The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: The Eagle and the Sceptre

September 6, 2024 6:44 AM - Season 2, Episode 3

The story of the Numenoreans continue with the blind queen Miriel facing challenges at home in the fallout of the disastrous Middle Earth campaign. Meanwhile, a brave and valiant horse refuses to give up on its friend, Isildur, and faces threats on two legs and more to save him. Celebrimbor with his new ally, Annatar, offers to help King Durin with the promise of a ring of power.
posted by Atreides (7 comments total)

And of episodes 1-3 I would say this is the weakest. I really liked the Numenor plotlines in Season 1, but here all the politcking feels too facile. This is in contrast to the Celebrimbor-Sauron interactions, where I find Sauron's manipulations really well done. It's a very delicate thing... Sauron's machinations are still expressed within a melodramatic show, so it's not realistic per se, but it does somehow feel more believable.
posted by Alex404 at 7:41 AM on September 6 [1 favorite]

I have to confess that I've forgotten enough since S1 to make this episode a bit difficult to follow. We're thinking that the eagle's appearance was somehow engineered, right? It seems a little too pat that Pharazon made a big deal out of an eagle (and the color red) earlier only to have it all come together at exactly the right time.
posted by jquinby at 9:50 AM on September 6 [3 favorites]

The stuff on Numenor was the weakest of the opening. Pharazon is out there being 100% creepy by walking into Miriel's chambers and asking her about dress material. Earien, Elendil's daughter, just went from "busting down doors to go after her dreams of architecture" to just an awful character in the space of a a few minutes here. I'm not sure why seeing the Wave provoked anti-elf feelings in her (was she coded as anti-elf in the first season?).

I don't think the eagle was engineered, so much as it was intended to show that fate really was behind Miriel and her choices, but then Pharazon took advantage of the chaos in the throne room to claim it was there for him. Likewise, if I understand it, red was the color the anti-elf people just liked to wear, so the whole conversation about what color to wear was less Pharazon planning on purposefully undermining her by clothing choice so much as trying to see if he could persuade Miriel to adopt a symbol of support for his faction. Or perhaps, he was using reverse psychology so she would look more friendly to elves when Earien went and showed off the palantir. "That's my ELF STONE!" Yes, Miriel, great choice of words there.

BTW, it's my understanding that was Shelob who was trying to eat Isildur.
posted by Atreides at 11:27 AM on September 6

Earien, Elendil's daughter, just went from "busting down doors to go after her dreams of architecture" to just an awful character in the space of a a few minutes here. I'm not sure why seeing the Wave provoked anti-elf feelings in her (was she coded as anti-elf in the first season?).

I'm going back in and re-watching S1 now, and she actually was coded that way - though I admit I completely did not remember it. She actually encouraged Pharazon's son to go to Pharazon and try to convince him to undermine the queen or something like that.

But even re-watching S1, I don't feel like the show set up any reason why she would feel that way. It actually would have made more sense in S2 if they had set it up as her being upset about Isildur being presumed dead.
posted by litera scripta manet at 5:45 PM on September 7 [1 favorite]

Watching this show I finally understand how big Star Wars fans feel about some of the current shows.

I felt sick to my stomach when I heard it was coming out, cautious and thrilled and furious and joyous at turns during the first season (I’m not too precious about plot points, so I loved the Mordor twist and the Halbrand story line).

This season I was very meh at first - they’ve changed the sets and the direction feels different - but ORC BABIES! ENTS POSSIBLY!! and I’m back in 100%.

I love the dwarves so much; they are a true highlight for me. I was surprisingly distressed about Bronwen’s death. I agree the eagle should have spoken. And Sauron’s transformation and powers of persuasion (and the many times he convinces without actually… lying) are a feat of both acting and writing.

Looking forward to Galadriel’s journey morally/emotionally, I hope they do her justice. I don’t need her to be perfect, but it’s annoying that only Elrond gets to be the good guy in this.
posted by Isingthebodyelectric at 10:44 AM on September 13 [1 favorite]

Also CNET has these great “Lore Analysis” articles comparing each episode to the source material.

Season 1

Season 2 (in chronological order so it’s easy to read just as far as you’ve watched)
posted by Isingthebodyelectric at 10:46 AM on September 13 [2 favorites]

If it helps, Elrond definitely has been a bit of a jerk at times about being right or believing himself to be right.
posted by Atreides at 11:37 AM on September 13 [1 favorite]