'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' Season 2 stars on high-stakes story, Elendil and Míriel's relationship
"He actually can't feel anymore," Lloyd Owen says about Elendil at the beginning of the new season of the prequel series
When Prime Video's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premiered in 2022, it was hit with review bombing from trolls online, to the point where at times it overshadowed much of the discourse around the show. Now the series returns for Season 2 (on August 29) with stars like Morfydd Clark, Charlie Vickers, Markella Kavenagh, Lloyd Owen, Charles Edwards and Cynthia Addai-Robinson taking us further into the Lord of the Rings lore.
In Season 2 showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay lean into the creation of the rings and what they do to those who wear them. Filled with deception, manipulation and the pursuit of Sauron, the series is still a balancing act between all the characters and storylines that make up this prequel.
For character's like Kemen (Leon Wadham), Season 2 is filled with a lot of political questions.
"Kemen's fear in Season 1 was that things were going to go Elendil's way, but he's gone to war and it's been an absolute disaster," Leon Wadham told Yahoo Canada. "So they're coming back now and it feels like maybe the tide is turning in our direction."
"That split has always been there in Númenor, but it has been supercharged by Sauron passing through. Things have been stirred up and the agitation is starting to be felt all over. I think a lot of the scenes we played this season, it felt like the stakes were really high, that we were playing with the future of this island. We were either going to go with this traditional path or a progressive path, and no one could tell what that would mean. But ultimately, the island's destiny is in that decision."
Watch The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 on Prime Video with 30 days free, then $9.99/month
As we set off on Season 2 of Rings of Power, Elendil is operating from a place of grief, as is his family.
"What J.D. and Patrick did so brilliant ... in Season 1 is set up this extra element of him being widowed and also introducing a daughter into the family, so that the whole family is suffering from grief," Owen said. "And as is my experience with grief, it happens at a different rate and pace to every person that is affected."
"I think the grief is overwhelming, but where we find him at the beginning of Season 2 is that it's too much. He actually can't feel anymore. He can't open those floodgates, because I think it would be overwhelming if he started to feel that. So he's very closed at the beginning of this season coming."
Owen added that as Elendil's daughter Eärien (Ema Horvath) witnesses his grief and his loyalty to the queen and country, he's "terribly divided" between "his love of family and his love of nation."
"Those tensions will play out for him in Season 2 in quite epic ways," Owen teased. "It will be a decision for him between faith and life ultimately."
'Loving relationship' between Elendil and Míriel
But within the conflict in Middle-earth, fans have started "shipping" Elendil and Míriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson). Owen recalled the emotional impact of their connection in Season 1, with their relationship explored further in Season 2.
"It was a very emotional moment shooting the leaves coming off Nimloth together, and us coming together and looking at each other's eyes at that point," Owen said. "So that's quite an emotional moment for both characters and indeed Cynthia and I playing it. ... There was an extra bit of magic we all found on that day between cast and crew."
"What you have is two people who are inextricably bound because of their faith and now ... they're actually both quite isolated, through the decisions that they've made, and they need each other. They deeply need each other. There's a lot of grief. She's lost her father, he's lost his son, and they've lost the war. ... I don't know there's something in there that's possible between them. I don't think it's spoken, I don't think it's in any way conscious for them, but they are pulled closer and closer together with their hearts and their faith. And whatever happens from that point, it will be. It's [truthful and loving], and not in an intimate sense, but it's a loving relationship between the two of them, and it's very powerful. Both Cynthia and I really enjoy playing it."
Poppy takes the lead
An exciting development in Season 2 of Rings of Power is Megan Richards' harfoot character Poppy playing a larger role in the story. While we begin the season with Poppy separated from her best friend Nori (Markella Kavenagh), who journeys away from the harfoots with The Stranger, they aren't separated for long. When they are reunited, Poppy takes a much more leading role in their journey through a Middle-earth desert.
"It was also really quite scary, because I feel like having the final say, there's a lot of weight I think that sort of brings onto someone's shoulders, especially when you're in a desert you don't know, and you're in unknown land and territory," Richards said. "But it's really nice to be able to see Poppy's character sort of broaden and develop throughout this season in different ways than you've already seen throughout Season 1."
"It's a really nice trajectory for her to take charge in a different way."
With all the intense stakes of the story and dire situations different characters face, we really look to the harfoots to provide a bit of that comic relief. For example, there's one moment when Nori is try to guess what The Stranger's name is, comedically rhyming off different possibilities as they walk through the desert.
"It's always fun to be able to have moments where there's comedic elements that kind of offset the tragedy that runs through the season," Kavenagh highlighted.
"Some of those moments are improvised too. We have fun on set and we really do make the most of having the space to play."
Watch The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 on Prime Video with 30 days free, then $9.99/month
Ultimately, we're just happy we get to experience more of the friendship between Nori and Poppy in Rings of Power.
"I think the lovely thing about the relationship between Poppy and Nori is that foundation is already so deep within them, that's happened before Season 1 even," Richards said. "They both, I think, have quite individual journeys this season, but they do it alongside each other and there's something quite challenging about that too."
"But I think some of the most incredible friendships do challenge you sometimes and they sort of bring you back in, but also allow you to go out and flourish too. There's something really wonderful about being able to portray that on the screen and have it written down quite eloquently as well."
