The Rings of Power Season 2: The Summary of the First 3 Episodes and Ending Explanations!
The first three episodes of The Rings of Power Season 2, the prequel TV series to The Lord of the Rings, entitled Elven-Kings Beneath the Sky, Where the Stars Are Strange and The Eagle and the Scepter, were released on Prime Video on Thursday 29 August. After two years, you may have missed some passages (we recommend reading the explanation of the first season’s ending), or that you need an explanation regarding a scene of this grand return. And we are here for you, with this (long) recap of the first three episodes of The Rings of Power Season 2, which we have divided according to the various narrative lines and related characters that appeared in the individual episodes. Naturally, with all the explanations and possible spoilers.
The Rings of Power Season 2: Episode 1 Summary
What Happens to Sauron, Past and Present
The first episode of the new season opens with a prologue that takes us back in time, to the dawn of the second age, just after the end of Morgoth. We see Sauron, here played by Jack Lowden instead of Charlie Vickers, who harangues the orcs led by Adar (who in season 2 is played by Sam Hazeldine). A speech in which Sauron says that a new age is beginning and that he will lead them towards the conquest of Middle-earth, but also that many orcs will die in battle, and they have no choice since everyone else hates them.
The orcs don’t take it well, one tries to hit Sauron, but the dark lord easily kills him. Adar seems to want to crown the new leader of evil, but at the last moment, he turns the crown to the sharp points and hits him, followed by the orcs. Sauron falls under the blows, and exhaling what seems to be his last breath he emits an icy wave that spreads all around (maybe it is among these ices that Galadriel at the beginning of the first season had found traces of Sauron?). After that, it turns into a black goo that drips underground. This explains why Adar told Galadriel that he had killed Sauron: because he believed he had actually done it. But of course, this is not the case, and the black goo that drips underground feeds on rats and insects until it finds the strength to rise to the surface, kill a poor traveler, and take on the human form of Halbrand (Charlie Vickers again).
He later comes across a caravan of people fleeing the orcs for safety, and an elder convinces him to join them. The elder has a crest of the ancient and extinct ruling house of the Southlands, which he keeps as a reminder that even those who are high can fall low, and he makes a speech about the need to choose good every day. Then the caravan sets sail, and at a certain point, a sea monster causes a shipwreck of the ship, during which “Halbrand” takes advantage of it to snatch the symbol of the ruling house from the drowning elder. He then finds himself on the raft that will then pick up Galadriel, and here is the explanation of what we saw in season 1, with the meeting on the raft and the story of the king of the Southlands.
In the present, Sauron surrenders (as Halbrand king of the Southlands) to the orcs of Adar, who with the explosion that created Mount Doom gave life (or rather death) to Mordor and proposes to free the captured men or the orcs will die. Adar rightly says that they have nothing more to fear having defeated men, elves, and Numenorians, but Halbrand says that Galadriel has allied with an ancient sorcerer who has created a weapon whose power goes “beyond the flesh” (a concept that returns). Adar gets the reference to Sauron, but when Halbrand demands the release of “his” people he is thrown into a cell by Waldreg, the old man who sold himself to Adar, who beats him violently. In the cell, Halbrand makes “friends” with a beast (a warg, to be precise) chained near him, while Waldreg continues to mock him.
Adar then goes to speak with “Halbrand”, telling him how he was one of the 13 chosen by Morgoth to rule over the regions of Middle-earth and found himself on a dark peak where he was chained and suffered hunger and thirst until he saw Sauron. Adar informs the prisoner that his people have been freed and now he wants to know everything about Sauron. Halbrand is not lying when he says that “Sauron has returned in another form”, but “even if he does not know what he looks like now” he still has the trust of the Elves, which he will use to track down Sauron and have him finally exterminated by Adar’s Uruks. Halbrand swears loyalty to Adar, who frees him. In turn, Halbrand will free the warg, who eats the disgusting Waldreg, carrying out the revenge long-awaited not only by Sauron. Halbrand-Sauron, therefore, heads to Celebrimbor in Eregion, to propose a pact.
What Happens to the Elves Galadriel, Elrond, Gil-Galad and Cirdan?
In the season finale, Galadriel had finally unmasked Sauron, who after having foiled the attempted murder of the elf had run away. Elrond then collects the manuscript that had proved to Galadriel that Halbrand was not the king of the Southlands at all, and realizing that something is wrong he steals the rings from Galadriel and runs away, pursued by his friend (and future mother-in-law). The two reunite before Gil-galad, to whom Galadriel reveals that Halbrand was actually Sauron in disguise. Elrond wants to destroy the rings even more, while Galadriel is convinced that they do not have the influence of evil and that they can solve the problem of the Elves who seem destined to die if they do not return to Valinor. However, Elrond does not get caught and throws himself into a waterfall with the rings, and goes to Cirdan, who is a shipbuilder and is known to be the oldest and wisest of the elves, who live in the Grey Havens of Lindon.
He tells him about the rings and Sauron and convinces him to throw the rings into a very deep pit in the sea. Meanwhile, Gil-Galad sends a messenger to Celebrimbor to warn him that Halbrand is Sauron. Galadriel, who is determined to right her wrongs, realizes that Elrond has taken refuge with Cirdan, and Gil-Galad heads for the Grey Havens. Elrond and Galadriel speak, but he has already given the rings to Cirdan. However, at sea, he senses the enormous power of the rings and, thanks to a favorable wave, changes his mind and does not throw the rings into the water. So, when Gil-Galad who considers them lost forever tells the other Elves that they will have to leave Middle Earth since their trees are dying, Cirdan arrives carrying the rings, one already on his finger. One falls and ends up in front of Galadriel who puts it on, and Gil-galad does the same with the third. Suddenly, the sky clears and the trees come back to life, under the eyes of a sad Elrond, who leaves disappointed.
What Happens to the Stranger, Nori, and Poppy on their way to Rhun?
The Stranger and Nori set out on their journey to Rhun, guided by the constellation the stranger saw in his dream. By the way, the Istar keeps having visions of staff and a wizard who looks dangerously like Saruman. However, he and Nori continue to wander in circles in a desert area and seem to be lost (while dark-masked figures continue to follow them from afar). Nori convinces the Stranger to use magic to try to make fruit (despite last season’s accident) come out of a dry tree, but this time the magic makes the tree break, but from it comes insects that Nori (evidently someone who knows the cuisine of the future) considers delicious, especially because she is very hungry. The two travelers realize they are being followed and set a trap, but the one who is captured is Poppy, the “Sam of Nori”, who immediately proves to be invaluable. She realizes that to find their way back they must follow an old travel song of the Harfoots that points the way to Rhun. The constellation in the sky confirms that they are on the right path, even if the Stranger doesn’t even know why he feels he must go there.
The Rings of Power Season 2: Episode 2 Summary
What Happens to Durin, Disa, and the Other Dwarves?
In Khazad-dum Durin, stripped of his title by his father, goes shopping in financial straits with his wife Disa, who tells him that she loves him for who he is and not for the rank he had. However, the shopping is interrupted when, as a consequence of the earthquake in Mordor, a huge ridge of rock breaks away from the mountain and collapses below, causing the darkening of the light in the mountain inhabited by the Dwarves.
This causes the plants to dry up, but Disa and two of her “stone-singing” colleagues go to King Durin to try to find a new passage. The attempt fails, leaving the only hope in the diggers, but at least Disa tells her father-in-law that he should reconcile with his son. Durin the younger, exhausted from working in the mine, then speaks with his wife at dinner, and Disa tries to convince him to reopen the dialogue with his father. At the end of the episode, we see the couple again receive a message from Celebrimbor, who summons them to Eregion.
What Happens to Galadriel, Elrond and Gil-galad
Galadriel has a vision in which she plants flowers at her brother’s grave and meets Celebrimbor who tells her that he has received an unexpected visit. The sky immediately darkens and branches sprout from a tree (from seeds planted by Galadriel) that envelop Celebrimbor, who before dying recites the phrase about the 3 rings for the elves, 7 for the dwarves, and 9 for men. The vision ends and Galadriel finds herself in the presence of the king who is sending soldiers to Mordor to find Sauron who wants to supplant Adar, but then Galadriel tells the High King that she thinks Sauron is going to Celebrimbor to forge more rings and conquer the peoples of Middle-earth. Gil-galad insists, speaking of his visions with Celebrimbor since he has the ring, and the king of the elves also confesses to having visions of tragedy since he has worn the ring.
Galadriel asks to go to Celebrimbor, but the king reminds her that Sauron can sculpt the minds of those who have trusted him as Galadriel did and tells her that he will let her go only if she is not alone. Galadriel goes to Elrond to persuade him to accompany her to Eregion, but Elrond still refuses to take part in a mission that he considers to be falling into the traps and plans hatched by Sauron. Elrond therefore goes to a rejuvenated and clean-shaven Cirdan to express his doubts, and Master Cirdan responds by saying that he judges the works and not those who have done them, showing him the power of his ring. And so, Galadriel is summoned again by Gil-Galad who announces that she can go to Eregion. With Elrond, who has changed his mind and will personally lead the expedition.
What Happens in Eregion to Celebrimbor and Halbrand-Sauron?
In Eregion Celebrimbor sends word to Halbrand that he will not receive him, because Galadriel has told him not to speak to him anymore. But “Halbrand” does not give up and slowly wins the trust of others, also having his wound treated. Celebrimbor still awaits messengers from Lindon, but unfortunately, they have been killed and will never arrive to carry the message. Celebrimbor creates a kind of bas-relief with the last dust of mithril left over from the rings, an artifact that can only be observed in the moonlight. However, they see that the visitor is still there, in the heart of the night, and so Sauron’s plan continues to succeed. Celebrimbor finally gives him an audience, to tell him to leave, but with his oratory art, Halbrand gets himself accepted, saying that he spoke with Galadriel about what happened in Lindon with the rings.
“Ah, they didn’t send you messages from the king? As usual, the creators are only exploited by the nobles who then enjoy the works without saying anything to those who created them” continues the crafty Sauron, who thus gets himself hosted by the curious Celebrimbor, who wants to know everything about the success of his saving rings. The joy clouds the mind of Celebrimbor who wants to “celebrate” (ok excuse us) the triumph, but “Halbrand” tells him that their work is not finished because now they must create other rings to save men from the darkness that looms over Middle Earth. And the dwarves would need it too, says Halbrand who reveals to Celebrimbor that he is actually Annatar (the god of gifts we already told you about two years ago), sent by the Valar to the earth to help Celebrimbor save the people with his rings.
What Happens to the Stranger and the other characters in Rhun?
In Caras Gaer, in western Rhun, the Dark Wizard who appeared in a vision to the Stranger receives messengers who inform him of the Istar’s journey with the two Harfoots. We also see the Resident again, who reappears from a cloud of moths and reports the return of Sauron in another form and the progress of the Stranger, who however has not yet taken full possession of his powers and is therefore still weak. Also coming from the Dark Sorcerer is the masked man we saw following our friends, who promises to capture the Stranger using the halflings with him as hostages, in exchange for freedom from the “curse that afflicts our flesh” (that’s why they’re masked?).
Our friends continue their journey, with Poppy suggesting a shortcut through the desert to her already exhausted companions. Poppy suggests that the Stranger make water appear, but he doesn’t want to cause any more disasters. And then they realize they’re being followed. They hide like the hobbits in The Fellowship of the Ring and escape capture, but they realize they have to change their route and take the sunny shortcut. Soon the Stranger runs out of strength, but just then Poppy finds a well to quench her thirst and they carry the unconscious Stranger to recover. They drink and refresh themselves, and the Stranger also finds the stick he had dreamed of, but soon after the masked men arrive and attack them. The Stranger uses the stick to create a storm that engulfs everything and everyone, including Nori and Poppy, who are swept away by the wind without the Istar being able to do anything to stop it.
The Rings of Power Season 2: Episode 3 Summary
What Happens to Isildur, Arondir, and Theo
At the beginning of Episode 3, we see Elendil trying to convince Berek, his son Isildur’s horse, to embark, lost and thought dead only by those who do not know his future role in the story of the Lord of the Rings. But Berek must have read it because he refuses and is eventually freed. The horse returns to the Southlands, and after a long wandering, accompanied by an attempted attack by orcs, finds his rider in the dangerous Black Forest. Isildur has been captured by giant spiders. The two friends manage to save themselves and escape safe and sound from the deadly forest.
Later they come to a river and Isildur wants to drink, but a skeleton in the water advises otherwise. Isildur is in a wasteland due to the orc raids and the disaster of Mount Doom, but after a while, they find a woman named Estrid who first stabs Isildur but then reveals herself to be one of the good guys. She heals the Numenorian as best she can, and together they go to Pelargir where Elendil and Miriel have set sail. And in fact, they find no one. Instead, they end up in a trap of men sent by Adar, who pretend to be victims of the orcs and then attack them, managing to steal Berek in the fight. At this point the debutant (for season 2) Arondir intervenes and exterminates almost all the thieves except those on horseback who have now escaped.
Arondir and Isildur recognize each other, and the elf explains that the area is full of orcs so if he wants to look for Berek they are made of Isildur, who intelligently gives up for the moment and follows the elf. Arondir returns to the village, where we discover that Bromwyn has died as a result of the wounds suffered in the battle against the orcs last season. Theo heals Isildur’s wound, and Arondir reassures him that he will be reunited with his father, making Theo a little jealous. Arondir suggests that the boy should offer himself as a healer, but Theo doesn’t trust people. And not even Arondir, whom he tells not to speak to him anymore. He does talk to Isildur and convinces him to accompany him to take Berek back.
That evening at the meeting place Isildur finds Estrid, to whom he tells how he caused the death of his mother who drowned to save him while he was lost in the waves. Something he has never told even his father and sister. Theo hears the story and increases his sense of empathy for Isildur. But the moment is “ruined” by the discovery that Estrid is also an emissary of Adar, and she burns the mark on her neck to avoid being discovered. Isildur and Theo go to get Berek back, but when Isildur is about to be caught Theo enters the scene introducing himself as a young “servant of Adar”, passing off a wound as the mark of the orc king. The thieves don’t buy it and are about to capture him, when someone intervenes, scaring the thieves away and capturing Theo. We think it’s Damrod (see below).
What Happens to Elendil, Miriel and Pharazon in Numenor?
Elendil has brought the blinded Queen Miriel back to Numenor, where the funeral of King Tar-Palantir is taking place. Earien, Elendil’s daughter, does not agree with her father and wants a coup to bring Pharazon to power. Miriel, however, is good at resisting the attacks of some Numenorians angry at the disastrous mission in Middle-earth. She is less good at not being discovered by Pharazon while she searches for her father’s bracelet that is needed to access the room where the Palantir that shows the future end of Numenor is located. Pharazon wants to convince his cousin Bride to become the new queen as a sign of a change from her father, who is against the hated elves, but she chooses continuity preferring to dress in white like her father, at the next coronation.
The anti-Miriel plot continues in an inn, where Kemen son of Paharazon speaks badly of the queen to a noble friend of his father, with Earien also present. However, Valandil is also present, in battle has seen Miriel’s commitment, and faces Kemen harshly, inviting him to desist. Earien, however, knows that the Palantir that the old dying king had shown her by mistake (mistaking her for his daughter) can be what will convince the people to repudiate the friend of the elves Miriel. She stole it, as we understand when Miriel returns to that room and does not find the elven artifact that looks like a crystal ball. The day after the coronation, Miriel, dressed in white, suffers another protest that she manages wisely, assuring her people a safe future. But when she invites other potential protesters to speak, Earien intervenes, in front of everyone and takes out the Palantir made by the elves, saying that because of the advice and visions it gave, Isildur and many Numenorians died.
Earien throws the stone sphere into the crowd, and Pharazon enters the scene, acting naive, saying “But imagine if our dear queen listens to a ball made by the hated elves” when he says to destroy the Palantir Miriel stops everyone, revealing the truth and actually saying that it is necessary. A riot breaks out, with Elendil who tries to grab the Palantir but is thrown away, and everything is interrupted when a gigantic eagle arrives on the balcony. It had been mentioned before by Miriel and Pharazon as a sign of auspiciousness that occurred at the coronation of tar-Palantir, but Pharazon takes advantage of it by starting a chorus from his claque to acclaim him as king in place of Miriel.
What Happens to Adar and His Orcs?
An Uruk tries to question the ruler Adar about the real need to continue the battle if Sauron is still alive, but Adar responds by saying that he trusts him, and the orc returns to what we discover is his family, with an ogress and a baby orc. A gigantic being appears at the orc camp, and Adar immediately introduces him: it is Damrod, Troll of the Hills of the Mithrin Heirs, Slayer of the stone giants, devourer of dragon bones. He shows off an elven head: it was therefore he who killed Gil-Galad’s messengers. He immediately asks where Sauron is at this point, even Adar should have understood that he was deceived by “Halbrand”.
What Happens to the Dwarves, Celebrimbor and Annatar-Sauron?
Durin and Disa have accepted Celebrimbor’s invitation and are visiting his forge. The blacksmith and goldsmith, offer to make 7 rings of power for the 7 rulers of the Dwarves, in exchange for the necessary mithril. He promises the dwarves the healing of their mountain, as happened to the Elves with the Great Tree. When Disa asks why they were summoned and not the king, Annatar intervenes, explaining that this would be a way to regain the respect of his distrustful father. And to convince Durin he also passes himself off as a great friend of Elrond. The two spouses take their time and leave, with Durin who doubts Annatar, and the magic of the rings. Disa, however, unmasks his real intentions, that is to avoid apologizing to his father to speak to him.
In the workshop, Sauron creates another masterpiece when he pretends to let slip that Gil-Galad would never want to help the elves and humans because he does not consider them worthy. He plays on the morality of Celebrimbor, who takes the bait and “decides” to write a letter to Gil-galad in which he declares that he has closed his ring forge so that he can continue to create them in secret to save the people of Middle-earth. In Khazad-dum, the advisor Narvi goes to speak with the king, but there is no good news from the excavations and the warehouses. Durin IV unexpectedly appears before Durin III, reporting Celebrimbor’s offer. And he takes advantage of this, to apologize in his own way, and to make a speech about the fact that even if he does not trust the “power of Eregion”, perhaps the intelligent Elves have found a way to postpone a catastrophe. In the finale of the third episode, we see Durin III, Durin IV, and Disa in the forge of Celebrimbor, in the presence of Annatar, who witnesses the creation of the new rings that will be given to the Dwarves. Sauron’s plan goes perfectly.
