Rings of Power S1 Was Nothing More Than a Groundwork; Fun Comes Next
It's no secret Amazon's The Rings of Power was not received well by everyone.
Despite some rather dubious attempts of censoring audience reviews early after the show's release, it is clear its first season did not quite achieve the standard fans were hoping for.
However, this doesn't necessarily mean that the series is a lost cause yet. With a five-season plan in place and plenty more of the story to tell, RoP could come back with something truly spectacular.
Show writers and producers of the show Ron Ames and Chris Newman first pitched the idea as a 50-hour epic. Which eventually became the series that will be depicted over a total of five seasons.
Considering that the show is only one part of its way through the planned narrative so far, there is still a long way for RoP to go.
Its first season has at most been an introductory one. Establishing the audience to its new characters, and re-introducing already familiar characters throughout its episodes. In a way, the season has acted as a bit of a teaser as well. Hiding the identities of some of its prominent characters, foreshadowing what might come later in the future of the show.
For instance the ambiguous reveal of the Balrog and brief glimpses of Númenor's fate. Simply put, the show has spent its necessary time on its overall setup, and from this point on it can deliver much more substance and imagination than its preliminary season.
The benefit of the show's coming seasons is also the opportunity to make greater use of the books.
Although RoP includes much of its own original story, it is still closely based on the world and works of Tolkien. Assuming much of the show's audience will also be fans of the LotR, how the story will end won't be a surprise. But this is actually a major advantage for the series, being able to take Tolkien's lead.
The show can spend much more time focusing on the details of the narrative, as opposed to having to explain in depth the meaning behind much of the plot's origin. Following seasons of the series will likely allow the audience to see more interesting content of the character's backstory and development that we have never seen before. Especially for the likes of Galadriel and Sauron, whose perspective of events has never been thoroughly explored throughout the books.
Focus can also be placed on the setting of Middle-Earth. As later seasons are likely to explore more of the fictional landscape we know so well. Fans will get to witness these locations depicted as never seen before. The full formation of Mordor. Maybe even some references to the discovery of The Shire. With the filming of the series now moved to Bray Studios in the UK, Amazon will likely go all out for the visual effects and scenery of the show. Although some of the visual effects were questioned among fans throughout the first season.
Fans on Reddit for instance had openly debated why the Balrog of 2001's Fellowship of the Ring looked better than its much more recent (but visually lacking) counterpart of season one. Yet the series still has time to attend to some of its lacking areas such as VFX. It's only fair to give a show the time it needs to find itself.
Based on season one alone, RoP still has a long way to go before it reaches Peter Jackson's level of good. But arguably it has at least achieved one of the hardest things already, which is getting started to begin with. Now that the show has laid its foundation it can start building the series that fans really want. Because from now on in the story there is plenty to expect, including epic battles, heartfelt romances, forged friendships, and plenty of adventure. All the things fans love about Tolkien's original Lord of the Rings.