Season one of The Rings of Power left fans and viewers off with a bit of a cliffhanger. With the revelation that Halbrand (Charlie Vickers) was actually Sauron, in disguise, this became quite the dilemma for Galadriel (Mortfydd Clark), the high king Gil-Gilad (Benjamin Walker), and Elrond (Robert Aramayo). Meaning what should they do with the three rings crafted by Celebrinbor (Charles Edwards) If these rings were even partially crafted by Sauron in disguise, this could be a problem for Middle Earth. This is a great setup for Season Two to start with. In later episodes, the directors and writers can expand the scope of the story.

With the vast cast of The Rings of Power, Season Two has a lot of subplots that it can pick up from Season One. One of them is the journey that the east star or stranger as he was known (Daniel Wayman) and the two halflings Nori Brandyfoot (Markella Kavenagh) and Poppy Proudfellow (Megan Richards) are on. The stranger is in search of who he is, but it doesn’t mean others don’t already have an idea. The trio is under surveillance from some scouts from the Rhon and their leader.

While these two stories are going on there are two other subplots that show the dwarfs having issues with their mountains closing out all the light. Plus a family squabble between Durin IV (Owain Arthur), his wife Disa (Sophia Nomvete) in the middle, and his father Durin III (Peter Mullin). The Oroki are mounting an attack on the remaining civilizations of Middle Earth at the behest of their new leader Adar (Joseph Mawle) who previously had slayne Sauron in another incarnation. Adar doesn’t know he and his army are just a tool that the new version of Sauron wants to use to cause trouble for the rest of Middle Earth.

The threads from Season One are being sown tremendously by the writers Patrick McKay, John D Payne, and others. Even though these are original stories they are still based on the works of JRR Tolkien. He alludes to the second age of Middle Earth in the Silmarillion but doesn’t touch on it that much. The writing is fantastic after just a few episodes so far. I can’t wait for more character development with characters I haven’t seen thus far in season two. 

With a show like The Rings of Power, there is a lot of pressure from the fans who have read the books and seen the movies. People want this series to be on a level of what has come previously.  As I’ve mentioned there are plenty of characters each with their own story. There are new characters and characters that have had a rough Season One. Viewers didn’t even know if they would return for Season Two. One character that has been through quite a lot is Isildur (Maxim Baldry) and his faithful horse. His story comes into contact with Arrondir (Ismael Cruz Cordova) the elf with amazing archery skills. Together these two and a new character Mirriel (Cynthia Addai Robinson) join together to get back to his kingdom.  What they will encounter there is anybody’s guess because Numenoris full of Turmoil.

Amazon spent a lot of money buying the rights to The Lord of the Rings. You can see their money wasn’t wasted. The production design, cinematography,  music, costumes, makeup, and hairstyling are all first-rate. The sets that some of the scenes are acted out on are amazing. Mainly the elvish lands of Lindon which include the Grey Havens and Eregion. Also, the dwarven realm of Khazad-dum is featured prominently as well. 

When it comes to shows like these, Star Wars, Star Trek, The Wheel of Time, and many others I want them to look as authentic as possible. I want to watch something on screen that looks real and not campy or fake. Using New Zealand as the backdrop of the series and the films in the past was a great idea. It has a lush backdrop of mountains,  rivers, dry lands, oceans, and marshlands. Having a country like this to set your fantasy epic show helps with the realism it needs. This show is one of the most beautiful I’ve seen in a long time.

There is always excitement and anticipation when there is a series coming back that fans like myself love, but also trepidation as well if a show isn’t as good as fans and critics hoped it would be. I am here to say this Season has gotten off to a great start. There are multiple subplots that interest me very much. With plenty more to come in future episodes. The production design, sets and locations are amazing. I felt like this was a real-world come to life. That’s how authentic it is. The returning cast is all terrific so far and I can’t wait to see new characters introduced in future episodes. This Season looks to be even better than Season One was. That’s saying a lot because I loved Season One of The Rings of Power.

Two 2/8 Review’d

4 ½ stars

Dan Skip Allen