The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powerseason 1 attracted over 150 million global viewers, but there are still some harsh realities to rewatching it two and a half years later.The Rings of Powerseason 1ending dropped the bombshell of one of the season’s main characters - Halbrand - actually being Sauron. This very character is exactly who the season’s other main character, Galadriel, had been looking for the whole season. It was controversial for many reasons, creating complex flaws more evident on a rewatch than they may have been on the first watch.
The Rings of Powerseason 2saw Sauron turn from his Halbrand persona, which was an original character, to his Annatar persona, which was fully canonical. First introduced inThe Silmarillion, the 1977 compilation ofLord of the Ringsmyths and legends, Annatar led a remarkably faithful arc with the Elf Celebrimbor. Comparing this faithfulness to season 1 reveals some interesting and harsh realities about it, although some may argue against that. Through varying opinions,Rings of Powerseason 1 definitely made waves inThe Lord of the Ringsfandom and among new fans.
10Season 1 Didn’t Pay Enough Attention To Celeborn’s Disappearance
The Rings Of Power Season 1 Erased Celeborn
Celeborn was absent fromThe Rings of Powerseason 1, which was frustrating. Inthe world ofLord of the Ringscreated by J.R.R. Tolkien in his landmark novel,Celeborn was married to Galadrielfrom some point in the First Age. And yet, Celeborn was mysteriously absent from Amazon’s show, despite Galadriel being its main character. Instead of frolicking around with Celeborn, Galadriel was hanging out with Halbrand.
Galadriel revealed that Celeborn had gone to fight and had not been seen again.
The chemistry Galadriel had with Halbrand raised the question of whetherLotR’sGaladriel would love again if she lost Celeborn, considering thatCeleborn was mysteriously missingafter going to war in the show. In season 1, this was revealed during a conversation between Galadriel and Theo, whereby Galadriel revealed that Celeborn had gone to fight and had not been seen again. It felt like an afterthought, and long after season 2 ended, it still does.
9The Rings Of Power Season 1 Ignored How Finrod Was Reborn
Finrod’s Death In Rings Of Power Was A Little Confusing
The Rings of Powernever addressed how Finrod was reborn, which could have changed the story completely.Finrod was Galadriel’s brother inThe Lord of the Rings, but he had a very limited role inThe Rings of Power. Nonetheless, it was critical. That’s why it was strange that his death wasn’t followed up with its canonical rebirth in any way. Galadriel was motivated by his death in season 1.
Finrod was reborn in Valinor, and in the show, at least, travel from there to Middle-earth and back wasn’t exactly commonplace.
It was what drove her to chaseRings of Power’sSauronup and down Middle-earth. So, if the show had brought him back, her motivation would have disappeared, or at least eased. It was fair enough, to a certain extent, given that Finrod was reborn in Valinor, and in the show, at least, travel from there to Middle-earth and back wasn’t exactly commonplace. Regardless,it was a strange reality to have ignoredinRings of Powerseason 1.
8Adar’s Characterization Was Confusing At Times In Rings Of Power Season 1
Adar Was Inconsistent In Rings Of Power Season 1
Adar and his origins inRings of Powerwere one of the best parts of the whole show, but his characterization was a little frustrating throughout season 1. One second, he was Adar by name and nature, representing the translation of his name into the word “father.” Butthe father of the Orcs wasn’t always so fatherly, and occasionally tortured his Uruk “children” just to make a point to them.
It seemed like Adar was being presented as a classic villain inThe Rings of Powerseason 1, self-righteously seeking world domination with a supposedly just cause. Justifying the means of indiscriminate cruelty with the end of giving the Orcs a home seemed to be the direction that the show was taking Adar. But then,he showed signs of being some kind of heroic leader. The show definitely gave mixed messages about how the audience was meant to feel about this complex character.
7It Wasn’t Very Clear Why The Elves Decided To Make Three Rings
The Three Elven-Rings Were A Bit Of A Mystery In Rings Of Power Season 1
The three Elven-rings inLord of the Ringswere interestingly portrayed inThe Rings of Power, bordering on terribly and brilliantly at the same time.They were beautifully madeand gorgeously represented the rings as they seemed in lore. And it fit into the story well, somehow, that Galadriel had to give up her dagger to make them. The imagery of the Elves wearing their rings together was beautiful.
Galadriel
However, the Three were unfaithfully placed intoThe Lord of the Ringstimeline. They were made last of all the rings in canon, but first in the show. While this didn’t make too much of a difference, materially, it annoyed some fans. But more to the point,it seemed totally random how the Elves arrived at the conclusion of making threeinstead of one. Galadriel’s only explanation was that it created balance, but this wasn’t explained fully.
6Elrond Sometimes Seemed A Bit Too Young
Robert Aramayo Was Good As Elrond, But Sometimes Seemed A Little Young
With audiences used to the inimitable Hugo Weaving as Elrond,Robert Aramayo sometimes seemed a little young in the role. The show was always going to face unfair comparisons toPeter Jackson’sThe Lord of the Ringsmovies, and perhaps this was one of them. And, indeed, he did appear to fit the role of the young diplomat, not yet a warrior. Now he is becoming a warrior, it seems his innocence will fade.
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This could be a great look for Aramayo as Elrond, his youthful cheer soon set to fade from existence inRings of Powerseason 3, with all his upcoming responsibilities. However,one still wonders if a more warrior-looking type would have fit the bill better. In the battles of season 2, a bigger, older, gruffer-looking man might have seemed more dangerous and fit the knightly medieval role better.
5Sauron Could Have Been Annatar From The Start
Halbrand’s Inclusion Was A Debatable Necessity In Rings Of Power
Halbrand was one of the most important parts ofThe Rings of Powerseason 1, without a doubt, buthe may have been unnecessarily unfaithful to the source material. Although he provided good television, ultimately, audiences tuned intoThe Rings of Powerto watch an adaptation ofLord of the Rings’Second Age. This character obviously turned out to be the main character of the whole show - Sauron himself.
However, why he had to parade around using the persona of a human man called Halbrand wasn’t clear to many. It seemed he had been introduced to tempt Galadriel to the dark side with his romantic charm, providing the dramatic tension of having been under her nose all along. While this offered brilliant drama,Halbrand could have easily been replaced with Annatar in this storyline, while Galadriel could have been replaced with Celebrimbor. It would have been more faithful and more radical at the same time.
4Adapting Content From The Silmarillion Requires Inventing Lots Of Dialogue
Silmarillion Adaptations Are Destined To Be Misunderstood
The Silmarillionprovided a backing set of myths toThe Lord of the Ringsnovel, published in three parts between 1954 and 1955, but it didn’t provide a lot of dialogue for adaptations to go off. Nor did it provide a lot of vivid or graphic descriptions of character appearances or psychological states.It gave, basically, a historical timeline of events across various millenniathat zoomed into specific stories.
This made it very hard forThe Rings of Powerto adapt it to a degree of faithfulness that sat well with most people. Unfaithfulness to the source material was one of the most controversial aspects of the series. There were indeed some elements of the show’s diversion from canon that didn’t seem to serve the story, but much of the show’s original material fit it quite well. However, given the source material, the show, along with any other media adaptingThe Silmarillion, was always going to have an uphill battle.
3Tolkien Would Have Hated The Sauron & Galadriel Romance Tease
Galadriel Wouldn’t Have Contemplated Sauron Romantically In The Books
God threw Sauron and Galadriel together inRings of Power, which was pretty much wholly conflictive of these two characters, the way that J.R.R. Tolkien wrote them.Sauron hated Elves and saw Galadriel as his greatest adversary, in many ways. Galadriel was bent on hunting Sauron and symbolized light and purity, carrying a lot of Christian symbology around the Virgin Mary.
Therefore, it was quite out of character to have Sauron and Galadriel fall for each other inRings of Powerseason 1, even if Galadriel didn’t know it was him she was falling for. To the show’s credit, its romance tease was not unfounded -Lord of the Ringsimplied a hidden history between the twoin how Sauron had been reaching for her mind for a long time, and how they met in Eregion, and Galadriel suspected his true identity but let him stay. This intriguing mystery gives the show’s outlandish romance tease some support, but it remains controversial for good reason.
2Rings Of Power Season 1 Would Have Been Better With More Rights To Tolkien’s Work
The Rings Of Power Would Have Benefited From Full Rights To The Silmarillion
The Rings of Powerhad full rights toThe HobbitandThe Lord of the Rings, but would have been better off with full rights toThe Silmarillionas well. The show has the rights to adapt these two books into a TV series, while Peter Jackson and Warner Bros. have movie rights to the same two books.Only the Tolkien Estate has the rights toThe Silmarillion, but they are reluctant to give them away.
The Rings of Powergot one-off rights to certain parts of the legendarium as needed, including parts ofThe Silmarillion.
This is understandable, considering that it wasn’t edited and published while Tolkien was alive. Tolkien left his son, Christopher, to do this, so Tolkien wasn’t able to decide on the final cut himself. To Christopher Tolkien’s credit, not only was he, by far, the greatest expert on his father’s work alive, probably, but he also transparently published all the regrets he had about his final cut in another book series. Regardless,the book’s infamously elusive rights would have benefited the show.
1Choosing Galadriel As The Main Character Was Partially Commercially Motivated
Galadriel Was A Curious Main Character Choice For Rings Of Power
Considering that the Second Age material laid out by J.R.R. Tolkien mostly happened inThe Silmarillion,Galadriel was a strange choice for a main character. Although the show didn’t have the rights toThe Silmarillion, it evidently set out to tell its stories, relying on the outlines of them offered inThe Lord of the Rings’appendices and one-off rights to certain parts of it. But Galadriel wasn’t a huge part ofThe Silmarillion.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powerprobably knew the value of using a well-known character as its lead - it would draw numbers.
She featured, without a doubt, but her main role in the legendarium was inThe Lord of the Rings. She had a fascinating cameo inUnfinished Tales. But many of the starring roles ofThe Silmarillionstill popped up inThe Lord of the Rings’appendices and could have been used in the show. Celebrimbor would have been a great focus from the start. ButThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powerprobably knew the value of using a well-known character as its lead - it would draw numbers.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
Cast
Set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power explores the forging of the iconic rings, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, and the epic events leading up to the stories in J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic novels. The series chronicles the creation of legendary characters and the historic alliances and rivalries that shape the fate of Middle-earth.
