The biggest criticisms against Rings of Power may prove to be entirely intentional in the end.
At least, that’s what some fans of the show believe. Fans of Amazon Prime’s latest series are growing increasingly certain that many of the show’s most hotly-debated topics, like Galadriel, the pacing, and the identity of Sauron, are all intentional choices made by the creators. Galadriel’s presence as a not-quite likable immortal obsessed with the thought of Sauron’s return was recently revealed as an intentional choice by Morfydd Clark, who said she was never concerned with Galadriel being relatable. The other two common complaints were recently addressed in a pair of Reddit posts, both of which express the genuine belief that Amazon is hard at work hunting trolls.
The pacing in Rings has been widely criticized since the very first episodes dropped, as viewers compared it to the tone and pacing of other series—like House of the Dragon—and many declared it a slow-paced slog. The show runners didn’t start slow unintentionally, however. They’ve been clear on several occasions that the setup was supposed to be languorous, in interest of properly building up the world and characters before the dark power of Sauron begins to warp them. Most of them, at least.
The show’s many critics have shared their distaste for its pacing, direction, casting, and pretty much everything else via a commonly repeated quote. Comment sections for tweets and trailers are littered with the same line, proclaiming that “Evil cannot create anything new, they can only corrupt and ruin what good forces have invented or made.” This quote is broadly attributed to Tolkien by Rings‘ many detractors, but this isn’t an accurate claim, as pointed out by Redditor Late_Stage_PhD. They noted, in a post dedicated to their latest theory, that this oft-repeated quote is nothing but sheer irony.
The real quote, butchered by these supposed die-hards in interest of bolstering their criticism, is “The Shadow that bred them can only mock, it cannot make: not real new things of its own. I don’t think it gave life to the orcs, it only ruined them and twisted them.” In twisting this quote to serve their own ends, Late_Stage_PhD accurately notes that these trolls are engaging in “peak irony.” They claim the show is twisting Tolkien’s words and intentions when, in fact, it was them doing so all along.
And Amazon seems to have noticed. In a bit of trivia attached to the latest Rings episode, Late_Stage_PhD noticed a line that feels fully intended to poke fun at these unintentionally ironic viewers. It proclaims that “Morgoth could not make real, new things of his own—he could only corrupt and twist things that already exist. Orcs are merely mockeries of elves,” and attributes the concept to “Book VI, Chapter 1.” Viewers can’t help but feel like the line is purposefully similar to those trolling critiques, and they’re eating it up.
Then there’s another note, one that takes aim at both the pacing in Rings of Power and the still-unknown identity of Sauron. The show’s direction has spawned ceaseless debates about Sauron’s true identity, with fans putting a number of characters forward as potentials. Halbrand is a favorite among many fans, but other names—including the Stranger and, somehow, Poppy—have also been floated as potentials.
User DaChiesa is convinced that the show runners are intentionally sowing distrust and suspicion among its fanbase, perhaps as a broad representation of how easily these feelings can spread. They leaned on a recent Hollywood Reporter clip as proof, pointing to its discussion of Sauron as backing for their argument. The clip of the article, attached via screenshot to DaChiesa’s post, discusses the decision to keep Sauron’s identity a secret through the first season. The article notes, via quote from showrunner Patrick McKay, that they held off on Sauron’s big reveal so that viewers would become invested in the world and characters “before we test them in a way they’ve never been tested before.” It points out that the unceasing debate about Sauron is exactly what the writers intended.
“It’s another Tolkien thing where when a shadow spreads—which is part of what is happening in our show—it affects everyone’s relationships,” a quote from JD Payne reads. “Even Frodo and Sam. They’re the best friends in all of Middle-earth, yet they started to distrust each other because that’s a manifestation of that shadow. So having an audience suspect this person or that person could be Sauron is drawing them into that thing where the shadow is overcoming all of us and making us suspicious of one another.”
The quote indicates that the show is taking major risks in attempting to affect its audience in ways far beyond the typical tear-jerker scene. Its work in sowing distrust has certainly been effective, as fans see evil in each and every unknown character that appears on screen. It’s a clever tactic, and—assuming the payoff is worthwhile—it could prove to be incredibly popular among the show’s fanbase. If Rings is playing the slow game, and is this intentional in all of its decisions, its all but inevitable that the trolls will eventually be proven wrong.
They’ll never accept that Rings is anything but a “botched third trimester abortion,” of course—but do we care? The show isn’t intended for everyone, that much is made clear by these subtle, disputable directorial decisions, and it’s certainly not made for the folks who are determined to hate it. They can continue butchering Tolkien’s words and flooding old threads with their toxic takeaways, it’s not like Amazon needs their money.
