'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' Episode 4 Review: Middle Earth continues to weave magic with epic storytelling

'The Great Wave' takes the series forward in a brilliant manner and confirms that the preparations for the battle have begun
Morfydd Clark as Galadriel and Lloyd Owen as Elendil in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' (Amazon Studios)
Morfydd Clark as Galadriel and Lloyd Owen as Elendil in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' (Amazon Studios)

‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ is picking up pace and continues to enthrall viewers with epic storytelling and gorgeous visuals. The first two episodes perfectly established the storyline and made us realize how fascinating Middle Earth is. However, it was Episode 3 that took the series to a whole new level because it was the perfect mix of drama and action sequences. But the ending of the third episode made everyone curious about getting introduced to Adar. So, was it worth the wait? Absolutely.

So, the episode starts with Miriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) seeing a devastating dream where she witnesses the doom of Numenor. As the episode progresses, Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) returns to Numenor to tell the Queen Regent about the Southlands and how Orcs have entered the region. Miriel believes that it’s not her duty to save the Southlands and bring a calamity to her kingdom. The elven warrior tries to make Miriel realize how Numenor needs to help her in saving the Southlands because if that region gets destroyed, Sauron will become even more powerful. Miriel doesn’t listen to her and sends her behind the bars.

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Morfydd Clark (Galadriel), Lloyd Owen (Elendil), and Cynthia Addai-Robinson (Miriel) in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' (Amazon Studios)
Morfydd Clark (Galadriel), Lloyd Owen (Elendil), and Cynthia Addai-Robinson (Miriel) in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' (Amazon Studios)

The first 15 minutes of the latest episode are exceptionally written. The conversation between Galadriel and Miriel was riveting while the introduction of Adar was as creepy as it was supposed to be. Even if he is not in the episode for more than 10 minutes, Adar will undoubtedly make a long-lasting impact on the minds of the viewers.

Now, there have been a lot of comparisons between ‘The Rings of Power’ and ‘House of the Dragon’. People believe that ‘HOTD’ is more engrossing because of all the action sequences and twists and turns. Well, ‘Fire & Blood’ is all about brutal action and betrayals, so it doesn’t come as a shock that HBO is doing what they are supposed to do with a show like this. However, they fail to realize that JRR Tolkien’s works have always been more about storytelling and less about action. Make no mistake, there’s a lot of action in the Middle Earth saga, but it takes time to reach to that point because Tolkien believed that the action needs to be set up after enthralling storytelling and that’s what ‘The Rings of Power’ is doing magnificently.

Robert Aramayo as Elrond and Owain Arthur as Durin IV in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' (Amazon Studios)
Robert Aramayo as Elrond and Owain Arthur as Durin IV in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' (Amazon Studios)

Morfydd Clark is once again superb in her role, but it’s Cynthia Addai-Robinson who steals the show with an impeccable performance. On the other hand, Joseph Mawle’s introduction as Adar is brilliant. Mawle owns the screen with his acting skills and makes us excited about the plans he has for the battle. Nazanin Boniadi and Ismael Cruz Cordova continue to be extraordinary in their performances. On the other hand, the camaraderie between Robert Aramayo’s Elrond and Owain Arthur’s Durin IV is such a treat to watch.

The concluding moments of Episode 4 have made it clear that the preparations for the war have begun and it’s time to defend Middle Earth. Most probably, the next batch of episodes will be all about epic action sequences and that’s what we are waiting for.

Nazanin Boniadi as Bronwyn in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' (Amazon Studios)
Nazanin Boniadi as Bronwyn in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' (Amazon Studios)

Overall, ‘The Rings of Power’ continues to mesmerize viewers with brilliant storytelling, scintillating visuals, and amazing acting. But soon, we might be able to see what we are waiting to see for a long time: the war.

'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' returns to Amazon Prime Video with a new episode every Friday.

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