Rings of Power could trust its audience a little more

Trust is a big thing, especially in Middle-earth. That’s the main message that directors Louise Hooper and Sanaa Hamri and writer Glenise Mullins want to convey to The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power‘s latest episode. It’s a simple but effective storyline that delivers the most focused (and satisfying) portion of Season 2 yet. And yet, Episode 4’s emphasis on trust also highlights where it’s lacking — not just between our heroes, but between the show and its audience.

(Editor’s Note: This article contains spoilers for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2, episode 4.)

Now that the premise of Season 2 is largely behind us, Episode 4 is thankfully exempt from the requirement to check in with every member of the group to see how they’re doing. The Rings of Power‘s expansive cast. Instead, the fourth episode focuses on just three storylines, all of which revolve around how much (or how little) trust everyone has in the people around them. Elrond and the recently demoted Galadriel embody this best; their Barrowdowns excursion is undermined by mistrust before it even begins. She’s bought her ring’s prophetic powers; he’s not a fan. Meanwhile, in Pelargir, Isildur and Arondir aren’t exactly sold on Estrid. Things aren’t much better in Rhûn, either. The Stranger is counting on divine forces to push him where he needs to be—apparently Tom Bombadil’s vacation home—while the Stoors don’t exactly roll out the welcome mat for outsiders Nori and Poppy.

But as is often the case with the Prime Video series, the effectiveness of each storyline varies considerably. The Galadriel/Elrond material is easily the strongest. Purists will continue to shudder at The Rings of Power‘s depiction of Galadriel’s ring versus JRR Tolkien’s original canon, but the drama this deviation creates continues to pay off. Not only does it give Robert Aramayo and Morfydd Clark room to showcase their respective acting chops, but the friction between their characters feels authentic within the context of the show. Clark’s Galadriel is impulsive and guided by her gut, while Aramayo’s Elrond is a decidedly more cautious customer. Naturally, they’re going to take diametrically opposed stances on something as world-saving – or world-ending – as the Ring of Power. It’s a debate with two equally valid sides that reinforces the overall moral ambiguity that (rightly or wrongly) Rings of Power brings to The Lord of the Rings.

Unfortunately, everything that happens in Pelargir feels a little bland in comparison. When we caught a glimpse of Estrid’s brand in the previous episode, the implication was that she was on a devious spy mission for Adar. Yet there was also the very real possibility that the Rings of Power The showrunners set us up for a disappointing bait-and-switch with Estrid – and, frustratingly, that’s exactly what happens. At its core, the Pelargir subplot boils down to Isildur trusting Estrid, and his faith – if not his clear eagerness to be more than “just friends” – is ultimately rewarded. It lacks the layered emotional dissonance of Galadriel and Elrond’s interaction, and if this is the extent of the “Is Estrid a Mordor Mole?” arc, it might as well have been skipped altogether.

Then there’s the Rhûn piece of the puzzle. It’s no secret that this subplot hasn’t done much for me this season, and episode 4 hasn’t changed my opinion. Events in the eastern corner of Middle-earth remain disconnected from the wider story, moving along at a meandering pace with only a vague sense of their larger significance (will the Stranger ever join the fight against Sauron?). It’s reached the point where faithful showrunners JD Payne and Patrick McKay have a plan to tie the Stranger’s journey into everything in The Rings of Power is a trust exercise in itself. And that’s not easy when they’re serving up stuff like the Poppy/Merimac romance that feels like filler, and — with its hefty helping of abrasive heart-foot and jarring dialogue — not exactly filler worth having.

That said, the filler seems primarily aimed at cramming in as many shoutouts to Lord of the Rings lore as possible, which is representative of the larger problem with Episode 4: audience trust. There’s a clear lack of faith in viewers’ ability to engage with a Lord of the Rings outing that isn’t drenched in fan service here. Granted, there’s little point in playing in Tolkien’s Middle-earth sandbox, and not at least some of the toys. And more importantly, it is to some extent unavoidable. The Rings of Power is a Lord of the Rings prequel; you might expect to see some characters and concepts from the latter in the former. But as with Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy, there are times when these Rick Dalton point-and-click moments feel like a natural extension of the story, and times when they feel forced.

Tom Bombadil is a prime example of the “forced” category. Rory Kinnear is an inspired caster and his performance is reliably solid, but there’s no getting around it: Tolkien’s portrayal of a crotchety, enigmatic ranger who’s completely oblivious to the bigger picture. But in Episode 4, Tom is a generic wise mentor, someone who’s in the know about Middle-earth affairs and actively interested in the inevitable showdown with Sauron – basically the exact opposite of what Tolkien had in mind. Which begs the question: why use him at all? If the Stranger must have a mystical life coach, why not run with another istar? The Blue Wizards are (presumably) on the scene – and in Rhûn, no less! – at this point in the Middle-earth timeline. Perhaps because Tom Bombadil’s live-action debut is more likely to entice fans to tune in than yet another bearded old man with a stick?

Episode 4’s ents are much the same. Sure, it’s nice to see one of the long-lost entwives, but that novelty also seems to be the only reason they’re involved in the proceedings. And so it’s inevitable that their inclusion here feels contrived, not to mention extraneous to their established characterization. Like Dean Tom Bombadil, it’s a beloved element of the IP being squeezed into the story to gain cheap clout with viewers, rather than bolstering them to buy into more than superficial lore drops.

But as I said before, this isn’t true of all of Episode 4’s canon callbacks. Some of them actually build on Tolkien’s legendarium (rather than just wave in its direction) – or, failing that, they weave it into the story in a way that feels organic and purposeful, rather than exploitative. Take the battle with the gravestone. It’s not just motivated by the gimmick of unused undead baddies; it’s an atmospheric set piece that injects some action into the proceedings when it’s needed. The same goes for the swamp monster that attacks Pelargir’s crew. More than just a nod to Tolkien’s “nameless creatures”, the arrival of the little creature gives Estrid a chance to get back into Isildur and Arondir’s good books in a suitably dramatic way. It serves a purpose in the story that goes beyond simply catering to the disenfranchised audience.

So, all in all, The Rings of Power Season 2 gets away with its fanservice-heavy approach this week. Does episode 4 move the needle much, in terms of the show’s main story? Not really. But then again, that’s not the only measure of a successful episode; characters and relationships need to be cultivated, not just the plot. Plus, the meeting of the minds between Galadriel and Adar provides ample clues for the remaining episodes of the second season. As it stands, all roads (except the one through Rhûn, of course) seemingly lead to Season 2’s much-hyped three-episode Siege of Eregion. Let’s hope that all The Rings of PowerThe trust issues have already been completely resolved before this happens.