The Rings of Power season 2 sounds like it will be quite different from the show’s first outing, but the promised change in tone risks making the Lord of the Rings show feel like the wrong fantasy franchise. Amazon’s Lord of the Rings series has been a divisive addition to the lineup of J.R.R. Tolkien adaptations. However, the show will get another chance to win viewers over when The Rings of Power season 2 premieres later this year. It can accomplish this by evaluating what’s working and what isn’t, then making changes accordingly.
Given The Rings of Power season 1’s ending — and the inevitable outcome outlined in Tolkien’s writings — viewers can anticipate some big changes coming to Middle-earth. Sauron’s return and the creation of Mordor are sure to have lasting impacts on the fantasy world and its characters. This will, naturally, translate to a very different feeling in The Rings of Power season 2. The director has already confirmed a tone change for the Amazon series. However, the show should avoid leaning too heavily into this; otherwise, it might start to feel like a different property entirely.
The Rings Of Power Season 2 Shouldn’t Lean Too Heavily Into Its “Edgier” Tone
Overdoing The Shift Could Lead To Bigger Problems
Director Charlotte Brändström confirmed a tonal shift in The Rings of Power season 2, suggesting the coming episodes will be darker than the first batch. During an interview with Jonatan Blomberg from MovieZine, Brändström revealed that season 2 will be “more gritty” and “edgier” than season 1. This is to be expected after what happened to the Southlands in the first outing. However, it would be a mistake to lean too heavily into this “edgier” tone, and doing so could backfire in the long run. If The Rings of Power doesn’t approach this change with care, it could receive even more backlash than before.
For one, tonally inconsistent TV shows have a tendency to be poorly received by viewers. If The Rings of Power eases into its tonal change and keeps the brighter spots of the story, it should be able to avoid this problem. By contrast, if it depends too much on a darker story to draw viewers, totally abandoning season 1’s tone in the process, it could make the narrative feel uneven. And adopting a grittier tone also presents another issue for the Amazon series: it could feel like a totally different franchise, alienating disappointed Lord of the Rings fans even further.
An Edgy Tone Misses The Point Of The Lord Of The Rings Franchise
The Lord Of The Rings Isn’t Meant To Be As Dark As Game Of Thrones
While The Lord of the Rings books and their adaptations have their darker moments, the overall franchise isn’t meant to be gritty or edgy. At its core, The Lord of the Rings is about finding hope and light in the face of darkness. Tolkien’s books never lose sight of this fact, nor do Peter Jackson’s movies. It’s possible The Rings of Power will strike the right balance to keep this at the story’s center. However, embracing a darker tone is still risky. If the Amazon series leans too far into this type of storytelling, it could start to feel like another fantasy franchise altogether.
Many fantasy TV shows are embracing grittier narratives nowadays, mostly thanks to Game of Thrones’ success with a similar approach. But while shows like Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon benefit from a consistently dark story, The Rings of Power probably won’t. Given the vastly different themes of The Lord of the Rings franchise, a too-edgy take doesn’t make as much sense for the Amazon series. And with so many fantasy shows attempting to be the “next Game of Thrones,”The Rings of Power has the chance to stand out in this regard. Hopefully, it doesn’t squander that trying to use what works for other shows.
The Rings Of Power Had The Chance To Stand Out Amid Other Fantasy Franchises
The Amazon Show Could Have Set Itself Apart From Its Competition
Many fantasy shows have premiered since Game of Thrones took its final bow in 2019, and others debuted while the HBO show was still airing. Since Game of Thrones saw a wildly successful run, it’s not surprising some series are hoping to capitalize on the grittier storytelling that made it stand out. However, with so many fantasy shows embracing darker narratives as of late, The Rings of Power has a chance to set itself apart in a different way. Rather than leaning into the same tone, it could offer something more hopeful. This would be true to Tolkien’s works, and it would give the show a sense of originality.
This doesn’t mean The Rings of Power season 2 can’t have darker moments. In fact, it must inject some horrors into the narrative in order to demonstrate what’s at stake. Still, the overarching tone shouldn’t take a hit because of this. The Amazon series must find the right balance between bleak, hopeless moments and hints of hope. That’s something Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy got right, and it’s something The Rings of Power needs to accomplish in order to stay faithful to its franchise.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power brings to screens the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth’s history for the very first time. Set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, The Rings of Power will explore a time in the franchise where kingdoms rose and fell, where The One Ring itself was forged and tells the tale of the rise of the greatest foe in the Lord of the Rings Franchise, the Dark Lord Sauron. Beginning in a time of peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of familiar and new characters as they confront the long-feared reemergence of evil in Middle-earth. From the depths of the Misty Mountains to the forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the island kingdom of Númenor, to the farthest reaches of the map, The Rings of Power promises to condense the extended works of Tolkien in a condensed but all-encompassing TV show format. The first season of The Rings of Power began airing exclusively on Prime Video on September 2, 2022
- Cast
- Morfydd Clark , Ismael Cruz Cordova , Charlie Vickers , Markella Kavenagh , Megan Richards , Sara Zwangobani , Daniel Weyman , Cynthia Addai-Robinson , Lenny Henry , Lloyd Owen , Nazanin Boniadi , Dylan Smith , Alex Tarrant , Tyroe Muhafidin , Robert Aramayo , Geoff Morrell , Thusitha Jayasundera , Maxine Cunliffe
- Seasons
- 1
- Network
- amazon prime video
- Streaming Service(s)
- Amazon Prime Video
- Franchise(s)
- The Lord of the Rings
- Writers
- Patrick McKay , John D. Payne , J.R.R. Tolkien , Justin Doble , Jason Cahill , Gennifer Hutchison , Stephany Folsom , Nicholas Adams
- Directors
- J.A. Bayona , Sanaa Hamri
- Showrunner
- John D. Payne , Patrick McKay , Louise Hooper , Charlotte Brändström , Wayne Yip
