The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power, Season 2, Episode 5, “Halls of Stone” returns us to the dwarves, who hope to use their rings to reawaken their mountain. The last episode took us on a detour with the introduction of Tom Bombadil (Rory Kinnear), and we ended the episode with Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) being captured by Adar (Sam Hazeldine).
We spend most of Rings of Power season 2, episode 5 in the Halls of Stone with the Dwarves, and it’s some of the best writing in the show. We explore multiple relationships: Durin and his father, Durin and Disa. Dwarves have always been a beloved part of Tolkien’s stories, and Rings of Power captures that perfectly. The tension between Celebrimbor and Annatar is also captivating. They play off each other brilliantly, giving us a front-row seat to Sauron’s corruption. The episode ends with Celebrimbor agreeing to forge rings for men. We’re also reminded that the Orcs are spreading across Middle-earth, and they have Galadriel.
This was the best episode so far. The pacing was incredible. And for the first time all season, they made me actually care about Numenor. The balance of the individual stories felt incredibly balanced. And more then that they felt like they actually intertwined. Not directly, but they all seem to have the same motivation. The influence of the rings is starting to take hold in Middle Earth. And this was the first episode where it felt like the story was kicked into high gear.
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