'The Rings Of Power' Season 2 Episode 3 Spoiler-Free Review
Image Source: NPR
The stage is set. All the characters are in place. All that’s left to do is enjoy the unfolding of this season of Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Amazon released three episodes on August 29 to welcome back The Rings of Power fans to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth. You can find the review of Episode One “Elven Kings Under the Sky” and Two “Where the Stars are Strange” here, and below is CultureSlate’s review of the next installment in the epic fantasy series.
The first two episodes focused solely on only a portion of the main characters in the Second Age of Middle-earth, which helped to really draw out the story and focus in instead of trying to piece together a bunch of stories in quick succession, which was one of the major issues that some fans had with the first season. Episode 3: “The Eagle and the Sceptre” brought in the rest of the main characters and answered some pretty large plot holes that were not answered at the end of Season One. We also got to see two creatures of Middle-earth, and the hint of a third, which was very exciting and different since we didn’t really get to see many other inhabitants of Middle-earth other than the regular elves, dwarves, men, etc. so far in the show. Now that we have caught up with all the main protagonists of the story, we can start to see how each piece fits together slowly but surely into the culminating catastrophes and battles that set the Second Age of Middle-earth apart from all the rest.
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This episode felt a bit slower than the other two, less action packed, and more on plot development and character development. It delved deeper into many of the political machinations of the world of Men. There was also character development into one of the main characters who will play a role to come in the history of Middle-earth. The trend seems to continue that this season won’t be quite as fast paced and focus more on character and plot. To many fans, this is a good prospect for the story since it aligns more with how Tolkien wrote and created his worlds, building them out, honing in, and then telling the story.
Image Source: Screen Rant
Unfortunately, because the episode focused mostly on two groups of characters and plot, we didn’t get to see much or any of the plot lines that happened in the first two episodes. There has been some comments on that online, especially because to some, it feels like the story is still too broken up and has elements that don’t need to be in it. And while that might be true for some things, ultimately, the Second Age of Middle-earth is several large stories that all eventually come together into one. One of the only ways to effectively tell the stories of the Rings of Power and Númenor and the [second] rise of Sauron is through different protagonists and story lines, and while it seems a little all over the place right now, the showrunners and writers are definitely trying to hone in on the stories and show more depth than even in Season One, as evidenced by how they have structured each episode so far, and the character development that is happening. It will certainly be exciting to see how the rest of the season shapes up and what stories might converge even more than they already are.
In this episode, we also got to see another couple of new places and meet several new characters, some, not quite who they say they are. The production designers, once again, hit every detail in the sets and the costuming, along with the makeup. Just a warning, though, this episode does have a bit of blood in it. The sets particularly feel like you’re stepping into the world of Middle-earth, and it is exciting to get to see places that fans know will eventually become settlements and cities that we see in The Lord of the Rings.
The acting in this episode is superb. It isn’t a particularly fun episode and has quite a bit of drama and with each character’s story line, but each actor brings fantastic depth and character to who they portray, which really helps to deepen the story even further and bring in viewer. Although there was one character choice among the orcs that will leave many viewers scratching their heads and probably won’t make fans that happy since it doesn’t align at all with lore and, at the moment, seems strange and random and did not need to be in the episode or the series.
Image Source: CBR
Throughout the episode, the underlying machinations of Sauron’s work run prevalent, even when he’s not on screen. He’s shaping Middle-earth to his designs, and doing so through Celebrimbor and others. This has also been a topic of conversation online since the showrunners did specifically say that this was the “season of Sauron”. But what’s interesting, especially in this episode, is that even when Sauron isn’t on screen, because it is very little, his influence can still be felt around Middle-earth, the evil that is slowly permeating the land, the minds of Men and of Orcs, the seeds he planted in Númenor in Season One and with the elves. It’s all there. He’s the puppet master even when he’s not on screen, which is just a brilliant slow and silent play by him and gives such depth to his character. It will be really fun to see how the character and the evil he has brought to Middle-earth grows, influences, and changes over the season.
One of the running themes throughout this episode is grief. We really get to see some of the different stages of grief and what they do to people, even grief at what a fight with a family member does to someone. It is captured so well throughout in the actions of the characters, the dialogue, and the music, as it helps to push the story along for some. We are introduced to more of Bear McCreary’s recurring themes from last season, along with some newer more poignant verses that really, once again, help to elevate the story to new levels and bring an awe inspiring feel to each scene.
Overall, Episode 3 pushed the plot along in ways that fans were hoping to see. Some very major plot and character points were introduced, and the story is moving along nicely. It’s promising to be a very exciting season.
Rating: 7/10
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