Rings of Power episode 7 review: The cost of doing good in Middle-earth

With every new episode, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Energy has put increasingly more emphasis on the morally ambiguous selections our heroes are pressured to make. Episode 6, “Udûn,” introduced the explosive fallout from many of those selections, with the primary main conflict between good and evil culminating in large-scale demise and destruction. Sensibly, director Charlotte Brändström and author Jason Cahill don’t attempt to high the pyrotechnics of “Udûn” in episode 7, “The Eye,” as a substitute devoting their hour of run time to unpacking the aftermath of all the pieces that’s occurred. The result’s an action-lite installment that forces Center-earth’s would-be saviors to weigh up their private stage of duty — not only for what has already occurred, however for what’s going to occur subsequent, too.

Even these characters who performed no direct function within the occasions of “Udûn” can’t escape Brändström and Cahill’s meditation on obligation and consequence in “The Eye.” Take Durin IV (Owain Arthur), who suffers more and more extreme penalties after refusing to roll again his earlier resolution to face by his brother from an elven mom Elrond (Robert Aramayo). Durin’s reasoning right here is morally unassailable — condemning your pal and his whole race to sure demise is a decidedly shitty factor to do, in any case — but the episode ends with him bumped from the road of succession, mulling over whether or not to oust his previous man.

It’s an efficient little bit of plotting by Brändström and Cahill, even should you gained’t discover something remotely prefer it in The Lord of the Rings or its appendices. J.R.R. Tolkien paints a slightly extra flattering portrait of Durin III (Peter Mullan) in his novels, and what little we find out about Durin IV doesn’t embrace any insurrectionist leanings. However Tolkien additionally doesn’t explicitly rule out a Battle of the Durins, and the idea in the end works as a result of it’s grounded in key themes from the books, like friendship and cross-species cooperation. It additionally offers Mullan an opportunity to indicate off his character-acting chops, via moments similar to Durin III sharing a reminiscence of his sickly son as a sickly child that go an extended solution to creating what risked being a thinly sketched half.

Dropping his proper to the throne wasn’t the worst knock-on impact of Durin IV’s unsanctioned mithril mining efforts, although. The Rings of Energy episode 7 reveals that the dwarven prince’s digging simply wakened Durin’s Bane, in any other case often called the balrog from The Fellowship of the Ring. It’s a suitably ominous little bit of foreshadowing that additionally doesn’t fairly monitor with Tolkien’s established canon (Durin’s grandson ended the balrog’s nap within the books) however nonetheless feels justified in an episode so strongly targeted on the unexpected blowback of robust selections. That Durin IV’s generosity is what unleashes the balrog on his folks, and never the greed beforehand ascribed to his folks in different media, solely provides to the pathos of the entire affair.

Picture: Prime Video

Durin IV’s not alone in relation to paying a excessive value for doing the correct factor, both; a number of of our main gamers are equally rewarded for his or her good deeds in The Rings of Energy episode 7. Over within the Númenórean camp, Míriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) and Elendil (Lloyd Owen) are each grappling with super loss after coming to the Southlanders’ support in “Udûn.” The previous has misplaced her sight and several other of her topics (#OntamoRIP), whereas the latter has seemingly misplaced his son, Isildur (Maxim Baldry). In the meantime, Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) and Theo (Tyroe Muhafidin) each blame themselves for the Southlands’ devastation and spend most of their red-stained, ash-coated scenes collectively working via their respective guilt.

Once more, this doesn’t precisely jibe with Tolkien’s writings; nevertheless, it goes an extended solution to fleshing out these characters, notably Míriel and Elendil — including company to her arc and inner battle to his. Admittedly, Míriel’s blindness is an actual curveball from a Tolkien reader’s perspective, however as a method of retaining her personally invested within the struggle to save lots of Center-earth, it serves its goal nicely sufficient. Purists may even little doubt wrestle with the thought of the poster little one for Númenórean advantage that’s Elendil consumed with bitterness. Nonetheless, it suits inside the emotional context of The Rings of Energy’s narrative. Higher nonetheless, it leaves him in a extra attention-grabbing place for season 2 than if he had remained the unwavering paragon of advantage Tolkien described.

What’s extra, you possibly can sense the affect of The Rings of Energy showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay at play in storytelling selections like these, which lay the groundwork for future seasons. Specifically, the choice to have the Númenórean fleet depart with out Isildur (who everyone knows continues to be alive) is a brilliant one, as it’s going to enable Payne and McKay to additional construct on his characterization as soon as he resurfaces with out consistently slicing again to Númenor. Attending to know Isildur higher can solely be a superb factor for the Prime Video sequence’ remaining 4 seasons, too, since his is a narrative as a lot about tragedy as it’s failure. Proper now the long run king of Gondor is greatest identified for arising brief when Center-earth was relying on him; the Rings of Energy might assist us perceive why.

And talking of arising brief, the harfoots are again on the scene in “The Eye” — and if you wish to discuss duty and penalties, look no additional than this narrative strand. The harfoots are on an actual reversal-of-fortune curler coaster this episode. One second, they’re in peril from the Stranger’s (Daniel Weyman) out-of-control magical powers, the following they’re reaping the advantages of his supercharged horticulture, and on it goes. The general impact of that is that it ties the harfoot plot thread to The Rings of Energy’s overarching story in a manner that’s occurred solely very not often previous to episode 7, which is a welcome change.

Picture: Prime Video

Not a lot of what occurs to Nori (Markella Kavenagh) and her nomadic group instantly impacts the broader forged of characters, it’s true. However seeing the harfoots come to phrases with their duty for the Stranger’s well-being — and wind up severely punished for this good deed — is so thematically in tune with the remainder of “The Eye,” it makes the narrative gulf between this and different plot threads far much less pronounced. It’s not fairly sufficient to compensate for the harfoots’ whole season spent on the broader plot’s fringes, nevertheless it actually doesn’t damage. Neither does the continued presence of Sauron’s creepy acolytes, whose curiosity within the Stranger appears destined to forge a extra concrete connection between the harfoots’ exploits and the remainder of Center-earth additional down the road.

This final bit is yet one more instance of what “The Eye” does nicely, other than its thematic unity: setting out a transparent roadmap for the place the story is headed subsequent. Positive, this episode’s deliberate pacing falters at occasions and, as at all times, the way in which Lord of the Rings lore is rewritten is certain to boost eyebrows, however what actually issues is that The Rings of Energy has left the narrative aimlessness of early episodes nicely and really behind it.

With one episode left within the first season — and 4 extra seasons supposedly on the way in which — the board is fairly clear. Durin IV is finished following his dad’s orders. Nori and the harfoots are operating to the Stranger’s rescue. Galadriel and Theo (in addition to Charlie Vickers’ Halbrand) are extra dedicated than ever to Southlands’ trigger, although that a part of Center-earth is formally Mordor now. And Adar (Joseph Mawle) desires to transform Mordor into an orc-safe haven free from persecution by anybody, least of all Sauron (an optimistic plan given even probably the most informal Tolkien scholar is aware of the place the darkish lord in the end units up store).

Is any of this within the books? Not likely, no. However as with so lots of the deviations from Tolkien’s legendarium in “The Eye,” that is largely a constructive reflection on The Rings of Energy’s ongoing evolution from an uncertain adaptation to a assured story in its personal proper. Because the season 1 finale approaches, it’s genuinely reassuring to know that Payne, McKay, and co. are targeted extra on their obligation to inform a compelling story than on slavishly following Lord of the Rings lore to the letter — and rattling the results.