Summary: The Stranger is confronted by the three mysterious people who address him as Sauron. The Harfoots arrive to save him but they are found out and Sadoc takes a mortal wound. The Stranger is revealed to be an Istari and reverts the trio to wraith forms. Sadoc dies. Nori leaves the Harfoots with The Stranger and they head towards Rhun. Galadriel brings Halbrand to Eregion where he is healed. Halbrand helps Celebrimbor with his forging, giving him the idea of using the mithril as an alloy. Gil Galad sends the elves back to Valinor, but allows Elrond and Celebrimbor to stay an extra two months to come up with a solution. With Halbrand's help, they decide to use the mithril to create two rings. Galadriel looks into Halbrand's past and finds that the line of Southlands kings was broken and Halbrand is a fake. Halbrand is revealed to be Sauron and he tries to win Galadriel to his side, but she refuses. Halbrand leaves and returns to Mordor. Galadriel, Elrond, and Celebrimbor ultimately make three rings successfully. Miriel returns to Numenor and finds that the king has died.
The Good: This episode had its heart in the right place. The Sauron reveal made sense and there was some definite power in forcing Galadriel to realize that the man she had grown to trust was the person she has been hunting for all this time. The confrontation between Galadriel and Sauron in her mind is effective, and it is a good moment for Galadriel. I'm glad that the forging of the rings was treated as an important moment, because it doubtless will become more and more significant as the show goes on. The Harfoot story concludes in a reasonable way, and I'm intrigued to move on from it and see what's in the future for The Stranger and Nori. The Bad: Despite having its heart in the right place, this episode was a chore and was overall unsatisfying. The central storyline was a complete bore. It went on for ages with nothing particularly substantial happening. I praised the show for treating the forging of the rings as a huge moment, but the lengthy montages of the forging had no emotional value to them and the scenes bored me. It was hard to invest in this scene, especially since we knew that the rings would be forged eventually (it's the name of the show after all). Watching an uninteresting, pre-determined event finally happen as the climax of the whole season is uninspired and uninteresting storytelling. Halbrand being Sauron ended up being extremely predictable, and the show frustrates by relying too much on the shock value of this twist. A better show would have revealed Sauron's identity early, relying on the drama created by Sauron's presence to create an intense and exciting finale. Instead, this show relies completely on surprise and shock value, and much of this episode is dedicated to teasing the fans on who Sauron really is, which is insulting since we figured out the twists of this show many episodes ago. The show failed to be smart enough to surprise us, and outside of surprise, there was nothing going for this story. The writing remains poor. The ride from The Southlands to Eregion apparently only took six days, which is absurd since Frodo and Sam's journey to Mordor took nearly a year. The timeline doesn't add up. Furthermore, the fact that Halbrand miraculously survived this should have raised many questions about who he really is. I was annoyed that Galadriel started to distrust Halbrand for seemingly no reason at all. The development did not feel earned, and it feels like it only happened to set up a dramatic reveal. I was frustrated by Galadriel's refusal to tell anyone that Sauron was present, an absurd secret to keep considering who he is. Surely she would want to go after him and tell people about him. Additionally, I couldn't help but laugh at the idea that Sauron had to tell Celebrimbor, the master forger, about making an alloy to utilize the mithril, which is a basic concept that Celebrimbor should have immediately thought of. There are many more examples of poor writing, but I can't be bothered to list all of the examples from this 73 minute episode. The Harfoot story has been boring all season and it has a boring end. The three wraiths are boring villains that offer very little to the story, so I didn't care to see them face off with the Harfoots. If they knew the Harfoots were there, why did they come up with this elaborate disguise scheme instead of just killing them? This is typical badly written drama that prioritizes spectacle over simple logic. Sadoc's death had no emotional impact, and it was absurd how he took a mortal wound and proceeded to fight like he was completely fine until he died at the end of the episode. Whatever. The Stranger being revealed to be Gandalf is another predictable moment that had little to no emotional impact to me. I didn't feel anything with the conclusion to this story, which is indicative of how uninspired and poorly written it has been. All of the scenes in Numenor did nothing for me. Earien had been a non-character so far, so I have no investment in her uncovering a palantir. Also it's quite convenient that she was allowed to be alone with the king with nobody guarding the door. The writing is bad in quite literally every scene. Elendil and Miriel failed to compel me this season, and now that they are alone without any other more interesting characters around them, their limitations are fully displayed. The Unknown: The Stranger is all but confirmed to be Gandalf now. What role will Gandalf play in this show? What about the other Istari? Why did the wraiths think that Gandalf was Sauron? What are the wraiths anyways? Why are they after Sauron? Who are they? What will Nori and The Stranger find in Rhun? What did Earien do with the palantir? Where is this character going? So why was Sauron on a raft in the middle of the ocean? Was he really "killed" by Adar? Did this change his mindset somehow? Why did Sauron allow Galadriel to live? Why did he try to make the rings anyways? Did he have a plan in place to make the one ring? Or did he just see an opportunity for power and take it? Why didn't Galadriel tell anyone about Halbrand's true identity? What is Sauron's next move? Best Moment: Sauron entering Galadriel's mind. Character of the Episode: Halbrand/Sauron. Conclusion: What a disappointment. This final episode totally failed to give this sloppy first season a satisfying ending, and I was disinterested throughout almost the entire episode. Much like the rest of the show, this was a slog, and now by the end of the season, I've run out of patience. So much of this season felt stagnant, like the story was stalling for a big pay-off at the end of the season. Now the end of the season has come and gone, and I can confirm that the first season was a boring, messy disappointment which had glimpses of potential and realized none of it. The writing was full of holes, the characters unoriginal and boring, the acting was flat, the dialogue was cartoonish, the pacing was a total slog, and the visual effects weren't as good as you would expect from the most expensive TV show on television. It's quite incredible how practically everything in this season disappointed me, and I have next to no motivation to want to watch a second season. As a huge "Lord of the Rings" fan, I couldn't be more disappointed by what this show was. Score: 46
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Summary: Viserys has died and Alicent receives the news. The small council is immediately assembled and Otto and his allies start getting into their long-term preparations to crown Aegon, infuriating Alicent. Beesbury is also furious and starts ranting, but Criston sits him back down, killing him in the process. The small council proceeds and Otto makes plans to kill Rhaenyra and tries to send Harrold to do it. Harrold takes off his cloak and walks out. The Red Keep goes into lockdown to prevent news of Viserys' death escaping. Lords that do not bow to Aegon are imprisoned or executed Rhaenyra is trapped in her room. Alicent goes to her to attempt to win her over but it doesn't work. Alicent sends Aemond and Criston to find Aegon, while Otto sends Erryk and Arryk. Erryk and Arryk are seen by one of Mysaria's followers. Otto agrees to meet Mysaria who gives him Aegon's location. Erryk and Arryk find him but are tailed by Aemond and Criston. Erryk, disillusioned by Aegon, refuses to help and Aemond and Criston overpower Arryk to take Aegon to Alicent. Alicent crowns Aegon immediately, deciding to send terms to Rhaenyra rather than assassinating her. Erryk frees Rhaenys, who is present at Aegon's crowning at the Dragonpit. She sneaks off to Meleys and crashes the coronation with her dragon. Choosing not to murder the Greens, she flies off to Dragonstone.
The Good: The mood and atmosphere in this episode was exceptional. Viserys has died, and the show did a great job of making it feel like the world has lost something now that he's gone. The music was terrific throughout, and there were several great scenes of quiet that established the dark, melancholy feel that is encapsulating the Red Keep. This really felt like a somber community on the brink of a war that everyone knows is coming. It takes exceptional production work to capture this feeling effectively. I really liked the decision to focus this episode purely on fallout of the king's death. With this season's many timeskips, we haven't often had time to explore fallout of major events. Finally getting it here makes this episode feel more special, and I'm pleased to see that we're likely approaching the end of the timeskips with the main conflict officially getting underway. The titular green council was an excellent scene. With the Red Keep going on lockdown, it quickly becomes apparent that Otto, as scummy as ever, has been actively preparing to usurp Rhaenyra's crown, and that realization is brutal for us, and even more brutal for Alicent, whose own father had been acting behind her back. The tension upon Alicent's disgusted realization is terrific, and the scene is further elevated when Lord Beesbury steps up. Being just a bumbling old man before this, it is surprising and memorable to see Beesbury advocating for Viserys, having known him for longer than everyone and being one of the few to care for his wishes. Tragically, Beesbury has this great moment of loyalty and is promptly murdered by Criston, who somehow manages to become more and more despicable by the episode. I liked how this led into conflict between Criston and Harrold. Harrold still holds onto his honour and integrity, while Criston has given in to the political savagery within King's Landing, and that separates them in this scene. Harrold tries to confront Criston for killing Beesbury, but upon seeing the steely reception in the room, we see Harrold pacify his actions and ultimately decide that he can no longer be a part of this. He gives up his cloak, and Criston takes his place instead, a corrupt leader of the Kingsguard who is only still in his position because his lack of integrity benefits the powerful Hightowers. The internal conflict between Alicent and Otto is fascinating and it provides the main emotional core of the episode. They are both on the same side, hoping to crown Aegon instead of Rhaenyra. But their differing morals and sense of justice lead to them being at odds with Alicent wishing to crown Aegon immediately and offer terms, and Otto wishing to hide Viserys' death until he can assassinate Rhaenyra and her offspring to leave the realm with no choice but to accept Aegon as the heir. Otto is an extreme, showing a brutal, unflinching resolve to get what he wants (his blood on the throne), meanwhile Alicent shows a heart and tries to accomplish her goal without also sacrificing her childhood friend. The dynamic between the two is fascinating, and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Alicent victorious in the end, thrashing her father for being so despicable. The hunt for Aegon was enjoyable to watch. it was gripping to see who would end up getting to him first, or if Aegon was even still around in King's Landing. We had a lot of great moments throughout. We get to see more from Aemond and Criston, which I enjoyed. We get to learn a bit about Erryk and Arryk who we briefly met previously. Erryk knows what kind of an animal Aegon is, while Arryk has been distanced enough from the prince that he still thinks that Aegon is the ideal king. The pay-off here was nice as Erryk abandons Arryk in battle to defect to Rhaenyra, freeing Rhaenys in the process. I was pleased that we got to spend some time with these characters, making Erryk's decision feel meaningful. Aegon himself is a surprisingly tragic figure. Despite being a drunkard, rapist, and overall disgusting human being, I can't help but feel bad for him. He was ignored by his father and constantly nagged by his mother to be the next king, when all he wanted was for either of them - or anyone really - to make him feel loved. It's a human feeling that is easy to understand, and I found myself wishing that Aegon could get away because he has no viable life in the Red Keep and him being a king would be a disaster. But the show surprised me with how Aegon accepted his crown. The coronation scene was a wonderful spectacle, and there was a fantastic visualization of how power feels good to everyone, even to those who don't care enough to use it. Aegon had to be literally dragged to his own coronation, but when he was up there in front of that crowd, he seems to have found a sense of belonging in being a beloved king. Finally Aegon has found that love that he has so desperately been seeking, and it was brilliant to see him come around to the idea of being the king. After all, who wouldn't love this amount of power on display? I enjoyed our brief scenes with Mysaria. She is building the iconic "little bird" spy network that Varys operates in "Game of Thrones" and it's fun to see her go from a common whore to a genuine power-player. It was great to see her throw her knowledge of the king's death in Otto's face, enriching the character by showing some of her spunk. I like to see that Mysaria advocates for the smallfolk, making her into a more sympathetic figure instead of as a mysterious villain. I liked seeing Lord Caswell's attempted escape to warn Rhaenyra. He had been a fun background character, and it's nice to see him maintain his loyalty to Rhaenyra. It's obvious that there would still be some Rhaenyra supporters within the walls of the Red Keep, and I appreciate that the show dedicated some time towards showing us what they did about the people that would inevitably try to join with Rhaenyra. The Bad: Rhaenys' actions at the end were the one thing really dragging this episode down. First of all, it is unbelievable that she is able to sneak into the cavern where the dragons are staying. Are there seriously no people guarding the Dragonpit? What happened to the Dragonkeepers? I'm sure that some curious smallfolk would absolutely be trying to sneak in to get a peek at the dragons. Even worse than that is her brazen entry into the main room, destroying the floor and annihilating dozens, if not hundreds, of innocents. This mass murder is absolutely shocking and should make Rhaenys immediately into a fugitive because she just committed completely unnecessary mass murder. And for what reason? So she can dramatically roar at the Greens before flying off. What the hell? If she's willing to kill the smallfolk, she absolutely should be going all the way by murdering the Greens for their treason. Instead she does nothing, making her dramatic entry into nothing more than meaningless spectacle, a flaw that has popped up every now and then throughout this first season. I'm disappointed to see such a crucial scene in the show be marred by the same problem. The foot scene with Larys is exceedingly weird and I'm not too happy with it. The dialogue in the scene is fine, but I was deeply uncomfortable watching Larys get off to Alicent's feet. Even though it is intentional, the episode would have been better off without making the viewer uncomfortable like it does. Larys is much less interesting as a character if his only motivation is to get a peek at Alicent's feet. When Larys said he wanted to be rewarded, this is the least interesting answer to the question of what he wants. The Unknown: Was there a conspiracy to kill Viserys, or were the Greens just waiting for him to die? I wouldn't be surprised if Otto and the Grand Maester found a way to accelerate his disease. Did Criston intentionally kill Beesbury, or was it an accident? He didn't seem bothered by his actions, and neither did anyone else barring Harrold. Will Harrold join up with Rhaenyra now? It's hard to imagine him backing Aegon after all that has happened. Will Rhaenys warn Rhaenyra? How will she react to the news of Aegon's crowning? What will she do next? Otto has had more time to get into action and contact everyone, putting Rhaenyra at an immediate disadvantage. Will Erryk make it to Dragonstone? How will King's Landing react to his defection? More specifically, how will his brother react? Will Aegon be a good king? He seemed to enjoy himself once in the position? Will this translate to him actually stepping up, or will he be a selfish king similar to Joffrey? Is Otto going to hold his word to Mysaria? I suspect that it will slip his mind since Otto doesn't seem like one to prioritize the smallfolk. Will this make Mysaria his enemy? That could be very dangerous for Otto. Also, did Otto not recognize her from being Daemon's paramour? A clever way to highlight Otto's vanity and privilege by having him not even remember who Mysaria is, and perhaps a fun set-up for later if Mysaria betrays him to ally with Daemon. Best Moment: Not much stood out, but I'll give it to the small council meeting, which went from big development to big development in a thoroughly entertaining way. Character of the Episode: Alicent. Conclusion: This was a very strong episode of fallout, hurt by a pretty stupid spectacle at the end of the episode. The ending was weak, but I still have to credit the rest of the episode for doing an excellent job of getting the main conflict of the series underway in an entertaining and suspenseful fashion. Overall, this was a good episode. Score: 65 Summary: After six years, Rhaenys receives news that Corlys has been injured and it is possible that he will die. Vaemond pressures Rhaenys to skip over Luke's claim to Driftmark but she refuses. Vaemond goes to King's Landing to press his claim. Daemon learns of this and he goes with Rhaenyra to King's Landing. King's Landing has changed now that it is under Hightower control. Viserys is delirious and bedridden. Alicent berates Aegon for raping one of the servant girls. Jace and Luke go to the courtyard where Aemond trains with Criston. Rhaenyra meets with Rhaenys and offers to marry Jace and Luke to Baela and Rhaena for her support. Rhaenys does not give an answer, being suspicious of Rhaenyra's involvement in Laenor's death. Rhaenyra begs Viserys to help her but he seems indisposed. The next day, Vaemond makes his case to Otto. When it's Rhaenyra's turn, Viserys returns and sits the throne. Rhaenys vouches for Rhaenyra and Viserys accepts that Luke is the heir. Frustrated, Vaemond lashes out and calls Rhaenyra's children bastards. Daemon kills him for treason. After, Viserys arranges a supper with his entire family and makes a speech to encourage them to get along. Alicent seems to be affected by these words and reaches out to Rhaenyra. Viserys is in pain and leaves, and immediately after a fight breaks out between the children when Aemond toasts to the "Strong" boys. Rhaenyra and Daemon head back to Dragonstone. That night, Alicent visits Viserys who thinks he is talking to Rhaenyra. She misinterprets his words as Viserys wanting Aegon to be the heir. After Alicent leaves, Viserys dies.
The Good: The main plot of this episode is a great concept: after many years, Rhaenyra returns to the Red Keep to defend Luke's claim to Driftmark. This is a good way to follow up a time jump as Rhaenyra's return allows the impact of the Hightower's rule in King's Landing to be immediately impactful. Seeing a quiet, subdued Red Keep is jarring, and it feels like Otto and Alicent have turned a familiar home into an outsider's realm, removing any Targaryen banners and replacing them with the seven-pointed star of Oldtown. And in this foreign place, Rhaenyra has no friends to help back her claim. The only people she can go to are Rhaenys and Viserys. Rhaenys is plain that she does not intend to help, believing that Rhaenyra played a role in Laenor's death. Meanwhile, Viserys has tragically become an inactive king, bedridden and delirious. The episode does a great job of building dread as Rhaenyra has no allies here in King's Landing to help her, while Vaemond has the backing of the Hightowers in his corner. It sets up an interesting and exciting scene in the throne room to hash out the rights to Driftmark. And that throne room scene more than delivers. It looks like things are heading towards a typical biased proceeding with Rhaenyra doomed to lose, until suddenly the doors open and out walks Viserys to sit the throne. The sequence of Viserys walking to the throne is literally 3-4 minutes long, and it is masterful. There's a funny irony to the doors opening and the music booming all for the entry of a decrepit old man who slowly limps inside, but it's indicative of the enormous strength that it took Viserys to come inside. It's not about his physical achievement, but it's about the mental one. For Viserys to still have the strength to come out to protect his daughter one final time was completely unexpected and it speaks volumes for the character and his love for his family. I've grown attached to Viserys after seeing his struggle in the last eight episodes, and there is something incredibly beautiful about seeing him finally show his strength in this sequence. Another outstanding detail is Daemon helping Viserys get up to the throne and placing the crown back on his head. For all the trouble that has brewed between these two, they are still brothers, and you can plainly see the bond that they have with one another. We have seen Viserys reach out time and time again to Daemon, so it's touching to see Viserys recognize and appreciate that it's Daemon who came over to help him. Meanwhile Daemon has always loved Viserys, and it's touching to see him also put the past behind him so that he could have a nice moment with his brother who he knows will not survive for much longer. There is such beauty and emotion to this sequence, and it fantastically pays off of key relationships that have been built since the very beginning of the show. Vaemond's death at the end of this sequence is spectacle done right. Vaemond's outburst in court fits his character, considering that we've seen his distaste for the Targaryens since his introduction, and it's sensible that he would lash out when his plan to take Driftmark for himself was foiled right at the very end by Viserys. Wil Johnson did a spectacular job of bringing this character to life, and his hate-filled rant towards Viserys and Rhaenyra was spectacularly acted, with some memorable and impactful line delivery. Vaemond did not care by that point and simply needed to get the truth out there in the throne room, and he paid for it with his life. Daemon's swift stroke of death was a magnificent moment, and it calls back to his request to be Viserys' hand, saying that he can protect Viserys from his own weakness. Here we get to see this actualized as Viserys merely wants Vaemond's tongue, but Daemon shows no weakness, refusing to let an open traitor like Vaemond live to corrupt others to his cause. Daemon is the King's Justice in this scene, and it's a lovely reminder of what could have been had Viserys and Daemon been able to work out their issues without Otto manipulating Viserys to turn him against his brother. The dinner scene is tragic and brilliant as Viserys gives one final attempt to reconnect his fractured family. His speech combined with his horrific appearance gives a sense of desperation from him as he all but begs his family to cease the fighting and become one again. Evidently, this affects those who care for him, namely Rhaenyra and Alicent who give nice toasts to each other for Viserys' sake. Even if it is an illusion, Viserys sits at the dinner table enjoying the happiness created in the union of families, and that brief smile that flashes on his face is heartbreaking. Whether it's real or not, Viserys does not care, and is mere happy to be sitting amongst those he loves. And it's made all the more tragic knowing that this peace is never going to last and that war is likely going to start the moment that Viserys finally dies. I feel for Viserys and his attempts to get everyone to get along, which seems to be the only thing that he's wanted ever since losing the wife that he loved. I suspect that Alicent and Rhaenyra could have possibly kept the peace had it only been up to them. Considering their history, the strength of their bond, their shared love for Viserys, and their susceptibility to Viserys' final speech, I think it is feasible and even likely that they would reconcile after years of strife. However, the problem lies in their children. Alicent and Rhaenyra have a fond past to remember, but their children have known nothing but hate for each other, instilled upon them at a young age by their mothers. This is a wonderful take on generational trauma, showing how these kids have developed an even bigger rivalry than their parents all as a result of them being raised to despise each other. The second Viserys leaves, the children force a fight. Earlier it was Aegon and Jace exchanging words and subtly insulting the other, but by the end it's Aemond who steps up and gives a terrific, intense toast that causes a fight to break out. The change in Aemond following the time-jump is quite shocking. He goes from an endearing introvert to a genuinely terrifying individual who carries a presence with him. He's taken after Daemon significantly, and also seems to admire the man, as he seemed impressed when Daemon executed Vaemond earlier in the episode. The other children have also been aged up effectively, becoming compelling, memorable characters in their own right, but Aemond is definitely the stand-out. Viserys' final words to Alicent are powerful, and it's tragic to see him unwillingly and unknowingly undo the work he just did to reconcile Rhaenyra and Alicent by making Alicent think that she has to crown Aegon as Viserys' successor. This ended up being an eloquent summary of Viserys' reign, where he did all that he could to prevent war from happening, but his actions unintentionally furthered the conflicts that led into war. As for Alicent, she should know better than to trust the delirious words of Viserys, but she is hearing what she wants to hear. The only reason she was vulnerable to consider reconciling in this episode is because of how disillusioned she has become with the prospect of her son Aegon being a king, accepting that he would be a terrible ruler. But with her faith shaken, all she needs to get back on track is the confidence of somebody else, and she hears that confidence from Viserys, and makes her choice to back Aegon over Rhaenyra in that moment. The end of the episode is heartbreaking as it seemingly covers Viserys' final moments. His pain is obvious to see, and it is devastating to see him barely holding onto life in these moments, begging for it all to end, crying, and hallucinating visions of Aemma, who he acknowledges in the episode-ending line of "my love". This is a profoundly sad ending for Viserys, one that hit me hard as the character really grew on me throughout the season. Much more than anyone in season 1 of "Game of Thrones", I was saddened by Viserys' death, and it serves as an important emotional and plot beat at the climax of this season. The Bad: I've made my peace with the jarring time jumps this season, but it does bother me that a significant event like Corlys getting grievously injured in war happened off-screen. Corlys is a major character, and it feels cheap to have something substantial happen to him without us seeing it. Vaemond's death has some minor, but forgivable flaws. The character wasn't quite fully fleshed out, and while the acting overcomes this flaw to an extent, it is still disappointing that we didn't learn more about Vaemond before losing him. Daemond killing him openly without Viserys ordering it probably isn't realistic, though I can forgive it because of the rich storytelling value it offers. The Unknown: What is Corlys' fate? Will he die from his injuries? Did Viserys actually die at the end of the episode? I'm quite confident he did, but he's surprised us before with his ability to cling on to life. I won't be sure until I see the body. Once Viserys is dead, will Alicent seek to crown Aegon? Will she continue trying to reconcile with Rhaenyra, or will she turn on Rhaenyra now that she thinks Viserys has approved of Aegon as his heir? Will the children play a role in preventing reconciliation between Rhaenyra and Alicent? Will there be any fallout for Vaemond's death? I suspect not since he was openly treasonous, but I wouldn't be surprised if somebody from the Velaryon family is upset by his death. Will Jace and Luke's weddings to Baela and Rhaena happen? Best Moment: Viserys' walk to the throne was emotional and superbly well shot. There is so much to love about that sequence as the King uses one last burst of strength to once again come to the aide of the daughter he loves more than anything else in this world. Character of the Episode: Viserys. Conclusion: This was a splendid, emotional episode that worked on every level. It may not be action-packed or intense, but it delivered an emotive farewell to King Viserys on what must be the precipice before war. Score: 75 Summary: Gorn makes final preparations for the heist. The group makes it to the garrison and they begin the heist. Vel and Cinta damage comms, while Taramyn's group takes Commandant Jayhold back into the garrison. Upon entering, Taramyn's group turns on Jayhold and take his family hostage. They force the Imperials to cooperate as they do the heist. Gorn joins up with the team as they prepare to escape. However, a group of Imperials arrive at the vault and a firefight breaks out. Jayhold collapses, and Gorn and Taramyn are killed in the chaos. The others manage to hastily escape, but Cinta is left behind. Nemik is injured in the take-off, but still provides Cassian with the coordinates. Cassian takes the ship to a doctor to help Nemik, but he dies. Outside Cassian is given a deal by Skeen: they escape and sell their loot, splitting the earnings between them. Disgusted, Cassian kills Skeen. Cassian tells Vel what happened and uses his payment money to buy a ship off of the doctor, intending to walk away from everything. Luthen hears that the heist was successful and is elated.
The Good: This episode maintained a compelling tone from the first minute as it set up the heist. I really liked Cassian and Nemik's dynamic before the heist was underway. Nemik's nervousness made the whole experience much more intense and immersive, since making the characters feel nervous makes us feel nervous by extension. If the characters are afraid of failure, it makes the whole thing feel so much more suspenseful. The same thing happened again when Vel very clearly hesitated to call in to Taramyn, perhaps scared of what might happen if they fail. Outside of his nerves, Nemik's conversation with Cassian painted a compelling picture of how different people perceive the world and the Empire. I liked how Nemik was well read and educated, but he lacked the experience of someone like Cassian, who is able to provide a very different perspective to Nemik's analysis. I enjoyed the scenes with Gorn once again. It was obvious that he holds a more sympathetic view for the natives than everyone around him, and this likely contributed to his decision to help the rebels. It makes perfect sense for the Empire to look down so sharply on the Dhanis as outsiders that carry a sense of superiority and refuse to take the time to understand their culture. I enjoyed this world-building a lot. The heist was terrific. As mentioned above, having the characters be nervous made this so much more immersive, and it was a frugally intense experience. I kept waiting for something to inevitably go wrong, and the episode teases complications at every turn, making the experience so much more engaging. And when things finally went pear-shaped, the episode did not pull any punches. It was chaotic, it was brutal, there were casualties, and nothing about this robbery was pretty. The Commandant looked to have had a heart attack, Gorn was shot immediately, Taramyn died trying to help Vel, and Nemik suffered a mortal injury as a result of the rushed take-off not allowing everyone time to secure in the ship. This entire sequence was terrific, and while you had a feeling that the heist would be successful, the many deaths gave this episode a sense of loss and sacrifice, with young Nemik's death being the most impactful considering the connection he had developed with Cassian. Cassian is very active throughout the episode as a character, being forced to make difficult decisions. He has lots of great smaller moments early in the episode, but the two stand-outs are late in the episode. We know Cassian is an opportunist and he promises that he will get the job done right when it's his life on the line. Yet Cassian contradicts this by opting to search out a doctor for Nemik, endangering the mission because Cassian is decent enough to recognize the decency in Nemik and wants him to survive. This is immediately followed up with a terrific twist as Skeen reveals that he intends to steal the payroll from Vel and sell it, maximizing his own profit. He offers to cut Cassian into the deal, since Cassian is only here for money, and for a moment you expect that Cassian will take the deal. But Cassian surprises us all and executes Skeen in cold blood, disgusted by his disgraceful actions that spit on the selfless actions of those who died. Cassian may consider himself to be a self-obsessed opportunist, but when it was crunch time, he showed the heart of a rebel, and you get a sense that it's this aspect of his character that will lead to him inevitably joining the cause. Lastly, I'm happy to say that there were no side stories in this episode. This was squarely focused on the heist, and it was far better for it. The Bad: I wish that the Dhanis played more of a role in this episode. They had a good amount of time given to them and I expected them to play a role in this heist. With the way that they were edited into the action, I began to suspect that they might stage a mini rebellion themselves. Ultimately this wasn't the case, and I think that the episode's editing could have been better to temper my expectations. The Unknown: Where is Cassian going now? Will he return to Ferrix? Or is he going to head somewhere new? How will he end up coming back to the rebellion? What's next for Vel? Will she be able to bring back the loot safely? How will Luthen react when he hears what happened to everyone, and that Cassian left? Best Moment: Cassian deciding to murder Skeen on the spot was a fascinating moment, giving Cassian an interesting choice that revealed a lot about who he is. Character of the Episode: Nemik. Conclusion: I enjoyed this a lot. Heist episodes are a blast, and this one was suspenseful, well-written, and perfectly paced, with some interesting character moments on top of that. Score: 69 Summary: On Aldhani, Cassian doesn't share much with his new allies who remain distrustful of him. Taramyn trains the group and gives them the necessary preparations for the heist. Vel and Cinta are revealed to be splitting off from the team. Skeen pressures Cassian and uncovers that he is a mercenary, but Vel keeps things together so that the heist can happen. Meanwhile, Gorn works in the garrison, quietly arranging things to aid the heist. Dedra suspects that coordinate rebel attacks are happening. Mon Mothma creates a new charitable foundation, while under scrutiny from her husband. Luthen is nervous about the impending heist. Karn's mother gets a new career opportunity for her son.
The Good: This episode is primarily set-up, but it does so very effectively. It's consistently engaging and interesting to meet all of the characters in the heist team and learn more about them. Each character has their surprises, and they are endearing, understandable, and fun to watch. You get a sense of their camaraderie as Cassian spends more time with them, and I liked that. But the show makes it clear that this isn't a group of friends ready to accept Cassian as one of their own. Even with their fun interactions, there is a continuous sense of distrust throughout the episode, and every scene has the underlying sense that the characters are testing one another rather than trying to get to know each other. This is a unique and realistic dynamic for a "Star Wars" show, and I think that it works wonderfully. By the end of the episode, many of the group's issues have come flaring up, especially when Skeen confronts Cassian about his true nature (see: Best Moment). But everyone has to suck up their grievances to ensure that the plan works, and by this point I cared enough about these characters to buy into their conflict and decision to continue. The writing is top-notch in this storyline, and the episode succeeded in making me care about this ragtag group. I will be invested when we get into the heist, presumably in the next episode. I enjoyed the few scenes with Gorn inside the garrison. These scenes make it more believable that Gorn is a rebel because he does not hold back when doing his job, making him seem like a stout and loyal follower of the Empire. I appreciate that all of his preparations for the heist were subtle, avoiding any plot holes which make the plan feel too convenient. This show is doing a much better job of immersing me in the world compared to most "Star Wars" properties. The Bad: The side storylines dragged this down because they were irrelevant and uninteresting. Karn was significant in the first three episodes, but he does not feel like an important character when the show is setting up an important heist that is completely disconnected from him. I'm not invested enough in him to be fascinated by his relationship with his mother. The same goes for Mon Mothma. She is having family troubles and I could not care less. She's not a character who can carry scenes on her own, and I was woefully bored when she was sparring with her typical asshole husband and typical rebellious daughter. Every character here is uninteresting and we're given no reason to believe that we should care about Mon Mothma and her struggles. As such, these scenes fall flat and take away from the episode. The Unknown: Who is Uncle Harlo? How did he help Karn? What exactly were Skeen's tattoos? What did they mean? Will Dedra investigate for rebel attacks? I suspect that she will be proven correct after this heist happens. Will the heist be a success? How many will survive it? What, if anything, will go wrong? What is Vel and Cinta's role in this heist? Best Moment: Skeen confronting Cassian about his true nature was tense, and it threatened to tear apart the team in a very real way. This was well-acted, and the characters were all well-defined. Character of the Episode: Cassian. Conclusion: This was a solid set-up episode, though it was hampered by the uninteresting scenes with all of the side characters. Score: 59 Summary: In the aftermath of the eruption, Galadriel escapes with Theo and they go to meet up at the Numenorean camp. Ontamo is dead and Isildur seemingly dies in a burning house trying to save others. Miriel and Elendil escape and Elendil discovers that she is now blind. Everyone arrives at the camp. Theo is reunited with Arondir and Bronwyn who are fine. Galadriel speaks with Miriel who affirms that Numenor will return to finish the war. Elendil is distraught, blaming Galadriel for Isildur's death. Halbrand has also survived but is badly injured. Galadriel decides to take him to Lindon. Meanwhile, the Harfoots arrive at their grove only to find it destroyed by the eruption. The Stranger tries to fix it but fails, and is sent away by Sadoc. The next day, the grove has regrown. That night, the white-cloaked trio arrives, tracking down The Stranger. Nori tries to send them in the wrong direction, and they burn down the caravans and leave. The Harfoots collectively decide to help the Stranger. Nori, Poppy, Marigold, and Sadoc set out. Durin fails to convince his fatehr to help Elrond. After speaking with Disa, Durin decides to help Elrond anyways and they mine for mithril, finding an enormous cavern. However, King Durin finds out, sends Elrond out, and strips Durin of being his heir. King Durin covers the mithril deposit, where a balrog resides.
The Good: Credit where credit is due, the aftermath of the volcanic eruption at least looked good. I have my major issues with how this eruption was handled (see: The Bad), but the effects and camera work were excellent, and the production was certainly impressive. I was happy to see that this major event had consequences with Miriel going blind and some named characters dying, or at least appearing to die. I like that this event had a big effect on the story, actively affecting character arcs and character relationships. Elrond and Durin's story is by far the best thing about this show, and that continued to be the case in this episode. Where other storylines are cheesy and poorly written, this one story somehow manages to be emotionally effective, engaging, and interesting. Fittingly, it feels like finding a jewel after struggling to get through tons and tons of plain rock. I'm impressed with how the writers manage to give Elrond and Durin compelling interactions in every episode. These two feel like two real friends as it is clear what they like about each other as they help each other solve problems, poke fun at each other, and also show a genuine appreciation for the other's culture and lifestyle. For all of my problems with this show, this one relationship has been spectacular to watch in every episode. I really enjoyed Elrond trying to convince Durin that he let him win, and I liked them both commenting on their similarities. King Durin's involvement in this episode was also great. I enjoyed his conflict with his son (see: Best Moment), and it raised the stakes to have Durin act directly against his father's wishes to help Elrond. Lastly, I'll show some appreciation for Disa who has been great thus far in the show. She seems to be a Lady MacBeth of sorts as she always backs Durin to follow his instincts and take power for himself, proving herself to be a more cunning and ambitious woman compared to the fun-loving, respectful, and comparatively docile Durin. I enjoy their dynamic. The Bad: The fallout of the eruption is totally unsatisfying and filled with inconsistencies. It's frustrating how long this episode tries to tease us with the idea of characters dying or being dead, only to reveal them to be alive later. It's blatantly obvious that these characters are alive, and it feels like the writers have grossly underestimated the intelligence of the audience by doing these tricks repeatedly. Bronwyn's death was only just teased last episode, and here they tease her death again. Maybe it would have worked if she was an interesting character, but she isn't. Galadriel and Theo have a brief adventure together, and I like the idea of building a connection between them. But this should never have happened. When Galadriel found Theo, it was in the midst of a village with dozens of lives in danger. Instead of helping or finding others, she simply runs into the woods and abandons everyone else, a disgusting and laughably absurd decision. Furthermore, why did she go through the woods instead of taking the direct route which is where she would have a chance of finding more survivors? It makes no sense, and it makes Galadriel seem stupid. Furthermore, her story about her husband was perplexing to me. For someone who constantly preached about avenging her brother, it's absurd to think that she's been quiet about a potentially dead husband for all this time. The dialogue is also poorly written in this sequence (it often is), and there is a weak attempt at suspense by having an orc sniff out Theo and Galadriel. This had no suspense though because Galadriel could certainly kill the orcs with ease, and it felt cheap to have this orc conveniently sniff around when he doesn't even smell anything. Elendil ended the previous episode running from his son to find the Queen. In this episode we catch up to him and he has apparently left the village, leaving his son and Queen behind. What!? Not only is this inconsistent, but it's totally out of character for Elendil to run away, and it undersells his love for his son significantly that he would leave without searching to see if he survived. I wish we got to see more of Isildur in this episode, but instead he's given another fake-out death. I expect that his horse will return with him alive in the following episode, and it will fall flat. Speaking of deaths, Ontamo is the only named character to actually die here, and unfortunately I did not care about him enough to have any sort of reaction to this. Where the Elrond/Durin story has me consistently excited, the Harfoot storyline has me wholly uninterested. It's so hard to care about this storyline when it is so disconnected from everything else. The mysterious white-cloaked trio are not engaging villains, and I am not particularly interested in learning more about them. The Stranger is almost certainly Gandalf, and I am not interested in finding out what he is trying to do. The Harfoots are bland characters, with Nori and Poppy's relationship feeling like a blatant rip-off of Frodo and Sam, only worse. I hate the inconsistency within the beliefs of the characters and the society as a whole. Nori's father suggests that the Harfoot way is to keep on moving on and surviving without losing sight of their friends and family, which is pretty rich coming from a community that literally keeps a book of the people they have left for dead in the past. If they are so quick to leave their own community members for dead, why would they care about helping The Stranger? It's inconsistent. I got a huge laugh out of Malva guilting Sadoc into joining Nori and Poppy on their suicide mission when a couple episodes ago she was suggesting to leave Nori for dead. This inconsistency bothers me and it prevents the Harfoots from being endearing in the way that the show wants them to be. Instead of being uplifted by them choosing to help The Stranger, I'm too busy questioning the dynamics of the characters and the society. When the writing flaws are detracting from the story being told, that's when you know that something has gone badly wrong. The Unknown: Obviously the elves are not going to die off, so how will they get access to mithril. Will Durin manage to convince his father to help them, or will he end up acting on his own. Will Durin's actions cause the waking of the balrog and the destruction of Khazad-Dum? Who is this magical trio? Why did they burn down the Harfoots' caravans? Why are they after The Stranger? Will the Harfoots really be able to stop them and help The Stranger? Will Numenor actually return to help the elves? I suspect that it will be difficult to convince the Numenoreans to go back, even if Miriel herself wishes to return. What happened to Isildur? Obviously he isn't dead. This is the problem with having so many characters from the "Lord of the Rings" triology; there is no suspense because we know they can't die. Speaking of characters whose fates are known, Celeborn is most certainly going to return at some point in this series. He's in "Lord of the Rings" and yet Galadriel says that he has disappeared and is likely dead. This is evidently not true, so how will he re-emerge? Where has he been all this time? What is Durin's real name? Will Halbrand survive his wound? I am suspicious that he may be Sauron, if so it is plausible that he will survive. Best Moment: Durin arguing with his father was excellent stuff. Both had valid points to defend themselves, and it made sense that Durin would be steely enough in his defense of Elrond that he offends his father, causing the argument that results in Durin losing his status as a royal dwarf. It's sad stuff, well-acted and effective at showing us Durin's frustrations and the fundamental disagreement in the ruling style of the father and the son. Character of the Episode: Durin. Conclusion: This episode was more of the same. Flat, uninteresting storytelling with some exhaustively poor moments of writing. Elrond and Durin's storyline saves the episode again, but everything else was disappointing. Score: 50 Summary: Laena's funeral is held on Driftmark. Rhaenyra sends Jace to comfort Daemon's children. Viserys meets with Daemon who does not wish to reconcile. Corlys lashes out at Qarl regarding Laenor. At night, Rhaenyra and Daemon talk and have sex. Aemond sneaks over to Vhagar and rides her. Baela and Rhaena notice and wake Jace. They, along with Luke, confront Aemond. Things get heated after Aemond calls Jace and Luke bastards and a fist fight breaks out. Luke slashes Aemond's eye with a knife before Harrold is able to stop the fight. Alicent is furious and demands justice. Rhaenyra is angered by the insult which Viserys traces to originate from Aegon. Viserys orders everyone to stop quarrelling but Alicent grabs his knife and goes after Rhaenyra. She cuts Rhaenyra's arm before being pulled away. Otto meets with Alicent and is impressed with her. Laenor returns and tells Rhaenyra that he intends to be a better husband. Rhaenyra speaks with Daemon and they marry each other. They arrange a fake death for Laenor, who escapes to the Free Cities with Qarl.
The Good: Practically every scene in this episode was brilliantly put together. I thoroughly enjoyed Laena's funeral, even if it was uneventful. The character moments in this sequence were simply phenomenal, building on established relationships and further exploring the nature of some characters who we do not fully understand just yet. So many little moments impressed me. Viserys and Daemon's relationship continues to be brilliantly realized. You can tell that Viserys was hoping that Daemon would approach him, and it is nice to see him ultimately decide to forgive Daemon and offer him a place back at his side. But Daemon still wants Rhaenyra, and that remains a wedge that prevents them from getting back together. Rhaenyra and Alicent's children are given good depth in this sequence as well. We get to further see the extent of Aegon's depravity, Helaena's odd quirkiness, Aemond's observant introversion, Luke's innocent childishness, and Jace's sense of loyalty to those who need his help (in this case Baela and Rhaena). These moments are small, but they go a long way in characterizing the children, which pays dividends when they get into an enormous conflict later in the episode.. I quite liked Laenor's grief in the loss of his sister, and Corlys' frustrated remarks to Qarl in public suggest some family tensions, making Laenor's decision to leave everything at the end of the episode feel a little more plausible. The episode's big story moment gets underway when Aemond decides that he wants to tame Vhagar. Vhagar continues to be a terrifyingly huge dragon, and she is realized in her full glory in this episode at numerous points. This does make it significant when Aemond opts to take her, giving the Hightowers a huge asset for the conflict to come. However, the unintentional insult from Aemond is clear, and it's easy to see why Baela and Rhaena are so upset by his actions. He took their mother's dragon on the day of her funeral, and while Aemond might be within his rights to claim a dragon, the timing is insensitive. I expected to see this lead to some conflict, but the extent of the violence that happened really caught me off guard. The children got into a full-on fist fight, and it started as funny and evolved into being genuinely tense and life-threatening to the point where I thought that someone was going to die. The fight was wonderfully shot, suspenseful, and suitably violent and realistic. Rhaenyra and Alicent's rivalry has bled into their children, stemming hate between these characters where there should be familial love and connection. It's tragic to see, and I really like this portrayal of generational conflict which is something that we don't often see in television. Aemond losing his eye was a shocking moment and I appreciate that it was treated as a huge deal, especially since Aemond is the son of a king. Following what happened between the kids, we get to see the adults react and come face to face in a most dramatic and exciting way. This lengthy sequence where Alicent demands justice for Aemond's lost eye and Rhaenyra demands justice for Aemond's insults is simply superb. The characters are brilliantly defined, the acting is outstanding, and the scene is almost unbearably tense. The children themselves are almost non-factors, simply watching as their parents continue their quarrels. Aemond is surprisingly docile, and we learn that it's because he actually isn't too bothered by losing his eye; after all he has a dragon now, he must be elated! Meanwhile Jace and Luke stay quiet and whisper what happened to Rhaenyra, letting their loving mother fight their battle for them. The confrontation between Alicent and Rhaenyra is phenomenal and Olivia Cooke especially does a magnificent job of letting her character's frustrations boil over (see: Best Moment). Viserys' role in this scene is also excellent. Viserys has been such a compelling character and that continues in this scene. We know that he loved Aemma and doesn't quite share that same feeling for Alicent (he even calls Alicent "Aemma" in this episode), and it appears that this extends to his children. Aemond, Viserys' son by Alicent, has his eye cut out and Viserys hardly seems to care. But when the legitimacy of Rhaenyra's children comes into question, Viserys is immediately stepping up to defend his daughter. Viserys is a passive king, but he has a clear preferred child and will do whatever he needs to for his daughter. I like this extra dimension to the character, and it also helps make Alicent more relatable, having to put up with the frustration of Rhaenyra always being favoured by the king. I love the ending of the episode. Laenor may not quite be a fully fleshed out character, but we get a good sense of who he is in the past few episodes, and I found him easily likeable as a comparatively simple and honest man in a world where so many people are driven by ambition. Rhaenyra and Daemon finally have an opportunity to be married, but Laenor is the one obstacle that they face, and I was concerned that the show was going to go too dark by making Rhaenyra and Daemon too unsympathetic by ruthlessly arranging Laenor's death. After all, Laenor is a good man and we had just seen a lovely moment where he affirmed to Rhaenyra that he intends to sacrifice his own enjoyment to be a better husband. For her to kill him after that would be heartless, and a step too far into the relentless brutality in the world of Westeros. Instead we got a terrific twist reveal where it turns out that Laenor's death was faked and that Rhaenyra and Daemon worked out a deal where he would be given an escape from his trapped life, a happy ending for everyone involved. I was certain that Laenor was a goner, so that ending reveal was an unexpected delight and a rare moment of hope and optimism in a world that is often far too brutal and unrelentingly depressing. The sequence of Laenor's death was very well edited, and the events we were shown were intentionally slightly inconsistent, making the reveal of Laenor's survival satisfyingly explain the weirdness in this sequence. A great piece of film-making. I'm glad to see Rhaenyra and Daemon finally get together, which seemed like a given over the last few episodes. It will be interesting to see their relationship evolve considering how both of them have a reckless, volatile nature. Going into the show, it was expected that Rhaenyra vs Daemon would be the main conflict, so I think that it's a clever subversion to have them ultimately get married. The Bad: I have heard a lot of complaints about the episode being too dark in several scenes. It never bothered me and I was able to see just fine, but when a good portion of people are having a hard time seeing then something is definitely being done wrong. It was blatantly obvious to me that all of the night scenes were shot during the day and darkened in post, and I think that the effects should have been better. I suspect that overdoing this effect is likely what resulted in the scenes being too dark for people to effectively see, especially those who watch in a well-lit environment. The director Miguel Sapochnik made the same mistake with "The Long Night" in "Game of Thrones" and it is disappointing to see him not learning from what went wrong last time. The Unknown: How will Viserys react when he learns of Daemon and Rhaenyra's marriage? Will we see Laenor again? Or is this a happy ending of sorts for him? Corlys and Rhaenys lost both of their children in short time, how will this affect them and their relationship? How significant will Aemond acquiring Vhagar be? How far will his rivalry with Jace and Luke go? Best Moment: Alicent going after Rhaenyra was the highlight of the episode for me. It was intense since you had no idea what would happen next, and the introduction of a knife put everyone's life in danger. On top of that, the emotional stakes were palpable. Alicent once loved Rhaenyra as her closest friend, and yet now she is charging at her with intent to kill, having had enough of Rhaenyra's reckless, privileged behaviour. Alicent has had to play by the rules to her own detriment, so it disgusts her to see Rhaenyra behaving so poorly, and it's absolutely believable that the loss of her son's eye would push Alicent over the edge in this moment. The scene is believable and fantastic, also featuring superb acting and top-tier dialogue. Certainly the best scene of the show so far. Character of the Episode: Alicent. Conclusion: An excellent episode. Coming off of last week's rocky instalment, this episode roared back into form with excellent character scenes based on established relationships, suspense-filled character drama that was earned and exciting, and an ending twist that gave us a rare burst of hope and happiness in an often overwhelmingly brutal show. Score: 71 Summary: Adar's army arrive at the tower but it is a trap and Arondir collapses the tower on them. The villagers return to their village and prepare to defend it. The remaining orc force arrives and the villagers win. However, this army was revealed to be of the village men who turned, the real army rains arrows and many villagers die. Bronwyn is badly injured and almost dies. The orcs break into the tavern where everyone is hiding and Adar threatens to murder everyone unless Arondir gives him the key. Arondir refuses, but Theo knows where it is and gives it up. The Numenoreans arrive and defeat the army. Galadriel chases down Adar and captures him. The key is recovered. Halbrand and Galadriel question Adar and learn that he is an Uruk, one of the first orcs. Arondir gives the key to Theo but Theo realizes it is a fake. Waldreg stole the real one and activates it, causing Mount Doom to erupt, levelling the nearby area.
The Good: This was a more conventional and focused episode that was centered around a big battle. Because of that, this was easily the best episode of the show yet. The central focus made this event feel massively important, which is a big deal considering how unimportant and slow-paced the rest of this show has been. Finally it felt like I was watching something that was worth my time, and that added level of engagement made for a more fulfilling experience. The battle was a spectacle and was quite fun to watch. I especially liked the first part of the battle where there was a melee in the village. The action was very well choreographed, and I was especially thrilled by Arondir's fight against the huge orc, which was intense, gruesome, and thoroughly entertaining as an action setpiece. The highlight for me was definitely the moment when we learn that the "orcs" who the villagers thought they were fighting were actually their former allies and friends. The real army was still out there waiting to wreak havoc on everyone. This twist worked really well because of how it took the emotions from elation to despair in a matter of moments, and hope was snuffed out in the blink of an eye. Bronwyn taking such a terrible wound raised the stakes significantly, and the special effects were phenomenal, making the wound look really bad and making you feel like she has a good chance of succumbing to her wounds. The follow-up to the battle was also quite good. Adar in captivity is your typical imprisoned villain arc, but at least we have a better idea of who he is through this process. He managed to get under the skin of both Galadriel and Halbrand, creating more personal stakes between him and these characters, which you want to see between antagonists and protagonists. There is also some good mystery added in with Halbrand (see: The Unknown), which I'm excited to see more of. The ensuing eruption of Mount Doom was a visual spectacle and it looked terrific. I presume that this will be the creation of Mordor, which is bound to have enormous consequences on the story. The Bad: The writing in this show remains poor, and even a battle can not overcome this issue. I had a lot of writing-related problems with this episode, and that drags down my enjoyment of it significantly. Let's start with the battle itself and its logistics. There is an early twist where the orcs arrive in the tower fort only to find it abandoned, and Arondir springs a trap to collapse the building on the army. That's a cool idea, but logistically it does not make sense. First, how would everyone evacuate from this location without being noticed by the incoming army, an army that we could see closing in on the tower in the previous episode? That is a bit tough to believe. Even harder to believe is the decision to return to the village to fight there? In what world was that smart? These people had a fortified tower which increases their odds significantly, and instead they decide to set up to fight in a village that can easily be attacked from all sides? That's a terrible idea, and it's no wonder that they lost. The Numenoreans saving the Southlanders was a disappointing development. It took Frodo and Sam almost a year to make the trek from The Shire to Mordor, and yet we are expected to believe that Numenor took all of five days to get to the Southlands? That's ridiculous. Furthermore, their last minute save is a deus ex machina that I predicted early in the episode, and it had no impact when it happened. The deus ex machina was okay in "Lord of the Rings" because moments like the ride of the Rohirrim were so gripping and emotionally satisfying that they overcame the cliche. We get no such moment in this episode, so the last minute save falls flat and feels convenient. Furthermore, I'm highly confused about Waldreg's role. Where was he in this battle? If all the other men were forced to fight, why was Waldreg selected to do a special task for Adar? This doesn't make sense. It's also ridiculous that he somehow managed to find the key and replace it with a hatchet without anyone noticing. Did nobody think to check and make sure that the clothed item was actually the key? And did nobody notice that the key felt mysteriously like a hatchet underneath the cloth? This is absurd. Additionally, I was extremely unhappy with Arondir's decision to give "the key" to Theo to dispose of. Surely he wouldn't take such a big risk with such a significant item. Furthermore, I really hope that we learn more about the key's creation and why it was needed, because otherwise it is an enormous plot device. More small things that severely detracted from the episode include the time magically changing from the middle of night to early day after what must have only been 10-20 minutes when Adar entered the tavern. The time change made absolutely no sense. Further, it's hard to understand how Numenor knew where to go to fight this battle. How did they know to go to this one specific village? A lot of moments were written sloppily and fell flat as a result. Arondir and Bronwyn's kiss was uninspired and generic. Isildur being permitted to go into battle was an overdramatic, made-for-TV moment that would never happen in real life. There are many more moments like this throughout the episode, but I will not waste my time by listing them all. Oh, and I haven't even had a chance to address the poor dialogue which continues to be present in this show. Little things don't usually bother me in isolation, but when they add up like this, it breaks my immersion completely. The Unknown: Isildur's mother drowned. How? Why is this significant? Did Adar actually kill Sauron or is he lying about that? I suspect that he might believe that he killed Sauron when in reality he didn't. Unless Adar actually is Sauron and he is being metaphorical. I can't rule out any possibilities! What did Adar do the Halbrand? Why doesn't Adar remember him? Is this another hint that Halbrand might actually be Sauron? Was that a romantic moment between Galadriel and Halbrand? I was unsure if I read that scene properly so I'm putting it in this section and not "The Bad". If I am right and there is a romance starting here, then I have to roll my eyes because that is the least creative direction to take their story. The eruption at the end must have been Mount Doom. Is this how Mordor was created? This does go against Tolkien's lore, and I'm confused by how a volcanic eruption can make such a dark and toxic location like Mordor. Did Mount Doom have some magical properties to it? Why did the orcs do this anyways? Who created the key? Who set this up in such a convoluted way? Best Moment: The archers raining hell on the villagers was a fantastic moment. The twist that the "orcs" were not actually orcs was hugely effective, and seeing all of these brave soldiers falling one after the other was horrifying, especially with our main characters also caught in the crossfire. A really intense moment that made perfect use of slow-mo to help us perceive the way that the world seems to slow down in these life and death situations. Character of the Episode: Arondir. Conclusion: This was an intense, exciting episode, yet it can only rise so high because bad writing, choppy acting, and poor dialogue continue to plague this show. Score: 60 Summary: Luthen ultimately convinces Cassian to join his cause. Cassian picks out the name "Clem" and meets Vel, who is leading an operation to steal an Empire payroll from a garrison. Cassian is skeptical about the operation and Vel is skeptical about bringing him on board, but Luthen convinces Vel to allow it. Cassian meets Vel's team and is given a mission briefing. Meanwhile, Luthen returns to his job at Coruscant and meets with Mon Mothma. Major Partagaz receives news of what happened on Ferrix from Blevin. Blevin transfers Mosk and Hyne, but not Karn. Karn goes to visit his mother. Dedra in interested because the discovered Starpath would make Ferrix her jurisdiction. She speaks with Blevin and the Major about it, but is unsuccessful.
The Good: I liked the first scene a lot. It may seem like retreading familiar ground, but it was an effective way to show us how Luthen manages to convince the rogue Cassian to join his cause. Cassian has no other recourse, and Luthen does give him an opportunity to profit and so Cassian takes it. I enjoy how Cassian is handled throughout the episode. Though he is joining the cause, he is a skeptic and that shines through in every moment. I especially liked his conversation with Vel, and the brief moment where Cassian contemplated leaving while Luthen and Vel talked outside of the ship. However, by the end of the episode it seems that Cassian has dedicated himself to this mission after he has heard the plan. It should be interesting to see this plan in action. I did like the new characters we met, and I'm interested to see more of them. The Imperial Security scenes were lacking in emotional investment (see: The Bad), but they were well-made scenes that did a good job of making the world feel more realistic. In recent times "Star Wars" has often felt cartoonish and simplistic with its world-building, but this show is reminding us that there is a functioning governance under The Empire that is keeping the universe in check. I love seeing a security department, and I liked the character of Major Partagaz, who is everything you want to see in a villainous leader. He is unrelenting and blunt, yet passionate about what he does. The side characters are less interesting to me so far, but I am intrigued enough to want to see more. Luthen's other personality as a jovial shop-owner is a blast. It's a shock how different the character feels once he switches wardrobes and dives into his act. I enjoyed seeing the intricacies behind this character, and out of everyone, he is the one that I want to learn more about the most. The Bad: This episode is hampered by the excessive "Star Wars" terminology. The off-hand mentioning of planets, organizations, characters, and other terms makes things needlessly confusing. None of these terms are immediately explained, and that makes me struggle to understand what the characters are conversing about sometimes. This is especially prevalent in the more political scenes with the Imperial Security. The names were difficult enough to remember considering how outlandish they are, but worse was ascertaining the motives of the characters and what they were discussing. There is discussion about Ryloth which confused me, and the significance of the Starpath continues to perplex me. I hardly even understand what it is, never mind what its significance will be. I appreciate that this show is limiting exposition, but it needs to find better ways to convey its story since I have spent much of the last four episodes being slightly confused. There are too many plot threads being introduced right now. I want to invest in Cassian's story, but we spend too much time away from him. Now on top of Karn's group, we are introduced to Imperial Security and Mon Mothma, and both stories seem to be setting up for more. The plot is getting messy without getting me invested, which is a bad sign. The Unknown: What is the significance of Dedra's Starpath Unit? Why is she so interested in it? How will this come into play later? What are the consequences for Karn? The show was unclear about what exactly his punishment was. Will we see Mosk and Hyne again? What is his relationship with his mother? Why did he go to see her? Who exactly is Luthen? Is he just a rich shop-owner, or is there more to him? Best Moment: Luthen talking Cassian into joining the cause. Character of the Episode: Luthen. Conclusion: This was mostly set-up and it does decently at that. The grittier "Star Wars" universe as portrayed in this show remains a delight, but this show is not problem-free. However, I am enjoying it well enough right now. Score: 61 |
Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
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