The Rings of Power seasonseason 2,2, episodeepisode 55 recap:recap: NowNow thisthis isis moremore likelike it!it!

Welcome back, dear readers, for this our fifth foray into the deepest and darkest lore of The Rings of Power (“TRoP”) Middle-earth, ‘Halls of Stone.’ I must say, I enjoyed The Rings of Power, S2, E5, much more than I expected to. Let’s delve into just why it felt like a long-overdue return to form for this series.

And so, that brief preface aside, let’s go through and analyse why this episode felt so different from the frankly disastrous episode four that preceded it.

WARNING: Spoilers and heavy themes discussed below!

Characters discussed in order of first mention:

1. Peter Mullan plays Durin III
2. Charles Edwards plays Celebrimbor
3. Charlie Vickers plays Sauron, also known as Annatar
4. Trystan Gravelle plays Pharazôn
5. Leon Wadham plays Kemen
6. Cynthia Addai-Robinson plays Miriel
7. Lloyd Owen plays Elendil
8. Ema Horvath plays Eärien
9. Benjamin Walker plays Gil-galad
10. Sophia Nomvete plays Disa
11. Owain Arthur plays Durin IV
12. Amelia Kenworthy plays Mirdania
13. Alex Tarrant plays Valandil
14. Robert Aramayo plays Elrond
15. Sam Hazeldine plays Adar
16. Morfydd Clark plays Galadriel

The Rings of Power S2 E5

The Risk of the Rings

The episode begins on a rather foreboding note. Durin III’s new ring of power has fastened itself firmly to his finger and, with it, his rule. Exercising its mysterious (if perhaps a little convenient) power, he reveals precisely where to dig in order to reach the sunlight his people so desperately need. Whilst this is yet another example of the rings being given more precise and practical powers than they are described as having in J.R.R. Tolkien’s work, it does work thematically. As he intended, the rings are presented as crude shortcuts —a quick and easy way to gain power.

The series does not go far enough in expanding his metaphor of the rings as representing the industrial revolution he so mistrusted and abhorred. For now, the series’ exploration of the ring’s place in the history of Middle-earth is not without merit. The Dwarves and Celebrimbor have been brought closer by this joint success. As the infamous Door of Durin is being crafted, Celebrimbor announces the dawn of a ‘Lasting friendship between Elves and Dwarves.’

TRoP: Annatar’s Greed

Annatar is keen to dampen his ally’s moment of triumph. Feigning concern for the fate of men, he presses Celebrimbor to craft more rings. Finally, Celebrimbor displays not only a prejudiced reluctance to share his gifts with the race of men but also suspicions regarding Annatar’s manipulative tactics. This is a welcome development in their relationship. It adds some much-needed depth and characterisation to these momentous events from the lore.

Reversing the order of the crafting of the Rings of Power, we are given by Tolkien in the book, Annatar suggests that they replicate the ‘perfect’ three elven rings thrice over. Celebrimbor refuses, stating ‘The Rings of Power are complete’, but Sauron is not dissuaded; ‘I shall make the nine myself’.

TRoP: Númenor Besieged

Moving to the island nation of men, we meet Pharazôn. Pharazôn revels in his new power but yearns for the glory and immortality of the Elves and their Undying Lands. Promising his son Kemen a bleak prophecy of his ‘ill end’ bequeathed by his mother, Pharazôn prepares to enforce his new regime.

Meanwhile, facing defeat, Miriel and Elendil discuss the looming fate of Númenor. Miriel makes a fateful decision and commands Elendil to adhere to it. They must acquiesce to Pharazôn’s kingship to prevent the series of events that lead to Númenor’s downfall. Alas, this may yet prove to be another instance of bringing about the very future you seek to avoid.

Tensions continue to rise as Eärien displays her new influence under Pharazôn’s regime, only to be faced with the fact that her father still commands the respect and loyalty of the very men most needed to secure the new reign. However, the political lines become increasingly blurred as Pharazôn finds himself tempted by the very Palantir he condemned Miriel for using.

TRoP: The Shadows Closing In

The Elves continue to be as divided as ever. Celebrimbor writes a deceptive letter to his High King, obscuring his ring-crafting activities, whilst Gil-galad himself is reluctant to embark on any action which may hasten the arrival of the terrible future his ring allows him to foresee.

Disa senses the danger to come, as she wisely echoes Tolkien himself in her assessment of the Rings of Power. It feels somehow like cheating. She and Durin fear the corrupting effect of the ring on his father, clearly signalled by Durin III’s introduction of a severe ‘ring tax’ upon his subjects. To make matters worse, in her effort to find her lost stone, Disa stumbles upon, or perhaps awakens, an ancient evil lurking below their beloved mountain home.

We soon observe further signs of the adverse effect this new ring is having on the aged Dwarven King. Durin III tempts the other Dwarven kingdoms with rings of their own ‘for a price’ and complains of his hand feeling ‘heavy.’ Ignoring his son’s warning of this terrifying evil lying in wait below their feet, Durin III makes it clear that he wants only to use the ring to find and mine the riches within the mountain.

TRoP: A Sign of the Disaster to Come

Back in Eregion, Celebrimbor’s assistant Mirdania wears one of their practice rings, enters the unseen world, and is left thoroughly disturbed upon observing an evil being wreathed in flame among those present. Annatar persists in his persuasive rhetoric, attempting to convince Celebrimbor of the need for his skill in perfecting the nine.

The latter’s doubts about what he has wrought are exacerbated by a distressed Durin IV, who voices his concern about his father’s recent, uncharacteristic greed and asks whether the ring may be its source. Naturally, the aged elf denies it; ‘there simply cannot be a fault in your rings’. Durin only leaps at this opportunity to interrogate him over his mysterious benefactor: ‘Thenaybe, the fault’s in the Ring-maker!’

He is right, of course, to question Annatar’s involvement. We soon find him feeding Mirdania lies about her master, deflecting all suspicion from himself. The fiery figure, he tells her, was none other than Celebrimbor himself, ‘diminished’ by the creation of the rings. Endearing himself to her further, he oddly comments on her appearance, likening her to Galadriel. This slightly out-of-place addition seems more catered to an impossible and bizarre romantic subplot.

TRoP: The Fall of the Faithful

The Faithful of Númenor find themselves persecuted by Pharazôn’s new regime and congregate in secret to honour their ancient ways and the souls of the dead.

As Kemen makes an unwelcome appearance and demands they abandon the condemned shrine, violence soon breaks out; Valandil resists and attacks him, only to get stabbed in the back upon showing mercy. I finally felt invested in these characters as tensions boiled over in this scene. This plotline, as Miriel’s decisions and mistakes up to this point, and her allowing of Pharazôn’s tyranny, finally have direct and dire consequences for our characters.

Finally unable to go along blindly any longer, Celebrimbor confronts Annatar about his possible altering of the dwarven rings, only for the latter to slyly persuade him that it is he who is responsible: his deception of Gil-galad has infected the seven with darkness, and the only options left open to him are to confess and abandon his great project, or to see it through to its conclusion.

TRoP: The Rings Take Effect

Meanwhile, Durin III still refuses to heed his son’s warnings about an evil presence in Eregion. Durin III convinces him instead that he is proud of him and desires his allegiance. Sensing a dark turn of events for her family and people, Disa makes Durin IV swear never to wear a Ring of Power.

Fully hoodwinked by Sauron’s suggestion of his own failings, Celebrimbor claims that his only hope of ‘atoning’ is through painstakingly crafting the final nine rings perfectly. Only then can the damage done to the seven be ‘redeemed.’ As the elven smiths feel increasingly estranged by their master’s bizarre behaviour, Annatar falsely poses as the voice of reason: ‘We will complete the Rings of Power.’

The episode ends dramatically as Elrond arrives in Lindon and informs Gil-galad of Eregion’s peril: a legion of orcs marches there. Yet the latter hesitates. He cannot defeat both Adar and Sauron simultaneously, and he perceives the latter’s hand in all that has befallen Middle-earth. Harkening back to their temporary understanding in season one, Adar expresses his desire to ally himself with Galadriel.

The Rings of Power S2 E5

Overall, I was rather surprised and somewhat impressed by this episode. This is undoubtedly due to the absence of the Harfoot/Istar plotline, not to mention the dire Southlander plot. Southlander only spirals further into soulless monotony.

That being said, this episode pulled together the strongest and most engaging plotlines and characters the series has yet produced. Save only Elrond and Galadriel, who barely appear. Namely, Sauron’s deception of the elves and the trials and tribulations of the dwarven kingdom of Khazad-dûm. This is to say nothing of the miraculous redemption of the Númenor plot, which slipped into its own malaise as of late.

One can only hope this points to a broader and deeper turn in quality for this series as we approach the finale. However, I confess that I, for one, will need a little more convincing. The Rings of Power episode six aired on Amazon Prime on Thursday, 19th September.

Feature image credit: Ross Ferguson/Prime Video. Other image credits: Ben Rothstein, Ross Ferguson and Prime Video.