Spoilers below.
It’s hard to believe there is only one episode left this season of The Rings of Power. It seems like only yesterday, the Elves discovered Halbrand’s identity as Sauron—and now, they’ve discovered Annatar’s identity as Sauron too. I’ve come to the conclusion that Elves are easy to deceive. But it’s not their fault or anyone else’s other than Sauron’s. He is a master manipulator after all.
In the penultimate episode, Celebrimbor is stuck under Sauron’s spell, which has tricked him into thinking that Eregion is doing well. He has no care in the world as he casually sips his tea and focuses on finishing the rings for men. Though, when he notices one of the jewels from his hammer has fallen off, he catches a glimpse of himself disheveled as the spell is briefly broken. But Annatar/Sauron then arrives, and the spell is quickly back on Celebrimbor, and he continues working.
Only when Annatar/Sauron leaves Celebrimbor do we see Eregion under attack. The Orcs’ destruction has left buildings in ruins. Annatar/Sauron takes command of the Eregion soldiers, telling Mirdania that Celebrimbor has fully lost his mind. The Orcs begin to attack the mountains next to Eregion, causing the rocks to fall and creating a bridge towards the castle.
Meanwhile, at Khazad-dûm, King Durin is told about Eregion’s siege. He takes it as an opportunity to profit from the Elves, demanding Narvi to do whatever it takes to keep digging down the mines, even if it means physically removing his son and daughter-in-law, who are blocking them. Narvi and the Dwarves, however, join Durin IV and Disa in their protest against the king.
Durin IV is alerted of Elrond’s arrival at Khazad-dûm, who is there to warn about the Orcs attack on Eregion. In a heartwarming moment, as if no time has passed between the two friends, Durin and Elrond trade friendly insults and update each other on their lives. Durin is about to overthrow his father, and Elrond asks for the Dwarves’ help to save the Elves of Eregion.
As doom looms over Eregion, Annatar/Sauron rushes Celebrimbor to finish the rings, but he begins to realize he’s under a spell. It is broken when Celebrimbor throws his hammer and shatters the window. He now sees Eregion in ruins and becomes an emotional wreck. He finds that the “mithril” given to him for the rings was actually Annatar/Sauron’s black blood, prompting Celebrimbor to realize Annatar is Sauron. Celebrimbor rushes to tell Mirdania of Annatar’s deceit, but nobody believes him. As Mirdania attempts to calm Celebrimbor, he accidentally knocks her over the castle wall to her death. Now in control of the soldiers, Annatar/Sauron tells Celebrimbor to finish the rings, and then Sauron will spare Eregion.
Just then, the Army of Lindon, led by Elrond, arrives. As they sprint towards the Orcs, Adar reveals Galadriel as their hostage, which leads Elrond and Adar to negotiate her release. Adar offers Galadriel’s life for the ring, which would help the Orcs finally be rid of Sauron—at the expense of the Eregion Elves’ lives.
Elrond rejects Adar’s offer but is granted a goodbye to Galadriel. Elrond asks her for forgiveness and passionately kisses her—which is all a ruse! While everyone is paying attention to the kiss, he hands her a tool to escape. As Elrond leaves, he tells his soldier that the Dwarves are coming to assist them in this battle.
Durin IV speaks to his people about the impending war against Sauron. He warns them about Sauron’s rings, which have caused their kind to become consumed by greed. He asks them to fight to prove that the Dwarves’ loyalty is stronger than sorcery. They all cheer and plan on marching towards Eregion.
Many die during the battle between the Elves and the Orcs, which is precisely what Sauron wanted. The Orcs have yet to break through to the castle wall, leading Glûg to tell Adar that many of his children are dying, hoping he will call for a retreat. But Adar is obsessed with capturing Sauron at any cost.
Galadriel uses the tool Elrond secretly passed to her earlier and frees herself. She disguises herself as an Orc to escape and gets caught, but she is saved by Arondir, and they go into Eregion through hidden tunnels.
As Durin IV is prepared to leave for war, Narvi arrives to tell the prince that King Durin has gone mad and attacked his men, slaughtering them. He says the King is digging into the mines, which means the Balrog might become free. Durin must choose between the war against Sauron or stopping his father from destroying Khazad-dûm.
In another scene, Annatar/Sauron explains to a chained Celebrimbor his plan to take over Middle-earth and perfect what Morgoth could not do. He continues to gaslight Celembrimbor, saying that he wanted to create the rings, leading Celebrimbor to attempt to destroy them, but they are indestructible. He escapes from the forge with the rings but is caught by the Elven soldiers under Annatar/Sauron’s command. Galadriel arrives and demands that they release Celebrimbor. He gives her the rings for safekeeping, as he, the true Lord of Eregion, must face Annatar/Sauron. Celebrimbor returns to the forge with his soldiers to confront Annatar/Sauron. I don’t know why Celebrimbor returns with Elven soldiers, thinking he will be able to face the mighty Dark Lord, but we’ll just go with it. Of course, the soldiers die. Sauron then demands Celebrimbor to bring him the nine rings.
Back at the war front, the Elves charge towards the Orc army, attempting to break through the castle. Adar calls for Damrod, which Glûg protests as the hill troll would kill Elves and Orcs alike. But Adar calls for the troll anyway—and Damrod appears from the forest and kills everyone in its path, which disgusts Glûg and the other Orcs.
The Elves eventually overtake Damrod. Adar and his remaining (and still quite large) Orc army proceed to march towards the castle. Though the Elves are battered and bruised from the battle, Elrond assures them the Dwarves are on their way. But, an Elven messenger arrives to tell him the Dwarves are not coming. Elrond heartbrokenly refuses to believe him, saying that Durin will come. As the Orcs break through the castle walls, with many Elves dead, Elrond is left in a trance until he is knocked down by Adar, who takes Galadriel’s ring from Elrond.
Laura Sirikul is a freelance entertainment journalist and copy editor based in Los Angeles. Throughout her career, she has written for Entertainment Weekly, NBC News, the Los Angeles Times, and many more outlets. She has appeared as a TV and film expert on NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour and BBC World News. She is a member of the Asian American Journalists Association and Critics Choice Association.