If there’s one character that The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power really shafted in its second season, it’s Ismael Cruz Córdova‘s Arondir. This Elven warrior was a cornerstone of the Prime Video series’ first season but was left out to pasture in Season 2. While some of that was likely because of factors beyond Córdova’s control (specifically Nazanin Boniadi‘s sudden departure), the lack of meaty material for Arondir this season was a tragedy. Given that he is a completely original character in Rings of Power, it’s not as if there are any narrative limits placed on him, but even so, the writers failed to make him a compelling character this time. Going into a potential third season, the series needs to give Arondir a real purpose, something the character has been lacking since Season 1.

Without Bronwyn, Arondir Didn’t Have Much To Do in Season 2

Image via Prime Video

Compared to the first season, Season 2 of Rings of Power had basically nothing for Arondir to do. From the get-go, it seemed as if Arondir was going to go through a grief arc after Bronwyn’s shocking death between seasons, but then the show doesn’t give us any time to actually digest this. Theo (Tyroe Muhafidin), who arguably has even less screen time this season, seems to grieve more here, which feels out of character for the Elf, who loved the healer too much to stay away. Then, it seemed as if Arondir was going to be heavily involved with Adar (Sam Hazeldine) as he was last season, but the two only briefly face off in the penultimate episode, “Doomed to Die,” where the Dark Elf seemingly kills our favorite non-Tolkien character.

Turns out, Arondir is just fine, but whoever does the show’s continuity seriously messed up on this one because our second favorite Elf archer doesn’t even seem to be injured come the finale, “Shadow and Flame.” In general, Rings of Power doesn’t seem to know what to do with Arondir without Bronwyn. It’s clear that the intention with his character was to tell a sort of Beren and Lúthien or Aragorn and Arwen-inspired story during the Second Age, but with Bronwyn gone, Season 2 had no real material for him. Yes, he teams up with Isildur (Maxim Baldry) for a while, and we loved that, but that plotline, too, is quickly abandoned.

His Role in ‘Rings of Power’ May Be Limited, but Arondir Still Has Real Potential

It takes three episodes for Arondir to first appear in Season 2, and even after that, there’s one episode (“Where Is He?”) where he only shows up briefly in the beginning and isn’t seen again the rest of the episode. This speaks, of course, to a greater problem Rings of Power has concerning there being too many plotlines. With too many characters split up, some like Arondir end up having less to do than ever, and it makes it hard for fans to care about these characters long-term. This is especially true considering any progress we do make is immediately forgotten about by the next episode, such as Arondir’s near-death experience.

But with Arondir now among the ranks of Galadriel (Morfydd Clark), Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker), and Elrond (Robert Aramayo) at the very end of the season, here’s hoping that the yet-to-be-confirmed third season will actually give this Elf archer a real arc moving forward. Arondir has more than proven his worth over the years and could easily become a leader in the Elven community going forward. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait another excruciating two years for more episodes of Rings of Power, but more than that, it’s paramount that the show learns from its Season 2 mistakes and takes the time to consolidate plotlines and offer characters like Arondir greater importance (or at least more compelling material) in the story of Middle-earth.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is available for streaming on Prime Video.