Amazon’s The Rings of Power continues to maintain its thrilling pace by introducing more characters and leading us into what could be a grand finale.
In the latest episode of the series, Tolkien’s world has now grown into the gorgeous Kingdom of Númenor. After surviving The Worm, Galadriel and her companion Halbrand arrive in Númenor where there’s been a fraught history between the Elves and Númenóreans, leading to immediate tension between Galadriel and her captors.
After becoming acquainted with Elendil (Lloyd Owen) a Sea Guardsman, Galadriel soon realizes that there are some in Númenor who are friends to the Elves. She also discovered that the mark which Sauron left on her deceased brother isn’t just branding, but a map of the Dark Lord’s future kingdom, Mordor, where his forces are gathering after the death of Morgoth.
With this discovery, Galadriel finally has the proof she desperately needs to convince her kind that there is indeed evil waiting and growing in Middle-earth. The series’ episode rattles along so fast that there’s rarely a moment to take everything in at once.
The introduction of Númenor is astounding in such that the streets feel lived-in with a wonderful design. However, a new city also means new key characters that we’ll have to learn about fast.
Tar-Míriel played by Cynthia Addai-Robinson and Pharazôn played by Trystan Gravelle are the rulers of Númenor but leave little impact in the series’ latest episode. However, the episode also shows that perhaps Tar-Míriel is aware of the dangers that loom when she seemingly speaks to her father about the arrival of the elf.
We were also introduced to the youthful version of Elendil’s soon-to-be-famous son Isildur (Maxim Baldry), who many will remember as the man who cut off Sauron’s hand in The Lord of the Rings and brought the Second Age to an end. In The Rings of Power, he’s a daydreamer seeking his father’s approval to sail the open seas as a Sea Guard.
Although we’ve only seen a glimpse of Charlie Vickers’ Halbrand in action, he’s a force to be reckoned with. He’s a thief, con, and a surprisingly strong fighter.
Back in Middle-earth, Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova) has been in captivityalong with his friends who were turned into slaves. The third episode treated us with some juicy action as the Elves fight back against the Orcs in order to escape. Arondir’s final scene was the series’ most thrilling moment when the mysterious Elf-looking villain Adar (Joseph Mawle) slowly stepps out of the shadow to handle Arondir himself.
Harfoots however, are migrating once again. And as usual, Nori is causing some trouble, leading to the entire tribe discovering The Stranger who fell from the sky. The Harfoots are slowly becoming a highlight of Middle-earth, but could The Stranger be Gandalf? Is that why Gandalf loves them in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbits? We have yet to find out.
The series is miraculously keeping these unassociated plots flowing with one another, yet it’s moving forward with clearly lots more to come. And although there’s no group team up just yet, The Rings of Power continues to maintain its approach of keeping storylines disparately connected.
The Rings of Power is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.
