This review contains full spoilers for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 finale.
There are some moments of the season 2 finale of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power that are absolutely outstanding, nailing the mix of spectacle and character drama that the series has been striving for. Unfortunately the episode is also emblematic of the season as a whole, working so hard to foreshadow that it fails to make the most of scenes that should be savored in the present.
In Khazad-dûm: The Dynasty of Durin
In Khazad-dûm, Durin III (Peter Mullan) has cut through the miners trying to stop him from delving for more mithril, leading Durin IV (Owain Arthur) to give his wife Disa (Sophia Nomvete) a big (maybe farewell) kiss and confront his father. But the dwarven king calls his son’s bluff, knowing he can’t bear to actually attack him.
This is a genuinely beautiful final scene, with Durin IV explaining his admiration for his father’s strength while the king’s dismissal of his pleading shows just how much the ring has hardened his pride. After taking a battering ram to the mountain and revealing an enormous cache of mithril, he admires his handiwork, declaring it “the dynasty of Durin.” Of course this digging will in fact be his legacy – it’s just that he’s bringing ruin to his people rather than the riches he wants. The king even tries one more time to tempt his son with the power of a ring, promising the potential to be true lords of the mountain rather than just its stewards.
The Balrog Emerges
The moment of triumph is short lived, interrupted by the Balrog emerging from the cavern in all its glory and quickly knocking Durin IV aside. Even though the scene borrows so much from Gandalf’s heroic sacrifice in The Fellowship of the Ring, it’s still an incredibly powerful, VFX-enhanced crystallization of the conflict between father and son over the course of two seasons. Durin III explaining how he watched his son’s grow to be his equal over the years is a touching moment, the words the next king of Khazad-dûm so desperately needs to hear. His father shows his strength one last time, facing the Balrog and allowing Durin IV to escape with the help of his friends. The shot of his ax shattering against the Balrog’s blade looks absolutely stunning.
Death of Durin III and Future Troubles
The death of Durin III is apparently going to cause many more problems for Khazad-dûm. Durin III’s previously unmentioned brother has designs on the throne and the dwarf lords still want their rings. The dwarven plots have been among the most consistently excellent of the series, and I look forward to more intrigue and family drama next season.
In Rhûn: The Stranger’s Abandonment
In Rhûn, the Stranger (Daniel Weyman) has predictably abandoned the quest for his staff to go help his Harfoot friends. Apparently their plan to fight the Dark Wizard’s forces went so poorly nobody bothered to put the battle on screen. By the time the Stranger shows up, the masked riders have already captured Nori (Markella Kavenagh) and Poppy (Megan Richards).
The Dark Wizard’s Deception
The Dark Wizard (Ciarán Hinds) greets the Stranger by calling him “old friend,” the same way Saruman addressed Gandalf in The Fellowship of the Ring. The Dark Wizard claims that his misdeeds are nothing compared to the evil Sauron will bring to Middle-earth, and says he expects the Stranger will eventually come around to his way of thinking. But then he proves that he doesn’t understand his so-called old friend at all by bringing a mountain down on the poor Stoors.
In Eregion: The Tragic Fate of Celebrimbor
In Eregion, the vision Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) had of the dark fate of Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards) has finally been fulfilled. The greatest of elven smiths has been shot through with arrows by Sauron (Charlie Vickers) in a bid to learn what he did with the nine rings of men. Edwards absolutely owns this scene, the culmination of the Shakespearean tragedy that’s been playing out all season.