The Rings of Power Season 3, Episode 2: The Gift of Men – Recap and Breakdown

Spoiler Warning: This article contains major spoilers for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3, Episode 2.

Look what they’ve done to my boy

After a recap of essentials from last season and last episode, we cold open on Sauron (Charlie Vickers) again offering “but one” of the rings of power to a group of people from Pelargir including Theo (Tyroe Muhafidin), who obviously took up the offer that Kemen discarded in Episode 1 and brought some friends. Again he resorts to the “last one standing” tactic, dropping a single sword in front of the group. Theo is right into the thick of it, with only one of two outcomes possible: he’s getting that ring, or he’s dying at the hands of one of his compatriates.

Now in Númenor (referred to now as the centre of an empire) we have Ar-Pharazôn (Trystan Gravelle) riding his golden carriage in a public processing, tossing out golden coins to cheering crowds of onlookers. Isildur (Maxim Baldry), however, is setting up in a high room with a bow….

Pharazôn and Belzegar (Will Keen) covered in drip and a female companion each discuss a “phantom across the sea”. Belzegar isn’t convinced, but Ar-Pharazôn is already getting really twitchy about this sorceror setting himself up as master of Middle-earth.

The carriage ride is interrupted by an errant shepherd, by chance Isildur accidentally shoots Ar-Pharazôn’s companion before loosing another arrow and getting the king in the arm. The shepherd turns out to be another assassin who is captured and ordered to be kept alive. The close-up of a blood-splattered Númenórean coin on the cobblestones, bearing Ar-Pharazôn’s likeness, gives us a firm reminder that the story of the once-blessed island kingdom is not going to be pretty.

Cue opening credits, with a new sand- and sound-inspired sequence, showing more and more chaotic flows than even last season, hinting at the effect of Melkor’s discord in the Music really starting to hit home in the show.

There can be only one

In Sauron’s throne room he’s dispassionately watching Theo and another Southlander struggle on the blood-slippery floor amid the bodies until he notices the scar from the sword-key of Season 1. Sauron runs Theo’s competitor through with a spear as he gets news that Marnûkh (Adam Young) has surrendered to the Dwarves.

Back in Khazad-dûm, Durin, Disa, Narvi and Thrain (Owain Arthur, Sophia Nomvete, Kevin Eldon and Eddie Marsan) debate what to do with Marnûkh: give him to Elrond as he requested, toss him back outside, or what? Elrond (Robert Aramayo) is much surprised when instead of a cache of weapons he’s given a leering orc prisoner.

As Ar-Pharazôn is getting the arrow-wound in his arm attended, we learn Míriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) was sprung out of the dungeons by the Faithful. Lord Belzegar urges the king to be more decisive against them, but he would rather know how the procession was intercepted. The prisoner taken last episode is going to get a visit from “our most ardent disciple”, whereupon we cut to Eärien being made up by a decidedly anti-Faithful lady-in-waiting (“I wouldn’t spit on a Faithful if he was on fire!”). When Eärien goes to the tortured Faithful prisoner, and orders the others out of the room, we learn that she has in fact become loyal once more to the cause. Her act has been very convincing, and the prisoner does know this, and how many lives she has saved—and refuses the pain-numbing drug she offers. Once she leaves she says she has the name she was after, and orders the guards to kill him, in a disguised act of mercy.

Eärien’s very not-Faithful lady-in-waiting is the scapegoat, publicly hanged. Belzegar reveals to Eärien as they watch that he also grew up as Faithful, his life’s work is to oppose them, and how they have the king’s ear… Eärien sneaks out and lights a candle for her fallen comrade, who we learn from Isildur has a waiting wife who is “beside herself”. A distressed Eärien is adamant death is not a gift, and says she feels evil for having to play the part of one of the Kings Men. And now not even the west of Númenor is going to be safe.

Going to meet Míriel hiding out in the Bay of Elros, we see her encouraging her followers in their faith, but also remonstrating Isildur for his partisan mindset. She would rather re-unite the nation. It’s too slow to physically go across the island, but Eärien and Isildur convince the queen-in-exile they could use the palantir, stealing the key during an upcoming party.

“He will bear thee away to the houses of lamentation”

Back in Khazad-dûm two Nazgnagôl turn up attempting diplomacy, but ultimately they are after Marnûkh, and start to threaten Durin IV. Thrain intervenes, promising war with all Dwarven kingdoms, which ticks off the messengers, and they leave….but there’s something about the way Thrain watches them go that feels suspicious. We eventually get to see him later meet with the Nazgnagôl outside the mountain realm, and it is all an act: he’s even annoyed that they dared turn up. That trap for Durin is apparently set and waiting.

Marnûkh, however, is spilling the beans about Sauron’s plans to Galadriel, Elrond and Arondir, including the hunt for information from anything and anyone from Eregion. Apparently Marnûkh led some prisoners away after the siege, but kept this piece of information to himself: one surviving smith who knows Celebimbor’s secrets, called Maitalë, being held in the fortress of Gundabad, among hundreds of others. The deal is to spirit her out of Sauron’s reach, and honour what Galadriel agreed with the Uruk leader Adar before the latter was assassinated by Glüg and others. Arondir is determined to do his part, trusting Theo to be able to do his.

Unfortunately, Theo is about to be treated to some of Sauron’s necromancy to talk to his mysterious long-absent father. This involves Theo having to cut out an orc’s tongue as part of the spell, and Sauron has no compunctions about emotionally manipulating him to do so. Nor about further twisting the psychological knife to convince Theo that his mother murdered his father when she learned what he was: allegedly a “sworn steward of Mordor”, blessed with “certain powers” that could be inherited. Theo resists but is offered one of the Nine rings, as a way to have power over those who have downtrodden him all his life: he could be a conqueror, a sorceror, a king (wink, wink).

Everybody needs a friend

As Elrond heads off to visit the High King to convince him to try to recruit Númenor, Galadriel and Arondir prepare to leave Rivendell with Marnûkh. She gets a nice new blade of Dwarf-make and says to Arondir they can’t trust in might, but in fellowship. He asks if she just called him her friend, and the acknowledgement make him crack the very briefest of smiles to himself as he turns away.

The welcome party turns out to be for the homecoming of Kemen, who is posturing in front of others, but still put in his place by Ar-Pharazôn publicly. Though, privately, he gives just enough approval to keep Kemen hungry for more: even suggesting that more success will lead Kemen to being publicly pronounced as King’s Heir. Belzegar is coming to explain the campaign against the Faithful, as Eärien searches his chambers for the key for the Palantir room – but he sees her leave. In a sequence reminiscent of a particular future exploit (look for it in season 4), Isildur breaks into the palace and contacts his father by Palantir to convey the news.

Daughter of the sea

And it seems time and luck ran out for Eärien, as she is summoned to see the king on pretence that an spy has been caught and she is needed—but it turns out they know she is the spy. Belzegar was the last to be defending her as anti-Faithful, but the king has suspected for some time, with the execution of Eärien’s servant, revealed as an informant being a damning piece of evidence. Eärien tries to bluff as long as she can, until she is given the choice to recant and give up all she knows, or be questioned in other ways. She whispers to herself “Perhaps it is a gift“, tells Ar-Pharazôn “I shan’t be able to help you”, and slowly walks to the window…where she throws herself off the balcony. Isildur hears the commotion, and coming to the crowd sees his sister’s lifeless body, and has to pretend he doesn’t know her.

The episode ends with a view of Númenor from out at sea, with the star of high hope, Eärendil with the last Silmaril, shining directly overhead. Heartbreaking.