And there we have it: The Siege of Eregion, the major battle this season has been leading to from the moment Sauron first arrived there, disguised, and convinced Celebrimbor that it would be an absolutely exceptional idea to forge some rings to send out to the Dwarves and Men. Because those three Elven rings turned out to be so amazing, shouldn’t the other races of Middle Earth have their own? And while our duped Elf may have taken a bit of time warming up to the idea of rings for Men, by the end of the episode those have been forged – and passed along in secret to Galadriel – and all that remains for Sauron to forge is the One Ring. But I’m getting a bit ahead of myself here.
So much of this season was moving toward this moment – from Elrond and Galadriel entreating with Adar, to the Orcs and Adar laying siege to the surprisingly strong walls of Eregion, to Celebrimbor finally realizing just what he has done, and, of course, to the Dwarves becoming to ensnared in their own crisis that they are unable to lend aid to Elrond and the Elves when promised, perhaps finally severing the bond between the two races for good. One of the strengths of Rings of Power is that the series understands the power that comes with tying storylines together in ways to highlight how crucial seemingly disparate characters can be to one another. And while the host of Elves involved here certainly makes sense, throwing Adar and his Orcs into the mix – the same group who not only held Galadriel hostage for an episode but who recently fought and killed a bunch of Elves mere months ago – creates and interesting mix of characters that heightens the tension.
Despite having very different goals, Adar, Elrond, and Galadriel all agree on one thing: Sauron represents the largest threat to Middle Earth. And he needs to be stopped. Unfortunately, they don’t quite agree on just what threat level Adar and his Orcs represent to the continued strength of the Elves, so that creates an impasse that seemingly cannot be bridged. Sure, Adar is better than Sauron – for a host of reasons – but it’s also clear that he’s rapidly losing the support of his Orc army. Which means it’s definitely not in the best interests of the Elves to continue to treat with him, even if he does threaten Galadriel’s life.*
*Since I know there will be an outcry on social media about that kiss between Elrond – and the series has certainly played up his complex thoughts on her this season – it was done to allow him to slip her the means to escape. Was it the right move (seeing as she’s going to eventually become his mother-in-law down the line), since it adds a strange dynamic to an already strained relationship – and places Galadriel even further under the mantle of damsel in distress? I certainly didn’t love it. But I understand it.
Outside of the battle itself – which was staged wonderfully (you can see that $1 billion in the work here) – the highlight of the episode for me was the revelation of Sauron’s faux Eregion for Celebrimbor. As he recognizes the glitch in the Matrix, slowly realizing the horrors he has been blind to for far too long. The pain and anguish at realizing he has been a pawn in the game of a master manipulator, who called to his pride and used him to get what he wanted at the expense of his people. Just heartbreaking. Charles Edwards was spectacular at conveying just how much this revelation destroys Celebrimbor completely. Should he have known all along? Probably – he was warned multiple times about a stranger trying to gain entry into Eregion, but man, hubris is a heck of a thing and corrupts even the seemingly incorruptible. I loved everything about this arc and I cannot imagine things will get any happier in the season finale for our downtrodden Elf. Consequences seem to be coming fast for him and I don’t think Sauron is going to let him leave alive.
War, battle, and loss of life only works in film and television when there are clear stakes. And when a series is ready and willing to kill characters to serve the story. Now, yes, this particular history has been written for decades – and we know who will make it out of the series alive – but watching Celebrimbor and his apprentices work this season, seeing their relationships break down and shatter, culminating in Celebrimbor “killing” Mirdania, well, those are stakes. The groundwork was laid to make that death matter. To make Celebrimbor’s failures hit hard. This was a wonderfully crafted piece of storytelling.
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