The Rings of Power Episode 7 Review: The Extraordinary Beauty Of The Epic, Change For The Future
Cast: Morfydd Clark, Robert Aramayo, Charles Edwards and Ismael Cruz Córdova
Director: Charlotte Brändström
Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 4/5 (four stars) [yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
After weeks of conflict, speculation, and controversy, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is nearing the end of its first season. With strong confirmations from Amazon (filming for the second season has already started in England), the flagship product of the Amazon Prime Video platform now has to deal with the difficult palate of viewers and fans. If the show is managing to attract the curiosity of newbies and the attention of the most cautious fans towards itself, the showrunners already seem certain that the narrative and production quality can only improve. Responding to criticism from a large portion of the fandom, JD Payne and Patrick McKay replied that the second season of The Rings of Power will be superior to the first in every respect and that the project will be considered in its entirety over time.
Specifically for this first season, after observing a succession of ups and downs between scenic rendering and narrative management, we only await its conclusion to provide a complete and exhaustive judgment. Having now reached the actual prelude to the season finale, let’s analyze together the seventh episode of The Rings of Power. And it is precisely about changes that we will talk about in our review of The Rings of Power Episode 7, an episode that has the flavor of the first part of an epilogue, which with its revolutions rather than closing gates, opens up to a new world yet. all to be discovered. Less spectacular than the previous one, but with a consistent quality that is rarely found in a series in its first vintage. As long as you play along with the epic narrated and be patient.
The Rings of Power Episode 7 Review: The Story
The narrative takes its breath away just moments from last week’s shocking finale: the Orcs of Adar (Joseph Mawle) managed to recover the artifact of the Sauron cult, unleashing a catastrophe on the Southlands and leading to the eruption of the future Mount Doom. The fire and chaos thus poured into all the neighboring areas, indiscriminately hitting the characters present and then irreversibly distorting the entire territory. While Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) and Theo (Tyroe Muhafidin) set out in search of the survivors, Nùmenor’s contingent and the Humans find themselves counting their respective casualties. Between pain, anger and fear, some wounds don’t seem to heal, and everyone’s temper will be put to the test. Meanwhile, the Pelopiedi have reached their destination together with the Stranger, but the difficulties and fear of a very powerful entity will lead to numerous problems that could prove crucial for the season finale.
Similarly, the battle of nerves between Elves and Dwarves seems to continue unabated: Elrond (Robert Aramayo) and Durin IV (Owain Arthur) try to persuade the King of the Dwarves to grant the Elves access to the Mithril mines, but the decision is anything but simple. Also, in this case, there will be strong contrasts based on very different ideologies and mentalities. Only time will tell who was right. Whatever the outcome, known or not, the whole of Middle-Earth is fully experiencing the preparatory events for one of the darkest and most difficult periods in its entire history. The work of the forces of evil becomes more and more evident and the circle seems to tighten every minute that passes toward the solution of every mystery. It will be up to the end to close the circle and provide us with the right answers.
We will not have spoilers, because of events in this seventh and penultimate episode of the first season of The Lord of the Rings – The Rings of Power there are many and it would be worthy of an ogre to tell the plot in detail. Suffice it to say that the episode opens with a sequence that we have already had the opportunity to see in the promotional material: Galadriel wakes up in an unrecognizable world. Around her are ashes and fire, dust and death. Mount Doom has awakened and brought destruction and desolation with it. He made blood-red landscapes green lands. She blew away hope and created a point of no return.
The plot of The Eye finally involves all the main protagonists of the story, from Galadriel to Elrond and Durin, who must come to terms with the dwarf’s father to ally with races. This last storyline offers some of the densest moments of the episode, with a comparison between generations that strikes the heart for its link with contemporaneity. Great space, finally, also for the Pelopiedi and Nori, who will have to deal with the changes taking place and will make strange encounters. The general feeling, for how the various stories unfold, is that of entering the last act of this season, which, however, rather than closing pieces of narration serves to lay the gaze towards the next seasons.
The Rings of Power Episode 7 Review and Analysis
Analyzing the seventh episode from a purely dialectical point of view, the episode directed by Charlotte Brandstorm assumes very specific characteristics right from the start. “The Eye” is an episode built on face-to-face, in which dualisms dominate the scene. It is no coincidence, therefore, that in addition to the excellent management of the glances and the reverse shots in the control room, it is precisely the dialogues and contrasts between the characters that stand out in a particularly marked way. Perhaps for the first time since the beginning of the series, each exchange is satisfying and interesting to listen to, both for the words spoken and for their content. Taking note of a couple of flaws, capable of making characters as Elendil waver, almost all the exchanges between the various performers give the episode bite and character, offering the viewer glimpses of that wonder that has characterized the flavor of Tolkien’s works.
In these terms, the showrunners themselves are growing together with the thematic hold of the series: it will certainly not be possible to remedy one’s mistakes during a single season, but the latest episodes are proving that there can be more than some hope of improvement for the future. Unfortunately, some purely narrative decisions that clash with good dialogue management still stand out. In this sense, excluding the now obvious gaps concerning the canon, at least a couple of developments regarding the fate of the characters seem to have been constructed with the precise intention of creating apprehension in the observer but get lost in empathically discharged representations. On the other hand, fortunately, the beautiful sequences offered by the episode (including impactful sets and goosebumps music) can guarantee a positive result as a whole.
One of the biggest surprises concerns the development of Galadriel, which finally shows a convincing approach that could well recall fragments of the character so loved by fans. While not reaching the level of Elrond or Durin, we are witnessing a slow growth that we hope will allow the lady of Morfydd Clark to soon reach other qualitative heights. However, some scenic “surprises” clearly created to wink at fans instead of thrilling them fail to have the same effect. Looking closely at the imposing production of The Rings of Power, especially once they have reached this point, the merits and defects of an extremely ambitious work that is inevitably conditioned by its value now appear evident. The ideas and intentions of the showrunners appear laudable and dispassionate, but they still fail to overwhelm the viewer as one would expect from the incredible communicative weight of a Tolkien representation.
The idea of building a world not known to all to become attached to, and then shrouding it in the shadows and letting the chaos spread, is extremely fascinating. However, the surrender has so far appeared aseptic on several occasions and only events, interpretations of some characters and the spasmodic expectation of the twists are keeping the work afloat. We are witnessing a narrative and qualitative crescendo, although not free from errors, which we sincerely hope will fully convince once the climax is reached – possibly giving, even retroactively, more value to the entire operation.
Beyond these slight stumbles, however, The Rings of Power continues to respect the heart of Tolkien’s works, giving us a look that knows how to go beyond the boundaries of Middle-earth and reach our present, speaking directly to us, just like the great stories they know how to do. It is in the generation comparison between a father and a son, between a traditional rule and the rupture of the same, and between an idea and its realization, that the series stages the voice of the world of change. As well as the one conceived by Tolkien, so does ours. Even the orcs of Adar embrace this positive change from their point of view, a break from the past.
In this conflict that involves the present “squandering the future to remain anchored to the past“, The Eye seems to refer to our, eye. Who observes and is invited to continue the vision, not only for the next final episode but for those to come. And it is at this point that we are also obliged to be more patient than expected: despite how we are used to it in recent times, this first season of The Rings of Power does not hide its identity, precise and unquestionable. That of being a long introduction to a story yet to be discovered, not closed in on itself, but open to the future. Perhaps this is precisely the most revolutionary and disconcerting change in the work: having such enormous faith in the future that it strikes like a bright eye in a land of darkness.
The Rings of Power Episode 7 Review: The Last Words
The Rings of Power Episode 7 continues its climb towards an intense and full of implications ending. While maintaining a low profile, clearly preparatory, the dialogues between the characters and the atmospheres manage to steal the show despite the inevitable smudges that distinguish the trend of this series. Never before on this occasion, the characters and their motivations appeared convincing: we hope it is a prelude to a finale worthy of the name. The Rings of Power Episode 7 sets the stage for the season finale. Involving all the characters and telling of the profound change that took place in Middle-Earth (and in the protagonists of the story), the episode offers sequences of great impact and strong emotion. However, asking the viewer a lot of confidence for the future of the series, not just for the finale next week, but for the following seasons.
