The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power reached the conclusion of its first season this week, and with many complaints from fans over canon issues, those who are sticking with the show will be pleased to know that season two will deliver a “more canonical story.” The Rings of Power has been a mixed blessing, with the show receiving many 1-star ratings from some die-hard fans of J.R.R. Tolkien’s world and do not like the changes that have been made to the world to let Prime Video tell the story they have the rights to tell. However, that could change in the second season, which is already filming.
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The Rings of Power generally remains accurate to the text of Tolkien, being based on the bare bones of the history of the Second Age of Middle-Earth but has needed to also include some misdirection and intrigue to keep some aspects of the story secret such as the creation of Mordor and the double switch reveal of Sauron and Gandalf. While the first season has taken characters and concepts of Tolkien’s and created a new interconnection between core events, the next season will be more accurate to Tolkien’s actual details. Speaking to THR, showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay explained that there will be much more focus on Tokien canon when the show returns. They said:
PAYNE: “Season one opens with: Who is Galadriel? Where did she come from? What did she suffer? Why is she driven? We’re doing the same thing with Sauron in season two. We’ll fill in all the missing pieces.”
MCKAY: “Sauron can now just be Sauron. Like Tony Soprano or Walter White. He’s evil, but complexly evil. We felt like if we did that in season one, he’d overshadow everything else. So the first season is like Batman Begins, and the The Dark Knight is the next movie, with Sauron maneuvering out in the open. We’re really excited. Season two has a canonical story. There may well be viewers who are like, ‘This is the story we were hoping to get in season one!’ In season two, we’re giving it to them.”
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While the first season of The Rings of Power had much to do in order to establish its characters and setting, the next season has plenty of scope on where it could go. With Sauron having found his way to the newly formed burnt lands of Mordor, he will likely begin work on building the fortress of Barad-dur, and there will likely be a focus on his rise to power. Also, there are a number of other storylines and teases to be dealt with, such as the “wizard” and his journey, the awakening of the Balrog, and the forging of more rings.
All of this could still be some time off though, as it has been suggested that the new season may not be ready to air for 2-3 years. While that is an improvement on the five years it has taken to deliver season 1, in a time when shows are usually churned out in just over a year, it shows the dedication to taking time and making sure that the show is as good as it can be when it comes to its effects and story. Whether the second season can deliver more positive reviews from audiences, to match the high praise received from critics for its first season, is something that only time will tell.
