The Lord of the Rings review: The Rings of Power showcases just how powerful Sauron really is... as the elven kingdom of Eregion is under attack
Sauron (Charlie Vickers) put on an unimaginable display of power in the sixth Season 2 episode of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
The powerful wizard has showcased his awe-inspiring power in many ways throughout the first five episodes of Season 2.
However none may be more impressive than the spell he put Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards) under... convincing him that his home of Eregion was at peace... when in reality it was plunged into chaos to prepare for an upcoming orc attack.
After hearing an alarm, Celebrimbor wants to go outside, and while Annatar/Sauron tries to get him to stay, he ultimately leaves, forcing Sauron to conjure the most deceiving of spells, allowing Celebrimbor to see a peaceful city and put his mind at ease... and most importantly for Annatar... get him back to work.
Celebrimbor is still trying to figure out how to forge the nine rings for men, with no mithril and dwindling supplies, but finds a breakthrough, thanks, of course, to Annatar/Sauron... as he toils away while his city falls under attack by Adar (Sam Hazeldine) and his orc army.
Sauron (Charlie Vickers) put on an unimaginable display of power in the sixth Season 2 episode of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
The powerful wizard has showcased his awe-inspiring power in many ways throughout the first five episodes of Season 2
This display of power is nothing short of miraculous, creating a whole new world but for just one man... all to keep him on task.
Annatardoes not want Celebrimbor to know that Adar's orc army is approaching Eregion, and he doesn't want any of the other elven-smiths bothering him... so he manipulates them all.
He tells Mirdania that Celebrimbor has put him in charge of 'administrative duties' in Eregion (which is not true) and that the head smith is not to be disturbed.
This works for most of the episode, though when Celebrimbor insists on going outside, Annatar/Sauron conjures the most amazing of spells, making the smith seeing nothing but peace.
Annatar then reveals that he obtained some pure mithril, which should be enough to forge the nine rings, sending him back to work... and when he's gone... the real Eregion is revealed, with its men and women rushing to find the safest place before the impending attack.
The vision of a peaceful Eregion was for Celebrimbor alone, peeling away a new terrifying level of his unchecked power.
Celebrimbor has been resisting Annatar, though, even in this episode shoving him aside at one point... but ultimately he acceeds to Sauron's every demand.
Whether Celebrimbor can break this hold Sauron has over his mind before completing the nine Rings of Power for men remains to be seen... and will certainly be a big plot point to watch in the final two episodes of Season 2.
Annatar does not want Celebrimbor to know that Adar's orc army is approaching Eregion, and he doesn't want any of the other elven-smiths bothering him... so he manipulates them all
Celebrimbor has been resisting Annatar, though, even in this episode shoving him aside at one point... but ultimately he acceeds to Sauron's every demand
While it's clear that Sauron has been manipulating Celebrimbor all along, this episode reveals he's also been manipulating Adar as well.
After capturing Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) in last week's episode, Adar feasts with Galadriel, revealing that he does actually want to be allies with her and kill Sauron together.
They both reveal that Sauron both delivered what he promised them both - for Galadriel, an army, for Adar, 'children,' a.k.a. his orcs.
He shows her Morgoth's crown, which he used to 'kill' Sauron the first time, which stuns Galadriel, as Adar reveals Sauron came back because more needed to be done to destroy him... namely, the elvish rings, one of which Galadriel possesses.
She ultimately tells Adar where her ring is, and that Elrond (Robert Aramayo) is coming with his elvish army... when Adar reveals he's still going to attack Eregion.
Adar double-crossed Galadriel, as she ultimately realizes that all of this was also in fact part of Sauron's master plan this whole time.
With no army of his own, Sauron managed to manipulate Adar to take his army and destroy Eregion for him, in yet another cunning move that no one saw coming.
The big question that remains, though, is this: Will the city be destroyed before Celebrimbor can finish the nine rings for men?
After capturing Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) in last week's episode, Adar feasts with Galadriel, revealing that he does actually want to be allies with her and kill Sauron together
While it's clear that Sauron has been manipulating Celebrimbor all along, this episode reveals he's also been manipulating Adar as well
This episode also reunites fans with the long-awaited Tolkien character Tom Bombadil (Rory Kinnear) and The Stranger (Daniel Weyman).
The Stranger has not been doing so great while teaming up with 'Old Tom,' who mentions that The Stranger has failed every test thus far.
If he fails this test, there will be no other, and it's basically his most important task, the one that he set out on this journey for in the first place: to find his wizard staff.
The task will not be easy, though, as Tom takes him to a massive valley full of trees, insisting he will find his staff in there... while also potentially dropping another huge Easter Egg... but we'll get to that later.
Anyway, The Stranger has to find his staff in this massive valley, though he's still worried about Nori (Markella Kavenagh) and Poppy (Megan Richards).
Tom tells him in no uncertain terms that if he leaves now, he can never return, putting him to a simple choice.
'Sauron rises in the West, a dark wizard in the East, every soul in Middle earth is in peril. Will you abandon them to their doom?'
When The Stranger pleads that Nori is his friend, Tom bluntly states, 'Your friend or your destiny? The choice is yours,' before disappearing.
This episode also reunites fans with the long-awaited Tolkien character Tom Bombadil (Rory Kinnear) and The Stranger (Daniel Weyman)
The task will not be easy, though, as Tom takes him to a massive valley full of trees, insisting he will find his staff in there... while also potentially dropping another huge Easter Egg... but we'll get to that later
Elsewhere in the episode, Durin IV (Owain Arthur) prepares to overthrow his father King Durin III (Peter Mullan) after the ring has made him quite greedy, but another big development happened in Numenor.
Newly-minted King Pharazon (Trystan Gravelle) was about to set Elendil (Lloyd Owen) free, despite attacking his son... though there was a twist: Elendil had to both renounce his crimes... and pledge fealty to Pharazon.
The former he acceded to... the latter he did not, leading Pharazon to sentence the faithful Elendil to a 'trial by abyss,' an old tradition where a massive sea worm is summoned, and if the accused survives, he/she is innocent, if the accused dies, he/she dies.
Former Queen Miriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) continues to beg Elendil to bow to Pharazon but he cannot do so, insisting he cannot set his, 'integrity aflame.'
In a rather surprising twist, Miriel herself takes Elendil's place, since the crimes he committed were in her name... and even more surprisingly, the blind woman was spared by the sea worm.
The crowd rejoiced, with Elendil giving her the new moniker, 'Queen of the Sea,' as Pharazon realizes he has a new challenge for the throne on his hands.
With two episodes left in Season 2 of The Rings of Power, it will be interesting to see who ends up ruling Numenor when all is said and done.
Of course, there is plenty more to discuss with this episode, so we're breaking down our top 5 moments below.
Elsewhere in the episode, Durin IV (Owain Arthur) prepares to overthrow his father King Durin III (Peter Mullan) after the ring has made him quite greedy, but another big development happened in Numenor
Former Queen Miriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) continues to beg Elendil to bow to Pharazon but he cannot do so, insisting he cannot set his, 'integrity aflame'
1) Sauron Is Literally In Celebrimbor's Mind
As far as targets for Sauron go, Celebrimbor had to be one of the easiest for the dark wizard to choose from.
It was established in the first season that he already had quite the massive ego, and it didn't take much to get him wrapped around a proverbial finger.
Sauron - disguised as an elf calling himself Annatar - has gotten him to forge rings for elves, dwarves and now for men too, with very little effort.
His master stroke was shown in this episode, though, creating an entirely different reality for Celebrimbor, hiding the chaos from him so he'll finish his task.
With just two episodes left, it remains to be seen if Sauron can manage to outdo himself once more.
2) New Easter Egg May Confirm That The Stranger Is Actually Gandalf
One of the biggest mysteries in The Rings of Power is the identity of the wizard simply known as The Stranger, though a prevalent theory is that he's actually Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
For one, he wears grey attire - hinting at his full title of Gandalf The Grey - he's clearly a wizard, but a line from the Season 1 finale has many convinced he's Gandalf.
The Stranger tells Nori, 'If in doubt, always follow your nose,' a quote Gandalf says in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
Now a new hint may have surfaced in this episode, when Tom Bombadil tells The Stranger in the huge valley to find a magic staff, 'You'll find your true staff only when the vision of you rheart is single to the surface of the Secret Fire.'
Gandalf says in The Fellowship of the Ring, 'I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor,' when facing a massive Balrog... before uttering his now-iconic line, 'You shall not pass!'
One of the biggest mysteries in The Rings of Power is the identity of the wizard simply known as The Stranger, though a prevalent theory is that he's actually Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings trilogy
3) Miriel Becomes the Queen of the Sea
To say it's been a challenging season for Miriel would be an immense understatement... and not only because she was blinded last season.
She started the season being crowned the new ruler of Numenor, taking her father's place, only to be usurped by Pharazon.
She has confided in Elendil, however, that Pharazon's reign is necessary for Numenor's survival, since the vision she constantly saw of Numenor's downfall disappeared once he took over.
She insisted that Elendil bow to Pharazon, though his allegiance to his queen was too strong, as he was set to face a likely death in a 'trial by abyss.'
In a rather shocking turn of events, the blind Miriel took his stead, and survived, with Numenor gleefully dubbing her, 'Queen of the Sea.'
4) Adar Betrays the Newfound Trust of Galadriel and Attacks Eregion Anyway
If you can't trust the leader of a group of ghastly human-adjacent creatures... well then who can you trust?
While Sauron is known as The Great Deceiver, Adar is no slouch himself, convincing the captive Galadriel that he wants to kill Sauron as well.
It definitely wasn't easy, but he managed to gain her trust, getting her to tell him where her Ring of Power is, and that Elrond is coming with an army of elves.
When he got what he needed, he decided to keep Galadriel captive and continue on his march to attack Eregion.
He also revealed that he brought far more than a single legion of orcs... but a massive army waiting in the forest.
While Sauron is known as The Great Deceiver, Adar is no slouch himself, convincing the captive Galadriel that he wants to kill Sauron as well
5) The Rings of Power Can Turn One's Subjects Against Them
As anyone who's seen or read The Lord of the Rings knows, the Rings of Power alters the very fabric of the bearer's being.
It's been illustrated in Season 2 as well, and even in this episode, with King Durin III continuing his greedy path to amass more wealth, and Celebrimbor snapping at his elven smiths for no good reason.
However, the stronger the hold these rings may have on the powerful men who wield them, there are those who see that this power is corrupt and will take a stand.
Durin IV and Disa - at their wits end with Durin III's greed and lust for power - block off the mines, and find many allies in doing so.
Durin IV even mentioned overthrowing his father, though it remains to be seen if that will happen in the last two episodes.
