, ragged outer robe than “bright blue his jacket is.” His boots were yellowish leather, not really “big yellow boots.” His hat was not the pilgrim-style hat I imagined it to be. Also, his singing skills need to improve. It shouldn’t be non-emotional mumbles. It should be loud and jolly.

One thing I noticed in both seasons is that Galadriel really likes to take advantage of her “plot armor.” In Season 1, she walks into a volcano with no ill effects. In Season 2, she jumps off a cliff.

Hopes and Fears

I’m still hoping for my “Dead Men of Dunharrow” theory.

I enjoyed seeing Gil-galad fighting in the siege of Eregion and can’t wait to see him and Elendil team up against Sauron in the Battle of the Last Alliance.

I am scared where the Stranger…I mean, “Gandalf” storyline is going.

I hope Galadriel is done with being a rage monster for good.

Source Material

It was great to see key canon book moments like the forging of the rings of power, the siege of Eregion, the reign of Ar-Pharazon, and the finding of Rivendell.

I did not like the many out of place story bits like “Gandalf,” the balrog (although it was really cool), Tom Bombadil, barrow wights, and more.

There are several original aspects of the show such as Arondir’s thread, Isildur being stuck in Middle-earth, the majority of the dwarven plot, but they worked better with the world than the out-of-place, unchronological pieces of lore that were shoved into the second age.

Overall Assessment

Season 2 of Rings of Power was enormously better than its predecessor, Season 1. It had better canon moments and better storylines altogether. It wasn’t relying on one good storyline to hold up the rest of the show’s flaws, but had many strong threads that were enjoyable to watch.

I give it six out of seven dwarven rings, 7.5 out of 9 rings for men, and most of the hair on a hobbit’s toes.

Overall, it was a pretty good season. Cheers!