Show Review: ‘The Rings of Power’ Season Two, Ep 7: Doomed to Die is the Most Epic Episode of the Season
Image courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios
***BEWARE THERE ARE FULL SPOILERS BELOW***
READ THE REVIEW FOR EPISODES 1-3 HERE | EPISODE 4 HERE | EPISODE 5 HERE | EPISODE 6 HERE
Was there ever a more epic episode than this?! I am not recovered. So many gasps were gasped, and even though I know Elrond will be ok, I still found myself so worried for him. I once again found I didn’t miss Numenor, the Harfoots, or Gandalf-not-Gandalf. Don’t get me wrong, I like those storylines a lot, but it’s a compliment to this episode that my thoughts were firmly planted on Eregion. This felt like a whole movie in one episode. There was so much action, incredible character performances, and some of the most stunning cinematography. That aerial shot of the horses charging?! Insane. This episode may have eclipsed four and five as my favorite. This week’s thoughts may be a little chaotic, but I want to get as many of them included before the newsletter goes out!
“Hello, Mr. Mouse,” at the beginning of the episode had me gutted. I absolutely loved how they handled the illusion Celebrimbor was under, and how he comes to finally realize it. The gaslighter extraordinaire, Sauron, even tried to gaslight himself this episode. Charles Edwards deserves an Emmy for his performance as Celebrimbor. He even had a Sam Gamgee-esque monologue that was spectacular. “It is not strength that overcomes darkness, but light…still light endures…for in its presence all darkness must flee.”
Seeing Eregion being sieged, and then the damming of the river. There was so much strategy into this attack, and how, even though Adar is completely being manipulated, he’s still a brilliant strategist. Honestly, he’s becoming one of my favorite characters because of his complexity this season. The fact that he’s been so twisted by Morgoth, and driven blind by his need to destroy Sauron, you could easily dismiss him. But he has so much emotional depth. The tears he shed at the fallen Uruks. He truly does love them, but then at the same time, he’s willing to sacrifice them to see Sauron defeated. And we obviously know he has a complicated connection with Galadriel.
They are still sneaking in little nods to Peter Jackson’s film dialog, which I love when I catch. Sauron saying, “You have proven your quality, Mirdania.”
Another one of my favorite scenes, which felt very reminiscent of Borormir’s death, was Rian’s death. What an epic moment. Getting the shot off even as she’s being pierced by Uruk arrows?! It was tragic, and badass, and heart wrenching, and beautiful. Also felt like a combo moment of when Legolas is trying to get the shot off to stop the wall being blown up at Helm’s Deep.
They continue to humanize the Uruks, and after some thought, I still don’t mind it. It’s a bit weird to see female Uruks, but I mean…they would have existed, so it adds another dimension to their motivations with Adar.
And we can’t get through this review without discussing THE KISS. I know a lot of people are in uproar about this. And don’t get me wrong, when it happened, I had to pause the episode and go, “WTF just happened?! That’s his mother—in-law!!!” I mean, obviously not his MIL yet. But when she gave him a weird look right after, I was like, “Ok, ok, he definitely just did that to give her something.” I thought it was going to be the ring, but the lockpin was so smart. So while it was a little weird knowing how their characters turn out, I guess kissing your bestie goodbye isn’t the end of the world.
Speaking of Elrond. THIS is the Elrond I’ve been missing. Not some courtier, but a warrior. His exchange with Adar?! “You’re a courtier more suited to wielding a scroll than a sword.” “You’ve never seen me wield either.” Then he proceeds to be a complete badass on the battle field.
Also, the Lippizaner moment?! As a former horse girl, who has also had the opportunity to see Lippizaners in person, I was living for that scene. But then it was absolutely ruined by the Uruk killing his horse. Is there a worse crime in Middle-earth than killing a horse?
All I have to say is Arondir better be ok, or I am going to riot. And where are the Dwarves?!!! It was so crushing for Elrond to be so convinced Durin was going to show up and save the day. I HATE that Adar has Galadriel’s ring, and I’m so curious how she’s going to get it back. I’m really not ready for this season to be over, and I can’t believe we only have one episode left! Obviously, there’s going to be a showdown between Galadriel and Sauron because she has the Nine right now, and we know Sauron ends up with them. They’re really going off-script here from the canon, but I’ve been having such a good time this season, I’m ok with it.
This may be an unpopular opinion, but I hated the metal music at the end, and turned that off immediately. Maybe it’s because I have an immediate aversion to that kind of music, but I was not a fan. As I said in last week’s review, Bear McCreary is a genius, but this was a miss for me.
So let me know in the comments (and keep it respectful, please), what did you think of this episode?
Reading LOTR for the first time and not sure where to start? Head here for my ultimate guide to reading The Lord of the Rings.
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