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If you didn’t stick around after The Rings of Power episode 7 on Amazon Prime Video, then you missed a cryptic 30-second taste of the season finale.
While it (understandably) doesn’t spoil much, the episode 8 teaser – which you can watch here if you have a Prime subscription – charts the next steps of the major players in The Rings of Power series.
"The Great Tree is all but bleeding leaves," High King Gil-galad tells Celebrimbor, putting into motion a race against time for the key few remaining hopes in Middle-earth.
Elrond is also seen clutching mithril after leaving Khazad-dûm with the valuable material – and proof of its restorative powers. Galadriel, meanwhile, is blazing her own path and travelling on horseback and presumably helping a recovering Halbrand back to Lindon in the process.
Back across the seas, Miriel and Elendil head back to Numenor. The monarch, now blinded by the events in the Southlands, tells Elendil, "The way of The Faithful is committed to paying the price." That price could be paid in the season finale – as an explosion rocks Numenor.
Even the mysterious figures in the white cloaks get some fresh direction as they seemingly take over Nori in one scene, the Harfoot’s eyes turning the same shape as the towering blonde magic-user.
Some, however, are notable by their absence. Adar – fresh from christening Mordor – is a no-show as, too, is Halbrand – which may add further weight to the theory that he is secretly Sauron.
So, all very mysterious. For more, we had to go to showrunners JD Payne and Patrick McKay – who temper expectations that we can expect a "huge battle."
"It can become very tempting to end your season on a huge battle. We like the idea of a more intimate, emotional battle, at least that was the aspiration," they told an audience during a Q&A session, also attended by Total Film. "And then going deeper and deeper and deeper into character. And hopefully, when you watch the eighth episode, that's what it feels like. We want the stakes to feel bigger, but not necessarily in the scope or the special effects."
