TV Review: The Rings of Power Season 2 Eps 7 & 8

 

Episode 7 Doomed to Die

 “True creation requires sacrifice” one of the characters in this episode says and this is something those extremely critical Tolkien lore fanatics might consider. An adaptation of a novel is always going to be a step away from the source being a different medium. What works on the page may not always translate literally on screen. In this case a dramatization of appendices surely needs additional material to turn notes into a story. Fans of anything are over possessive of course but reading some reviews of this show I feel as if I’ve been watching something different. At least viewers seem mostly aligned with this episode which even the haters have dubbed the best of the season. I’d say it’s the best episode of any tv show I’ve seen in some time.

 

 Ok it’s time for some superlatives. I would say this season as a whole and certainly this episode is notching perfect on the imaginary scoreboard. Its definitely the best episode of the show so far and the best television battle since Game of Thrones, whose mud splattered brutality it shares albeit perhaps a little less gruesomely. The episode revolves around the attack on and subsequent siege of Eregion glimpsed at the end of part six and now in full flow. And its exactly what you would want it to be, more so in fact because it looks proper epic. You could show this on an IMAX screen, in fact I wish they would. There’s plenty of Middle Ages iconography (because what is Middle Earth but a souped-up Middle Ages), trebuchet action aplenty, arrows everywhere and lots of mud of course. One thing I noticed is several occasions where the episode does not do what a lot of shows do and cuts away from the action using sound effects and some drifting smoke. Instead we see characters up on the ramparts with the battle raging below them.

The sense of scale in every sense is staggering and though much of the form of the battle is familiar the presentation can often be bold. One shot sees the Elven charged from above while when the two forces are facing each other, the Orcs are partly in shadow while the Elves have the Sun. Even the digital effects are integrated well while the cinematography is so vivid you can almost smell the smoke. The choreography makes for some dynamic, edge of the seat moments and plenty of opportunity for heroics as well.

Yet what makes this episode work even better are the personal stories flecked through it, the summation of all the character moments leading to this juncture. For example, hidden away from it all in some sort of temporal grace is Celebrimbor, oblivious to the chaos outside slaving away over a hot furnace to make those nine rings for men. Annatar has somehow created a sealed off environment for him where time circles and the place replicates quieter sunnier day while outside its raining missiles. I suppose the only query you might have is if he is that powerful how come he can’t make the rings himself? 

Anyway, this scenario allows Charles Edwards, who has been superb throughout the show, to portray the elven smiths’ gradual realisation he’s been duped. It’s a mouse of all things that gives it away, a random intruder Annatar overlooked. The way Celebrimbor’s expression comes to a haunting realisation and his defiance near the end is actually quite moving. “I built this city!” he declares as all around him it crumbles partly due to his decisions. It’s a very controlled yet relatable performance that explodes in this episode to fantastic effect. In a show that could easily be content to dazzle visually, it is surprising just how many strong acting roles it has and Celebrimbor is one of the best. As for Sauron, Charlie Vicker’s job is to remain calm amidst the maelstrom and its curious that when confronted by Celebrimbor as to his motives he talks of seeking ultimate peace. I’m not sure if Sauron is lying here too or whether this really is what he wants. Then again how many real wars have been waged with aim of achieving ultimate peace?

When we do cut from the siege it’s to Khazadum where Elrond goes to beg Durin and the Dwarves (that sounds like a band name!) to help. Elrond gets about because moments later he’s at the battle. King Durin has gone gold crazy; he’s got sovereigns and trinkets piled up in his throne room whereas his son has more practical matters on his mind. In another epic scene we see Durin the younger making a speech whose impact resonates around the caves. It’s a pity though we don’t get a confrontation between father and son, at least not this episode. “Durin will come” are the last words of the episode, spoken more out of hope than belief after the sunrise does not bring the expected relief forces and there aren’t many Elves left. Another actor who has made quite an impact is Robert Aramayo whose Elrond across the two seasons has transformed from a diplomat to a warrior. Now his despair that the effort made to defend the city will be all for nothing is another emotional moment. Plus Adar has a ring taken from the badly injured Arondir. The seventy-two minutes are packed with smaller incidents framed inside larger incursions and there is sterling work from everyone to create a classic tv episode whichever way you slice it.

 

Episode 8- Shadow and Flame

 

If episodes 6 and 7 are the epic pinnacle of this season there’s still plenty left in the tank for a finale that starts off terrifically with the ramifications of King Duran’s folly. At first, I thought it was an odd place to drop in considering they’d left us hanging regarding the Eregion situation but in fact it provides an opening spectacle that many a show would use as their final scenes. Durin’s persistent drilling has woken a Balrog who has been snoozing comfortably presumably forever. Come to think of it, I wonder what it has been doing if the dwarves have never previously been bothered by it. Whatever, it’s very angry now and is exceptionally impressive as a monster even if we have seen it before in the films. The King ultimately removes the ring and therefore the blinkers and choses to sacrifice himself to ensure the Balrog goes back from whence it came. Peter Mullin has worked wonders underneath a Father Xmas beard as epic as the show and it’ll be a shame he’s gone.

This sequence sets the tone for the episode- dramatic and noble behaviour in the face of death. Poor Celebrimbor is on his last too, in a particularly sadistic turn Sauron is shooting arrows at him until he reveals the location of the nine rings. He does not yield and later Galadriel is similarly stubborn when facing Sauron himself. Such heroism is accompanied by incidental music of some solemnity involving both orchestra and choir while director Charlotte Brandstrum makes full use of the mood to present inspirational images.

The interplay between Celebrimbor and Sauron has been the season’s most absorbing storyline. By the end we can see that Sauron is more disappointed than anything that the elven smith has defied and tricked him, perhaps using things he has learned from their entanglement. Both actors have given a tremendous intensity to these roles which has paid off. It will be a shame that Charles Edwards won’t be here next season; he has given depths to Celebrimbor inspired by a script that balances the character’s artistry with his position and his pragmatism. Charlie Vickers has found a different way to portray one of the evillest characters in fiction and that is to use a charm and persuasiveness, The writers have gifted a version of the character much removed from booming proclamations and the actor makes the most of this. Together they have been so fascinating.

If I have any issue with the narrative, it’s the somewhat varied way the rings control- or don’t- and by which they can be removed, or not. These arrive at key junctures of the plot sometimes a tad conveniently as if it is the rings that are driving the plot.  It works for the frantic action you need for a finale but something perhaps to be wary of for a third season (if it is confirmed) lest those rings become plot devices. Also, there is rather too much  focus for that next season; a good quarter of the episode is used to set up oncoming developments when it should be reflecting on what’s just happened. That this comes at the expense of the storylines we’ve been following makes it a poor fit. Notably affected is the Numenor narrative which seems to have leapt on unseen by us which after the careful build seems a bit too rushed. Even the inevitable arrival of the dwarves seems hurried along after the time spent on the battle last episode.

No complaints though about the cut and thrust of the episode and it is the case that a lot of the characters do get a payoff, notably Adar who in a busy scene ends up departing the story unexpectedly. His death at Sauron’s bidding mirrors the scene in which the reverse happened in episode one. Considering how he started he has been one of the most intriguing characters, sometimes subverting what we might expect. The extended hand to hand combat between Sauron and Galadriel is unpredictable enough to keep us guessing- the fact they are battling in stone ruins led me to expect some magical trick but what happens is more identifiable heroics of the type that run through the episode.

Let’s not forget The Stranger. Or as we can now call him Gandalf. I’m not sure this reveal surprised anyone; once it was confirmed at the end of season one he’s not Sauron, who else would he be? It’s been there too in Daniel Weyman’s demeanour and turn of phrase long before he found his staff.  I’d expect him to play a more central role in matters next season as his story has progressed away from the others. Its left to Nori to come up with the summation of much of what we’ve seen that sometimes if things are broken, they cannot be mended and we have to move on. This moving note rings true across all the storylines.

Small niggles aside, this is a full-blooded conclusion to what has been overall a fantastic adventure. Tolkien fiends may not have liked it all but for the less committed it’s a rousing story that is both familiar yet new at the same time. For me at least it’s the best series I’ve watched this year.