The Rings of Power have ups and downs in the easily digestible second season (SPOILER-free review)

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is back for a second season. Prime Video has spent eleven trillion dollars on this series, which is set in Middle Earth thousands of years before The Lord of the Rings story most of us know, the one with Frodo and Gollum and the One Ring and all that. At this time, Sauron is emerging into the world as a would-be Dark Lord, elves are more commonplace, the Mines of Moria are home to a bustling dwarven civilization, and there’s an island nation called Númenor that’s fully populated by long-lived, very noble mortal men and women. It’s a whole new world, but familiar to anyone who has ever enjoyed the works of JRR Tolkien.

That means, The Rings of Power deviates quite a bit from anything Tolkien ever wrote about the Second Age; if you’re a diehard Tolkien fan hoping this series stays true to the lore of Middle Earth, you’ll be disappointed. Characters from Tolkien’s books appear, but they don’t closely resemble the author’s description, and the series adds so much new stuff that we’re practically dealing with a whole new story. As a Tolkien nerd, this left me a little disappointed in the first season.

But the great thing about the show returning is that we can all adjust our expectations. The Rings of Power is not a literal adaptation of The Silmarillion or the appendices to Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Is it worth watching? Based on the first three episodes, which come out tomorrow on Prime Video… yes, more or less. You just have to go into it with the right attitude.

The Rings of Power takes the game of Thrones approach to epic storytelling, that is, it follows a large number of characters separated by vast distances, all going their own ways. Part of the fun is watching how and if their paths cross.

The series has a lot of taboos hanging in the air, and some of them are handled more successfully than others. The biggest taboo is Sauron, the future dark ruler of Mordor. In the first season, his identity remained secret for the majority of the time, which felt like filler. In season 2, his intentions are clear from the start, which is refreshing. Sauron is a highlight of the first three episodes. Theatrical, manipulative, and charismatic, this time he’s more openly a villain, and yet we learn more about his background. It feels a little odd that such an iconic figure as Sauron would undergo such a down-to-earth makeover, but I’m enjoying his journey.

Sauron spends a lot of time with the elves, which is harder for the show to convey. They’re just so pious and stiff, those people. The Númenóreans are perhaps even worse. There are some good actors and interesting characters among the elves and men, but their roles feel cramped compared to the time we spend with, say, the dwarves, who are much warmer and more approachable. While they’re not technically human, they seem more human than real humans. The MVPs of the first three episodes are Durin IV and his wife Disa, a dwarf couple struggling with family drama and economic setbacks. They argue, they make up, they joke, and they seem like real people, even though they live in a city carved into the bowels of a mountain.

The final story involves a wizard-like figure known only as the Stranger who travels to the desert land of Rhûn with his hobbit companions (they’re actually called Harfoots in this series, but I think we all know what’s going on). This story is the most isolated from the rest of the events in Middle Earth and the least related to Tolkien’s story. I don’t know where it goes, but I like the chemistry between the traveling companions, so I think it’s one of the more entertaining storylines.

The first three episodes are where the series gets going. Some parts are exciting, some drag, but everything is at least watchable. This may sound like I’m condemning the series with faint praise, and I kind of am, but I’m interested to see more. Maybe as stories collide and seeds sprout, The Rings of Power will gain momentum and become the TV action rollercoaster of the year. Why not hope for the best?

And if you want something more concrete, you can at least count on the show looking this good. From the cavernous halls of Khazad-dûm to the glittering towers of Númenor to the dusty plains of Mordor, The Rings of Power is nice to watch. There are some cool action scenes in this first trio of episodes, including one that recalls a horrific moment from Peter Jackson’s Lord of the rings Trilogy.

I would complain about the fan service attitude of the show, but I will try to avoid that. Remember: you have to The Rings of Power Season 2 with the right attitude. Don’t expect miracles, don’t expect genius, don’t expect faithfulness to JRR Tolkien’s world. Expect entertainment, and the show might give you just that.

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