‘The Rings of Power’ Episode 5 Big Reveals Left Me Scratching My Head
The Rings of Power’s strangest episodes give us a lot of backstories.
Last week’s Rings of Power set a bunch of things in motion. This week we get a little more set up in a more transitional episode. It also drops a fair bit of lore and backstory on us. It’s a bit controversial and some of the big reveals leave me shaking my head. Let’s check in on our four plotlines.
Harfoots on the Road
The Rings of Power Episode 5 takes us back to the Harfoots. They are on migration, though Nori’s group seems to be lagging a bit behind. She and the Stranger discuss the perils of the trip, and she tells him he’s a good guy. Poppy then sings a nice song and we get a travel montage. It also turns out that some strange people in white are hunting the Stranger. The Harfoot leaders again discuss leaving Nori’s group behind. However, when “wolves” attack a foraging party, it’s the Stranger and his magic that save the day.
The use of his magic seems to hurt the stranger somehow. He goes off the heal in a magic ice bath. When Nori tries to talk to him she gets caught up in the magic. The Stranger ends up accidentally hurting Nori and this plot in The Rings of Power Episode 5 ends with her scared of him and running.
The Soutlands Plot Comes to a Head in The Rings of Power Episode 5
Back south Bronwyn gives a bit of a speech to her people to help inspire them. Half of them however decide to give up and bend their knee to Adar. Adar himself is plotting something with the sun. When the humans come to surrender to him he demands blood and it doesn’t seem like it goes well for the humans. Theo tells Arondir about his magic sword. The Elf warrior goes over to a coinvent expository wall and shows off that he’s seen images of the blade before, and it’s something important that Adar wants. Bronwyn considers giving up, but then she and Arondir seem to come up with a plan right as the Orcs start their attack.
Things are Happening in Númenor
Númenor, the most powerful human kingdom of all time, has agreed to send a whole five ships and five hundred men to Middle Earth. Isildur wants to go, but his dad won’t let him, they have too many volunteers and he doesn’t have his shit together. Halbrand, now part of the smith guild, also doesn’t want to go. Eärien, Isildur’s sister, suddenly finds herself part of a newly sprung-up antiwar movement. When yelling at Paharzon doesn’t work she turns to his son. However, when Kemen speaks to his father, Paharzon tells him everything is going according to plan.
Galadriel helps train some of the Numenorian recruits, giving them a version of the “stick them with the pointy end“. She also ends up convincing Halbrand to pull a return of the king. Meanwhile, Isildur saves Keman when the noble tries to stop the war by blowing up two of the ships. This convinces Elendil to give him on spot on the force and the three remaining ships set off for war.
The Rings of Power Gives Us Some Controversial New Lore
Lastly, we’ve got our boy Elrond. He and Durin are in Lindon talking with the Elf-Lords. In a shocking twist obvious reveal he’s been manipulated and lied to. Gil-Galad sent Elrond on this whole journey to try and find out about Mithril. Elrond however won’t tell him a thing, as he swore an oath. Gil then spends part of The Rings of Power Episode 5 dropping some lore. It turns out that Mithril was created when an Elf-lord and a Balrog fought. It seems they were fighting over one of the Silmarils. Somehow lightning and a tree lead to the light of the jewel getting trapped in metal, Mithril.
Gil then tells Elrond that the blight we saw on that one tree is some kind… metaphysical cancer? I dunno. But if it’s not fixed the Elves will either have to leave Middle Earth by Spring or all die. However, Mithril can fix this. Elrond goes to Durin and tells him this and the Dwarf agrees to help convince his father to reopen the minds and save the Elves.
Can We Please Talk About This?
via Amazon
OK, I’ll be honest The Rings of Power Episode 5 kind of lost me here. I just don’t get what is supposed to be going on. This is all new lore and it wasn’t really well explained. Something is wrong with the trees? Or the world? Or the Elves? Is it being caused by someone or is it just a thing that is happening? Why would the light of the Silmarils fix this?
Gil says he sent Galadriel away because he wanted to get rid of the last traces of the war, but in basically the next breath says if the Elves leave then the armies of darkness will sweep over the world. So which is it, is the war all but over, or is destruction right around the corner?
It’s also kind of a needlessly random late-game rising of the stakes. We’ve gone from the return of Orcs and the maybe rise of Sauron to a suddenly throwing in the death of the Elves. It just wasn’t well done. However, it does seem there is more to this. Why wouldn’t they have told Elrond about this from the beginning? How did they find out about Mithril? It’s a pretty huge leap of logic on Gil’s part to hear a rumor about increased mining in Moria and correctly connected that with an obscure Elven myth. I think Elrond is still being used and there is something, or someone, dark at work here.
Some Thoughts on The Rings of Power Episode 5
- I think I’ve figured out who the Stranger is at last. We’ve already seen him use fire. In this episode, he showed control over the earth when fighting the wolves and also water when using ice on his arm. There’s only one person he can be: The Avatar, Master of All Four Elements!
- Celebrimbor keeps on manipulating Elrond by telling him stories about his dad. As a child Elrond and his brother were captured by rival Elves and he grew up not really knowing his dad.
- The Episode really wants us to think the Stranger is evil. At least twice we get a mention of some evil in Middle Earth and then cut to him.
- 5 ships? Really? The greatest nation of Númenor can only muster 5 five ships and 500 men? Not even trained men? Just randos? I guess I expected better.
- I will never get tired of Dwarves pulling fast ones on Elves and making fun of them. Durin rocks.
- Adar is totally trying to start up Mt. Doom and other volcanoes to black out the sun over Mordor.
- Everyone is probably Sauron at this point.
Overall I do have some real issues with The Rings of Power Episode 5. However, there is still a lot of fun and good here. Elrond has really developed as the most interesting and nuanced character and the more I see of him and Durin the better.
1.5/3 Rings For Elven Kings
