Minor Spoilers

We return to Númenor and Khazad-dûm!

This is great news, as they are the locations of what are by far the strongest aspects of the story. We also return to the elves. We’ll get to that.

First, the dwarves. Some of the best drama is here, showing the effects of the elves’ Seven Rings of Power before all the elven leaders even possess them. Prince Durin and King Durin have reconciled, but the son is still greatly concerned at the changes he sees in his father. The growing menace definitely – and cleverly – ameliorates the happiness at the reconciliation, upping the suspense and tension rather than diminishing it. Disa’s role is also good in calling additional attention to the issue, even if the one scene with her chasing the rolling birthday gift goes on way too long.

The directing is also less than stellar in Númenor in the scene in the temple. The outcome of the fight is predictable, as is the aftermath. It is so clear what is coming that it is annoying waiting for it.

While it’s always poignant and a pleasure to see Elendil and Míriel, the same can’t be said for their adversaries. Kemen, Eärien, and Ar-Pharazôn come across as moustache-twirling baddies. Dramatically, the most intriguing, most heart-rending conflicts are between right vs. right. In this case, however, we don’t see that from any of them. Ar‑Pharazôn’s motivation never seems to be saving the kingdom; he just wants power. Kemen isn’t acting from any great conviction. First it was jealousy, now it’s looking for daddy’s approval. As to Eärien, she is supposedly grieving the loss of her brother. And while there is no correct or incorrect way to show grief, there is no sense of grief anywhere in her performance, only petulance and self-righteous anger. It doesn’t help that she is working against everything that she knows her brother believed in and fought for.

We also revisit the elven realm and see more of Halbrand’s machinations. It is interesting to see the Nine Rings of Men coming into being but this could be played up far more. Halbrand’s maneuvering is growing stale in and of itself. No doubt next week we’ll see more of the Seven Rings of Dwarves and the Nine Rings of Men.

We get a super brief tag at the end, which harkens back to the cliffhanger from two episodes ago. The twist here is intriguing and very welcome.

Verdict: Pacing and writing and suspense all improving. 7/10

Rigel Ailur