Amazon Prime Video seems to have hit the nail on the head. The most expensive series in history, The Rings of Power, premiered on the platform in 2022, but it didn’t excite many people and led classic J.R.R. Tolkien fans to throw their hands in the air for a multitude of reasons.
However, the series’ second season has just been released on the platform, and surprisingly, it has even surpassed The House of the Dragon on Rotten Tomatoes. Everyone is raving about this season, but why exactly? Below are five reasons you will like it despite being a detractor of the first batch of episodes.
1. Darkness arrives in Middle Earth
If you found the first season too slow and lifeless, the second one will conquer you with its strength. With darkness spreading across Middle Earth, this new installment has many more doses of action, orcs, and the constant threat of Sauron. Seeing how his evil expands and how the characters face this imminent danger is a compelling reason to give it another chance. In fact, his character is very well constructed, as is Annatar’s.
2. A clearer and less confusing approach
The first season played with the mystery of who Sauron was, but now that his identity has been revealed, the plot has become more straightforward and much less confusing for the general audience. With the rings of power in the forge, the story moves forward with a clear purpose, making everything fit better. If you felt lost before, it’s easier to follow the course of events this time.
3. A more solid and better-structured script
Although the first season was criticized for its pace, the second one shows that everything was planned from the beginning. The pieces fit together, and the characters’ decisions now have a clear purpose. This improves the audience’s experience, showing that the series has a well-defined direction and that everything is part of a vast Swiss clock mechanism.
4. A spectacular production that continues to dazzle
Although we still miss New Zealand in the landscapes of the series, the visual quality remains impressive. The scenarios, costumes, and artistic direction maintain the cinematic level that made the first season famous. On this occasion, it is clear that the budget is well justified.
5. More action and less presentations
The first season was dedicated to establishing Tolkien’s vast world, which slowed down the narrative. But now, with the characters and territories already introduced, the series focuses on action and conflict. The second season fully immerses itself in the battle for Middle Earth, ensuring more excitement from the beginning.
