The Rings of Power: Season 2, Episodes 1 to 3
August 30, 2024
Is it better than season 1? Yes. Will it bring back the audience it lost after its meandering first season? No. The superchat farmers on YouTube say nothing has changed. But there are improvements. The issue is that this show’s story arc is set and has to build on the dull foundation of season 1. You are into it or you are not.
Any adaptation is not going to be the source material. For Lord of the Rings, the best adaptations borrowed from earlier ones. Accept that and watch the show as a piece of entertainment and you’ll have a better time. The show looks more expensive. The budget remains unchanged, but the production designer excels this time. The cinematography is more refined. More shots this season are spectacular, like in the later episodes of season 1.
Mount Doom’s eruption has shaken the continent of Middle Earth. Adar, the Orcs, and the humans that have sworn fealty to Mordor do not take the news of Sauron’s emergence well. With the Dark Lord's threat of subjugation, uneasy alliances form to stop him. I like Damrod the hill troll. He’s stupidly expensive CGI to create but he has this swagger of a long time shit kicker. Annoyed, he has to come down from the hills to deal with another problem.
Three episodes in and Galadriel no longer has the personality of splinter covered plank of wood. She has lost. She is unsure if Sauron influences her. She needs Elrond's reassurance that, despite ignoring his advice, she is still doing the right thing. Okay, Galadriel not listening to anyone and doing what she thinks is best isn’t that much of a change from season 1 but it seems like there’s character development to be had here.
Sauron’s character development is a move towards open manipulation. His problems are more interesting this season. Every other character is working against him. Sauron has no willing allies. He has no resources beyond his wits and the power he can muster. Even when the audience may think he’s having second thoughts about doing something terrible, he’s not. You, the viewer, are being manipulated like everyone else.
By episode three, everyone else is back. We also get some new characters to replace those who left. Yet, I found the story-line with the Stranger and the Harfoots uninspiring. The Stranger's story is a mystery box; those are lazy writing. The grey wizard was intriguing because he had knowledge others lacked. Now, he knows less than we do, making him unnecessary. I expect him to become Gandalf by season's end. But waiting two seasons for that is poor plotting. Bottom line, I liked the first three episodes and will finish out the season.