'Rings of Power' Season 2, Episode 8 – 'Shadow and Flame'

That’s our lot for Season 2, now we sit back and wait for news about about Season 3. And I’ll be honest, there was a time when I wouldn’t have been waiting with the enthusiasm that I have right now. I’m not going to go into it all again, not in great detail, but I’ve had problems with Season 1 and a chunk of Season 2, up until a couple of weeks ago when things not only started to turn round but for me, shed a new light on a lot of what we’d already seen. As a result, I spent most of the last week looking forward to last night’s Season Finale. Was it any good in the end? Well… There was one bit that felt a little flat (for me anyway) but on the whole, ‘Shadow and Flame’ not only hit every target that it aimed for, it left the target a smouldering pile of splinters on the floor… Yep, I enjoyed it ;o)

As always, I’ll try and avoid spoilers, where possible, as not everyone has seen the episode yet. That means no recaps here. If you want one of those, well… Wikipedia is always a good bet and Reactor Magazine also has form for in-depth episode outlines. If you’re still here, lets talk some ‘Shadows and Flame’.

It’s safe to say now that ‘Shadows and Flame’, and ‘Rings of Power’ as a whole, has moved way past setting up all the pieces and is well into showing us what actually happens next. So it is then that ‘Shadows and Flames’ ties together most of the plot strands from this season but not all of them, striking a good balance between giving us a little closure and keeping things seamless in terms of leading the story into Season 3. The only place where this didn’t quite happen was with where we leave the Stranger. Sorry, the show’s worst kept secret is finally out, where we leave Gandalf. It didn’t feel like we had closure or a sense of setting things up for the next Season, just two incredibly powerful beings having a drink and a sing-song. I get it but it jarred with what was happening elsewhere. To be honest though, the show has built up enough credit now for me to let that one go. Special mention goes to the Numenor storyline that continues to chug along but isn't there quite yet. Again though, I'm happy to wait and see what happens.

And the rest of it is just brilliant. From where I was sat, there was a real ‘Empire Strikes Back’ vibe to ‘Shadow and Flame’ with our heroes getting absolutely battered by the forces of evil but taking stock at the end and realising that they still have some fight left in them. And redemption is the order of the day for Galadriel and Celebrimbor; the only way they can do that though is to face the person who led them astray in the first place… I’d say that Celebrimbor strikes the hardest blows on Sauron and doesn’t use a sword to do it. Watching that verbal sparring build up to it’s own finale is nothing short of compelling and the look on Sauron’s face as he realises that he has been played at the very last… And it’s interesting to see Sauron do more or less do the same thing to Adar, finally getting his revenge but with no blood on his hands. It’s a shame to see Adar bow out but there was always a feeling that he could only go so far in the story.

Galadriel vs. Sauron is a more straightforward fight (with a definite nod to ‘Vader vs. Skywalker) that offers Galadriel the chance to come out from under Sauron’s shadow. It’s powerful to watch as the psychological battle takes equal billing with the swordplay. If you’re like me and forgot how powerful Galadriel is in the setting, these scenes will leave you in no doubt that Galadriel may not be at Sauron’s level but she is more than capable of giving him a good fight.

And the ending… I mentioned it briefly up the page but for me, the real joy came in realising just where they were stood and just what that means. It’s a real uplifting moment that ends the Season on just the note that was needed, a hopeful one.

I’ve got other shows to watch in the meantime but I’m going to miss ‘Rings of Power’ until it’s back with us. If this is the new standard then I can’t wait :o)