You shall not pass … unless you’ve watched the latest episode of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” that is. This article contains major spoilers.
We’re now two seasons into “The Rings of Power,” and I’m going to report some breaking news here: Showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay haven’t been shy about adding to and changing things up from J.R.R. Tolkien’s original material. Shocker, I know! To be fair, much of this was an unavoidable aspect of translating literally eons of Middle-earth history recorded in the text into a traditional television show. (As much as I’m a stickler for fidelity to the source material, there was no way to stay 100% faithful to established canon, where it took centuries for the eponymous rings of power to actually be forged.) The rest came as a result of creative choices meant to make this more entertaining and digestible than it otherwise would’ve been. Ask yourselves, dear readers: Would the average viewer rather struggle to keep track of two dozen minor characters all filling vaguely interchangeable roles, or simply follow “non-canonical” creations like Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova) or Adar (Sam Hazeldine), all of whom serve very obvious narrative functions and can help streamline this very complicated timeline of events? Adaptations — they’re harder than you think!
Season 2 of “The Rings of Power” improves on what came before, however, as exemplified by one of its most surprising storylines. Throughout the marketing for this next batch of episodes, fans have been anticipating a possible alliance between Morfydd Clark’s Galadriel and the fallen elf Adar. The appeal is obvious, since there’s certainly something compelling about the idea of two sworn enemies taking the “Enemy of my enemy is my friend” route in an effort to destroy Sauron (Charlie Vickers) once and for all. If only that’s what actually went down. Instead, episode 6 threw everyone a last-minute curveball and dealt our good guys a serious setback. Even though this never happened in any of Tolkien’s writings, it’s worth breaking down how this plot twist may impact the rest of the season.
Galadriel makes a fatal mistake
Leave it to “The Rings of Power” to add a bizarre twist to our traditional concept of a last supper. With Galadriel captured by Adar and his orcs (sorry, make that “uruks”) on the eve of a siege against the city of Eregion, the stubborn and impulsive warrior has no choice but to hear her enemy out on his unusual proposal. The prologue sequence in the season 2 premiere established that Adar has absolutely no love lost for the Dark Lord, a grudge that has lasted even all these thousands of years later. Knowing full well that Galadriel herself has plenty of reason to want Sauron gone for good, Adar’s idea is a simple one: Join forces, share a little intel to confirm Sauron’s true identity and coordinate on how best to use the rings of power (along with Morgoth’s crown) against him, and profit, I guess. And that’s exactly what Galadriel (reluctantly) agrees to … until it all goes haywire.
This is for the loud minority of weirdo fans who looked at Galadriel, the one character in both seasons of “The Rings of Power” who by far has made the most mistakes out of anyone, and accused her of being “too perfect” or “always right” or whatever bizarre “Mary Sue” complaints they levied against the show and its writers throughout season 1. Let’s remember, this is the person who inadvertently brought their most hated foe right into the heart of Middle-earth and has been struggling to redeem herself for that ever since.
Here, Galadriel makes her greatest miscalculation yet. Convinced that Adar is telling the truth, she spills the beans that the Southlander “king” known as Halbrand actually was Sauron in disguise and that her good buddy Elrond (Robert Aramayo) is on his way to Eregion with a shiny ring of power in his possession. For her trust, she’s repaid with Adar all but sneering at her and gloating that she gave away “everything” he needed, allowing him to go ahead with his siege on Sauron (currently in the form of Annatar) and the innocent people of Eregion. Whoops.
How Adar’s plot twist might factor into the rest of The Rings of Power
Ross Ferguson/Prime Video
In case this troubling turn of events didn’t make it obvious enough, the episode ends on an even more discomfiting note. Galadriel puts a fine point on it when she’s led away from Adar in chains and despondently screams that this is exactly what Sauron must have wanted all along. Given that he has no army of his own and no notable allies to speak of (nobody, not even Sauron himself, seems aware of Ciarán Hinds’ Dark Wizard and all the other goings-on over in Rhûn), of course he must be luring Adar into a trap by laying siege to Eregion. Annatar’s plan clearly involves the forging of the remaining nine rings of power, which we know will eventually lead to the creation of the Ringwraiths, and perhaps even another rematch with Adar. How this might affect the legions of Adar’s “children,” however, remains to be seen.
As for Galadriel, her only hope is the speedy return of Elrond and (hopefully) an entire army of reinforcements at his back. In Tolkien’s lore, the Siege of Eregion marks one of the bloodiest and most significant battles in all of the Second Age — and the various trailers haven’t been shy about teasing that, unlike main fantasy rival “House of the Dragon,” this season is building up to some fireworks in the end. Adar figuratively sticking a knife in Galadriel’s back has unleashed the next stage of war in Middle-earth, and those caught up in Eregion have little hope but to try and survive the hellfire currently raining down on them. Buckle up, because next week’s episode is shaping up to be a doozy.
“The Rings of Power” streams new episodes on Prime Video every Thursday.
