EntertainmentTVFantasy ShowsLord of the Rings TV ShowsThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of PowerThe Rings of Power season 2, episode 7 is the show’s version of The Two Towers – and it’s the best episode of TV released all yearWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
EntertainmentTVFantasy ShowsLord of the Rings TV ShowsThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of PowerThe Rings of Power season 2, episode 7 is the show’s version of The Two Towers – and it’s the best episode of TV released all yearWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Amazon Studios)
In a year of excellent TV, one show stands above the rest. I’m talking about The Rings of Power, Prime Video’s sweeping Tolkien adaptation. Here at GamesRadar+,we loved it so much we crowned itourbest show of 2024. The latest season had it all –Sauronunleashed,the Strangerdiscoveringhis wizard identity at last, and the forging of those infamous rings.
And while the finale brought all these plot threads together into a seismic showdown between different sets of heroes and villains, one episode in particular stands out as not just the best installment of the season, but the best episode of anything released all year.
Only a passing thing
(Image credit: Amazon Studios)
Speaking of heroism, Galadriel herself notes that there has been “a dearth of Elven heroes” in the episode that night – but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Not only does Arondir help her escape, while she herself smuggles the rings away later, but Elrond also does everything he can to free Galadriel and save Eregion. We get to see a touching scene between him and his best friend Durin again, too, where Durin pledges his aid. Only, the long-simmering issues in Khazad-dûm prevent Durin from coming to Elrond’s help, leading to a truly heart-wrenching moment near the end of the episode. Far from the soaring cheer of Gandalf’s arrival at Helm Deep, this is the opposite – Durin doesn’t arrive, and Elrond is left hopelessly repeating, “Durin will come,” to himself, even as it’s obvious that he won’t.
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And finally, there’s that truly gutting ending. It really feels as if all has been lost, as Adar stabs Arondir – and we don’t find out if Arondir lives or dies until the next episode – and takesNenyafrom Elrond, who slumps back to the ground in defeat. It truly seems as if darkness has captured Middle-earth for good. But, as anyone who has heeded Samwise Gamgee’s wisdom in the past will tell you, it’s always darkest just before dawn. “But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow,” he says in The Two Towers movie. “Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer.”
In many ways, ‘Doomed to Die’ is The Rings of Power’s Two Towers – that dark, shadowed moment before the sun shines out the clearer. And just like The Two Towers is the very best of the movies, I’d argue ‘Doomed to Die’ is the very best of The Rings of Power. And that’s why you won’t watch a better hour of TV this year.
For more, check out our guide toThe Rings of Power season 3or thebest shows on Amazon Prime Video. You can also see ourThe Rings of Power season 2 reviewfor our verdict on the whole season.
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