‘The Rings of Power’ Season 2, Episode 4 Recap & Review: New Powers Rise

Warning: The following contains spoilers for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2, Episode 4.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 is back with an all-new episode on Prime Video that takes a darker turn as the Elves go after Sauron and The Stranger (Daniel Weyman) comes across a new and unusual power in the deserts of Rhǔn. Episode 4 continues The Rings of Power’s strong sophomore run, expanding from its 3-episode premiere in an installment packed with action that introduces new characters to the adventure. 

As Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) and Elrond (Robert Aramayo) set out to Eregion to bring aid to Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards), the Dark Wizard (Ciarán Hinds) gains power in the East and The Stranger searches for Nori (Markella Kavenagh) and Poppy (Megan Richards). Meanwhile, Arondir (Ismael Cruz Cordova) Isildur (Maxim Baldry) try to help the Southlanders rebuild and find out what happened to Theo (Tyroe Muhafidin) after he was taken in the woods in the previous episode.

The Elves Are Tested in ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Season 2, Episode 4

The episode begins in Lindon as Galadriel and Elrond prepare for their journey to Eregion. Elrond tasks Galadriel with recruiting the remaining four Elves to complete their company, and they briefly argue about Elrond being the commander over her, though she ultimately agrees to his command. After gathering the other warriors and beginning their journey, they find that a decaying bridge has blocked their path.

Realizing there is no way around it, Elrond asks Camnir (Calam Lynch) for another path to Eregion. Camnir suggests they could go through the forest to the south, but Galadriel has a vision of some darkness lurking there from her ring. She urges Elrond and the company to choose another way, saying that Sauron wants them to go there, but Elrond ignores her and demands they go south. Before leaving, Elrond pulls Galadriel aside and tells her they will not take any orders from the ring.

The Harfoots Find an Unlikely Friend in Rhǔn

Over to the East, The Stranger continues to search for Nori and Poppy and comes across a peculiar man’s (Rory Kinnear) home as he sings and tends to his garden. The Stranger tries to ask him about the Harfoots and show him the map of stars, but he seems unconcerned. The map flies out of The Stranger’s hands and lands on a nearby tree, but when The Stranger goes to recover it, the tree swallows him into its trunk. We then find Nori and Poppy waking up in the desert after they survived being drifted away by The Strangers’ sandstorm.

The two try to get their bearings when they hear the Dark Wizard’s scouts searching for them, and they scramble to hide. They fall down the hillside and meet another Harfoot named Merimac (Gavi Singh Chera), or “Nobody,” who says he’s never heard of a Harfoot but agrees to help them.

Merimac takes them to his village, where we are introduced to the Stoors, one of the three breeds of Hobbits. Nori and Poppy are introduced to their leader, Gundabale (Tanya Moodie), and ask about The Stranger, calling him a wizard. Gundable says that the only wizard in those parts is the Dark Wizard and orders the Stoors to tie them up. 

Tolkien’s Most Mysterious Character Tom Bombadil Appears

Back at the mysterious man’s home, he comes to the tree containing The Stranger and tells it to let him go. The tree obeys his command and releases The Stranger, and we learn the man’s name is Tom Bombadil. Bombadil invites The Stranger inside and offers him food, which he magically conjures from The Stranger’s map. The Stranger asks who he really is, and Bombadil simply replies that he is Eldest and was there before the river and the trees, remembering the first raindrop. 

The Stranger asks Bombadil if he can teach him magic, but Tom says that, much like a name, it’s his already if he can prove himself. Tom explains that The Stranger has already failed his previous test but will find out if he can prove himself worthy, and they hear the scouts of the Dark Wizard outside. We learn that the Dark Wizard also came to Bombadil in search of magic but turned to darkness and could now potentially align with Sauron to burn all Middle-earth. The Stranger asks Bombadil what he must do, and Tom says he will have to face them both.

Darkness Falls Over the Elven Company

In the forest south of Eregion, the Elves continue their journey and find themselves in the Barrow-downs, where kings of men were once laid to rest. They begin to hear voices coming from the dark and come upon the bodies of the messengers Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker) sent to Eregion carrying the message about Halbrand (Charlie Vickers). 

The voices grow louder, and Daemor (Oliver Alvin-Wilson) is pulled into one of the tombs by chains as the company is attacked by dead Kings called Barrow-wights. The company fights off the Barrow-wights, but their weapons have no effect on them, and Elrond discovers they have to use the weapons the kings were buried with.

Daemor doesn’t make it, and they hold a small funeral for him on the edge of the forest. Galadriel again tries to convince Elrond that the rings could be their only path to victory, and the ring shows Galadriel another vision of Eregion under attack. She makes Elrond swear that he will put stopping Sauron above everything else. Elrond swears it will go before everything, even Galadriel.

‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Season 2, Episode 4 Explores Middle-earth’s Monsters

Turning further south, we meet back up with Isildur and the rest of the Southlanders as they search for Theo. Arondir finds the bodies of the Wildmen who took Theo, and the Southlanders want to go and raid their remaining camps. Estrid (Nia Towle) says most of them are to the North, which raises Arondir’s suspicions. Arondir questions her in front of Isildur, and she attacks them, but Arondir catches her and reveals the brand of Adar (Sam Hazeldine) on her neck that she tried to burn off, which makes her lead them to the other Wildmen.

On their way, Isildur is upset with Estrid for lying to him, and Arondir picks up a trail. They follow the trail to a marsh, and Isildur gets trapped in a mud pool that quickly starts pulling him under. Arondir tries to pull him out, but it swallows both of them, and they disappear into the muck. Estrid grabs a long stick and attempts to bring them in, but a giant mud worm emerges. It goes to attack her when a sword emerges from its stomach, and Arondir bursts out of the monster carrying Isildur. 

The Prime Video Series Reveals Origins of the Shire

We then meet back up with Nori, Poppy, Merimac, and the Stoors as Gundabale tells them they are being cast out. Nori says that Sadoc (Lenny Henny) would have done the same thing, but Gundabale recognizes his name. She tells them Sadoc’s ancestor was a Stoor and had dreams of a paradise where Stoors could live in holes near a river and called it “Sǔza-t,” which translates The Shire in the Western tongue. 

Nori realizes they never found paradise, which is how they became Harfoots and began to wander, never having a true home. After this realization, the Dark Wizard scouts arrive; Nori, Poppy, and Merimac hide while Gundabale and the other Stoors confront them. The lead scout strikes Gundabale and demands to know where the Halflings are, but Gundable says they aren’t there, and they leave with the promise to return with force. 

The Ents Rise in ‘The Rings of Power’ Season 2, Episode 4

After encountering the mud worm, Isildur and Arondir let Estrid go in return for saving them. She immediately betrays them again and pulls a sword on them but is suddenly thrown back by two Ents. The Ents attack Isildur, but Arondir stops it by speaking to it in Quendi and promising that their weapons are not for cutting down trees but for Orcs. 

Letting their guard down, the Ents explain that an army of Orcs came through, killing and burning trees in their path, which sends the female Ent into a rage, claiming that they are no different from anyone else. Arondir eases her pain by promising that he will make sure the trees of their forest will be left in peace. The Ents lead them to Theo and let him go along with the other Wildmen, and he thanks Arondir for not abandoning him. Arondir says he must follow the Orcs’ trail, but Theo stays behind to be the healer of Pelargir.

Galadriel Makes the Ultimate Sacrifice

Elsewhere, the Elf company catches up to Adar’s forces as they close in on Eregion. As the Elves watch them, Orcs blindly shoot arrows into the woods, and one strikes Camnir. The Elves try to remain quiet as Camnir bleeds out, but the Orcs can smell something going on. Galadriel puts her hand over Camnir’s wound, and her ring breaks the arrow and partially heals him. 

The Elves stand in amazement, but the Orcs close in on them. Galadriel tells them to go back to Lindon to tell Gil-galad of the incoming attack while she distracts the Orcs and gives her ring to Elrond. Elrond reluctantly takes it, and Galadriel faces the Orcs alone. She manages to take out several of them and even acquires a horse to escape but is ultimately surrounded by the overwhelming numbers. Galadriel still goes to attack but is thrown back, and we see it’s Adar who greets her in the Elven tongue. 

‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Season 2 Continues To Soar

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2, Episode 4 continues its strong pacing with an episode packed with action and great Easter eggs for fans of J.R.R. Tolkien‘s works. The showrunners and writers clearly know what they’re doing and perfectly balance the deep and rich lore of Tolkien’s world with the excitement and adventure you expect from a high-budget fantasy series. 

The Rings of Power Season 2, so far, has not missed, and it seems they look to continue that run by delivering a show that has something for everyone — whether a fan of the Peter Jackson trilogy or you’ve read all of Tolkien’s legendarium. While Middle-earth may be bleak in the show, the future for this franchise has never looked brighter. 

Follow the Agents of Fandom socials for all the latest entertainment news and reviews.