RECAP: “The Rings of Power” Season 2, Episode 4
Prime Video’s “The Rings of Power” continued its second season with another solid episode. While it took Season 1 nearly half the season to hit its stride, Season 2 is coming on strong, with Episode 4 making significant movement in several key storylines, giving us some strong character moments, and delivering some wonderful action sequences worthy of the Lord of the Rings films.
Read on for my take on “Rings of Power” Season 2, Episodes 4, “Eldest.” There’s a whole bunch of spoilers here, so don’t read if you don’t want to know what happens!
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NOTE: I actually cannot rank the storylines for this episode, as I thought they were generally all strong.
THE SOUTHLANDS
Several interesting developments in these plotlines. The big cliffhanger after Episode 3 was, What attacked the raider camp in the middle of the night, and What happened to Theo? Isildur and Arondir rally the camp back at Pelargir to search for the missing boy — maybe you could just…not? Like sorry to be that guy, but I feel like the last thing these miserable, resource-limited, highly exposed people need is a surly teen with death wish stirring up bullshit.
Estrid suggests a specific location for them to look for the wildmen, which raises suspicions with Arondir. In astonishingly quick succession, Arondir exposes Estrid as one of the humans that willingly took the dark mark of Adar — I thought that arc would simmer much longer — and she is put in manacles and ordered to lead Arondir and Isildur to the location she mentioned.
Isildur is quite irritated that his new love interest is a lying liar who lies, and says some pretty nasty things to Estrid on their quest. This would all work better if their chemistry/storyline had more time to build; it all feels really forced considering they just met like two episodes ago. But the plot turns AGAIN, when Isildur and Arondir are sucked into a bog, and Estrid quickly works to pull them out, revealing a hideous, massive slug thing with gigantic pincers that are poised to devour her…until Arondir guts the beast from the inside, expelling both him and Isildur. Great, horrifying sequence!
Acknowledging that Estrid tried to save their lives, Arondir gives Isildur the key to her manacles, leaving up to him if Estrid is uncuffed or not. They talk and ultimately Isildur releases her…and almost instantly Estsrud pulls Isildur’s own blade on him, making it clear that she cannot trust him, and she cannot trust the people of Pelargir — they will never take her in after she was exposed as a traitor. The tense situation is interrupted by a massive tree branch knocking the shit out of Estrid. The Ents have arrived, and they are PISSED.
Specifically, the Ents are Winterbloom and Snaggleroot, called to the forest after the Orcs carved a path of wanton destruction through the younger trees that grew there. If the Ents sound familiar, it’s because they are voiced by renowned character actors Olivia Williams and Jim Broadbent, respectively. Winterbloom is in Mama Bear (Mama Tree?) mode, taking out any creature wielding a blade that could fell any more of her saplings. And they brought friends: a whole crew of Ents. Arondir recognizes what they are, and what’s going on, and has a really lovely moment with Winterbloom. He admits that he himself has felled trees, but that he will strive to do better, and to bring to justice the creatures that have done this to the forest.
Ultimately, Winterbloom opts to trust Arondir, and even bestows one of her flowers on him. The Ents released their prisoners, including Theo and the wild men, one of whom is, of course, Estrid’s betrothed, throwing another spanner in that burgeoning romance. I truly don’t give a shit about the Estrid/Isildur relationship; it was barely established before we got to all the complications, so there’s no investment there. But I like Isildur and Estrid as individual characters, so I’m at least engaged.
The real standout this arc was Arondir, who was the most effective I think he has ever been on this show. He was a badass multiple times this episode, and got some good character moments with Estrid, Winterbloom, and then Theo, to whom he bids farewell as he’s going to follow the Orc trail to get another shot at Adar. It felt to me like this could be an opportunity for the show to write off Theo, which I would welcome. It needs to winnow down this cast some more, and Theo is probably the least-essential member of this cast left. Isildur can run the Pelargir arc. Theo certainly cannot carry it.
STOOR VILLAGE
A new location for us! Following The Stranger’s out-of-control tornado spell, Nori and Poppy end up far afield in the desert, just as the Easterling mercenaries are closing in on them at the behest of The Dark Wizard. On the run, the two Harfoots come across another creature they recognize as one of them, the character initially introduced as Nobody, but who reveals his name is Merimac (Gavi Singh Chera in a cheap fright wig). Merimac and Poppy take an immediate shine to each other, and then the two women bully the apparently quite dim Merimac into taking them to his nearby village, where the Harfoots learn that there’s an entire other tribe of people just like them, the Stoors.
Nori and Poppy are brought before the Stoor leader, Gundabel (Tanya Moodie), who does not trust outsiders, especially any involved with wizards (they live in fear of The Dark Wizard). It isn’t until Nori mentions Harfoot trailfinder Sadoc that Gundabel has a moment of revelation, showing Nori a wall painting that tells the story of a Stoor who left them behind to follow his dream of a new home, a place filled with greenery, where Stoors could live comfortably and in peace. Perhaps something like, I don’t know, The Shire. Gundabel asks if Nori’s people live in that place, and she admits that the Harfoots HAVE no home. It’s implied that this Stoor (I don’t think it is actually Sadoc, I think it was one of his ancestors) never found the promised land, he just kept wandering, and that’s what begat the nomadic Harfoot tribe — they weren’t just wander to wander, they were initially trying to find a forever home. Their moment of clarity is interrupted by the Easterlings, who demand the Harfoots be turned over, under threat of violence at their hands, and the hands of the Dark Wizard, again alluding to some horrible curse that was placed upon his people’s faces.
The Stoors are an interesting addition to the Harfoot/Halfling story — from what I read, they are part of Tolkien’s canon. I dig the concept of desert Halflings, and the origin story for the nomadic Harfoots makes narrative sense, and speaks to the eventual founding of The Shire. While I’m not a fan of bumbling Merimac just yet, I very much like Gundabel and am curious where this arc is going.
THE OUTSKIRTS OF RHUN
After being separated from his companions, The Stranger finds himself drawn to a strange hut in the middle of the desert, and an even stranger tree behind it. Believing that this tree is the one that is supposed to provide him with the staff he has been craving, he attempts to break off a branch…before the tree comes to life and pulls him inside.
He is saved by the jolly owner of the hut, who introduces the tree as Old Ironwood, and himself as Tom Bombadil. Readers of the Tolkien books have likely been waiting for Bombadil in live action for some time; he is a legendary figure in the books, albeit a divisive one. There’s a lot to be said about Tom Bombadil (played here by Rory Kinnear), and I think this episode does its best to capture that enigmatic, all-powerful nature of the character. I don’t know how successful it is. It’s VERY heavy handed, but I’m not really sure you can pull off Tom Bombadil in a subtle way.
The basic gist is that Tom implies that he is among the oldest beings on the planet. He was here before just about anything else, and watches over the changing world with concern — but he won’t take direct action. He tells The Stranger that it is HIS duty to stand against Sauron, and ALSO the Dark Wizard. Be real easy! The Stranger asks Tom Bombadil to teach him how to wield magic — throughout the episode Tom pops off spells effortlessly — and Tom tells The Stranger that first he must prove that he is worthy of the power. We’ll see if he is.
I’m still leaning toward the theory that both The Stranger and The Dark Wizard are in fact the Blue Wizards from Tolkien’s books, NOT Gandalf/Saruman. It’s possible that they’re the more obvious Istari we already know, but it would be such a dramatic change to their timelines, and to Saruman’s personality in particular (yes, he went bad — but not this early). So little is known about the Blue Wizards, and they operated in and around Rhun. It’s a much more fertile storyline for the show to explore, and I hope that’s where we’re going. I also wonder if they’re going to tie Bombadil’s blue robe — which was shown hanging on the wall of his hut — into the explanation for them being “blue” wizards.
One last thing: I would LOVE for someone to do an analysis of the etchings on the ceiling of Tom’s hut, because I bet there’s some very cool Tolkien cosmology being referenced there. I know hardcore Tolkien fans criticize how this show bends elements of the established lore, but overall I actually think the showrunners are adhering to the overall BIG concepts, and any changes they’re making are fudging timelines or introducing aspects to heighten the narrative or, yes, to add much-needed diversity to the tale. I think they get more right than they get wrong, and I bet that Bombadil ceiling is a big Easter Egg.
THE ELVEN FORESTS
When last we left the High Elves, King Gil-Galad agreed with Galadriel that a squad must be sent to Eregion to protect Calebrimbor and his forge from Sauron. But oops! Galadriel was not to be in charge; that would be Elrond, deeply mistrustful of Galadriel and anything involving the rings of power. Elrond and Galadriel put together a small Elvish strike team and hit the road, bickering along the way, until they find the fastest path to Eregion — a massive stone bridge — destroyed, presumably at the hand/behest of Sauron. The elves debate the next best way forward, opting for a faster path that Galadriel warns is a trap; her ring gives her portents of danger. Elrond dismisses her and stresses he will not take any guidance from that ring.
Surprise, the ring was right: the new path forces the Elves through a portion of the forest overrun by barrow wights, the malicious ghosts of soldiers long since dead. They find the belongings of the messenger sent by Gil-Galad to Calebrimbor earlier in the season (we saw him taken out by unseen enemies a few episodes back), making it clear that they were right to be concerned about Sauron and the forge. But first they have survive the barrow wights, which appear formidable. The ghosts quickly take out one member of their party with their chains, and seem poised to kill the rest — the Elves seem incapable of inflicting any lasting damage on the ghosts.
With Galadriel in mortal danger, Elrond remembers something — in Dungeons & Dragons we would call this a “recall knowledge” check — that barrow wights can be harmed by the weapons they were buried with. He pushes open one of the tombs, grabs the old weapons, and the elves use them to quickly dispatch the phantoms. Score one for Team Book Learning! Overall, this was a great sequence; it had real tension and some good special effects. This is what we want out of a high-fantasy drama!
The Elves continue on their path east until they come in contact with the Orc army coming up from the south. A pack of Orc scouts sense the Elves’ presence and let loose a flurry of arrows, randomly hitting one of the Elves in the gut. Galadriel instinctively uses the power of her ring to heal the wound, astonishing the rest of her company, including Elrond (hell, including herself). Knowing that they have been spotted, and realizing the odds are stacked significantly against them, Galadriel hands Elrond her ring and offers to stay behind to buy the other Elves time/convince the Orcs she was the only one member of her party. The other Elves use this as proof that Galadriel was never under Sauron’s sway, as she gave up the ring willingly. Elrond sees it another way: she gave up the ring to PROTECT the ring, not the others. And he’s probably right.
Galadriel then launches into another bad-ass battle sequences in which she takes on a whole Orc hunting party, doing a terrific job using only arrows and some fire. But her luck ends when she is confronted by Adar himself, who recognizes her instantly as he takes her prisoner.
This was a great episode for Galadriel — it was nice to see shades of her Season 1 confidence come back — and Elrond, who proved he is a worthy leader. I assume that this will inevitably put us on a path of Galadriel and Arondir working together to take out Adar, which I think is the best use of both characters, and also creates a narrative explanation for why the Elves fail to stop Sauron from creating the additional rings of power, even though they understand exactly what he’s doing. For all the complaining about this show, I think this arc is playing out pretty much as well as it can, and giving us some great moments.
Are you enjoying Season 2 more than Season 1? Leave your takes in the comments!