Warning: The following contains major spoilers for the Season 2 premiere of Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power.
Uh-oh, mom and dad are fighting in the Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power Season 2 premiere. The new season of the epic fantasy series kicks off with Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) and Elrond (Robert Aramayo) racing back to Lindon to tell High King Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker) that their buddy Halbrand (Charlie Vickers) is not who he said he was.
Elrond knows that they’ve been deceived by the man who helped architect their last hope of saving Middle-earth from Sauron‘s spreading evil, but he was shocked to find out that Halbrand was the evil sorcerer himself. Once Galadriel reveals the truth to him and Gil-galad, he’s aghast and absconds with the rings so that neither Galadriel nor Gil-galad can be tempted by the evil potentially embedded in the rings.
It’s a lot of information for Gil-galad to absorb in the span of one scene, and Benjamin Walker admits that the High King is in quite the predicament with trying to save Middle-earth without making everything so much worse.
“He’s at a crossroads. The analogy is like discovering nuclear technology where you think this has the potential to provide lights for the entire northern hemisphere, or we could blow up the planet. I’m not really sure. I think [the rings] have a power that they don’t fully understand, so they are in a precarious position, but it is still better than abandoning Middle-earth to eat itself alive,” Walker told GameSpot at a recent press junket for Season 2.
While Gil-galad is not stoked that Galadriel allowed Sauron to interfere with the making of the rings, he can’t deny their power. When Cirdan (Ben Daniels) returns the rings Elrond turned over to him to Gil-galad and Galadriel, the High King doesn’t waste time in putting one on and realizing the power they possess.
“They’re going to stay and try their last Hail Mary: that last ditch effort. They still have hope, but it is minuscule at this point,” Walker said. “They don’t know what they have, which I think is an exciting thing as a Tolkien fan. We all know the rings and what they do–what they turn people into–but the idea of having that power and going, ‘What is this? What can we do?’ I find that really fascinating.”
Elrond watched in horror as three of his most respected friends put on the rings he’s convinced are evil (and we all know he’s right!). The decision to keep the rings and wear them puts Elrond at odds with Galadriel and Gil-galad, but Walker says that Gil-galad isn’t necessarily on Team Galadriel even if he took one of the rings.
“He’s Team Pissed. Neither of them are doing what I said. They’re squabbling like school children,” Walker explained. “I think he’s a bit frustrated. It’s like, ‘Go to your room and you go to your room. What have we learned here? Daddy knows.’ Like a loving parent, he’s letting them find their own way. He trusts them because they’re incredible. Technically, Galadriel is older than I am, but he’s frustrated.”
By the end of the three-episode premiere, Gil-galad and Galadriel are still wearing the rings but are aware they have adverse effects. To help balance their judgment, Gil-galad puts Elrond in charge of Galadriel’s envoy to Eregion to check on Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards). That’s going to be a change in dynamic that will take some getting used to. Will Elrond and Galadriel find a way to get back on the same page before Sauron takes over Eregion? Only more Season 2 episodes will tell.
The first three episodes of Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power Season 2 are now streaming on Prime Video. New episodes will be released every Thursday.
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