Episode 4 “The Great Wave” is directed by Wayne Che Yip, as was the previous entry, but writer Stephany Folsom is new to the series. She joins the duo behind the pilot episode, J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay, to bring this new episode to life. The consistently evolving crew will hopefully continue to bring new elements to the series.
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“The Great Wave” eschews Nori and the Harfoots’ narrative, leaving the episode unfortunately bereft of the series’ most charming element. In its place, the show returns to Elrond’s adventure with his buddy Durin in the Dwarven lands of Khazad-dûm. The series tips its hand to reveal where it’s going with the Dwarves as they discover the all-important Middle-earth resource Mithril. Fans will recall this magical metal as the active ingredient of armor and weapons throughout the franchise. It’s a big reveal, but the show slips into similar territory as the modern Star Wars films like Rogue One and Solo. The misstep is in focus, as the show seems to put a bit too much importance on this thing that casual fans would remember. On the other hand, Durin, Disa, and Elrond’s interactions are among the best writing in the series thus far, so it’s a mixed bag.
Meanwhile, the new settlement established by Bronwyn struggles to feed its people and keep them safe as they flee their ancestral home. The warrior Arondir, rendered cynical and angry by his and his men’s failed jailbreak in the previous episode, finally meets the fated nemesis Adar. He’s a fairly standard fantasy villain, wielding tropes and daggers with equal skill and performance. He breaks out the “cradling your kill” bit, he slays his own men, he talks about becoming a deity, it’s all very standard issue. Joseph Mawle, best known as Jon Snow’s uncle Benjen in the first season of Game of Thrones, does a lot with the role, but it’s already become clear that his default fantasy villain antics are only part of the puzzle. As Browyn’s son Theo steps out to save the day with the powerful hilt he found, the show kicks into a fun place of fantasy action.
In the fabulous fantasy land of Númenor, Galadriel continues her misguided campaign to resolutely infuriate every major figure on the island. Her amateurish political skills see her clash with the princess Miriel time and time again as she struggles to raise an army. These ancestral enemies come together to see the evil that approaches, with the help of another political force. Miriel’s cousin Pharazon, a populist who masterfully manipulates the citizenry with favors and drinks, has announced his quest for money and fame. Pharazon is a lot of fun, simultaneously a high-born aristocrat and a man of the people. Trystan Gravelle conveys the character’s charisma with a great deal of energy, really elevating the material. The happenings at Númenor are slow-going, but the episode suggests that things will be picking up in the season’s second half.
Rings of Power is building to something big, but its most consistent problem has always been its pacing. The show has trouble with focus, consistently keeping eyes on elements that don’t necessarily need them. It runs into a similar problem as modern remakes of seminal genre fiction often deal with. When adapting, even loosely, something as central to the western fantasy canon as Tolkien, it’s a fine line to walk. Adhering to the source material feels generic since that source generated most of those tropes and conventions. Diverting from the source material causes a wave of hate from hardcore fans who demand perfect faithfulness to its laws. For example, the other Lord of the Rings villains feel a bit generic because they’re the mainstay that other works have ripped off for a century. Adar enters into that conversation with the added elements of years of development, but that doesn’t make him original, even if he is fun to watch.
Rings of Power is struggling against a lot, but it’s still managing to deliver an enjoyable fantasy adventure week-to-week. There are a ton of things to love about the series, and it seems to be heading towards a higher peak than it’s reached so far. The pacing is a bit of a mess and elements feel a bit fanservicey, but Rings of Power may well be regarded as one of the great fantasy works of the 2020s when it’s all said and done. With at least a season and a half left to go, fans will have to hope that it’ll kick into high gear and realize its full potential with the time it has left.
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