'The Rings of Power: Season Two, Episode 4 - Eldest'

 

Sorry about the radio silence these last couple of days... Saturday was always meant to be a 'no blogging day'; yesterday was meant to be a blogging day but ended up being a 'hanging out with my daughters and playing FIFA, Crash Team Racing and Fallout' day instead. I regret nothing, especially when we met the dog in Fallout whom I haven't known for long but is clearly a good dog ;o)

So yesterday's post becomes today's post instead. I'm a little bit late to the party (see the above paragraph) so I'm not going to go into great depth for this latest episode of 'The Rings of Power', everyone else has had a lot to say about it already. Nope, what you're getting here are quick thoughts and impressions (what little energy I have is needed elsewhere today, dammit). If you're after an in-depth recap of the episode, have a click Here. Otherwise, lets go...

I'm running the risk of repeating myself a little too much but my main issue with 'The Rings of Power' is that it takes far too long to say not a lot. I don't mind the rest of it actually, just treat it like a variant timeline and it soon becomes a little easier to manage. I just want the plot to get a shift on really and it looks like this might be happening in 'Eldest'. An Orc army marching on Eregion and a couple of decent scraps really do wonders here (although the Barrow Wights weren't as scary as I had hoped, not a bad spectacle though), at least for me. I'm prepared to be disappointed next week but for now, things are actually moving forwards. 

That little bit of urgency meant that when the plot shifted to events in Rhun, and slowed down, this wasn't actually a bad thing. Plots should move but it doesn't need to be at a break-neck pace all the time. A little lull here and there can help you focus on the important stuff and there was a lot of that happening in Rhun with Nori and Poppy meeting the Stoors and the Stranger meeting... 

Nope, that can wait for a paragraph. That meeting is a big deal but funnily enough, it wasn't the moment that really stood out for me. What really struck me was the moment where Isildur and Arondir met the Ents, one of which I believe was an Entwife. That's a pretty big deal and bittersweet, at the same time, as I think we see the seeds sown for what will eventually force the Entwives to strike out on their own. Talking of which, does anyone know at what point, in the history of Middle Earth, the Entwives left? Leave a comment if you do.

And back to that other meeting... I was not expecting to like Tom Bombadil as much as I did but... Here we are :o) What I really enjoyed is Rory Kinnear's portrayal as Bombadil as the irresistible force of nature, living in the moment without bursting into song about it and just happy in himself. He doesn't need to show off here, he just is what he is. And I love the fact that his mere presence is causing the desert to burst into life. I'll have more of that, in future episodes, please. 

What I want to see less of though, are lame jokes hinting at the identity of the Stranger. 'Grand Elf...' If that's what we're headed into, just name him already so we don't get more of the same.

Not a bad episode, all in all, then. I've got my fingers crossed for more of the same this week :o)