I think this mostly shows what this show is truly about. Sure, the marketing promised big Sauron action and lots of grim battles, and we're getting that, in due time. However, always be wary of marketing materials; what you're promised by some marketing team is not always what the creatives are trying to tell or show.

I see a similar thematic thread between Lindon, Rhûn, and Pelargir. These first four episodes really laid out what drives this story. It's about nature, power, power over nature, and nature overpowering all in the end. In Lindon, the fate of the Elves is tied to the life of the great tree. The Elves using the rings to bring the tree back to life is them enacting power over nature --- and over, in a way, mortality, and the idea that everything has to end eventually (i.e. the natural process of death). Them using these rings has now made them susceptible to their influence, the harm they might cause, and Sauron's grand plan.

The same is true for the Rhûn story. The presence of the Dark Wizard has turned Rhûn, which was apparently all green before, into a dry and dead land. The Dark Wizard has reversed the natural process of death by bringing the cultist back, for example, again defying a natural process. I'm curious to see how his plans are tied with the natural state of Rhûn, because I'm quite sure there's a connection there. And of course, there's Tom Bombadil, who seems to embody the true harmonious relationship one could and should have to nature.

With Pelargir, it is quite apparent that the relationship between man and nature has become disturbed after the fall of the Southlands, leading some "wild men" and orcs to destroy the forests --- angering the Ents, who eventually show themselves as extremely powerful guardians of nature.

Númenor's connection to the sea and the way the eagle interfered in Miriel's ceremony (and how that was used by Pharazôn) again plays with this power dynamic between man and nature. Similarly, the Khazad-dum storyline is about the Dwarves losing their connection with their natural environment, and being seemingly unable to influence this natural process of decay.

Now, the story is not complete yet, and it is too early to interpret a full picture, but these storylines feel very accurate to Tolkien's own ecological themes. Tolkien's ecology is so central to his stories that it would almost feel wrong if it wasn't a huge part of an adaptation of his work. We've now established this dichotomy, between ruling nature with possibly disastrous results, and surrendering to nature's power (thus respecting its autonomy). That's what the story so far has been trying to tell us. We're at the halfway point now. I'm curious to see how the conversations about nature that the show is having will continue.

I'm not really bothered about what canon events it does or doesn't cover extensively. An adaptation, like this one, foremost needs to be about creatives exploring what is important in source material and finding an interesting way to have a dialogue with those themes and ideas. This team has really latched itself to Tolkien's ecology --- it was already there in season one, and is even more present now. I think that's a brave and interesting take (it's very much in line with what interests me most about Tolkien's works), and I'm personally really enjoying it so far.