This is a spoiler-free review of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2, which premieres Thursday, Aug. 29 on Prime Video. Reviews of new episodes with post Thursday afternoons through Oct. 3.
The first of the magical objects that give The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power its name finally made an appearance at the end of the Prime Video series’ first season, forged during the conclusion of a superlative finale episode. And in season 2 of this prequel to J. R. R. Tolkien’s fantasy epic, they live up to their promise to transform Middle-earth. When showrunners Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne focus on the duplicity and scheming involved in the rings’ creation and distribution or the impact they have on their wearers, The Rings of Power delivers poignant drama that delves into the perils of self-deception and hubris. But no matter how bright those scenes shine, they’re dulled by tangential plots that do nothing but set up future seasons – especially during the early episodes.
Sauron (Charlie Vickers) may be the Lord of the Rings, but that title – and the role of season 2’s main character – could also be claimed by the elven smith Lord Celebrimbor of Eregian (Charles Edwards). Celebrimbor certainly provides the heart and soul of the season, with all of its best scenes focused on how his desire to save his people drives him down a dark path. Edwards is a veteran Shakespearean actor and he brings the full weight of tragedy to his character’s arc as Sauron’s schemes – delivered in the new guise of Annatar, the Lord of Gifts – lead to the downfall of one of the most beautiful cities in Middle-earth.
It takes a while for Vickers to fully settle into his new role of subtle manipulator after the strong performance he delivered as the seemingly conflicted lost king Halbrand in season 1. But as Sauron’s plots come into focus, Vickers embraces overt villainy with gusto. His greatest power is telling people what they want to hear, playing the quintessential abuser who blames his victims for their suffering while also savagely betraying and discarding anyone who trusts him. A scene where the elven general Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) and the orc leader Adar (Sam Hazeldine, seamlessly replacing Joseph Mawle) discuss how Sauron made them feel like the center of the world drives home the consequences of his insidious power.
The elves debate whether they can trust the rings, with Elrond (Robert Aramayo) serving as the stubborn voice of caution, but the dwarf king Durin III (Peter Mullan) quickly falls under their sway. The stubborn and insular ruler was already deeply flawed – he stripped his own son Durin IV (Owain Arthur) of his title because of his desire to help the elves. With old ways of life in Durin’s realm failing, the promise of not just salvation but enrichment is too much to pass up. The scenes between father and son are emotionally devastating, as the king offers the prince everything he wants if he’ll just go along with a twisted plan to profit off the coming conflict. Durin IV’s greatest source of strength is his plucky and funny wife Disa (Sophia Nomvete), who perpetually berates him into doing the right thing while showing deep compassion for how hard it is to find weakness in the man he idolizes.
Unfortunately, the further the plot moves from Sauron’s machinations, the thinner and less satisfying it becomes. Assuming The Rings of Power stays faithful to its source material, Isildur (Maxim Baldry) will eventually be extremely important to the fight against Sauron. But he has nothing to do this season except fight some random monsters, which admittedly look incredible. (Amazon’s record-setting investment in The Rings of Power remains well-spent, at least in terms of visuals – this is still one of the best looking shows on TV.) He gets a throwaway romance plot with the Southlands refugee Estrid (Nia Towle) and goes on an adventure that seems to help Theo (Tyroe Muhafidin) get over some of the guilt of helping turn his homeland into Mordor. Unfortunately, all of those threads feel like loose ends from season 1 being strung along until they finally get somewhere in the season 2 finale.
Things are even worse in Númenór, where the death of the king pits the recently blinded queen regent Míriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) against her conniving cousin Pharazôn (Trystan Gravelle). Anyone interested in royal succession intrigue will be much better served by House of the Dragon. You’ll find only the broadest character archetypes here, with Miriel and the pious captain Elendil (Lloyd Owen) always taking the higher ground against Pharazôn and his petulant son Kemen (Leon Wadham). Sure, the costumes and sets on the island nation are absolutely gorgeous and there’s a riff on the myth of Andromeda that showcases The Rings of Power’s great creature work. But still, the Númenór plot just feels like it’s being dragged along until it’s time for Sauron to show up and really wreck things.
The Harfoots Nori Brandyfoot (Markella Kavenagh) and Poppy Proudfellow (Megan Richards) continue to bring plenty of charm to the series, their scenes emphasizing the values of kindness and perseverance that serve as the core of Tolkien’s work and Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings and Hobbit film trilogies. As they try to help the wizard known as the Stranger (Daniel Weyman) discover his true identity, they bring lightness to an otherwise heavy season, with moments like Nori delighting in the way a beetle tickles her throat on its way to her stomach and Poppy sneaking a kiss with a halfling she just met on the eve of a big confrontation. The revelations about how the Harfoots connect to the halflings who’ve lived for generations in the wastelands of Rhûn are beautifully bittersweet, acknowledging their people’s current hardship with an eye towards the paradise they will eventually find in the Shire.
That plot is tainted by the bland evildoing of the Dark Wizard (Ciarán Hinds), who pursues the Stranger with the help of minions who look cool but don’t do much. The Dark Wizard himself feels like a knockoff of Christopher Lee’s portrayal of Saruman, minus any clear motives or effect on The Rings of Power as a whole. Also adding little here – just as he did to Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring – is the enigmatic Tom Bombadill (Rory Kinnear). Kinnear does a fine job bringing a whimsical mystery to the character, but there’s a good reason the merry fellow has never made the leap to the big screen, and his TV incarnation merely presents the Stranger with an obviously false choice between his friends and his destiny.
The grand battle scenes, monster design, sets, and richly detailed costumes all make the world of The Rings of Power feel appropriately epic. The show sometimes leans too much on blowing out the colors on screen, especially in the perpetually sunny elven lands, but there are some truly magnificent shots that capture both emotional drama and the full majesty afforded by such a lavish budget. The Rings of Power uses music – which is essential to Tolkien’s work – to great effect, too. Characters connect by simply singing around a hearth and use songs to evoke magical power, while the dramatic score creates a sense of place with setting-specific themes and builds rich tension into release as battles turn.
