The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 did something so extraordinary, I still can’t believe it. The epic Prime Video fantasy series somehow made me laugh harder than most comedies on TV.
Sometimes I could tell that the show’s humor was totally on purpose. Like when the Harfoots acted all cute and dopey and charming while struggling through Rhûn or when Tom Bombadil (Rory Kinnear) — whom fans will meet later this week — did just about anything. I mean, those characters are designed to provide light comic relief. It’s okay to laugh at their antics!
However, more often than not, I found myself howling in mirth to see just how far showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay took the show’s drama. I lost it watching Jack Lowden show up for a cameo as a struggling Sauron and then cackled at the slimy horror that soon unfolded. I couldn’t take a later episode opening with Celebrimor (Charles Edwards) nursing a cup of Elf coffee on a balcony like he was in a Folger’s ad any more than I could cope with the same character brightly going for a “First Age” wine in celebration in Episode 2.
And everyone who knows me knows that I will not stop talking about seeing Círdan the Shipwright (Ben Daniels) shaving off his beard with the swipe of a rainbow-tinted clam shell. I mean, look at how pleased with himself he is!!! How can you sit back and not smile? Join the Elf in his glee!!!
What else made me giggle? Well, there was the way that Isildur’s (Maxim Baldry) magically loyal horse fended off a band of orcs by back-kicking one to his death on a tree branch. It was like one of my favorite animal YouTube videos, but instead of farting on a dog, the horse in question slew an orc with one sassy little kick.
There’s another point where Adar (Sam Hazeldine) inexplicably cradles a baby in his arms in Mordor. Was this infant a baby orc, a simple foundling, or intended to be supper for the Uruks? I never found out! It gave me echoes and murmurs of my favorite absurd moment from Peter Jackson’s original LOTR trilogy: “Looks like meat’s back on the menu, boys!” Incredible.
Then, there were moments like Sauron as Halbrand (Charlie Vickers) thirsting for any news of Galadriel (Morfydd Clark). We get it, buddy. You have a crush on the pretty Elf. In fact, I couldn’t get over how human Sauron felt this season altogether. Jackson’s films envisioned the villain as a monstrous eye, casting his gaze everywhere at once. The Rings of Power gives us an Annatar who schemes and gossips and manipulates like a Real Housewife. The moment where Annatar teases gossip from Benjamin Walker’s Gil-Galad in Season 2 Episode 3 by literally saying, almost sarcastically, “No, I should not,” threw me back to Alyssa Edwards shaking her head at her own jokes on RuPaul’s Drag Race. Amazing!
Now, I must confess that for a time I believed the inadvertent — or was it planned? — comedy of The Rings of Power Season 2 was a ding against the show as a whole. Surely, my laughter was a sign that the show had not managed to suspend my disbelief in orcs, elves, dwarves, and wizards. Then, I finally came to accept that, no, the joy I took from Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power was meaningful. It was as important as the light of good chasing the darkness of evil. (Okay, maybe it wasn’t that important, but you catch my drift.)
It’s easy to think of the works of Tolkien as solemn masterpieces, but the author himself injected irreverence throughout his books. Whether it’s the antics of young Peregrin Took or the entire existence of Tom Bombadil, the world of Middle-earth is a place where laughter is welcome. It’s not all doom, gloom, and serious world-saving business; Tolkien’s storytelling is also full of joy.
So, okay, maybe I’m not supposed to giggle at younger Sauron’s feeble attempts to curb the orcs to his will and maybe I’m supposed to take Círdan’s choice of a razor seriously, but I can’t help myself. Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 made me laugh. It made me happy.
I hope The Rings of Power makes you happy, too.
News
Adele Announces Indefinite Break From Music: “I Will Not See You For An Incredibly Long Time”
Adele has revealed she is ready to step out of the spotlight and take a well-deserved break. After an impressive run of live performances, the beloved British songstress is preparing to hit pause on her music career for a while. During…
Johnny Depp’s New Pearly Whites Shine In Video After His “Rotting” Teeth Went Viral
Johnny Depp seemed like he was living his best life while vacationing in the Bahamas, smiling and laughing away with customers and staffers at a beachside bar in Exuma. But it wasn’t just his laid-back island vibes that caught people’s attention: it was…
Queen Camilla Shares Rare Update On King Charles’ Health Amid Abdication Speculations
Amid rampant speculation about King Charles III’s health and possible abdication, Queen Camilla offered a rare comment on her husband’s well-being. The 77-year-old queen shared the update during her visit to the new state-of-the-art Dyson Cancer Center at the Royal United Hospital in…
Katy Perry Reveals Orlando Bloom Split Up With Her Because He Didn’t Want To Play Her “Games”
“I would be dead without it,” Katy Perry said about a monumental shift in her life after she broke up with her current fiancé, Orlando Bloom. The separation, which took place in 2017, happened due to an incompatibility between the lifestyles of both…
Dave Bautista’s Weight-Loss Transformation Has Fans Concerned: “He Most Definitely Looks Sick”
Dave Bautista recently addressed his striking body transformation, which left some fans raising eyebrows over his leaner appearance. The 55-year-old former WWE superstar has come a long way since his days in the wrestling ring, where his massive frame made him a force to…
“Fine Taylor … You Win”: Elon Musk Offers To Impregnate Taylor Swift
Elon Musk, who always seems eager to expand his ever-growing family, proposed the idea of fatherhood to none other than Taylor Swift. The billionaire Tesla CEO offered to impregnate the pop star after she shared her thoughts on the U.S. presidential debate, which…
End of content
No more pages to load