After a moment of calm in which it seemed that all the characters and stories had come to a standstill, we now understand that it was just the intake of air to start the next phase. episode 5 of the rings of power it elevates the conflict, but it doesn’t do it precisely in terms of action, but with situations that put its characters to the test. Tolkien’s stories usually speak to us in terms of good and evil, black and white. But there is room for some grays that we could not always fully explore (for reasons of time) in the movies. Fortunately, the series is ready to dive right in there.
After watching episode 5 of the rings of power, it feels like this one in particular has to be seen in conjunction with the previous one. Much of what was established in that one finds its narrative consequence here. The most prominent example is undoubtedly the story of the humans in the Southlands and the internal conflict that exists within Elrond (Robert Aramayo) after becoming the involuntary mediator of two peoples.
The series also becomes even more political. A field in which you may still need to find the right tone. And it is that the series created by JD Payne and Patrick McKay above all stands as the adaptation of a story. A simpler story that tells us about the defense of the most basic values: love, friendship, life and freedom. However, little by little the creators try to develop a greater complexity in their story. Something that they are achieving gradually and with care that could perhaps be perceived slowly. Themes like trauma, revenge, and survival come to the fore here with a hint of darkness. But sowing the necessary doubts, so that we ask ourselves if they are actually dark or natural elements of human conflict.
In goodbyes we see that the humans of the southern lands are divided. There are those who plan to plant an armed front against the orcs and the second group who believes that the best way to survive is to join them. Nobody could really blame the second side, when for generations they have grown up with the stigma and punishment of ancestors who made desperate decisions to survive. Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi) herself doubts her decision to mount a defense, but in the middle she also discovers that her son may hold the answer.
In his writings Tolkien always places the human being as the weakest race. Not in force, but in will and in a sense of morality. the rings of power he upholds that notion, but also spreads it toward other races to fan the flames of conflict. Precisely in this episode the elves leave much to be desired in terms of the perfection that is always attributed to them. Elrond discovers that he was used by King Gil Galad (Benjamin Walker) to pry into the secrets of the dwarves of Khazad Dum. The reason does not have political or power purposes, but simply because the darkness threatens to end its light. The only thing that could save them is the discovery of a precious mineral.
Thanks to such a narrative, Tolkien fans will probably get one of the most beautiful and satisfying sequences. The series takes liberties to assign an origin to the creation of Mithril. And he also states that it is a mineral that should not belong exclusively to the dwarfs. During its origination there was a Balrog involved, which immediately links the stories we all know about Mithril being both a blessing and a curse to the dwarven community.
Now that Elrond knows that his people need the ore, he finds himself between a rock and a hard place. Betray his friend Durin (Owain Arthur) or betray his people? The internal conflict of the character is a very satisfying thing to see. Gone is that Elrond that much of the world recognizes from Jackson’s films, often regal, often tied to his ideals. The most interesting thing is that the script written by Justin Doble tests one of the most enduring values in the world created by Tolkien: friendship.
Across the sea, Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) is still determined that Númenor be part of the defense of Middle-earth. She had already convinced Queen Míriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) to accompany her. But in this new episode, various disagreements between the inhabitants of the island will sow the intrigue so that you ask twice. Thus the character of the queen also faces doubts and she is torn between doing the right thing or protecting her people from an unnecessary war. Perhaps she will finish being convinced if the supposed king of the lands that they will go to defend also shows the same passion as the rest.
Halbrand (Charlie Vickers) is one more example of the double standards of the humans in this story. It is easier for him to turn his back on the conflict and carve out a new life. However, Galadriel is the one who knows that he is only deceiving himself. During all their interactions, both characters have staged a dance where they use each other for their own ends. In episode 7 of the rings of power the masks fall and finally they are honest with the other and with themselves. Many viewers have complained about the reactionary character of the warrior elf, but here for the first time we understand that she also complains about herself. And she is afraid to confess that her own people also perceive her that way and that is why they wanted to get rid of her.
So the humans of Númenor also have a decision to make. Go to war or not. The only one who seems sure of this is Chancellor Pharazón (Trystan Gravelle), a character who finally shows dimension. When his son lets him know that he disagrees with going to war in a distant land, the chancellor explains that there is a whole political plan involved. Die-hard fans of Tolkien’s writings know that the fall of the island kingdom is largely the fault of its inhabitants and their ambition. The series begins to trace the first brushstrokes of that story.
It seems that the fluff remain oblivious to all that. However, little by little the stories of him also reach an ever-increasing darkness. Since we learned the story of Nori (Markella Kavenagh) and her people in the first episode, we understood that the ancestors of the hobbits would be the noblest section of the story. With the passing of the episodes we have been shown that there is also a certain savagery in their customs and way of life. However, they face it with optimism and now with the help of a stranger to whom the doors of their community have been opened.
That optimism so characteristic of Tolkien’s most endearing moments, in his novels they always turn into songs or poems. Of course the creators of the rings of power they could not omit that tradition and therefore episode 7 presents a sequence accompanied by a song that recalls the best moments of Peter Jackson’s films. «This Wandering Day» performed by Megan Richards and composed by Bear McCreary and JD Payne accompanies a beautiful new visual tourist brochure from New Zealand.
In the audiovisual part, the series has not declined for a second. While the previous episode felt a bit rusty in its staging and handling of the actors in front of the camera, this time director Wayne Yip has pulled off the task gracefully. This episode presents a great collection of audiovisual moments that will remain for the memory; since the creation of Mithril; a fencing display by Galadriel; the migration of the Pelusos; or, as always, the final montage of the episode that elegantly blends the visual grandiloquence of the image and Bear McCreary’s epic musical composition.
The most special of goodbyes is that it shows that the design of the stories and the characters is not only up to the production. But they also live up to what is most essential in JRR Tolkien’s stories, characters facing moral conflicts and tortuous paths on the way to deciding between what is easy or what is right. So stories and characters line up for what seems to be an epic showdown against the forces of evil.
New episodes arrive every Thursday on Amazon Prime Video.
Luis Angel H Mora My Hogwarts letter never came, so I focused my life on movies. I like to write, Harry Potter, Doctor Who and parties where I wear an astrologer. John Williams and The Killers musicalize the drama of my life.