Does it ruin the story? For casual fans, no. For lore-younglings (like myself), it stings, but it’s understandable television logic. Here is the moment the fandom threw a riot. The show introduces the idea that Mithril contains the light of a lost Silmaril, created when an Elf and a Balrog fought over a tree.
Tolkien never wrote this. Not once.
When Amazon dropped the first trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power , the internet split down the middle. On one side stood the purists, squinting at every frame for lore inaccuracies. On the other stood the open-minded fans, eager to return to Middle-earth after a decade of cinematic silence. seigneur des anneaux anneaux de pouvoir
It plays into Tolkien’s theme of appearance versus reality . Sauron as the "Repentant" deceiver, looking handsome and helpful, is far scarier than a giant flaming eye. Charlie Vickers’ performance is chillingly subtle. Does it ruin the story
Does it work? It depends on your tolerance for new mythology. Personally, I see it as a clever engine to drive the Elves' fear of death. But if you view Tolkien’s work as sacred scripture, you’ll probably throw your remote at the screen. Season one played a dangerous game. It teased us with "Meteor Man" (the Stranger) and the mysterious Halbrand. The reveal that Halbrand was Sauron was controversial. Here is the moment the fandom threw a riot
Galadriel is supposed to be one of the wisest beings in Middle-earth. The fact that she brings the Dark Lord back to power by accident makes her look incompetent, not tragic. The Stranger and the Harfoots If you need a break from the heavy politics of Númenor, the Harfoot storyline is a warm cup of tea. These proto-Hobbits are nomadic, scrappy, and slightly brutal (they literally leave people behind if they get hurt).
We get to keep a consistent cast. Elrond, Celebrimbor, and Galadriel don't have to mourn human friends every three episodes. The Con: It messes with causality. Sauron’s deception of the Elves takes generations of trust-building. Here, it feels like a rushed corporate merger.