Rings of Power season 2 review: more emotion than season 1?

When I saw the first two episodes of The Rings of Power season 2 at a screening in Culver City, my first impression was that the show had found what I'd been missing. Season 1 threw a great deal of exposition at us, and "season 2 already is giving me more emotion." I'd only seen those two episodes, so I didn't know yet what the full season would add up to. Still, from that start, I thought we were in for something fun, beautiful and engaging.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premiered on Prime Video in 2022, starring Morfydd Clark and Charlie Vickers. Season 2 released on August 29, 2024.

Why season 1 of The Rings of Power left me wanting more

It helps to know where I'm coming from. I've read the books, but the way I've read the Game of Thrones books. I know what happened, but I couldn't tell you what happened on page 14, and I've forgotten much of the genealogy. That's how I feel about The Hobbit and especially The Lord of the Rings.

The first time I saw The Lord of the Rings films, it was the extended director's cut, because someone I was dating at the time said it was important to them. It felt like 14 hours. That first encounter was fully engrossing, and from there I started reading the books and getting into what The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit truly are.

Season 1 of The Rings of Power felt like being handed a pile of information. For me it lacked character development and the emotional stakes that would sink me in as an audience member. I think it had to be that way, though. It needed to set everything up so that season 2, season 3 and beyond could survive and thrive.

Episode 1 puts the elves and their rings at the center

I think the first episode was mostly about the elves, and where their hierarchy and their better than thou attitude are leading them. They have their rings, and the question becomes whether to keep them and why or why not. We see that come to fruition in the first episode.

The moral side of this season interested me. The question it asks is whether the corruption pressed on us from outside is what signifies evil, or whether evil is the acceptance within ourselves. That contrast between an outside force and an internal one plays a big part in the first episode, especially for elves who see themselves as a high moral compass.

It doesn't help that when the three elven elders put on the rings, their troubles melt away and the tree they treat as their deity and guiding compass comes back to life. These were rings that were supposed to be melted down. So you wonder: is this an outside divinity showing the right path, or is this Sauron manipulating them to get what he wants?

Episode 2: the dwarves and why they keep returning to the Ring Maker

If episode 1 is about the elves, episode 2 is split between the dwarves and Sauron. The dwarves are struggling, and I liked that we start to learn why they would get into bed with the elven ring maker. Elrond is friends with him and with the dwarves, so he brings these players together.

But why would the dwarves go back a second and third time to make more rings, for the dwarves and then for men? Episode 2 shows what outside forces push them to seek help, which I think was wonderful and something we needed. We understood why the rings were first made for the elves, but why they kept being made matters. The question remains whether these are natural forces moving players onto the board, or Sauron's influence, and how powerful he is.

Sauron as Annatar is a master manipulator

Sauron, who was Halbrand, takes on a new form here as Annatar, and I have to give him credit. He is the biggest manipulator, and I was laughing so much during his scene with the ring maker that I forgot myself in the theater.

It's so easy for him because the thing about elves is their pride. "You stroke that just a little bit and these elves will just bend over backwards for you." For the ring maker, all he has to say is that the others didn't appreciate his gift, that they stole his rings, and that he would have appreciated them properly. Invite me up for tea, even though you left me out in the cold.

All he has to say is that he's a messiah from Valinor, the elves' homeland and sacred place. Meanwhile Sauron comes from the flames of hell, and the ring maker treats him like a deity. How easily these elves are manipulated amazed me.

Why season 2 felt more human than House of the Dragon

This season gave us humor, life and much more intrigue. "We're past the exposition phase," and the show now takes knowledge from the books and human intrigue and puts them together. I've only got two episodes under my belt, so how much do I really know, but I thought it was shaping up to be a glorious season.

I think shows like House of the Dragon are missing this, because they've lost that human connection and the fun we see in horror films, where we beg characters not to go through the door because we've connected with them. That's what I love. In season 1 the characters were too ethereal, too mystical and out of reach. Now the show brought more life, and the distance between us and the characters closed. Those first two episodes were good and fun, and they were making these characters real.