The titular rings in Prime Video’s mega-budget series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power began their journey to the forge at the end of Season 1. Now with the characters established and the plot finally set into motion, Season 2 gets to the meat of the story – The Rings of Power themselves and their influence on the inhabitants of Middle-earth.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 is a darker, better-constructed season full of nasty new creatures and deception at all levels. Early on, the 8-episode season focuses on Elrond and Galadriel’s ongoing dispute on what to do with the recently gifted Elven Rings. Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) is clearly drawn to their allure. At the same time, Elrond (Roberto Aramayo) remains one of the only level-headed characters in the entire series, realizing the danger and darkness within the rings, and Aramayo gives a standout performance.
The production values of the series remain a major selling point. Everything looks stunning and the world creation and designs are at the same level or better than most major budget theatrical releases. Phenomenal composer Bear McCreary matches the visuals with a lush, goose-bump-inducing score that evokes Howard Shore’s composing from the The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. The end credit song of Episode 4 titled “Old Tom Bombadil”, composed by McCreary and sung by Rufus Wainwright, is a gorgeous piece of work.
After the big reveal last season, the rise of Sauron (Charlie Vickers) is the strongest element of the storytelling in Season 2. Similar to how the Star Wars Prequels handled Emperor Palpatine, Sauron is playing chess with all the kingdoms of Middle-earth. Vickers terrificly plays Sauron straight as an arrow, never giving away that his intentions are not sincere, especially as he “reveals” to the Elves that he is not Halbrand, but Annatar, an emissary from the higher beings of this realm named the Valar. His manipulation of Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards), the Elves’ master forger, is compelling and delicious. Edwards sells these scenes with a mixture of wild excitement and unchecked ego in one of the series’ most dynamic relationships.
On the other hand, the massive catalog of characters is a drawback that interrupts the episode flow just as things escalate. Certain elements, like a return to the realm of men takes place around mid-season and the characters were not missed. To the show’s credit, it tends to focus on certain arcs and areas of Middle-earth for a sustained amount of time before jumping elsewhere, which normally allows for more character growth, but doesn’t help the weaker elements here. In contrast, The Dwarves and their cave kingdom of Khazad-dûm become the first highly populated lands to suffer the darkness spreading from Mordor. Durin IV (Owain Arthur) is still the best character for both heart and humor even with his story turning to tragedy.
As mentioned earlier, it can be frustrating how nearly every character makes poor judgment with the exceptions of Elrond and even Durin IV. Characters like Galadriel are pushed as heroes, but the audience can see how they’re manipulated making it tough to root for their success. The entire cast turns in excellent performances, but it’s the writing that occasionally fails them…but not always. The series does manage to introduce the silly, much-ballyhooed character of Tom Bombadil from the Tolkien books into a likable, important part of the journey for The Stranger (Daniel Weyman) on his path to restore his memory and prepare for his role in the events to come.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 is a stronger effort than its predecessor with each episode comprising a full hour or longer and using every dollar of its budget in that time. It may occasionally get lost in its sea of characters, but Sauron’s master manipulation of the realms of Middle-earth is terrific Tolkien content.
Score: 4 out of 5