The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (TV Program)

The season finale included at least one shocking twist and other revelations that set up future seasons. Here are five takeaways from the episode and from the season as a whole.Season 1, Episode 8: ‘Alloyed’Like most prequels, “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” is headed toward a fixed endpoint. No matter how many new characters and locations the writers introduce, by the time the series reaches its intended end — after five seasons, if all goes according to plan — we will have witnessed the events that ended the Second Age of Middle-earth and led to Sauron’s all-controlling One Ring disappearing for thousands of years, before eventually landing in a hobbit’s pocket.Unlike most prequels, “The Rings of Power” arrived with much of its story already extensively mapped out, via the tidbits of Middle-earth history J.R.R. Tolkien dropped in both the text of “The Lord of the Rings” novels and in their extensive appendices. This is why fans watching this series have been paying close attention to the names they have never heard before, trying to figure out how they fit into the Tolkien saga. For example: Why did the author never mention Halbrand, the lost king of the Southlands, returned to his home by Galadriel and a contingent of Númenóreans in a failed effort to prevent the orcs from establishing the shadowlands of Mordor?This week’s Season 1 finale answers that question in shocking fashion. Halbrand is Sauron. There is no lost king of the Southlands. Adar, the orc-father, has established a kingdom his former master and most hated foe will someday claim.Part of what makes “Alloyed” a successful season finale is that in resolving the biggest mystery introduced this year — Where has Sauron gone? — it establishes a foundation for fresh conflicts in the next round of episodes. As this mercurial dark angel Sauron returns to the territory Adar has remade into Mordor, a fascinating power-struggle lies ahead, rooted in ancient history and Middle-earth’s longstanding racial conflicts.This episode also fulfills one of the main functions of a prequel, shading in some key details from “The Lord of the Rings” back story. It is part of Tolkien lore that Sauron helped forge the Rings of Power. How did that happen? Now we know: In the form of Halbrand, under the cover of a story of woe and redemption, he charmed his way into a fateful moment that would shape Middle-earth’s destiny for over a thousand years. The ironies are rich; and the ramifications are just beginning.Explore the World of the ‘Lord of the Rings’The literary universe built by J.R.R. Tolkien, now adapted into a new series for Amazon Prime Video, has inspired generations of readers and viewers.Artist and Scholar: Tolkien did more than write books. He invented an alternate reality, complete with its own geography, languages and history.Being Frodo: The actor Elijah Wood explains why he’ll never be upset at being associated with the “Lord of the Rings” movie series.A Soviet Take: A 1991 production based on Tolkien’s novels, recently digitized by a Russian broadcaster, is a time capsule of a bygone era.From the Archives: Read what W.H. Auden wrote about “The Fellowship of the Ring,” the first volume of Tolkien’s trilogy, in 1954.Here are five other takeaways and observations from this episode — and from the season as a whole:Stranger dangerBefore the big Halbrand-as-Sauron reveal, this episode teases the possibility that the Stranger is Sauron, as the mysterious white-clad mystics finally track him down and then surprisingly bend their knees, vowing to serve their Dark Lord. All of this happens before the opening credits, in a clever bit of narrative misdirection, intended to keep the audience from catching on too quickly that Halbrand is our Big Bad.There is, as it happens, important new information about the Stranger this week, though it is something much more expected: He is, we learn, one of the Istari, or “wise ones,” or wizards. We still don’t have a name yet for this big fella, but by the end of the episode — after a tense skirmish between the Harfoots and the mystics that sees Sadoc sacrificing his life and the Stranger gaining access to a powerful magic staff — he does finally start speaking in full sentences.The Harfoots story line ends with a promising setup for Season 2: Nori will continue to travel with the Stranger as he sets off toward the land of Rhûn to learn more about who he is. He welcomes her company, because traveling alone is just a journey, but traveling with friends is an adventure. And as Tolkien fans know, adventures are more fun.Daniel Weyman as the Stranger, who was revealed in the finale to be a wizard.Ben Rothstein/Prime Video ‘The ones who see’Earlier this season, while trying to persuade Míriel to join her cause, Galadriel expressed sympathy with the Queen-Regent and her burdensome responsibilities, saying, “I know how it feels to be the only one who sees.” Yet one of this show’s more powerful themes has been the idea that heroes can follow a path of logic and honor with absolute certainty, and still arrive at the wrong conclusion — or worse, can bring into existence the very thing they were trying to prevent.In Galadriel’s case, her need to use Halbrand as a symbol — to inspire her Númenórean army — leads to her bring her sworn enemy Sauron into Eregion, where he then coaxes Celebrimbor into amplifying Elrond’s minuscule supply of mithril by using it to create an alloy, in the form of a crown. Halbrand’s sudden eagerness to create something that will provide “power over flesh” makes Galadriel suspicious, so she has an archivist check the genealogies of the Southlands, which reveals that the region’s last king died centuries ago and left no heir. Not only has she been duped, but she has given Sauron access to a force that could tilt the balance of power in Middle-earth forever.Does the Halbrand reveal make sense, in the context of the season as a whole? I can think of some moments from earlier episodes — like Halbrand hesitating over whether to accept the mantle of king — that may not fit so neatly with what we now know to be Sauron’s grand designs. (On the other hand, Númenor is clearly hugely important to Sauron’s plans as well, so he may have just wanted to stay there rather than heading back to the mainland so soon.)Ultimately, this big twist works because it is a pivotal part of Galadriel’s character arc. In a moving sequence after the reveal, Sauron enters the elf’s mind, and corrupts her happy memories of her brother, intending to convince her that they have all had the same goal all along: a stable and peaceful Middle-earth. Back in Númenor, Halbrand tried to tutor Galadriel in the ways of persuasion by saying she should find out what people fear, and then give them the means to master it. He does that with her here by proposing they rule together — just as he “helps” her fellow elves forge a tool of control.After Galadriel rejects Sauron and flees Eregion, the elves decide to make three rings rather than one crown. But the process that will lead to the next great war has begun. And the one who saw it coming is largely responsible.Island lifeThe other major story line in the finale involves Miriel’s return to Númenor, where she learns that her father has died — though not until he has first shown Elendil’s daughter Eärien how to find his palantir, and has urged her to help lead the kingdom back to its “old ways.” Númenor has been a terrific location in this series, and before Elendil and Miriel left, we were teased with a lot of as-yet-unrevealed history and courtly intrigue that should be fruitful to explore in Season 2.Still, perhaps because of all the big revelations elsewhere in the episode, the action on the island in this finale was fairly forgettable. One of the flaws of this first “Rings of Power” season is that some key characters haven’t been developed enough to grab the audience’s attention. I would say that’s especially been an issue with Elendil and his children. I have barely mentioned Eärien in these reviews, because she has rarely been doing anything noteworthy. Isildur has been a bigger factor in the plot, but given how important he is to the “Rings” saga as a whole, he too has yet to stand out from the sprawling cast.Perhaps Season 2 will handle that better. Speaking of which …Needs improvementWhat could “The Rings of Power” improve on in the seasons to come? One of the show’s biggest weaknesses is one shared by a lot of prestige TV dramas: The episodes are too long, and too repetitive. Partly that springs from the source material. A proper Tolkien experience should be somewhat leisurely, where the conversations and the adventures on the road matter as much as the big battles at the final destinations. But also: This series is handsome-looking and features excellent actors delivering well-crafted dialogue. Sometimes it’s hard for creators with those kinds of resources at their disposal to use less of it.They should, though. Too often this season, episodes spent two or three scenes covering the same narrative and thematic ground — or had single scenes drag on until losing their oomph. (See: Nori’s goodbye to her family in this finale, which is very sweet at first and then just … keeps going.) A brisker pace could tip this show from good to great.Markella Kavenagh, left, and Megan Richards in “The Rings of Power.”Ben Rothstein/Prime VideoThe road goes ever on.All of that said, what stands out most to me from this first season is how much more impressive everything has been than I had expected. The sets, the effects, the language and even the small moments of singing and humor are all clearly crafted with a lot love — and paid for with a lot of money.“The Rings of Power” has offered spectacle and scope beyond what any current television series is attempting. Yet the creators also showed a strong command of that flash and grandeur, using it to frame a good story. This show is hardly perfect, but for the most part it is what it needs to be: the TV equivalent of a page-turner fantasy novel, for fans to get lost in. More

This ancient version of Middle-earth is starting to look a little more like the one we know. Here are five takeaways from this week’s episode.Season 1, Episode 7: ‘The Eye’The title of this week’s “The Rings of Power” episode seems a lot like a wink toward even the most casual of Tolkien fans. It’s called “The Eye,” a name that could refer to the Eye of Sauron: the imposing symbol of the Dark Lord’s all-seeing, all-knowing power in “The Lord of the Rings” books and movies. After six episodes of merely teasing connections — by hinting that Adar may be Sauron, or that the Stranger may be a wizard, or that the Southlands may be Mordor — the show’s writers may be ready to start definitively answering some questions.But are they? This episode opens with an image of an actual eye. It’s Galadriel’s, as she wakes up covered in ash after the volcanic explosion triggered by Adar’s minions. Later, we learn that the Queen-Regent Míriel was blinded while trying to save as many as possible in the wake of the eruption. There seems to be a motif here. Does the title of “The Eye” literally refer to eyes, and not to Sauron?As it happens, very little of this week’s action involves Adar, the orcs or Sauron (whomever or wherever he may be). Instead, we see the Númenóreans and the Southlanders regroup after last week’s disastrous events; and we catch up with the dwarves and the Harfoots. The episode does end with the orcs settling into their new homeland, where the sun has been blotted out by the volcano’s smoke and ash. And there, the “Rings” writers do clarify something viewers have been wondering, as the word “Southlands” is erased from the screen and replaced with the region’s new name: “Mordor.” This ancient version of Middle-earth is starting to look a little more like the one we know.Here are five takeaways and observations from this season’s penultimate episode:Galadriel and her little buddyAfter her enormous setback in the previous episode, Galadriel is a much humbler elf — although “humble” is a relative term for an immortal who still believes, more often than not, that her choices are absolutely right. Still, there are some (so to speak) humanizing moments for Galadriel this week, as she helps Theo find his way out of his ravaged village and to the spot near the shore where the Númenóreans and the Southlanders are resting. As the two ride, they talk. She shares some personal stories that make her seem less forbidding, including describing dancing with her late husband, a soldier whom she says resembled “a silver clam” when he rode off to battle because his armor didn’t fit properly.More important, Galadriel talks Theo out of thinking he is solely responsible for Adar’s victory, or that he belongs alongside Waldreg and the other humans on the path of darkness. She insists that the wise understand a person’s true intentions. And she urges him — and perhaps herself — not to dwell on mistakes, or to be consumed by revenge. “What cannot be known hollows the mind,” she says. “Fill it not with guesswork.” (One thing this show’s writers do particularly well is invent new aphorisms.)Explore the World of the ‘Lord of the Rings’The literary universe built by J.R.R. Tolkien, now adapted into a new series for Amazon Prime Video, has inspired generations of readers and viewers.Artist and Scholar: Tolkien did more than write books. He invented an alternate reality, complete with its own geography, languages and history.Being Frodo: The actor Elijah Wood explains why he’ll never be upset at being associated with the “Lord of the Rings” movie series.A Soviet Take: A 1991 production based on Tolkien’s novels, recently digitized by a Russian broadcaster, is a time capsule of a bygone era.From the Archives: Read what W.H. Auden wrote about “The Fellowship of the Ring,” the first volume of Tolkien’s trilogy, in 1954.The Elrond and Durin ShowAfter the heartwarming moment two episodes ago when Elrond admitted to Durin that the elves actually do need the dwarves’ supply of mithril to survive — and Durin seemed eager to help — the plan hits a huge snag in this episode when the dwarves’ king, Durin III (Peter Mullan), nixes it. Even though the elves promise to furnish the city with game, grain and timber for the next five centuries, King Durin’s general distrust of elves and his fear of digging too deep scotches the deal. In the fiery arguments that follow, Prince Durin has his title stripped by his father.Markella Kavenagh and Lenny Henry in “The Rings of Power.”Prime VideoThis only strengthens the bond between Elrond and Durin, who have become this show’s most likable pair. These boys can be heart-on-the-sleeve sincere, as when Durin comes very close to revealing the secret name he only shares with his closest family members. Or they can bust each other’s chops, as when Elrond suggests he intentionally lost their big contest back in Episode 2. As with the meaningful conversations between Galadriel and Theo this week, it’s nice to see characters on this kind of heavy, epic series just enjoying each other’s company.Whom the gods favorOne of the juiciest recurring themes this season has involved the preoccupation with — and disagreement over — various signs and omens. How does anyone know when the gods want a call of opportunity to be answered? Think of Elendil, whose ship happened upon the raft Galadriel and Halbrand were clinging to in Episode 2. Was that divine providence, offering a chance to change the Númenóreans’ lives for the better? Elendil certainly doesn’t think so in this episode, given that Galadriel’s mission to Middle-earth seems to have led to his son’s death.The Harfoots are the most uncertain about what anything really means. Like: Is the arrival of the Stranger good luck or bad luck? There is evidence of both. This week, as they arrive at their favorite grove to find it destroyed by the nearby volcanic spew, the Harfoots’ leader Sadoc tells “the big fella” he needs to leave. But when the trees the Stranger passes start coming back to life and yielding a bumper crop of apples, it looks like Sadoc sent him away too hastily. Then again, immediately after this revelation the white-clad creatures tracking the strange visitor show up and burn the clan’s carts. What are the gods saying here?Which brings us back to King Durin III, who refuses to believe that his kingdom’s unique ability to save the elves is a boon. He thinks it may be the gods’ will for the elves to disappear. (“The fate of the elves was decided many ages ago by minds much wiser, much farther-seeing than our own,” he tells his son.) Even when he sees with his own eyes how mithril heals the elves’ poisoned leaf, it moves him only to drop that leaf into the depths of Khazad-dûm … where it catches fire and stirs the attention of a deeply buried balrog. Whose will is being done?History is written by the winners … eventually.Given how roundly our heroes have been beaten both in this episode and last week’s, one would expect them to be in a glum, hopeless state of mind. Not so! When Galadriel kneels before Míriel to offer her penitence, the Queen-Regent tells her, “Do not spend your pity on me, elf. Save it for our enemies, for they do not know what they have begun.” Sure, the Númenóreans are sailing home (minus a garrison to help the Southlanders resettle), but Míriel pledges their return. It’s hard not to be stirred at the end of this episode, as Galadriel escorts the deeply wounded Halbrand to Lindon for medical treatment and the people seeing them off, at Theo’s urging, shout, “Strength to the Southlands!”It’s even more moving when the Harfoots respond to the cart-burning by deciding they need to warn the Stranger about these dangerous folk pursuing him. “Weeping? Is that all you think we have left in us?” Nori’s father Largo (Dylan Smith) asks, in a speech so rousing that it spurs Sadoc to help Nori on her quest. Even the skeptical elder Malva (Thusitha Jayasundera) joins the search party, saying, “What’s the good of living if we aren’t living good?” (Sadoc’s rueful but no less determined reply: “Doesn’t matter anyway, we’re all gonna die.”)Daniel Weyman in “The Rings of Power.”Ben Rothstein/Prime VideoColor and lightLast week I expressed mild disappointment that two-thirds of the episode’s battle scenes were set in darkness, which was necessitated by the plot (given that orcs burn in sunlight) but also seemed to me to ape the dimly lit battles of “Game of Thrones.” Then, a few days later, the “Thrones” prequel series, “House of the Dragon,” aired an episode so murky that social media exploded with frustration and incredulity. Afterward, I rewatched those nighttime “Rings” battles and I must say, the visual differences between this show and the “Thrones” franchise are actually pretty pronounced. At least in this series, the torches everyone carries at night illuminate the action.So let me re-up my past praise of “The Rings of Power” for how much brighter and more colorful it is than most modern prestige television. Even in this week’s episode, as Middle-earth is coated in dust and smog, there are striking images: a burning horse, an ominous oversized footprint, the devastation wrought by flaming fireballs, and so on. This show is never simplistic about “light” versus “darkness” when it comes to the locations and the characters. But neither are the writers and directors building a world of morally ambiguous characters in shadowy gray landscapes. There are differences here between good and evil — and the frame is lit up enough to see them. More

Here are five takeaways from an exciting episode with a cruel twist.Season 1, Episode 6: ‘Udûn’Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings” movies won raves for their lengthy combat sequences, filled with fantasy beasts and spectacular backdrops, unlike anything ever seen before in a multiplex. Those scenes in turn inspired some of the most talked-about episodes of “Game of Thrones,” which devoted entire hours to armies at war. Now “The Rings of Power” has its first “battle episode” with “Udûn,” in which roughly two-thirds of the running time is spent on the orcs’ two swarming nighttime invasions of the human strongholds, followed by the tide-turning daytime arrival of the Númenórean forces.The 45 minutes or so of nearly nonstop fighting stands up well to both “Game of Thrones” and the “Rings” films — though as was the case with those, it was also a little fatiguing. So far, each episode of this show has featured impressive action choreography, in scenes that stand out because they last for just a few minutes. The daredevil stunts and dynamic camera moves in this week’s episode are just as excellent; but when there are so many of them, they become less special.That said, it is always exciting to see the likes of Halbrand, Galadriel and Arondir fight with skill and valor. The time the writers have taken to establish each of these characters makes it easier to pick out who’s who in the middle of any melee. Plus, the stakes of their skirmishes are always perfectly clear … which makes the ultimate outcome of the fighting this week all the more devastating.Here are five takeaways from an episode that accelerated the plot in this series, before delivering a cruel twist.The forces of darknessPart of what made the action this week feel a little exhausting is that so much of it takes place either at night or indoors. This show has generally been refreshingly bright and colorful for a prestige drama, so the retreat into deep shadow didn’t just make the battles harder to see, it also felt a little like a disappointing fall back into a visual cliché, aping all the pitch-black “Game of Thrones” combat.Explore the World of the ‘Lord of the Rings’The literary universe built by J.R.R. Tolkien, now adapted into a new series for Amazon Prime Video, has inspired generations of readers and viewers.Artist and Scholar: Tolkien did more than write books. He invented an alternate reality, complete with its own geography, languages and history.Being Frodo: The actor Elijah Wood explains why he’ll never be upset at being associated with the “Lord of the Rings” movie series. A Soviet Take: A 1991 production based on Tolkien’s novels, recently digitized by a Russian broadcaster, is a time capsule of a bygone era. From the Archives: Read what W.H. Auden wrote about “The Fellowship of the Ring,” the first volume of Tolkien’s trilogy, in 1954.Broken down into individual moments, though, there is a lot going during the night scenes, as the orcs and their minions first storm a mostly abandoned tower fortress and then, after a frustrating defeat (and a brief respite from all the fighting), make their way down to a nearby village where Bronwyn and her people have retreated to regroup and fortify. Arondir gets a well-deserved spotlight during much of this long sequence, showing off not just the archery skills we have seen throughout the series but also his brute strength when he has to fight hand-to-hand with the orcs.In classic “just when all seems lost” pulp-fiction fashion, the nighttime battles end in a series of seemingly insurmountable losses. Arondir almost gets his eye gouged out. Bronwyn, who saves Arondir, gets pierced by an arrow and nearly bleeds out. The villagers make the mistake of peeking under the helmets of their attackers and see that many of the “orcs” they killed were actually humans — likely their former neighbors, who joined up with Adar at Waldreg’s behest. And, worst of all, Theo tries to save the day by handing over his much-coveted evil sword-hilt … right when we hear the rumble of horses’ hooves, off in the distance.From left, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Ismael Cruz Córdova and Charlie Vickers in “The Rings of Power.”Matt Grace/Prime VideoThe cavalry rides in.Those horses, of course, belong to the Númenóreans, led by Galadriel, who have made it across the sea to the Southlands just in time to save the day. I could quibble with the timing of all this, but unlike in “Game of Thrones,” where travel took ages for the first few seasons and then just a blink of an eye by the end, in “The Rings of Power” we have been given no specific sense of where all these characters have been all this season in their respective timelines. In other words: Galadriel could have started her expedition months ago, long before the humans even took up residence in the elves’ tower.Anyway, the Númenóreans arriving when they do makes for better television. It makes for some more great action sequences too — and shot in daylight this time. Galadriel and Halbrand are especially impressive, dodging arrows and ducking off the sides of their horses to get a better slashing angle. It’s no wonder Theo gasps, “Who is that?” as Galadriel rides by.King me.Halbrand’s whole story arc so far has been one of my favorites of Season 1 — so much so that I now wish the writers had given him more screen time earlier. Still, I appreciate how he remains reluctant to embrace his place as the true king of the Southlands, even as he understands that the restoration of a ruler to a broken kingdom gives the humans a cause to rally around.This week he even gets to face his old tormentor when his armies beat the orcs and capture Adar. But here’s the bitter irony: For all the importance the humans have attached to Halbrand coming home and dispatching his mortal enemies, when the king looks Adar straight in the eyes and asks, “Do you remember me?,” the villain says, sincerely, “No.” The humans have their agenda; but as we will see in the episode’s closing minutes, this is of little concern to Adar and his orcs.The Adar questionAfter all the sword-fighting and archery in the first two-thirds of this episode, the long scene of Galadriel interrogating Adar was a welcome change of pace — and also a major advance of this season’s larger plot. Adar confirms that he is part of the race of elves who were transformed by Morgoth into the “sons of the dark,” becoming the first orcs. He also indicates yet again that he is not Sauron, and that Sauron abandoned his responsibilities to immerse himself in the study of “the power of the unseen world,” to heal Middle-earth and bring its ruined lands together. Adar even says that he, in fact, killed Sauron. (Perhaps he means this in a “Darth Vader killed Luke Skywalker’s father” way.)Adar is actually sympathetic throughout this conversation, as he talks about the loved ones killed by Sauron’s ambitions, and as he reminds Galadriel that even orcs “have names and hearts.” And Galadriel doesn’t exactly cover herself with glory when she says, “Your kind was a mistake,” and tells Adar she intends to eradicate every orc except him, so he can witness the end of his race. Galadriel was exiled from Lindon because Gil-galad felt she had become as much the cause of the elves’ problems as the solution. Adar echoes these sentiments when he tells her that he apparently is “not the only elf alive who has been transformed by darkness.”Joseph Mawle in “The Rings of Power.”Prime VideoAnd they lived happily ever … oh, wait.As I hit the one-hour mark of this episode, I wondered if I had been mistaken about Season 1 of “The Rings of Power” containing eight episodes. Even though there were no dwarves, Harfoots or Elrond this week, it sure seemed like we were reaching a natural endpoint. Adar had been captured and Halbrand had claimed the throne. Time to reset for Season 2.But remember when Arondir described Theo’s purloined sword-hilt as a kind of key? Well, in the closing minutes we find out what that means, as Waldreg plunges it into a lock in the ground, setting off a chain of events that involves avalanches and floods, forcing water through the underground tunnels the orcs have been busily building and causing a nearby mountain to spew lava and ash, blotting out the sun.Fans of the “Rings” movies may have noticed how the elves’ tower fortress in the Southlands looks a little like Sauron’s Dark Tower. Now the exploding volcano resembles Mount Doom, the central landmark of Sauron’s evil kingdom of Mordor. These may not actually be the same locations, just like Adar — or so he insists — is not Sauron. But it sure seems like the orcs have set in motion exactly what Galadriel has spent years trying to warn everyone would happen. In the episode’s final shot she stands still and silent as the ash engulfs her — consumed at last by the darkness she has spent her whole life hunting. More

Prophetic visions, soft power and elf privilege. Here are five takeaways from the fourth episode of Amazon’s “Lord of the Rings” prequel.Season 1, Episode 4: ‘The Great Wave’The title of this week’s “The Rings of Power” refers to a prophetic vision, haunting the Númenor Queen-Regent Míriel’s dreams in the opening scene. As she welcomes an assortment of what look to be elven mothers and their newborn babies, Míriel hears and feels a low rumble, which grows more intense until she looks outside and sees an enormous wave, crashing over the city of Armenelos. Though she wakes up safe (and dry), she fears this will be Númenor’s ultimate end: reclaimed by the Sundering Sea in an act of divine fury. And she feels she needs to do something about it.Is Míriel right? This raises a question worth weighing as we go forward with this series. “The Rings of Power” is a prequel and like most prequels, it is designed to connect to a story most fans already know. We have already been introduced to several characters in this first season who appear in the “Lord of the Rings” novels and movies: Galadriel, Elrond and Isildur, to name just three. Their fates are sealed. So is Númenor’s, for anyone who has read J.R.R. Tolkien’s books.But for me, the best way to approach a TV show like this is to treat it as an unfolding saga, not as a collection of signs and clues pointing to a foregone conclusion. There is a lot of story left to be told here. The ending, when it arrives, will only be one part of it. For now, I am inclined to consider Míriel’s ominous dream just as something that drives the plot. It’s a motivator — and a spectacular one, which kicks off this episode in style.As with last week’s installment, “The Great Wave” leaves some major characters out completely. (No Harfoots, alas.) Besides Númenor, we spend our time in the orc-infested Southlands and deep underground among the dwarves. Here are some takeaways and observations from this portentous episode.Mystical hoo-hah abounds.Last week in the orc’s prison pit, Arondir learned the monstrous hordes had been ransacking villages on behalf of their master, Adar (Joseph Mawle), in search of something unknown. At the end of this episode, we get an inkling of what that treasure might be: the mysterious, broken black sword that Bronwyn’s son, Theo (Tyroe Muhafidin), secretly stashed away in the series’s premiere. The weapon radiates a strange power that allures Theo — not unlike the way Sauron’s One Ring tempts characters throughout Tolkien’s books.Explore the World of the ‘Lord of the Rings’The literary universe built by J.R.R. Tolkien, now adapted into a new series for Amazon Prime Video, has inspired generations of readers and viewers.Artist and Scholar: Tolkien did more than write books. He invented an alternate reality, complete with its own geography, languages and history.Being Frodo: The actor Elijah Wood explains why he’ll never be upset at being associated with the “Lord of the Rings” movie series. A Soviet Take: A 1991 production based on Tolkien’s novels, recently digitized by a Russian broadcaster, is a time capsule of a bygone era. From the Archives: Read what W.H. Auden wrote about “The Fellowship of the Ring,” the first volume of Tolkien’s trilogy, in 1954.This semi-sword is also still lethal, as Theo learns when he fends off orcs while out scavenging for his people, who are hunkered down and starving at the Silvan elves’ abandoned fortress. When Theo returns triumphant, he discovers that his connection with the weapon has earned him an unexpected ally: the old publican Waldreg (Geoff Morrell), who hints that some humans still remember and honor their loyalty to the Dark Lord Morgoth.Meanwhile, in the underground dwarf kingdom of Khazad-dûm, Durin finally reveals to Elrond the big discovery that has made him so nervous around his old friend. It’s a new ore, lighter than silk and harder than iron, but perilous to dig out of the ground. In the eleven tongue, it would be called “mithril,” and it has the potential to make the dwarves who mine it incredibly prosperous — though there is some concern that pursuing this kind of wealth could upset the physical and spiritual balance of Middle-earth, and leave many dead.So … coveted weaponry, magical minerals. We are starting to get into the high fantasy weeds here, folks.Soft power solves hard problems.Durin hesitated to tell Elrond about mithril, lest other elves start swarming to Khazad-dûm to commandeer the mines, as they tend to do whenever they want something. Elrond, though, has insisted, over and over, that he is just visiting as a pal. This isn’t entirely true, of course. Elrond hopes to recruit dwarf labor to build a forge, for a purpose that in the TV show has yet to be revealed. (Hint: Look at the series’s title.) But his methods of persuasion are light. So far he has just been a bosom companion, giving Durin warm praise and sound advice … to make him more inclined to do a favor, eventually.This is a motif throughout this episode, as characters use diplomacy and calming rhetoric to advance their goals. We see it at its best when the Queen-Regent’s top adviser, Pharazôn (Trystan Gravelle), quells a potential riot among the elf-hating guild-members by making them feel ashamed, as proud humans, for being scared of another race. And we see it at its worst when Adar chats with Arondir, calmly suggesting that everything the elf knows about Sauron and the orcs is mere propaganda.Trystan Gravelle, left, and Leon Wadham in “The Rings of Power.”Prime VideoElf privilege is real.Even as Elrond is winning over Durin, there is an element of presumption underlying his every pleasant smile and kind word. Robert Aramayo’s performance conveys this subtle haughtiness well — this sense that Elrond humbly beseeching the dwarves is meant to be a noble gesture, given that the elves, as far as he is concerned, are the superior race.And Elrond is only a half-elf who had to earn his elven bona fides. Galadriel, by contrast, is a pure-blood commander and aristocrat, used to bossing around other elves — which makes it especially tough for her to abide the way Míriel keeps telling her what she can and can’t do. These two headstrong leaders have several face-to-face confrontations in this episode, and Galadriel keeps spitting vinegar instead of honey. She berates the Queen-Regent for betraying her own father, the deposed king, who had an alliance with the elves. And she demands the Númenóreans raise an army against Sauron. (“I call on you to finish the task left undone,” she hisses.)In the end, Míriel agrees to accompany Galadriel to Middle-earth, joined by a volunteer contingent of protectors (including Isildur, who has been kicked out of the sea guard). But make no mistake: No one is helping Galadriel because they find her inspiring or charming. If anything, give some credit to Míriel for making the case to the Númenóreans that they can’t rest forever on their ancestors’ past glories.The dialogue on this show has real gusto.It’s not easy to write lines for fantasy characters. Make the words too modern and they distract from the reality of the story. Make them too old-timey and they come out stiff. For the most part, “The Rings of Power” has struck a balance, combining grand pronouncements that sound chiseled into stone with asides and jokes that keep the show relatively loose. (Note the word “relatively” — the dialogue can still be pretty stodgy.)When Míriel rouses her people by asking, “Is our valor confined to the graves of our slumbering fathers?” or when Adar warns Arondir that he has been told lies that “run so deep that even the rocks believe them,” the lines have a real boldness and resonance. That said, it’s a welcome bit of comic relief when Galadriel shouts, “There is a tempest in me that swept me to this island for a reason, and it will not be quelled by you, Regent!” and then in the next shot she is getting thrown into jail.The future is already written … maybe.When Galadriel left Lindon in this season’s first episode, her king wondered if her Sauron obsession “might have stirred the very evil she is trying to thwart.” On the flip side, in this episode Galadriel warns an overly cautious Míriel that, “Avoiding this war may be the very thing that brings about your downfall.”That’s the thing about omens and visions: They are open to interpretation. Míriel has been consulting a palantír, one of Middle-earth’s seven seeing-stones, which she thinks is telling her that Galadriel is bad news. But when she starts making plans to banish the elf, the petals of the Nimloth tree begin to fall in a flurry, possibly signaling the Valar’s displeasure. What to do?So I ask again: Can Númenor be saved? That answer is out there; you can Google it. For now, what matters is what Míriel thinks — and what she does next. More