'The Rings Of Power' Season 2 Episode 4 Spoiler-Free Review
Image Source: Bushcraft USA
Beautiful is one word that could describe Episode Four, “Eldest,” of Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The story continues to deepen and introduce new characters and creatures, beckoning the viewer into the story and the world of Middle-earth.
This episode brings in a particular character that many have wanted to see on screen for a long, long time, yet at the same time, have been worried about what the screen portrayal would look like. Overall, it was very well done, although there were some things, personality-wise, that may make some die-hard fans not quite as happy with how the character is introduced. For the most part, though, the character lit up the screen and definitely has heightened the mystery and suspense going on. The scenes and the character still gave off the whimsical, yet mysterious vibes that the reader gets from the book scenes, and hints at, hopefully, playing a bigger role.
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We also get to see some creatures that Tolkien wrote about, and one he did not but that fits into a fantasy setting, such as Middle-earth pretty well. Although, with the latter, it didn’t really add much to the story other than to serve as foreshadowing that dark creatures are stirring in the deep from Sauron’s influence. Does this mean we will see the Balrog sooner rather than later?
Image Source: NPR
The other creatures we got to see will also be exciting for fans of Tolkien’s writings. They were teased at the end of the last episode, but we finally get to see, not just one or two, but three different ones! And one is guaranteed to pique Middle-earth enthusiasts' interest as it is another of Tolkien’s characters that fans have always wanted to see or know more about. While Tolkien didn’t specifically write that these creatures were in this narrative, they can fit in quite well and efficiently and could give an explanation later on, that Tolkien never got to give, about what happened to them.
There was one more creature/character encounter that will excite fans of Tolkien’s lore and writing, which wasn’t teased very much in the promos like the others were. This episode, especially, has been full of The Lord of the Rings references, nods, characters/places that we never got to see in the movies. And one of the major encounters in this episode is with some of the creature/characters that play a pivotal role in some of the major weaponry and plot points that are in The Lord of the Rings books. This scene adds more of Tolkien’s lore to The Rings of Power. It is really cool to actually get to see an interpretation of what the place looks like and the creatures that inhabit there. It’s also really interesting, and most likely on purpose, that the showrunners placed both this encounter and the other character that fans were stoked about seeing in the same episode since in The Lord of the Rings, they are connected as well.
This episode was packed full of meeting new characters. And one of these encounters also brings in yet another of Tolkien’s group of characters that he only mentioned briefly in the notes in The Lord of the Rings and some other writings. While bringing these characters in might make some fans upset again like they were with the introduction of the Harfoots in The Rings of Power, they do very much still fit into Tolkien’s world, especially the timeline that he wrote about for all of the peoples in Middle-earth. It’s actually quite thrilling to see another introduction, although hopefully, it won’t keep leading to more and more storylines so that it starts to feel all over the place again like parts of Season One did. So far, it’s not, and everything is fitting together nicely as the characters work their way forward, but we shall see how it pans out!
Throughout the first four episodes of this season so far, there have been so many little nods and references to Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings movies. From little moments of a group of people running across a mountain range set against beautiful scenery to tiny quotes you almost miss and many, many more.
Image Source: NPR
Overall, the cinematography and settings in this season have surpassed the landscapes, camera work, and lighting that was in Season One, which was still gorgeous for a fantasy show and akin to Jackson’s movies. Still, this season has just brought it up to a new level. Despite not filming this in New Zealand, like the first season, the landscapes and settings that they did film in England, Spain, and other places immerse the viewer in the world and really make them want to travel to Middle-earth (or at least those locations on Earth). The camera shots and angles are also better in this episode, with creative details and shots that help to tell the story along with the writing and the acting. The lighting is also something that has been amazing this season. From seeing the tree light up in Episode One through till now with all the differences in light adding to the scenes, it really makes for a beautiful show and adds so much by immersing the viewer even further into the story.
Because we saw a lot of creatures in this episode, we also got to see a lot of CGI. So far in The Rings of Power, the CGI has been better than most of the CGI in The Hobbit films. It’s smooth. It’s done very well and flows and fits well in each scene. It doesn’t make it feel too fake or detract from what is real in the scene, and the actors are doing a fantastic job of interacting with the CGI creatures. As with the first season, the showrunners really wanted to make sure that as many of the sets were actually built and the makeup wasn’t CGI on the Orcs so that it gave the same feel of realness that Jackson’s movies did. And they’ve done a fantastic job of that. But of course, one can’t build everything, and it would be difficult to recreate some of the creatures without the use of CGI. What they do, however, works quite well and doesn’t feel like CGI at all when you’re watching it. Which is the mark of good art.
This episode chose to focus on just a couple of the storylines, which sadly meant we had to wait yet another week to see some of our favorites and find out what has happened to them since the events in the first three episodes. But this episode definitely is bringing in more mystery, more intrigue, more character development, and just general excitement and tension about where these storylines are going. Hopefully, soon, we will get some answers to some of the questions we have concerning characters that are still very much a mystery!
CultureSlate rates this episode as a 4 out of 5.
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