The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power
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He was expecting it, of course.
When last we saw Arondir, hed expressly set out in search of orcs.
After all, he runs all of Eregion, not just his workshop.
Or maybe he doesnt.
In Celebrimbors absence, Sauron steps up and, quite casually, declares himself in charge.
The citizens of Eregion are grateful to havesomeonein charge.
For unexplained reasons the usual hustle and bustle of merchants and visitors has stopped.
Whats more, their scouting party hasnt returned.
Sauron offers a chilling interpretation: Where is he?
(without clarifying that hes the he in question).
And whos after him?
A cut to Adar dining with Galadriel provides the answer we already knew.
But it also raises a question: Will Galadriel take her captor up on his offer to team up?
He begins his pitch by trying to explain why Sauron is so seductive, and so dangerous.
Serving Sauron feels kind of awesome, at least for a while.
Even worse, his seduction involves telling the truth (though sometimes with unforeseen consequences).
They both agree Sauron has to go, but Galadriel remains skeptical about working together.
To sweeten the deal he shows her the Iron Crown of Morgoth.
Maybe his crown plus her rings could be the sweet combination needed to take their mutual enemy down?
One things for sure: Elendil cant offer any hope for the moment.
Pharazon sentences him to death but offers an unexpected reprieve.
Elendil can go free so long as he renounces his crimes and pledges loyalty to Pharazon.
With a trembling lip, Elendil says yes to the first condition but no to the second.
Hes a Miriel man, not a Pharazon fan.
What to do now?
How about letting the Valar decide his fate, referring to Tolkiens equivalent of angels.
But said judgment, quite troublingly, also seems to involve some kind of hungry sea monster.
This does not look good.
Though hes not in chains, the Stranger seems unlikely to offer any immediate assistance either.
After getting a vision of Nori screaming he turns to Tom Bombadil for advice.
), Tom Bombadil will be accompanying him.
Nori similarly seems to be having a hard time communicating with the Stoor.
She makes some pretty good points.
This is their home, and theres history there that they do not want to leave behind.
Not far away, Poppys getting to know Nobody, whom she clearly regards as a definite somebody.
Not only does Nobody return her affectionate gaze, but they hold hands and kiss!
This relationship is moving pretty quickly (especially by Tolkien standards).
The only problem is that he says this overlooking a valley filled with potential staffs.
Its the right choice, but made for the wrong reason.
Durin III sees this not as a hard no but the opening salvo in his negotiations.
Durin IV correctly suspects that his fathers ring is the problem and asks that he remove it.
So what should he do?
His first steps do prove hard, but perhaps not as hard as Durin IV might have suspected.
voice to summon a small army of bats to drive them off.
Surely that will help.
Hell be a martyr to the cause rather than deny it.
To be clear, it looksprettydire.
Meanwhile, Galadriel has begun to warm to a possible elf/orc superteam.
She thinks she has Saurons number.
So whats in it for Adar?
Will he and his children be left in peace in Mordor?
Galadriel cant make that promise, and maybe he doesnt need her help anyway.
As he shows her, he has alotof orcs.
So why not take out Sauronandthe elves to secure their future?
Above the city, Celebrimbor remains focused on creating rings of power that work.
And when Celebrimbor steps outside his tower he discovers that everything is … fine?
Its a sunny day.
People are milling about.
Children laugh and play.
He should feel free to spend his time working on the rings.
And, whats more, heres some mithril.
Why doesnt he just go back inside and do a little more smithing?
Theres, of course, a very good reason he shouldnt.
This peace and quiet is an illusion.
The orcs are at the door.
The people are in a panic.
There are fireballs in the air.
And Sauron is getting exactly what he wants.
Pretty intense ending, right?
The episode itself felt faster-paced than usual, too.
Thats undoubtedly because it explores every location and includes virtually every major character, if only for a scene.
The Strangers section feels truncated, for instance.
And whats going on, at least at the moment, is a lot.
Perhaps its a seawater offshoot of the same species?
Would dwarves who live in a cave be that scared of bats?
