Review of Amazon Primes The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season One, Episode Eight Alloyed – Television

Liam van den Hoek October 15th, 2022 - 9:55 AM

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powersfirst season concluded with its eighth episode, Alloyed. The finale included multiple twists and answered questions that had been building for the entire season.

The Stranger,played by Daniel Weyman (Gentle Jack, A Very English Scandal), opens proceedings along with Nori,played by Markella Kavenagh (My First Summer, Picnic at Hanging Rock),and three evil magical beings, including The Dweller, played by Bridie Sisson (Cowboy Bebop).The Stranger thinks that he has stumbled upon Nori when the Dweller has tricked him with the ability to shape-shift.They tell him that he is from Rhn and believe him to be Sauron. Nori eventually comes to help, along with friends, including Sadoc, played by Lenny Henry (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Penelope). Nori convinces The Stranger that he is not evil. He uses The Dwellers staff to save the Harfoots. The evil magical beings call him Istar, which means wizard, and although it is not confirmed, there is a definite suggestion that The Stranger is Gandalf. Sadoc injured in battle dies peacefully. Nori returns to the other Harfoots before she is allowed to leave with The Stranger on his journey to Rhn to discover more about his identity. His English accent and eloquent speech patterns are jarring.

Elendil, played by Lloyd Owen (Apollo 18, Miss Potter),andQueen Regent Mriel, played by Cynthia Addai-Robinson (The Accountant, Star Trek Into Darkness), head back to Nmenor by ship and reaffirm to each other their commitment. Together, they will ensure that their sacrifices including Elendils son and Mriels sight are not for nothing. On Nmenor, Mriels father passes away. Just before he does so, he reveals to Erien, played by Ema Horvath (What Lies Below), believing her to be Mriel, that upstairs he has seen the future. She understands what he means when she uncovers a palantri stone.

Back with Elrond, played by Robert Aramayo (Game of Thrones, Behind Her Eyes), and Celebrimbor, played by Charles Edwards (The Crown, The Duke), who prepare to disappoint their king with the news of their failure to ascertain enough mithril. Galadriel, played by Morfyrdd Clark (Saint Maud, Crawl), and a wounded Halbrand, played by Charlie Vickers (Medici), arrive and interrupt them. Halbrand recovers and suggests that Celebrimbor combine it with other elements to make it more powerful. Galadriel grows suspicious of her previous travel companion and his demonstrations of unfounded wisdom. She waits for historical data on the history of the Southlands. Halbrand is the hero when he suggests to Celebrimbor and Elrond that they should not force it to merge with other elements but rather allow it to do so with ease. Galadriel finds the information she ordered and discovers that Halbrand is not the king of the Southlands. She demands he reveal his true identity and is shocked to find out that he, the being whose life she just saved, is Sauron, the one who shes been hunting this entire time. He strikes her, sending her into a dream-like land memory with her brother, who was seen inthe first episode, A Shadow of the Past.She eventually breaks out of her trance and rejects his offer to join him to rule Middle Earth together. Halbrand does not think there is a distinction between ruling and saving.

Galadriel tries to keep her mistake a secret and informs the others that Halbrand will not be returning. Instead of making one ring with the mithril, they will make three to provide more balance. These rings are intended to be made only for elven use. Halbrand arrives in Mordor. The episode rolls credits to the song that reminds the viewer of the creation of the rings. This episode was the origin of the three elven rings. Halbrand will likely take what he learned from the elves to create the One Ring.

Alloyed was an episode of two real twists. The Strangers transformation into a benevolent wizard was both unexpected and rewarding. The misdirection of his destructive habits combined with their accidental nature cleverly lulled the audience into a sense that he was Sauron, the one Galadriel was hunting. This reveal was mostly well done aside from a couple of cheesy lines and his off-putting instant transformation into a verbose, English-accented, utterly cognizant Istar. The unveiling of Halbrand as Sauron was undoubtedly shocking, if not slightly nonsensical. There were clues of his darker side with street fights, vague answers, and mentions of a dark past, but nothing quite suggested that he was Sauron until this episode. That can be a delightful twist; however, it does automatically inspire quite a few questions. What was he doing for this entire season? Was Sauron, one of if not the most powerful beings on Middle Earth, having a massive tantrum? Did he really want to turn to a life of smithing? If he was looking to change for the entire season, why did he revert to his old self here? The unveiling of Sauron was the most exciting part of the finale and the season, yet it felt a little challenging to grasp. The rest of the episode generally fell flat with rather monotonous dialogue. Alloyed perfectly summed up the highs and lows ofThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powersdebut season with Amazon Prime. There were high-quality moments surrounded by disappointing scenes, stunning images, and unrewarding storylines.

Rating: 6.0/10

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Review of Amazon Primes The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season One, Episode Eight Alloyed - Television