The Rings of Power season 2 episode 1 recap and review

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 is now streaming on Prime Video. Fans have been waiting for more than two years to watch the new episodes of the season. 

At the end of the first season, Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) knows that Sauron (Charlie Vickers) is here. He’s offered a position in his new world, but she rebukes him for now. He ends the season heading for Mordor to reclaim his crown. 

With a slight push from Sauron, Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards), Elrond (Robert Aramayo), and Galadriel craft three rings using the Mithril to extend the Elves’ time on Middle-earth. Sauron’s hooks are already in Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards) as he parroted a line from Suaron’s past to Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker) in the season finale, which we learn in the season 2 premiere. 

We also know that the Stranger (Daniel Weyman) is a wizard. Is he Gandalf, or another? We’ll find out soon! But, Nori Harfoot (Markella Kavenagh) abandons her community to help the Stranger fulfill his destiny. When the season ends, Nori and the Stranger are heading for Rhûn. 

The season 2 premiere, "Elven Kings Under the Sky," begins with a little of Sauron’s backstory. After the fall of Morgoth, Sauron ascends to the throne, and he tries to win over the orcs to see through his vision of the future. He gives a speech that hints at using rings to extract the power of an “unseen world,” which is exactly what Celebrimbor mentioned in the season 1 finale.

Shortly after, Adar (Sam Hazeldine) and the orcs betray Sauron. As Adar places Sauron’s helm on his head, Adar stabs him in the neck with it. Sauron is mauled by orcs. While he fights valiantly, there are simply too many. They leave him for dead, but then something happens that Adar and the orcs did not intend. 

Sauron’s blood leaks through the cracks and crevices. For a time, he is less than human until he regains his strength and journeys out of the mountain as an amorphous blob. Finally, Sauron finds a human traveler. Sauron commandeers his skin, and the rest is history. 

We see Sauron journey to the sea where he meets Galadriel and their time together begins. 

Elrond refuses to give the rings to Gil-galad 

Elrond flees Eregion and takes the rings to Gil-galad. He snitches on Galadriel and tells Gil-galad that her companion, Halbrand, is not who he says he is. Galadriel doesn’t want to reveal that Halbrand is Sauron, but eventually, she does. She explains how he’s deceived her and them. Elrond chastises her for being blinded by her pride. 

Elrond tries to tell Gil-galad that they need to destroy the rings, but Gil-galad knows that the rings are the only way that they can stop Sauron, stop the fading, as he calls it, and save the people of Middle-earth. Elrond leaps from a high waterfall at Lindon and disappears. 

Sauron returns to Mordor as Halbrand

Sauron, disguised as Halbrand, the King of the Southlands, is captured on his way back to Mordor on purpose. He meets face-to-face with Adar and demands that the people of the Southlands be set free. Halbrand reveals that Galadriel has instructed the Elves to make a “great weapon” and a “power over flesh” and to find a great sorcerer who is still alive. He’s talking about Sauron, which freaks out the orcs. They don’t want Sauron to return. Adar instructs the man he thinks is Halbrand to reveal the details of this plan for Galadriel to find Sauron, but Halbrand withholds that information, knowing it will keep him alive. The orcs start to beat him while holding him captive to try to retrieve the information. 

Later, Waldreg offers Halbrand food in exchange for information, but Sauron doesn’t bite – the food or the offer. They beat him again as Adar listens on. Sauron might be gone, but he’s living in their heads rent-free. Halbrand, then, offers his meal to one of the beastly creatures he’s caged up with, but first, he tames the creature and makes it take the treat nicely. Middle-earth’s Cesar Milan, everybody! 

Nori and the Stranger plod along toward Rhûn 

As the couple walks through the desert, someone or something rocking a skull mask is tracking them, and it’s not far behind them. The Stranger continues to have dreams and visions, which Nori reminds him of. 

Their journey comes to a dead tree. Nori asks the Stranger to use his power to try to make the tree bear fruit, but it doesn’t work. The tree explodes. 

That night, they talk around the fire. Then, the Stranger reveals to Nori that they’re being followed. It’s giving some big-time Gandalf vibes! 

They flee, and later, they set a trap for the person who follows them. Nori watches from above, as they use a trip wire and a net to catch, POPPY PROUDFELLOW! What is Poppy (Megan Richards) doing out in the desert? How did she find them? 

Poppy reveals that “The Walking Song” that the Harfoots sing isn’t just a song, but it’s a map. It leads the Stranger, Nori, and Poppy to Rhûn. Poppy notes that the Stranger is looking at the land like he’s been here before. 

Then, it’s revealed that those following the Stranger and Nori are actually servants of Sauron. Interesting, very interesting. 

Gil-galad admonishes Galadriel 

Gil-galad sends a message to Celebrimbor to alert him to Sauron’s deception and to share the news that Halbrand is actually Sauron. 

When the messenger leaves, Gil-galad gives Galadriel a piece of his mind. He’s not happy with her, but she reassures him that she will ensure that Sauron is destroyed. He agrees that is the only reason she is still alive after the predicament that she has caused. 

Galadriel knows how Elrond will move. She knows that he will try to destroy the rings and seek out someone that he will trust. 

Elrond seeks the counsel of Círdan the Shipwright

Elrond brings the rings to Círdan (Ben Daniels), who is a huge character in this world. He’s the most famous shipbuilder in Middle-earth. Elrond shares with Círdan that he wishes to destroy the rings. As Círdan is telling Elrond how to destroy the rings, Galadriel and Gil-galad arrive. Galadriel tries to convince Elrond to trust in the rings and turn them back over. Galadriel reveals that the rings are free of Sauron’s influence, but Elrond doesn’t trust that Galadriel is free of Sauron’s influence. 

Elrond reveals that the rings are gone. They’re with Círdan, and they’re heading out to sea to be destroyed. 

Yet, as Círdan tries to dump the rings into the water, a rogue wave knocks him back into the boat. He decides not to destroy the rings. He feels their power, and he knows that those rings are the only way to save the Elves. 

Adar frees Sauron 

Adar reveals his story to Sauron about how Morgoth tested his followers. Adar spins a tale of being chained upon a high peak for days, suffering, until Sauron appeared and offered him wine. Then, Adar asks the man he thinks is the King of the Southlands what he knows of Sauron. Adar claims he has freed all of the people of the Southlands, so Halbrand answers. 

Halbrand reveals that Sauron has returned, although he doesn’t know what form Sauron has taken. He offers Adar a deal: let him go and in exchange, Halbrand will use his influence with the elves to help find and defeat Sauron. Halbrand kneels at Adar’s feet and swears a vow to the Lord of Mordor. 

Sauron leaves the camp, but before he does, he frees the beast, which feasts on Waldreg and other orcs in the camp. 

Gil-galad reveals that the Elves must leave Middle-earth 

Elrond, Galadriel, and the rest of the Elves gather to hear Gil-galad reveal to their people that they must leave Middle-earth, but just then, Elrond’s buddy who was supposed to destroy the rings crashes the party. With the three rings, he believes they have the power to stop the fading and keep the Elves in Middle-earth. Galadriel and Gil-galad put on the rings, and the golden tree blooms again!

Elrond, I believe, is supposed to be wearing one of those rings, but he leaves the party for now. 

In Eregion, Celebrimbor fires up the new forge again! He plans to use it. 

Sauron, disguised as Hilbrand, pays a visit to his old friend Celebrimbor. They’ve got a few more rings to make, it appears! 

Overall, I enjoyed the first episode of The Rings of Power season 2. It was a good place for this season to start, and it answered a lot of questions I had about where the story is going from here. 

The Rings of Power still has a pacing problem. It’s still overcrowded, and we only met, like, half of the main characters in the season 2 premiere. I know the pieces on the board are coming together, based on the trailer, but I still think the creative team has overplayed their hand quite a bit.  

Yes, we care about these characters, but there’s just not enough screen time to give them all the time they deserve. In some ways, it’s like Team USA playing in the Olympics. There are only so many minutes to give Jason Tatum, Anthony Edwards, and Bam Adebayo when you’re letting LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant go to work. 

The other problem is that, despite the many talented performers, I don’t think a lot of these characters are interesting or important enough to devote several episodes of time to throughout an eight-episode series. In other words, there’s no Jason Tatum, Anthony Edwards, and Bam Adebayo coming off the bench. Morfydd Clark is a star. I love her as Galadriel. And, I’m a big, big fan of Charlie Vickers as Halbrand, Sauron, and the many other guises he’ll don in future episodes. Outside of those two, and maybe Robert Aramayo as Elrond and Ismael Cruz Córdova as Arondir, I really don’t feel that I’m that invested in the stories of the Harfoots, the Stranger, and the others. 

We’ll keep an eye on that as the season progresses.