‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Season 2, Episode 1 Recap & Review: The Undoing Begins

Warning: The following contains spoilers for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2, Episode 1.

The biggest franchise in the fantasy genre makes its epic return to television. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2, Episodes 1-3, are now streaming on Prime Video, taking fans back to Middle-earth amid one of its most crucial periods. The series premiere picks up right where Season 1 left off, as a new power enters the struggle for Middle-earth and Sauron’s influence begins to spread.

After the events of Season 1, Sauron (Charlie Vickers) searches for new allies while the Elves learn to deal with the new rings of power they have created to save them from succumbing to darkness and leaving Middle-earth poisoned by the Dark Lord. This first installment of Season 2 brings viewers up to speed from the finale of last season and hits the ground running, kicking off on a new, darker adventure.

‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Season 2 Reveal Sauron’s Initial Fall

The episode begins in Forodwaith, the same stronghold from the beginning of Season 1 at the dawn of the Second Age. A young Sauron (Jack Lowden) speaks in front of a crowd of Orcs with Adar (Sam Hazeldine) at his side. With Morgoth’s defeat, Sauron proclaims himself their new lord and seeks a new power to control all of Middle-earth. One of the Orcs rebels and attempts to stab Sauron, but he sees the attack coming and brutally murders him to the dismay and horror of his fellow Orcs and Adar.

Adar goes to place Morgoth’s crown on him. However, just before he does, he flips it over and stabs the Dark Lord in the neck. The other orcs jump him and viciously stab him repeatedly until he lies in a pool of blood. His eye bursts open with light that explodes from him and consumes the entire land, freezing it over in ice. Adar survives the blast and grabs Morgoth’s crown to claim it as his own, and the orcs chant their allegiance to him.

‘The Rings of Power’ Episode 1 Shows a New Side of Sauron

Sauron’s blood seeps through the stones of Forodwaith into a small pond in a cavern beneath the stronghold. There, the blood corrupts the life within the water, and Sauron begins to reform as a blob of worms. This Sauron survives by eating bugs and rats, slowly reforming and gathering his strength until he makes it out of the cavern. He encounters a passing woman and eats her to gain enough power to finally take human form, emerging as Halbrand.

Sauron is then seen traveling the land until he encounters a group of travelers fleeing from Orcs. He talks with an old man and notices the sigil of the King of the Southlands, deciding to go with them on their journey across the sea in search of a new life. They board a ship and are attacked by a sea monster in the middle of the night.

The old man gets trapped, so Sauron grabs the sigil from his neck and leaves him to die. Once in the water, the monster comes straight for him, but Sauron commands it away, implying that he summoned it in the first place. He and a few other survivors take refuge on a raft, bringing us to his first meeting with Galadriel from Season 1.

Elrond and Galadriel Struggle With Their New Creation

In the present, Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) chases Elrond (Robert Aramayo) on horseback through the fields of Middle-earth. Elrond beats Galadriel to Lindon and presents the Elven Rings to Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker). Elrond also informs the High King of Halbrand’s true identity as Sauron and that Galadriel tried to keep it secret. 

Galadriel dances around Gil-galad’s questioning but ultimately reveals Elrond is telling the truth, and the High King demands to see the rings. Elrond is hesitant, but Gil-galad insists that since Sauron is rising, the rings may be the last hope for all people in Middle-earth, not just the Elves.

Elrond refuses to hand over the rings, fearing they will be the very thing to bring Sauron to power despite Galadriel’s assurance that Sauron never touched the three rings. Gil-galad commands Elrond one more time as an order from his King, and Elrond leaps into the waters below to escape with the rings.

Sauron Begins His Conquest in ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Season 2

In Mordor, Sauron is taken prisoner by the orcs and brought before Adar among other prisoners from the Southlands. An Orc brings Sauron forward, saying he turned himself in as King of the Southlands in hopes of negotiating, but Adar refuses his proposal in favor of torturing the information out of him instead. 

Later, Sauron remains in his cell chained next to a Warg, and Waldreg (Geoff Morrell) comes with food. Sauron refuses and Waldreg begins to beat him, to which Sauron promises to kill him when he is released by Adar. Waldreg leaves, and Sauron uses the bone from his refused meal to lure the Warg to him, where uses the Black Speech to bring it under his command. 

Nori and the Stranger Continue on Their Path for Answers

The plot shifts to the East as The Stranger (Daniel Weyman) comes upon the constellation he has been searching for and sees a staff flashing between different forms in front of him. He awakens to discover it was all a vision, and he is walking with Nori (Markella Kavenagh); a mysterious armored scout with a skull helm watches them from afar.

Out of food, Nori suggests he try using his magic to revive the tree, but he fails, and it explodes. However, they discover bugs and grub hidden within the tree’s trunk, and Nori celebrates the victory. As they sit around a fire and enjoy their newly found meal, The Stranger tells Nori of his dream about the staff, and she expresses her sadness about missing home, but the duo discovers they are being watched and quickly extinguish their fire. 

The Stranger and Nori set a trap and catch the person following them, only to discover it’s Poppy Proudfellow (Megan Richards) come to help them on their journey. Poppy pulls out the Harfoot map from Sadoc (Lenny Henry) and realizes that Harfoots have traveled this way before but that the path is dangerous. The company then sets out again and finally arrives at the peaks of Rhǔn.

‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2’ Episode 1 Introduces a Legendary Elf

To the West, we are introduced to the shores of the Grey Havens, where Elrond has fled and is hiding. Círden the Shipwright (Ben Daniels) then finds Elrond hiding in his workshop, and Elrond tells the Shipwright that he has nowhere else to turn, so he seeks the council of one of the wisest of all the Elves.

In Lindon, Gil-galad sends a messenger to Eregion to tell Celebrimbor of Halbrand’s true identity. Galadriel thanks him for his trust and aid, to which he assures her that their alliance is only temporary — her actions and mistakes have led them to this. Galadriel swears she will not stop until she ends Sauron, and the High King tells her that he has no doubt and that it is the only reason she is still there.

The two then meet with other Lindon soldiers who report they still cannot find Elrond, and Gil-galad orders them to continue searching. Galadriel, knowing Elrond best, determines that he would seek out someone old and wise, someone who even Gil-galad would be forced to listen to.  

‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Season 2, Episode 1 Turns Elf Against Elf

Back in the Grey Havens, Elrond offers the rings to Círden to inspect, but he assures him he is familiar with Celebrimbor’s work and remembers him longing to create objects so beautiful it would change the heart of anyone who held them. Elrond shares his fears of the rings being influenced by Sauron, but Círden argues that given what Elrond told him, the darkness of Sauron never touched the three rings.

Elrond asks Círden to destroy the rings because the end of the Elves is better than falling under Sauron’s control; we see him setting sail with the rings. Once at sea, Círden goes to throw the rings into the water when a wave suddenly rocks his boat and stops him. In the hesitation, the rings seem to call to him, and he takes them out and looks upon them in wonder. 

Sauron Earns His Title As the Great Deceiver

In the land of Mordor, Adar comes to Sauron in captivity and tells him the story of his torment by Morgoth and that he has freed the Southlanders, demanding his knowledge about Sauron’s movements. Sauron tells Adar that while he does not know what form the Dark Lord has now taken, he has the Elves’ trust and will go to them to “root Sauron out” so Adar can destroy him.

Adar lets Sauron go, and as he leaves, Adar orders a group of Orcs to follow him. We then see Waldreg enter the cell where Sauron was kept; the Warg that was in there with him is unchained, and it attacks Waldreg.

The Elves Embrace Their Future in ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Season 2, Episode 1

In Lindon, Gil-galad sings a somber song as the elves prepare to depart from Middle-earth, having failed to acquire the rings and save their light from fading. Círden then appears carrying the rings, with one resting upon his finger, saying that they are perfect and that Celebrimbor succeeded.

Elrond interferes in protest, and the rings fall to the ground. One of the rings falls right in front of Galadriel and she puts it on; Gil-galad puts on the other, and with all three, Galathilion, the great tree of Lindon, bursts with light once more, and the three Elven ring bearers gather under the tree to bask in its radiance.

‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Season 2, Episode 1 Is an Epic Return for the Franchise

This episode was a perfect way to start the season by reminding audiences of the past but wasting no time getting into the adventure. It is also impressive as it wraps up the plot for Season 1 and quickly introduces the new threat for the heroes this season. The performances and visuals of this episode are outstanding, making the return to Middle-earth feel like we never left. With a faster pace and darker tone, Episode 1 sets the bar for where we will go this season as Sauron continues to rise.

The first three episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power are now streaming on Prime Video, with new episodes releasing Thursdays. Follow the Agents of Fandom socials for all the latest entertainment news and reviews.