Leer en Español
The fourth episode of Amazon‘s The Rings of Power has failed to get the series off the ground. It delves even deeper into something that would not have pleased Tolkien by turning it into a crude allegory of contemporary politics.
In the foreword to The Fellowship of the Ring, Tolkien wrote: “I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations, and always have done so since I grew old and wary enough to detect its presence. I much prefer history –true or feigned– with its varied applicability to the thought and experience of readers.”
“I think that many confuse ‘applicability’ with ‘allegory’; but the one resides in the freedom of the reader, and the other in the purposed domination of the author,” J.R.R. Tolkien concluded.
After four episodes of The Rings of Power, it can be affirmed that the series’ creators intend to exercise this intentional dominion over what the viewer is to understand. Moreover, they do so in a forced and blatant manner.
This is unmistakably evident when at the beginning of the chapter, the Númenóreans gather in the square and go on a tirade against the elves, shouting that the “Elf workers taking your trades? Workers who don’t sleep, don’t tire, don’t age. I say, the Queen’s either blind or an Elf lover, just like her father.”
They could only have made this scene less subtle by having those assembled there wear red MNGA (Make Númenor Great Again) hats or by showing them hooded and with torches. After all, this is how progressives imagine the “Ultra-MAGA.”
There is no doubt that reference in itself is crude and caricatured. In the first episode, another young character who represents how progressives imagine an “incel” appears out of nowhere, telling the black elf that “your people are not welcome here.” They may say he is referring to elves in general, but you don’t have to be very clever to realize the scriptwriters’ malicious intentions and the parallelism they are trying to sneak in.
The Rings of Power, an anti-MAGA pamphlet
The series is a constant drip of winks —ridiculously shameless— to all the major concerns of the left. Feminism is present at the very heart of its story. We are reminded of it at every turn through female characters devoid of any trait of femininity but brimming with masculine characteristics.
The racial issue also transpires throughout the series. They strive to show us “racialized” characters in every scene, focusing on them in such an obvious way that it almost seems like “product placement.” In case there was any doubt since Amazon started promoting the series, it has reminded us that its central axis is diversity. Since it was premiered, anyone who criticizes it is branded as racist.
Finally, by way of prediction and warning of a possible spoiler, it seems increasingly obvious —although the screenwriters believe it will catch us by surprise— that the supposed male hero of The Rings of Power, Halbrand, will actually end up being revealed as the real villain, either Sauron himself, or The Witch-King.
Actor Charlie Vickers brings to life Saur…ahem…Halbrand (EFE by Mario Guzman)
This Halbrand character, invented by Amazon for this series, is shown to us as a sort of Aragorn from The Rings of Power, a legitimate heir to be King of the Southlands but who has fallen from grace. This character, who is being presented as a future hero of the people, to end up being unveiled as the bad guy of the series, would fit perfectly with the narrative they are trying to get us to swallow.
He would embody the populist leader in whom hopes are pinned but ultimately ends up being very evil. That seems to be the lesson the screenwriters want us to learn with this ridiculous allegory they have turned The Rings of Power into.
As Elon Musk said, Tolkien must be turning in his grave.
Tolkien is turning in his grave
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 5, 2022
Ignacio Manuel García Medina, Business Management teacher. Artist and lecturer specialized in Popular Culture for various platforms. Presenter of the program "Pop Libertario" for the Juan de Mariana Institute. Lives in the Canary Islands, Spain // Ignacio M. García Medina es profesor de Gestión de Empresas. Es miembro del Instituto Juan de Mariana y conferenciante especializado en Cultura Popular e ideas de la Libertad.
Social Networks: @ignaciomgm