The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 is getting a better response with an improved Rotten Tomatoes audience score. While season 1 was generally well-received by critics, with an 83% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the audience score sits at a disappointing 38%. While some audience reactions were genuine and criticized the slow pace and underdeveloped Rings of Power characters, most of its negative reception was partly caused by a review bombing campaign that led Amazon to suspend reviews on its website when the first season premiered.

However, the Rotten Tomatoes score for The Rings of Power season 2 has drastically improved. On the aggregate website, and as of this writing, the audience score for season 2 sits at 65% among over 1,000 ratings. Meanwhile, the critics’ score has also improved, but not as drastically as the audience score, with an 86% approval rating among 81 reviews. Except for season 1, this brings the Lord of the Rings franchise back to a trend where the audience score has been fresh.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power seasons
Rotten Tomatoes Critics’ score
Rotten Tomatoes Audience score

Season 1
83%
38%

Season 2
86%
65%

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Fixed Many of Season 1’s Issues

The First Three Episodes Have A Better Pace & A Clearer Purpose.

While the audience score may change as more episodes of The Rings of Power air on Prime Video, the sentiment among critics and audiences is similar, as season 2 has fixed many issues that many had with the debut installment. For instance, the show’s purpose is far more precise, as Sauron (Charlie Vickers) begins manipulating Lord Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards) in Eregion. In episode 2, “Where the Stars are Strange,” he reveals himself as Annatar, Lord of Gifts, to gain Celebrimbor’s trust after the Lord promises Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) he will not speak to “Halbrand” again at the end of Rings of Power season 1.

This occurs after Sauron tells Adar (Sam Hazeldine), through his Halbrand form, that there are rumors of his return after the Orc Leader killed his previous form (played by Jack Lowden) in the first episode’s opening scene. This is clearly part of his larger plan, which will eventually be revealed as the Rings of Power season 2 episodes progress. As a result, the pace is much faster, and the story feels more urgent as the main villain makes significant moves across Middle-earth.

The role of Adar was recast for The Rings of Power season 2, as actor Joseph Mawle opted not to return. He was replaced by Sam Hazeldine.

This feedback is reflected in many audience reviews on Rotten Tomatoes for season 2. While many criticisms remain, many audience members praise how they got a better sense of the story’s scope and character motivations, which are further fleshed out and easier to understand than season 1. Time will tell how The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 will develop, but it looks like the showrunners took criticisms to heart and fixed many issues that were apparent in the first episodes.