By Ben Wright (@iamzavagno | www.xgeeks.co.uk)
This review is spoiler-free.
First of all, I want to apologise for the length of this review, despite condensing the first two episodes into one review, this is significantly longer! So, I better not waste any more time on this introduction, let’s get to the breakdown, shall we?
I didn’t think we would start this week’s episode of The Rings of Power with a premonition involving the fall of Numenor, but there you go! It was a terrifying visual, to say the least! But it is not only the nightmares of the Queen Regent that casts a shadow over the island, as Tamar (Jason Hood) is stirring up discontent regarding the arrival of Galadriel and falling into the standard ‘they will come for you jobs’ race-baiting rhetoric that always works with a mob of people who feel disenfranchised. Pharazon (Trystan Gravelle) manages to use his populist speechcraft skills to bring the crowd back on his side – so the ani-elf sentiment remains, but he keeps his people in line and their eyes away from their leaders, I.E., himself! With racial tensions peaking, now might not be the best time for Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) to be proposing reforging the alliance of Numenor and the Elves with Míriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) and wanting to fight for the men of the Southlands and pushback against Sauron. This scene was incredibly charged and Morfydd Clark really brought that frighteningly powerful aspect that we’ve seen from Galadriel in the movies.
Elsewhere on the Island, we spend some time with Kemen (Leon Wadham) and Eärien (Ema Horvath) and explore the early blossoming of a possible romance, at least from Kemen’s viewpoint. We have only briefly been introduced to Eärien, so it was nice that we got to spend more time getting to explore her character. As for her brother, things are not going well for Isildur, who has been banished from The Guild of Venturers, after hearing the mysterious voice call out his name again – but at the cost of his friends losing out as well!
With Galadriel imprisoned and the decision made to send her back to the Elves, it’s time for a prison break! Galadriel makes light work of her escape and enters the King’s tower only to be greeted by Míriel. King Tar-Palantir (Ken Blackburn) is not in a good way, and Míriel explains why she rules the way she does and takes Galadriel to the highest point of the tower where she reveals a Palantir – one of the seeing stones. Galadriel touches the Palantir and witnesses the fall of Numenor, just like at the start of the episode. Galadriel is packed into a boat and displayed in front of the many onlookers – clearly all for show, as she soon reappears alongside the Queen Regent in the palace and in front of the nobility. Míriel announces that she will be heading to the Southlands to aid Galadriel in her quest and asks for volunteers to join her. The Southlands have called for aid… and Numenor will answer!
Speaking of the Southlands…
Last week we were left with anticipation of meeting Adar, with Arondir (Ismael Cruz Cordova) being brought before him. Now back in the Southlands, we pick up from last week and finally meet Adar (Joseph Mawle) and his introduction is unsettling, to say the least! Mawle’s performance was so compelling and raw with emotion that I am truly fascinated to see more! Adar plans to release Arondir so that he can return to Ostirith with a message, for the Southlands refugees who are starting congregating there – including Bronwyn. With more and more refugees arriving, Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi) needs to put together a plan to feed everyone, as the rations are already critically low. Theo (Tyroe Muhafidin) goes against his mother’s wishes and decides to head back to the village, with Rowan (Ian Blackburn), to get food supplies that will last them much longer, than the unpredictable nature of foraging in the woodlands.
Back at Tirharad, Theo and Rowan have gathered plenty of supplies but the two, foolishly, separate. With the sun slowly disappearing, we are treated to a great visual of Rowan running away from the shadow cast by the cloud cover, almost as if being touched by the shadow was enough to act as a death sentence. Theo is attacked by an Orc and in his desperation, he cuts himself with the blade to allow the sword to fully form. Fending off his attacker and hiding in a well, we learn that the Orcs are looking for the hilt and that word has been sent to Adar about this discovery. As night falls, Theo tries to escape the village whilst avoiding the Orcs. The orange lighting in all of these shots was outstanding and to add a brief one-shot of the escape is something I have been longing to see in the show. Arondir saves Theo before he can come to harm, and we are then spoiled with a stunning slow-motion sequence as the pair flee from the Orcs through the woods. The music here was incredibly moving and elevated the scene ten times over. With the sun rising, they are free from their pursuers.
Back at Ostirith, Waldreg (Geoff Morrell), knowing that Theo has the blade, reveals to Theo that he is still true to the old ways and to Sauron. With Adar and his Orcs closing in on the blade, the battle of Ostirith will soon begin…
With the Elves of the Gwaith-i-Mírdainand and Dwarves of Khazad-dûm working jointly on the construction of the great forge, Elrond (Robert Aramayo) and Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards) converse, with Celebrimbor implying that Prince Durin (Owain Arthur) is hiding something. Elrond pays a visit to Princess Disa (Sophia Nomvete) and it is clear that something is amiss. Despite Disa and Durin believing Elrond to have been escorted out of Moria, he is in fact watching from the shadows and learns that the Dwarves are digging in the old mine below the Mirrormere. Elrond ventures into the old mine but is soon discovered by Durin. Durin clearly implies that Celebrimbor has sent Elrond as a spy – but he also deduces that Elrond is true when he claims he has no idea or has any interest in what the Dwarves have discovered. My guess previously was that they had discovered Mithril and that is confirmed to be the case. I got chills during this scene, as it just felt like a landmark moment and my mind immediately travelled to thoughts of Bilbo and Frodo, then the Shire, then I was well and truly down the rabbit hole of why I love this franchise so much!
When Durin allowed Elron to keep a chunk of Mithril ore as “a token of [our] friendship” this put a ridiculously large smile on my face as I simply adore these two characters and their friendship and bond. It feels so real and pure, and the fact the pair constantly have watery eyes when looking at each other just highlights their connection. A cave-in traps four miners, and we are gifted with a jaw-dropping scene involving Disa performing her ‘Resonating’ – singing to the stones – in order to help free, the trapped miners. This was a truly captivating scene and Sophia Nomvete completely floored me with her voice. Despite the miners being safely recovered, Durin is angry with his father, who has shut down the mine. The King also wants his son to return with Elrond, as he believes the Elves to be up to something, just like Celebrimbor believes the Dwarves to be!
Overall, I thought this was an incredible story and lore-heavy episode and one I think we really needed, as the size and scale of all of the current events need exploring in much greater detail. It wasn’t a giant information dump, however, as there were plenty of action sequences filtered throughout to help with the pacing and flow of the episode. I loved learning a few new things and immersing myself in all of the lore and stories, as it’s what I love about the fantasy genre – it is so expansive! I am far from being a Tolkien purist, but one thing I do know for certain is this – The Rings of Power has been crafted with so much love and care that it honours this wonderful world he created, but also provides fans with new stories and characters that fit within the themes of the original works.
It was interesting that we jumped to the different locations this week, without the aid of the map or titles. I’m not sure if this was the show simply expecting the audience to know where the established places are after three episodes or what, but I do admit I miss it. While I am comfortable with the established locations so far, I just liked the artistic choice to include the map as I felt it added an extra creative visual layer to the show. Maybe it will return when we are presented with new locations?
The Rings of Power continues to tick every box for me, personally, and it is a show that I have really taken to my heart. I genuinely loved this episode, and I am already counting the days until next week!
What did you think of this episode of The Rings of Power? Let us know in the comments or find us on social media!
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