Warning! Spoilers for Rings of Power season 2, episode 6 ahead!
Peter Jackson made a controversial change to Sauron in hisLord of the Ringsmovies, butThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powerhas quietly changed it back. The Prime Video series has had the rare opportunity to show Sauron in a new light since the Second Age setting allowed for a more up-close-and-personal look at this villain. The Dark Lord never made a real appearance in Frodo’s story, so Jackson had to get creative to find a way to still make him seem like a real character rather than an unseen force. This resulted in an adjustment thatRings of Powerhas no real need for.
InJackson’sLord of the Ringsmovies, Sauron had yet to regain a physical form. Instead,he was presented as a flaming eye atop the tower of Barad-dûr, endlessly searching Middle-earth for his One Ring. The image of theEye of Sauronhas since become iconic to theLord of the Ringsfranchise—so much so that it’s easy to forget that this was a complete invention of Jackson’s movies.This was a controversial change at the time since the “eye” mentioned in Tolkien’s works had always been metaphorical.Now, this is the angleRings of Powerhas restored.
The Rings Of Power Season 2 Makes The Eye Of Sauron Metaphorical Again
Adar Speaks Of Sauron’s Eye The Way It Was Originally Intended
Sauron hasn’t built Barad-dûr yet inThe Rings of Powerseason 2, so it remains to be seen if Prime Video will adopt the flaming eye that Jackson’sLord of the Ringsmovies popularized.However, Adar’s words in season 2, episode 6, imply that the series has returned to the “Eye of Sauron” metaphor that Tolkien so often used in his books.During his meeting with Galadriel,Adar said that Sauron’s “eye bores a hole while the rest of him slithers in,“referencing the Dark Lord’s skill for manipulating his victims. Of course, he isn’t speaking literally here.
This is very similar to the way Tolkien talked about Sauron’s “eye” inThe Lord of the Rings. The eye was the Dark Lord’s symbol throughout the Third Age, which drove home the idea (which Sauron started) that he was always watching his soldiers and enemies alike. When Gandalf or Elrond mentions the Eye of Sauron, they reference his influence and reach—the stretching of his evil across Middle-earth. This is precisely whatAdar says inRings of Powerseason 2, episode 6.He is telling Galadriel that when Sauron puts his attention on a victim, they become hiswholly and entirely.
How The “Eye” Of Sauron Is Shaping The Rings Of Power’s Story In Season 2
Sauron’s Metaphorical Eye Is Set On Several Game Pieces
Sauron has already turned his “eye” upon several victims inRings of Powerseason 2. His efforts of manipulation have been aimed at Celebrimbor, who is slowly falling to pieces as he makes the titular Rings of Power. Additionally, Sauron has sewn seeds of deception in Khazad-dûm, which is also beginning to come apart at the seams this season. Then, there is Adar himself. Though the Uruk is aware of Sauron’s ability to move the beings of Middle-earth to his own design, he does not realize inRings of Powerseason 2, episode 6 that he isattacking Eregion because of the Dark Lord’s manipulations.
If there were a physical Eye of Sauron in Rings of Power season 2, its fiery gaze would be moving between Eregion, Khazad-dûm, Adar, and Galadriel.
If there were a physical Eye of Sauron inRings of Powerseason 2, its fiery gaze would be moving between Eregion, Khazad-dûm, Adar, and Galadriel. They are the players on his board at the moment.However,since Sauron is a physical character on the screen, it isn’t necessary for Prime Video to bring the metaphor to lifeas it was in Jackson’sLord of the Ringsmovie.
Did Peter Jackson’s Literal Eye Of Sauron Work For The Lord Of The Rings Movies?
A Physical Eye Was Perfect For Jackson’s Movies (But Rings Of Power Doesn’t Need It)
ThoughJackson’s making theEye of Sauron literal in hisLord of the Ringsmovies was controversial at the time, it worked so well with the story that many have forgotten that this wasn’t thecase in Tolkien’s work. It was an effective way to make Sauron an actual character despite his physical form never appearing on screen.There was a constant, eerie sense that Sauron was watching the characters, implying that at any moment, their plan would be foiled, and all would be lost.
Sauron did have a physical form during the events of Tolkien’sLord of the Rings, but the only primary characters who actually saw him were Gollum and Aragorn (through the palantir).
Rings of Powerseemingly abandoning the physical eye atop the tower doesn’t mean the movie’s version wasbad.Instead, it simply further demonstrates how different devices are necessary for different mediums.BothRings of Powerand Jackson’sLord of the Ringsmovies couldn’t avoid changing Tolkien’s canonsince no screen adaptation ever can.Still, as a TV show and movie franchise set during different points in Middle-earth’s history, both needs are unique. Whether Sauron is a fiery eye or a physical being, bothRings of PowerandLord of theRingsmanagedways to make his influence absolutely terrifying.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
Cast
Set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power explores the forging of the iconic rings, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, and the epic events leading up to the stories in J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic novels. The series chronicles the creation of legendary characters and the historic alliances and rivalries that shape the fate of Middle-earth.
