The Rings of Power Spoiler Recap: Season 2 Episode 3
After being caught up on the Elves and Dwarves, we’re finally getting an episode primarily centered on the Southlanders and Númenóreans. Berek, the best horse that ever horsed, finds his way into the “Black Forest” to rescue Isildur who has been captured by a Great Spider. There’s nothing officially called the Black Forest in canon, and therefore it must simply be a nickname the Uruks/Orcs have given it, but it is likely part of the mountain range Ephel Dúath, which forms the western border of Mordor. The Southlanders had previously sought refuge in the Elven watchtower Ostirith, and though that tower is an invention for the show, it is said to be located within the Ephel Dúath. And what else can be found in the Ephel Dúath near the future fortress of Cirith Dúath/Ungol? Shelob, the most well-known Great Spider. This episode doesn’t actually name the spider that attacks Isildur as Shelob, so it could simply be one of her offspring, but the location certainly fits. The best part of her biography is that while she didn’t particularly care for Sauron, Sauron thought of her as his cat and delighted in feeding people to her.
Thus Isildur is saved by Berek (as well as his plot armor) and finds his way to Pelargir, a Númenórean city that, in the now classic form of The Rings of Power and its timeline crunching, hasn’t actually been created yet. It will eventually become the primary port for Gondor, but for now is simply home to Númenóreans who left Númenor for a variety of reasons (typically for their loyalty to Elves). And now of course, the remaining Southlanders are mixing in there as well after their defeat by Adar. Here we have the first piece of plot that has actually made me upset: the off-screen death of Bronwyn. But her departure was apparently a choice of the actress Nazanin Boniadi rather than the writers, so I suppose it’s for the best. Bronwyn’s death provides some tension between Theo and Arondir, so at least her influence hasn’t been forgotten. Theo bonds with Isildur, so I hope that they become good influences on each other. The section of their story in this episode ends with them being attacked by Southlanders loyal to Adar, but then they seem to be rescued by Ents! First a possible Shelob cameo, now Ents, and there’s one more exciting character yet to come…
Back in Númenor, Míriel faces political upheaval as people protest her decision to travel to Middle-Earth. She shows a lot of wisdom and courage, but unfortunately she is usurped by Pharazôn. He’s such a wily character because he supports Míriel in public and even tells his son Kemen that settling in Middle-Earth would be an excellent opportunity for trading, and yet he ultimately schemes with some friends to take over Númenor himself. His right to kingship is seemingly blessed by the appearance of an unnamed Great Eagle, best known for coming to Frodo and Sam’s aid in The Return of the King, though of course they have a long history before that day. We’re 3 for 3 on epic cameos! But despite the Great Eagle’s blessing, Pharazôn’s fate is already sealed…
Prince Durin gets the award for best resistance to power in this episode. He and Disa go to Eregion at Celebrimbor’s invitation and meet Annatar (Sauron). Durin is thoroughly unimpressed by Annatar and immediately rejects the offer of rings in exchange for mithril. Of course, he doesn’t actually have that authority and he has to present the offer to his father, but I really admired Durin’s skepticism as it shows that his loyalty to his people outweighs his desire for glory and power. Sauron almost loses his cool with Durin, so he’s going to need to keep that in check if he’s going to finish the rings. King Durin ends up agreeing to the exchange but there are still the nine rings for Men to make next, so Sauron shouldn’t get ahead of himself. Prince Durin also showed a lot of humility in apologizing to his father, so I think it’s clear that he’ll make a wise king himself one day.
There were quite a few other brief moments in this episode that made for impactful scenes: our first view of an Uruk family, Arondir’s epic entrance, and Isildur’s new friend Estrid burning her Adar brand. A lot of people on social media have been upset about Uruks having families, but realistically, how do those people think that Uruks are produced? The later seen Uruk-hai were crossbred by Saruman with wizardry, but Tolkien did note that regular Uruk/Orcs reproduced just like any other species. It will be interesting to see if Arondir stays in Pelargir out of grief of Bronwyn or if he rejoins the Elves. As for Estrid burning her brand, it could be a sign of her being a spy against Pelargir, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she accepted the brand out of self-preservation and now hopes to fight against Adar with her new friends. Isildur’s wife is unnamed in canon, so it’s possible that Estrid will fill that role.
Ema Horvath, the actress for Eärien, said in an interview that Season 1 set the chessboard and Season 2 is moving the pieces. I love that analogy, and I can’t wait to see what pieces are moved next.
