Halls of Stone

Halls of Stone is a marked improvement on the previous episode, with some stunning sequences and captivating scenes, but can't quite fully escape the weaker points of the Rings of Power.

It was always going to be a challenge to condense source material which takes place over hundreds of years into a short timescale, and I would have preferred the show to take place over a much longer timescale to give us a much stronger feeling of the immortality of elves and differing lifetimes of Dwarves and men (including those from Numenor), but this episode does a much better job of condensing events in a coherent way than Rings of Power has done previously.

There's far fewer line lifts from elsewhere given to characters here and fewer out of place Easter eggs. I appreciated that. There's a stronger feeling of it's own identity here, and I think the show is stronger for it.

The fifth episode of the second season of *The Rings of Power* was absolutely incredible. And I say that as someone who has been a fan of Tolkien's work for a long time, who grew up immersed in the richness of Middle Earth. Yes, I recognize the series' mistakes and flaws - because, like any fan, I'm demanding. But it's undeniable that this episode brought something great. The creation of the Rings of Men was approached in a profound and visually spectacular way, as few could do.

Now, what really bothers me is the number of people who keep complaining that the series "doesn't follow the books". Really? Since when did the movies do that? *The Rings of Power never promised to be an exact copy of Tolkien's works, and for anyone who knows anything about adaptations, that's obvious. If you want something faithful to the books, then go and re-read them. What the series is doing is taking the essence of Tolkien and transforming it into something visually and narratively great.

The second season, for me, is far superior to the first. I'm the first to admit that the series had problems at the beginning, but what we're seeing now is a clear evolution. This fifth episode was a masterpiece in every sense: the dialog, the narrative, the visuals. Of course, there are things I wish were different - like any fan, I have my preferences. But to say that the series is bad, as some do? That's short-sighted.

I'm extremely curious to see how this season will end. If it continues at this pace, the finale has everything it takes to be epic. Anyone who can't see the greatness of this episode, or of the whole series, is probably stuck with unrealistic expectations and can't appreciate an adaptation for what it is.

The biggest complaint I have with the show is the pacing and the way it balances the multiple storylines in each episode.

However, this episode was mostly engaging from start to finish, focusing on what's important, THE RINGS OF POWER themselves. This is an episode that doesn't have any action, mostly just dialogue, but the conversations between Annatar and Celebrimbor are absolutely riveting, seeing Sauron being all smirky is also entertaining in a way, the scenes with the Dwarves are also really good, giving more stakes because of the rings themselves.

The only thing that slowed down the episode a bit was the Numenor plot, but still not as slow as the Nori, Theo and Wizard scenes

So overall, that is why I think this episode was the best of the entire show so far and I have many reasons to believe the next 3 episodes can easily top it *wink* (battle for eregion)

I know the series will never be 100% true to the lore, which disappoints many fans. For me, I am happy to see more of this world and hope it can deliver without butchering it like Disney did with most of their star wars spinoffs.

To me, the storyline is more captivating and enjoyable without tracking the harfoots which seems very unimportant other than explaining Gandalf's fondness to Hobbits.

I would still like some more character development and respect for characters like Galadriel. Also Valandils relation to Elendil seemed very suddenly "close" without any hints of so previously. Other than that I liked it alot.

A television show about the Second Age of the Middle-earth probably shines the most if it gets into details the manipulation and corruption that took place in this particular era of Tolkien's world. From Numenor to Eregion, this episode really hit that spot. While some things feel rushed, such as the the conflict between The Faithful and The King's Men and the creation of the Doors of Durin, plenty of air is also given to Vickers and Edwards who shine brighly as Annatar and Celebrimbor respectively. Two great actors predictably shine brightly when they interact, and in this episode the tension between the two was palpable. Peter Mullens as Durin III also does a great job of demonstrating the impact of the rings on the Dwarves, even if their effects appear quicker due to the condensing of time in the series. One particular scene in Numenor felt appropiately dark and really hammered home how quickly things have gone south on the island. Overall, this is probably my favorite episode from the series along with Episode 6 from Season 1.