We're already at the midpoint of the season! Rings of Power 2x04, âEldest,â provided some of the most Tolkienian moments in the series so far.
This week, Kat supplies Isildur's Tragic Lore Dump, Wren gets so excited about Arondir she speaks at warp speed (donât worry, we slowed it down), and we both defend Estrid with our lives. We also dive into all the lovely moments with the Stoors, the Ents, and THE Tom Bombadil, and explain why the Barrow-wight scene missed the mark for us. Listen wherever you catch your pods!
Here's a preview of our discussion about Arondir's arc in the show so far.
About the pod: Where the Shadows Lie is a Rings of Power fan podcast with Kat and Wren. Join us as we go wild about Season 2, dive into all of our favorite character arcs, speculate about future episodes, and celebrate the amazing cast and crew. This is a positive, analytical space for fellow Rings of Power fansâall are welcome!
 Okay. Iâve got control of my feels and now Iâm ready to talk about the first two episodes of RoP. Spoilery stuff under the jump, so be warned!
Iâm going to get what I didnât like out of the way first, because itâs a much smaller list than I thought it would be. Some of this is very, very nitpicky/from the perspective of a linguist, so YMMV. And thatâs all cool!
Finrodâs hair. ugh, just. UGH. way, way too modern. broke my immersion immediately. Elrondâs and Celebrimborâs hair I can learn to tolerate, but Finrod looked like he stepped out of a primary world hairdresser just last week. odd.
the introduction to the Harfoots was a little bit on the cheesy side
the whole âthese warriors have earned their passage back to Valinorâ thing was a little...I donât feel it was extrapolated enough? After the War of Wrath, the ban of the Valar was lifted for the Noldorin exiles and Valinor was open to any of the Eldar who wished to leave Middle-earth. There was no âearningâ involved with it. Now, because the Professor ummâd and ahhâd about Galadrielâs personal ban, it could possibly work for her, earning her passage, but I think it would have been a little closer to canon if the warrior elves had been presented as choosing to go to Valinor, as they felt their personal duties on Middle-earth had been done.
the way the warrior band stood on the boat as it sailed. Did they...assume that position for the whole trip? I just. *gigglefit*
also puzzled as to why everyone apparently is required to wear white while in Aman...
me getting my linguist on: Poppy using the word âokayâ. that jolted me out of immersion; âokayâ has only been used in the primary world for the last couple of centuries; itâs distinctly modern and itâs so weird to hear it in a world where it wouldnât even exist.
I still donât like the costume designs for the elves (although in the series they admittedly look much, much prettier than in the trailers -- you can see the details of the fabrics and the accoutrements much better), Celebrimbor especially (I just...why would you want to make such a stately character look so dowdy? Especially if theyâre being played by Charles bloody Edwards, for goodnessâ sake!). And while I donât have a problem with the design of the Southlanderâs apparel, some of it -- especially Bronwynâs (gorgeous) blue dress -- doesnât look at ALL worn enough, and seems too bright. The Southlanders arenât rolling in money or culture, rich fabrics should be out of their price limits, so to speak.
Now. WHAT I LOVED.
that cinematography. This series isnât even eye-candy, itâs eye-HEAVEN. Everything is so gorgeous and sweeping. Iâm incredibly partial to the elven places (someone take me to Lindon. NOW.), but holy crap Khazad-Dum was amazing, too! The look on my face during that entry scene was exactly the same as Elrondâs!
THAT. SCORE. Bear McCreary is a force of nature and criminally underrated.
Iâm still not sure why, but the boat coming to Valinor (or approaching its borders, technically) scene made me tear up something dreadful. It was just...so beautiful. The music, the golden light, the birds that swirled around the ship, the parting clouds...
Elrond. Elrond, Elrond, ai, meldenya Elerondo. Robert Aramayo played him to perfection. You can see his youth and inexperience, but you can also see hints of the mighty elf lord that he will eventually become. And he really does seem as kind as summer, too! And...SO ADORKABLE. The way he lit up when he was told Galadriel had arrived. Their friendship is EVERYTHING. (So yeah, haters, he talks to her very directly because theyâre close and he cares, so can we just let all this âhow DARE he speak to Galadriel like that!â claptrap die already?
Galadriel. Holy crap, Nerwen, my beautiful girl. I love how we can see the side of her that Tolkien wrote about in Unfinished Tales, that fire she has in her belly, that horrific knowledge which will eventually be tempered into wisdom. Morfydd Clarkâs performance was absolutely astounding -- how she managed to have that utter longing and yet tearing hesitation in the Valinor scene is beyond me, and itâs wonderful.
Celebrimbor. I just. Charles Edwards nailed him, his enthusiasm and his longing to do something of consequence -- not for himself, but for Middle-earth. Also, his whole âI like people who create things, I donât care what race they are, I just wanna see the awesomeâ is just...so...pure. And that guarded sort of look he had when Elrond was admiring FĂ«anorâs hammer, like heâs quite conflicted about his heritage...goddamn, man. He has my whole damn heart and he can encase it in silver filigree and keep it forever. â„
...oh I am gonna be a frickinâ MESS by the end of this, arenât I.
The Harfoots. I was so prepared to hate them, but I was so pleasantly surprised -- theyâre just like the hobbits of the Third Age, simply nomadic. Thereâs still that sense of family and community, the little sparks of adventurousness here and there, and theyâre honestly adorable.Â
Nori. I was actually positive I was going to hate her and sheâd annoy me to the sky, but sheâs so cute! A cute, determined, scared but brave, wilful little sprite of a hobbit. Thereâs definitely something Tookish about her.
DĂsa is A M A Z I N G. Sheâs warm, personable, friendly, bold, brash, larger than life, heckinâ gorgeous, and oh god I ship her and Durin so hard. Their relationship just...*clutches heart* I really get that their relationship is solid enough for her to be able to tell him in absolutely no uncertain terms that heâs being an ass, and she does NOT approve, but this doesnât change her love for him remotely. (I wanna see the wee dwarves, too! More of their family in later eps, please please please!)
Oh, Arondir. He tries to remain so stoic, but his sorrow and worry is heavy around him like a cloak, and how Ismael Cruz Cordova managed to show that is just great. Also, him and Bronwyn! They barely held hands in either episode but itâs so obvious theyâre helplessly in love -- emphasis on the helpless; they both know it canât happen. But they love, love, love, they canât help it. I have way too many feelings about them, way too many. (...theyâre gonna break my heart, arenât they? Well, I mean, technically everyone is going to, because, uh...Second Age and all, but.)
speaking of best mama bear Bronwyn: I love her hair, the braided-in-kerchief thing. Iâm gonna try that on my own hair, I think.
loved the little name drops and hints here and there -- Elrond mentioning FĂ«anor, Durin and DĂsa mentioning AulĂ«, etc etc. If you donât have the rights to film it...just mention it! (So yes, the writers have delved into the lore, after all!)
Overall, 8/10. And Iâm just. Iâm so happy to be back in Middle-earth. The trailers and teasers donât show how good it really is. I have never been that happy after finishing a TV episode of anything before in my life. Iâm so looking forwards to the next five years! â„
