Developed by J. D. Payne & Patrick McKay
1.03 “Adar”
Written by Jason Cahill & Justin Doble
Directed by Wayne Che Yip
Starring Morfydd Clark, Markella Kavenagh, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Daniel Weyman
New episodes streaming Fridays on Amazon Prime

by Megan Bailey, Staff Writer

This is a jam-packed episode! And a lot of it is in service of the larger plots. Let me give you a quick breakdown of the rest of the show before we get into the storyline I loved the most.

As teased in the previous episode, Galadriel and Halbrand have been found at sea, and now we know by whom: Elendil. (If you know a little bit about the lore, you know that Elendil is the first king of Gondor. How does he get to that point? Well, since I assume we’ll be seeing that later on in the show, I won’t say exactly. Just know that it’s sad and, um, a bit biblical.)

Elendil takes Galadriel and Halbrand to Númenor, an island that was raised from the sea by the Valar, to reward the people’s loyalty in siding with the elves in the war against Morgoth. And let me say this: Númenor is gorgeous. The design of the port and the palace—everything is a feast for the eyes. The incredible stone faces and bodies guarding the island will remind viewers of the Argonath, that iconic monument of Gondor that the fellowship sails past in the first Jackson film.

In Númenor, we also meet Elendil’s son, Isildur, of finger-chopping, ring-bearing, and iconic “no” fame. Right now, he seems like a good horse boy who feels the call of destiny. I’m excited to see where the show takes us with him, given that we know how it ends! Likewise, I loved the brief introduction we got to his sister, Eärien. I hope we get to see more of her. 

Though Galadriel is confined to palace grounds, she’s able to escape her guards easily. Elendil finds her as she contemplates stealing a boat to get away, and he takes her to the Hall of Lore. There’s a gorgeous scene of Galadriel, finally looking happy for the first time in probably centuries, riding on horseback. After all that time hunting down Sauron, then lost at sea, it’s a reminder that there is joy in the world.

In the Hall of Lore, Galadriel puts together that what she’d previously thought was Sauron’s sigil is actually part of the map of Middle-earth. It’s a depiction of the Southlands, which will eventually become Mordor. This was part of a plan for Morgoth’s successor to put in place, which links up with what we see happening in the Southlands in this episode.

Speaking of which, Arondir, last seen being grabbed by creepy hands while investigating the dark tunnel in Hordern, finds himself in a tough spot. He’s been taken by orcs, and now he’s with all the missing people of Hordern. Orcs are forcing all captives—including Revion, the watchwarden, and Médhor, Arondir’s patrol mate from the first episode—to dig more tunnels. As shown in the previous episode, the tunneling is how the orcs get around, since they can’t be in the sunlight. Arondir and his fellow elves form a plan to get out, but you can bet that it isn’t going to be that easy.

Revion puts up a fight when the orcs tell him to cut down a tree that is blocking the tunnel. Viewers at home might find this a bit unbelievable, but elves, particularly Silvan elves, are loyal to nature. Trees are sacred, as evidenced by their likeness in the elves’ armor in the previous episodes. Arondir agrees to and is able to see above the trench. The elves begin to fight back, attempting to break free of the chains. In the conflict, Médhor is killed, and Revion is able to get free while Arondir battles with a warg. (This warg is much cuter than the wargs in The Two Towers, but if I had to guess, it’s because these are some kind of proto-wargs, or perhaps a younger one.)

There’s some silliness here in terms of the action, but there’s definitely precedent for that, with Legolas’s shield surfing and Mumakil take-down in The Two Towers and The Return of the King, respectively. I don’t find Arondir’s sequence here as off-putting as Legolas’s Lego-climbing from The Battle of Five Armies, so I’m fine with it. Canonically, elves are light on their feet and able to walk on top of snow, so there’s some sense to Arondir being able to step onto the chains without falling.

Tragically, Arondir is almost out of the tunnel as well, when he sees Revion, who turns to reveal that he’s been shot with arrows. Then Arondir’s pulled back down into the tunnel, and the orcs intend to bring him to Adar. Who is Adar? Good question!

Jumping into Speculation Corner: If you’re keeping score, we’ve got three characters who have unclear identities. There’s Halbrand, who’s definitely got some foreshadowing going on. He won’t talk about his past life, he wants to forge, and he’s good in a fight. Hm. I hope he’s not actually Sauron, but him becoming the Witch King or even the Undead King would be very neat. There’s Adar, who I think is just going to be a highly regarded orc, or maybe even the first orc created. He can’t become a Nazgul, who were all corrupted men. And then, of course, we have the stranger. Most likely a wizard, probably Gandalf, but I do think it would be really funny if he ends up being Tom Bombadil. What a wild choice that would be!

One of the most emotional parts of the episode was the Harfoot storyline. After Nori’s father, Largo, was injured in the previous episode, he and his wife were concerned about being able to keep up with the migration. And now we know why: All Harfoots have to pull their own carts, and anyone who can’t keep up is left behind. This seems pretty cut-throat, but it makes sense that a nomadic community with very little ability to defend itself would need to avoid spending too much time out in the open. And they commemorate anyone who is left in a very touching “we will wait for you” naming ceremony. 

The Harvest Festival includes that naming ceremony, where we learn about several members who died in tragic accidents in previous migrations, including Poppy’s entire family. They all died in a landslide. Poppy’s face as the names are read out is devastating, and now we understand that she sticks with Nori not just because they’re friends but because Nori and her family are all she has left. And that’s why she spends so much time at Nori’s side, even when she’s not totally on board with Nori’s risk-taking.

I’ve had long-standing female friendships my whole life, and they’ve always stepped in to fill any gaps in my home life. There’s nothing that female friendship can’t do. I’m a sucker for it on any show, but it means a lot to me that we’re getting to see this in a Lord of the Rings property, which has always been such a boy’s club. While I absolutely locked into the friendship between the Fellowship as a whole, including the sub-groupings like Frodo and Sam, Merry and Pippin, Legolas and Gimli, and so on. So, it’s a treat to get to see such a meaningful friendship between Nori and Poppy. 

Everything comes to a head when, during the festival, the stranger is revealed. Nori left out a page that showed the constellation he’d been looking for. When he’s discovered, he says Nori’s name, giving away that she’s been helping him. While other members try to kick Nori out of the group, Sadoc agrees that she and her family can still migrate with them, but they’ll be at the back. Arguably the most dangerous position, as this puts them at even more risk of being left behind. And while the stranger doesn’t understand the whole exchange, he does grasp that he’s put Nori at risk.

The next day, Largo’s struggling with the cart, and Poppy intentionally slows down to give them a better chance at keeping up with the group. Then the stranger appears behind the cart and Nori tells the stranger that they’ll help him if he helps her family. And so we end the episode with Nori’s family and the stranger pushing their cart behind Poppy. While they’re still a ways behind the group, together they have a much better chance of survival now. 

This—exactly this kind of earnest, take-care-of-one-another, life-affirming kind of storytelling—is what I wanted from Rings of Power. Tolkien’s world has always been, in part, about the power of friendship. Mixed in with the destiny, lore, and language, friendship is an integral part of life. “Frodo wouldn’t have gotten far without Sam,” remember?