Rings Of Power Season 2 Will Set Up One Of The Scariest Scenes In Lord Of The Rings

"The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" is almost back, and season 2 aims to be bigger, bolder, and darker than the first. The trailer for the upcoming season literally shows darkness spreading, as Sauron's influence grows, and his power with it. And yet, not everything is bad. Some of it is aggressively neutral, like the arrival of the whimsical Tom Bombadil, who will finally make his screen debut in season 2 of "The Rings of Power."

Now, what about the good guys? The show has mostly focused on the story of Galadriel and her haunt for Sauron following his defeat in the First Age, and the first season ended with her huge f— up after trusting totally-not-Sauron into creating the first three magic rings of power. Though we saw the creation of the first three rings, we haven't seen their bearers put them on — yet. Executive producer Lindsey Weber told Empire Magazine that audiences should look forward to that moment. "It's a very special moment when Galadriel finally gets to put on her ring, Nenya," she said. "Something we hope we've captured in cinematic fashion at the opening of season 2."

But the moment is not just cool, it's monumental for the arc of Galadriel and the future of Middle-earth. "This season we get to play with some of the storytelling around what the rings do and, I think most importantly, what they do to our characters when they're wearing them," Weber added. "They change people in ways that might be good, and ways that might be less good." Webber teases a "a real different side to Galadriel" over season 2. This, of course, seems to be teasing Galadriel's big scene in the original "Lord of the Rings," which the show's first season sowed the seeds for.

In case you don't remember, in "The Fellowship of the Ring," Frodo offers Galadriel the One Ring and she briefly considers taking it — that is, before resisting the temptation and passing the test, as she remains Galadriel rather than turning into a wraith.

The prospect of wearing Nenya being an early test for Galadriel makes sense, and is an exciting prospect. It's not like she hasn't been tempted before, as she nearly fell for stinkin' sexy Sauron last season. That huge mistake, which led to Galadriel literally helping Sauron create the rings, is going to weigh heavily on her in season 2. "She's humbled. She's had to own up to her mistakes. She's had to accept that her intuition maybe isn't always perfect," Weber continued. "She's had to face the question of whether she's wrong and decide which way to go to set right what she's had a hand in unleashing on Middle-earth."

Galadriel is one of the more complex characters in "The Rings of Power" by far – a flawed female hero we don't normally see in fantasy, hot-headed, angry, and determined. It makes sense that the show will chart her transformation from a warrior into a leader and, eventually, a queen. After all, Nenya's power is what allowed Galadriel to create Lothlórien and then conceal it from evil, which is why that kingdom so impenetrable it was said the only way the armies of Mordor could conquer Lothlórien was if Sauron himself marched there.

Elsewhere, season 2 of "The Rings of Power" is likely to tell an exciting, yet tragic story from Tolkien's Legendarium — the fall of Númenor, which has a lot in common with the myth of Atlantis.

"The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" season 2 premieres August 29, 2024, on Prime Video.