The Lord of the Rings- The Rings of Power: Where the Stars Are Strange

 "I'm going to open a First Age bottle!"

Another fascinating episode here, which makes it very clear, seemingly, where the main narrative thread is going. Galadriel is, of course, right that Sauron will seek out Celebrimbor and make more rings- we even get THAT rhyme about seven rings for the dwarves- next on the list- and the nine, those nine, for men.

Yet Gil-Galad is right that Galadriel is vulnerable to Sauron's deceptions. Perhaps Elrond is right about the elves taking the rings,perhaps Cirdan is. We shall see. But poor Celebrimbor comes across asso very naive and gullible here.

Elsewhere, things look bleak for the dwarves of Khazad-Dun, struggling to maintain their home amongsta changing environment- perhaps their seven rings will save them for a while, as did the three rings of the elves. And I'm sure Durin and his royal father, both right stubborn gits, will reconcile... eventually. Durin's being bullied in the mine issad to see.

... And then there's the wandering wizard, who knows not his own name. Yet he explains to his very patient Harfoot friends that he cannot just be given a name: it is his already, and he'll know it when he hears it. This, it seems to me, would not have been said if his name were not known to us.

These scenes in the desert, with bounty hunters searching for them on behalf of some evil widard, feel very Mandalorian, but they're fun.

As, indeed, is the episode. Compared to the first season, a lot is now happening, and the characters are likeable. I hope this streak continues.

The Lord of the Rings- The Rings of Power: Elven Kings Under the Sky

 "If, as you say, these rings have so quickly turned elf against elf, it would seem he has succeeded".

The first season of The Rings of Power was not always perfect- episodes were overlong, which is a worry here (77 minutes???!), and the season dragged at poinrs. Yet I enjoyed it overall and feel the critics were somewhat harsh. While Amazon Prime dropping three episodes at once(!), just as with The Boys, again plays havoc with my schedule, I'm glad it's back.

And this is an intriguing start. One subplot involves Nuri and the Stranger on their travels, as it becomes clear that the Stranger is indeed a wizard ("But perhaps wizards are not always fair") of some kind, memories or at least impressions beginning to return. I'm sure we shall learn more as the season goes on. Gandalf? Perhaps too obvious. A young, uncorrupted Saruman? We shall see.

We also have the beginning of what promises to be a protracted power struggle between Adar and the being he knows not to be Sauron... yet Sauron, despite his apparent humbling, is ever weaving his webs, from Mordor to the halls of the elves. For we see conflict between Gil-Galad, Galadriel and Elrond, none of whom are quite in harmony. And we see, of course, the three elven rings being finally worn- including, as we would later see in the films, by Galadriel. And, if we did not already know that rings mean temptation, we see a scene in which it literally proves impossible for even the wisest of elves to destroy them....

This episode is superb, visually gorgeous... and deeply ominous. Things are beginning to move towards a Second Age of which we have heard glimpses...