The Rings Of Power Broke The Biggest Rule From Lord Of The Rings

The problem with prequels is that you're limited by the knowledge of what happens next. This means you can only have so many surprises, and so many avenues to take the characters and story in. No matter what, you already know Anakin Skywalker will turn bad, and that the Jedi would be all but extinct by the end of "Star Wars" prequels, you know the apes would eventually take over the planet, and you know Sauron will eventually take over Mordor before being defeated in "Lord of the Rings." These are just the rules of the game. 

"The Rings of Power" is a show that does a lot to do justice to professor Tolkien's legendarium, and it does things the Peter Jackson movies never could, like expand on Tolkien's love of song and poetry, his obsession with trees, and his anti-war sentiments. 

But the show also changes the lore and story in significant ways, from condensing the story, changing the characters, and even breaking the single biggest rule from "Lord of the Rings."

Spoilers for "The Rings of Power" season 1 finale.

The first season of "The Rings of Power" showed the origin of many elements from the movies, from the first eruption of Mount Doom and how it turned Mordor from a fertile and beautiful land into a hellscape, to the titular rings. We also saw the beginning of Sauron's journey to reclaim strength and corrupt the elves.

Though the identity of Sauron was not surprising, we did get a truly shocking reveal at the end of the season finale, as we see Halbrand wearing a cool and angsty black coat and entering Mordor, which he'll make his home. This is all well and good, and teases a confrontation between Sauron and Adar, but if you look closely you'll notice a tiny but significant detail: Halbrand is not on horseback, he is not mounting a fellbeast, he is on foot, entering Mordor. 

He literally just walked into Mordor.

What the hell, "Rings of Power?" Do you care not for tradition? Do you despise the source material? There is a lot we don't know about Middle-earth, but we do know one thing with absolute certainty: one does not simply walk into Mordor. Yet the show has Halbrand just going right through the front door on foot like nothing's happening? For shame. Canon ruined. Worst show ever.

What's next, showing us eagles flying around Mount Doom carrying hobbits around? Showing us the harfoots refuse to eat second breakfast? What about an orc refusing to look at the menu because there is no meatless option?

Adaptations are hard and we should allow room for interpretation and change, but some things are sacred. When adapting a beloved work of fiction, do not be like "Rings of Power" and show the Dark Lord of Mordor walk right into his home.