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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Stuart Heritage

Now it’s over, let’s come out and say it: The Rings of Power was a stinker

Rings of Power Amazon Morfydd Clark Tolkien
The only thrilling thing? … Morfydd Clark as Galadriel in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
The only thrilling thing? … Morfydd Clark as Galadriel in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Photograph: Courtesy of Prime Video

When The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power debuted at the same time as House of the Dragon, much noise was made about which show attracted more eyeballs. According to Nielsen, it was a conclusive victory for Tolkien, with The Rings of Power viewers watching the first two episodes for 1.25bn minutes, compared with House of the Dragon’s 741m.

But over the weeks, something strange has happened. House of the Dragon has sucked up the spotlight. It has attracted tweets, theories, memes, discussions, all on a rolling boil since the first episode. Meanwhile, if The Rings of Power has been seen anywhere, it was only in places paid for by Amazon. There are billboards and adverts and special Amazon packing tape adorned with the show’s logo. But, in terms of spontaneous, organic excitement, it has been a wilderness.

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