The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power SN2

Amazon Prime Video's second season of the LOTR prequel series is a dazzling improvement on the first, as the various powers of Middle-Earth battle and seduce each other.

Season 2 of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” is a dazzling escalation/improvement of the Amazon Prime Video series set in the Second Age of J.R.R. Tolkien’s grand Middle-Earth mythology, set thousands of years before the events of the LOTR and “Hobbit” trilogies.

I am admittedly a total nerd for this stuff, and would be here for pretty much any adaptation of Tolkien’s wondrous world of elves, dwarves, hobbits, dragons, wizards, demons and men. But I think I can be honest enough with myself to say if season 2 was a thunker.

It’s anything but.

I thought the first season ambitious but occasionally slow-moving as it worked to set the table with a sprawling cast of characters and centers of power.

Season 2 reaps what was sown, with huge battles, terrific CGI, major character development and lots of intrigue as the various powers of Middle-Earth converge toward a grand conflagration.

The production values, music (again by Bear McCreary) and look-and-feel of the show has reached on par with the feature films — no surprise given a reported 9-figure budget. Honestly, my only regret is having to watch it on my laptop instead of on a big screen.

Top ‘o the hat to the Amazon press folks for providing the entire season up front, instead of just one or two at a time as they did previously and has become habit with other major streaming series like Max’s “House of the Dragon.” So this is my review of the entire season, strictly adhering to their (numerous) spoiler edicts.

The first three episodes debut Aug. 29 on the Prime Video platform, with weekly releases of the next five through Oct. 3.

If you don’t have time to rewatch season one before launching in, I do recommend catching up with a textual or video recap — the official Prime one will do the job nicely.

The big reveal at the end of season 1 was that Halbrand (Charlie Vickers), the castoff supposed human king of the Southlands befriended by elven general Galadriel (Morfydd Clark), revealed himself to be none other than Sauron himself, the dark lord made manifest. A very creepy opening sequence in episode 1 tracks his mortal path in Middle-Earth, in a way that evokes the underground journey of Sméagol/Gollum from “The Return of the King.”

The biggest surprise of season 2 is that Sauron comes across as, if not exactly relatable, then at least a wholly fleshed-out and understandable character. He disguises himself as an elf named Annatar and sows discord amongst their kind, pushing them to continue forging more rings of power, by which he hopes to rule the whole of the land.

Sauron/Annatar is at his essence a master of deception, and that web of lies can even ensnare himself. Like many of real history’s great evildoers, he has convinced himself of the purity of his intent, even if it involves sordid methods to achieve.

Similarly, Adar, the leader of the uruk aka orcs and a fallen elf, takes on a bigger and more sympathetic role in the second season. (Sam Hazeldine assumes the part from Joseph Mawle.) He truly considers the orcs to be his children, even if he is willing to sacrifice many of them to gain their freedom — from Sauron, who wants to enslave them, and the “noble” races of Middle-Earth, who consider them a scourge.

You might be surprised that The Stranger (Daniel Weyman), who literally fell to earth with no memory of himself but was clearly displaying some wizard-like powers, takes something of a back seat in season 2. He and Harfoot aka hobbit friend Nori (Markella Kavenagh) continue their journey into the far east of Rhûn to find answers about his true identity.

Though it doesn’t take up a lot of screen time, I found fascinating this chance to delve deeper into the story of the five Istari sent as guardians to Middle-Earth, two of whom are dismissed in Tolkien’s text as having gone east and were never heard from again.

We get to meet some eastern counterparts to the Harfoots, the Stoors. Also look for a surprise-ish appearance by another key Tolkien figure under-represented in the films. I’ll say no more.

Activities in the Southlands are also pushed more in the background this time, and the parts there focus mainly on Isildur (Maxim Baldry), a prince of Númenor who was presumed dead and inadvertently left behind. He has various adventures and encounters, including a love interest in mysterious refugee Astrid (Jane Montgomery Griffiths).

Also look for various derring-do pop-up appearances from elven warrior Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova), doing some acrobatic parkour-type stunts.

Speaking of the island kingdom of Númenor, there’s a slow-burn rebellion afoot as Queen Regent Miriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson), rendered blind during the last season, is seen as diminished by royal schemers, chiefly Pharazôn (Trystan Gravelle), who’s got the villainous arched eyebrows to prove it. Noble sea captain Elendil (Lloyd Owen), and also father of Isildur, finds himself called to choose where his loyalty is bestowed.

The whole island affair has a very Games of Throne-y appeal.

In the dwarf mountain kingdom of Khazad-dûm, Prince Durin (Owain Arthur, overacting a bit for my tastes), continues to vie with his obstinate father (Peter Mullan) over helping their allies rather than hoarding gold and mithril. He gains support, emotional and logistical, from wife Disa (Sophia Nomvete), an influential “stone singer” priestess.

The real action in season 2, though, is in the elf lands, especially Eregion. Here famed smith Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards), having forged the three rings aimed at healing the elves’ fraying spiritual/magical ties to Middle-Earth, is encouraged by Annatar to do the same for dwarves and men. Their relationship is a study in how friendship can be perverted into something controlling and abusive.

(It is in their contest that that the show departs most sharply from Tolkien’s writings.)

Galadriel and Elrond (Robert Aramayo), once great friends, find themselves increasingly at odds in how to bring the fight to Sauron, vying for influence with quixotic King Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker). Elrond considers the rings too dangerous to use, but the other two believe they have the strength and wisdom to fight Sauron’s corrupting influence.

For all these many characters and storylines, the showrunners, writers and directors of “Rings of Power” do a good job in their pacing and narrative reveals. Rather than having lots of back-and-forth edits, individual episodes tend to focus on two to three of the main storylines at a time. It’s a wise choice, giving the storytelling space to unfold and breathe rather than having a lot of short “check-in” scenes.

It’s also notable that season 2 significantly ratchets up the battles, and the blood. It’s rated TV-14, but I’d say definitely bumping up on the harder edge of that. There are burnings, beatings, stabbings and eye gougings galore.

I wouldn’t call it egregious, but it lends the show a grittier, more earthbound tone.

I’d say Clark, Vickers are Chambers are the standouts of season 2 as Galadriel, Sauron and Celebrimbor, respectively. Really, the theme of this season is seduction, the way in which people pursue power and manipulate others to attain it. Whether you’re the seducer or the seduced, what becomes clear is this fey energy changes a person forever.

I suppose it’s a little weird at first to grasp Sauron, previously only depicted as a disembodied eye or spike-armored goliath in brief flashbacks, as a flesh-and-blood figure. But by making him charismatic rather than forbidding, it attests to his own long journey into the deeper darkness.

You’ll also get plenty of callouts to the feature films and other bits ‘n’ pieces of the Tolkien realm… which I’ll not reveal here to retain the lovely serendipity.

I get there are plenty of people who might read this review and dismiss “Rings of Power” as overly dense geek culture jankery — streaming Dungeons & Dragons fare. Personally I don’t think it’s any less accessible than the LOTR/Hobbit films or “Game of Thrones” shows, so if you like stuff I’m betting you’ll go for this, too.

For me, Season 2 is a major evolution/enhancement of the show. There reportedly are three more seasons planned, and “Rings of Power” appears to be taking its time, carefully mapping out a grand many-houred epic. You don’t have to be a servant of the secret fire to appreciate that.