I'm sure many of the Tolkien Purists will say otherwise, but as someone with no knowledge of the books' backstory, I am very much enjoying The Rings Of Power Season 2.

If there were a few niggling issues with the show creeping in towards the end of Season 1, with some of the storylines writing feeling a bit off, I feel like they have managed to apply a couple of subtle course corrections which are definitely keeping me engaged.

Sure, the Gandalf/Harfoots plotline remains the weakest of the bunch, but in terms of the broader politicking and scheming with the forging of the rings and such, it's all very much clicking into gear.

Also, simply when compared to its own contemporaries in the fantasy TV genre (The Wheel of Time, House of the Dragon, and post season two Witcher), it's an absolute cut-above in terms of production value.

Would highly recommend to anyone who is familiar with the Peter Jackson movies and enjoys the wider middle earth universe (but has never read the appendices or other supporting material from Tolkien probably)