Like most TV shows, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 1 had a few major issues that kept it from reaching its full potential, but Season 2 could fix all of them and prove the series to be a top-tier fantasy project.
Before The Rings of Power Season 1 was released, it was one of the most anticipated television shows of all time. Initial viewership for its premiere (25 million viewers) only cemented that.
However, as the season went on, many fans grew increasingly frustrated with what they were seeing on-screen, and many felt as though the show was a bit of a letdown.
Every Major Issue With Rings of Power Season 1 and How They Can Be Fixed in Season 2
Underwhelming Writing and Bad Dialogue
One of the main complaints fans had with The Rings of Power Season 1 was the script, particularly when it came to dialogue.
Over the years, Lord of the Rings fans have grown accustomed to being gifted with incredibly rich dialogue and writing, whether that be from the feature films directed by Peter Jackson or J.R.R. Tolkien's literary works.
For example, Tolkien is widely regarded as one of the best writers of all time and is often praised for his prose and ability to completely grip the reader with every word.
Peter Jackson's movies (specifically the original Lord of the Rings trilogy) may not have been on the same level as the source material, but their scripts were still considered some of the best ever.
Important to mention is that Jackson was able to take full lines, sequences, and even full conversations from the books, a luxury that The Rings of Power doesn't have.
The Rings of Power is set in Middle-earth's Second Age and the book that explores most of that time period is The Silmarillion, which Amazon doesn't have the rights to.
So, The Rings of Power can't truly pull from the source material in the same way that The Lord of the Rings movies could, but Season 2 should still be a lot better in terms of writing.
For instance, showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay now have more experience under their belt regarding Tolkien lore and telling stories in Middle-earth, so that should definitely help.
It is also worth noting that, objectively, The Rings of Power's writing did get better as Season 1 progressed, and it almost felt as though the writers and showrunners were beginning to fully understand their characters.
Now that they have been able to look back on Season 1 and critique their own work, fans have to expect that they will tighten things up and bring a better product to Season 2.
Even though The Silmarillion can't be used, the writers could still look at Tolkien's strategies and dialogue and at least use some general takeaways to make the show's writing line up a little bit better with Tolkien's.
So, if The Rings of Power's writers use Tolkien's work as inspiration and apply some of his tendencies to their own characters and dialogue, and also look back and polish up their own work from Season 1 to ensure they don't make the same mistakes, fans won't have an issue with Season 2's writing or dialogue.
Character Arcs (Specifically Galadriel)
Many viewers instantly took to the internet when Season 1 was released to complain about Morfydd Clark's Galadriel and discuss how it didn't line up with Tolkien's version of the character at all.
Yes, seeing how different The Rings of Power's version of Galadriel was from the character in the books or in Peter Jackson's movies was a bit jarring at first. However, the show made it clear as Season 1 progressed that Galadriel would be entirely different.
To some fans, that remained an issue, but The Rings of Power has no need to make any changes to her character now because that would simply cause even more confusion and make her a less believable character.
Instead, what could be done in Season 2 and beyond is to slowly change Galadriel through her experiences until she is molded into the character fans see in the future of the timeline.
It is important to remember that thousands of years take place between when The Rings of Power is set and the main story with Frodo and the One Ring, so Galadriel is not going to be the same person from one project to the next.
However, it was a bit of an issue in Season 1 that she did not have much character development, especially considering all that happened to her.
Galadriel's character development is something that the show could start to fix right off the bat in Season 2, though, since Sauron revealed himself to her in the Season 1 finale.
In Season 1, Galadriel was so focused on finding Sauron and taking revenge for what he did to her and her family that it blinded her from seeing that he was right beside her the entire time.
If Season 2 starts with a Galadriel who is obviously affected by what she endured in Season 1, then that will be a good indicator that the show is on the right track to fix the character development issue she had in Season 1.
If done right, Galadriel will continue to be changed by her experiences, and, by the end of the entire series, she will look a lot more like the Galadriel that fans grew to love in the Third Age.
Diverting From the Source Material
As mentioned, The Rings of Power is in a bit of a difficult place since it can't adapt events from The Silmarillion or other works that aren't included in The Lord of the Rings appendices.
However, season 1 of the show still made some major changes that many fans didn't care for.
Crafting new plotlines and even introducing new characters isn't an issue at all, and many fans have to understand that the show's canon and the book's canon are totally different from one another.
However, it would likely benefit The Rings of Power a bit more if its characters and plotlines followed the source material a little closer.
For example, the show could portray certain characters like Sauron a bit more like he was in the books rather than just a new character.
Obviously, Sauron's arc in Season 1 as Halbrand was intentional so that he could throw Galadriel off, but even after he revealed himself in the Season 1 finale, he seemed a little too much like a cliche fantasy villain.
In the books, Sauron is obviously ruthless and hungry for power but is also so intelligent and cunning that he almost always gets what he wants.
Now that fans know Sauron's identity, the show could really begin diving into him as a character and make him seem more like the character he was in the books.
Based on the trailers and TV spots that have been released for Season 2, Sauron and the rest of the show will follow the source material a bit closer.
For example, without getting into any spoilers, Sauron and Celebrimbor's complicated relationship will undoubtedly be fleshed out on-screen, and the forging of the Rings of Power will also occur in the season.
Bad Pacing and Uneven Plotlines
One aspect of storytelling that The Rings of Power struggled with in Season 1 was the pacing when all of the plotlines were separate.
Near the end of the season, a lot of different plotlines finally converged, and the pacing got exponentially better, but in the first few episodes when they were all apart, it felt as though some plotlines were moving on so much smoother and quicker than others, which ultimately translated to a tough viewing experience.
However, it is important to remember that to have good pacing doesn't mean each plotline should get the same amount of time.
For example, the Harfoot plot could only get six minutes of screen time in an episode whereas Elrond's plot receives 25 minutes, but, if they are both paced correctly, they could each move the overall story forward just as much as the other.
In Season 1, some plotlines felt drug out because it seemed as though some characters were getting unnecessary screen time, which then made other plotlines feel as though they were moving too fast.
Season 2 needs to find the perfect balance in pacing and time allotted for each plotline, because, if it does, the show as a whole will feel so much better than it did in Season 1.
Rings of Power Season 2 Release Date Schedule of Episodes Announced
The Rings of Power Season 1 is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video, and Season 2 will premiere with its first three episodes on Friday, August 30.
Read more about The Rings of Power:
The Rings of Power Season 2 Gets Historic Rating
The Rings of Power Season 2 Trailer Gets Dislike-Bombed for 1 Unfortunate Reason
Is Rings of Power Season 2 the Only Lord of the Rings Project In Development?
