The Lord of the Rings – The Rings of Power 1×07

We are in the final stretch of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, the seventh episode “The Eye” features a chapter that focuses on the consequences of touching darkness. Despite showing sad, painful scenes where the feeling of defeat is inevitable, the plot also shows that courage, persistence and hope do not die easily. The seventh episode ended with very important hooks for the grand finale of this first year. In fact, the series knew how to prepare the way well for its last episode. 

Something very intrinsic in JRR Tolkien's work is how much the author likes to praise the importance of courage and bravery in times taken by darkness. Unfortunately, the strength that is needed to keep fighting, we don't always find it where it is expected. In the previous episode, we see an alliance resumed as the cooperation between the Men of Númenor with the Elf Galadriel and Halbrand to combat the threat of Sauron. The writer's vision has always been very clear and analytical for the selfish attitudes of those who lead or seek to lead, and from what can be seen in his works, he has the habit of showing that the union of different races for the greater good it is always a way out to overcome dark times.

The plot of the current chapter works all the cores that seem to have been affected by the war in southlands… calm down, I'll explain. When a nucleus loses a battle, the others also suffer from similar situations, but in the sense of having their conflicts lost, the feeling of defeat remains in each scenario presented. Unlike the previous episodes, this one knew how to bring the groups together without looking like a hysterical disorder already commented on here in previous reviews. Although, with some errors, but now what is established cannot be changed.

Galadriel's Core vs Adar

In the previous episode of The Rings of Power, we have that apocalyptic ending and we have already started the chapter “O Olho”, with the resumption of this war scenario. In the Southlands, humans and their elven allies are recovering from the eruption of the volcano that ended the battle against the orcs of Adar (Joseph Mawle). The episode begins with Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) covered in ash - if you haven't noticed it's an iconic image from the trailers that finally appears on screen -, meeting with Theo (Tyroe Muhafidin) and both set off in search of help.

While walking, through the forest, Galadriel and Theo shared frustrations, feelings of guilt that he kept inside him for the catastrophe that happened in the battle and, very close, are not found by the Orcs. It's a very interesting opening moment for both characters, because we see how the feeling of defeat is something disturbing and heartbreaking for both the elf and the boy. She tells the boy about her brother's death and about her husband, Celeborn, who is believed to have died in the war against Morgoth - it's worth remembering that the character appeared in The Lord of the Rings movies, so we might see him soon, who knows.

The plot shows Queen Miriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) trying to save some citizens from a burning house with the help of Isildur (Maxim Baldry), however, the burning roof begins to give way and falls under the young sailor – as this character is too important to die here, I believe he will show up again, because, in one of the saddest scenes, his horse Berek, refuses to return with the Númenóreans and flees to look for him. We're not sure, but we can assume that from the scenes. Unfortunately, it wasn't just Isildur who was in trouble. The queen of Númenor was not immune from the battle, as she was blinded by sparks from the flaming ceiling when she was trying to rescue the survivors. Soon, it is confirmed by the scene in which we see her blindfolded. In addition to being devastated by the absence of his son and the current condition of his queen, Elendil (Lloyd Owen), is shown to regret having helped Galadriel.

However, queen upon meeting the elf warrior and before returning to her land, Miriel promises that the Númenóreans will return to Middle-earth to continue fighting the evil of Sauron. Meanwhile, Galadriel discovers that Halbrand (Charlie Vickers) survived, but is badly injured, and decides to take him to elven lands to heal him. To end this group's appearance, Adar tells his orcs that this is their new land, and the camera focuses on the flaming volcano in the background while some letters show the dreaded name of Sauron's fortress: MORDOR.

In The Rings of Power, we can see the move away from any soft and playful depiction, the Prime Video series shows people injured, bleeding, amputated and dead, in a cruel follow-up sequence. After all, we have just seen an eruption devastating the entire landscape we know as the Southlands and after being made official by the final scene as the Lands of Mordor, the weight of these words overflows with a deep sadness.

Core of Elrond and Durin

As we watch the repercussions of the war in the Southlands, Elrond (Robert Aramayo) and Durin (Owain Arthur) fail to convince the dwarf king (Peter Mullan) to allow the mining of mithril, which proved essential to the elves' future. After a sermon from the king, Durin even says goodbye to his elf friend, however, with the relentless argument of his wife Disa (Sophia Nomvete) and a demonstration of the miraculous effect of mithril on a leaf of the sacred tree, Durin decides to act against his father's wishes.

Unfortunately, after discovering a great deal of what they thought of the mineral, they are caught in the act by the king, who expels Elrond and, after an intense argument, deposes his son as prince and heir to the throne. Also, the king orders the closure of the mithril reserve and this scene delivers an important hook for the next chapter, deep in the mountain lives the dreaded Balrog.

Core of Nori and Strange

In “O Olho” we see the resumption of the group headed by Nori (Markella Kavenagh) and the other harfoot dealing with the Stranger (Daniel Weyman). Finally the migration that seems to have lasted months reaches its destination, they come across the grove completely burned. In an inexplicable way, the Stranger tries to help with his magic, but the tremors caused by the spell end up knocking a heavy tree branch on top of Nori and her sister, Dilly (Beau Cassidy) and proves to be ineffective. 

After the incident, the Stranger is dispatched from the furryfoot camp, heading towards a nearby human colony that may help him discover its origins. However, the next day, we find that his magic has worked, and the grove is once again in bloom. The problem is that, during the night, the mysterious trio - the ones in the long, white suits - pass by and seem to be looking for Weyman's character. The clever Nori tries to trick them and it goes wrong. The result is the destruction of the furry feet accommodations, by the fire set by the mysterious Dweller (Bridie Sisson). However, hope is the only one that dies and our little ones have already proved that they are very brave and decide to send a group to warn the Stranger about the mysterious trio.

With flawless photography from start to finish, the seventh episode manages to convey all the post-eruption feeling and how they seek to recover physically and emotionally. Some elements need a plausible explanation to have happened like Isildur's death and likely return. Yes, he will come back and the show will have to scramble to explain it in a way that makes sense. Balrog's appearance served as a hook, but we can stop pretending... it was a catch fanservice.

However, the merit of the episode is to build a plot without haste. Many critics complained about the episode, however, the production's greatest feat is building a cohesive plot and very carefully around the source material. It has mistakes and flaws like any adaptation, but many successes as well, such as the discovery that the region we've been following since the first episode has turned into Mordor, and that there in the future will be Mount Doom and the Eye of Sauron, you can see the production objective being achieved. Although “The Eye” was not as exciting as its predecessor, the episode managed to use its time well, enriching its plot with the most relevant themes for the course of the next episode.