The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power Season 3, Episode 2 Recap: Istar

Season 3, Episode 2 of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” shifts focus to explore a growing civil war in Númenor, which injects a streak of political drama into Middle-earth. The season premiere established the status quo five years after Sauron (Charlie Vickers) finally outed himself to Galadriel (Morfydd Clark), but this episode explores how the war has affected the wider world .

The growing rebellion against Pharazôn (Trystan Gravelle) feels similar to the kind of cloak-and-dagger spycraft that made “Andor” one of the best “Star Wars” shows. Gripping politics and backstabbing aside, Episode 2 also shines a spotlight on the orc Marnûkh (Adam Young) and his unlikely quest to help Galadriel and Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova) stop Sauron. Meanwhile, the Nazgnagôl throw a spanner into the works over in Khazad-dûm.

This chapter is a little slower compared to the action of the premiere, but it’s clearly no less dramatic. Here’s the low-down on all the biggest moments in the second episode of “The Rings of Power” Season 3.

Episode 2 begins on Númenor, where a growing number of the population are secretly rebelling against Pharazôn’s rule. Isildur (Maxim Baldry) makes it abundantly clear just how bad things have become when he tries to assassinate Pharazôn in his carriage, accidentally killing a woman instead. A second would-be killer also fails in the attack and winds up captured by the King’s men. The attempt has Pharazôn rattled about the rebels, who are known as the Faithful — feel free to make your own joke about “The Traitors.” He also questions whether Isildur’s sister, Eärien (Ema Horvath), is truly loyal to him, because she was meant to be in the carriage during the assination attempt.

The question is answered when Eärien visits the captured would-be assassin, revealing herself as an ally before convincing the guards to kill him quickly as a small mercy. Then, at the Faithful stronghold in the Bay of Elros, Isildur is scolded for killing the innocent woman in the carriage. Míriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) teaches him: “Dividing the world into ‘us’ and ‘them’ creates a chasm that can only be filled by suffering.” 

Back in the city of Armenelos, Pharazôn and his cronies confront Eärien about her sneaking around in the hopes of getting her to spill secrets about the Faithful. Instead of agreeing to work for them, she approaches an open window and takes her own life. It’s a haunting moment, one that makes it clear that this rebellion is about more than just politics. The episode ends with an ominous shot of the sea — which feels particularly poignant, considering the island’s eventual fate …

Over in Mordor, we pick up from the premiere’s cliffhanger as Sauron kills the last man fighting with Theo (Tyroe Muhafidin) for the chance to wield another Ring of Power. It’s strange to see Sauron clearly taking a side, when Theo might have not made it out alive — but it soon turns out that this is because Sauron spotted the scar on Theo’s arm from the Sigil Hilt, the blade that ultimately triggered the eruption of Mount Doom, turning the Southlands into Mordor back in Season 1, Episode 6.

Sauron apparently trusts Theo because only certain people could have unlocked the hilt’s power. He offers to help figure out who the boy’s father was with a dash of sorcery; after convincing Theo to cut out an Orc’s tongue and setting it alight, Sauron reveals: “Your father’s name was Fäldred, Son of Hammethreg.” Fäldred was supposedly from a noble house in Mordor whose blood comes with “certain powers.” He tells Theo he might have even ruled the Southlands if the war hadn’t happened. It’s very clear now that the Dark Lord is grooming Theo into becoming his servant.

He even tries to turn the boy against the memory of his mother by claiming that she killed Fäldred when she learned about his allegiance to Sauron. The last we see of their conversation in this episode, Sauron promises that Theo could become “a conqueror, a sorcerer … a king.” I’m sure someone will write more about the very real dangers of young men groomed by dictators, but we’ll leave that one there for now.

Khazad-dûm is getting all sorts of visitors this season. First Thrain II (Eddie Marsan) arrived in the premiere, and now two of the Nazgnagôl suddenly arrive inside the kingdom, much to the surprise of Durin IV (Owain Arthur) and Disa (Sophia Nomvete). The king takes it as a personal insult when he spots the rings they’re sporting along with their “wee fancy armor,” and he refuses to entertain any of Sauron’s shiny trinkets in the mountain.

After an argument over whether Sauron is truly evil, or whether he’s “wise and merciful,” Thrain bursts in to point out that their presence could be taken as a declaration of war on all Dwarves — and presumably, Sauron hasn’t given the green light for that level of conflict just yet. The Nazgnagôl leave, but Thrain’s over-the-top bluster and the blank expression on his face while hugging his brother definitely seem suspicious …

So it’s unsurprising that, just a few scenes later, he secretly meets the Nazgnagôl outside and tells them that he’s just waiting for Durin to fall into his trap. Thrain clearly had no intention of supporting his brother at all; instead, he’s working with Sauron to usurp the throne of Khazad-dûm. Yikes. He also points the Nazgnagôl towards Rivendell in their search for Marnûkh — clearly, Thrain is as slimy as his beard is long!

The dysfunctional dynamic between Marnûkh, Galadriel, and Arondir is fast becoming one of the best things about this season, as the orc’s bloodthirsty nature is the perfect foil for these two righteous elves. Yes, it obviously mirrors the relationship between Gollum, Sam, and Frodo in “The Lord of the Rings,” but if it ain’t broke … Anyway, aside from wanting to eat Arondir’s dog, Marnûkh has defected in order to tell the Free Peoples that Sauron plans to create “One Ring to rule them all” — cue the Leonardo DiCaprio pointing meme.

But why is he choosing to turn on his villainous boss? Well, he’s conscious that his entire race is fast becoming canon fodder in Sauron’s war, and they could be wiped out entirely if it draws on much longer. Besides the intelligence about a potential master ring, Marnûkh offers up a nugget of information that could turn the tide of the conflict: There’s one last Elven blacksmith left who still knows Celebrimbor’s secrets. She’s called Maitalle, and Marnûkh has hidden her in an old orc prison, aptly named Gundabad. Why, oh why, couldn’t it have been Gundagood?

Meanwhile, Arondir’s sense of impending doom has him grappling with the dilemma of heading out to find Theo. If only he knew what the young lad was up to. Instead, he chooses to stay with Galadriel to save Maitalle. Will this decision have devastating and far-reaching consequences for the fate of Middle-earth? There’s only one way to find out: pressing play on Episode 3.