Who is Sauron, the toxic fandom and Nampat. What's new with The Rings of Power?
Amazon’s The Rings of Power has been the subject of intense (and often malicious) discussion and criticism since it dropped last month. As it slowly nears its close, we take a look at all that's new with the series.
The series currently holds a 38% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, in stark contrast to the 84% critics score on the website.
Since its conception, the series has been panned online by Tolkien aficionados for reasons other than merit. The series remains just as divisive and each passing episode seems to be a matter of greater contention than the previous.
As one of the largest fandoms in the world, one would assume that most Tolkien fans would yearn for just a single opportunity to relive the experiences that they once had, relishing the nostalgia that a brand-new LOTR project would have to offer. Instead, a significant number of people have made it their life’s objective to thrash and defile the series beyond belief.
What first stemmed from criticism against the announcement of a more diverse cast of characters for the series, has spiraled out of control into quite literally a witch-hunt against many of the POC cast members of the series.
Hundreds of so-called ‘Tolkien fans’ have bombarded the internet with racist and misogynist comments under the poorly-veiled garb of constructive criticism against the show and its performers.
Sophia Nomvete’s dwarf queen Disa and Ismael Cruz Cordova's elf Arondir have ritually been subjected to death threats and hate mail since the series premiere and most recently, Morfydd Clark’s Galadriel has even received flak for… riding a horse. Yes you heard that correctly.
The narrative that has been propagated amongst the toxic depths of the community is that this series and those associated with it are a blight upon existence and anyone who supports it is just as bad.
Among the fair share of truly constructive criticism the series has received, a majority of it has focused primarily on the pacing of the narrative. It seems the hours upon hours of build-up have left fans frustrated and hungry for answers that they have to wait an entire week to receive.
The glacial pacing of the series has also been a product of heightening the anticipation surrounding Sauron’s reveal and has had fans tear out their hair in search for answers.
Here’s a quick recap of who Sauron is and what his motivations are:
Sauron’s suggestive nickname as ‘The Deceiver’ has had fans questing for the truth behind his true nature in the series and has manifested itself in a number of hilarious ways on the internet.
The latest episode titled “Udun” has finally switched things up for the series; the entire episode unraveling at a break-neck pace with a gorgeously shot cavalry sequence throwing back to the Ride of the Rohirrim from The Return of the King and featuring a rather ‘explosive’ cliff-hanger that should be quite enough to satiate the needs of both fans and critics alike.
However, the standouts of the series thus far have been the unlikeliest - the corrupted elf Adar and his family of orcs. In Adar, the series has found a convincing adversary with compelling motivations. Through Adar, we are offered a more humanised perspective towards the otherwise vilified race of orcs and their subsidiaries; one that has even inspired empathy towards the villainous characters.
Yet the orcs wouldn’t be anywhere near as absorbing were it not for composer Bear McCreary’s enthralling new war-cry: Nampat. The Black Speech phrase for ‘Death’ has had fans captivated for its catchiness and stands testament to the beautiful mosaic of motifs that McCreary has so masterfully crafted for the series.
As the series now nears its end, with only two more episodes to conclude its debut season, things are still up in the air for The Rings of Power. Whether or not it sticks the landing, it would more than likely receive similar amounts of backlash regardless.
Until then, trust no one. Anyone can be Sauron. Maybe YOU are Sauron. Or perhaps,
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