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The Rings of Power seasonseason 2,2, episodeepisode 77 recap:recap: QuantityQuantity overover qualityquality
It is time to address the penultimate episode of The Rings of Power S2 E7, ‘Doomed to Die’, and no detail can be spared in reaching a judgment on whether or not this action-packed instalment delivered. We join each of our main characters in a fight for the very heart of Elvendom, Eregion, as each plotline begins to coalesce into a grand struggle against Sauron for the soul of Middle-earth.
WARNING: Spoilers and heavy themes discussed below!
Characters discussed in order of first mention:
- Charlie Vickers plays Sauron, also known as Annatar
- Charles Edwards plays Celebrimbor
- Amelia Kenworthy plays Mirdania
- Sam Hazeldine plays Adar
- Kevin Eldon plays Narvi
- Owain Arthur plays Durin IV
- Sophia Nomvete plays Disa
- Peter Mullan plays Durin III
- Robert Aramayo plays Elrond
- Benjamin Walker plays Gil-galad
- Morfydd Clark plays Galadriel
- Liv Tyler plays Arwen
- Ismael Cruz Córdova plays Arondir
The Rings of Power S2 E7
Failure and Disaster for the Elves!
Ensnared in Sauron’s illusion of a peaceful world, Celebrimbor labours on, and we are treated to a tantalising sequence of the nine rings being crafted for mortal men. Even he can tell that all is not well. However, he seems increasingly unsettled by Sauron’s attempts to gaslight him into believing he is merely being forgetful. Still, the end is in sight. The aged smith observes: ‘All things must end.’ A still rather unimpressive and unthreatening Sauron merely replies, ‘A pity, is it not?’
Still masquerading as the hero, Annatar takes command of the city’s defence, and poor Mirdania fatally misplaces her faith and affection in him. The scene shifts as Adar’s siege engines conveniently manage to hit outcrops of rock at precisely the right angle to cause a cataclysmic landslide. It dams the river perfectly. Alas, any fleeting moments of characterisation we may be treated to are soundly drowned out by such absurd scenes of spectacle.
Of significantly more interest are the internal politics of Khazad-dûm. Narvi and the miners lay down their weapons and join Durin IV and Disa against his corrupted father. They resolve to free Durin III from his ring, just as Elrond arrives with bad tidings: ‘I need your axe, old friend. I need it now.’ It begs the question of whether we will see revolution or war.
TRoP: The Great Deceiver unmasked at last!
Celebrimbor edges closer to realising his predicament. A singular mouse repeatedly scurries below his wearied eyes, following the same path each time. It is by focusing on this mouse that he begins to break Sauron’s hold on him. In his haste, the master of deception has lazily recycled the same parts of this illusion. Sensing the dark origin of this power, Celebrimbor confronts his captor: ‘No emissary of the Valar would do this!’
Sauron’s power is false and cruel, not holy or redeeming.
The scene builds to a surprisingly compelling crescendo as Celebrimbor uses his grandfather Fëanor’s hammer to smash the window of his tower. He tears the illusion open, revealing the ruin of his city and the anguished screams of his people. In a literal interpretation of the book’s reference to Sauron’s hand in the creation of the rings, it is revealed that the mithril Celebrimbor used to craft the rings was, in fact, Sauron’s blood all along, explaining their evil nature.
TRoP: Celebrimbor alone!
Running to warn Mirdania and his guards, Celebrimbor commands them to seize Sauron, revealing his true identity. His pleas fall on deaf ears. Sauron has captured their hearts and minds. We could have benefited from spending more time witnessing this manipulation take place.
The readiness with which the elves of Eregion turn on their leader is rather remarkable. Poor Mirdania, the only elf in Eregion given any screentime besides Celebrimbor himself, falls prey to Sauron, who frames the desperate old elf for her murder. Still, the harrowing nature of her demise, a rare moment of genuine tragedy, will stir viewers.
Elrond and Gil-galad arrive at the salvation of Eregion, and immediately lead a cavalry charge against Adar’s forces. The Orcs use the sight of drawing blood from Galadriel to demoralise Elrond, who miraculously sees her from a significant distance. He then manages to call his entire army to a halt right before the two forces clash.
To what extent are we, the viewers, being asked to suspend our disbelief?
The Rings of Power S2 E7
What follows is a rather nonsensical meeting between Elrond and Adar, who still seems blissfully unaware of the fact that he has played right into Sauron’s hands. Diplomacy soon breaks down as Adar presents Elrond with an ultimatum: Galadriel’s life in exchange for her ring of power, Nenya. Unfortunately, the scene loses any weight, as Elrond’s refusal to comply is inconsequential; Adar still doesn’t kill her. Even the reconciliation between these old friends, a moment that should captivate even the most jaded viewers with their intoxicating chemistry, is rendered ridiculous by a single kiss.
Lore-wise, this makes no sense. At this point in time, Galadriel is married to an elf named Celeborn (whom she mentioned briefly in season one) and has a grown daughter named Celebrian. To make matters worse, Celebrian is Elrond’s future wife, the mother of Arwen from The Lord of the Rings. I can only hope that this was a bluff, purely intended to distract Adar and his ‘Uruks’ whilst Elrond gave her his pin as a means to escape.
The hardship faced by the dwarves in Khazad-dûm is infinitely more engaging as Durin IV rallies his people against Sauron and the rings. I am relieved to say that this scene is a genuinely well-written and rewarding payoff to one of this season’s few strong plotlines.
Meanwhile, Galadriel escapes as Adar’s fixation on destroying Sauron causes doubt and unease amongst his children. Even she is moved by the compassion this villain shows for his fallen. Arondir saves her from discovery, and she saves him in return by convincing him to postpone his quest for vengeance.
TRoP: The dwarves in peril
Durin IV is informed of his father’s ring-induced mining mania. Durin IV and his men then realise that his father will awaken the evil first encountered by Disa. He now faces an impossible and chilling choice. Will he save Elrond and Eregion from Sauron or Disa and Khazad-dûm from his own father?
In Eregion, Sauron and Celebrimbor are in council. Sauron is attempting to use his troubled past and vague philosophy to win over Celebrimbor’s sympathy. When this fails, he tries instead to pin all that has happened on the poor elf. He elicits one of the better-written lines of the episode from Celebrimbor himself: ‘You truly are the great deceiver. You can deceive even yourself.’
TRoP: A flawed hero
Touching on Celebrimbor, the problem we encounter here is that by reversing the order of the rings’ creation as it is in the books, he is robbed of his final redeeming heroism act. The elves, rather than a conglomerate of bumbling idiots who fall hook, line and sinker for Sauron’s disguise. They become suspicious of him and, before long, thwart him by removing their rings of power.
As Sauron marches on his city, Celebrimbor does not attempt to destroy the final nine rings fruitlessly. He works tirelessly to craft the three elven rings. A final heroic act of creation that safeguards his people from this terrifying evil for an entire age.
I feel it would not be too much of a stretch to call this a pointless departure from the source material.
Still, Celebrimbor sacrifices a thumb to free himself and smuggle the rings out of the city, far from their master’s grasp. Galadriel aids this act of defiance. In a masterful scene, they bond over their shared weakness in succumbing to Sauron’s temptations. The skills of both actors and their respective characterisations are on full display. Resolving to stay behind, he gives her the nine, prophetically telling her that it is not strength that overcomes darkness, but light.
In a sea of repetitive action, we finally return to Elrond as the sun rises. His face had hurt and confusion written all over it. Durin IV never arrives, having understandably chosen to stay and protect his family and his people. Our emotional engagement in their friendship is such that we cannot help but feel torn and moved by Durin’s decision and devastated by Elrond’s despair.
All that remains is to report that Arondir is presumed dead, as a poorly CGI’d Adar holds Nenya aloft in triumph.
The Rings of Power S2 E7
Overall, The Rings of Power S2 E7 has been weighed in the balance and found wanting. Its attempts to shroud its shortcomings (and those of the entire season) behind cheap spectacle and sensational moments are clear as day. Even a select few genuinely well-written and engaging character-driven moments cannot rescue this series from the hole it has dug for itself.
Join me next time for the finale of this, the second season of The Rings of Power. The eighth episode of The Rings of Power aired on Thursday, 3rd October, on Amazon Prime.
Featured image: Ross Ferguson/Prime Video. Other image credits: Ross Ferguson, Ben Rothstein and Prime Video.
