Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for The Rings of Power Episode 1 & 2.Although there has been a lot of exposition so far,The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powerhas already delivered some incredible action sequences reminiscent ofPeter Jackson’s incredible work in the original trilogy.In the second episode, “Adrift,”Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) and her new ally Halbrand (Charlie Vikers) battle a massive sea creature that lurks within the Sundering Seas.
Galadriel had decided not to join her kin who were sailing tothe Elven land known as Valinor. She’s rescued by Halbrand and a group of humans that have fled from the Orcs. Halbrand has his doubts about Galadriel; he’s not willing to trust the Elves, who don’t know what it’s like to be mortal. Galadriel scoffs at this, asshe’s already lost her brother, Finrod(Will Fletcher), during the war against Morgoth, along with countless other Elf lives.
Ultimately, Galadriel and Halbrand reach an understanding after working together to survive the storm. Halbrand swims to save Galadriel when she nearly drowns at the bottom of the ocean. As they tread water and try to find safety, a mysterious boat appears on the horizon. The outline of a humanoid figure appears on the deck of the ship. Although this character’s identity has not been revealed yet, it appears to be the Númenórean sailor Elendil (Lloyd Owen). Elendil appears on the same ship in several trailers for the series.
According to Tolkien’s mythology, Elendil gathered a group of sailors known as “The Faithful” after his father prophesied that a great evil was headed to Middle-earth. Elendil and his three sons washed up on the shore and founded the cities Gondor and Andor. These are the two primary kingdoms of men that we see inThe Lord of the Rings. Based on what we’ve seen inThe Rings of Powerthus far, the humans that survived the war with Morgoth are living in only a few smaller villages in rural areas.
Elendil is befriended bythe Elven High King Gil-galad(Benjamin Walker) during the kingdoms’ foundations. They ultimately join forces during the war against Sauron that is brewing inThe Rings of Power. We know from the opening flashback sequence ofThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ringthat Elendil perishes in the battle of Mount Doom. The throne of Gondor and Andor passes to his son, Isildur (Maxim Baldry).
It appears that Isildur and his brothers are traveling with their father as they sail for a new home.According toThe Rings of PowershowrunnerPatrick McKay, the series aims to show Isildur in a more sympathetic light than how he’s depicted in the original text. He compared Isildur’s ascension to power to the trajectory of Michael Corleone inThe Godfathertrilogy. Isildur never realizes that he has become the very thing he has sworn to destroy.
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Elendil’s Legacy Becomes Tainted When His Son Isildur is Influenced by the One Ring
InThe Lord of the Rings, Isildur is able to take his father’s sword and slice the One Ring from Sauron’s hand. However, he ultimately decides not to cast the ring into fires of Mount Doom, as he’s entranced by its power. This allows Sauron’s spirit to survive. Isildur is ultimately betrayed by the ring; he’s killed in a skirmish and drops the magical artifact into the bottom of a lake. The One Ring remains hidden for generations until Smeagol (Andy Serkis) ultimately discovers it.
The legacy of Isildur and Elendil weighs heavilyon their descendants. Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) lives in fear that he too will be corrupted by the power of the ring. This fear is made real when Boromir (Sean Bean) also falls victim to the corruption of the ring. This is ultimately why he refuses to take the ring when Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) offers it to him. However, Aragorn ultimately does what his ancestor never could. After the destruction of Mount Doom, he finally unites the cities of Gondor and Andor as the one true king.
Thus far,The Rings of Powerhas steadily been introducing the different species that reside in Middle-earth. It wasn’t until the second episode that we were first introduced to Dwarves that reside in Khazad-dûm. Elrond (Robert Aramayo), Galadriel (Morfyyd Clark), Durin IV (Owain Arthur), and Isildur are all young rulers that are thrust into leadership positions. It will be interesting to see how the series ultimately brings them all together.
