The age of the prequel; when every mildly interesting character gets a spin-off series. Few have succeeded (Star Wars’ Andor, House Of The Dragon season one) and fewer still have matched the source material (Better Call Saul).
The Rings Of Power has had it worse than most, expected to equal Peter Jackson’s The Lord Of The Rings trilogy – anything less being Tolkienian blasphemy. For many, the first season fell short, introducing interesting characters and vividly painting the Second Age of Middle-earth yet over-extending itself trying to tie together the disparate worlds of Númenor, Khazad-dûm, and Lindon. However, by the finale, as Halbrand revealed himself to be Sauron, there was a sense of clarity; the series could march forward without having to keep its secrets safe.
Season two embraces this. The opening half-hour salvo is a bold origin story for Sauron. Murdered by his chief lieutenant Adar, he melts into a dark ooze that slimes through the mountains searching for something to sustain him. There are echos of Gollum’s desperate scenes at the start of Jackson’s Return Of The King, drawing a surprisingly effective comparison between the two addicts. Showrunners J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay almost make you feel sorry for the deceiving Dark Lord.
The re-introduction to Middle-earth speaks to the season’s ambitions, as does the fact that familiar characters like Galadriel and Elrond are absent from episodes, giving others ample time in the spotlight. Celebrimbor, the elven master of smithing, quickly becomes the show’s ostensible lead as Sauron, under the guise of Annatar, manipulates him into forging rings (and yes, there are many more rings this season). Meanwhile, the half-elf, half-orc Adar has enough screen-time to become a sympathetic villain, with one of his orc lieutenants enjoying his own minor arc.
It’s a novelistic approach to storytelling similar to The Wire, trusting the viewer to follow threads as they are left bare for hours at a time, only to be woven when necessary. Unfortunately, there are some drawbacks, namely the civil war threatening Númenor getting shortchanged, seemingly saved for another season, and episodes without the dwarves – the series’ highlight – feeling lighter without them. The harfoots’ journey, too, feels at times left behind, though Daniel Weyman’s mysterious wizard’s scenes with Tom Bombadil are, for lack of a better word, magical. Yet Middle-earth is more alive than ever; dwarven markets and orc children imply a world beyond the screen, while the number of wonderfully realised creatures showing just how much fun can be had in Tolkien’s world.
The action comes to a head in an epic battle told across two episodes, balanced against some excellent character work (and surprising deaths). Those who complained that nothing happened in House Of The Dragon’s sophomore effort will thrill at how The Rings Of Power refuses to slump. Indeed, the second season improves on the first, sharpening its narrative and taking assured footsteps forward as the writers continues to tell this expansive tale. Let’s just hope the series doesn’t make like the hobbits and end up going in circles.
‘The Rings Of Power’ season two releases three episodes on Prime Video tomorrow (August 29) – episodes will then come out weekly