The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power episode 7 review: "Another impressive episode"

Warning: the following contains spoilers for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power episode 7. Turn back if you haven't seen the new installment in Amazon's epic Tolkien adaptation.

How do you follow an epic battle and the eruption of Mount Doom? Instead of foolishly trying to do anything bigger, 'The Eye' goes deeper into these characters as they deal with the aftermath of a pyroclastic blast that should have killed them. Luckily, we’re on Middle-earth and a mere rush of smoke and lava won’t defeat these sturdy folk. However, a multitude of wounds are suffered by our heroes as they are scattered around The Southlands. 

The most unusual and surprising pairing comes in the form of Galadriel and Theo. Two episodes ago, the idea of seeing these two share scenes seemed almost preposterous. And yet, here we are, with Theo bringing out Galadriel’s more human side. She recognizes that she cannot be as abrasive with the young Theo as she has been with Halbrand. At one point, as they try to rest, she’s disarmed further, revealing that she has a husband, Celeborn, who she seems to believe is dead. Then, after Theo blames himself for the events that transpired after he gave the cursed hilt of Sauron’s sword to Adar, Galadriel comforts him. It’s a surprisingly tender moment for the Elven warrior, made even better by the framing of the next scene: the duo hides from Orcs under a tree. It's instantly reminiscent of the Nazul overlooking Frodo and his company in Fellowship of the Ring and is an excellent setpiece that’s pure Lord of the Rings goodness.

Meanwhile, Elendil awaits his son to come out of the smoke. It’s a slightly strange choice leaving Isildur’s fate up in the air, especially as his eventual story is one of the better known among casual Lord of the Rings fans. Yet, seeing this father unable to lose hope that his child may have survived, yet having to stay and protect his queen rather than search for him, shows Elendil's priorities. He’s a man of honor and greater purpose, and his queen needs him. Unfortunately, though, she has tragically lost her sight, which leads to a fair few questions: will she be able to rule over Númenor without her sight? Will those plotting against her – the ones who never wanted her to follow an Elf – use this against her?

The Southlanders soon find a place to stop, out of the smoke and badlands that have been created by Mount Doom. There is a misleading moment when Theo looks for his mother, Bronwyn, and sees a woman with similar hair, only for Bronwyn to actually be fine – she was just standing behind him. The same filmmaking tool is used earlier in the episode when Elendil looks for Isildur, though there was no happy resolution on that occasion. That it turns out positively this time is a relief, and Theo hugs his mother and then Arondir. Theo’s actions may have led to the destruction of their home, but no one can blame a son for wanting to save his mother. They seem like a tight family unit – whether the other Elves and humans can accept their love is up for question.

Galadriel goes to queen Míriel. She's ready for the Númenorian to be furious that she led them to this cursed place. Míriel’s angry, sure, but not at Galadriel. "They do not know what they have begun," she says of the Orcs, promising that her people will return to help the Elves once more. Expect things to get heated when she returns to Númenor as many of her people will inevitably refuse to offer their services to help Middle-earth again.

Also in the camp, we see Halbrand once more. He's injured and his wounds need treating. Galadriel refuses to leave him to die. They strap the young man up, put him on a horse, and the pair ride for Lindon, where inevitably he will be healed. Surely, we’re gearing up for a major reveal – that Halbrand is Sauron? It would make so much sense, especially considering the history he hinted at with Adar last week. At this point, if Halbrand’s just another Aragorn figure destined to be king, then we should all pack up now. Speaking of Adar, the villain makes a late-in-the-day cameo: sitting on a fallen tree, looking out over his new dwelling. The traitorous human Waldreg asks, what will The Southlands now be called? Why, Mordor, of course! It’s an origins tale no one saw coming.

Meanwhile, after a week away, we return to the antics of the Harfoots and The Stranger. No word on who this wizard may be, but he’s sent packing by Lenny Henry’s Sadoc after almost harming one of the younger Harfoots. The meteor man knows his place, and decides to head off, but not without Nori handing him one of their last apples. She’s a good egg, as proven later when the emo-looking Sauron cultists show up. They’re a mysterious presence, but they are definitely here to cause chaos. It’s almost a jump scare as they approach Nori and then continue to destroy the Harfoots’ caravans. Will they find Gandalf – sorry, not Gandalf, I mean The Stranger – before these wicked creatures do? A question hopefully for the finale, as I’m not sure I can have another two years waiting to see what happens between Nori and Gandalf – ah, sorry, I need to stop saying that, it’s not him… is it?

Over in Moria, Durin’s having Daddy issues. After Elrond revealed that the Elves cannot survive without mithril, Durin approaches his father, who wants nothing to do with the whole affair. Dig too deep and Moria will fall, he warns. But that doesn’t stop the fierce (and underused) Disa from telling Durin to "force your father’s hand." And that’s exactly what they do – they dig and discover a vein of mithril ripe for excavation. And when Durin returns to the king, his hand is forced. He’s furious at his son for going against his decision and removes his birthright. It’s hard to disagree with either of them – Durin wants to help his friend; the king wants to protect his people. The outcome’s not going to be pretty either way. A Balrog has awoken.

Following last week’s intense events, ‘The Eye’ slows things down, yet there’s a sense of dread and growing evil. What’s perhaps most impressive is that the episode doesn’t feel like an hour of setting up future events, but of stuff actually happening. You could fairly say that a couple of episodes in The Rings of Power’s first season spent too much time putting things into place for the future. Here, we have a perfect example of dealing with the aftermath of a major event yet pushing the story onwards and fleshing out these characters. It’s impressive work all around, and although many of these storylines won’t pay off for seasons to come, next week’s finale looks set to be another glorious hour of television.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is available now on Amazon Prime Video. After more Rings content? Check out our guide to the Lord of the Rings timeline and our interviews with the Rings of Power cast and showrunners.