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.

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.

This is the frist episode that truly felt like a Lord of the Rings adaptation to me. I liked season 1 and season 2 so far but that Episode just raised the bar. The tention througout is brilliantly crafted. Saurons decieving is masterfully written.

The structure of this episode is way better than before and it focuses on the main themes in this season. The lack of a certain storyline does help this matter a lot.

It resonates with the charchters and you will actually feel for them. A task the show was lacking a bit as of now. For me by far the best episode of the whole series. If the continue like that for this season and the coming ones. My god we are in for a ride.

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.

This episode shows what the show could have been if it had ditched the ridiculous Harfoot storyline. Once it can focus on the stories of Elvendom, Sauron and Numenor - the epic stories - it unfolds its full potential. I really wish the showrunners had not intertwined so many different storylines instead of concentrating on a few like they did in this episode. I feel like they felt the fans would miss the Hobbits too much, so they included the abomination that is the Harfoots. Its a shame because the set design and acting are amazing and my biggest fear is going back to the Harfoots and pseudo-Gandalf in the next episode.