Welcome to the Season 2 recap of The Rings of Power, the hit show from Amazon. So nice they renewed it twice. Following the events of Season 1, SAURON HAS RETURNED! Middle-earth now faces its greatest villain of all time. Cast out by Galadriel, with no army or allies, the Dark Lord of many names must now rely on his own cunning to rebuild his strength and oversee the creation of the Rings of Power, which will allow him to RULE THEM ALL!
Welcome to Episode 1: Elven Kings Under the Sky
We begin with an origin of how Halbrand ends floating on a shipwreck and meeting Galadriel. His meeting with the Orcs, and Adar. His original plan to start conquering Middle-earth. Guess what—that went as well as Pippin showing common sense.
The fate of the Three Rings must be decided. Galadriel sees them as a way to stop the Dark Lord menace and save the Elves from extinction. Elrond, however, who I have dubbed the rational one, sees them as tools of the Dark Lord to bend the wills and hearts of the Elves and make them unwitting collaborators in his schemes. By all rights, a smart Elf would chuck the Rings into the nearest volcano, ideally via Eagles.
Sadly, once again, neither a volcano nor an Eagle was around to help rid the Elves of these cursed Rings. Elrond, who apparently drank his F*xk You juice, attempted to save the Elven High King Gil-galad from his desperation to save his people. And to save Galadriel from her guilt stemming from last season’s mistake of essentially leading Halbrand, now revealed to be Sauron, to their front door steps and letting him walk around with his shoes on. #Disrespectful.
Like one of many disappointments Elrond must face during his time on Middle-earth, the Rings are saved, and a new Elven Bling Brigade is born: Galadriel, Gil-galad, and Círdan, who Elrond entrusted to destroy the Rings. You see what outsourcing gets you. As the Rings ensorcel the Elves, the Brigade plans to use them to marshal forces against Sauron. The downside (yes it gets worse—all that was the upside): The High King does not trust Galadriel. Sauron’s rizz swayed her once and she shows little signs of being past it. It’s alright girl we all got red flags in our past. Galadriel doesn’t trust herself. And Elrond doesn’t trust a damn person at this point and would rather go back to his scrolls and Elven politics.
Despite their attempts to prepare and warn Middle-earth of Sauron—especially Celebrimbor, Ring-smithy extraordinaire—Sauron arrives at Eregion, with plans to craft more Rings of Power for Middle-earth.
