Wow, an actual semi-competent episode with some tension and interesting plot development. Color me surprised! Well, I shouldn’t praise it too much, since I find the Númenor plot line boring, and above all, strange. Now, the coup for leadership is completed for Númenor, but I really don’t see how the failure (was it even a failure?) of the little war in the south would turn the whole country against the queen. Sure, losing a battle is never good for morale, yet, it wasn’t that bad. And when they set out to slay orcs, the spirits of the population were high. They do realize that war comes with risk, and that some of the soldiers will surely die, right? Also, it was only one freaking battle! Talk about finicky citizens that supposedly have war in their veins.
Master manipulator
Still, I’m slightly curious about what will happen, thanks to the little murder scenario in the temple. I find it a little too late to suddenly think that handing over the reins without a fight probably wasn’t such a good idea. Oh well. The good parts of the show came from Celebrimbor and Sauron. Finally, some good stuff involving the actual rings. Sauron is unsurprisingly playing Celebrimbor like a fiddle, and the sneaky verbal backstabbing is entertaining to watch. Celebrimbor refused to make the nine rings for men. Recognizing that men are easily corrupted, but through Sauron’s manipulation of both Celebrimbor himself, and his smithing crew, the tides slowly turn against him. The seed of blame was also planted. Forcing Celebrimbor away from his forge, now having to seek redemption from the elf King. And with that, leaving the smithy open for Sauron and his newly acquired team to forge the rings. It’s not masterfully written, considering this is Rings of Power after all, but I appreciated this chapter much more than any other episode in the show.
Another segment I liked was the part with the dwarves. How the ring the king gained from Celebrimbor slowly corrupts him; turning him greedy and reckless in his digging for gold. We know how that is going to end; with one fiery demon and a horde of orcs slaughtering the lot. Nonetheless, it’s told fairly well, and it feels nice to have some intrigue in the show finally. I’m just afraid that next week we will be forced to return to the mundane. To the godforsaken desert of the damned and the stupid not-hobbits. Oh lord.
Thanks for reading.
/Thomas
Tom's Gaming Vault 