Warning! This piece contains spoilers for Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2. If you’re not caught up yet, check out 50 Things We Learned on the Set of Rings of Power.
It’s time to venture back into Middle-earth? After nearly two years Prime Video’s epic — and expensive — expansion of Tolkien’s beloved The Lord of the Rings franchise has returned for its sophomore season. The first three episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 are out now on and we’re here to break down everything that worked and the one big thing that didn’t. So jump on your favorite horse, grab some lembas bread, and don’t you dare put that a ring!
The Rise of Annatar
Season 2 picks up directly where we left off after the Season 1 finale, with much of the focus centering on Morfydd Clark’s Galadriel and Charlie Vickers’ Sauron (and the villainous trickster’s many forms).
One of the most fun things about Season 2 so far is the fact that we know who Sauron is, which means that we get to see him connive, scheme, and plot his way through the inhabitants of Middle-earth. His first stop is Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards) who he worked with in Season 1 to create the original three rings of power which are now worn by Galadriel, King Gil Galad (Benjamin Walker), and Cirdan (Ben Daniels) and —no surprise — they’re all deeply beguiled by them.
Watching everyone fall under Sauron’s spell is a delight as Vickers shifts and changes into what they need, playing with appearances, accents, and even giving a fantastic speech about creator rights and the exploitation of workers. But the big reveal here is when he unveils a new guise that fans of the franchise have long been waiting for: Annatar the Lord of Gifts. This early iteration of Sauron is known as a deceiver who used his charm and beauty to manipulate the elves into helping him craft the rings as well as allowing him to use their skills and know how to secretly craft the One Ring for himself.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Set Visit and Season 2 Photos
The Threat of the Rings
While it shouldn’t be a surprise given that the show is literally called The Rings of Power, the premiere episodes do a fantastic job of showing just how enticing and all-consuming the rings are. Whether it’s Galadriel’s insistence that her ring is giving her more power and agency rather than less, or the fact that Gil-Galad can’t get enough of simply staring at his, the rings throb with evil and power and we’re shown just how quickly it can happen when Elrond seeks the help of Cirdan the Shipwright who promises to destroy the rings before quickly realizing just how much he wants them himself. The pull of these rings (and the one ring to come) is a key component of the franchise and Season 2 of Rings of Power quickly establishes it as an important backdrop to all the moving and shaking between the key players of Middle-earth.
Celebrimbor’s Downfall
With Halbrand appearing at his gates at the end of the Season 2 premiere, Celebrimbor was sure to become Sauron’s next victim after Galadriel. But his downfall seems to be coming far quicker than hers. After revealing his Annatar form, Sauron presents as an angelic presence there solely to help Celebrimbor and the inhabitants of Middle-earth battle against the coming darkness. Combined with his understanding of Celebrimbor’s true weakness — a fear of not living up to his father’s name — this makes an easy victim of the great Elven metalworker.
Despite the fantasy trappings, it’s a truly relatable representation of what jealousy, insecurity, and lack of recognition of hard work can do to unmoor us from reality. Edwards sells the quick slide towards darkness with empathy and a hunger that shines from his eyes anytime the rings are mentioned. Book readers already know where this path leads, but the show is offering up viewers hints too as Celebrimbor is at the center of some of the show’s scariest and unsettling moments so far this season. With more and more people under Sauron’s control, things don’t look good for the beguiled craftsman. Elrond’s on the way — but will he make it in time?
Pharazon’s Betrayal
One of the many Season 1 seeds that begins to come to fruition here is the truth about Pharazon (Trystan Gravelle). The shady advisor of Queen Regent Miriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) has long been untrustworthy, but we see his ambition about to tip the scales towards Numenor’s doom in the premiere episodes thanks to an ill-thought out coup attempt started by Isildur’s (Maxim Baldry) reactionary sister Eärien (Ema Horvath).
Now that Queen Regent Miriel has lost her sight, Pharazon’s supporters quickly rally around their new heir, who they think has a better claim to the throne than the daughter of the recently deceased King despite simply being his nephew. Ableism abounds as they complain about her “impairment” at a local bar and begin to lightly plot her downfall.
That all comes to a head with the arrival of a large Eagle and the reveal that Miriel has been taking advice from the Palantir, an Elvish artifact that can see the future as the Numenoreans anger and grief at their recent losses boil over. A near riot seems to hint a failed coronation for the Queen Regent and a new road to power for Pharazon. Gravelle brings a grounded nefariousness to the would-be King whose grasping for power will ultimately lead to the end of the rule of men. If the series follows what we know of Pharazon from the books, he’s likely to become a truly despicable villain who’s choices now will set him on a collision path with Sauron himself.
Berek, the Goodest Horse in Middle-earth
In the Episode 7 of Rings of Power Season 1, we saw Isildur’s horse Berek refusing to return to Numenor with his rider’s father Elendil (Lloyd Owen). As many fans suspected, that was because he could sense Isildur was alive (thanks plot armor). In one of the better horse action sequences in recent memory, Berek hunts for his human.
The uniquely thrilling moments open the third episode of Season 2 as Berek breaks free and runs for his life to his master. From literally riding across Middle-earth to the Southlands to kicking some orc ass all the way to the deepest dark of the forests, Berek saves his master. It’s an astonishing and epic opening that also returns a fan-fave character to the center of the action, where he’s just about to meet a potential new BFF.
Move over, Elrond and Durin — It’s Isildur and Arondir’s Time
One of the rare bright spots in the ever bleaker Middle-earth is the burgeoning bromance between Isildur & Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova). When the pair are reunited after Isildur’s escape, it feels akin to the best moments of Season 1, which centered around Durin and Elrond’s hilarious bromance. While there’s far less laughing here (they’re still surrounded by Southlander corpses and others fighting for their lives) there’s a great chemistry between the two. It promises some fun moments ahead, even as the evil and brutality of the series continues to grow. It’s a new string to each Córdova and Baldry’s bow as the Arondir is usually stone faced and the Isildur has been concerned with his own guilt, and familial strife. As the battle against Sauron continues we can expect to see the pair grow closer and perhaps fight alongside each other.
Speaking of what works in the Southlands, let’s talk about what didn’t…
What Happened To Nazanine Boniadi’s Bronwyn?
In an otherwise impressive premiere there is one striking thing missing. Remember Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi), the central figure of the humans in the Southlands? Well, as we learn in Episode 3, she didn’t survive her orc-inflicted injuries, despite viewers leaving her alive and (mostly) well in the last season. She instead dies after her wounds take a turn for the worse, and is promptly (and unceremoniously) burnt on a pyre by her son. While it’s important to note that Boniadi chose to leave after stepping away to focus on activismthe sudden death of of her character feels jarring and sets the return to the Southlands off on a strange note. It feels like there could have been a different way of dealing with her sudden absence. Considering Bronwyn’s key role in the first season, it feels like a rushed send off that doesn’t fit with the importance of the character, leaving a Bronwyn-sized hole in the proceedings.
Rosie Knight is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything from anime to comic books to kaiju to kids movies to horror flicks. She has over half a decade of experience in entertainment journalism with bylines at Nerdist, Den of Geek, Polygon, and more.
