The Rings of Power Spoiler Recap: Season 2 Episode 7
The long-awaited fall of Eregion is upon us and the cinematography did not disappoint. Despite knowing its destruction was inevitable, I kept hoping for any kind of victory no matter how small. And there is a lot to be hopeful for since they haven’t totally wrapped up the events at Eregion yet. It reminds me of watching Titanic; you know the ship is going to sink, but that doesn’t make the sinking any less interesting to watch. Lore states that Eregion falls and so it must, but we have such excellent character and camera work along the way. I think this episode is less about the siege itself and more about how the characters react to it and each other.
Galadriel has to come to terms with her mistakes and what is logically best for her to do going forward to make up for it. She trusted Halbrand, then she gave up too much information to Adar, so everything she does to fight seems to make it worse. It’s remarkable then that she stays out of the fight this time, choosing instead to save Arondir from a bad idea and then attempt to keep the nine rings away from Sauron; rather than seek glory, she is finally seeing the bigger picture. On the opposite side, the Uruk are mentally debating whether they want to continue fighting for Adar or not. Adar professes to love them but he sends them into a costly battle anyway, saying that he would prefer they die in battle than become slaves for Sauron- but that is a choice they must ultimately make for themselves. It’s possible that Sauron will use his mind manipulation on them to get the Uruk to follow him, but it’s equally as possible that they’ll become disenchanted with Adar’s rule and go back to what was familiar to them.
Prince Durin has some great scenes and a wonderful speech to muster up an army to help Eregion at Elrond’s request, but unfortunately he has too much going on at home to divert his attention away. King Durin is becoming greedier for wealth and killed some of his own men to open a new mine, so Prince Durin must sacrifice his friendship with Elrond in order to stop his father. It’s truly heartbreaking to see Elrond feel so betrayed when Durin doesn’t come to aid in battle, and I assume this is about where the Elves and Dwarves start distancing themselves from each other. Elrond goes into battle with so much confidence and ends it completely dejected. But despite not getting aid from Durin, Elrond doesn’t hesitate to help his Elven friends; he fights and does what he can to save his fellow soldiers and Galadriel. His kiss as a misdirection to slip a pin to Galadriel so she could free herself from her chains was a classic move and well executed. We don’t yet know where he’ll end up after the battle, but he’ll have a lot of self-reflection to do.
Even more devastating than Elrond’s sorrow is of course Celebrimbor’s fate. Sauron crafted a false reality so that Celebrimbor would keep working on The Nine but since he essentially created a time loop, Celebrimbor is able to see that he’s being deceived. It’s so interesting to watch Sauron’s patience crumbling to the point where he reveals himself and the true reality to Celebrimbor; Charlie Vickers really wonderfully portrays Sauron’s cunning as well as his faults. And watching Celebrimbor wake up to reality and sob is so agonizing; what fantastic casting there with Charles Edwards as well. I just want to cradle Celebrimbor in my arms and rub his back, poor sweet baby. And despite everything that’s happened to him, he refuses to lose his sense of himself. He pushes past all the bad to attempt to destroy The Nine and then helps Galadriel escape with the rings when he realizes that he can’t destroy them. The city he built is being destroyed but he stands up to Sauron until the end, and I don’t think many people would be capable of that. He faults himself for falling prey to Sauron, but he is one of the few who is able to break free and keep fighting.
The battle is over but it’s not entirely clear where things will go from here. Adar had some masterful siege tactics but the Uruk are fated to return to Sauron eventually, so it will be interesting to see how that transition happens. Some of the Elves have plot armor, so we know Elrond and King Gil-galad won’t die, but Arondir’s fate is uncertain; he was stabbed, but until we see him take his last breath, I won’t give up hope that he’ll survive. Sauron will ultimately get The Nine and distribute them, but perhaps Galadriel will be able to hold him off for a time. I’d like to pour one out for Mirdania, Elrond’s horse, and Rían- the Elf who delivered an epic flaming arrow despite being shot multiple times herself. I love the diversity we’re seeing amongst the Elves and Dwarves in this show.
In the finale, we should be getting a resolution at Eregion as well as seeing The Stranger again. I’ve seen some people speculating on whether or not we’ll see the fall of Númenor but I don’t think there’s enough time in one episode to wrap everything up and cover that as well, so I think that would more likely be in Season 3. After all, Sauron has to travel there himself first and that would make for a too busy finale. We’ll certainly see Númenor though and perhaps even Elendil leaving, though I have questions about that timeline as well. I would love to see Círdan again even if that’s not likely, so perhaps in Season 3. But I will definitely riot if we don’t see Nori and Poppy in the finale! I can’t wait!
