Regardless of its faults, The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Energy stays a treasure trove of Tolkien lore for superfans of the fantasy franchise—and season two episode 4 succinctly showcases the Amazon Prime collection’ love for its supply materials. From the debut of a fan-favorite character to a collection of delightfully daft dialogues, the newest episode of Rings of Energy is a robust one—one thing the wildly costly (but principally middling) collection might use proper now.
After watching the primary three episodes of season two back-to-back, it’s clear that the showrunners sought to streamline the disparate plots within the wake of a really disjointed first season. And although Rings of Energy has been principally profitable in focusing its runtime on the strongest tales (Galadriel and the elves’ struggle in opposition to Sauron and The Stranger’s quest for self-discovery), it could actually nonetheless really feel a bit unfold skinny because it tries to cram in tales of the dwarves and people of Center-earth. However this newest episode feels prefer it’s really beginning to pull all of them collectively in a smart method, and sometimes does so with a playful glint in its eye that feels so decidedly Tolkien, capturing the identical giddy, childlike marvel that Peter Jackson so successfully imbued his movies with.
Although there may be numerous correct drama and spookiness happening on this episode (together with a scary trek by some haunted woods and the seize of Galadriel by Orc chief Adar), two storylines stood out to me: The Stranger’s quest to reunite with Nori and Poppy, and the Harfoots encountering the opposite race of hobbits, Stoors.
The Stranger, having conjured up a mud twister to push back attackers, is wandering the lands in the hunt for the 2 lacking ladies when he stumbles upon a goat. He follows that goat to a hut, and sitting in entrance of it’s a man buzzing gently to himself. When he tries to get his consideration, the person turns and swiftly throws a department at his face. The plucky music solely provides to the scene’s playfulness, and it quickly turns into clear precisely who The Stranger has simply met: Tom Bombadil, the enduring and mysterious Lord of the Rings character who has seemingly lived longer than anybody else on this world. Bombadil is performed brilliantly by Rory Kinnear, who imbues him with a form of absentminded sageness that may be a pleasure to look at. Seeing him play off of Daniel Weyman’s stranger has the lightheartedness and enjoyable that you simply’d count on from any Gandalf scene within the authentic movies. There’s whimsy, there’s marvel, there’s knowledge—I couldn’t cease smiling anytime the 2 of them have been on display.
It’s clear that Bombadil has unbelievable energy and that The Stranger is supposed to study fairly a bit from him, although getting data out of the notoriously spacey, singsongy character could be tough. He retains making an attempt to get solutions in regards to the star map they’ve been following this complete time, however Bombadil turns the map right into a loaf of bread, and arms it to The Stranger to eat. And slightly than give him concrete information or recommendation, he can’t cease waxing poetic in regards to the sands of time, saying: “Tom was there earlier than the river and the timber, Tom remembers the primary raindrop and the primary acorn. He knew the darkish underneath the celebrities when it was fearless. This entire place was inexperienced, now it’s all sand. I needed to come see for myself to imagine it.”
Ultimately, The Stranger asks Bombadil if he’ll assist him learn to wield the form of energy he’s been casually throwing about (whereas Bombadil is adorably holding a child goat). The Stranger wonders aloud if he was meant to satisfy Bombadil all alongside, slightly than discover a employees, then asks if it’s his job to face Sauron and the riders working for the darkish wizard we’ve been seeing. He desires Bombadil’s assist preventing in opposition to the darkness threatening to take over Center-earth, however the hermit replies that he’s “a wanderer, not a warrior.” When The Stranger asks if it’s his job to cease the fireplace spreading by Center-earth, or to cease Sauron, Bombadil replies solemnly, “Your job is to face them each.” It’s a strong and poignant scene, which feels completely Tolkien.
Then there are the Harfoots, Poppy and Nori, who’ve gotten misplaced as properly. Although they rapidly run into who they imagine is one other Harfoot who’s simply been stealing water from a properly. We get a hilarious back-and-forth between the three of them, with the newcomer (who first introduces himself as “no one”) agreeing to take them to his village after Poppy threatens to show him in for being a thief. He can deliver them there, however he says they need to observe the 4 guidelines: “One, by no means look her within the eye. B, at all times stand three steps again, 4, don’t ever ever, it doesn’t matter what name her the Gund,” he says solemnly. “Was that three guidelines or 4?” Nori asks. “I wasn’t actually paying consideration,” Poppy quips.
It’s a hilarious and lightweight scene that leads on to the ladies studying that there are different races of hobbits on the market, often called Stoors. Although evidently each of them come from the identical ancestors. The Gund tells Nori {that a} man with the identical final identify because the Harfoot’s former chief set out from this place ages in the past, trying to find a land the place chilly water at all times ran by rivers, the place a household “might dig a gap and stay in it for a month.” She’s speaking in regards to the individuals who ultimately grow to be often called the Hobbits, the identical ones who stay in Bag Finish. It’s a stunning little connection to the Lord of the Rings we all know and love, and it’s finished so with a pitch-perfect tone that seems like sipping a heat cup of tea on a chilly day.
The Rings of Energy season two episode 4 felt tonally excellent for a story impressed by Tolkien, and it gave me a ton of hope for the remainder of the season. The following episode airs on Amazon Prime on September 12.
