Doomed to Die

While the first season had huge pacing issue, the second season improved in all aspect. Sauron is in full motion and spread his vile intention to a poor Celebrimbor who slowly drown in madness.

The writting of Sauron is impeccable. Each sentence is design to slowly torture his subject while outside, the war is raging.

This is the best episode on an already incredible season. I am thrilled that we have more LotR to explore. This is story worth telling and i dont care if they twisted a few arcs. Tolkien purist will always find something wrong. But we cannot deny that the showrunner have up their game by a lot.

There are still poorly written character (Isildur), but the costume, scenery, dialogs in this episode are all top notch. I am eager to see where we will be left off. 5 season of this.... yes please.

It's the Best episode of the two seasons so far.

Has been building to something as grand as this.

Dark and brooding - this was a visual spectacular.

I Can't wait for the season finale. I hope rumours of the cancellation of the show are false.

It's a storyline that can't be told quickly. It has to build and grow.

Unexpected twists, betrayals, action, great acting and superb cinematography - this episode has it all.

I hope the finale isn't a letdown after this visual epic.

The Rings of Power has been bashed up a lot by critics, but it truly stands alone as a fantastic fantasy that is beautifully told.

Thought it hasn't been a perfect show, I've enjoyed it up to this point. The pacing isn't always great and the writing can be sub-par from time to time, but this episode changes it all for me. This was a roller coaster of emotions, with some of the best set pieces and epic fights I've ever seen in television. It's also got some of the best dramatic scenes of the series, particularly with Sauron and Celebrimbor. Both actors are just outstanding and exceed expectations with their performances. Even Galadriel, who has been one of the weaker writing points in show, feels more realized in this episode. The promise of a great Tolkien epic was finally delivered here, and it was worth the wait.

They have been building up to this battle for so long without showing any of the actual buildup to the battle. There was no preparation shown as was done with Saruman and his Uruk Hai, yet we got a ton of boring dialogue with Adar instead. Even though in a TV series you have MORE time to show the interesting build up and escalation to a battle. Too much that needs to be shown was glossed over or never mentioned and too much that doesn't need to be shown is dwelled on.

So here we go. Sauron just walks around calmly while everything is in chaos and the elves seem completely helpless in organizing a defense without input from the one man at the top??? You spent time training commanders and soldiers and when a battle takes place its all "oh gawd wat do we do sir!?!". The elves are portrayed as frail, weak, clueless and the complete opposite of what elves are supposed to be. It just doesn't seem right and there needs to be more shown that simply isn't.

I am tired of the boring Dwarf drama and that annoying self righteous dwarf lady that screams and barks all of the time. All of her scenes are so tough to get through. She walks all over the prince and yet he's supposed to stand up to his father and take charge? It's painful to watch. Some of the scenes with king Durin are done well, but the prince's lines are less palatable and he comes off poorly as whiny and impotent. He makes a speech that somewhat makes up for his poor showing throughout the series.

There were so many moments where logic was just thrown out the window. The scene before the battle where the cavalry all just suddenly stop was just awkward. How many times do we see people fighting a large battle, win a minor fight and then just take a long break while orcs are running around them killing their people? Too many times. The tactics that were shown were just bizarre and the way the battle played out was frankly absurd. There was too much I found myself questioning and calling stupid.

I'm starting to think that the original Adar actor quit when he realized that the show wasn't that good and was not going to improve under the the current showrunners. They really need to hire someone competent to manage this mess because they have so much potential here that they are squandering. The LOTR trilogy was a masterpiece. The ROP is a tragedy of what happens when someone is handed all of the right pieces, a great but long story and has no clue how to put them together. What a disappointment.

It's insane how many great stories are being butchered by incompetent showrunners that have vast resources and no talent. The studios are run by clowns in suits and social activists that can't tell a story but can spend hours filming nonsense.

The episode strikes an impressive balance between character-driven drama and large-scale action. The depth of the individual stories adds emotional weight to the conflict, a significant improvement over the lackluster pacing and dull subplots that plagued much of season one. Gone are the meandering dialogues and colorless characters-this episode is all about power, chaos, and the looming shadow of war in Middle-earth.

This episode finally delivers the kind of grandeur and intensity that fans of *The Lord of the Rings* have long awaited. This episode feels like a direct homage to the original trilogy, and that's a high compliment. Visually, the episode hits epic heights, reminiscent of the sweeping battles and mystical landscapes that defined Peter Jackson's films. The tension is palpable as the characters, particularly Celebrimbor and Sauron, are drawn deeper into the growing conflict over the Rings.

The battles are brutal, the stakes are high, and the production design is stunning. This episode marks a turning point, as the series approaches the epic finale with all the momentum it needs. The hunger for power is palpable, and the stage is set for a thrilling conclusion.