The first season of The Lord Of The Rings The Rings Of Power came out in 2022 and received mostly negative reactions from Tolkien fans. However, Prime Video saw fit to give the series at least a second chance (probably because of how much it cost, this is already one of the most expensive TV series productions in history). Thank Eru Ilúvatar because the second season is a huge improvement over the first, and it’s finally giving Tolkien fans more of what we know and love about the legendary fantasy franchise.

My Precious

Charlie Vickers as Sauron

It really feels like the showrunners of The Lord Of The Rings The Rings Of Power (J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay) have learnt a lot from the mistakes of their forgettable and messy first season. The second season primarily focuses on the rise of Sauron. We get to witness a different side to the Dark Lord, as he attempts to gain power not through the usual conqueror’s road but through treachery. It’s engaging and engrossing to see the characters in The Lord Of The Rings The Rings Of Power slowly get corrupted by the Rings Of Power, which is similar to how the characters in the movies were corrupted by the One Ring.

The pacing is much improved this time around because The Lord Of The Rings The Rings Of Powers Season 2 gradually builds and develops to a climax. The biggest issue with the first season was that the narrative felt random and aimless, with many storylines and characters feeling like boring filler that went nowhere. In Season 2, the different storylines and characters now have a clear objective, such as Sauron wanting to create his Rings Of Power or the Elves wanting to stop Sauron (now that they’re aware of him). The main plot actually revolves around the titular Rings Of Power this season. As a result, the second season feels much tighter and more focused.

Morfydd Clark as Galadriel

For those who watched Season 1, you can rest assured that most of the Harfoot (the name for ancient Hobbits) sections or the bland human parts are now almost entirely gone. The Harfoots (and the Stranger) are still there but they get a lot less spotlight and screen time in this season. What little we do get of them is more exciting to watch than all the pointless Harfoot hijinks from last season. That being said, some storylines do still feel a bit disconnected or disparate from the core narrative, such as the ones focusing on the humans in Numenor (since most of this is probably intended to pay off later down the line, according to The Lord Of The Rings lore).

Due to the better narrative direction and pacing, this season feels like it’s building to a more worthwhile and epic climax. The first season was pretty anti-climactic for the most part, even during the final few episodes. The second season solves that issue. The Siege Of Eregion is a suitably epic grand setpiece and a great payoff for this season, taking place across not just one, but the two final episodes. Credit where credit is due, and I’d say that the finale of The Lord Of The Rings The Rings Of Power Season 2 ultimately delivers a satisfying payoff.

I’m not an expert on the details and lore from Tolkien’s original books but I can safely say that the second season features a lot more fan-pleasing easter eggs and cameos (usually from monsters and creatures within the lore) than the first season. Some of them even feel like extra course correction to apologize for the first season, but I appreciated them all the same, even though many of them have been spoiled by the trailers. For instance, Rory Kinnear as Tom Bombadil is one of the best things in this season but he would have been a great surprise if left unspoiled, considering that he only appears in a few scenes.

One of the biggest issues with this season is that a lot of the scenes are too dark. However, this is not exclusive to this series. I’ve noticed that this issue plagues many modern TV series of late, even other similar high-budget fantasy series like HBO’s House Of The Dragon. That being said, some of the best parts (such as the Siege Of Eregion) don’t suffer from this problem, so it doesn’t bring the whole season down.

Middle-Earth

Owain Arthur as Prince Durin IV

Overall, The Lord Of The Rings The Rings Of Power Season 2 is what the first season should have been and it’s now a fantasy series that’s worth recommending (I couldn’t have said the same for the first season). This season feels more like ‘The Lord Of The Rings’ than the first season ever did.

FINAL SCORE: 80/100

We received screeners for The Lord Of The Rings The Rings Of Power Season 2 from Prime Video Malaysia. The Lord Of The Rings The Rings Of Power Season 2 premieres on Prime Video Malaysia on 29 August 2024.