I adore Charlie's attention to detail with Sauron's mannerisms, and I particularly love his angry finger wiggle.
It shows that Charlie really thinks through Sauron's mannerisms. On the surface, it's kind of a cute, funny little mannerism, but if you think about it, it has a much deeper, darker implication.
Why? Because when we see Sauron using magic, particularly in Season 2, it's often by flicking his fingers or twisting his hands.
We see it most obviously when he uses his hands to control the elven guards and force them to kill each other. We also see it when he flicks his fingers to throw Mirdania off the wall.
With that in mind, it seems obvious what the "angry finger wiggle" really is. He wants to use magic. He wants to literally blast apart his surroundings and kill everyone in his path. He's doing everything to control himself to not let loose his magic, and it manifests as the little finger wiggle.
I have realized that Mairon applied this own method on himself.
"Identify what your opponent fears the most, and give them a means of mastering it, so that you can master them".
His coping mechanism in Angband was: You fear pain and humiliation? You crave affection? Turn the ugly into a reward and a battle of wills. Enjoy it, even.
He embraced this mindset so deeply that he can no longer even see it as a coping mechanism, and at that point he cannot escape from his own trap.
And I absolutely believed him when he said he had been mistreated, at the latest after the Lúthien debacle. He is not mentioned after that, until he came to bow to Eönwë. He could be in hiding, but I think Morgoth would find him. And he was so unhinged by then that, first lieutenant or not, his anger must have been out of bounds.
I also think he was not particularly enjoying what he did to Celebrimbor. My impression, even before Episode 7, was that he just saw this as something that "needs to be done". Those dead eyes were so scary. And so different from what we've seen when he was forging the sword in Númenor (I think that was our glimpse into the remnant of the real Mairon) or when they were working on the Three.
It's sad, really, Mairon had so much potential and he wasted it on Morgoth, killing himself in the process.
This doesn't mean there is an excuse for what he does. There is no excuse. But I am happy the show gave us a plausible explanation of how he became what he is now. The self-deceived deceiver, the abused one turning into an abuser. It is all very realistic, and the Eregion plot is just brilliant for this.
And Celebrimbor's expression of disbelief at the BS Marion was saying was perfection. Both Charlies deserve awards for their acting.
This is a bit incoherent, but I needed to write it. And I am looking forward to any (and better) analysis others might write, because it's a fascinating subject.
Why was he crying? Annatar manipulates and kills easily, so why was he borderline sobbing after killing Celebrimbor?
Because this death was brutal, and more than that, it was personal. Sauron doesn't kill because he's a sadist, he kills because he is ruthless and believes it necessary to achieve his goals. Anyone who gets in his way, or who is more useful dead, will simply be so. But as he's torturing Celebrimbor for information about the rings, Celebrimbor is reading him to filth. And with compassion, even.
There is a spark of anger. Absolute rage within Annatar, and in his fury he kills Celebrimbor. Not because it was useful or the smart thing to do, because he was offended, even hurt by his words. He killed Celebrimbor in anger, which is not like him, and when he steps back and realizes how violently and twistedly he did it, to man he even respected and may have liked to some extent, something clicks.
Why was he crying?
Because he looked at what he'd done to Celebrimbor, and he saw Melkor. This was Morgoth's work. This was how he'd handled things, how he'd tormented and punished Sauron. All this time, as we know from his earlier conversation with Celebrimbor, Sauron believes he is being merciful to those he tortures and kills compared to Morgoth.
But in that moment, he has brief terrifying glimpse of self-awareness. He is the monster he feared and hated and thought he loved. He steps backs and looks at a scene Morgoth would paint and it terrifies him.
So he cries. He cries until the reality of his actions, and another opportunity walks through the door in the form of the orcs and he makes the same call he will always make: double down, justify it, make it worth the pain.
there's something there about how all three times someone tries to get sauron to, you know, acknowledge the fact that he is sauron, his answer is "i have many names."
one to galadriel in s1e8. one to celebrimbor in s2e7. one to glug in s2e8.
in fact, thinking VERY carefully, i am pretty sure he only ever says the name sauron (in present day, not counting s2e1 flashback) twice in the entire 16 episode series so far.
once in s1e8: "sauron lives because of you."
once in s2e1: "sauron has returned in a new form."
it is an interesting divorce to his identity and i think a really interesting bit of character development with regards to sauron as rop is portraying him. there's been talk of how there wasn't a true 'repentance' arc but what if his refusal to self-identify himself definitively as sauron is part of it?
it's interesting how he seems to be actively attempting to utterly disassociate himself from the name sauron. it is my headcanon that neither melkor nor mairon can use their original names anymore, hence the usage of morgoth and sauron, but i wonder if even after centuries, there is a small part of sauron who is trying to pretend that he is not abhorred.
maybe i'm reaching but i wonder if we may finally see him claim his name in s3.
edit: yes, i know what 'sauron' means. yes, sauron is evil and bad. keep adding stupid comments and i'll keep deleting them and move to blocking next.
I want to bring attention to the Numenorians' portrait because I've noticed something.
Take note of how they're positioned.
(This is a long post)
We'll start with Númenor's Finest TM:
Miriel is the only one standing among her family here, singling her out. Because she is not like Kemen and Pharazôn.
She's standing because she's righteous, mightier, higher, as TRoP presents her as. Come what may, she is Númenor's true queen, and I believe this pose is trying to foreshadow that.
I additionally like to think her hands clasped in front of her is a show of her isolation from Pharazôn's counsel.
She's almost smiling. Her lips are pulled up slightly, and I think that's a lovely little detail that conveys here kindness as a queen.
Oh my god. Her shawl. It's Elendil's hair and uniform colours. OH MY GODDD. FORESHADOWING AT ITS FINEST.
Kemen is sitting almost exactly as Pharazôn is, only more relaxed and almost limp. All he wants is for his father to see him and be proud of him. He wants that paternal recognition and validation, and the only way he can do that is by mirroring Pharazôn; his actions, mannerisms, authority, etc. as displayed in his identical pose.
He looks like he was dragged by the scruff of his neck to the photo location (something Pharazôn would 100% do) and does not seem to like being there. Very let's-get-this-over-with-esque. He also looks like the unfortunate one that got the sun in his peripheral.
As opposed to Pharazôn, Kemen's hands are a lot less formally-placed in his lap and there's not much thought going into how his feet are positioned.
But if you were to take Kemen's picture and slap it over Pharazôn's, you won't see much difference, and that both says a lot and has much significance to his personal arc across the two seasons.
Additional note because I can't stop laughing: someone said Kemen looks like some kid in a Shakespeare play and I refuse to unsee it.
Pharazôn himself is sitting like the proud, arrogant man he is. That right there is the seated position of a man who thinks he owns everything. Fact check: he does not. Someone who owns everything stands like Miriel's near-smiling self, and she is not trying to make a show of it compared to he. She is stood where he is sat.
He is the most serious-appearing in this family, try as Kemen and Miriel may, and can clearly display that so naturally.
His posture is perfect, as is the placement of his hands, and though you can't see his feet, you can tell they're planted firmly on the ground, possibly insinuating his strict "ever-loyal-to-Númenor" mindset.
Look. at. that. face. The face of an absolute tyrant. He knows what he wants and knows even better how to get it. The furrow of his brows and the hooded, almost cruel eyes. There's no trace of a smile, implying the notion that he is not Númenor's true leader. Now compare that to Miriel's flash of a smile; the kindness of a queen compared to the cruelty of a king. I'm simply married to this.
Now it's Problem Family Extraordinaire's turn:
Elendil is probably the most normal out of anyone in the full picture. He's true to his position as captain: strong-looking (hand on the handle of his sword), relaxed demeanour, good stance, firm expression.
There's honestly nothing else I can point out about Elendil. He's the only one that really understood the assignment. If you notice anything, let me know!
The first thing I notice about Eärien is her shied-away angle. You can't really see her left arm as she's turned more to the side. Now, that may just be coincidental, but I think it's safe to assume it could be an implication of her torn loyalties. Her right side is more visible and closer to her family (Elendil in specific, of whom she's the least connected to of her family as of season two) where her left is more angled towards Númenor.
Her expression feels to me like an attempt at masking her conflicting emotions and pain. Or, hey, maybe I'm delving too deep and she's just wondering why she agreed to do this.
She's shown in her orange dress, which is a lot more vibrant than anyone else. But you know who else has a pop of bright orange as well? Kemen. Like Miriel with her Elendil-themed shawl. I am so absolutely obsessed with this breed of foreshadowing.
Isildur, my boy, you're sitting scarily identically to Pharazôn. It's like we just took him, flipped the image, and replaced it with Isildur. Now, perhaps I'm insane, but I think that hints at the siding of powers. Pharazôn is sitting like the kingly silver fox he appears to be where Isildur is more "nah, man, who organised this photoshoot, the hell?", and that sort of starts us off.
An interesting note I'd like to point out: Pharazôn rises in Númenor for power, and Isildur rises to power for Númenor. Hm...reading too much into it? Mayhaps I do be doing that, or mayhaps I'm onto something?
Pharazôn sits, again, like he owns everything. A man playing king. Isildur doesn't essentially want to be king, and his slumped, relaxed position gets the message across that he could not care less about all that royal stuff. In fact, does he look extra rugged or is it just me?
I just love how Sick Of This Shit he looks. The face of a teenager (grown ass man) who's been ripped from his brethren (Valandil and Ontamo, literally around the corner) for a family (if you squint a la Miriendil and Kemenärien) picture and just wants to get back to his starved son (Berek, who was given an apple not ten minutes ago).
Alternate reason for his expression: Isildur argued the whole morning with Elendil to let Berek be in the photo and even had Ontamo and Valandil sign a petition. He was obviously denied and was sour about it for a further three days.
There's not really any conclusion or summary to be written here, because I mostly did this out of my own personal interest and because it caught my eye, but I suppose all I can really do is compliment The Rings of Power for its immaculate work once more. Like...who comes up with this stuff? Making Isil look rugged compared to his sister (which perfectly mirrors their positions by the end of seasons one and two) and Miriel with her little "I know I'm rightful" smile. DAMN, I love this show and all the effort put into it. Kudos to the actors too for pulling this photo off!
Rings of Power ➤ Cinematography: The Cowboy Shot - Season 01
The cowboy shot depicts a subject starting from their hip or thighs to the top of their head. The shot originates from Westerns, designed to show a character's gun holster. In modern day filmmaking, the shot is also used to establish a heroic character, convey power or show defiance.
In ROP, the cowboy shot is often paired with a low-angle shot, where the camera points upward, to evoke strength and even more power for the characters.
(Screencaps were scaled down along the width, with no vertical cropping.)
[see Part 1] The Directly-Overhead camera angle is Sauron's camera angle. (I had to omit the reference Eye shot, because I totally missed another very important shot [which you will see at the end], and I've hit my gif limit. But it is in Part 1 twice, so GO LOOK AT IT. lol)
Sauron literally watched the making of the Rings, but he saw far more than that.
In the same sequence in Episode 8, He watched Elrond investigate 'what happened by that stream'.
Now he knows about Elrond's suspicion. But is this sequence the only time we see this camera angle?
No.
Episode 4: The Great Wave
Galadriel: "So, by your standards, I am in this cell, because I am yet to identify what the Queen most fears?"
Sauron: "My very low standards, yes."
Galadriel: "And I suppose you did, having met her for all of a few moments?"
Little does Galadriel know about the Eye of Halbrand. He watched Míriel in her dream. Not only does he know her fear, but he knows about Númenor's future.
After that conversation, he watched Galadriel in the Palantir.
At the end of the episode, he watched Míriel and Pharazôn as the petals of the White Tree fell.
In the same sequence, he woke Tar-Palantir up for a staring contest.
[Miriel: "Is our valor confined to the graves of our slumbering fathers?"]
The shot immediately following shows Sauron gleefully walking away. He sure is a fan of mocking and taunting people. "Look who's here, and guess who can't do anything about it."
[Míriel: "Or is it here, amongst us, even now?"]
It is no wonder that in the next episode, Tar-Palantir sits on the bed in defeat.
Tar-Palantir: "The Kingdom! The Kingdom is in danger!"
Míriel: "The danger is past, father. We are doing now what you always believed we must. We're restoring our connection with the Elves. I'm going to Middle-earth. :)"
Tar-Palantir: "Míriel. […] Don't go to Middle-earth. All that awaits you there is […] darkness."
We are going out of order, but there is so much more.
Episode 7: The Eye
He saw more than what Elrond and Dúrin IV saw. (wait for it)
He watched Dúrin III throw the leaf into the mountain. (wait for it)
He followed the leaf down the cracks of the mountain, to the fellow servant of Morgoth.
We now see that he knows about all of that already. But we are not done yet.
Episode 3: Adar
In the scene after his fight in the alley, Sauron watched as Galadriel discovered the meaning of his own symbol.
Galadriel: "It is as Halbrand said."
Galadriel: "If Sauron has indeed returned, the Southlands are but the beginning." [the music: "Nampat burzum-ank." Death into darkness.]
He absolutely knows what Galadriel found in the Hall of Lore. What does that say about his behavior, later in the same episode?
Galadriel: "How fares the quest for peace?"
Sauron: "Better than expected."
Galadriel: "You are more than you claim."
"I found this in the Hall of Lore."
There is yet more. Does he need to be absent to see things from a Bird's Eye View?
No.
But first, in Episode 4: The Great Wave …
Sauron: "I wouldn't advise that."
Pharazôn: "I can't very well let her leave."
Sauron: "You could, if you knew exactly where she was going."
What was discussed after the cameras cut?
In Episode 5, Pharazôn told Kemen: "It's folly to kick against the current. […] But the trick of mastering the current is to know which way it will turn next." That is exactly what "you could if you knew exactly where she was going" means.
[master = red flag word. Abort mission; get out while you still can.]
So, we know that Sauron either planted that idea, or explained it to Pharazôn, outright.
In addition, that is the approach that Sauron takes with every conflict in the whole season. This leads us to another time we see Sauron watching.
Episode 2: Adrift
To everyone on the raft, he urged, "Be still!" Then, he watched from above, to see where the Worm was going.
As he 'washed' his hair, he watched. Why? He was probably keeping an Eye out for danger (he is a target, still).
Hence the shifty eyes in the very next shot.
And what does that say about him watching Galadriel pull him onto the raft, after he saved her from drowning? (he is a target, still; gotta keep an Eye out).
But those are not the only overhead shots in all eight episodes. No, no. Sauron was watching before we even met him.
Earlier in Episode 2, he watched Bronwyn and Arondir in Hordern, and saw what the Orcs were doing. (wait for it)
(notice the eye shape while Arondir is holding the torch, leading to the overhead shot)
So, not only do we know that the Key and the Dam was originally a plan conjured by Sauron himself (Adar using it for his own purposes), but he knows of Bronwyn and Arondir's existence. After seeing that the trench-digging is under way, Sauron knows what Adar is up to. That sheds a whole new light on this exchange:
Míriel: "And where did the Enemy head next?"
Sauron: "Further south, I should think. Towards the watchtower of Ostirith." (Because, you know, Sauron knows where the dam has to be unlocked. Speaking of which … )
Episode 6: Udûn
Right after being hailed King of the Southlands, Sauron saw who unlocked the dam, without his permission. (Oh, you better believe Waldreg is in trouble; and not just for swearing fealty to Adar.)
Earlier in the episode, he saw Arondir try to destroy the key.
Finally, remember when Sauron said this? "A sea that you were on because the Elves cast you out! They cast you out for deigning to beg them for a few, petty soldiers! What will they do when you tell them that you were my ally? When you tell them that Sauron lives because of you?" (1x08)
We think, Oh, of course he must have figured it out at some point. But as luck would have it, he knows a lot more, a lot sooner than we think. Like I said before, he was watching even before we met him.
Episode 1: A Shadow of the Past
Galadriel: "This mark's very existence proves Sauron escaped. He's still out there. The question now is where! [Right above you.] I intend to ask of the King a fresh company. If he supplies enough to—"
Elrond: "You have only just arrived! […]"
Galadriel: […] "I am not some courtier to be placated by idle flattery. I demand to speak with the King directly."
Elrond: "You have made that plain. So, I will be equally plain. It was not your company who defied you out there. But rather you who defied the High King, by refusing to heed any limit placed upon you. In an act of magnanimity, he has chosen to honor your accomplishments, rather than dwell upon your insolence. [Like Sauron will in the end.] Test him again, and you may find him less receptive than you might have hoped."
Sauroncam:
Again, if you have not yet read Chapter 4 on my blog, please do so. These last two shots nearly made me jump out of my seat.
The Boat.
(I have not finished Chapter 6 yet, but it will be done very soon. In that chapter, we will explore the story of Beren and Lúthien, and how it perfectly parallels Halbrand and Galadriel [meaning they're the same, but also completely opposite]. Look at this, read Chapter 6 when it is published, then come back.)
Sauron watched as Galadriel was sailing off to Valinor.
The very moment he saw that his precious Golden Ticket to Power was about to cross the border …
… he called to her, and pulled her back.
When Patrick said, "It's all there," I didn't realize just how true that statement was. All of this makes Sauron even more creepy.
In a future post, I want to thoroughly analyze every one of these shots, what they mean, and how they affect the rest of the story. I am not a pro gif-maker, but I will do my best to include higher-quality gifs (and stills) on my blog, so that you can look at them more closely and analyze them for yourself. :) The music has an enormous role to play in all of this, but I will save that for the blog as well. Consider Chapter 4 a warm-up. It is only going to get more mind-blowing from here.
Update:
WHOOPS! Missed one.
Galadriel: "Year gave way to year. Century gave way to century. And for many Elves, the pain of those days passed out of thought and mind. More and more of our kind began to believe that Sauron was but a memory, and the threat, at last, was ended. I wish I could be one of them."
Hello?
This wasn't just an intro to Galadriel. Sauron was right there from the beginning.
Something I noticed as I was doing a ROP re-watch: the difference in how Sauron touches Galadriel vs how he touches other characters.
I had noticed the odd way that Sauron touches people, but I hadn't really thought a whole lot about it until I was doing a re-watch. Of course, a lot of people have noted how Annatar seems to be touch-averse compared to Halbrand who is very touchy with Galadriel. But I noticed a more subtle difference that may be nothing, but I still thought it was interesting (and Charlie is a good enough actor that I'm sure it's deliberate).
When Sauron touches other people, he usually does it with the back of his fingers, with his nails.
We seem him do this to Mirdania in S2E5 when he touches her hair. He uses the back of his fingers to brush it away from himself. Similarly, when he strokes Celebrimbor's face in S2E7, he uses the back of his fingers, stroking away from himself. In the same scene, he also uses the backs of his fingers to press on the arrow that he's using to torture Celebrimbor, which isn't direct contact with Celebrimbor, but is still intimate in a way.
Compare this to the way he always touches Galadriel. He always touches her with the front of his fingers, with the pads.
There's something awkward and unnatural about the back-of-the-fingers touches, whereas the ones with Galadriel seem more natural. Also, the pads of the fingers are more sensitive than the nails, almost suggesting that when he touches Galadriel, he wants to savor it, while on the other hand when he has to touch another character, he doesn't truly want to have to feel it any more than necessary. There's also something vaguely threatening about using his nails, even if he's not scratching with them, whereas touching with his pads is more vulnerable and soft.
There's also the direction of the movements. With the back-of-the-fingers touches, he's brushing away from himself, whereas with Galadriel, the movement is towards himself.
Just another interesting and incredibly subtle way in which the show indicates that something about Galadriel was different to Sauron.
