THE RINGS OF POWER Showrunner Addresses Hate Watchers - "It Wouldn’t Be a Journey Through Middle-Earth Without Some Trolls Along the Way”

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 has been a big hit for Prime Video, as it has been pulling in some big streaming ratings. But, that doesn’t mean there aren’t people hating on the show because there are plenty of them!

Co-showrunner of the epic fantasy series J.D. Payne recently addressed the hate watchers and said that he’s actually happy to have them along on the ride.

While Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Payne explained: “The Fellowship had to look to each other, and those who support it, and remember what it’s fighting for. And when we see that millions of people are watching this and responding so positively to it – that’s who we’re fighting for.

“And those who watch every episode and [negatively] write about it on social media and make YouTube videos, we’re happy to have you guys, too. It wouldn’t be a journey through Middle-earth without some trolls along the way.”

That’s a perfect response to the situation! There’s no return hate. I love that they're embracing the fans that bash the show. Positivity is a great way to approach a negative situation.

I’ve personally been a little disappointed with Season 2 so far, but I’m hoping that it gets better as it moves forward.

The series takes place “thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and will take viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads, and the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkien's pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness.

“Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth.

“From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.”

In Season 2, “Sauron has returned. Cast out by Galadriel, without army or ally, the rising Dark Lord must now rely on his own cunning to rebuild his strength and oversee the creation of the Rings of Power, which will allow him to bind all the peoples of Middle-earth to his sinister will.

“Building on Season 1’s epic scope and ambition, Season 2 of Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power plunges even its most beloved and vulnerable characters into a rising tide of darkness, challenging each to find their place in a world that is increasingly on the brink of calamity.

“Elves and dwarves, orcs and men, wizards and Harfoots… as friendships are strained and kingdoms begin to fracture, the forces of good will struggle ever more valiantly to hold on to what matters to them most of all… each other.”

What are your thoughts on how Season 2 has been playing out so far?