Tag Archives: Lloyd Owen

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: Shadow and Flame & Season 2 – TV Review

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TL;DR – The season ends on a high note as war comes to Middle Earth

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime service that viewed this episode.

Durin’s Bane

The Rings of Power Review –

Well, we have flown by, and before we knew it, we hit the end of the second season of Rings of Power. There have been highs and lows along the way this season, and some stories have triumphed while others have tried to tread water and failed. Today, we will take the time to see if the finale stuck the landing and then reflect on the season as a whole.  

So, to set the scene, things are dire for the good people of Middle Earth. The Orcs have entered Eregion, as Adar (Sam Hazeldine) has subdued Elrond (Robert Aramayo) and captured one of the Elven Rings of Power. Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) might have escaped with the Ring for Men, but it still seems like Sauron (Charlie Vickers) is controlling everything as one of the great elven cities burns. The dwarves could not come to help because they were dealing with a King who was so focused on greed that he might unleash an untold horror. Even out in the East, The Stranger (Daniel Weyman) is faced with growing darkness and a choice that could lead to the death of those he loves. Is there any hope for Middle Earth? Only time will tell. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode and season as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: Where Is He? – TV Review

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TL;DR – While frustrations remain, you can feel the momentum of the series shift as we start getting to the pointy end.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime service that viewed this episode.

Sauron smirks.

The Rings of Power Review –

We are getting to the pointy end of the season, which means things need to start rolling towards the conclusion. Orcs are on the move, evil beings are manipulating, and calamities abound. But as we rush to the end, manipulations get stronger, allies become odder, and fractures become profound.

So, to set the scene, Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova) is hot on the heels of the orc band that cut their way through the forest, angering the Ents in Eldest, but when he catches up to some deserters, he is shocked to see that they march on the Elven city of forges. Meanwhile, in that very city, Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards) is showing more signs of instability as he cannot get the rings for man to work, and he has started forgetting things. This alarms his smiths, but what they don’t know is much of his current disposition has been influenced by Annatar/Sauron (Charlie Vickers), who has slowly twisted the grand forger’s mind. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: Halls of Stone – TV Review

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TL;DR – A Tail of Two Narratives, one compelling, one fraught with simplicity.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime service that viewed this episode.

A pouting high king.

The Rings of Power Review –

Hmmm, we are now five episodes in and after last week’s Eldest and this week’s outing, it is clear that some fracture lines are appearing this season. On the one hand, we have story points that are engaging and bringing me into this world. And on the other hand, there are narratives that I might want to fast forward through if I give in to the whispers.

So, to set the scene in the halls of Khazad-dûm, food is starting to get scarce as the miners continue to struggle to build new light shafts after the previous shafts were destroyed in the aftermath of Mt Doom erupting. However, while there has been little headway made, Durin III (Peter Mullan) has a new tool, a ring from Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards) that whispers in his ear and tells him where to dig. Durin IV is not sure of it, but when they strike light, it is surely proof that it is real? I mean, it is not like there is a sinister undertone going on here at all. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: The Eagle and the Sceptre – TV Review

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TL;DR – After blasting through our first couple of episodes with flying colours, we reach our first pause as we explore the last of the opening trilogy.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime service that viewed this episode.

Durin and Disa connect.

The Rings of Power Review –

In our jump back into the world of The Rings of Power, we have visited dwarves, elves, harfoots, magicians and orcs. However, there has been one major play from last season that has been surprisingly absent from the proceedings, Númenor. Well, today, in the last of the opening trilogy, we fix that as we spend time in the island kingdom on the cusp of a significant change.

So, to set the scene, after Elendil (Lloyd Owen) was forced to leave his son Isildur (Maxim Baldry) in the blight left by Mt Doom to get Queen Regent Míriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) back to Númenor, he thought all was lost. However, never bet against survival in The Lord of the Rings when you have a horse on your side. But as they arrive back in Númenor, they discover that the High King has died, and Pharazôn (Trystan Gravelle) might be coveting a new, more important job. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.       

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The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: Alloyed and Season 1 – TV Review

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TL;DR – I was captured by the joyful sincerity that permeated the whole season.         

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime service that viewed this episode.

The Stranger.

The Rings of Power Review –

When I started watching The Rings of Power, I went into it with a moment of trepidation. The Lord of the Rings holds a special place in my heart because they were the first films that made me want to explore all aspects of filmmaking. Their grandeur and majesty were something I had not experienced before then, and for better or worse, they are the benchmark that all others are compared to. It was hard to go back into this world with that weight of expectations. However, I think this new show rose to the occasion. As we get ready for the second season later this week, I thought it was an excellent time to go back and think through that first season and complete the coverage we were unable to do back in 2022.

So, to set the scene, in the aftermath of Udûn and the destruction wrought from the awaking of Mt Doom, everything in the Southlands has changed. Once lands of green fields, farms, and orchards, now ash, fire, and dirt remain. As they change to this new world, the greatest power is at its lowest, and the lives of the elves look to be ending in Middle Earth. But as Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) returns to Celebrimbor’s (Charles Edwards) forge to get healing for a badly wounded Halbrand (Charlie Vickers), they discover that all hope is not lost. Now, from here, we will be looking at the season as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.      

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The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: Adar – TV Review

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TL;DR – As a show, it continues to balance all the competing stories while being a thrilling ride.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime service that viewed this episode.

Galadriel rides a horse alone the shoreline of Númenor.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Review –

When you have a large ensemble cast, it is easy to lose people and whole stories in the cut, where you end up seeing someone on screen and wondering where they came from before. Three episodes in, The Rings of Power might have one of the biggest ensemble casts I have seen for a while, but they always make sure you know the context of every person.

So to set the scene, in Adrift, Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) decided to jump off her boat and swim back to Middle Earth, through the Sundering Seas, than leave her quest unfulfilled. Luckily for her, she spots a raft and is helped by Halbrand (Charlie Vickers), but after a storm leaves them asunder, they are rescued by Elendil (Lloyd Owen) and taken to the island kingdom of Númenór. In the Southlands, Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova) has been captured by Orcs, but instead of being killed, he is led through covered tunnels full of captured human workers. They dig a tunnel to keep the orcs protected from the bright Sun. Things are bad, but they are worse when Arondir gets to the pit and discovers that all his Elvish companions were also captured before they could return home. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.   

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