The Rings of Power – The Eye

“The Eye,” the penultimate episode of The Rings of Power’s first season, had the tricky task of bridging between the best episode of the season (the epic Battle of the Southlands) and the season finale. And, on the whole, it did a serviceable job wrapping up the devastation of the battle, setting things in motion for a power play within Kazhad-dum, and reminding us that yes, the Harfoots remain a part of this story (even as they also remain far and away the most dull and grating element). With the final episode on the horizon, the series is set to push us even further down the path to war, highlighting the xenophobia and isolationist tendencies that have allowed evil to continue to thrive whilst the various sections of Middle Earth stand afraid to act.

Let’s tackle the Harfoot problem first to get it out of the way. So, as expected, the series has opted to create its own version of the Fellowship, although the four selected Harfoots are much more of a mixed bag than the ones in Lord of the Rings. This isn’t a slight against any of the actors, but rather the writing. By spending so much time trying to make the Harfoots as a whole seem wholesome and folksy, the writers forgot to, you know, create actual characters among the group – save from our Frodo stand-in Nori. So, now that we have the Harfoot Fellowship underway, I actually had to check the show’s Wikipedia page to even figure out the names of the other three (who I had just be calling “best friend,” “wise elder,” and “step-mom” the whole show). Now, integrating a smaller portion of the Harfoot clan into the question of the Stranger’s identity is not a bad move – this will allow us to get to know these individuals more. But with so many questions swirling around him (we do know now that the “Weird Sister” trio are, in fact, not good), I do wish the series had set him into a storyline that felt more substantial. But, if the Stranger is Sauron (as is looking more likely with the evil women trying to find him), perhaps it says something that he can do good as well as try to bend an entire world to his will?

And then there’s the Elrond-Durin bromance, battered and bruised but certainly not broken. It was great to see Prince Durin finally stand up to his father and explain that isolating the Dwarves will not save them from danger – danger is bound to find them even if they stay in their stone fortress. And if it’s coming to destroy the Elves, what’s to say that it won’t also destroy the Dwarves in time? Learning the key properties of mithril was also a lovely surprise – and it helps explain why it truly is sacred to the Elves in later Ages. And here’s where our foreknowledge comes in handy: We know the Elves get access to the mithril. We know they use it to protect themselves in the future. We know how important it becomes to them. But we also know that, in the Third Age, Kahzad-dum is in ruins, the Dwarves and the Elves are not close, and Gimli doesn’t appear to understand the significance of the mithril gift between the races. So, it will be intriguing to see just how this all plays out. Oh, and how that Balrog is involved in this story – because we know he’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

Finally, we have the aftermath of the Battle of the Southlands. Mordor has been created, the Southlanders are heading off to found Gondor with their new allotment of land. Does this mean that Halbrand – who certainly appears to be exactly what he is, simply a Man who is destined to be king – is the first Gondorian king? Yes, technically it’s meant to be Ilsildur* (with his brother, who doesn’t appear in the series – so maybe Halbrand will fill that role), but Gondor proper is forged in the Second Age. So, I’m going to just declare it to be the first settlement of Gondor. The one thing that surprised me (and, if I’m honest, annoyed me) was the impressive array of plot armor afforded to our named characters in the battle. Yes, we knew who had to survive, but I expected at least one of our key characters to die in the fighting and the volcanic aftermath. But, if writing about fantasy television shows has taught me anything over the years, it’s that it’s shockingly hard to kill of a named character when there’s absolutely no reason they should have survived.

*We’re meant to think Ilsildur died in that barn, but come on, he’s one of the most important characters in this entire saga. There’s zero chance he’s not alive. And I suspect he ends up with the Gondorian settlement, getting to know Halbrand and having the people learn to love and respect him.

The Rings of Power has moved its story far farther and faster than I anticipated it would during this first season. To already have Mount Doom up and firing is something I didn’t see coming for a few seasons at least. But when a series spends enough time building characters, it’s easier to understand and accept large plot movements. And The Rings of Power has absolutely done the work with most of its arcs. Coming into the final installment of season one, I’m eager to see how the game board is set-up for our next journey into Middle Earth. And I can’t wait to see how annoyed Gil-galad is to see Galadriel back in town.