“May the Valar forgive me”
We go back down, down into the depths of Khazad-dûm this week, to see the growing glory of King Durin (Peter Mullan). To hear the call-and-response chants of Khazad! Dûm! from the Dwarves will give you chills, while the nods to the Moria we all know and love prove that The Rings of Power is an homage to Tolkien at every level. King Durin’s faith in the Rings of Power—and his line of rule—drives him ever closer to the pitfalls of greed. But Disa grows concerned about what is going on below the surface of the mines. Sophia Nomvete is wonderfully regal in her portrayal of Disa and will make you cheer for her every time she appears.
In Eregion, Sauron’s fair form Annatar attempts to bend Lord Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards) to his will, using every trick in the manipulator’s playbook. His push for control becomes bolder, drawing Mirdania (Amelia Kenworthy) into his web of lies. Some lines will make you recoil, even as you feel yourself being reeled into Annatar’s aura. Charlie Vickers is phenomenal at striking Annatar’s careful balance between lordly and scheming—now we are “in on” his game, it is fascinating to watch how he plays everyone around him.
Prince Durin (Owain Arthur), however, is not entirely convinced Annatar, the Lord of Gifts, is truly as helpful as he seems, portraying the Dwarven distrust for outside influence in a masterful way. But it is Celebrimbor’s choices that will shape the future of Middle-earth. The contrast between the two homes of creation—Khazad-dûm and Eregion—and how Sauron’s darkness is spreading into the hearts of both, is palpable, branding this episode with an intense urgency as the pressure builds from all sides. Because Eregion is in terrible danger and Celebrimbor is too wound up in his creations to notice. Elrond (Robert Aramayo) begs Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker) to protect the city but there are more threats to Elvendom than Elrond realizes.
Across the sea in Númenor, the discord sown by Pharazôn (Trystan Gravelle) bubbles over as he puts his devious plans into action. But Elendil will not be swayed; Lloyd Owen plays him with strength and honor. When there is pushback from those loyal to the Valar, Pharazôn’s followers come down hard. The disrespect to holy spaces will give you a sickening feeling that strikes a chord with what we are seeing in our world. Here, Valandil (Alex Tarrant) becomes the true hero of this episode and deserves far better, while Kemen’s (Leon Wadham) smugness and entitlement will make your blood boil. And you’ll despise him by the time this episode plays out. Númenor teeters on the edge of a cliff, just waiting to fall away from the light of the Valar.
As “Halls of Stone” swings between kingdoms like a pendulum of doom, the feeling of peril grows, compelled by the episode’s dark yet urgent tone. The good of the Free Folk depends on the few who choose to stand up and say something, even when nobody wants to hear it—a message we all desperately need to hear in our own lives. There are moments Tolkien fans will applaud, but there are even more moments that will have every fan screaming at the screen as Middle-earth plunges headfirst into the threat of destruction. And you’ll be gripped for every second of it; The Rings of Power marches ever on and on, carrying you on its epic journey through the Second Age.
