TV Review- The Rings of Power Season 2 Eps 4 - 6

 

Episode Four - Eldest

This starts off on a whimsical note as the wandering Stranger comes across the legendary (to Tolkien readers at least) Tom Bombadil portrayed with a delightful lightness by Rory Kinnear. The actor is playing against type to some extent though there is some hint of  something steelier under the surface and in a lengthy sequence seems to reveal he is somewhat eternal. I don’t know much about his character except that Tolkien fans like him but that he’s been left out of any and all adaptations to date. He talks in a vague manner but seems to have great powers and by the end the Stranger is asking for help mastering his own gifts. If you’re wondering about the episode title it is something that Bombadil says when quizzed about his background. His reply is that he is literally the `eldest` and remembers a time even before there were stars. While its easy to see why his character was awkward to slot into previous versions there seems to be a place for him here, as a mentor to the stranger?

Nori and Poppy meanwhile appear to encounter another group of Harfoots only they are actually distant- or not so distant as turns out- cousins called Stoors. Gavi Sing Chera makes a strong, witty debut as the amusing Merimac and the tribe’s leader Gundabale Earthauler is played with formidable energy by Tanya Moodie.

The episode might well have been titled Trouble with Trees. Not only does the Stranger find himself encased in a badly behaved bark earlier but we later meet the Trees themselves. Whomping great beasts who have captured Theo and others for whom Isuldur, Estrid and Arondir are searching. Shot in night time, the trees are rendered really well with some great perspective shots and bark that easily becomes a face when needed. They are voiced by Jim Broadbent and Olivia Williams who both add a warmer side to the creatures to counterpont their size.

This quest also involves a swamp creature and some shifting relationships as Estrid’s loyalty is questioned.  The danger here is vanquished by words rather than feats of action which makes a good contrast with other plots. Are we saying goodbye to the former Southlands villagers here? It certainly seems that way and I can’t help thinking that perhaps this was not what the writers originally intended; however the actress who played Bronwyn did not wish to return which is why her character died and with it any reason for Arondir to stay with them.

Equally involving is the Elven quest which similarly treks through dangers and tests the participants’ priorities. The centrepiece of this journey is a spooky encounter with Barrow Wights. These are like souped up zombies of centuries dead soldiers whose appearance in the dark misty woods is perhaps the scariest moment yet. They deserve and get quite a build-up though their defeat – at the hands of the sword that originally killed them which has been handily left around- seems slightly anticlimactic.

Galadriel is seemingly being guided by the ring, which Elrond does not trust. Nobody thinks to take it off though until near the end Galadriel hands it over as she goes off to do battle with a few dozen Orc. This is one of those shows that likes to throw in sequences which would probably climax other series just to round off one episode. Here Galadriel twists and turns letting off arrows and kicking Orc butt aplenty in a thrilling and well choreographed scene. Not many big screen action heroes have had anything as insanely difficult as this to pull off. Of course, she is felled at the end by Adar no less but perhaps that expression on his face means even he is a little impressed by her feat. However, you do wonder why she takes this course of action. Having been insistent on protecting the ring and stopping Sauron why throw herself into a fight she doesn’t really need to have?

 

Episode Five- Halls of Stone

A slower episode that reflects the creeping, malign influence of the rings as they start to affect events. King Durin  for example gains the ability to successfully pinpoint the correct places to dig for letting sunlight back into their subterranean kingdom. The Elf High King is suddenly more obsessed with defeating Sauron than in deploying to help the oncoming Orc army. And Celebrimbor’s work is being increasingly influenced by the wily Sauron in his current disguise as Annatar. What these plots have in common, which also is paramount in the Numenor plot with which they share the episode, is the use of power and how things can change.

Following the coronation, Pharzon is clamping down on dissidents and that includes Elendril who has been tasked by the deposed Queen to keep his counsel. You just know in a drama when someone gives such advice it will not be heeded and it’s the new King’s own son who provokes what turns out to be a fight with a tragic ending. This is very well played. Having relied on a lot of large scale or epic contests, this fight is one on one and mirrors the change in power going on around the city.

Much of the episode though moves from the dwarf’s kingdom to the forge and back again. Celebrimbor becomes increasingly tortured over the choices he’s made, mostly because Sauron is gaslighting him momentously about everything. Charles Edwards conveys this inner struggle so well, a contrast with Charlie Vickers’ casual villainy. Half the enjoyment of this of course is that the viewers know Annatar’s real identity so you feel so sorry for Celebrimbor’s naivety at every turn.

 Yet it’s the Khazadum sequences that win out this time with the perfect setting for aspects of power and greed. Peter Mullan continues to impressive despite his face being half hidden by an enormous beard and this episode sees him subtly altering Durin’s mood. There’s a surprise at the end of the episode too when we finally see Galadriel arrive at the Orc’s hideout; I’m sure all the events in the episode happen simultaneously but because this is at the end you imagine she’s been in the rickety carriage for weeks. Anyway, Adar proposes an alliance which I suppose shows another rule of epic tv drama. If a major character is taken hostage they are not just going to be killed. It’s at moments like this when you realise that The Rings of Power works because it leans on the well-tried much of the time, it’s just that it does it so well.

Episode Six- Where Is He?

A title that could mean more than one thing whether it refers to the literal search for Sauron or the mental state of both Durin and Celebrimbor. As a message carved on the body of an elf sent to Eregion as due warning of an imminent attack it’s just one of many macabre touches that make this episode such a classy affair. I know this season has received a mixed response from hardcore Tolkienites but for those of us who just like a rattling good epic yarn, these things matter less.  So, I found episode six to be a superbly calibrated narrative that returns to themes of loyalty and difficult choices across several storylines. It manages to be both epic and emotional while all the time the influence of those rings is hovering in the background. While it includes the spectacular- a giant sea monster, the initial attack on Eregion at the end (fiery missiles headed for the night lit city) – it also involves some very personal conversations. Although some character’s dialogue sounds more like it was written than they are speaking naturally, there are some conversations herein that go beyond talk of prophecies, powers, and the mystical stuff. We see a daughter pleading with her father to bow to events, a son still able to see his father despite what has happened to him, a tortured genius unsure what he has got into. These are relatable to real life situations which makes them richer. Even the dialogue between Annatar and Celebrimbor focusses on the latter’s lifelong ambitions which gives it an extra impact.

The dwarves have really surprised me in this series being written as more eloquent and detailed than in the films so the story of King Durin and his son has become one that plays on familiar resonance, it just happens we’re deep underground. Owain Arthur and Peter Mullin again impress with their honesty in these scenes. In Numenor too we have some powerful scenes as Elendril is sentenced to what seems like an impossible sentence- to be judged by the Sea Worm. A monstrous cross between an octopus and a shark only many times bigger this thing would surely eat everyone yet when the ousted Queen Miriel steps in to take his place (hers and Elendril's mutual attraction has been subtly played in the midst of everything else) and survives the tables are turned on Pharazon. It’s a real stand up and cheer moment.

It’s to the writers’ credit that they have made what is at root the same plot- someone being unduly influenced by the ring to make bad decisions- seem quite different across locations.  While the two Durins tussle over mining and leadership, Celebrimbor is becoming strained by the failure to complete the new set of rings. Annatar coxes him with a seemingly casual air, reserving his dangerous looks for the viewer once he has turned his back. Charles Edwards is superb as a man on the edge, losing his mind and yet pushing on. 

In the middle of these main three plots there are other big decisions. Tom Bombadil takes the Stranger to a place where there are hundreds of potential magic staffs and he must choose the right one. Worried about Nori and Poppy, the Stranger is taken to go and find them but Tom- who would no doubt be irritating to do business with- tells him he won’t get another chance. Galadriel meanwhile has to decide whether to throw in her lot with Adar as the latter suggests only suddenly realises that Sauron is somehow using the Orc army as he has none of his own. I’m not clear how she comes by this insight and it’s the only glitch in an otherwise superb episode.