This Lord of the Rings article contains spoilers for The Rings of Power.
Celebrimbor is bound and bloody, having clearly been beaten and tortured by the Dark Lord.
Theres an element of rage and sadness, really.
Hes lost a creative partner and someone that inspired him.
He was a smith and Celebrimbor is one of the greatest smiths to ever live.
Celebrimbor is dead, and a great light of the age has gone out.
And, for a moment, Sauron, genuinely seems upset about this fact.
Its quite un-Sauron-like, as weird as it sounds, Vickers says.
Hes letting his emotions overcome him and doing something thats out of control, because hes all about control.
And I think that anger and sadness comes from that, as well as losing a partner in creation.
And changes the fate of the dwarves forever.
Ar-Pharazon Seizes Power in Numenor
Chaos reigns in the wake of Miriels trial by abyss.
Ar-Pharazon, who was clearly expecting the former queen to die at the hand (tentacle?)
of the kraken, decides to just throw caution to the wind and seize power directly.
She does give Elendil a parting gift: The sword Narsil.
I love the sword fight between Sauron and Galadriel,Rings of Powerdirector Charlotte Brandstrom says.
I find it sort of marks the end of the battle [for Eregion].
Its very dramatic, both in performance and in [the way it uses] space.
As with Celebrimbor, I think hes toying with her, Vickers says.
Sauron has this hubris and arrogance, and hes showing her his power and what hes capable of.
And when she jumps off the cliff, he knows shes going to live.
And apparently, all it took was seeing Galadriel stabbed by Saurons crown and dying in front of him.
Which, according to the man who plays him, was an obvious choice for Elrond.
He loves her, Robert Aramayo says.
Ive always thought that about Galadrielshe represents so much of what it is to be an elf.
Elrond has such a complicated relationship with his own [people], and with who he is.
Theres a natural ambiguity in his past and shes this symbol of Elven wisdom and strength.
He admires her so much.
and then he does that.
The Stranger Really Is Gandalf and He Gets His Staff!
This hour also sees Gandalf find his wizards staff.
Whats Up with the Dark Wizard?
But the episode does give us one crucial hint.
But which one is he?
(He has a cult and isnt a fan of Sauron, to be sure.)
It is a catastrophe that has put all of Middle-earth within Saurons reach.
But the fight, for the elves, is not over just yet.
Thats at the root of it, and its why I like Elrond so much.
Its tricky, because duty is always something thats really important to him.
And then theres what hewilldoand we obviously know lore-wise where its heading.
I think thats why he admires Galadriel so much, what shes capable of, her power.
Not only power as herself, but power in the world.
Hes more comfortable in the position of the heraldhelping, advising, actioning the will of the others.
But now hes here.
Whats Next for Sauron?
But whats next for a Dark Lord who (seemingly) has everything?
Some big moments, according to the man who plays him.
Im really excited to see him go to Numenor and the downfall of Numenor that follows.
I dont know how J.D.
(King Durins nonstop greed throughout the back half of this season is proof enough of that.)
That leaves….one rather significant piece of jewelry left.
At some point he has to make the One Ring.
Thats a big deal, Vickers laughs.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is streaming now on Prime Video.
