It’s been almost a month since the second season of The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power ended, and while a lot has been said, it doesn’t hurt to look back at the final two episodes.
2×07 Doomed
Written by JD Payne, Patrick McKay and Justin Doble, directed by Charlotte Brändström
This hour focuses almost entirely on Eregion and its surroundings, and since all of the action in Middle-earth centers on this location, most of the characters who have taken different paths throughout the season have found their intersection in this elven city. point, we can see how Celebrimbor gradually awakens from the reverie Sauron had plunged him into and finally sees reality for what it is, although he still completes the nine rings designed for mankind. Although he attempted to reveal Sauron’s true self to the others, he was unsuccessful as he also manipulated the elves into believing that Celebrimbor had lost his mind while at work.
Near Eregion, an army of elves under the command of Elrond approached, but not before passing through Khazad-dûm and seeking help from the dwarves through Prince Durin, who agreed to help his friends. It had to be stopped at the last moment because his father, still blinded by the power of the ring he was carrying, insisted on digging deeper and deeper into the mine despite the objections of his son and other miners, and refused to help the elves.
Sam Hazeldine as Adal / Photo credit: Ross Ferguson / Prime Video / Copyright: Amazon MGM Studios
Adar’s armies continued to brutally siege the elven city, even sending trolls to the scene, but they were still unable to break through the walls. At the same time, he also tried to “make an alliance” with Elrond this time, knowing that he now had Galadriel’s ring and Galadriel was still a prisoner of the orcs, but Elrond refused, And kissed her in a distracting way and gave her a pin. Saved.
This is how Galadriel finally gets the elves to take off the blindfold, as she herself confirms what Celebrimbor has been telling them about Sauron’s true identity. It was then that the Elven Blacksmith entrusted her with the nine rings in order to bring them out of Eregion and prevent the Dark Lord from using them for his own purposes. But none of this prevented Adar from eventually obtaining Galadriel’s ring after attacking Elrond. The orcs finally broke down the walls and took over the city.
2×08 Shadow and Fire
Written by JD Payne and Patrick McKay, directed by Charlotte Brändström
In the season finale, all of the plot that unfolded in the previous episodes comes together so we know all of the characters’ stories. On the one hand we have the men, first of all in Númenor, a witch hunt begins when the decree declares that all who remain loyal to Mirel will from now on be considered traitors, as Ar-Pharazon claims She was helped by Sauron. This situation wakes up Aerion and warns his father to hide before he is caught. He then goes to warn Miriel so they can escape together, but she sacrifices herself as always to tell him her place is there. Before Elendil leaves, she gives him the Sword of Narsil so that he can use it to protect himself.
Meanwhile, in Pelargir, Isildur says goodbye to Theo as he is about to return to his city, and he plans to do the same with Estrid since apparently she has broken up with her boyfriend, but… At this point, Coman, the son of Farazon, arrives and says that things have happened in Númenor and are now very different and that he will be in charge of what will now be the fortress of Pelagil. In exchange for providing supplies to the inhabitants, he demands that they give him the surrounding forests. of wood, which would obviously complicate Alondil’s ability to fulfill his previous promises to the Ents.
In Khazad-dûm, the dwarves continued to deal with their own problems, and King Durin’s digging deeper and deeper not only found large amounts of mithril, but also the Balrog, which eventually brought him back to his senses, and Trying to solve this problem. Just to send the support troops he promised Elrond.
In this episode, the Stranger and the Ergopods also make a comeback, with the Dark Wizard arriving to “save” them from Godrin and try to convince him to join him in defeating Sauron and becoming his successor. The Stranger apparently didn’t accept the deal, and the wizard retaliated by destroying Stowers’ village. The Stranger responded with his own magic, which he successfully controlled this time, ultimately saving Norrie and Poppy, as well as the others. villagers.
Morfydd Clark as Galadriel; Charlie Vickers as Sauron/Photo source: Prime Video Provided/Copyright: Amazon MGM Studios
Returning to the Elves, Galadriel decided to ally with Adar, but it was then that he was killed in a trap set by his beloved orc “children”, who had changed sides and were now loyal to the Dark Lord. After this, Sauron faced Galadriel, and to do so, he toyed with her mind, transforming himself into different characters, including herself, until he finally stabbed her with Morgoth’s crown, which is He tries to recover the nine rings, but she manages to resist and would rather jump off a cliff than give him the rings. This upset Sauron and the other elves, as Gil-galad could not heal her even with the power of the ring, so Elrond gave up on keeping the ring and put on Nynia (Galadriel of the Ring), which is how she later wakes up, only to decide that she must continue her fight against Sauron.
Finally, the big reveal of the season that many have been waiting for is to know the stranger’s true identity, which can be guessed when the Stolls say goodbye to him, as they must find a new place to settle after leaving the village. Destroyed, that’s when everyone started calling him Great Elfbecause they had never seen elves before, and thought that this was what they looked like; at the same time, he found his staff in the ruins. After this, Great Elf Return to Tom Bombadil and tell him that he finally discovered that it was all a trial, because when he decided to save his friends, he found his staff and also found his name Gandalf.
some final thoughts
I think that in order to better enjoy this series it’s better not to know too much about the story because it happened to me and I know parts of it but I don’t consider myself an expert so I trust those who know best The people who are disappointed with plot developments are those who know all the details about the characters, time, and place, and therefore have higher expectations for the story should occur. I understand them, but I don’t agree with all of their points.
Daniel Wayman as The Stranger (Gandalf) / Photo Credit: Ben Rothstein / Prime Video / Copyright: Amazon MGM Studios
On the other hand, I felt like the Stranger and Roughfoot story was kind of downgraded towards the end, but I don’t think it could have been otherwise. In the last season, they were a more important part, but this season the action is more focused on the forging of the ring and how it affects primarily the elves and dwarves, although some space must be left for the ring’s development. Let’s find out who he really is, and at times the plot feels a bit far-fetched. And I don’t even think the final reveal was that surprising, I don’t know if it’s because I already imagined it or because the resolution really didn’t have a lot of time to work out.
The same thing happens with the story of Númenor, although in this case it may be somewhat more connected to the main story, considering the men’s rings were also forged at the end of the season, so I think next season may be more focused on these characters, but I think we may also be closer to seeing the forging of the ring.
Anyway, I think overall I can say that despite the few details, I really enjoyed this season and I’m already looking forward to seeing what new stories and characters will bring us to the next season, even though we may not have to Don’t wait a few years to see again.
Did you like how this season ended? What do you think will happen in season 3? Please leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
