Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power took the audience on an incredible journey through Season 2 as it explored Sauron (Charlie Vickers) creating the titular rings, the tumultuous politics of Númenor, and the ever-growing rift between Durin IV (Owain Arthur) and his father. Despite an uneven start, Season 2 ended on a high with the epic battle in Eregion. However, it still fell victim to the most prevalent problem in fantasy TV: too short a season. With only eight hour-long episodes, The Rings of Power Season 2 didn’t have sufficient time to tell its story effectively.
The Rings of Power‘s problem isn’t surprising. Middle-earth is a rich world, and the series has taken on a lot. With the sprawling story, an eight-episode season is just not enough time to cover everything. The Rings of Power rushes the side stories due to lack of time, preventing the audience from getting invested. The shorter season is to the detriment of the narrative. This is not unique to The Rings of Power, as it is prevalent throughout the fantasy genre, and other popular series (House of the Dragon and The Wheel of Time, in particular) face a similar issue in their recent seasons. Though different in scope and tone, these series share the daunting task of exploring a large world with so much going on in quick succession that it feels rushed. The prevalence of this issue suggests the solution is not as simple as it may seem, but for the genre to be sustainable, these shows need to find a way to avoid this common trap.
‘The Rings of Power’s Short Season Length Hurt Season 2
While Season 1 of The Rings of Power had a lot going on, so much of the story was exposition that the limited timeframe was not as stark an issue as it became in Season 2. There were many questions left open-ended and certain plot points underdeveloped, like the hooded mystics that were never fully explained. However, Season 2 bore the worst of it as it struggled to include all the necessary information and character development in the allotted time. The dreaded Rhûn plotline is the most obvious example, as Nori (Markella Kavenagh) and the Stranger (Daniel Weyman), despite being major characters in Season 1, were absent for multiple episodes at a time. The result is central characters lacking development and a new villain, the Dark Wizard (Ciarán Hinds), who is barely present and, therefore, not particularly interesting.
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The lack of time created problems throughout the series, as shown by the many questions from Season 1 that were not addressed in Season 2 and the many characters whose stories fall short due to lack of development. As tragic as it already was, Valandil’s (Alex Tarrant) death could have been more impactful if the series didn’t have to remind the audience that he was Isildur’s (Maxim Baldry) friend. Or The Rings of Power could have given focus to Eärien (Ema Horvath) and her difficult position in Season 2, as she must choose between her political leanings and her family. The show only skims the surface of her plot, not diving into the character’s emotional struggle. Similarly, Theo (Tyroe Muhafidin), who seemed to be set up for an important story tying him to Sauron and is grieving the sudden death of his mother, took a backseat as Isildur and Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova) carried the Pelargir storyline. The Rings of Power Season 2’s eight episodes don’t allow these characters a big enough role, nor does it address questions about them set up in Season 1. What did Eärien see in the palantir? What does Theo’s mark mean? No one knows because Season 2 was too busy to reveal it. While Sauron’s story is handled well, the show as a whole needs more time.
‘House of the Dragon’ and ‘The Wheel of Time’ Have Similar Issues
This issue is not unique to The Rings of Power and is so rampant throughout fantasy that TV shows like House of Dragon and The Wheel of Time are not immune. In each case, the shows explore large worlds and have so many characters with their own storyline that everything feels rushed. Prime Video’s other fantasy series, The Wheel of Time, was already at a disadvantage in adapting an expansive 14-book series, meaning it was always going to have to make drastic cuts, but the eight-episode limit leaves even the storylines that are included somewhat incomplete. With the series focusing on so many characters, some are bound to get less development, but Perrin (Marcus Rutherford), who in the books is essential, spent Season 2 cast to the side, and his unique abilities and connection with the wolves are barely explored. Nor does The Wheel of Time have ample time to explain the details of the dream realm, Tel’aran’riod, which is crucial to the story. Even the Whitecloaks don’t show up much in Season 2, leaving the audience to forget what they are capable of. These lapses in information make it hard to understand some of the finer points, but it could have been avoided if the series had more time in each season.
From the beginning, House of the Dragon had problems fitting everything into the series, using major time jumps every few episodes in Season 1 that left the audience constantly playing catch up. But even once the series reached the main story, it showed other signs of lacking time, especially as Season 2 was given eight episodes rather than Season 1’s ten. Season 2 criminally underuses characters. Some are barely distinguishable, like Rhaenyra’s (Emma D’Arcy) council. As they oppose her, it’s difficult to remember who is who, although they appear in most episodes. Even Targaryens, like Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell), are tossed aside, and though he is as invested in the war as anyone, the show hasn’t even introduced Daeron yet. House of the Dragon even underuses Helaena (Phia Saban), downplaying her visions of the future until they become vital in the Season 2 finale. These issues stem from a lack of time, much like The Ring of Power‘s.
Why Do ‘The Rings of Power’ and Other Fantasy Shows Cut Their Seasons Short?
Short seasons have become a trend across the board, but this is never more noticeable than with streaming shows that are rarely more than ten episodes a season. However, The Rings of Power and other big-budget series have taken that even further, cutting their seasons to eight episodes a piece. In some ways, this helps the longevity of a series because it drags out the story. However, for each season to reach a natural end, the story must skip over details, leaving points unexplored. Worse, the lack of time stops them from developing as many characters, preventing the audience from growing attached to them, so the side stories they include don’t land as hard as they should.
The obvious solution to this issue is to add back time, but it is not that simple because of the cost. The Rings of Power specifically has already earned a spot as one of the most expensive series ever created, and making fewer episodes keeps the cost from creeping higher because the studio doesn’t have to pay for additional time filming and editing or more CGI. The concept is logical, but this cost-saving method comes at the expense of the narrative. The other, perhaps more likely, solution would be to pair down the story. Rather than having five or six storylines, focus on two or three strong ones. Perhaps newer series will learn from these issues and develop a more contained story from the beginning, but for the ones that are out now, solving the problem would require major changes as storylines were wrapped up or combined and would take away their expansive nature, but in the end, it would be beneficial.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 1 and 2 are available to stream on Prime Video.
Epic drama set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’ follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth.
- Release Date
- September 1, 2022
- Cast
- Morfydd Clark , Charlie Vickers , Charles Edwards , Markella Kavenagh , Daniel Weyman , Ismael Cruz Cordova , Megan Richards , Robert Aramayo , Robert Strange , Cynthia Addai-Robinson , Lloyd Owen , Owain Arthur , Tyroe Muhafidin , Alex Tarrant , Benjamin Walker , Trystan Gravelle , Maxim Baldry , Sophia Nomvete , Ema Horvath , Nazanin Boniadi , Geoff Morrell , Peter Mullan , Sara Zwangobani , Lenny Henry , Leon Wadham , Dylan Smith , Thusitha Jayasundera , Maxine Cunliffe , Anthony Crum , Beau Cassidy , Joseph Mawle , Peter Tait , Sam Hazeldine , Bridie Sisson , Jed Brophy , Ciarán Hinds , Amelia Kenworthy , Kevin Eldon
- Main Genre
- Fantasy
- Seasons
- 3
- Story By
- Patrick McKay, John D. Payne
- Writers
- Patrick McKay , John D. Payne , J.R.R. Tolkien , Justin Doble , Jason Cahill , Gennifer Hutchison , Stephany Folsom , Nicholas Adams
- Network
- Amazon Prime Video
- Franchise(s)
- The Lord of the Rings
- Showrunner
- John D. Payne , Patrick McKay , Louise Hooper , Charlotte Brändström , Wayne Yip
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