The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power S2, E6 Recap
Welcome back to the continuing adventures of Celebrimbor! After declaring last week that the pitfall king and elven smith is my favorite character of the series, Iâve only doubled down following episode 6. As we head toward the finale, thereâs no going back now.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power focused on Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) so much in the first season, only to shuffle her character to the sidelines in season 2. Sheâand everyone else in Middle-earth, for that matterâis intensely concerned about Sauron (Charlie Vickers) and his schemes, but no one is making moves to find or stop him. Instead, heâs just tricking Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards) into doing his evil bidding like a hand puppet. Remember that giant anvil that Sauron raised into the air like he was Wile E. Coyote? Well, it almost crushes my poor Celebrimbor. Rings of Power writers, you have to get him out of here!
The elf made seven rings for the dark lord already, and now Sauronâs begging him for another nine. âI am well. Iâm just fatigued,â Celebrimbor says after yelling at his staff. âUntil the nine are complete, nothing else matters.â
Amazon PrimeShow me more of that sea monster, please!
PharazĂŽn 2024Sauron wants to control mankind, no matter how trivial their election plot is this season. Both candidates are secretly consulting with a magic orb that shows them glimpses of the future. PharazĂŽn (Trystan Gravelle) is only in charge right now because he outed MĂriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson), but the new king of NĂșmenor is getting his fix of the magic orb as well.
With his new power, he sentences Elendil (Lloyd Owen) to trial by combat with a massive sea monster. Elendil continues to support MĂriel, so he was branded a traitor last episode. Later, Elendil argues with his daughter EĂ€rien (Ema Horvath). Sheâs a brand-new character created for this series…who is easily the most annoying presence on the show. When Elendil stands to face the sea monster with a brave expression, MĂriel pleads to sacrifice herself in his place. She walks down the steps and sinks into the sea as the beastâs tendrils pull her down. Looking her in the eye, it roars and flings her back ashore unharmed. âHail MĂriel, Queen of the Sea!â Elendil declares.
Amazon PrimeMy dinner with Adar.
Who Needs Rings When You Have a Crown?At the orc camp, Galadriel is still resistant to the idea of teaming up with her former foe. It seems that she wonât stop at nothing to defeat Sauron, despite claiming otherwise. âWhat help could you possibly provide, Orc?â she asks Adar (Sam Hazeldine). UmmâŠmaybe my whole orc army, which is thousands strong? Then Adar reveals that he possesses Morgothâs crownâa kind of Infinity Gauntlet in Lord of the Rings that held the original three silmarils.
Galadriel warns Adar that attacking Celebrimborâs city is exactly what Sauron wants. He doesnât possess an army of his own, so taking Adarâs is his only solution. Adar doesnât care. He think he can defeat Sauron and claim the city.
Amazon PrimeThe Stranger needs more strength.
Magic Is StrangeBack with Tom Bombadil (Rory Kinnear) and the Stranger (Daniel Weyman), teatime has sidelined the confused wizard for nearly three episodes now. Heâs worried about Nori (Markella Kavenagh) and her friend, even though Poppy (Megan Richards) and her new Stoor crush are striking up quite a romance in the desert. But if the Stranger wants to continue his quest, he must make a choice. According to Bombadil, he must choose friends or magic.
âYouâll find your true staff only when the vision of your heart is single to the service of the Secret Fire,â he tells the Stranger. UmmâŠcome again? When the Stranger brings up the need to save Nori again, Bombadil reminds him, âThere are times when one path becomes two, and you must choose.â Itâs âyour friend or your destiny.â Harsh.
Amazon PrimeDurin is Khazad-dĂ»mâs only hope.
Canary in a Coal MineIn the caves of Khazad-dĂ»m, King Durin III (Peter Mullan) refuses to take off his ring. He even throws his son back when Prince Durin IV (Owain Arthur) tries to remove it from his finger. âAs long as heâs wearing that ring, heâs deaf to all other voices, even ours,â Disa (Sophia Nomvete) tells him. âEvery dwarf in this mountain is in peril.â But Durin III canât fight as easily as she can. âIn his eyes, I still see my father,â he says. âLost and far away, yes. But heâs still in there.â
Disa sings an atonal call to summon giant cave bats that momentarily protect the mines, but that wonât safeguard them forever. âThis is only the beginning,â she says. Somehow the couple must figure out a way to stop King Durin III from bringing the whole mountain down on them and killing them all. Good luck!
Amazon PrimeCelebrimbor, wake up!
A Precious Line ReadLetâs get back to Celebrimbor. The elf is drawing pictures of rings when the orcs finally attack, so Sauron attempts to trap him in the tower. âWe still have nine rings to forge!â he yells. âYour ringsâthe rings of powerâthey will be deemed the most precious creations in all Middle-earth,â Sauron says, with extra emphasis on precious. Only a man as evil as Sauron could say a line so cringe-inducing. Next week, I wouldnât be surprised if Sauron reminded us that Prime Day is approaching.