REVIEW: ‘The Rings of Power’ Returns to Middle Earth

By DAVID CHAPEK/Staff Writer

The time has once again come for us to consider the mind-numbing monstrosity of a production that is Amazon’s “The Rings of Power” show. Any small amount of personal nostalgia I have from watching the first season with my sister would be nowhere near enough to convince me to sit through another eight hours of over-formalized writing, stilted acting and a large helping of disrespect towards J.R.R. Tolkien’s works. And yet I find myself unable to look away as Amazon continues its trek through Middle Earth.

Impression of the First Episode

The second season’s first episode brings us back into the story through a nonsensical backstory for Sauron, the main villain. It details events from the fall of Morgoth—his superior—up to the beginning of the show. Then we cut to the present to watch Sauron turn himself in to the orcs as a prisoner. Only to just bargain himself back out of captivity a few minutes later. So that was time well spent.

Now you might recall the events of the first season and how Galadriel, the main protagonist and a key figure in both “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings,” single-handedly brought Sauron into the midst of the elvish kingdom. This deed consequently abled Sauron to manipulate the elves into creating the three elvish rings.

The most reasonable viewers would imagine that Galadriel is in big trouble for all this. But somehow, whether due to short memory spans or poor writing, everyone has simply forgotten. Her actions do not garner a single consequence that might endanger her prominent position. Furthermore, when the elves decide to keep the three rings instead of throwing them into the sea, Galadriel takes it upon herself to become one of the three ring-bearers.

And here we find the biggest insult to Galadriel’s character. For “The Lord of the Rings” fans, we remember her as a kind, compassionate figure that helps Frodo on his journey to destroy the One Ring. And yet, despite all her terrible decisions in the first season, we continue to see absolutely no character development. Rather than being given one of the rings for safekeeping—as per Middle Earth lore—she takes one out of greed and self-importance.

Final Thoughts

Don’t get me wrong, this show has much potential. Unlike the first season, it appears to actually be moving along at a reasonable pace. But to fulfill that potential, the writers need to realize that a story is only as good as its characters. For the Tolkien connoisseurs such as myself, the writers need to respect the original stories and characters as they move on throughout the rest of the season. Thus, we need to see characters struggle and change. We must see them realize their errors and become better people, inspiring us to do the same. 

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