Spoilers

The Rings of Power’s second season is now concluded and it’s safe to say it was an overall improvement over season one. That said, the show was wildly inconsistent and some episodes really suffered from this as a result. But the season’s finale was much better than the first season’s rushed finale and set things up for big things to come while having some great moments in its own right.

Instead of plunging right back into the Siege of Eregion, we instead start the episode with the Khazad-dûm storyline, with Durin III delving too deep into the mountain and his son, Durin IV, hot on his tail to try and stop him by any means necessary. The dwarven storyline is often a strong point of the show and this was no exception, was Durin IV went down the mountain to kill his own father if the moment called for it, but in the moment, knew he couldn’t do it. His father, mining into the mountain, is overall proud of his son, but refuses to stop digging and unearths a massive Mithril deposit deep in a cavern. The moment of awe is shortlived however, as the Balrog which will one day be known as Durin’s Bane (the same one from Fellowship), emerges and in a moment of defiant self-sacrifice, Durin III removes the Ring and tries to stop the fiery demon. The clash kills him, but seals the Balrog behind the mountain, protecting the Kingdom for the time being. Durin III verbally declares his son the new King, but as we learn later in the episode, this succession is being contested and challenged, so the question of whether he’ll have to become a Ringbearer hangs over the plotline heading into the next season, something that may test his marriage to Disa (one of the better original characters in this show, I might remind you).

After the opening credits roll, we return to The Stranger and Harfoots arc and I really feel like there was a scene missing here. The last we saw of The Stranger, he was looking out at a forest of trees in search of his staff, but we jarringly cut to him confronting the Dark Wizard at the Stoors’ home. The Dark Wizard recognizes his old friend and makes a plea that the two of them join forces, to which The Stranger refuses, opting to chose friendship over power and thus, tieing into Tom Bombadil’s little riddle. While that’s all fun and hundy dorky, the Stoors’ later bid their tall giant farewell with the moniker “Grand Elf”, which, yes, you guessed it, leads to The Stranger calling himself Gandalf. I must admit, I rolled my eyes pretty hard. First, “Grand Elf” was just bad writing, as if the writers were going “get it, get it??” to the audience. Secondly, Gandalf has no business being in this story, as he doesn’t come to Middle-earth until the Third Age, while this show takes place in the Second Age. This is especially annoying knowing there are two perfectly available wizards in this part of the world in the Second Age that have never been depicted in live-action, the two Blue Wizards, and we could’ve had the same story told without needlessly messing with the story. Gandalf’s inclusion, while not surprising, feels like it was written for the audience to go “hey he’s from The Lord of the Rings!” but considering it took two seasons to get to this point, I don’t understand why they took so long to reveal this information to the audience. Nori and the other halfings have separated from Gandalf, for now, to be on their own path, so I have to wonder if they’ve been written out of the show (rather unceremoniously), which would be to the show’s strength I think going forward, as that plotline does bog the show down.

We get a brief setup for things to come in Númenor, which will be a big storyline going forward. After gazing into the palantír, Ar-Pharazôn reveals to the Faithful that Halbrand was Sauron and accuses Míriel of being privy to this information, making her (and the Faithful at large), traitors. Everyone is rounded up, but Eärien sneaks away and warns her father to escape, which he does with Narsil in his custody in search of the Faithful hideout in the West and try to reclaim his honour and title.

Back in Eregion, Sauron ends up killing Celebrimbor and once again, I must say that even with his brief screen time this week, Charles Edwards crushed it as the elven smith. Even when facing death in the face, he’s defiant and refers to Sauron as being a servant to the rings, as opposed to the other way around. Sauron seeks out Galadriel then, not before swaying the disenfranchised orcs to his cause, and after a duel that did feel like a waste of time (we know both survive after all), he claims the Nine for himself. In an attempt to save Nenya, Galadriel throws herself off a cliff and I honestly have zero idea how she survived considering she wasn’t wearing her Ring. I could buy her living with it on, but off? From that height? Huh?

The elves ultimately retreat from Eregion and find themselves as refugees in an enchanting piece of wilderness next to a river. Tolkien fans know it, but this is the founding moment of Rivendell, which will come into play in later seasons as a hidden stronghold for the elves. I’m curious as to just how similar it will look to the Jackson films, as so far the locations in the show have been unique locations not seen in the films. But the Balrog and Narsil designs are near-identical to their cinematic counterparts, so I would imagine that Rivendell will look quite familiar.

Season two of Rings of Power worked best when it focused in on the elves and dwarves, both tied together by Sauron and his manipulations. It’s here where the writing was strongest and where the story was most engaging. But the show felt like it had to showcase so much more than this already solid foundation and season two, while overall a big improvement over season two, was held back from being great due to uninteresting subplots featuring not only Gandalf, but Theo and Isildur as well, who are missing for half the season due to their seemingly irrelevance this season. If the writers can’t find a better hook for these subplots, I think it’s best to trim the fat and focus on what’s working, rather than trying to be a jack of all trades, master of none type of show. Rings of Power, naturally, continues to be a powerhouse in terms of technical prowess, showcasing great sets, VFX, a big improvement in the costume department over last season, and of course, Bear McCreary’s score.

In the end, I’m glad that the show was showing signs of improvement and seeing as how the production doesn’t have to move continents this time around, I hope the writers are given ample time to take the feedback and criticisms of the season and apply it to season three. Because when it works, The Rings of Power is a fun watch. It’s just held back by the weight of its own ambitions.