Rings of Power recap: Season 2, Episode 7

The future is so bright that the Lord of Eregion has to wear sunglasses in the first few minutes of this episode. Celebrimbor couldn't be higher when we see him, neck deep in Sauron's illusion, touching a cup of tea with an HGTV poise only elves are capable of. If only he knew that this part is titled “Doomed To Die,” an ominous reference to the fate of the nine men who receive rings. As he forges and chisels the Nine, the Elf's focus has never been stronger. Celebrimbor is in the zone. It's a cliché because it's true: pride comes before a fall.

After who knows how long under Sauron's illusion, Celebrimbor, believing Eregion to be a bastion of elf children laughing and playing with ribbons, notices disturbances in the Matrix. The déjà vu of a mouse scurrying across the floor finally causes him to look in the mirror. Charles Edwards has already mastered this challenging role with aplomb and here he outdoes himself. While the audience screamed, “Sauron is right behind you,” Edwards dutifully worked on his rings while Sauron poisoned the finished product. Edwards' very English sense of forced obligation always betrays a little pain, perhaps self-inflicted, behind that stern smile.

The dueling deceptions of Edwards and Vickers provide additional tension. When Annatar comes to the forge for a status report, Sauron senses a change in Celebrimbor but almost avoids confronting it in hopes of finishing off the Nine. Instead, Annatar pivots and becomes more energetic and demanding. But increasing the heat strengthens Celebrimbor's resolve. In each scene we see Celebrimbor begin to realize his downfall as Sauron's illusion runs like black blood through his fingers. He finally returns to reality.

In Celebrimbor's absence, Annatar fills the gap in Eregion's defense. Bombarded by orcs, he orders the elves to hold back their attacks, but makes it look like Celebrimbor's decision. Believing they are protected by the river that serves as a moat around Eregion, the elves sit in wait as Adar blasts a chunk out of the mountains and dams the river. Galadriel was right. Sauron created a power vacuum, benefiting from chaos and controlling both armies from afar.

So begins the bloodiest, muddiest battle of all time Rings of power's young life. The siege of Eregion is a spectacle worthy of the excitement and surprise of the extraordinary “Udun.” “Doomed To Die,” as the title suggests, conveys the sense of foreboding that the series utilizes so well. But the fall of Celebrimbor is much more profound than that of Galadriel, giving us a glimpse into Sauron's trial and its consequences. This is another sad episode in a series that is destined to be very tragic. By hook or by crook, Rings of power will end with Isildur dooming the Third Age with the return of Sauron.

But while Middle-earth burns, there are some embers that have an intoxicating effect Lord of the rings Warmth glows beneath the mountain. There Elrond waits for Prince Durin when the whole world abandons him. In a throwaway shot from Durin's point of view, Durin sees the elf of his dreams, while the scene exudes a love that Durin and Elrond will soon extend to the women in their lives. Both need each other to help their races survive. Prince Durin must overthrow his father and Elrond needs the dwarven army to support the elves. Doing those scenes between Durin and Elrond or Disa and Durin Rings of power successful. The fight scenes are the sizzle, but these relationships are the core. Lord of the rings is about the sacrifices we make for those around us, and the characters' camaraderie gives weight to their sacrifice and contradicts the rule of the One Ring.

As in the last season, director Charlotte Brändström continually pulls the rug out from under our feet. If this is the Battle of Helm's Deep, as it is clearly recreated, the Rohirrim never arrive. Durin, despite his rousing speech and his wanton looks of loyalty and admiration, never comes. The dwarves will continue to mine for mithril and gold, and anyone who disagrees with King Durin may face his axe. When the elves from Lindon arrive on the battlefield, they find Galadriel as Adar's kidnapper.

The scene between Adar and Elrond illustrates why the elves do not trust Adar. Elrond, ever the politician, knows that it is not a good-faith negotiation when one side is holding the other at knifepoint. He decides on plan B: kiss Galadriel and give her a lockpick while everyone tweets about it. Elrond kissing Galadriel could send Tumblr into a tailspin, especially given the somewhat declining role of women on camera this season. The fact that Galadriel was in a damsel in distress state for the last few episodes and then sexualized through that kiss doesn't help either. The kiss was an unexpected decision and will likely be controversial. But for now it was all about passing a lockpick, so let's not start writing fanfiction about it.

While in prison, Celebrimbor's suspicions steadily grow throughout the episode. The Hammer of Celebrimbor is missing some jewels. Even stranger, as he throws the hammer through a window, he notices Eregion being attacked outside. In a breathtaking film, Brändström circles Celebrimbor and reveals the extent of Sauron's deception. Sauron turns around and offers Celebrimbor a place at the table. Sauron knows what it's like to be held captive by a Dark Lord, and together they can “heal” Middle-earth.

The facade is also disappearing for the orcs and they begin to realize that they are no better off with Adar than they were with Sauron. The final nail is Damrog, a troll introduced at the start of the season to turn anything in his path into jelly. Surprisingly, the orcs verbalize the dynamic here. Damrog kills without prejudice, making him just as dangerous to orcs as he is to elves. Elves, dwarves and orcs all become more meat for the meat grinder as Damrog skewers them into orc-elven shish kebab skewers.

Things don't look much better in the forge. Celebrimbor finds no solace outside of Sauron's illusion. As he escapes into the city, his subordinates and students see a clever and confused old elf. Sauron's game of whose will is more powerful leaves him without a thumb and supports Annatar's claim that Celebrimbor is not doing well. The guy cuts off his thumb for Valar's sake. As he corners Mirdania and rants about Annatar being Sauron, the Dark Lord pushes Mirdania off the bulwark. Unfortunately, the fall doesn't kill her. The Orc's Blade does. Simply brutal.

But since her doppelganger is dead, Galadriel can enter the city again. The controversial kiss was a clever ruse. Taking advantage of Adar's obsession with transporting Elrond and Galadriel, Elrond handed over her lockpick to help her escape. And just as Arondir saved her at the last second, she saves Celebrimbor, who is surrounded by elven guards ready to take him back to his hole. Edwards crushes this final monologue as he summons the courage to face Sauron and accepts responsibility for his role in this debacle with courage and hope. Every step of Rings of power brings us closer to the inevitable, knowing that all of this will fail for hundreds and hundreds of years. These characters struggle with the long defeat – and yet the light remains. “Durin will come.”

Crazy observations

• • A few moments tonight reminded me of this The Matrix. The mouse revealing Sauron's illusion is one of these, and the orcs' plan to darken the sky is another. This shot of the sky turning cloudy felt particularly Wachowski-esque.
• • When Celebrimbor thanked Annatar for his commitment to the project, it looked like Annatar had won an unexpected Oscar.
• • At least the most expensive show of all time is bringing it to the screen. From the Damrog to the giant trebuchets, the production was spectacular. Brändström, already an MVP of the series, did an excellent job of building the tension to a sustained high and still finding room at the end to leave you wanting more.
• • When Celebrimbor cut off his thumb, he was unforgettably tense. The show doesn't get enough credit for how dark and violent it is willing to be.
• • The series is undeniably much stronger when everything focuses on one fixed point. Anyone interested in stopping by Nori and The Stranger this week? It's not smart of the show to set the expectation that we will see all the storylines every week and it will be even wiser to lean on them for a break this week.
• • “Ask me again on the battlefield when the neck with the knife on it is yours.”
• • Arondir is definitely a good character to have in the bag, but we have to move past Arondir's surprising saves next season.
• • The ore was Sauron's blood! I love the increase in his influence. His control over the rings grows with each set made.