The Siege of Eregion goes a lot differently than what we’ve seen on screen before at Helm’s Deep.

Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 episode 7, “Doomed to Die.”

Few things are more inspiring and entertaining to watch on screen than a classic Lord of the Rings battle. The siege of Helm’s Deep from The Two Towers and the battle at the Pelennor Fields from Return of the King remain some of the highest achievements of 21st century blockbuster cinema. Needless to say, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has had a tough task trying to live up to that standard. But season 1’s battle episode was the absolute highlight of the show’s first installment, and the season 2 battle episode (now streaming on Amazon Prime Video) goes further by undermining our expectations of how a Lord of the Rings clash plays out.

This week’s Rings of Power episode, titled “Doomed to Die,” portrays the Siege of Eregion — which, somewhat rare for this prequel series, is a sequence detailed in J.R.R. Tolkien’s original writings. In this version, an orc army led by Adar (Sam Hazeldine) is besieging the elf kingdom of Eregion, led by the great smith Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards). But with Celebrimbor locked away in his tower forging the nine rings of power that will eventually transform mortal men into the Nazgûl, the other Eregion elves are unable to muster a defense capable of withstanding the orcs’ assault. But just as all hope seems lost, the cavalry arrives, led by the legendary Elrond (Robert Aramayo).

Elrond (Robert Aramayo) and orcs in ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.’.Ross Ferguson/Prime Video

This is a situation that Lord of the Rings fans have seen before. Both of the aforementioned sieges at Helm’s Deep and Minas Tirith reached a point where all seemed lost, until the cavalry arrived at the last moment to rescue the good guys. This scene feels like an echo of those familiar saves, with Elrond and his mounted elves serving as a stand-in for the horse lords of Rohan. But just as the elf reinforcements are about to crash into the orc ranks, Adar unveils his trump card: Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) in a cage. The elves immediately careen to a halt rather than risk harming one of their greatest.

It’s a jarring moment — as is the subsequent scene where Elrond is forced to parley with Adar in his battlefield tent. Never before in The Lord of the Rings have we seen an orc commander and an opposing elf (much less a dwarf or human) discuss terms so formally. It’s usually an all-or-nothing battle to the end. Not this time.

Elrond, though, doesn’t seem to realize the full impact of this change-up. The only reason he goes through with these talks is because he believes his dwarf friend, Prince Durin IV (Owain Arthur), will be arriving at sunrise with even more reinforcements so that Eregion can be relieved and Adar vanquished. But little does Elrond know that the dwarf kingdom of Khazad-dûm has problems of its own.

We see Prince Durin give a rousing speech to the dwarves exhorting them to help their elf friends, much like Aragorn talking to his soldiers before the Black Gate in Return of the King, but just as they’re about to depart on their rescue mission, the noble prince is informed of some unfortunate news. Under the influence of one of Celebrimbor’s rings, King Durin III (Peter Mullan) is delving deep into the dwarves’ mountain, even though that runs the risk of awakening the demonic Balrog that lurks down below.

As much as he wants to help Elrond, Durin is forced to stay behind and stop his father, or else risk the safety (and structural integrity) of all Khazad-dûm. It’s an understandable move, but it certainly leaves Elrond in the lurch. As the episode ends, the elf is stuck waiting for reinforcements that aren’t coming. As he watches his few remaining soldiers get hacked down by orcs, Elrond kneels in the dirt pathetically repeating “Durin will come… Durin will come…” over and over again to himself. It’s a disturbing sight.

Glûg (Robert Strange) and other orcs in ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.’.Ross Ferguson/Prime Video

The Lord of the Rings is often a story about people overcoming their differences and learning to work together for the greater good. But this is a rare example of heroic characters prioritizing their own needs over helping each other. In fact, rather than defeating biases, this moment feels like it could contribute to the long, bitter feud between dwarves and elves that Legolas and Gimli will later have to strive against in LOTR proper.

But perhaps the most surprising element of all is that, if viewers are paying close attention to every part of The Rings of Power’s season 2 story, they should actually be rooting for Adar to win this battle. Elrond’s elves are defending Eregion because it is one of the greatest elf kingdoms, a pride of their people. They mostly remain unaware that Celebrimbor has fallen under the influence of Sauron (Charlie Vickers), disguised as an elf lord named Annatar.

It’s not just Celebrimbor, either; this episode makes clear that Sauron/Annatar has been able to extend his hypnotic influence to the rest of Eregion as well. Adar understands this, and the whole reason he’s attacking Eregion is for the chance to destroy Sauron once and for all. We usually root against the orcs of LOTR because they are Sauron’s servants, but in this case, they’re the ones trying to save Middle-earth, while the elves are (unknowingly) serving him! When the heroic elf Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova) fails not once, but twice to kill the orc leader in this episode, it comes as a relief.

King Durin III (Peter Mullan) in ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.’.Ross Ferguson/Prime Video

Adar’s survival is as welcome as King Durin’s is scary. When Prince Durin finally finds his father below, chipping away at the very foundations of Khazad-dûm, he has the chance to strike down the addled king and save the kingdom. Instead, Durin IV appeals to love rather than strength. This is another classic Lord of the Rings idea; after all, the One Ring will eventually be destroyed not because Frodo is heroically strong, but because the love and sympathy he shows for allies like Sam and Gollum pays off in the end.

But once again, that classic Tolkien trope doesn’t work here. By hesitating to attack his father, Prince Durin allows the king to finally dig deep enough to awaken the Balrog. Although the threat is held at bay for now, we know it will eventually destroy Khazad-dûm.

“Doomed to Die” is a thrilling and subversive episode of a Lord of the Rings show. And there’s still one more episode left in the season, dropping Oct. 3 on Amazon Prime Video.