Sauron Gets a Makeover in 'The Rings of Power' Season 2

By Nate Parker | TV | September 5, 2024 |

By Nate Parker | TV | September 5, 2024 |

Here be spoilers

Ah, Middle-Earth. Where the Men are men, the Elves are androgynous, and Dwarven women have the softest sideburns this side of the White Mountains. When last we saw our various adventurers, they were dealing with the literal fallout of Mount Orodruin exploding like a faulty pressure cooker and becoming Mount Doom. The Númenóreans fled, their Queen blinded and Isildor feared dead. The Southlander army is destroyed, their remnants hiding or swearing fealty to the corrupted Adar. The Dwarves are in a dire state as their very mountain betrays them. The Stranger we all know is Gandalf and Nori have left the Harfoots in a search for answers and a way to control the Stranger’s gifts. Galadriel is reeling from the discovery that her potential beau Halbrand is actually Dark Lord Sauron, disguised as a Man. And Halbrand/Sauron was last seen strolling into the darkening Mordor, ready to seize power from the Orcs. And that was just the recap.

But nothing is that easy, especially when you have an entire season of television to fill. Nori (Markella Kavenagh), Poppy (Megan Richards), and the Stranger (Daniel Weyman) are trekking across Tatooine in search of the perfect stick. Dwarven Prince Durin (Owain Arthur) and his wife, stone singer Disa (Sophia Nomvete, my favorite members of the cast) are trying to save the underground city of Khazad-dûm after Mt. Doom exploding like a pressure cooker shattered their sunlit tunnels. The Southlanders are abandoned to their fate, and proto-Queen Bronwyn has fallen to an Orc arrow and actress Nazanin Boniadi’s desire to pursue other projects. Adar (now played by Sam Hazeldine) is consolidating his grip on Mordor but suspects Sauron lurks in the shadows, waiting to take control. Halbrand (Charlie Vickers) slips through his grasp and knocks on Celebrimbor’s (Charles Edwards) door. Despite Galadriel’s warnings, he’s welcomed with open arms after a quick trip to Sephora turns him into glam rocker Annatar, the “Lord of Gifts.” Not that Galadriel has room to talk; along with High King Gil-Galad and what seems every Elf except Elrond (Robert Aramayo), she is enchanted by the power and beauty of the Rings, and the Elves waste no time in using their power to sustain their kingdom. Celebrimbor, who spent a century searching for the word “gullible” hidden in the night stars, makes more Rings for the Dwarves at Annatar’s urging.

Middle-Earth felt woefully sterile at this point last season, an empty recreation of Jackson’s films. It steadily improved as its complexity grew and new characters were introduced, and this season’s early episodes manage to hold onto some of that momentum. The Elves’ trust of beauty is a weakness that remains even after Morgoth’s defeat. Shipmaster Círdan’s speech to Elrond about separating art from the artist is clunky — the Elves still speak in nothing but Instagram platitudes — but serves its purpose, showing how even the wisest Elves are betrayed by their instincts. Celebrimbor stands in for our own attraction to easy cures for the worlds’ ills, whether that cure is a magic ring or nuclear power or so-called A.I. The Dwarves and Men are the show’s most interesting storylines so far this season. Durin IV remains a reliably entertaining figure, though he and Disa are underused. The Stranger’s journey with Nori remains the weakest part of the show. There’s a lot of lore crammed into a few short episodes, and with Sauron’s manipulation of the Elves front and center, the other storylines receive short shrift. Arondir and Theo feel more like guest stars than cast members, and losing Bronwyn’s perspective and only romantic relationship doesn’t help. Adar gets a fantastic opening scene as we’re (briefly) introduced to the Second Age’s Forodwaith Sauron, but is otherwise relegated more to a statesman than a participant in the action. It’s a shame, as he was easily the most interesting addition to the series. Vickers’s Annatar lays it on thick, reminding me more of Aladdin’s Jafar than an actual menace, while Galadriel is given little to do other than be scolded by the male Elves. There’s a definite lack of agency among most of the female characters at this point in the season; Queen Miriel’s disability precludes her from doing much besides being led around by the hand, and Galadriel’s not trusted as far as Elrond can throw her. The Harfoot women are just walking in circles.

The Rings of Power remains visually beautiful, if too clean anywhere but the Dwarven mines and the Southlands. It’s still a show more about landscapes and vibes interspersed with brief battle scenes than plot structure or character growth. I’m not sure there’s enough here to convince viewers to return to the series but The Rings of Power still offers proper high fantasy to those craving it.