Rings Of Power Season 2’s “Edgier” Tease Proves Prime Video Still Doesn’t Know Its Audience
Rings of Power’s director has teased an “edgier” season 2, and though Middle-earth can certainly be dark, trendy and edgy isn’t the way to go.
One of the directors of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has teased an “edgier” season 2, further proving that Prime Video doesn’t get its audience. Though successful overall, Amazon’s Lord of the Rings prequel series has been highly divisive, most notably because of how it diverts Tolkien’s canon. Considering the established tone of past screen adaptations set in Middle-earth, the news about changes to Rings of Power season 2 indicates that such complaints will only grow more prominent.
Season 1 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power quickly became one of Prime Video’s most-watched series, so it’s no surprise that season 2 is on the way. Set thousands of years before Lord of the Rings, in the Second Age of Middle-earth, the show follows events outlined in The Silmarillion and the appendices of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. However, since Tolkien only vaguely described much of this (and because Prime Video’s rights are limited), Rings of Power has taken some creative liberties. Now, it seems further changes are coming in season 2.
Rings Of Power Director Says Season 2 Will Be “Edgier”
Charlotte Brändström, who directed two episodes of The Rings of Power season 1 and four episodes in season 2, revealed in an interview (via Screen Rant) that the upcoming episodes would be “darker” and “edgier” than those we’ve already seen. Though she couldn’t give specifics, such a tonal shift gives cause for concern. Season 1 had plenty of dark moments, and it could be assumed that this would continue as Rings of Power sees Sauron grow in strength and begin passing out his titular rings. However, the word “edgy” carries a different sort of weight.
Edgy seems to be the goal of many modern TV series. A prime example is The Walking Dead, which found an outstanding balance of grit, controversy, and gruesomeness, all of which combine to give the series its “edgy” status. The world of superheroes is known for edgy content—Arrow, Jessica Jones, Gen V, The Umbrella Academy, and more all push limits in dark but trendy ways. It’s undoubtedly a surefire mood for a potential TV hit, but “edgy” is not a word often associated with Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings.
Tolkien’s Lord Of The Rings Stories Are Dark, But Not Edgy
The Lord of the Rings has always been full of dark themes. As beautiful and fantastical as Middle-earth is, evil was sewn into its core during the Music of the Ainur (thanks to Melkor), which meant darkness was bound to mount its ugly but somehow appealing head through every Age. Frodo’s own story is bitterly tragic since the evil and pain he experienced while carrying the One Ring to Mordor was so heavy he couldn’t shed it even years later. Still, this was nothing compared to the years in the Second Age in which Sauron held the One Ring—literally called the “Dark Days.”
While Tolkien’s world was poetically dark, “edgy” brings to mind a sort of trendiness that is contradictory to what this author considered art.
However, the words “dark” and “edgy” imply different things. While Tolkien’s world was poetically dark, “edgy” brings to mind a sort of trendiness that is contradictory to what this author considered art. The Rings of Power season 1 dabbled in such edginess slightly, such as when Galadriel battled the troll and blood splattered across the camera. Touches like this can be a lot of fun in a variety of different TV series, but it feels out of place in a screen adaptation of Tolkien’s works. For this reason, an edgier Rings of Power season 2 will likely frustrate many Lord of the Rings enthusiasts.
The Tone & Mood Of Middle-Earth Was One Of The Things Rings Of Power Season 1 Got Right
A lot of the criticism faced by The Rings of Power hasn’t been entirely fair. The series made some uncomfortable shifts and changes to Tolkien canon, but it was still great to return to the beauty and whimsy of Middle-earth. The mountains, forests, fields, and kingdoms were brought to the screen in all their fantastical and whimsical glory, and breathtaking locations like Valinor and Numenor were done excellent justice. In contrast, the growing evil in the Southlands (now Mordor) provided that perfect looming darkness of what was to come. The world was pretty balanced.
If The Rings of Power season 2 throws off this balance with too much edginess, Middle-earth could quickly become campy, which would be devastating for Prime Video. Despite the heavy criticism, it’s still possible for the Lord of the Rings prequel series to really impress Tolkien enthusiasts, but making Tolkien’s world feel like a joke isn’t the way to do it. Hopefully, “edgy” was simply a poor choice of words, and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 will simply see Sauron’s darkness spread further across Middle-earth. For now, the jury is still out.
