I have complained a lot about The Rings of Power, and I am not going to pretend now that all my problems with the series disappeared because of one good trailer. Even so, I must admit that the first images from the new season impressed me, and, against most of my expectations, genuinely excited me about what is to come next.

Perhaps it is important to clarify that my criticism has never come from any kind of purism regarding Tolkien’s work. I have read The Lord of the Rings, but not the other books that explore the Second Age and the events portrayed in the series in far greater detail. I therefore have no intention of arguing with authority about every change in chronology, character, or mythology made by the adaptation. My greatest problem with The Rings of Power has always been its protagonist.

The Galadriel of The Rings of Power, at least from my perspective, is a difficult character to follow and an even more difficult one to love. She is impulsive, arrogant, selfish, and frequently inconsistent. In many moments, she seems incapable of seeing any reality beyond her own pain, her mission, or her obsession. There is a narcissism in her that the series does not always appear to recognize as a problem, treating it as a strength, attitudes that, from the outside, often do little more than distance the character from the audience.

Naturally, it would be unfair to expect Morfydd Clark to portray from the beginning the same Galadriel played by Cate Blanchett in Peter Jackson’s films. Blanchett embodies a far more mature character, fully aware of her power and shaped by centuries of experiences that the Galadriel of the series has not yet lived through. There is an enormous distance in time between the two versions.

Even taking that into account, however, the difference is not merely one of maturity. Blanchett’s Galadriel possesses a sense of greatness that also comes from self-control, the ability to listen, and an awareness of the dangers within her own desires. The Galadriel of the series repeatedly appears ruled by those desires, without the narrative always finding a convincing way to transform her mistakes into real growth.

That is, for me, the greatest obstacle in The Rings of Power. Almost everything else works far better. The series has beauty, scale, a strong cast, an increasingly compelling Sauron, and a universe in which it is easy to want to remain. My problem was never being in Middle-earth. It was having to cross it while following a protagonist who so often irritated me more than she moved me.

We Have Finally Reached the Story I Know

The new trailer alters that relationship somewhat, as the series finally appears to be entering the part of the story I know: the prologue of The Lord of the Rings, the events that explain the world Frodo, Gandalf, Aragorn, and the entire Fellowship will encounter much later.

I know where this story is heading. I understand the scale of the defeat that is coming and, precisely because of that, seeing this past finally take shape may be deeply moving.

We are no longer merely watching a long preparation or mysteries created specifically for television. We are approaching the forging of the One Ring, the definitive expansion of Sauron’s power and the war that will forever mark Middle-earth. We know that a tremendous defeat lies ahead. We know these characters are moving toward tragedy, loss and decisions whose consequences will echo across generations.

And perhaps that is exactly what makes it so exciting.

There is no suspense about the final outcome of this moment in history. Sauron will not be permanently destroyed; the threat will continue and the world that emerges will be marked by the failures of those who tried to stop him. But knowing the destination does not diminish the emotion. In stories like this, it often does the opposite. Knowing that the characters are walking toward ruin makes every moment of hope even more painful.

There is also the promise of seeing a different Galadriel. She will be reunited with Celeborn and, apparently, the series may finally explore a side of her that has been almost entirely absent until now. Watching Galadriel fall in love, build a relationship and perhaps discover a life that is not organized exclusively around Sauron may help bring her closer to the woman she will one day become.

This is not about believing that romance will solve her problems or automatically soften a difficult character. But perhaps love, loss and the awareness of the approaching disaster will force Galadriel to look beyond herself. That is the development I have been waiting to see since the series began.

A Good Trailer Is Still Only a Promise

Of course, I remain cautious. The Rings of Power has always known how to produce grand images, beautiful battles and trailers capable of generating curiosity. The challenge is turning that promise into episodes with rhythm, emotion and coherence.

My criticism of the protagonist does not disappear simply because the new season looks larger or darker. For the series to truly work, Galadriel needs to evolve visibly and convincingly. It is not enough to say that she is younger than Cate Blanchett’s character. The series needs to show how this impulsive, arrogant woman, so often incapable of listening, will become the wise, powerful and frighteningly self-aware figure we meet later.

This time, however, the series has something that was missing for me in previous seasons: the sense that we are finally moving toward a story that matters not only because the show tells us it matters, but because we already know its consequences.

After complaining so much — and still believing that I had good reasons to complain — I have to acknowledge that the trailer impressed me. The series still needs to convince me when it comes to Galadriel, but it now has Sauron, the One Ring, an inevitable war and the approaching tragedy that opens the story of The Lord of the Rings on its side.

We know that almost everything will go wrong. We know that a devastating defeat is coming. And perhaps that is precisely why watching it unfold will be so emotional.