The second season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has finally arrived, a series loved by many and criticized by others, but that has definitely not left anyone indifferent and now it is time to review the first three episodes released on August 29 on the Prime Video streaming platform.
2×01 Elven Kings Under the Sky
Written by Gennifer Hutchison and directed by Charlotte Brändström
In this first episode we see a bit of how Sauron (Charlie Vickers) took the form of Halbrand before crossing paths with Galadriel (Morfydd Clark), as we saw at the beginning of the first season. This first sequence of the emergence of this new form of Sauron, after being betrayed by Adar (Sam Hazeldine) and the orcs, is done in a way that keeps you interested and without taking your eyes off the screen, to understand all the details and waiting to find out what is going to happen. Later, we see how Sauron arrives in Mordor as a prisoner, posing as Halbrand and without revealing who he really is, leaving Adar in doubt about Sauron’s return, but not before negotiating his own release to go back to Eregion.
In another part of Middle-earth, Nori (Markella Kavenagh) and the Stranger (Daniel Weyman) continue on their journey in search of Rhûn, while he tries to learn to control his powers with her help. At one point along the way, they discover that someone is following them, and it turns out to be Poppy (Megan Richards), Nori’s best friend, who joins them and helps them get back on track after having been lost wandering around in the desert, although in reality this harfoot was not the only one following their trail.
Meanwhile in Lindon, Galadriel has to tell Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker) that Halbrand is actually Sauron and also must face Elrond (Robert Aramayo), who after discovering this truth is increasingly convinced that the elves should not use the rings that he helped them to create. And after a spectacular escape jumping over a waterfall with the rings, he takes refuge in The Grey Havens, where he seeks the advice of Círdan (Ben Daniels), whom he convinces to support him to get rid of the rings, but finally he, tempted by the beauty and power of these, ends up taking them back to Lindon, where along with Galadriel and Gil-galad, by putting them on, they manage to make their land reborn.
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Courtesy of Prime Video – © Amazon MGM Studios
2×02 Where the Stars are Strange
Written by Jason Cahill and directed by Charlotte Brändström & Louise Hooper
In the second hour of this season, the dwarves reappear and we witness the beginning of a period of darkness in Khazad-dûm, caused by the eruption of Mount Doom, which results in the city losing part of its infrastructure and means of subsistence. Meanwhile, Durin IV (Owain Arthur) remains estranged from Durin III (Peter Mullan) although his wife, Disa (Sophia Nomvete), tries to reunite father and son, so that they can seek a solution to what they are experiencing.
In the desert, the Stranger, along with Nori and Poppy, are followed by masked men who want to take him to a Dark Wizard (Ciarán Hinds) who is looking for him. And although they manage to hide once, they finally reach them, and that is when the Stranger, after finding a staff just like the one he has been dreaming of, uses his magic to protect themselves, but it gets out of control and ends up hurting the harfoots.
As for the elves, Galadriel argues with Gil-Galad, as she wants to return to Eregion, as she is sure that Sauron will return there after having a vision thanks to her ring, but he doesn’t want to leave her as he thinks that since the Dark Lord already knows her mind, she might succumb to his manipulations once again, so he prefers to send a messenger to warn Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards) about Halbrand’s true identity. Failing to get what she wants, Galadriel asks Elrond for help, but he remains firm in his convictions. Finally, Gil-Galad agrees to let Galadriel return to Eregion, but only as part of the company that Elrond will lead. Meanwhile in Eregion, and intercepting Gil-Galad’s messengers before they arrive, Sauron manages to manipulate Celebrimbor by taking the form of Annatar, the Lord of Gifts, supposedly sent by the Valar, to continue making rings, this time for Men and Dwarves.
Charlie Vickers as Annatar. Credit: Ben Rothstein / Prime Video
Copyright: Amazon MGM Studios
2×03 The Eagle and the Sceptre
Written by Helen Shang and directed by Louise Hooper & Charlotte Brändström
In this last installment of the first three released, the focus is on the men, and so we see Isildur (Maxim Baldry), trapped by Shelob, the giant spider, or one of its kin, being rescued by his horse. On his way back, Isildur meets Estrid (Nia Towle), a young woman who goes with him, though she may later turn out not to be who you think she is. Later, they are attacked by a group of wild men but Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova) appears and saves them, and they follow him to Pelargir. There, the elf tries to convince Theo (Tyroe Muhafidin) not to hold a grudge for the death of his mother, Bronwyn, but he is still very angry. Later, the young man seeks Isildur to help him recover his horse, which was stolen by his attackers, so they go into the forest where something strange happens to them.
At the same time in Númenor, Míriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) prepares to be crowned as her father ‘s successor, while the people mourn their lost ones in the Southlands. Likewise, she discovers that the palantír has disappeared, although we soon learn that the one who took it is Eärien (Ema Horvath), who presents it on the day of the coronation, saying that Míriel governs following the visions shown to her by this elvish stone, which added to the already little trust that many had in her, causes a chaos that ends up endangering Míriel and dividing the crowd, between the Queen Regent and Pharazôn (Trystan Gravelle), since the latter takes advantage of the appearance of a Great Eagle to gain the favor of the majority, as this is seen as a good omen.
Back in Eregion, Celebrimbor, manipulated by Sauron, summons Durin IV to suggest the creation of the rings that could save his people and ask him for the mithril they need for this purpose, and although he is not very convinced and apparently does not trust much in “Annatar”, thanks to Disa’s intervention, he decides to swallow his pride and talk to his father again to present the master blacksmith’s offer. Finally the dwarf king accepts and so begins the production of the seven for the dwarf-lords in their halls of stone.
Cynthia Addai-Robinson as Queen Regent Míriel. Credit: Ben Rothstein / Prime Video
Copyright: Amazon MGM Studios
I consider it a good thing that these first three episodes are each focused on a race of Middle-earth (although they all include a bit of the others), because in this way they serve to pick up where each plot left off in the previous season and establish where they will go in this new installment. And although now they all are currently going in different directions, eventually everything is related and we’ll surely see them crossing paths on more than one occasion and forging new alliances with each other.
Another significant thing about these episodes is that they leave us with several cliffhangers that are not necessarily resolved in the next episode, but leave room to open new plots while keeping us interested waiting to know what will happen to the rest of the characters.
I think the start of this second season is quite good, since it also maintains the quality of the production in terms of music, scenery and photography and continues to develop the story in a way that you want to know what is to come, regardless of whether or not you already know the mythology of Middle-earth.
Now it’s time for you to share your impressions and opinions about these first episodes in the comments section below.
