The words 'Rings of Power Review, Episode 7', overlaid on top of images from the episode The Eye
An Eye-Opening Review of Rings of Power Episode 7: The Eye

An Eye-Opening Review of Rings of Power Episode 7: The Eye

In the penultimate episode of The Rings of Power there’s a name change, some bombshells, and we get back into all the different storylines. There’s a lot to unpack, so I’ll take each location in turn. Here’s a breakdown of the post:

Let’s dig into all of the action and tidbits! But first…

‘The Eye’ Episode Title

As always, I started analyzing the episode from its title. My first thought, before even pressing play, was that it could be a reference to ‘The Eye of Sauron’. This lidless eye, wreathed in flame, plays a large role in embodying Sauron in Peter Jackson’s LOTR movies. After watching Ep7 three times, I can’t really think of anything else which might directly relates to an eye, aside from the fact that it opens with a close-up of Galadriel’s eye, red and coated in ash from the eruption of Mount Doom. This reminded me of Smaug’s eye opening at the end of the first Hobbit movie. If you have any thoughts about this ROP episode title, let me know!

The Southlands

Ep7 spends the most time in The Southlands, and that’s where I’ll start. After zooming out from the close-up on Galadriel’s eye, it’s clear that the Southlands have turned into ‘a barren wasteland, riddled with fire and ash and dust.’ Everything is burning, even a poor horse who Galadriel narrowly dodges. Galadriel tries to track down Halbrand or Elendil, but instead finds Theo, who is likewise trying to find his mother and Arondir.

Now Galadriel and Theo had been two of my least favourite characters on the ROP show so far. But after this episode, they’ve made pretty big strides in becoming much more likeable in my book! I was surprised by how much I liked Galadriel’s dynamic with Theo. She took on a bit of a maternal role with him, and overall came across as much more humble, measured, and wise. Theo also undergoes a nice character arc, helped greatly by Galadriel.

Theo, from Slinker to Soldier

It starts with Theo’s desire to move full steam ahead, and go after the bad guys. He even makes a grab for Galadriel’s dagger, which is unsuccessful, of course. And he tells Galadriel he thinks it’s ‘good’ that she’s killed so many orcs. I love Galadriel’s response to Theo here. I felt her channeling Faramir when she said, ‘It darkens the heart to call dark deeds ‘good’. It gives place for evil to thrive inside us. Every war is fought both without and within. Of that every soldier must be mindful. Even I, even you.’

And then she began channeling Gandalf, when she said, ‘There are powers beyond darkness at work in this world. Perhaps on days such as this, we have little choice but to trust to their designs and surrender our own.’ This reminded me a lot of what Gandalf said to Frodo in FOTR, ‘There are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides that of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring, in which case you were also meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought.’

Galadriel lends Theo a sword, saying to him, ‘Perhaps we can make [a soldier] of you yet.’ At the end of the episode, Theo tries to return the sword to Galadriel, but she tells him ‘Keep it, soldier.’ I see some lovely symbolism going on here, with the evil hilt of Sauron being replaced by a good blade, and showcasing Theo rising to the occasion

Galadriel has a Husband?

The biggest bombshell for me in this episode was Galadriel’s revelation about her husband, Celeborn. I wasn’t surprised to find out she was married. I’ve actually been wondering all season where Celeborn has been hiding out, knowing that in Tolkien’s canon Galadriel got married in the First Age. No, my real surprise was Galadriel’s revelation that she seems to think her husband is dead. The whole conversation begins with Theo asking Galadriel if she had ever lost someone close to her. She answers, her brother Finrod, which we all knew from the opening of Ep1. But then she adds, ‘And my husband.’ And my jaw dropped.

She goes on to describe how the two of them met – ‘in a glade of flowers’, cause that’s how all notable Tolkiencouples seem to meet (LOL), and that Galadriel was ‘dancing’. This felt like a BIG reference to how Beren first came upon Luthien in The Silmarillion. Personally, I would have liked a more original meet-cute story for Galadriel and Celeborn.

At first I thought she was saying that Celeborn actually was dead, and I was shocked by this change from canon. But she doesn’t present any proof that he’s dead. He went off to war, and she just has not seen him since. I personally think he’s going to show up in a future episode/season, and am very interested to see what they’re going to do with his character.

This whole storyline got me thinking. If you didn’t know, Elrond is meant to end up marrying Galadriel’s daughter. And yes, Arwen is Galadriel’s granddaughter. I’m wondering how this will all work into the timeline of the show, if it does at all (I really hope it does). Could Galadriel have a child already from her marriage with Celeborn who will also be revealed in the future? Or will she reunite with Celeborn in the future, then have a daughter who will age enough throughout the course of the show that it won’t be too weird for her to marry Elrond down the line? There’s a lot of ways it could all go down.

Hiding from Sniffing Orcs

Another scene very reminiscent of the LOTR movies happens when Theo and Galadriel are huddling in hiding from scouting orcs. This scene is very similar to how the four hobbits were hiding from the Ringwraith in the FOTR. The kicker is when one of the orcs gets closer to their hiding-place, and starts sniffing. The Ringwraith sniffing for the hobbits in FOTR was such an iconic moment, so I found it a bit too much to come into play again here.

Míriel Goes Blind

There could be another plotline that refers to the episode title ‘The Eye’, with the major development of Míriel’s loss of eyesight. At the start of the episode it’s clear that this loss doesn’t come from the initial eruption of Mount Doom. But when she finds a burning house, that proceeds to collapse, the flames get all up in her face and she puts her hands over her eyes. There’s some great dialogue between her and Elendil, when they both realize she has gone blind. ‘I see’, she says, and Elendil replies, ‘Do you?’ The mournful Numenorian theme playing in the background adds to the somber tone of the whole scene. 

Míriel tells Elendil to keep moving so that no one can tell she’s lost her eyesight. I understood why she might not want to add extra pressure to an already panic-filled situation for her people. I just don’t get why she would be so adamant that no one notice her blindness initially, but soon after she dons a blindfold, showcasing to everyone that she’s lost her eyesight. Doesn’t seem like the most logical action to me. 

Isildur Goes Missing – But His Horse is Coming to the Rescue

The same burning house which blinds Míriel, seems to have done a number on Isildur too. He goes into the house to help others escape, but gets trapped when it collapses. Isildur’s friend Valandil, and Elendil, both seem to believe Isildur has perished in the fire. But his horse, Berek survives, although he’s injured and definitely feeling the loss of his rider. There’s a scene where Elendil tries to calm a very agitated Berek, very déjà vu of Aragorn calming a distressed Brego who had lost his own rider (Theodon’s son). Elendil lets Berek go, and Berek rides off. And I think Berek is going to pull a Brego, and go rescue Isildur, just like Brego rescued Aragorn in The Two Towers.

Hardy Halbrand and Co

Can I please ask, just how hardy are these Southlanders and Númenóreans?! First of all, being so close to a volcanic eruption, most of them should be petrified or burnt up by the fireball of burning ash, a la Pompeii. Right?? We do see some bodies at the beginning of the episode who appear as petrified, but many others have survived without a singhed hair. You can even hear a baby’s cry, and I’m both curious how a baby was able to survive such confitions, and also concerned if anyone was able to find and help that poor baby! We see Theo reunite with Bronwyn who evades death yet again, after an arrow pierces her chest in Ep6.

In this episode, we learn that Halbrand was also gravely injured and found on the side of the road. It looks like he was stabbed, which is interesting in and of itself. Who stabbed him, and why? Last we saw, the people of the Southlands were readily accepting him as King. 

Bronwyn explains to Galadriel that Halbrand’s wound soured overnight, and Galadriel takes a look at it herself. Channelling Arwen from FOTR, she says, ‘This wound needs Elvish medicine,’ and asks, ‘Can he ride?’ I thought surely not, the man has been gravely injured! But then reevaluated, because Halbrand walks out of the tent, looking a little bit the worse for wear, but certainly not a man on the verge of death. He then hops on his horse and gallops off with Galadriel, and I don’t quite understand how he’s able to do it. I really don’t think Halbrand is Sauron, but I can’t deny the fact that there’s still something a bit suspicious about him.

The Southlands Renamed

The episode ends with a new name reveal for the Southlands. I bet you can guess what it is! 

As the camera pans over the ashy wasteland, Adar’s followers chant, ‘Hail Adar, Lord of the Southlands!’ But, Adar stipulates that it cannot be called that anymore, for ‘that is the name of a place that no longer exists.’Waldreg gives the opening, ‘What should we call it instead, Lord-father?’, and font writes across the screen, ‘Southlands’, only to then be replaced with the words ‘Mordor.’ I thought there could have been a more epic way to reveal the new name of Mordor here, but that’s just my opinion.

Whew, and we’ve gotten to the end of the Southlands chunk of this episode. But there’s still two more storyline to cover!

The Harfoots

We’re off to see the Harfoots now, and I’ll admit, their storyline kinda gave me whiplash. Let me give you a quick summary of what does go (up and) down with the Harfoots:

  • The Brandyfoot family catches up with the rest of the Harfoots. Hooray!
  • They smell smoke and think the group had already made camp and started baking. But no, it’s actually that their camp is burning. Mount Doom’s eruption didn’t just hit the Southlanders, but reached as far as the Grove. Boo!
  • The Harfoots ask the Stranger to fix it, because he saved them so successfully from the wolf attack. At first it looks like it’s even working. Yay!
  • However, things take a dark turn when the branch of the tree the Stranger’s working on falls and almost crushes Nori and her younger sister Dilly (aka the cute lil’ Cindy-Lou Who). The Stranger leaves and the Harfoots are resentful and suspicious all over again. Boo!
  • Oh but wait. Cut to the next morning, and the Harfoots find the most bountiful harvest. Looks like the Stranger’s antics worked after all! There’s ripe apples aplenty and the Harfoots stock their wagons full. Hooray!
  • Uh oh, but then Nori finds herself some more strangers, this time a super creepy looking trio, who play with fire and set all of their wagons on fire. The Harfoots lose all of their food and belongings. Boo-hoo!!

Just as one problem resolves, another crops up to replace it. And by the end, the Southlands isn’t the only place to be in ash and ruin. The Harfoots are experiencing it too.

A Few more Tidbits from the Harfoots

  • I liked apples playing another big role in this episode! Can you tell I’m an apple fan?
  • While the Stranger is speaking over the tree, Malva and Sadoc have an interesting conversation trying to decipher just what the Stranger is doing. Malva asks Sadoc what the Stranger is mutterin’, and Sadoc speculates it’s likely ‘little words, so the tree’ll understand.’ Malva replies, ‘Sadoc, trees don’t talk.’ And Sadoc answers, knowingly, ‘Some do.’ He seems to be referencing Ents here, but again I’m wondering how Sadoc would even know about Ents? He certainly seems much more well-informed about world events than I would ever expect.
  • When Nori calls out to the creepy trio, seemingly pointing them in the opposite direction than the one the Stranger went, Nori’s dad seems to channel Sam from FOTR. Remember the scene when Sam, along with Pippin and Merry, burst into Aragorn’s room to come to Frodo’s aid?
  • There’s also a definite Fellowship-forming moment, when Nori announces she’s going after the Stranger to warn him about the creepy trio. Poppy loyally pipes up right away that she was coming with. Marigold and Sadoc join the party, and the four of them are off.

Khazad-dûm

I saved my favorite storyline for last. Although I have a lot of questions and concerns about the role of mithril and the dying of the elves, I so enjoy Elrond’s and Durin’s relationship! Elrond is, in fact, my absolute favorite character in the whole show. He displays such a genuine authenticity, and I love his humility and kind heart.

Elves and Dwarves

King Durin and Prince Durin have vastly different views of elves and their (alleged?) impending doom. King Durin holds fast to his distrust of elves. He’s unwilling to interfere in the fate of the elves, which he says was decided ages ago. He has no desire whatsoever to dig for mithril to help the elves.

On the other hand, Prince Durin’s defense of Elrond is super adamant. I admire him for it, but at times I do worry how it fits into the overall trajectory of LOTR. Durin and Elrond’s friendship seems even stronger than what we saw from Legolas and Gimli. Prince Durin tells his father that ‘Elrond is as much a brother to me as if he’d been fired in my own mother’s womb.’ That’s quite a strong bond! King Durin seems to basically disinherit his son over this disagreement, and Prince Durin still stands strong. 

Putting that concern aside, I love the light-hearted banter between Prince Durin and Elrond. The scene where the two of them are defying King Durin and digging for mithril and Elrond reveals he lost the competition in Ep2 on purpose, is one of my faves. Elrond’s extra curly hair (I’m a big fan of the short hair), and the Pirates of the Caribbean-sounding music in the background, just adds to the awesomeness. It’s all gold.

Digging for Mithril

In Tolkien lore, it’s very much established that the dwarves ‘delved too greedily and too deep’, and that is what woke the Balrog ultimately resulting in the ruin of Khazad-dûm. But so far in ROP, that ‘greed’ does not seem to be big on display. King Durin is adamant that he does not want to dig. He seemed against digging because of the dangers it posed to his people, even before the whole elf-dying scenario cropped up. Prince Durin’s primary focus in digging doesn’t seem motivated by greed, but actually the opposite. He selflessly wants to save his friend, who happens to be an elf. Perhaps these intentions could change down the line. Disa was expressing some pretty possessive language about the mithril in her conversation with Durin. So we’ll have to wait and see.

Balrog Sighting

The Khazad-dûm storyline in this episode ends with King Durin telling his dwarves to close up the hole Prince Durin had begun digging. He tosses the healed leaf down the hole and it spirals down, down, down, until it hits the bottom. We then see the Balrog emerge, looking awesome. I love that it looks so similar to Peter Jackson’s epic depiction. However, it seems quite early for the Balrog to be awake already.

A Few Last Tolkien Tidbits

  • King Durin mentions that the Vala, Aulë, created the dwarves, and indeed he did! It’s a pretty amazing story, found in Chapter 2 of The Silmarillion.
  • For those wondering if the mithril healing properties for the dying elven race is a lie, or perhaps even a deception of Sauron (not a bad theory, I think), this could be partially debunked in this episode. When Durin rolls a small piece of mithril down the table it lands next to the sick black leaf from Lindon. And immediately the blackness begins to leave the leaf, until it’s perfectly gold again without a blemish on it. Mithril clearly must have some healing properties. I just don’t know how that’s going to be used throughout the rest of the show.
  • One of my fav elvish words is Namárië, which I always took to mean farewell. Elrond taught both Durin and I that the saying actually means ‘go towards goodness’. Of course this piqued my interest, and I looked up the etymology of namárië. Apparently, the root of ‘na’ means towards, and ‘marie’ means goodness, well-being, etc. What a beautiful translation, emotional moment, and a lovely look at Elrond and Durin’s friendship.

Some Final Fav Quotes

  • My main fav quotes in this episode were from Galadriel to Theo! Aside from the ones I already mentioned earlier, I also loved:
    • ‘What cannot be known hollows the mind. Fill it not with guesswork.’
    • ‘I believe the wise also look upon what is in our hearts.’
    • ‘Do not take the burden of this day upon your shoulders. You may find it difficult to put it down again.’

Well, on that final note, namárië! I’ll catch you all after the season finale, with the last episode review of the season!

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