Uploaded October 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Rings of Power is one of the more baffling TV shows of recent times. While it isn’t necessarily the worst show ever made, it certainly isn’t the best, or at least one that would live up to its prestigious name.
It’s just really….poopy. Like, there’s some good in there, but it’s muddied with a lot of bad around it that ultimately makes it feel like a big pile of poop. Poop poop. Imagine putting some good ingredients in your boiling pot, but you start adding some bad ones and then don’t end up following the recipe. It’s enough to make you…poop.
But where did it go right, and where did it go all wrong? Is there really a silver lining amongst all the garbage?
Let’s look at the good side before going to the dark side. Spoilers ahead.
Shout out to "Time Spin Studios" for their brilliant edit of Pippin watching Rings of Power on the Palantir. Full version here: youtu.be/ckJpOWOM2hw
Thank you to my incredible Patreons for continuing to support this channel. You guys are amazing.
These include the lovely people “Matthew McKinley", "Adam McCarter", "FloNess" and "ThatEvilCanadian” at the time this was made.
If you’d also like the option of becoming a Patreon, head to:
patreon.com/motioninart
For more of my reviews, analyses, and other articles:
motioninartmedia.com
Twitter:
twitter.com/motion_in_art
Reddit:
reddit.com/user/motioninart
Odysee:
odysee.com/@motioninart:3
What is Rings of Power?
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is an American fantasy television series developed by J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay for the streaming service Amazon Prime Video. Based on J. R. R. Tolkien's history of Middle-earth, primarily material from the appendices of the novel The Lord of the Rings, the series is set thousands of years before the novel and depicts the major events of Middle-earth's Second Age. It is produced by Amazon MGM Studios in association with New Line Cinema.
Amazon acquired the television rights for The Lord of the Rings from the Tolkien Estate in November 2017, making a five-season production commitment worth at least US$1 billion. This would make it the most expensive television series ever made. Payne and McKay were hired in July 2018 for their first credited roles. They developed the story by bridging Second Age references in the appendices with original material, in consultation with the estate and Tolkien lore experts. Per the requirements of Amazon's deal with the estate, the series is not a continuation of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies. Despite this, the producers intended to evoke the films using similar production design, younger versions of film characters, and a main theme by Howard Shore who composed the music for both film trilogies. Bear McCreary composed the series' original score.
A large international cast was hired and filming for the eight-episode first season took place in New Zealand, where the films were produced, from February 2020 to August 2021. This included a production break of several months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Amazon moved production for future seasons to the United Kingdom. Filming for the second season took place there from October 2022 to June 2023, finishing amid the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike. Work on a potential third season has begun.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premiered on September 1, 2022. The first season was released through October, and was the most-watched of any Prime Video original series according to Amazon. It received generally positive reviews from critics, particularly for its visuals and designs, but there were criticisms for the writing and pacing. The second season was released from August to October 2024. It has been met with lower viewership than the first season and a similar critical response.
Set thousands of years before the events of the novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien, the series is based on the author's history of Middle-earth. It begins during a time of relative peace and covers the major events of Middle-earth's Second Age: the forging of the Rings of Power, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, the fall of the island kingdom of Númenor, and the last alliance between Elves and Men. These events take place over thousands of years in Tolkien's works but are condensed for the series.
And if you’re still reading this – hello.
This video is made through Fair Use under copyright law for the purposes of education in criticism or review; as well as parody or satire. copyright.gov/title17/92c https://www.copyright.org.au/ACC_Prod
Rings of Power is one of the more baffling TV shows of recent times. While it isn’t necessarily the worst show ever made, it certainly isn’t the best, or at least one that would live up to its prestigious name.
It’s just really….poopy. Like, there’s some good in there, but it’s muddied with a lot of bad around it that ultimately makes it feel like a big pile of poop. Poop poop. Imagine putting some good ingredients in your boiling pot, but you start adding some bad ones and then don’t end up following the recipe. It’s enough to make you…poop.
But where did it go right, and where did it go all wrong? Is there really a silver lining amongst all the garbage?
Let’s look at the good side before going to the dark side. Spoilers ahead.
Shout out to "Time Spin Studios" for their brilliant edit of Pippin watching Rings of Power on the Palantir. Full version here: youtu.be/ckJpOWOM2hw
Thank you to my incredible Patreons for continuing to support this channel. You guys are amazing.
These include the lovely people “Matthew McKinley", "Adam McCarter", "FloNess" and "ThatEvilCanadian” at the time this was made.
If you’d also like the option of becoming a Patreon, head to:
patreon.com/motioninart
For more of my reviews, analyses, and other articles:
motioninartmedia.com
Twitter:
twitter.com/motion_in_art
Reddit:
reddit.com/user/motioninart
Odysee:
odysee.com/@motioninart:3
What is Rings of Power?
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is an American fantasy television series developed by J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay for the streaming service Amazon Prime Video. Based on J. R. R. Tolkien's history of Middle-earth, primarily material from the appendices of the novel The Lord of the Rings, the series is set thousands of years before the novel and depicts the major events of Middle-earth's Second Age. It is produced by Amazon MGM Studios in association with New Line Cinema.
Amazon acquired the television rights for The Lord of the Rings from the Tolkien Estate in November 2017, making a five-season production commitment worth at least US$1 billion. This would make it the most expensive television series ever made. Payne and McKay were hired in July 2018 for their first credited roles. They developed the story by bridging Second Age references in the appendices with original material, in consultation with the estate and Tolkien lore experts. Per the requirements of Amazon's deal with the estate, the series is not a continuation of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies. Despite this, the producers intended to evoke the films using similar production design, younger versions of film characters, and a main theme by Howard Shore who composed the music for both film trilogies. Bear McCreary composed the series' original score.
A large international cast was hired and filming for the eight-episode first season took place in New Zealand, where the films were produced, from February 2020 to August 2021. This included a production break of several months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Amazon moved production for future seasons to the United Kingdom. Filming for the second season took place there from October 2022 to June 2023, finishing amid the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike. Work on a potential third season has begun.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premiered on September 1, 2022. The first season was released through October, and was the most-watched of any Prime Video original series according to Amazon. It received generally positive reviews from critics, particularly for its visuals and designs, but there were criticisms for the writing and pacing. The second season was released from August to October 2024. It has been met with lower viewership than the first season and a similar critical response.
Set thousands of years before the events of the novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien, the series is based on the author's history of Middle-earth. It begins during a time of relative peace and covers the major events of Middle-earth's Second Age: the forging of the Rings of Power, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, the fall of the island kingdom of Númenor, and the last alliance between Elves and Men. These events take place over thousands of years in Tolkien's works but are condensed for the series.
And if you’re still reading this – hello.
This video is made through Fair Use under copyright law for the purposes of education in criticism or review; as well as parody or satire. copyright.gov/title17/92c https://www.copyright.org.au/ACC_Prod
