22 years of waiting, but it was worth it! Rings of Power Season 2 Episode 8 is so frustrating and so satisfying

News culture 22 years of waiting, but it was worth it! Rings of Power Season 2 Episode 8 is so frustrating and so satisfying

The Jewel of the Rings of Power

Episode 8 is personally and by far the best of the Rings of Power series so far. It encapsulates in 1 hour and 13 minutes everything I love and admire about the universe JRR Tolkien imagined in the 20th century. The title “The Shadow and the Flame” alone promised a big finale for Season 2, and it was. It all begins with the appearance of a mythical creature from Middle-earth 22 years after his confrontation with Gandalf in The Two Towers (2002). Buried in the depths of Moria, the Balrog awakens to meet the king of Khazad-dûm and the first ring-bearer, dwarf Durin III. who is perishing in front of his son.

This tragic death is just the first in a long series that will decimate the ranks of elves, dwarves, Uruks, and fortresses. I particularly appreciated the epic breath that permeates and enlivens a story that had previously been stuck in a sometimes essential but clumsy presentation. Episode 8 switches perfectly between exciting action scenes and plot resolutions necessary to (finally) move the story of Middle-earth forward with a capital H. Amazon dares to make its own the lands and characters imagined by the British author almost a century ago, and to its credit, even if it risks scaring saga scholars.

A bloodbath

I mentioned it a little earlier. Rings of Power Season 2 Episode 8 has no pity for its characters, who many see as passing the gun to the left. The destruction of Eregion by the Legions of Adar leads to the deaths of many elves, starting with the master blacksmith Celebrimbor, who dies at the hands of Sauron after being tortured by him. The leader of the Uruks is himself murdered by his own troops, who have fallen under the thumb of the Dark Lord himself. Then Glüg, Adar’s right arm, is stabbed by Sauron. And the carnage has only just begun.

Durin III – King of Khazad-dûm – brings us face to face with the Balrog of Moria, not without leaving us an epic and unforgettable memory before he disappears into the flames. On the other side of Middle-earth, the Fortauds (the faithful of the desert) watch helplessly as their village is destroyed by the “Dark Wizard” and the deaths of several of them. Eventually, the king of Numenor Ar-Pharazôn launches a nosy campaign against the believers, leading to their imprisonment (or death). In a completely different register, In Middle-earth, knowledge is consumed in the flames of an auto-da-fé. The Uruks are steadfast in destroying millennia-old knowledge by burning the elven archives of Celebrimbor. And that’s not the worst thing!

Frustration at its peak

Such a riot of resources and mastery leaves me perplexed by a Season 2 that has so far blown hot and cold and struggled to find its rhythm. It took no less than six episodes for the Rings of Power to see its first acts of courage in 2024. Luckily, Episode 7 set Eregion on fire during an epic and highly “meta” battle. The eighth and final part is very different in nature, but much more satisfying in every way… which leads to great frustration for me.

The serial format is to blame for this. It’s impossible for an episode to juggle so many characters and locations without sacrificing some of them or limiting their airtime. Episode 8 only gives the various intrigues about ten minutes to unfold and provide some elements for viewers. Aside from that, Many questions remain unanswered, even if certain dates at the end of the second season are questionable to say the least. We are on the verge of the great betrayal as JRR Tolkien’s universe is torn apart and remade. Then “The Shadow and the Flame” tries to make us believe in the untimely end of Galadriel’s encounter with Sauron, even though fans know full well that she will still be alive millennia later.

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