‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ – ‘Partings’ – Review
The drums of war are beating and both the light and the dark are assembling their forces as new magic swirls around in the lastest episode of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
Nori questions her instincts; Elrond struggles to stay true to his oath; Halbrand weighs his destiny; The Southlanders brace for attack.
A war is brewing between the light and the dark, and each member of Middle Earth is readying to choose their sides. But not all the sides are devoted to battle and there is much back and forth in Episode Five of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, ‘Partings’. In this episode the audience is able to spend time with both the Númenorions and the sides of darkness under Adar and his orcish horde. And the coming fight will not be a simple one. Much conflict is brewing in the battle to come and again we see the to and fro of Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) and Halbrand (Charlie Vickers), who is the clament to the throne of The Southlands, and who has so far has turned away from his future and destiny. But destiny can only be ignored for so long, and here in ‘Partings’ Halbrand has a decisive choice to make.
‘Partings’ also sees us return to the migration of the Harfoots and we learn more of the budding friendship of the inquisitive Nori Brandyfoot (Markella Kavenagh) and the mysterious Stranger (Daniel Weyman). Questions of purpose and character are raised and a shocking turn of events threatens the very foundation of their friendship. Fans who have been longing for a larger display of magic will be intrigued by The Stranger’s actions. And things get explosive. Creators J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay are keeping their cards close to the chest in relation to the actions and character of The Stranger, but his presence has been noted and a dark shadow is interested in his power.
Episode Five also places a lot of its attention upon the partnership of Elrond (Robert Aramayo) and Durin IV (Owain Arthur), who have decided to work together and travel back to the Kingdom of Lindon, where secrets and manipulations await them. This focus on Lindon and the presence of the new ore Mithril will keep fans very intrigued thanks to its focus on Tolkien’s lore and the presentation of some very big ideas. One sequence, in particular, is sure to have fans salivating and it’s an epic moment for the series to present to fans, and hopefully will set up what could be one of the most exciting moments of the series going forward.
Again the scale of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is taken to another level in Episode Five, ‘Partings’ and the full might of Númenor is on full display as their army readies for war. Clad in shining armour and reading for a fight, this is the Second Age of Middle Earth in all its glory and it’s an utterly impressive sight to witness at the culminating moments of the episode. But with the pageantry and pomp of the ceremony, there is also the threat of war, and a battle dawns on the horizons for Númenor and the lands of Middle Earth.
‘Partings’ has some incredible visuals in its presentation and the sides of light and dark are readying for a fight. The battle is to come and it will get furious.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power streams on Prime Video.
Image: Prime Video
