The Rings of Power Season 2 Can Finally Undo the Debut Season’s One Glaring Failure, Showrunners’ New Revelations Hint
- Showrunners of The Rings of Power teased character growth for one of the fan-favorite characters.
- The Rings of Power makers hear, read and understand the feedback from the audience.
- J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay says their vision for upcoming season aligns with J. J. R. Tolkien's vision.
Developed by J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is an action-adventure fantasy television series. The series is based the primarily material from the appendices of J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel The Lord of the Rings. The events in the series are set about a thousand years before the major events of Middle-earth’s Second Age.
The first season premiered in September 2022 on Amazon Prime and received mixed responses from the audience and the critics. The viewers and critics were divided upon Tolkein’s connection with the series, along with criticizing its overall structure. Ahead of season two’s premiere, the showrunner talks about what the audience can expect.
The Rings of Power show-runners tease character growth for Galadriel
Ahead of the release of season two of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay spoke to SFX Magazine, where they revealed what the audience can expect in season two. Talking about a particular character, Galadriel, played by Morfydd Clark, showrunners stated,
One thing we love about Galadriel is what a hero she is. In season one, she’s so sure. I think all of us have been there before, where there’s something we’re just so confident about and we’re chasing it with every fiber of our being. For her, that certainty and pride end up unwittingly bringing about the very restoration of the evil that she’s trying to fight and stamp out. That’s such a horrifying thing for her.
Season one ends with the revelation that Halbrand had been Sauron all along, and she helped him hold to the seat of power. McKay shares with the publication that she will be dealing with all those emotions and feelings in season 2. He added that she is finally going to accept her responsibility and face the darkest part of herself to overcome it.
In an interview with Collider, Payne shared,
Definitely, some things speed up in Season 2 because we’ve cast a lot of the show. So, that process is a little further this time around.
The showrunner also revealed that they wrote season 2 largely before season one came out, but the second season was produced after the first came out. He added they learned about the show after seeing and reading the feedback from the viewers, which they considered while working on improving the upcoming season.
Season 2 of The Ring of Power committed to J.R.R. Tolkien’s vision
During a conversation with Collider, the showrunners acknowledged that the upcoming season is committed to author J.R.R. Tolkien’s vision. It’s one of the things that fans had previously complained about when season one premiered. The series holds a 38% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, compared to 83% from critics. Payne said,
It empowers you to see what people respond to, and it’s always obvious; people respond to J.R.R. Tolkien. That is why Tolkien is what, next to the Bible and the Quran, reaches readers around the world with the number of copies sold. So let’s double down on Tolkien and go back to those things that draw people in.
McKay added to the conversation that they had a plan and they were going to stick to it as they have to do what they believe in. The duo is hopeful that the upcoming season’s approach will ensure that the series remains grounded in rich lore and timeless themes.
The duo mentioned that season two is going to be even more ambitious, and fans can look forward to a dependent exploration of Middle-earth’s Second Age.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 premieres on August 29th, 2024.
