Movies

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Episode 5 Review – “Partings”

September 23, 2022

Warning: the following contains full spoilers for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Episode 5, which is streaming now on Prime Video. To refresh your memory, check out our review of last week episode.

War is on the horizon in The Rings of Power Episode 5, which provides insight into what various characters are fighting for. It’s also the first episode to have both dwarves and harfoots as the series’ disparate storylines finally come together for the inevitable big fight for Middle-earth.

The houndstooth plot is fairly brief, anchored by a sweet travel sequence to music that really feels like it hits the adventurous spirit of Tolkien’s work. This storyline mostly continues to show how powerful the Outlander is. Many harfoots would probably have been “left behind” if he hadn’t been there to stop the attacking wargs. But after her weird freeze-healing trick, it seems even Nori is starting to get a little scared of her giant friend. I still don’t think the Stranger is a bad guy, but that much power is still dangerous and he needs to pull himself together to make sure no one gets hurt. We also finally get a look at the strange cult-looking characters seen in an earlier teaser who seem to be following The Stranger, but there are no new details on who they are or what they’re after beyond the music. very scary played when they’re on screen.

The humans of the Southlands who fled to the Elven Tower to escape Adar and his army, meanwhile, are not well. About half their group followed Waldreg, whom I can’t help but consider a Darkfriend of The wheel of time, to accept Adar on his offer of surrender. Waldreg has been a bastard since episode 1, when he tried to hide the news of the corruption spreading in Arondir, and he keeps doubling down. It’s really funny how quickly he goes from pledging loyalty to Sauron to offering to serve whoever leads the orcish army.

In many ways, it feels like The Rings of Power has established itself as the anti-game of throneseven in comparison with Dragon House continue to rage. There’s no way we won’t see Waldreg slit that poor kid’s throat and cover himself in his blood on one or another of those HBO shows. Here, all we need to know is Waldreg’s expression changing from horror to grim determination. Game of Thrones would have played the Council Session in Númenor to show off a sharp-tongued plot, but Rings of Power just gives us the setup and then a shot of Halbrand showing how clean he is. Again, the character decision is all that really matters.

Honesty and kindness are almost always punished in Game of Thrones, but The Rings of Power shows several characters finding the strength to tell their friends and loved ones about their problems. Theo finally talks to his mother about the handle, which gives Arondir and Bronwyn a glimpse of what Adar is planning. Between Waldreg, Bronwyn, and Halbrand, there’s a lot of exploration in Episode 5 about the role of humans in Middle-earth. Are they basically orcs, doomed to serve any evil warlord right now if not carefully watched by elves for signs of betrayal, or can they actually have some degree of self-determination?

It’s easy to see why Bronwyn and Halbrand would be prone to despair given the poor choices available to them, but both decide to try to overcome the darkness they’ve seen and fight. It appears that Bronwyn and Arondir plan to destroy the tower to prevent Adar from achieving his objective, but this will likely result in their deaths unless reinforcements arrive in time.

The conversation between Halbrand and Galadriel where they share their traumas is powerful.

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Halbrand is ready to accept his responsibility as king, but we still don’t know exactly what prompted him to flee. Presumably the cuts between him and Waldreg imply that he’s also knelt before dark forces and is guilty of gruesome crimes, but if he proves himself worthy it’s likely no one will really care when it comes out . The conversation between him and Galadriel where they share their traumas is powerful, especially Galadriel confessing that despite all the confidence she exudes, she is an outcast of her people and so completely consumed by her quest to stop Sauron that she destroyed all the relationships in his life. It’s a bonding moment that sounds like exactly the kind of thing that could build a romance between her and Halbrand. For my part, I would like to see them kissing.

Elsewhere, Durin and Elrond’s relationship becomes complicated as Elrond discovers the real reason he was sent to Khazad-dûm. The forge Celebrimbor is working on, which is to be completed in the spring, will help preserve the “eternal souls” of the elves from the spread of corruption. Even after the explanation, I’m not really sure what that means. How quickly would they fade without the infusion of light? Will they just have a lifespan closer to mortals? Is this why the elves of the Third Age must leave? The episode is short on answers, but the scenes in the elven forests are so entertainingly beautiful that they bring home what would be lost without them.

I complained last week about Elrond naming mithril, but I really like the origin story of mithril in “Partings”. The parallel between the veins of ore and the roots of a tree works visually and explains why the Balrog and the precious ore are inevitably linked. I’m glad Elrond refuses to break his oath and goes straight to Durin for help. Their friendship is the show’s most charming relationship, driven by Durin’s drollery. The table bluff is wonderful because it’s such an easy way to get something out of the arrogantly scheming High King Gil-galad. Also, Elrond’s attempt to claim credit for Disa is very cute.

Not everyone is telling the truth in this episode. I’m very upset that Isildur didn’t tell anyone that he found a saboteur on the ship while he was trying to hide. Maybe this kid is acting on his own because he’s sincerely concerned that his country will be drawn into someone else’s war, but the admiration he expressed for Pharazôn makes me think that this is not the case. was not his idea. Pharazôn continues to try to sow distrust of the elves and to urge Númenor to remain isolated. Tracing the source of the sabotage might have given everyone an idea of what he was planning.