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The Rings of Power seasonseason 2, episodeepisode 8 recap:recap: AA hollowhollow defeat?defeat?
The time has come to look back at the season two finale of The Rings of Power S2 E8, ‘Shadow and Flame’. This fitting title conveys the show-stopping drama and awe-inspiring action of the episode. Alas, it also casts a shroud over the less favourable elements of this show. Many of these have plagued it from the start and are, unfortunately, on full display here.
And so, without further ado, let us enter this strange rendition of J.R.R. Tolkien’s world once more as we follow this epic but flawed story to its conclusion.
WARNING: Spoilers and heavy themes discussed below!
Characters discussed in order of first mention:
- Owain Arthur plays Durin IV
- Sophia Nomvete plays Disa
- Peter Mullan plays Durin III
- Kevin Eldon plays Narvi
- Daniel Weyman plays The Stranger
- Ciarán Hinds plays the Dark Wizard
- Ema Horvath plays Eärien
- Trystan Gravelle plays Pharazôn
- Cynthia Addai-Robinson plays Miriel
- Charlie Vickers plays Sauron, also known as Annatar
- Lloyd Owen plays Elendil
- Morfydd Clark plays Galadriel
- Charles Edwards plays Celebrimbor
- Maxim Baldry plays Isildur
- Tyroe Muhafidin plays Theo
- Nia Towle plays Estrid
- Leon Wadham plays Kemen
- Sam Hazeldine plays Adar
- Benjamin Walker plays Gil-galad
- Robert Aramayo plays Elrond
- Tanya Moodie plays Gundabel
- Rory Kinnear plays Tom Bombadil
The Rings of Power S2 E8
Now THIS is What We’ve Been Waiting For!
We open with an impressively emotional scene. Durin IV and Disa embrace for what feels like the last time as the former races to intercept his father, Durin III, whose mining mania threatens to unleash an unknown evil. Durin IV hunts his father down, and as Durin III taunts his son, mocking the idea he would ever do him harm, a menacing red glow fills the cavern above them, transforming the bowels of Khazad-ûm into some Miltonian Hell.
Dismissing his son’s fears, Durin III breaks through a stone wall, revealing a breathtaking cavern filled with rich veins of mithril. Then the scene turns to Balrog (who will one day be known as ‘Durin’s Bane’), who appears and attacks the pair. Durin III reveals his true strength as he removes his ring of power and heroically turns to face the consequences of his actions. It was a masterful display of acting from Peter Mullan.
As Disa and Narvi appear and restrain Durin IV, we watch on in stunned silence as his father fearlessly rises to match his foe, using his axe to clash mid-air with the god-like beast. This achieves the distinction of being a truly breathtaking action sequence and a strongly written opening. If only the same could be said for the rest of the episode!
TRoP: The Bad and the Good
We find The Stranger wandering aimlessly (again) before encountering the ‘Dark Wizard’ in a remarkably sterile stand-off. Feigning charity and friendship, we can only guess that this foreboding figure is none other than Saruman. This time, all the nuances of his character and backstory were removed. Why would he and ‘The Stranger’ clash like this, only to become friends and allies later and enemies once again after that?
Luckily, one of the breakout characters of the season, Eärien, appears to regain our attention. The Númenor plotline is one of the better-written of the season. She watches on apprehensively as Pharazôn meets with the leaders of the faithful and has them arrested as traitors, fabricating ties between their leader, Miriel, and Sauron.
This serves as a prelude to a full-scale persecution of all people of faith on the island. Eärien flees to warn her father and uses her influence with the King to save Elendil from discovery. I maintain that her character, one of the most compellingly written and acted of the show so far, has been criminally underutilised.
Miriel herself refuses to flee but orders Elendil to do so. She entrusts him with Narsil, ‘The White Flame’, a weapon familiar to fans of The Lord of the Rings.
TRoP: Fall of a Hero
Eregion is overrun, and Galadriel assists as best she can with the evacuation effort. Meanwhile, Sauron tortures Celebrimbor in the hope of discovering their location. He fires arrow after arrow at the heroic elf, who withholds their whereabouts.
What follows is a beautifully compelling scene. It is the culmination of the relationship between the two most important characters of the season. Celebrimbor warns Sauron (whom he dubs the ‘shadow of Morgoth’, Sauron’s former master) of his downfall. Defiant to the last, with his dying words, he derides him as ‘Sauron, Lord of the Rings’. As Celebrimbor rightly foretells, Sauron will not be the ring’s master but its ‘prisoner’.
TRoP: All Out War
We finally and regrettably reunite with Isildur and Theo, who bond over the loss of their mothers. There is little of note to be found in this largely superfluous scene. Even a passionate kiss between Isildur and Estrid can only make this viewer hope her character gets more development next season. Things reach a tipping point as Kemen appears and embraces Isildur, only to turn on him and the other Southlanders, whom he prohibits from returning to Númenor.
Turning to face his erstwhile prisoner Galadriel, we see Adar restored to his ethereal elven form through the power of her ring, Nenya. The two reflect on the chaos and devastation of their circumstances and agree to match Sauron with their combined strength. Alas, this was not to be.
Sauron appears with his orc followers, poetically murdering Adar with his own army, just as Adar once did to him. Watching on in horror, we observe with bated breath as Galadriel and Sauron once again come face to face; theirs was the most engaging and compelling of season one’s plotlines, and luckily for us, their reunion does not disappoint. As he orders the complete destruction of Eregion, Galadriel faces him, withholding the rings from his grasp and rising with her sword to meet him head-on. In Eregion, Gil-galad and Elrond are taken prisoner. The orc army burns the priceless manuscript records of Celebrimbor and his works, an act of cultural vandalism which leaves Elrond bereft.
The rings of power s2 e8
As their epic clash continues, Sauron employs his powers of illusion to throw Galadriel off her game, masquerading as Halbrand (her temptation), herself (her insecurity) and Celebrimbor (her guilt). Though he offers to make her his queen, she resists him to the last. As he fatally wounds her with Morgoth’s crown and regains the nine rings, she weakly utters the words’ the free peoples of Middle-earth will always resist you’.
The dwarves finally arrive, and upon looking for his friend, Elrond is told forebodingly by Narvi that ‘the prince is in mourning’. We join Galadriel once more as she feigns handing over Nenya to Sauron, steeling herself against his manipulative power and choosing death over submission, plummeting to the ground with her ring in her grasp. She is found (alive, somehow) and healed by the combined strength of Gil-galad and Elrond, who overcomes his fear and uses her ring.
Meanwhile, the Harfoots mourn the loss of the Stoor sanctuary, just as the dwarves mourn their King. In the same montage, Isildur is forced to leave Estrid behind, and Miriel faces Pharazôn and his charges. Gundabel calls The Stranger ‘Grand-elf’ as she bids him farewell, mistaking him for one of the elven race. It seems we are close to finally having his identity revealed, if indeed it was ever a mystery to begin with. His final interaction with Nori successfully encapsulates their relationship, as well as his future: ‘We’re very different creatures, Nori, when all’s said and done.’ / ‘Not so different at all if you ask me.’
TRoP: The Coming War
No sooner have the two parted ways when The Stranger finds his staff. Admittedly, this all feels rather rushed and unearned, as once again, any real progress or development for this character is left until the finale. This isn’t helped by Tom Bombadil’s line about ‘The staff finds the wizard’, which feels lifted straight from Ollivander in Harry Potter. At long last, his name is revealed: Gandalf.
Looking ahead, Durin IV faces the precariousness of his new position and ominously turns to observe his father’s ring, the very ring he swore to Disa he would never wear. Meanwhile, Galadriel awakens, and Elrond returns Nenya to her. The two turn to their people alongside High King Gil-galad, rallying and uniting them as she reflects on the memory and words of Celebrimbor: ‘It is not strength that overcomes darkness, but light.’
The rings of power S2 E8
A flawed finale, to be sure, but one not without merit. This series will always struggle to find its footing, lacking as it does a consistent tone, not to mention a deeper understanding of Tolkien’s work or its influences. Figures like Sauron and Celebrimbor, who Tolkien intended to loom as large as biblical characters like Satan and Christ (see what Sauron does to Celebrimbor’s body in the books), are reduced to a self-pitying gas lighter and a naïve, wearied old fool, respectively. This is to say nothing of Galadriel, whose compelling grace and fortitude have been swapped out for impetuosity and insecurity. Still, the series does succeed in humanising the elves to a degree.
I hope that when season three does arrive, it constitutes a wish fulfilment for fans, but somehow, I doubt it.
Featured image credit: Courtesy of Prime Video. Other image credits: Ben Rothstein, Ross Ferguson and Prime Video.
