The creators of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” give the first keys of the second season

The most expensive and ambitious series in television history has come to an end (its first season). Showrunners Patrick McKay and JD Payne recalled their favorite moments from these eight dazzling episodes in the press conference immediately following the broadcast. The former is very proud of having turned Queen Míriel into a kind of prophet who “He is afraid to see the future of his people and trying to lead him he loses his sight, there was something so tragic and perfect there that has been his guide for this season”. On the other hand, her partner’s favorite scenes are “Arondir and Bronwyn run away from the orcs in slow motion by reaching the sunlight” and Elrond’s reconciliation with Durin by sharing how they feel about their parents. “I’ve seen it and felt the same thing I want to hear every time I see ‘The Lord of the Rings'”.

But in addition to planting interesting routes for the second season, The creators and writers of this last chapter have given a visual answer to many of the theories about the unknown characters of the series and the most famous of the entire saga. How they created those highlights of this season finale and what it implies for the continuation of the series were the main topics of this exclusive meeting with reporters.

SPOILER attention!

* This article reveals important details about the ending of the first season of “The Rings of Power”.

Who and why Sauron?

“Nothing is bad at its origin.” Galadriel herself has already announced in the first sentence of the entire series the twist of the season finale: Sauron is her companion in adventure, Halbrand (Charlie Vickers). The creators are aware of the debate generated among fans during the seven weeks of the broadcast, but assure that this was just one more piece to hook viewers with their characters.. “We never wanted to focus on the mystery or the clues. The fact that they discuss interpretations of the books or any topic that makes people talk is a success.”.

Sauron’s well-known awakening was something heralded by that brief, dark scene from the first chapter. But McKay points this out “We didn’t care about the surprise, we don’t think it’s particularly dramatic or rich. It doesn’t matter if you think this character is the villain and he will reveal himself or that this villain just has to be out there and you’re waiting for it to happen. “‘, His goal with this first season was to play with what viewers already know about the saga. to be transmitted “The feeling of inevitability. The surprise lasts for a moment and is no longer enjoyed in a second viewing. The inevitability of seeing something happen that you know happened has been our true guide. This means that, even if they tell you, nothing happens, because it only adds to that feeling “.

If it wasn’t his intention to surprise, why play with Sauron’s identity? From the beginning they were clear that they did not want a first season marked by “Sauron is the big villain. We wanted to keep him in the shadowsand we know he is a cheat and can take many forms. “What they also seemed very clear about was the human identity in Halbrand’s character since, despite this background of his power, “We also wanted him to be a part of this story and have his own evil gift. We immediately got the idea that he was going to be somewhere in the story without anyone knowing. And when we thought it was this particular character that enters the story in in this way, we felt it was very satisfying and exciting. “. Payne doesn’t remember exactly who invented it in the writers’ room, but says there has never been a plan B with another character: “There has never been any debate. This has always been the story.”.

The big villain of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ has already emerged from the shadows … to fully immerse himself in them, as seen literally in the final shot of Charlie Vickers hiding coming to his real home, Mordor. The creators of the series have hinted that Sauron will not be hidden in the second season as in the first and, consequently, the plot will cross even more the original trilogy. “This season is about the origin of evil. In the second season, that evil is already born, is active and has a plan. Have Sauron as an extra piece on the board and get into some of these great canonical stories That’s what we’re most excited to bring to the screen. “.

Who will be the magician?

The other big rumor Payne and McKay have addressed is the identity of the outsider. At the end of the episode, it is confirmed that he is a wizard, and almost Gandalf too, when he tells Nori the same line that the gray wizard in the Mines of Moria uses in ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’: “In if in doubt, always follow your nose. ” “Of course, that phrase and many other things resonate with what we associate with Gandalf. But also with other wizards. We know that Saruman and the blue wizards went to the Eastthey struggled with darkness and temptation, and we also see it in this character “.

Unlike Sauron, the creators still want to continue playing with the identity of this character in the second season. “Who he is and his journey of self-discovery will continue well into the second season”. Payne justifies her decision not to reveal his true identity in this one yet “At this point, his name would mean nothing to him, first we have to learn what he is like. Whatever his name, the time will come when the outsider will be ready to understand more about his identity”.

The clues for the second season

To face the new phase of history, we must first analyze the one that ends in the first season. The creators confess they have their own rating “on what worked and what didn’t, and surely the second season is influenced by it”. However, this future batch of episodes “was entirely written before the world saw a single image from the first season”. As with the theories of surprises, Payne is well aware of all the criticisms received about slowness or licenses with the protagonists, but assures in no uncertain terms that “The evolution of the story, the series, the tone and the characters we focus on is based on what we believe is the next step in the story. We will not change course due to the reception of the first chapters in the first few weeks”.

Although they retain that essence, McKay confirms that yes, “The story will be different next time, but why does it have to be as the characters change”. Unlike what happened with the departure of the creator of “The House of the Dragon”, he knows I’m here “to play the whole game” during the five confirmed seasons. Therefore, it encourages viewers to evaluate the entire season in its global context and to do as they do: “Take a minute to fix everything that was the first season and then change your opinion and perspective on it. I think this last chapter is useful, maybe it changes people’s point of view”.

From the script, this first season was a giant reintroduction to the whole world, culture, characters and themes of Middle-earth. But the writers already feel that the full presentation of the news is over; Now is the time to play with the material we already knew from before. “In the second season, you already have all those players on the pitch, which opens the way for all those canonical stories that Tolkien left us and that you see from the end of this season. In the next one, we will go much deeper into the tradition “.. Specifically, Payne warns that we will have both “new characters of the canon that we have been asked to introduce “ What “there will also be new non-canonical characters”.

Among the characters that will remain from this first season, Payne doubts the presence of the furry community that Nori says goodbye to in the last chapter. At least in the second season. “One of the things I like most about this long-term narrative is that part of the story can go away for half a season or an entire season, and then suddenly come back. Any character who isn’t dead can come back and we could create. a strategy for the “. Of course, in those plans, at the moment the spin-offs of none of the races seem not to be found as Netflix intended to do. “This is a question for Amazon. We focus on creating the best possible 55 hours, line by line, scene by scene.”. Even so, Payne confesses an idea that would attract him for another possible series: “a Second Age adaptation might be fine”.

The track for the rest of the seasons

Coming to the end of the series (and this press conference), credits song performed by Fiona Apple may keep future seasons of ‘The Rings of Power’ secret. The showrunners were clear that they wanted to end the season with a sinister song like “Where the Shadows Lie”. Musically, they worked with lauded composer Bear McCreary (“Calle Cloverfield 10”) in “a melody that builds up over the season. If you watch it again, you’ll hear how this epic theme mixes with other themes”. Thus, the tradition of adapting songs like in Peter Jackson’s films continued.

But the clue is in the lyrics. As the composer himself explained in his twitter threadis the adaptation of a Tolkien poem which begins ‘The Fellowship of the Ring’: a ring to rule them all … “We always try to go back to Tolkien’s words”confess the authors of the last episode. “The first line of the first season came straight out of the books. And the last words too”. Aside from this homage to the prolific British writer and teacher, “It’s also a small preview of what’s to come. The song is about three rings, as it happened now, after seven, then nine and then one. It suggests that maybe that’s what we’ll see next times.”. Thus, McKay leaves the door open so that each season can be closed with the forging of the rings for each race. To see if it’s the turn of the dwarves, we’ll have to wait a long time for the second season of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” which has already started filming but has not yet an official Data release.