Spoiler-Free Review Of ‘The Rings Of Power’ Episode 4
Image Source: Gizmodo Australia
Tension rises in Episode 4 of The Rings of Power. Not only does it advance the plot of the series in a nail-biting way, but we start to see more character development as the story becomes more fleshed out. We are out of the introduction phase (for the most part), and well into the main plot and story. And what a story it is becoming.
While Episode 3 did not have as many clips from the trailers as the first two episodes had, Episode 4 goes back to show quite a few of the same clips we saw from even as far back as the teaser trailer with the landscapes and brief glimpses of characters. Many of the promotional images also come from this episode, so there are a lot of moments of: “Oh, so that’s what’s happening” as you watch. As far as clips from the trailers go? At this point, we have seen almost all of them. So, it will be interesting to see when the others might show up (especially the people that we have yet to be introduced to!).
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As with last week, because of the large cast of characters, we did not get to follow everyone’s story. However, we do get to visit the storylines of several characters that we missed last week, which was exciting. Since the episodes are only a little over an hour long, it seems like this will be how they divide it up in terms of storylines. As mentioned above, we are seeing a lot of character development in this episode. While it can be extremely difficult to have even two point-of-views in a single story, showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay have chosen to have, at this point, at least ten different point-of-views (so far!), and they somehow pulled it off. While this episode is fast-paced at times, it does take the time to slow down, so we actually get to see how the characters think, why they act a certain way, and what their motivations are, etc. This episode helps to foster a connection with the characters that the previous episodes have not been able to quite as much (depending on the character) due to the setting up of the story. But now that we know what is going on, and to make it even better, a good storyteller has to make the fans believe in and love the characters, and that is exactly what is starting to happen.
This episode also introduces more background information on the people, places, and things that we have known and loved from Tolkien’s Middle-earth stories, which is very exciting for an avid fan and will definitely have you on the edge of your seat. One thing that this show is a master at is the misdirection where you think you know one thing, and you are so sure of it, but then, a moment later, you are not so sure. It makes predicting the end, or at least certain aspects of the story, exciting and rather difficult. Have we met Sauron yet at this point or is he still hiding? Have we been introduced to all the major characters now? Who are these “new” characters really? Many questions remain even while we are given answers.
Image Source: Economic Times
Again, as always, the beauty of the costume and the production design is just jaw-dropping. There is definitely something thrilling about seeing places that we have read about, heard about, or seen in The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit movies in an entirely different light and age. And it is absolutely something that the production has captured so well.
Another neat thing about the show’s writing is some of the characters’ sayings. Obviously, we are used to our own proverbs and sayings like the old adage “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.” The screenwriters, in helping to build the characters and the world, chose to give each area their own sayings for when something is not going well, or in discussing the weather or if something is going well. We saw a little bit of this in The Lord of the Rings movies and in some of Tolkien’s writings (particularly in The Hobbit). It is interesting to see it in the different cultures and places of Middle-earth as well. It helps with immersion and makes the world seem more real. From a storytelling perspective, these little nuances help to build a world even more than just writing plain old dialogue where a character is explaining something.
With four more episodes to go for this season, we are now at the halfway point. Fortunately for us, this story is showing no signs of stopping, and the characters are just getting started on their respective journeys. Who knows what twists and turns we will see in the next few weeks? If they are anything like what we have seen so far, it is promising to be a story of epic proportions. Quite appropriate for Tolkien’s Middle-earth.
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