The second season ofThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powermade its grand entry just under a week ago with three blockbuster episodes dropping all at once. The third episode, titled “The Eagle and the Scepter,” saw the climax of the political scheming that has been ongoing on the island kingdom of Númenor since the show’s first season. At the coronation ceremony of a now blind Queen Regent Míriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson), chaos erupts from which her cousin, and political rival, Pharazôn (Trystan Gravelle), emerges as Númenor’s new ruler and king. In this new featurette shared by Prime Video, Gravelle tries to explain why the Numenórean people have chosen to back the claim of a usurper in their political climate.
For the majority ofRings of Power’s run, it has been clear that the people of Númenor have a great distaste for the Elves andthe Valar. Created by Eru Ilúvatar and led by Manwë, the Valar are the angelic beings that shape the world and look after it. When war broke out with Morgoth in the First Age, the men who fought alongside the Elves and the Valar against the Dark Lord were gifted the island ofNúmenor. In exchange, the Numenórean people worshiped the Valar, but that would change as the years rolled on. Miriel’s ascension would reflect an inclination towards service of the Valar, but as the Numenórean society has changed, she is not accepted. In a clip shared byRings of Poweron X, Gravelle makes the case that Númenor wants strong leadership, something a physically impaired queen does not necessarily radiate. The failed expedition to Middle-earth also does not help her cause, as Numenórean society seeks to turn its destiny away from the Valar who gifted them their star-shaped island and even longer life spans.
Inthe extended clipof the conversation,Ema Horvath,who plays Eärien, daughter of Elendil (Lloyd Owen) andsister to Isildur(Maxim Baldry), discusses her decision to aid the disruption of Miriel’s coronation by unveiling the Queen Regent’s seeing stone, a palantir, just before the arrival ofthe Great Eagle from the Valar. Horvath explains that she defied her father’s wishes as she believes that he is not grieving as much as he should, and seeking justice against the queen for the presumed death of her brother, Isildur.
Middle-Earth Is Bringing Mind Games in Abundance
One of the most heartbreaking bits inThe Eagle and the Scepteris watching how brilliantly Sauron (Charlie Vickers), in the form ofAnnatar, the Lord of Gifts, exploits the vanity of one of the wisest minds in all Elvendom, Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards). It will be a mind game which will ultimately seethe decline of the master elven smith, according to showrunnerPatrick McKay, saying:
“[T]he story in Eregion between Sauron and Celebrimbor is going to be a psychological thriller, where you’re watching Sauron pick apart the sanity of one of the greatest minds in all Elvendom with Celebrimbor, the great Elven smith. We talk about a sort of gaslighting, as he’s slowly manipulating and tormenting Celebrimbor to the point of losing his mind. So the story goes into dark places psychologically as well as the actual stakes and fate of Middle-earth.”
The first three episodes ofThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powerare streaming on Prime Video now. Stay tuned to Collider for more on Season 2. Watch the featurette above.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
Epic drama set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’ follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth.
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