Doomed To Die – As this episode of Rings of Power begins, Lord Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards) works on the rings. When he looks in the mirror, he sees his real appearance. Before he can reflect on that, Annatar (Charlie Vickers) interrupts to ask about his progress. Celebrimbor says Feanor’s hammer is missing a gem. When he looks again, he sees otherwise. Annatar suggests he is forgetful. Celebrimbor confirms the Rings of Power are nearly complete. Celebrimbor asks if a few days matter when it comes to creating something perfect that will last forever. Annatar says it’ll be a sad occasion because he’s enjoyed their time together. Then, Annatar walks outside where the war rages. Adar (Sam Hazeldine) is told it’s time. Mirdania (Amelia Kenworth) asks Annatar if there are any orders from Celebrimbor.

Annatar says Celebrimbor refuses to allow a counter-attack because he believes the river will protect them. Annatar says they’re not going to obey him. He will take command over the forces. Mirdania asks what Annatar is not telling them. He claims Lord Celebrimbor’s mind is gone. Annatar tells her she’s proven her quality and he’ll make sure she’s rewarded when the time comes. The siege suddenly stops. The orcs are turned away from the city. Annatar tells everyone to prepare for a ground assault. The orcs hit the mountain to create a dam over the river. Arondir (Ismael Cruz Cordova) sees what’s happening. Celebrimbor sees the mouse again. King Durin (Peter Mullan) is informed that Eregion is under siege. Durin wants the mine taken back now because they’re more desperate than he thought. Narvi (Kevin Eldon) and the others approach Disa (Sophia Nomvete) and Prince Durin (Owain Arthur). Navri says they stand with them.

He believes the ring has taken the King’s heart, but he won’t let it take the mountain. They agree they need to get the ring off of Durin. Navri says an elf is outside and he wants to speak to Prince Durin. They’ll have to do it quietly because the elf has been banished from dwarven lands. Prince Durin finds Elrond (Robert Aramayo) waiting for him. Durin reveals he’s about to overthrow his father. Elrond says thousands of lives are going to be lost without Durin’s help. The orcs begin crossing the river so they can reach Eregion. They push the battering ram closer to the wall. Annatar asks Celebrimbor about the rings. Celebrimbor tells him about the mouse and says there is a cycle. He believes they have all the time they need since the candles have not burned an inch all day.

Annatar says he sought peace and he gave it to him. Celebrimbor insists this is not a gift. He asks what Annatar did to him. He questions who he is. Annatar claims he’s giving her one chance to prove his worth. He yells that he wants the nine. Celebrimbor throws the hammer through the window. Then, he steps outside and sees what is happening. He begins crying. Annatar says he’s learned so much from Celebrimbor since he came to Eregion, but no lesson more lasting than this. Annatar explains that true creation requires sacrifice. Celebrimbor finally realizes who he is. He walks outside and gets knocked down by an explosion. Celebrimbor manages to find Mirdania and tells her they’ve been deceived. He pleads with her to believe him. The orcs begin targeting the thinnest part of the wall.

Celebrimbor yells that they need to brace the foundations. When Annatar arrives, Celebrimbor says he’s Sauron and should be seized. Mirdania and the others refuse to believe Celebrimbor who urges them to look at his blood. Annatar shows them red blood. Annatar makes Celebrimbor throw Mirdania off the wall to her death. Annatar promises to spare the city if Celebrimbor finishes the nine. When Celebrimbor asks what he’ll do with the rings, Annatar says he will create a perfect and lasting peace. Elrond and others arrive to fight the orcs. As Elrond approaches on horseback, the orcs show him Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) who is still in a cage. Adar threatens to have her killed. The elves stop just before reaching the orcs. Adar welcomes Elrond. Adar and Elrond sit down and talk about Sauron. Adar claims Eregion and every elf in the city is owned by Sauron including Celebrimbor.

He wants Elrond to let him handle Sauron. Adar believes they know he will beat them in battle. Adar wants the ring in exchange for Galadriel’s life. Elrond tells him to ask him on the field when the neck with a blade against it is his. Adar tells him he’ll meet him there with her head on a pike. Galadriel asks Elrond to win. They kiss. Next, Elrond is asked why he’s so confident when the enemy outnumbers them ten to one. Elrond knows something the father of the orcs doesn’t. Prince Durin is rallying a legion to come to their aid. Elrond will make sure Eregion’s walls hold for one more night. Prince Durin speaks to the warriors and tries to convince them to help Elrond and Eregion. He convinces them to fight. Elrond and his men defend Eregion. Elrond’s horse is killed in battle. Adar is told the wall is stronger than they thought and many Uruk are dying. Adar says Sauron must not escape.

He orders the Uruk to bring down the wall at any cost. He insists he loves them with all of his heart. Adar returns and realizes that Galadriel has escaped, but she must still be in the camp somewhere. Adar finds what Galadriel used to free herself. Moments later, Galadriel watches as Adar says goodbye to the dead orcs. When she’s finally caught, Arondir kills the orcs around her. Galadriel joins him and says she knows a hidden way into the city. They have to find Sauron. Arondir says he’s there for Adar. Galadriel warns him that moving on him now will cost his life. Arondir says he can have it. She tries to convince him otherwise because the true fight with Adar will come later. Narvi rushes to tell Prince Durin that his father turned his ax on his men. He’s going to dig and unleash the beast. Disa wants Prince Durin to recall the army. If he takes the army to Eregion, Khazad-dum might not be there when he returns.

Sauron tells Celebrimbor that this shall pass. When Middle Earth is healed, all of their sufferings will be worth it. Sauron insists it pains him to treat him like Morgoth treated him. He tells him about the importance of the rings. Sauron believes Celebrimbor is the author of his own torment. Celebrimbor says he is truly the treat deceiver and can even deceive himself. Sauron tells him to finish the rings. The battle continues outside. Celebrimbor puts the rings in a bag and tries to free his hands from cuffs. To free himself, he decides to cut off his thumb. Then, he walks outside and falls off the wall. Once he’s found, the elves pick him up and try to take him back inside. Galadriel orders them to release him. Celebrimbor tells her about the rings Sauron intended to use to enslave the men of the world. They hear Sauron scream.

Galadriel tells Celebrimbor to use the dwarven tunnel to escape. Celebrimbor tells her to go and he will give her time. Commander Malendol says Celebrimbor will not be alone. Celebrimbor believes the elves need to remember that light is what overcomes darkness. The orcs get closer to breaching the wall. Elrond wants Rian (Selina Lo) to fire an arrow, but she’s struck down before she can. Despite being severely injured, she shoots a flaming arrow and blows up the orcs near the wall. Elrond and his men rush forward to fight before Rian is shot with another arrow. Adar wants him sent in even though he will kill their own kind. Arondir notices that the orcs are clearing a path. Celebrimbor returns to Sauron and tells him the rings will be far from his reach. Sauron wants him to get them for him. Celebrimbor insists he’ll never touch another ring.

The elves try to apprehend Sauron only for Sauron to make them kill each other. He kills the last one himself. Sauron tells Celebrimbor he will give him the nine rings. Arondir yells that the troll must not reach the city. Elrond gets thrown away by the troll. Arondor leaps down and stabs the troll in the hand. Then, the others pile on and help kill the troll which begins laughing. Elrond tells High King Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker) he should not be there. Adar tells his children to march with him. When the sun rises, Elrond believes the dwarves are coming. Instead, an injured Vorohil (Charlie Rix) rides over and says Durin recalled the army. The gate of Khazad-dum is shut. Elrond is still confident that Durin will come. Adar marches forward with his arm. The High King and the others get ready for battle. Adar yells to kill them all. Elrond watches on and keeps saying Durin will come.

Arondir decides to go after Adar who ends up stabbing him. The orcs finally bring down the wall and rush into Eregion. Elrond continues watching the chaos. Adar approaches him. Elrond tries to attack him only to be stopped. Adar reminds him to never wage war in anger. He takes Elrond’s ring.

 

The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power Review

This episode of Rings of Power was okay although it had plenty of room for improvement. When the episode focused on the battle, I really expected a lot more. Instead, the whole thing turned out to be pretty lackluster and dull. In fact, the whole battle felt pretty lame considering how little action there really was.

For starters, the troll fell flat and didn’t amount to much. The series had built up the troll as so much more, yet it turned out to be a big nothing burger. It was brought down by one guy, Arondir. Not to mention, the way the troll was knocked to the ground was pretty weak. I barely remember Rian from the rest of the series so her heroic sacrifice didn’t hit the target either.

The kiss is probably going to get a lot of heat. The episode still had a lot of jumping around with Celebrimbor trying to figure out the truth while working on the rings, Prince Durin rallying the troops, and so on. As for the action scenes, they seemed to be separate scenes instead of something bigger.

Some of those scenes were a bit silly, especially Elrond just hanging around while elves are being slaughtered around him. Truthfully, some viewers are going to like this episode and some won’t. It may depend on whether viewers have developed a genuine relationship with the characters. If they care about the characters, they’ll love the action and the close calls. Sadly, I don’t have that connection with any of the characters and I suspect others don’t either.

The finale will hopefully up the intensity level as Adar tries to bring down Sauron. This episode scores a 5.5 out of 10. Recaps of Rings of Power can be found here. Find out how to support our independent voice at this link. Learn more about advertising on Reel Mockery here. See what others are saying here.