Detailed Breakdown of the Season 2 Teaser for LotR: The Rings of Power

At the end I did not really like the first season of Rings of Power. Too many plots were just absolutely nonsensical, to the point that I get angry thinking about them. Some others were actually decent, but it has still far too many problems and on top of that they too often go out of the way of to adapt what Tolkien actually wrote. I'm a book fan, but I also understand you might need som changes here there. But when the changes make no sense and generate too many plot holes, I feel at the end disappointed.
For season 2 they at last already got the plot going, so I expect an improvement over season 1, but I still think they will continue with strange changes and writing decisions. Here is what I observed so far from watching the teaser and what I can conclude from knowing the books quite well. I could be wrong though.
PS: I still hope the big season 2 reveal is, that Celebrimbor's dog dreamed everything so far and now we see how it actually happened 🤞
► Disclaimer:
I have permission of the artists to use their art works.
► Artwork and special thanks to:
Kimberly80 - deviantart.com...
Ted Nasmith - tednasmith.com
Jenny Dolfen Art - / jennydolfen or goldseven.word... - etsy.com/de/sh...
Sara Morello Art - deviantart.com...
Pete Amachree - artstation.com...
Niahti - artstation.com...
BeneF - deviantart.com...
Laura Tolton - deviantart.com...
Andrés Bertachini Art - / andresbertachiniart
Firat Solhan - www.artstation...
► Sources:
The Lord of The Rings (1954-1955) by J. R. R. Tolkien
The Silmarillion (1977)
The Hobbit (1937; 1951)
Unfinished Tales (1980)
The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien (1981)
The Peoples of Middle-earth (1996)
The War of The Jewels (1994)
The Book of Lost Tales Part Two (1984)
The Lost Road and Other Writings (1987)
The Shaping of Middle-earth (1986)
Morgoth's Ring (1993)
The Road Goes Ever On (1967) by J. R. R. Tolkien & Donald Swann
History of the Hobbit (2007)
The Nature of Middle-earth (2021)
TolkienGateway.net
Maps:
Amazon (John Howe)
Edited by: Murdo
Aman map by ThePhilosophersGames
► Mistakes:
- Círdan's actual name is Nowë in the lore. The text layer moved to the wrong text element and shows on every art work from Kimberly now. It should only show up left of the Círdan art work.
► Playlists:
If you are interested in Tolkien's legendary fantasy Epic The Lord of the Rings and his related works, here some recommendations:
Recommended Lore Videos - • Who are Tolkien's Wiza...
Book/Film Differences Series - • LotR Prologue Explaine...
► Time Codes:
Intro - 0:00
► Social Media:
The Philosopher's Games / TPhGames / TPhLore aka Chris
KZbin (Main): / thephilosophersgames
Gaming Channel - / tphgames
Twitch Channel - / thephilosophersgames
Twitter (@PhilosophGames): / philosophgames
Discord Server - / discord
► Of Games and Rings Podcast:
Spotify - open.spotify.c...
Others see: linktr.ee/TPhG...
#RingsOfPower #LotR #Lore

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Keep it civil in the comments, I need to sleep 😅 How did you like the trailer/teaser? Shout-outs to the artists (Kimberly80 and Ted Nasmith; links in the description)

[@aresaurelian]

Thank you, Chris. I think Rings of Power - Season 2 will converge all plot holes and loose ends into a coherent lore accurate experience. I am excited for it either way. This is going to be a year to remember.

[@christianefiorito3204]

I like the Orks

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

@aresaurelian I wish I had your optimism. Though I think (now that the story can actually "start"), that the show might really improve, but I still have quite some scepticism left.

[@Mitch-nx2ic]

​@@aresaurelianThat is the funniest obviously a joke I've heard today.

[@alexkats30]

I think that black sludge may be the tree sickness conjured by Sauron to trick the elves

[@otwk]

When I saw the scene at 21:43, with Annatar in Eregion and Celebrimbor with his guards, my first thought was that it is during the siege, when Sauron came back to Eregion (so it would be Celebrimbor's last stand). After all, at the time, Sauron still personally led his armies, and Celebrimbor potentially fought him directly: "Celebrimbor, desperate, himself withstood Sauron on the steps of the great door of the Mírdain; but he was grappled and taken captive, and the house was ransacked."

[@christianefiorito3204]

It looks a bot like Sauron as the necromancer

[@kevinfelix2543]

I have to admit, the visuals, locations like the design of numenor and some of the character acting like durin and elrond were the highlights. However, the writing was pretty terrible in places. Rewriting lore like the whole origin of mithril is never a good sign.

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Yes, but even without rewriting the lore, the plot is often not well written and thought through. Like the whole story about the black sword hilt and then it's a key to let water out of the dam? And on top of it they still need to dig a (and I'm not exaggerating, I double checked it in the Atlas of Middle-earth) over 100 miles (160+km) long trench? That also has to go uphill and has to get deeper and deeper as a result? That is stuff where I scratch my head. And it's also not a minor plot point. They could not have just destroyed the dam? Cut to Season 2, now the Orcs have catapults 😅 So if they change stuff, it better makes sense, but that it sadly not always the case. I agree though, I liked Durin/Elrond, pretty much all the actors, the visuals, sets, etc. You can see that some people work on the show, who care about the lore and put in many cool details, but the writing and overall vision for season 1 plot wise, was a huge let down =/

[@kevinfelix2543]

​@@ThePhilosophersGames I couldn’t agree more. The fade from Southlands to Mordor at the end of the last episode extinguished any hope I had for the show. When I watched the trailer for season 2, the hairpiece for Sauron as Annatar made me eye roll 🙄. It doesn’t look convincing, especially if they’re trying to course-correct. How could Celeb not recognize Sauron in disguise after his reveal during the making of the rings in season 1? It’s funny, I would almost compare it to a Transformers film. It looks great, but the plot is usually paper-thin. It relies on visuals to carry the weight instead of a compelling, character-driven narrative and plot. The showrunners should have asked themselves who Galadriel is and how she evolves from the beginning of season one to the end. But they clearly didn’t, because she doesn’t change at all. She’s irrational, which doesn’t align with her character. She’s six thousand years old-she should act like it, not like an angry high school student having a bad day.

[@reflectiverambling1148]

I'm sorry you feel pressured to cover something you don't enjoy :( *hugs* Bless you for doing such a coverage the other day. Sadly, I wasn't around to join in.

[@Crazy_Talk96]

Yeah i feel for Chris. Im not trying to hate the actors of the show but they double down on their cringe and everything they talk about doesnt have to do lord of the rings. Its sad.

[@reflectiverambling1148]

@@Crazy_Talk96 There are a lot of things I loved about it TBH, but there are things I was dissatisfied with and I can absolutely see why people wouldn't enjoy it. I just hate to see anyone do something because they feel like they should even if it doesn't invigorate them.

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

no it's not that bad. I'm also curious what they will do in season 2, I'm just still sad that season 1 was that good. I have zero desire to re-watch it ever again. I'm not sad I covered it and I also gave it a fair chance, but in the end the writing was too flawed. I will give season 2 a fair chance as well, but they also have to convince me, that they improved. So this time my comment will be a bit more negative, though I will try to don't go over board with it.

[@reflectiverambling1148]

@@ThePhilosophersGames tbh as 'positive' as I've been if there aren't writing improvements I mean I won't take it 'personally' as they don't /know/ me but I will feel a little betrayed just because it's people like us who were in middle of the negativity. We didn't have a choice to listen or just do our own thing. I think they owe it to both their supporters and themselves as a /production company/ not to let opinion completely sway their overarching vision, but to at least listen to things that weren't working. There is a difference between catering to an audience and wanting to improve your art where production flaws are seen. And there is one element that I'm sure I'm the only one who cares as much about this as I do... but they already they are going to have to have intentionally been misleading in the trailer/behind the scenes and not take a most obvious route or I am going to be a rage monster and completely unapproachable for a while.

[@Enerdhil]

Hobbits, "maybe they play a smaller part in Season 2." No pun intended?😂

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

😂 I wish I had noticed it. I like puns. But it was late and stressful making this long video so fast. So not much time to think of puns.

[@Enerdhil]

@@ThePhilosophersGames Great pun!😁👍

[@geir8849]

I really like to watch your videos about rings of power. No matter how good or bad you analyse great in the context of the original works and I hope you give season 2 a real chance. I also struggled with season 1, but look forward to season 2 still.

[@christianefiorito3204]

Even if I might not watch the show I will watch Vhris excellent analysis

[@x0UncleSam0x]

02:30 the show doesn't say he was killed, Adar says so.. he could be lying. In fact Galadriel tells him he didn't kill Sauron.... Also, iirc the lore doesn't specify whether Sauron was heavily injured and then rematerialized himself in the early second age. A show will obviously have to add some stuff, doesn't make it necessarily break with lore

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Halbrand was a bit too mad at Adar for that to be not true - I think

[@mattcoles72]

I'm a Tolkien superfan but by no means an expert. I'm slightly optimistic that something said by Galadriel in the trailer indicates that at least some of season 2 will be set before (or at least at the same time as) season 1. This might be able to undo some of the more obvious lore breaks in season 2. Possible that the other rings were created before the 3 we saw in season 1? I wonder if the Dwarfs may fight and push back the Balrog, and have a long term stand-off with it. Or they have their own areas. Then the rings inflame their greediness and they later become too greedy, and delve too deep. And reawaken the now rightfully annoyed Balrog. I personally dont think that would be a hideous lore breach.

[@ChtistianeFiorito-qc6hh]

Looking forward to long discussions after the review. Even if the show is bad we will have fun discussing

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Yes same 😄

[@Enerdhil]

I think Celebrimbor's dog 🐶 was barking up the wrong tree.

[@JoesCornerstadios]

Squirel

[@Enerdhil]

@@JoesCornerstadios That sneaky Sauron shape-shifting again.🙄

[@swright8566]

The tower depicted in the trailer was I believe the same tower Galadriel and Co visited in Episode 1 of season 1 called Durnost so no, it isn't Angmar. Also, this is an adaptation much like LotR and The Hobbit movies deviated from lore.

[@esecarolus]

This is just like the show foundation at apple tv: the show runners took the characters and a very general idea of what the story is about: everything else they just invented or changed drastically. You can already tell by looking at the trailer that that’s how is going to be like. I will watch the first episode. Will I actually enjoy it? I sincerely doubt it. If by the end of episode one this show is not correcting its flaws I recommend simply boycotting it by not watching or talking about it anymore

[@evangelospaschopoulos9199]

It looks like there are some black clad forms in the background in the scene where the elves prepare to fight, are those the Nazgul?

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

good observation. Though lore wise it would be too early for Nazgûl to appear, the show might go a different route 😅

[@crabberdabberye]

They’re wights, similar to the barrow-wights from the books. They’re evil spirits which have possessed a corpse.

[@user-jf4if6vx9e]

oh god not this again

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

It has began [dramatic music] ... again. I also hoped I would have more time until the next season of the show starts, like 2147 or something 😅

[@kosarnikcheh172]

Seriously 😃 3 episodes at 29th of August 😍 if it's ture then that's awesome ❤❤❤❤ Thank you so much 😇🙏🌹

[@JoesCornerstadios]

Wigs of power

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

haha 😂

[@jonathanhubbard3334]

Your content is so far superior to a lot of stuff on this platform. Keep it up, my friend.

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you, much appreciated ^^

[@Halafas]

The moment you are complaining about is obviously the moment when Sauron is entering Eregion and Celebrimbor tries to defend the rings and he will be captured. Straight from the books.

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

But when Sauron enters the city getting the Rings back, he has not to disguise himself as Annatar anymore. Tolkien even wrote, that Sauron had some trouble with his Annatar form, because some of the Orcs laughed at him for it, which delayed growing his armies. "But not until Mordor and the Barad-dûr were ready could he allow them to come out of hiding, while the Eastern Orcs, who had not experienced the power and terror of the Eldar, or the valour of the Edain, were not subservient to Sauron - while he was obliged for the cozening of Western Men and Elves to wear as fair a form and countenance as he could, they despised him and laughed at him."

[@lyannastark3839]

Alright, I am buying Tales of the Shire as soon as it comes out. What if they release it in September for my birthday? Bilbo would be happy too. Looks cute and cozy as heck.

[@Enerdhil]

Wow! A reference to The Mewlips!👏👏👏👍😁

[@christianefiorito3204]

The three Shakespearian witches. The show runners admitted they stole them from him.

[@Crazy_Talk96]

So from my understanding the Rings of Power are like a spinoff from the actual lord of rings story/fantsy world. Like it takes place in its own space based of the JRR Tolkien world. IDK, i enjoyed some of the show but skipped through a lot. About every episode i skipped through.

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Yes I can see why you skipped through it. I mean you can't blame the LotR fans in the audience, to expect that they will adapt what Tolkien actually wrote about the Second Age (even with the limitations), if you call your show The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. And even if you ignore all the lore inaccuracies, the plot still often makes little sense and whole story arcs make you scratch your head, like the whole black sword hilt, is a key for the dam thing and the digging this 100+ miles long trench that nobody noticed. Tolkien was one of the greatest fantasy authors of all time. I would at least expect the writing to be somewhat decent. And if you know about all the possibilities in the book lore, that Tolkien wrote, you see the potential and wonder why they make these writing decisions.

[@christianefiorito3204]

It is a pity that Jodeüh Mauwle quit. He was a great actor.

[@Kulturjunky]

To me the elf at 28:40 looks like the "new" Adar at 18:40.

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Yes could also be. Was not sure, because I think Adar was not grey haired and he is missing the scars I think. Sadly the video is only available in 1080p and not 4k, then it would be easier to see quality wise.

[@crabberdabberye]

@@ThePhilosophersGamesThe grey in his hair is ice and snow from the explosion you see at the end of the treaser.

[@DarkkAres]

I also noticed this similarity. It's probably a flash-back related to Adar (his transformation...or when he "killed" Sauron) :)

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

yes possible, good observation

[@Mallarkey]

​​@@DarkkAresyep, that's what I thought. New Adar, frost in his hair from the "exp-snow-sion" at the end of the trailer, which will be when Adar "split him open" and thought he'd killed Sauron.

[@geir8849]

Trailer dropping soon. Hope for a new live stream🤞

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

I already crated the Thumbnail 😄

[@nmichaelmurphy]

Sigh.

[@Enerdhil]

Maybe the sea monster is the Leviathan.🤔

[@Jansenbaker]

I think your slides have an issue. Sauron 2:15 , Ulmo 12:21 , and Círdan 14:16 All are described as "Once known as "Nowë". I looked up the name, and it's just Círdan, so I think something went wrong.

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

oh yes you are right, that's a mistake. The text should only appear next to Círdan's picture. By accident I moved this text layer to the wrong text element and then it always appeared at images from Kimberly.

[@43lk]

Love it, can't wait for it. Thank you!

[@DrewCharp]

At this point that city could conceivably be Cair Paravel...

[@jeffloy4638]

I didn’t watch Season 1. Reviews from you, MOTW and Tolkien Untangled confirmed that was a good decision. My hopes for Season 2 are already in the gutter, but I’ll be watching reviews as they come out just in case a miracle happens, however unlikely 😂

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Yes I think if you dislike what you see and all the changes trigger you, it's better not not watch it 😅

[@jeffloy4638]

@@ThePhilosophersGamesYep, that’s my…philosophy! 😂 I’m not particularly happy with what they’ve done with it, so simply not watching it. I’m highly annoyed with Amazon, sure, but it stops there. If other people like it and choose to watch it, that’s none of my business.

[@WhoIsCalli]

Thanks for this Chris. Great summary and analysis. Had to drop out of the live stream.. due to timing conflicts. So thanks for this follow up 🧝‍♂️

[@JSEITSONEN]

Thank you !

[@AlexisLopez-pb8ms]

I didn’t know Sony was involved with season 2. Why else would they have Venom in it😂😂😂

[@istari0]

One thing that was obvious about season 1 is that the showrunners and writers never had any intention of following the Lore. There's absolutely no reason to think anything will be different in season 2 and after the wreckage from season 1, they would have to start over to do things right. We all know that won't happen. Even if you try to ignore that this was supposed to be a Tolkien adaption, the show was simply bad. Terrible writing, huge plot holes, uninteresting, even annoying characters.

[@mygetawayart]

if they maintain the same storytelling pace from last season, i actually think it would be more beneficial to release it either all in one go, or in two parts, one week apart. If more stuff happens in each episode though, it's fine to do weekly.

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Yes I hope they work on the pacing of the show. That was truly terrible in season 1. Like they wasted so much time on setting up story arcs, that had often very weak pay offs or made you scratch your head.

[@christianefiorito3204]

They do not show a lot of the second age from the colonisation, the Friendship between Gilgalad and Aldarion zo the battle of zhe Hwathlo. They do not give a shit about the lore.do not get angry. It is not worth it. We have the books and we can have fun with Sauron in a wig. It is simply not Tolkien. Yes the tower is the icetroll tower in Forodwaith.

[@EJ_Crough]

I didn't have a problem with Sauron being cut down by Adar and still being able to take a fair form. (tho to be fair I have much bigger problems with RoP's plotlines lol) I'd have to re watch some of s1 to get his exact wording but I think he may say he cut him in two or something like that. Sauron being drowned along with Numenor by Eru feels much more traumatic to Sauron's physical form to me as it would seem like he'd have to completely abandon it compared to whatever happened to him prior to the events of s1 by Adar. But maybe we'll see if they do do a flash back to the Sauron / Adar confrontation

[@Mallarkey]

Yeah. It wasn't so much of a "drowning" of Numenor in my head, but a total cataclysmic destruction: Eru bends the world and reshapes it into a globe, and I imagine Numenor was right on the fracture point, so I see earthquakes, rock-slides and pyroclastics also, meaning Sauron (and everyone else on land) being utterly smashed to bits. I'd struggle to take fair form again after THAT!

[@martkraaam4567]

Any streams conserning this topic planned? 🙂

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

There was already a livestream regarding the new season 2 teaser: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e4DOiKeXl62SbbM

[@AlexisLopez-pb8ms]

If they’re going to add Gandalf in the second age then why not add Beren and Luthien or Turon in the second age. It wouldn’t make sense but hell Amazon doesn’t seem to care about timelines 😂

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

haha I like that idea

[@director5193]

The water monster looks just like the one from season 1, if you look closely

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

yes it look similar.

[@TrainerCTZ]

This is an awesome breakdown!

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you, glad you liked it ^^

[@BigGooch6_9]

I'm super excited, loved the first season and can't wait for the second!

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Glad you are excited and enjoyed season 1. I have to admit my excitement is still a bit limited, though I expect that season 2 actually gets better. So I guess that would already be a win 🤞

[@Crazy_Talk96]

Im actually really glad to see someone like this show and fellow subscriber. I enjoyed the show, but eyeroll whenever something forced is shown or said. But do enjoy the visuals. Adar was cool.

[@karerabbe7829]

Well.. People with no standards, or respect for the original and true lore usually do..

[@BigGooch6_9]

@@karerabbe7829 or I respect it and can still enjoy an interpretation. Sorry you're so narrow minded.

[@christianefiorito3204]

Have fun,at least somebody has❤

[@ThePsyMinded]

Gollum will l save us in 2026!

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

🤞

[@paulfreeborn1493]

24:30: Although Sauron is widely known for his skill in ring crafting, it is less well known that he is a master wig-maker. His wig making skills far predate the forging of the great rings. Every time he pissed off Melkor in the first age and got sent to bed without supper, he would spend the night whiling away the hours with the making of wigs. His wigs could fool even the very wise... ;-) (On a more serious note--I can only admire your ability to find some objectivity in this breakdown. This is less an adaptation than fan fiction--which I could possibly live with if it was well done fan fiction, but the plot holes make the story irredeemably bad. This isn't just a matter of not being true to the lore--the story (at least from the first season) is very bad as its own "thing.")

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

haha the master wig-maker 😂 Thank you. Yes all lore inaccuracies aside, the plot has so many problems in season 1. I hope season 2 improves here.

[@DrewCharp]

Mewlips bro?! Also the figure in the forge is gonna be something super sad to Elf Friends, like Mandos or Loren. Eonwe maybe? Either way: Cracked Entourage.

[@tuckerbad]

thats not a city next to a sea... if you look close its people stood about to , it seems, sacrafice somone to the water - too that beast maybe

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

haha yes you are right, I should have probably zoomed in at least once 😂 The letters are a bit in the way. When I first saw it I had the impression it were buildings not people and then I was lost into thinking where it could be.

[@tuckerbad]

@@ThePhilosophersGames thought id just help a bitt :) nice review btw

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

thank you, your help is appreciated ^^

[@teamrohver]

Tnx for keeping negativity alive! 😂

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

I really tried to be positive for season 1, but episode 8 broke my little lore heart 😅

[@x0UncleSam0x]

23:20 does it really matter whether they realize who he is when he is about to leave Eregion vs when he had left?no ..

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

It matters because, then the Elves know they should not use the Rings. The plan of Sauron is to convince the Elves that everything is in order and then he can control them. Only because he slightly underestimated the Elves and maybe due to sheer luck, his plan to control the Elves fails. Further it#s what Tolkien wrote 😅 Sorry that I expect a show called Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power to portray the creation of the Rings of Power how the author wrote it.

[@jonascanipel5154]

Could it be ulmo the water monster ?

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

That's an interesting idea. In theory it might be possible, but I don't think so. Ulmo would have better means to sink a raft.

[@Crafty_Spirit]

2:16 Sauron is also known as Nowë? I thought that's Círdan's first name 😅😅

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

It's an editing mistake. Something went wrong, so the text layer was applied to the wrong text element. And now all pictures where I gave Kimperly80 credits have also this Nowë text in them. It was late, I was tired, sorry 😅

[@Crafty_Spirit]

@@ThePhilosophersGames Your work as a passionate fan, literary researcher, and presenter is outstanding :-) Von demher finde ich diesen "Fehler" ziemlich lustig und er steigert eher noch den Wert des Videos ^^

[@DrewCharp]

I dont think Sauron knows he cant take a fair form anymore. How else could one explain this series? Trotz.

[@DrewCharp]

One foot in the good, the other on the 🍌 peel. Incredible to have no options and all the options. Incredible. Idle.

[@christianefiorito3204]

Great Video

[@christianefiorito3204]

I like the name of the little platoon for the sea monster in season one. The Cthulu monster

[@Enerdhil]

A Zombie clown?!! 🧟+🤡=😂🤣😆

[@davin1287]

Here we go again

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

yes 😅 I hoped I would still have some time until we hear about it again

[@DrewCharp]

The black splooge reminds me of Dorian Gray.

[@DrewCharp]

It's Osse and his wife. Why Osse is wearing a dress I'll never understand.

[@christianefiorito3204]

Some like this series others dont't but we are still Tolkiens community. And weshould not split for politics.

[@christianefiorito3204]

This stuff moving on the floor looks a bit like a moving turd.

[@DrewCharp]

Mewlips bro?!

[@TheIsemgrim]

nope i have not seen season 1 and i will for sure not watch season 2. hell i will probably ignore the upcoming Gollum films. i will just pretend they never happened just like i did with the hobbit farce.

[@christianefiorito3204]

Who choose this wig????

[@Aurora2097]

I don't think i'll watch it.

[@christianefiorito3204]

If you sufferforLl of us we will eat h all your episodes instead of the real season.

[@SayGahTaah]

Cant wait for the show to be cancelled so my LOTR channels can get back to the actual lore..