Rings of Power: Review
By Sioph W. Leal
Rings of Power returns to Amazon Prime with Sauron (Charlie Vickers) now revealed and cast out by Galadriel (Morfydd Clark)—he’s alone without an army. Sauron has to rely on himself to rebuild his strength while overseeing the creation of the Rings of Power with his grand scheme of controlling everyone in Middle-Earth. The second season of Rings of Power offers to delve deeper into the rising tide of darkness and how the forces of good struggle to hold onto what matters most to them—the people they love. Elves, dwarfs, orcs, men, wizards, and Harfoots will all face strained friendships and kingdoms as they are all on the brink of calamity.
One of the best things about the second season of Rings of Power is Sauron’s manipulative ways, using distrust and the greed of others to further his own ambitions. Sauron has his ambitions and uses Lord Celebrimbor of Eregian (Charles Edwards), who is unaware that the Dark Lord is influencing him, to create more rings of power. While Charlie Vickers does take some time to settle into this new role of subtle manipulator (a far cry from the apparent secret King Halbrand he was last season), Vickers eventually embraces the villainous Sauron as the evil abuser he is. Last season focused more so on Galadriel and Halbrand’s alliance, having Eregian as his scene partner delivers some of the best moments of the series. Having the series delve deeper into the cost of wearing a ring of power and how it can corrupt and twist the mind of the wearer is one of the most compelling story arcs of this season, but it is obscured by unconnected plots that will have you more frustrated than absorbed into the power dynamics of this world.
One of the ongoing problems that Rings of Power has is that it likes to get lost in the little details that offer nothing exciting with world-building; instead, the exposition hinders anything remotely interesting of the series. While Vickers does his best (and succeeds) in Sauron’s manipulative ways, it works best if you try to forget that he is one of the most influential villains in popular culture. Combine that with the multiple forced romances that come to a quick end and acting choices from some characters that feel more like a table read, and the second season could have been so much more.
Conflict is one of the most important parts to storytelling as anything, often helping move the plot line along, but Rings of Power have missed this point entirely. Small disagreements go on for far too long, with one episode featuring characters who refuse to speak to each other as they want the other to apologize, which will leave you feeling deenergized and frustrated while watching. It’s a shame, as had the show focused on the darker elements—the abuse that Sauron bestows on those around him and the devastating impact this has on the world—Rings of Power could have been so much more. Gladirel unfortunately feels like a one-note character, bullying and berating those who don’t see her way while Elrond (Robert Aramayo) has new goals that may bother book fans.
With any new series, new characters can often be a great new addition to the show, and Ben Daniels is just that. Playing Cirdan, one of the oldest elves, he adds something different to Rings of Power that feels like a relief to the wooden acting that you will have to endure. Charles Edwards as Celebrimbor is a Rings of Power-saving grace. While Celebrimbor’s intelligence is his main skill, Edwards delves deeper into the character and his eagerness for acknowledgement of praise. The scenes between Edwards and Vickers are the most entertaining and best-performed in the entire second season and are one of the only things that will leave you wanting more.
Some plots in Rings of Power flow with purpose and speed, while others drag on or, worse, circle back on themselves. Rings of Power has a hard time walking the tightrope between providing a sophisticated political fantasy setting and going into too much detail, which turns the game into more of a didactic than an enjoyable experience. In addition, you nearly feel deceived by the pointless side stories and acting, particularly following the scenes involving Sauron and Celebrimbor.
Rings Of Power Season 2 airs on Amazon Prime August 29th 2024