Rings of Power Episode 7 review: Fellowship of the feelings

Rings of Power Episode 7 brings feelings to the forefront in a way that the series hasn’t before, making it feel more like Lord of the Rings than ever.

Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has had its penultimate episode, and what an episode it is. It features the aftermath of the great battle last season, along with the heartbreak that comes with warring factions.

So far we have been enjoying the series here at Dexerto despite its flaws, or have at least been enjoying how pretty it all looks, and you can read our review of the last episode here. And Episode 7 really makes the series feel like more and more like its ancestor series, the Lord of the Rings.

But first, warning: while we will attempt to keep things vague, there may still be Rings of Power spoilers ahead…

Rings of Power gives a proper aftermath

Since the last episode ended on a pretty explosive (literally) cliffhanger, seeing the disorientation of our main heroes as they pick themselves up from their battle with the orcs is incredibly fitting. For the most part, you feel the weight of the destruction, not just with the characters, but with the visuals, the screen opening up on a burning orange that surrounds our cast. To be honest, it’s pretty confusing how any of them managed to survive the fiery pyroclastic flow of Mount Doom – but hey, it’s fantasy.

And this destruction manages to whittle our characters down past any pretense. The petty divides that they had before, which some could argue were irritating to watch, are now thrown to the side, making way for genuinely heartfelt – and heartbreaking – moments. We see multiple scenes of emotions being expressed, but never does it get old or feel forced. Instead, it feels akin to The Lord of the Rings series, which nowadays feels like a relic of a time when sincerity was genuinely appreciated in media.

There is little in the way of action this time, but there doesn’t need to be, as it is already exhausting enough watching the characters try to move forward. And not exhausting in a negative way, mind you. It’s just easy to feel infected with the hopelessness and panic that the Southland cast feels, though thankfully, in classic Middle-earth style, some flickers of hope are still held onto.

Dwarves and Elves, fighting side by side as friends once more

For a slightly more light-hearted plotline, Elrond and Durin take up a significant amount of screen time. Which is welcomed, as their friendship has been a highlight of the series thus far.

Despite the conflict that gets thrown their way, they remain loyal to one another, and it’s impossible not to smile whenever they are on screen together. These two have been a prime example of successfully developing characters through their relationships to others, and it seems now that a majority of other characters are following their lead.

Their plotline also ends in a shocker of an ending moment, which we won’t spoil here, but get ready to gasp in glee and horror!

Rings of Power has truly brought the danger

The hobbits are still left somewhat on the outskirts of the story, but a dangerous turn of events makes their presence in the series all the more intriguing. We can only wonder if they’ll ever meet up with the rest of the cast sometime in the future.

Granted, there are some moments where the hobbits make stupid decisions that lead to said dangerous turn of events, which makes those events more convoluted. Throughout the episode, there are certainly some character choices and plot points that seem nonsensical – including the hobbits and the pyroclastic flow – which stops the episode from being perfect.

But overall, this is a damn good episode to build upon what has come before it, and to set up what will inevitably come after it. Let’s see if the series can stick the landing.

Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Episode 8 will premiere on Amazon Prime Video on October 14.