[Ed note: This article contains spoilers for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2, episode 6.]
Don't worry, I'm not going to rant about it again… The rings of power's extraneous plots. At this stage of the season, there's nothing more to say about them; at least here, the striking imagery that Hamri and the rest of the crew conjure up (soaring images of exotic landscapes! A delightfully grotesque sea monster! Flaming rocks streaking across the night sky!) help even the less well-conceived story moments in Episode 6 play out fairly smoothly. That said, some of the episode's narrative developments deserve further exploration than others. And spoilers: None of the ones that do happen take place in the desert.
There is, however, a story playing out across (and beneath) the sea. That’s where Míriel and Pharazôn engage in their latest round of political arm-wrestling for control of Númenor. On paper, newly appointed monarch Pharazôn should have the upper hand. He’s already overthrown Míriel and is one sea-trial ritual away from taking Elendil off the board. That is, until Míriel pulls a Katniss Everdeen, entering the water on Elendil’s behalf and emerging alive and, apparently, favored by the divine. A blind woman with few friends left wins back the (comically fickle) Númenórean public with a display of true power. The fact that this sends the anti-elf Pharazôn scuttling to a palantír for guidance only underscores how shallow his newfound authority really is compared to Míriel’s.
Unfortunately, power struggles don’t have such a positive force in Middle-earth. In fact, the bad guys outnumber their benevolent counterparts as easily as a hobbit eats his second breakfast. The meeting of minds between Galadriel and Adar in episode 6 is a prime example of this. The elf-orc alliance brewing in episode 5 turns out to be a highly effective ruse designed to trick Galadriel into revealing her information. It’s the latest low point for the elf warrior in a season full of them; her battlefield prowess apparently doesn’t translate into basic strategic acumen. If there’s a silver lining here (besides seeing Morfydd Clark and Sam Hazeldine verbally spar) it’s that Adar is being played by Sauron. And, like Galadriel, he should see it coming.
One of the most interesting moments of the banquet table discussion between the two comes when they compare their impressions of Sauron’s skills as a manipulator. “For a time, he even makes you believe that his power has become yours,” Adar observes. “An irresistible power that makes the fulfillment of every desire seem possible.” And that is exactly what the Dark Lord has done once again: he has convinced Adar that his ultimate goal – killing Sauron for good – is within his grasp. All the current ruler of Mordor needs to do is wipe Eregion off the map. But, as Galadriel eventually comes to realise, the only person who truly benefits from this course of action is Sauron. He will reduce a major Elven stronghold to rubble, without even mustering an army of his own, and leave the city with the last batch of rings while he is at it. Adar is playing checkers; Sauron is playing chess.
To be fair, he's not the only poor soul in episode 6 who gets a lesson in how to… In fact The power of Sauron. By the end of the episode, Celebrimbor is more under “Annatar’s” control than ever before, a few flashes of defiance – and some instant GIF-worthy sideways glances from the great Charles Edwards – no match for a heavy dose of magical manipulation. As a result, it’s Sauron who leads Eregion’s defences when Adar’s attack begins, just as he wants. The same goes for Durin III, who sends Sauron home empty-handed from Khazad-dûm – for a moment it seems like Sauron has suffered defeat, only for us to realise it’s all part of the larger web he’s weaving. Sauron’s balrog-sense (or whatever that fiery omen was) combined with Charlie Vickers’ smirk leaves us in no doubt that this is a guy who understands the power of doing nothing, too.
In some ways, it's a further expansion of the more insidious, less overtly malevolent version of Sauron from Season 2, though it's a decidedly less effective one this time around. Part of this is because Episode 6 mostly abandons the evil cosmic aspect of Sauron's recent characterization in favor of the more realistic, “knowable” villain the showrunners have insisted on giving us elsewhere this season. But more than that, it's because The rings of power In general, the book itself has a hard time portraying power plays and political negotiations, which is also not surprising. Sure, there's a lot of fun to be had with inter-species (and intra-species) bickering, not to mention the precedents for both in JRR Tolkien's writings, but it's arguably not part of the story. The Lord of the Rings' central appeal in the same way as, for example, House of the Dragon.
Yeah, The rings of powerSource material of type/type no The Silmarillion gets a lot out of the oath of Celebrimbor's ancestor Fëanor and the associated screwed-up relationships. The Lord of the RingsThe Appendices also exploit the madness of Pharazôn and his minions to good effect. However, epic battles, legendary quests, and biblical parables are the bread and butter of Tolkien's canon, not Westeros-style intrigue and deep dissertations on the true nature of power (and the philosophy behind it). The rings of powerIf Tolkien’s creative team decides to cram all of this into the series’ already overstuffed story, it rarely works. By contrast, things like Númenor’s gradual moral decay and Sauron’s continent-spanning machinations often feel tacked on, rushed, and, worst of all, oversimplified. In the case of the former, the series doesn’t even address the limited ability of someone like Míriel to fight back against the power structures of her society – something that even Tolkien accomplished, albeit inadvertently (not everyone gets to be Éowyn, in real life or in Middle-earth).
It's as if those involved felt compelled to question what motivates the decision-makers in Tolkien's fantasy world (overtly or not), except they didn't. quite They didn’t have enough information (or the right IP) to pull it off. They also didn’t have the necessary screen time, which further undermines episode 6’s power-focused commentary by having it play out with the 1.2x button firmly pressed. It’s frustrating, especially after the show’s recent run of form. But hey, the Siege of Eregion is finally here, which means awkward meditations on power are out and blockbuster scenes are in. Hopefully, this change will be fixed. The rings of power The final two episodes of season two are back on track. After all, the show's greatest strength (and even its undeniable power) lies in bringing cinematic spectacle to the small screen.