The Rings Of Power Episode 7 Review & Breakdown

Boy, episode 7 was a lot to take in! From an epic battle, impressive visuals and a moment to light the barrel of controversy, episode 7 has it all- the good, the bad and the potential ugly. Though there isn’t really a ‘bad’ per say just the good and the ugly and we will get into that as well.

Damn the River

As has been highly speculated, episode 7 showcases some geographical tactics by Adar. He is able to dam the river by aiming the trebuchet at the mountaintop, which crumbles down and blocks the river, allowing for a ground attack.

Durin & Elrond Reunite

We finally see the dynamic duo reunite, and during this conversation, Durin makes it clear for the first time that he is officially going to try and overthrow his father. Elrond also asks for his aid in the battle. In the lore, the Dwarves, though they shut their doors, allowed the Elves to escape through the mines. In some versions, Durin and Amdir led a host of Elves and Dwarves to help during the Sack of Eregion.

The Candles

Celebrimbor soon realizes that he has been living in a dream world—evidenced by a mouse making the same rotation repeatedly and the wax never melting throughout the day. This signifies that he is in some sort of loop or enchantment, which he then breaks free of when he confronts Annatar and looks out the window.

True Creation Requires Sacrifice

The theory is confirmed: the Mithril was also under disguise and was, in fact, Sauron’s blood, which Celebrimbor used in the rings of men, thinking it was Mithril. This showcases the taint of Sauron and the compelling nature of the rings of men, which will eventually lead to the Nazgûl.

Melian of the Valar

Adar mentions that Elrond has the “beauty of your foremother Melian of the Valar.” Does this mean he has seen Melian firsthand, or that he was originally from Doriath or stayed there for a while?

At First Light the Dwarves Will Arrive

Though the show has made clear similarities and callbacks to the Peter Jackson trilogy, I don’t believe this one was purposeful. However, all LOTR fans will be reminded of “look to the first light on the fifth day” from The Two Towers, where Gandalf arrives with the Rohirrim to save the day. This seems to be what they’re building up to with the Dwarves coming at first light.

Sauron’s Trauma

We hear about Sauron’s brutal relationship with Morgoth and their battle of wills. Sauron contrasts his will for a perfect world and to heal Middle-earth with Morgoth’s will of destruction.

Celebrimbor’s Ambition

In this dialogue, Sauron explains to Celebrimbor how his pride and ambition also led to his downfall, not just Annatar’s deception. This could relate to Celebrimbor’s desire to outshine his grandfather and be remembered for a true creation.

Galadriel Takes the Rings

Celebrimbor essentially sacrifices himself after accepting his fate—his ambition and pride allowed Annatar to thrive. He gives Galadriel the nine rings and prepares to face Sauron, marking a tragic redemption moment as he tries to right the wrongs of the season.

The Steps of the House of the Mírdain

From the lore, one of the key moments from the Sack of Eregion is when Celebrimbor and the Gwaith-i-Mírdain face off against Sauron on the steps of their forge before being captured. This is replicated here with the group of Eregion soldiers we’ve seen in the last few episodes.

Aeglos in Action

One of the coolest battle moments was seeing Aeglos in action on the battlefield, with Gil-galad delivering the final blow to Damrod after Elrond and Arondir hold him down.

Review

The Rings of Power episode 7 delivers a strong battle, and we truly see Elrond shine as commander. By the end of the episode, when he is devastated that the Dwarves didn’t show up, we finally see Gil-galad demonstrate why he is the High King—brave until the very last charge, showing the heroism we’ve been waiting for since season 1.

Though the glaring issue of the episode is the kiss between Elrond and Galadriel, it feel like the show is taking 2 steps forward and one step backwards this season. Though the kiss within the context is not overtly romantic with the pin being given secretly to Galadriel- there was just absolutely no reason for this to happen. The problem here is that you can probably think of 5 different ways that Elrond could have passed that pin to Galadriel without a kiss, if it was a scenario where a kiss would be the only real option then fair enough, but even i can think of an even more compelling way where instead Elrond kisses Galadriel’s hand and whilst doing that puts the pin in her hand. The whole scenario of Galadriel being locked and imprisoned by Adar is made up in the first place so the Showrunners created this whole dilemma themselves.

In what could have been a pivotal episode with an incredible battle for TV, this kiss has the potential to muddy the conversation and online chatter around it—especially since the kiss could have been easily avoided. The most obvious problem is that Elrond ends up marrying Galadriel’s daughter Celebrian so now if we do end up seeing that in the show, it will be very weird.

Episode 7: 4/5 Stars

Best Performances: Robert Aramayo (Elrond), Benjamin Walker (Gil-galad)