After a largely disappointing premier, the audio-visual experience of the world presented by The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power acted as its saving grace. Experience wise it is too good to be on TV but vision/direction wise, the series seemed to be struggling to find its ground. But that is in the past because LOTR: The Rings of Power Episode 3 and 4 delivered a massively improved narrative and Episode 5 carries on the good work of its predecessor. So, without further ado, let us get to the our verdict for Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Episode 5! WARNING – MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD
Review Marathon – Episode 1 & 2 / Episode 3 / Episode 4
Rating – ★★★★
Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Episode 5 Review – The LOTR Finds Its Ground
The field is set now as Episode 5 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has set up the final act of the series brilliantly. The character motivations have been made much clearer and this episode did what all its predecessors failed to do i.e., showcase all its plotlines together. Because of that, the episode didn’t feel sluggish at all, each subplot moved forward, and almost all characters received some growth. This is the only episode of the series so far where a huge runtime of 1 hour 12 minutes passed by without realization.
Up until now, my biggest complaint has been the Stranger-Nori subplot but this episode managed to intrigue us about this mysterious character. However, it still remains the least happening subplot of the series and even after 5 episodes, we have no idea what exactly is going on there. The most interesting subplot, on the other hand, is that of Arondir as a lot has happened there including some slick action sequences, introduction to the antagonist, as well as the buildup of the upcoming battle. Arondir, Theo, and Bronwyn appear to be directly involved in the upcoming battle whereas Galadriel, Isildur, Halbrand, and Elendil are on their way to Middle Earth. We expect these 4 to join this battle.
Moving on, we now know that some group of, what appear to be, elves is tailing the Stranger and it doesn’t look like Stranger, Nori and this Group will be taking part in the upcoming battle. As for Durin and Elrond, they seem to be involved in a separate plot involving the light of the elves and they too might not be taking part in the battle, at least directly. So, this upcoming battle is what most fans and viewers are looking forward to and chances are that it might take place before the finale itself. So yes, The Lord of the Rings: ROP seems to have found its ground, however, it still lacks a compelling antagonist. Its mystery element is keeping the viewers hooked in and it looks like the season will tie everything together only by the final episode.
Obviously, being a massive 5 season project means that the endgame will be revealed much later in the upcoming seasons. But for this season, the upcoming battle and certain reveals about the mysterious stranger and Halbrand might be ending point. Also, Numenor and its inevitable destruction might also be featured in this season but as of now, the future of the season seems pretty much undecipherable. Guess we’ll get to know what’ll happen, when it happens and till then, we all need to be patient. As for the audio visual experience, this episode outdid the previous 2 and was a technical triumph. In the opening 15 minutes itself it featured some incredible cinematography, mesmerizing locations, and some magnificent set pieces. As the episode moved forward, viewers were greeted with much more of everything mentioned above. So, visually, this is THE best TV show ever made and it checks all the boxes in its soundtrack and score as well. Also, did I forget to mention that deft sparring moment between Galadriel and the Numenor soldiers?
Final Verdict – The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Episode 5 establishes all the plot lines pretty well and provides equivalent as well as well executed treatment to all its characters and subplot. That aside, it successfully intrigues the viewers about what’s to come in the upcoming episodes. Depending on how the series pays off its immense build-up, we’ll get to know how this season actually turns out to be. But yeah, so far, so good!
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