This article contains spoilers for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power seasons 1, 2, and 3.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powerseason 1 caught flack for its writing, but season 2 improved in that department, and in other ways too. The show started coming into its own as it launched some of its plotlines in earnest, having spent season 1 on a lot of character and location exposition.The Rings of Powerseason 1 finaleended the big Sauron mystery box by confirming that Halbrand was Sauron. Likewise, the season 2 finale ended the Gandalf mystery box by confirming that the Stranger was Gandalf. This revelation signified just one big improvement.
WithSauron’s real identityexposed inThe Rings of Powerseason 2, a noticeable betterment of the show’s various storylines occurred. The Sauron deception was vital, allowing the show its Sauron-Galadriel hook. The tension between their unity and opposition is a big enough sandpit for the show to play in for its whole five seasons, and since that had been established, season 2 got on with the meat of the matter. The show exceeded expectations as a faithful adaptation in many ways, while proving the worth of some of its original material.
10The Harfoots Proved Their Relevance To The Rings Of Power’s Plot
Nori United Harfoots And Stoors
The Rings of Powerseason 2proved why the show included Harfoots, which seemed unnecessary in season 1. Just likeHobbits were the human interest inThe Lord of the Rings, offering relatability and humor, Harfoots were the everyday person’s avatar in the show. They shone in terms of fun, comedy, and recognizable everyday issues and relationships. In this way, they evidently brought value, but it wasn’t clear how they told the story of the Rings of Power or the Second Age. Harfoots didn’t feature at all inThe Silmarillion, Tolkien’s main repository of Second Age stories.
Turning out to be Gandalf, the Stranger and his friendship with Nori explain Gandalf’s love of Hobbits.
The show has rights toThe HobbitandThe Lord of the Ringsbut has secured approval to adapt elements of multiple other works. Therefore, it has rightly focused on theSilmarillionstories. However, in uniting Harfoots and Stoors,Nori proved that she demonstrates Hobbit historyand how the race was eventually formed out of multiple pre-Hobbit tribes. While original material, this provides delightful backstory forThe Lord of the Rings’Hobbits. It also makes Nori’s relationship with the Stranger far more relevant. Turning out to be Gandalf, the Stranger and his friendship with Nori explain Gandalf’s love of Hobbits.
The Rings of Powerseason 2 started making good use of Gil-galad. High KingGil-galad was an excellent Second Age Tolkien character, and it seemed like a bit of a waste forThe Rings of Powerto put him in the annoying bureaucrat’s role in season 1. Although demonstrating his intelligence in season 1, his role was small enough that it still didn’t portray his strength, wisdom, or value.
Gil-Galad finally picking up his spear inRings of Powerseason 2 was the moment that Gil-galad fans had been waiting for since 2022.The High King of Elvendom showed his prowess in battle, with his legendary spear, Aeglos. Not to mention that Gil-galad actor Benjamin Walker did his own singing for the Eregion hymn scene, creating a genuine impression of Gil-galad’s ancient, mournful voice.
8Elrond Developed A Backbone In The Rings Of Power Season 2
Elrond Started Looking More Like A Leader
Elrond started shaping up to be Rivendell’s leader inRings of Powerseason 2. Robert Aramayo seemed, at first, like a strange choice of actor for someone who was going to be one ofLord of the Rings’most powerful characters.His youthful appearance made him seem like an aideor assistant rather than a leader, although it was understandable if he looked younger than Hugo Weaving’s Elrond in the Peter Jackson movies, being a younger Elrond. Indeed,Rings of Powerseason 1 showed an Elrond who was not yet a leader.
Were Elrond & Galadriel Ever A Couple In Lord Of The Rings?
Morfydd Clark’s Galadriel and Robert Aramayo’s Elrond are close in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power? Is there romantic history between them?
Elrond’s status as a leader only really started coming into play when he established the realm of Rivendell in the Second Age. Fortunately, this is the character development that viewers can look forward to, with Elrond finally located in the “sanctuary” that will likely become Rivendell at the end of season 2. To build to this point,season 2 showed Elrond starting to disagree with Galadriel and Gil-galad, distrusting Sauron more than either of them. He committed treachery for the sake of his own integrity and went to war, leading a legion against Adar.
7The Rings Of Power Finally Picked A Side On Its Orc Redemption Tease
The Show Came Clean And Redeemed Orcs Properly
The Rings of Powerseason 1 exploredThe Lord of the Rings’Orc originsand rights, suggesting sympathy for Orcs while showing their threat, but it wasn’t until the very end of season 2 that the show made its position clear.The Rings of Poweris, beyond all doubt, redeeming Orcs. It would have been fine had the show decided not to redeem the Orcs and manifested a convincing portrayal of their true and irredeemable evil, butthe inconsistency had been confusing.
Choosing a position on its Orc redemption issue was what the show needed. And, in reality, it chose the right side. Not only was Tolkien leaning toward a more sympathetic view of the Orcs in his older years, butAdar was the original character with the most potential. Thankfully, his full potential was exploited in season 2, offering up a villain-to-hero arc that ended in the biggest tragedy the show has conceived of so far.
6Pharazôn And Kemen Showed Their Teeth In Númenor
Everything Up Until Season 3 Is Just Setup In Númenor
Season 1’s Númenor storyline received criticism for appearing at least a millennium before it was supposed to, according to the books, but season 2 proved why it had been included.The show clearly always intended to depict its main events in a roughly canonical timeline, as evidenced by how it adapted the Siege of Eregion in season 2 and has not yet adapted the fall of Númenor. The show could have chosen to tell the story ofLord of the Rings’magical Rings of Powerwithout also telling the story of the fall of Númenor.
Sauron began construction on Barad-dûr
1000
Sauron befriended the Elves of Eregion as Annatar
1200
Rings of Power were forged
1500
The Three great Elven Rings were forged
1590
The One Ring was forged, Barad-dûr was completed, Sauron openly proclaimed himself
1600
Sauron began to prepare to invade Eriador
1605
The War of the Elves and Sauron began
1693
Sauron invaded Eriador
1695
Sauron sacked Eregion and killed Celebrimbor. Rivendell was founded. The Dwarves assailed Sauron. Khazad-dûm closed.
1697
1699
Númenóreans defeated Sauron
1700
Sauron was driven from Eriador and fled to Mordor. First White Council held.
1701
Ar-Pharazôn seizes the scepter
3255
Sauron becomes Pharazôn’s prisoner in Númenor
3262
Númenor falls
3319
However, with five seasons approved, no showrunner would resist. Honestly portraying the huge span of time between the Siege of Eregion andthe fall of Númenorwould have been a challenge, but portraying events in order works just as well.Season 2 finished setting up the fall of Númenorby having Pharazôn and Kemen finally turn on the Faithful. With Pharazôn in power, he is free to take center stage in the inevitable Númenor storyline of season 3.
5The Rings Of Power Explained Season 1’s Far-Fetched Halbrand Plot
Episode 1 Explained How On Earth Sauron Came To Be Halbrand
Sauron’s presence in season 1 baffled many who had been expectingthe Second Age Annatar of Tolkien’s description. The Sauron-Galadriel dichotomy was always going to be central to the show’s five-season structure, continuity, and modern appeal, so the season-long deception made sense. However, the original characterHalbrand necessitated some serious explanationonRings of Power’spart in season 2. Luckily, season 2 got straight down to business in episode 1.
Opening with a flashback to Sauron’s coronation 1000 years before the events of season 1,Jack Lowden played Sauronin the form he had for the War of Wrath, presumably. Adar and the Orcs stabbed him to death, leaving him to slowly regenerate over many years, eventually taking his Halbrand form. Bumping into Southlanders fleeing the Orcs,Halbrand joined the Southlanders on their journey across the sea, opting to tackle Adar again when he had gained more strength.
4Sauron Finally Became The Statuesque Annatar Of Second Age Lore
There Is No Second Age Show Without Annatar
Many viewers were concerned by season 1’s big Sauron reveal, feeling that they were never going to get the statuesque Annatar described inThe Silmarillion.Halbrand embodied Sauron’s fair formas it was given inThe Silmarillionin many ways, and could easily have been a rights-friendly stand-in for Annatar. His “call it a gift” line referenced Annatar, whose name means “Lord of Gifts,” and Galadriel even said it wasSauron’s fair form.
So,Annatar himself was the biggest gift of the season, and he couldn’t have been more faithful. It was bizarre to see Sauron take another form that so closely resembled his old one. Clearly, this was to preserve the excellent Charlie Vickers. But it was made to work by Sauron confessing his God-like abilities to Celebrimbor, rendering his Annatar form an impressive display rather than a necessary disguise.
3Viewers Could Start Believing Galadriel Was Competent And Diplomatic
Galadriel Seems Worthy Of Her Ring
Galadriel was an upstart in season 1 and she didn’t yet seem anything like the magical and pure witch of the Third Age. Season 2 started to get her there. The Peter Jackson movies popularized this magical, pure image of Galadriel, which was only consistent with some of the legendarium. But there were other versions of Galadriel, including the kind shown inRings of Power. In fact,the legendarium was remarkably inconsistent here- Galadriel was one of J.R.R. Tolkien’s most complex characters.
Rings Of Power Season 3 Is All Set To Make Elrond & Galadriel’s Kiss Even Weirder
The next step in Elrond’s canon story in Rings of Power season 3 is about to make his kiss with Galadriel feel a whole lot weirder.
It is the age of the strong female lead, and it was right to place Galadriel as the heroine ofRings of Power. But in season 1, she fell prey to Sauron’s lies and then covered it up. In season 2,Galadriel showed military competenceby pioneering the Elves' retention of the rings and their following Sauron to Eregion. She also wisely advised Adar not to attack Eregion, as it was Sauron’s choosing. Galadriel also grew from the bigoted hypocrite who called Adar an Orc despite his simple request to use a different term, becoming a progressive diplomat.
2The Rings Of Power Stopped Trying To Hide The Stranger’s Identity
The Rings Of Power Always Needed Gandalf
WhenThe Rings of Powerseason 2’s ending finally revealed that the Stranger was Gandalf, it became clear how badly the show had always needed Gandalf.The Stranger functioned well in season 1 as a red herringfor Sauron’s real disguise, which was Halbrand. But he showed no purpose. It seems this was intentional, given that he needed to embark on a quest with Nori to find out this very thing. The quest paid off for the Stranger and the show.
The Stranger discovered a lot in Rhûn, but it was really the show that found itself when Gandalf was revealed. Finally, opposing Sauron feels like a fair fight.
Finding his name, his staff, and the fact that he had to oppose Sauron, the Stranger discovered a lot in Rhûn, but it was really the show that found itself when Gandalf was revealed. Finally, opposing Sauron feels like a fair fight instead of a morbid study of Tolkien’s darkest narratives.Rings of Powerwas overwhelmed by darkness in portraying a villain origin story, having waded in Galadriel’s revenge arc throughout season 1.The show needed a real counterpoint to Sauronoutside of Galadriel’s messy love-hate standoff, as vital as that is to the show’s success.
1Sauron & Celebrimbor’s Story Fulfilled The Rings Of Power’s Original Premise
The Show Is About Sauron’s Rise To Power Through The Rings
Rings of Powerseason 2’s real payoff was the Sauron and Celebrimbor relationship, which finally made good on the show’s promise to tell the story of the Rings of Power. Although the three Elven-rings were finally forged at the end of season 1, it took until season 2 to see rings for Men and Dwarves. The rings for Dwarves were given great attention throughout season 2, sending huge drama into Durin’s relationship with his father. Setting up the Ringwraiths, the Nine are an exciting catastrophe waiting to happen in season 3.
The forging ended in tragedy, as it always should have. Sauron shooting arrows into Celebrimbor and flicking them as torture was the perfect interpretation of this moment inUnfinished Tales. FramingSauron’s final murder of Celebrimbor as a conflicted loss of control on Sauron’s part was perfecttoo, indicating the rapport the two had built. Finally hoisted onto a pole, Celebrimbor’s status as a gruesome “banner” of sorts was the canon material of Tolkien fans' most horrific dreams, proving thatThe Lord of the Rings: the Rings of Poweris just as thirsty to manifest the legendarium as any fan.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
Cast
Set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power explores the forging of the iconic rings, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, and the epic events leading up to the stories in J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic novels. The series chronicles the creation of legendary characters and the historic alliances and rivalries that shape the fate of Middle-earth.
