This article contains spoilers for season 2 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
With only two episodes left, The rings of power Prime Video's second season is quickly approaching its thrilling conclusion, and things are quickly heating up in Middle-earth.
In last week's Episode 6, “Where Is It?”, the elven warrior Arondir discovered a map guiding the orcs to battle, while Celebrimbor's deteriorating condition fueled chaos among the elves.
The elves Adar and Galadriel explored their unsettling similarities during a tense banquet, and Númenor’s ship-captain Elendil faced a harrowing trial for treason, ultimately proving his innocence through the selfless act of former Queen Regent Miriel. Meanwhile, the Dwarves grappled with internal conflict as Annatar’s manipulations deepened, setting the stage for impending war as Adar’s forces unleashed chaos.
To know how Rings of power Season 2 is coming to viewers and why JRR Tolkien's epic fantasy still resonates with fans after all these years: Yahoo Entertainment spoke to Tolkien expert William Smith, host of the show. Green Lanterns podcast and moderator of the subreddit r/LOTR_en_Prime.
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Rings of power The first season had some problems with fans. What do you think was the reason?
“Casting decisions were made that irritated a subset of users on the internet. There were changes to the story that upset other people. Some people seemed to dislike the writing. There’s just a giant expectation that goes along with the plot. The Lord of the Rings brand, and if you don’t immediately reach the heights of the original books or films, you have disappointed people.”
How does season 2 hold up in comparison?
“From what I'm seeing on Reddit and my social media, season two is looking much better. I think a lot of this has to do with the overall pacing more than anything else. In season one, I'm guessing there was a lot of build-up to allow for [faster] The pace of the next few seasons, but many viewers want the action now. I think the second season has been offering a lot more [that]“So overall it seems much more positive than last season.”
Are people being too harsh on the series or do you think their criticisms are valid?
“I don’t think people are too harsh on the show. And even if their criticisms don’t match mine, I don’t think their opinion is any less valid. We all want the show to be great. We all have different opinions on what makes a show great.”
When you compare the series to Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings Films, what are some of the main differences in your approach to Tolkien’s work?
“From a narrative standpoint, the show attempts to compress and move events that happened over thousands of years to make it more digestible for viewers. The movie had a developed story [Tolkien] To count [and] …we were able to tell probably the most iconic fantasy story of all time. The show tells a story that is much less known.”
What works and what doesn't work for you Rings of power?
“What I personally struggle with on the show is balancing the storylines. Sometimes you’ll see the Dwarves in one episode and then go an episode or two without seeing them. Sometimes a story starts to get really moving and then I think, ‘Oh God, I can’t wait to get back to that in a week,’ and then they’re not in the next episode so I wait two or three weeks. I know you have to weave all the storylines together, but once a storyline really hits its stride, I don’t want it to just go away.”
“What’s working for me, and I say this every now and then, is that this is the best representation of dwarves in any film adaptation. They give you action, they give you dialogue. They’re stern but they can also be funny. They can make you laugh but they can also make you cry a little bit. And they’re not just there to crack jokes all the time. It seems like in other shows, movies, etc., when you have a dwarf on screen you know that they’re a supporting character for the most part and they’re there to lighten the mood.”
Rings of power It has been called Amazon Prime's answer to HBO. game of Thrones prequel House of the DragonHow do you think it compares?
“I also help moderate r/CasaDelDragonThat's why I try to avoid comparisons between the two, but I know everyone wants to compare them. To me, they are shows that are at opposite ends of the spectrum. House of the Dragon It's a show where almost everyone is a character you can rightly hate. Everyone attacks each other. Everyone does terrible things. The rings of power It's a show that's targeting a different audience. They want to show happy moments. They want to show adventures. There are a lot of cute little moments that happen. Part of the appeal of [House of the Dragon] “It's just that in almost every scene you see, you're waiting for something bad to happen. It can be heartbreaking.”
What is it about Tolkien's work that resonates with you and generations of fans?
“I think Tolkien did a fantastic job of giving us an amazing story for this world he created, while also giving us plenty of heroes to root for and villains to oppose. Plus, as much as he fleshed out this world, there are so many gaps in his story that allow us to imagine what might have happened during that time. Almost anyone, anywhere, can relate to at least part of the story told in his pages.”
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Now streaming on Prime Video.