Finishing The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2, viewers are left with the question, “Did we just watch one show, or are these multiple shows mashed together again?”
Rings of Power may be trying to channel its inner The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers where Frodo (Elijah Wood), and his team are on separate paths that later come together. However, Rings of Power Season 2 is channeling the majority of Season 1. The end of Season 1 led viewers to believe the plot lines would be intertwined in Season 2. Yet it followed the same timeline as Season 1: separate for the majority, then somewhat together at the end.
While The Stranger (Daniel Weyman, Silent Witness) and the Harfoots storyline is the ultimate prequel to the character Gandalf, it lacks a meaningful connection to the show’s main plot: the elves. Nonetheless, the now-confirmed Gandalf storyline shows why he has such a soft spot for hobbits. He might’ve not known himself until the end of the season, but he knows that Nori Brandyfoot (Markella Kavenagh, My First Summer) and Poppy Proudfellow (Megan Richards, Wanderlust) are his friends.
At first, it felt as though the character hints are too obvious for The Stranger to be Gandalf, but once revealed, it fits into place perfectly. The person who emerges helps solidify Gandalf’s name and allows fans to finally see Tom Bombadil (Rory Kinnear, The Imitation Game) appear on the screen. Previously, with him only being in the books, it feels like a full circle moment to see Tom. Thankfully, the end of Season 2 clearly sets him up to be with Gandalf, possibly for the entire five seasons.
However, believe it or not, having the timelines feel like different shows mashed into one isn’t the biggest issue with Gandalf’s journey. The Dark Wizard (Ciarán Hinds, Belfast) seems to have a missing scene. Out of nowhere near the end of the season, he no longer wants to get rid of Gandalf, but wants Gandalf to join him. The episode feels fractured the second the Dark Wizard confronts Gandalf and turns on the force of acolytes he hired. Since when was this the plan? When did he decide to do this? What led to this? Rings of Power should’ve shown a scene leading up to the confrontation.
But let’s get back on track to these different plot lines. Even though Gandalf and the Harfoots haven’t aligned with the elves just yet, these should be the only two plot lines with the dwarves that’ll eventually come together to be one against Sauron (Charlie Vickers, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart). However, it’s hard to say if that’s because they’ll eventually align with one another, or if those are just the most interesting storylines.
The scenes following Númenor and men don’t seem to matter that much this season and are only here because they were in the first season and can’t just not be here. Both plots have crossed over with the elves multiple times, but they add nothing to Season 2. They’re simply characters the show’s creators either couldn’t say goodbye to or ones that they have plans for in the future. The ones characterized as men in this show should be benched for the season and only have a few scenes spread out here and there so when their plot becomes interesting it’s not out of nowhere.
Then fans are left with the people of Númenor, who are simply annoying with the exception of Queen Regent Míriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Power), Captain Elendil (Lloyd Owen, Miss Potter), and Isildur (Maxim Baldry, Years and Years). These are the only three Númenor characters who should have screen time. Everyone else adds nothing but disturbance to the likable few.
Even though the men and people of Númenor lack depth and relevance, the rest of Rings of Power proves to be a show that needs all five seasons it has planned. Season 3 is predicted to have even more timeline crossovers all coming together to defeat Sauron, but viewers see how the eye of Sauron emerges.
Vickers, who plays Sauron, would’ve made fans do a double take for Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum coming out soon for the character Aragorn if creators de-aged Viggo Mortensen. Every time Vickers is on screen in his original Sauron look, all that comes to mind is Aragorn. Since Vickers isn’t Aragorn, having him as Sauron is the next best thing. He embodies this character to the extreme and makes Lord Celebrimbor’s (Charles Edwards, The Crown) downfall all the more heartbreaking.
What makes the end of their time together all the more meaningful is when Celebrimbor calls Sauron “The Lord of the Rings.” It’s always fun when a show title enters the script. Celebrimbor and Sauron came so close to being the better friends to enemies duo than Sauron and Galadriel (Morfydd Clark, Saint Maud).
Having Sauron and Galadriel face one another again makes the excitement for Season 3 all the more powerful. This is the timeline of the show that is the main reason for tuning in — them plus Elrond (Robert Aramayo, The Empty Man). Even though Elrond and Galadriel aren’t lovers in any of the Lord of the Rings films or books because he marries her daughter, it’s too easy to ship them in Rings of Power.
But the real relationship that should last is between Elrond and Prince Durin IV (Owain Arthur, The Palace). Their friendship will hopefully exist throughout the entire show, especially after the death of King Durin III (Peter Mullan, The Magdalene Sisters). Death by Balrog is a moment of poetry because it’ll become Durin’s Bane in the Lord of the Rings.
The dwarf’s livelihood unfolding in the mountain is what the independent plot should look like in the show. Durin has his own problems going on with his father and the mountain, yet it interlocks with Elrond and the plot of the elves against Sauron throughout the entire season.
Rings of Power Season 2 may have been too similar to Season 1, but there is nothing except high hopes for the planned Season 3 and beyond.
