As this episode of Rings of Power begins, King Durin (Peter Mullan) looks at the rings. Narvi (Kevin Eldon) shows him the work they’ve done so far. They walk past Prince Durin (Owain Arthur). King Durin tells them where to dig even though it’s a foundation wall. He begins digging through the wall himself. Before long, Prince Durin asks if he should stop for some air. King Durin says they need light so he keeps digging. He eventually sees light from above. They keep following the King’s lead until it is daybreak once more. Lord Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards) speaks to the dwarves about working with the elves. Narvi reveals the Doors of Durin which is the new West gate of their mountain. It’s unbreachable and visible only by moonlight. It’s guarded by a password only known by friends.

Sauron (Charlie Vickers) walks away from the group. In private, he reminds Celebrimbor he told him to keep it short and he doesn’t always listen. Celebrimbor believes he should’ve spoken longer to credit his contributions. Sauron says he finds it difficult to stay festive when those most impacted by Mordor’s rise are still suffering. Celebrimbor believes he’s talking about rings for men. He asks if he’s playing a game. Sauron thought their minds were on the same path. Celebrimbor thinks they should speak about men tomorrow. He believes men made their own troubles and many of them helped Adar. They begin talking about Numenor. Sauron says he fears for it. Celebrimbor insists they cannot give rings to men. Sauron says some men have always shined when darkness has fallen. He means Tuor, Earendil, and Beren.

Sauron argues they should find men they can trust. From Numenor to Rhun, they can identify nine ring-bearers. Celebrimbor isn’t sure they should tempt failure. He says the Rings of Power are complete. Sauron doesn’t argue. As he leaves, he tells Celebrimbor he shall make nine himself. Ar-Pharazon (Trystan Gravelle) tells Kemen how the elves remind them that their days end and theirs does not. Kemen tells his father that the Scepter is now his. Kemen (Leon Wadham) says the age of men is upon them. They should build the Numenor Ar-Pharazon has always seen in his mind’s eye. Ar-Pharazon tells him that his mother prophesied he would come to ill ends. If he impresses in the task provided to him, Ar-Pharazon will tell him more. Miriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) speaks to Captain Elendil (Lloyd Owen). Valandil tells him that in the Old Quarter prayers ascend night and day for Miriel.

Elendil asks her to command them and they will put this right. He says she opened his heart again to the way of The Faithful. Miriel asks what he saw in the palantir. He says he saw himself lost riding from the city. Miriel says he didn’t see it so it might’ve changed. For years, the palantir has shown her the island’s downfall. When Elendil touched it, it might’ve changed to a new path. Miriel believes Pharazon’s kingship may be a part of that path. She says her command is given. Miriel asks him not to jeopardize Numenor’s new destiny. Outside, Valandil (Alex Tarrant) tells Elendil anyone loyal to the queen has been stripped of their rank. Earien (Ema Horvat) says it was her authority. Lord Balzagar wanted them all charged with treason. She blames Miriel for her brother’s death. Earien pleads with her father to accept that Pharazon is their king now.

She warns him he’s walking a treacherous path. When pressed by Kemen, Elendil admits he’s not a captain now. Valandil still calls him captain and so do others. Earien tells Valandil she can speak to the king and have him taken off the list. He thinks she’s made it clear who her friends are. Pharazon approaches the palantir. High King Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker) receives a letter from Celebrimbor who says the forge is dark and the workshop is empty as requested. Celebrimbor insists he remains Gil-galad’s loyal servant. Gil-galad is urged to invade now. He has a vision that worries him. Disa (Sophia Nomvete) talks to Prince Durin about learning to hear the mountain’s gift from Aule. It feels like they’ve cheated. She prays King Durin keeps his path true. They learn that the king has a new law. For every coin spent, another has to go to the crown.

Disa buys the crystal only to drop it and watch it roll away. She tries to retrieve it. Once she gets it, she hears a creature bellowing. It causes her to get scared and drop the crystal. King Durin speaks to emissaries of the seven dwarven realms about Middle-earth changing. Darkness threatens their kingdom. By Aule’s favor, his people have passed the test. He believes theirs will too. Durin tells them about the seven rings. He won’t give them the rings without a share of their mines. Khazad-dum shall never want again. Later, he talks about digging deeper to get gold. He’s reminded he took the ring off because he said his hand was heavy. Durin tells Narvi to dig at the points he marked. Prince Durin bursts in and tells him there’s something under the mines. It’s a nameless, ancient evil so they cannot dig there. King Durin refuses to listen to him. Prince Durin pleads with Narvi not to dig, but King Durin keeps pressuring him to do so.

King Durin and Prince Durin continue talking about it after Narvi leads. Celebrimbor learns Annatar or Sauron is casting a new design for a ring. Mirdania was attempting to resize it when objects moved on their own. More unexpected things happen in the forge. Mirdania (Amelia Kenworthy) tells Celebrimbor she was in a place like this. She says it was tall and its skin was made of flames. Mirdania believes it’s been among them all along. Celebrimbor asks if they did anything differently. Mirdania says the Lord of Gifts shared his concern that men are too corruptible. They attempted to fortify the alloy by adding more mithril. Celebrimbor almost tells them how to do it. Annatar tells him it would save them many hours. Celebrimbor almost tells them before Prince Durin arrives. Durin says he regrets something about the rings. Prince Durin tells Celebrimbor how his father has changed.

He wouldn’t give the rings to the Drawf lord unless they promised him half a share of their mines. Celebrimbor insists there cannot be a fault with the rings. Durin asks him how much he really knows about Annatar. Meanwhile, Annatar and Mirdania talk about seeing the Unseen world. He admits he’s seen it as well. He didn’t want any of them to see Celebrimbor until he helped him heal. Annatar claims crafting the Three and the Seven has left him diminished and vulnerable to the shadow. He asks her not to mention it to anyone. Annatar tells her she had the perfect likeness of Lady Galadriel when the light caught her hair. The High Priest talks about the souls they’ve lost and how they yearn for peace. Elendil and Valandil take part in the ceremony. Kemen interrupts to say the shrine has been commended by order of the King. He asks Elendil how it feels to have a daughter who is ashamed of him.

Valandil stops Elendil from assaulting him. When Kemen intentionally destroys a relic, Elendil finally attacks him. Valandil ends up attacking Kemen who holds his head underwater. When Valandil frees himself, Kemen pulls out a sword. Valandil breaks his arm and holds a blade to his throat. Elendil yells for him to put it down. Valandil puts it down only to be stabbed by Kemen from behind. Kemen wants the jailer informed that Elendil started the uprising. Celebrimbor argues with Annatar about the dwarven rings. He asks Annatar whether he altered the rings in some way. Annatar says no. He says they did. They are a matter of spirit as much as they are of craft. Annatar talks about the deceit of the letter, but Celebrimbor doesn’t want to believe that. Prince Durin tries to tell his father about the rings and why they shouldn’t use them.

King Durin tells Prince Durin that his desire to partner with the elves has saved their kingdom. He needs his son and his ax more than ever. Prince Durin tells Disa that he tried to tell his father. She wants him to swear that he’ll never wear one of those rings. He swears to it. Celebrimbor tells the others they have failed. They must atone for their mistakes in the only way they can by completing the rings together. The nine must do more than bring aid to men. They must bring balance to the entire project and draw strength from the three. They must redeem the seven and redeem them all. When Celebrimbor leaves, Annatar tells the others not to be discouraged. He explains that Celebrimbor knows how much depends on their success. They agree to begin.

The orcs continue marching together. Elrond (Robert Aramayo) warns the High King that the orcs are not in Mordor. A legion of them is headed for Eregion. Galadriel was right. The High King must send the army to Eregion now. The High King believes Sauron is the architect of all this. He says their armies cannot defeat Adar and Sauron alone. The orcs free Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) from her cell. Adar (Sam Hazeldine) stops them from harming her. She grabs him and holds a knife to his throat. Adar tells her they share a common enemy and she was brought there as a possible ally.

 

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Review

The second series of The Rings of Power feels like it has achieved very little in the big scheme of things. The pace is glacially boring to the point that it was difficult to muster up the enthusiasm to make it through this episode. The episode tried to salvage itself with a character death, Galadriel’s capture, and a possible orc assault on Eregion.

The character death fell flat because the character in question felt so insignificant and the whole thing was a little corny. Galadriel’s situation may be interesting if viewers have become emotionally invested in the character. Personally, I haven’t and the same can be said about 99.9% of the characters.

There’s no real evil and very little reason to genuinely care about anything that’s happening. It’s unfortunate, but there doesn’t seem to be any spark or life in The Rings of Power. It’s just going through the motions as tediously as possible hoping that something will click and viewers will suddenly care. As the series progresses, it’s becoming more difficult to feign interest and the beauty of it all is becoming less impressive.

The series hasn’t done a particularly good job of juggling the massive cast with many characters being left out of episodes completely. That combined with a week wait in between definitely makes it harder to connect with the story. The exterior is great, but the whole series feels lifeless otherwise.

This episode scores a 5 out of 10. Recaps of Rings of Power can be found here. Find out how to support our independent voice at this link. Find out about advertising with us here. See what others are saying here.