As The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power continues the more it feels like a Tolkien story. In fact, episode 5 “Partings” was really the culmination of everything that makes Tolkien great. The Rings of Power is doing an excellent job of enhancing the love and lore of The Lord of the Rings.

Reluctant Kings and Returning Leaders

We ended episode four with Galadriel convincing the Queen and the people of Numenor to travel to Middle Earth and fight for the people of the Southlands, where the people are awaiting the return of their king. This story point is something prevalent in The Lord of the Rings as well. J. R. R. Tolkien, the writer of “The Lord of The Rings” books, used the theme of awaiting the return of a king as a catholic allegory for the return of a messiah. Tolkien enriches it and makes it more universal explaining how these kings in the Lord of The Ring franchise are reluctant. Both Halbrand, played by Charlie Vickers in The Rings of Power, and Aragorn, played by Viggo Mortensen in the film adaptation, are running from something.

They are denying their place as king in order to hide. Neither man wants to take on the responsibility of being king. But in the end, both men realize that they are needed and that not taking their rightful places could mean something very bad for their people. Tolkien has a way of using these kinds of characters to highlight sacrifice and strength. 

Story and Song

The use of songs in episodes 4 and 5 makes The Rings of Power feel more like a Tolkien story. Music as storytelling has always been one of the most heartfelt ways Tolkien has expanded his world. Music makes it feel more grounded and rooted in emotion. Tolkien has always been a go-to for well-written, character-driven stories, and having characters express the emotion of the world or situation through song is one of the reasons for that. 

Warrior Women

The humans are trying to resist their upcoming fight. Bronwyn is an incredible leader and, as we are drawing parallels to Lord of the Rings, she reminds me a lot of Eowyn. She is strong but unexpected, and her people want to follow her, except the few that dissent. Tolkien didn’t write a lot of women, but the ones he did write about were quiet in strength and kept their femininity.

Galadriel schooling these men on their swordplay was incredible. This is how elves are supposed to fight. She is the Legolas of this series, and not just because she’s the only elf we’ve seen fight properly but because of her friendship and bond with the resistant king, Halbrand. 

The Darkness Looms

Another very clear mark of a Tolkien story is the theme of darkness. Each people can feel the darkness coming for them, whether they can place a tangible face on it or not. The hobbits are nomadic because they don’t feel safe. The humans are being directly challenged and pressured by the orcs. The elves are fortifying themselves against the darkness, their land is dying. The dwarves are building their defenses as well. The land itself can feel the darkness and these peoples come together to fight it. 

Some Things Are Worth Fighting For

In episode 5 we finally got hobbits back! The Rings of Power has many parallels to The Lord of the Rings, Nori feels the most like Samwise. Her heart is so strong, and the scene where she tells her giant man friend that he is not in peril, that he is good was sweet, beautiful, and heartbreaking. Tolkien is so incredibly good at creating characters that lead with their hearts and hope. 

The friendship between Elrond and Durin continues to be both enduring and comforting. They are perfect best friends and the way that they interact with each other is almost brotherly. In the last review, we mentioned that the male friendships Tolkien creates have always been very touching but these two are so sweet. Elrond is faced with choosing between him and his vow to Durin, he chooses Durin. Elrond shares his struggle with his friend and Durin chooses Elrond. Their relationship is so well written. 

New Things

We got the first glimpse of an unknown entity that seems to be searching for or hunting the man that is traveling with the hobbits, a very sinister introduction so there is perhaps a second “bad guy” in this story. 

Isildur has been allowed to join the expedition to Middle Earth. After reconciling with his friends and proving himself to his father. The people of Numenor are divided on the journey to Numenor. The people fear for their city and their warriors.

Amazon continues to take Tolkien’s world and do it justice. Rings of Power is an incredible addition to the catalog of Tolkien’s adapted works.