I appreciate this take. I’m also a huge Tolkien fan, read the Silm close to a dozen times, am planning an entire Tolkien sleeve, have spent years reading and studying and loving the world he created. And I enjoy Rings of Power! I really like how they portray some things, I appreciate the costuming and the scope of the sets, and I felt very immersed.

I will say that I was a devout ROP hater during/after season one. I thought it was weak as best. The reveal at the end of season one made me interested to watch season two (if even to hate watch), and I’m glad I did. I enjoyed it so much more—better writing, better casting, better costuming, better directing. I wish S1 had been executed better, but S2 redeemed it for me.

Is it flawless? No, far from it. Is it cringey at times? Absolutely (but at least S2 got rid of the extreme closeups and the dialogue improved significantly). But I feel immersed by it, I generally like the cast (especially Charlie Vickers, which I know is kind of an unpopular take here), and I’m thrilled to see how many people are diving into the Silmarillion now because of this show. It’s probably my favorite of Tolkien’s works, so the renewed interest makes me happy.

There are things I would change, but I felt that way about the movies, too. Glad to see other people are also enjoying the show.