‘The Rings of Power’ Season 2, Episode 6 Recap – An Analysis of “Where Is He?”

The Rings of Power Season 2, Episode 6 at least confirms one thing: the team behind this series had a vision and storyboard in mind. J.R.R. Tolkien’s beautiful but incomplete works, centering on the First and Second Ages, gave a framework for creative choice. I believe the framework has been honored.

“Where Is He?” begins with Arondir fighting Orcs and coming across a map. We get a tantalizing chapter from here, and the Siege of Eregion is ever closer.

Here is my recap and analysis of The Rings of Power Season 2, Episode 6, “Where Is He?.” For ease of reference, Sauron will be referred to in his current form throughout all the recaps. Also note that plot summaries will be unbolded, and commentary/analysis will be bolded.

Celebrimbor Continues To Lose Himself To Sauron

I’ve said this multiple times in my coverage of The Rings of Power, but I will repeat it: Celebrimbor, the last direct descendant of the line of Fëanor, is a tragic story that’s been told perfectly.

In Season 2, Episode 6, he has lost himself even more to Sauron. He asks his Elven Smiths to start again on the Rings of Men as he struggles to perfect the process. Mirdania has noticed that he has changed, made worse when he forgets her name.

Annatar takes leadership, offering to go to Khazad-dûm to get more mithril and deal with all administrative matters of Eregion.

A dead soldier, marked with “Where is He,” has been left at the Gates of Eregion, which terrifies Mirdania. But Annatar looks to the distance, smiling, knowing Adar’s army approaches Eregion.

With each episode passing, Sauron’s evil mind and corruption surface so clearly that even the Valar will be able to see it by now.

Adar Tricks Galadriel To Give Him Information

Although Adar is not canon, many have observed his impact on the story. Although the character is not canon, he does represent the kind of elf that J.R.R. Tolkien discussed in his various works.

With Galadriel still, as his prisoner, Adar lays out food and talks to her about Sauron, his ways, powers, and his influence of succumbing to the people he deceives by their desires. Galadriel claims she resisted Sauron, but Adar succinctly says Sauron knows everyone’s intention. 

Adar wants Sauron destroyed and offers to help Galadriel. He brings out Morgoth’s Crown, which Sauron re-fired and refitted. He believes Morgoth’s Crown and the Three Elven Rings can destroy Sauron.

With Galadriel listening intently, Adar drops a theory he has come to: Halbrand is Sauron.

Later in the episode, Galadriel gives in to Adar and tells him that Halbrand is indeed Sauron, and she’s willing to team up with him to destroy him. But Adar, who has wildly different objectives in Middle Earth, asks Galadriel what will happen to the fate of the Orcs once Sauron is defeated.

Adar wants the Orcs to enjoy peace on Middle Earth and the plans to invade Mordor to be scrapped by the Elves.

However, it turned out that these conversations between the pair were all part of Adar’s plan. By talking to Galadriel, he now knows the whereabouts of her Ring, Quenya, and that his suspicions of Halbrand being Sauron are true. Adar shows Galadriel his vast army, and then it suddenly strikes Galadriel that this must be part of Sauron’s plans; she desperately warns Adar that Sauron wants him to attack Eregion.

I cannot deny that I was anxious about these scenes, but seeing Adar float Morgoth’s Crown and his history with Sauron (and how he nearly killed him) added further context to the past of Middle Earth and what it means for the present. These scenes also show Galadriel to be brave but not as wise as she should be.

Trapped with Adar, she’s falling for similar tricks that Halbrand did to her. Adar did not take much to get the information he needed from her. Galadriel needs her friend, Elrond, to guide her.

Adar (L) tells Lady Galadriel (R) his history with Morgoth and Sauron in ‘The Rings of Power’ Season 2, Episode 6 (Credit – Prime Video)

Elendil Is Charged With Incitement And Treason

I’ve seen many complain about the pace of the story involving Númenor, but I think, like the Harfoots and The Stranger, the pace is precisely where it needs to be. It proves that Sauron’s grip on Middle Earth impacts a broader story. It represents how evil slowly spreads. Not all stories in The Lord of the Rings need to be at speed. The fall of Númenor deserves the time it needs to embellish.

In Season 2, Episode 6, Elendil is in trouble. He has been charged with Incitement and Treason following the violence and murder of Valandil (at the hands of Kemen). To avoid the death penalty, he must renounce his crimes and accept Ar-Pharazôn as his King of Númenor.

Elendil refuses to acknowledge Ar-Pharazôn as King of Númenor, instead vowing that Queen-regent Míriel is the rightful ruler. And so Ar-Pharazôn follows the law of The Faithful and states that the Valar will decide whether Elendil lives, facing trial in the deep abyss of the sea, facing the Sea Worm.

Elendil’s daughter, Eärien, begs him to obey the King, which I found odd and ironic as she was part of the architect who allowed Ar-Pharazôn to be King. Míriel also tells Elendil to obey the King.

But what follows is Elendil’s rightful path. His future as a great King of Men is foreshadowed. Elendil wants to remain a noble, honest man with a good heart worthy of being Captain of Númenor. Míriel reminds him of her heart, but Elendil wants his fate decided by the Valar.

However, in a twist, Míriel takes Elendil’s place for the trial by claiming he committed those crimes in her name. Despite Elendil’s resistance, this is the law, so Míriel is thrown into the sea and awaits the judgment of the Valar, taking the Path of the Faithful.

Míriel faces the Sea Worm, but she is not killed, and she returns to shore, confirming she is innocent. “Hail Tar-Míriel, Queen of the Sea” chants follow.

But, surprisingly, this is not even the most exciting part of the Númenor segment. Afterward, Ar-Pharazôn looks into the Palantir and is shaken by the vision placed upon him; he sees Halbrand as Sauron and, presumably, the fires of Mount Doom.

He has foreseen his future, where he challenges Sauron but will ultimately succumb to the Dark Lord for a darker path.

The story of Númenor reinforces the religious framework J.R.R. Tolkien brought to his stories. The Númenorean people hone in on signs and messages metaphorically similar to the Old Testament. Judgment by the Valar (Gods) is a strong connection for Men, who use their faith to choose their ruler. Even Elendil chooses God, knowing it’s the only way of judgment, not by Kings. He knows that doing what is right is a true path to his allegiance to the Valar and his role amongst Men.

Queen-regent Míriel follows the rules of The Faithful and lets the Valar decide her fate with the Sea Worm (Credit – Prime Video)

The Stranger Has To Choose – Destiny Or Friends

Like Númenor, The Stranger and the Harfoots have been subplots, but they are still stories that can be loved.

The Stranger has a troubling vision in which he sees Nori in trouble. Despite his worries, Tom Bombadil tells The Stranger he is failing all his trials and must find his true staff. “Only when the vision of his heart is single to the Service of Fire” will his destiny manifest.

Tom Bombadil leads The Stranger to desolate lands with dead trees and tells him to find his staff. The Stranger, however, is worried about his friends and the length of time it will take him to choose a staff amongst all the trees.

Tom Bombadil provides wisdom and explains that The Stranger cannot decide who lives and who dies and must follow his destiny because Middle Earth is in peril.

“Many that die deserve life, some that live deserve death, who are you to give it to them?”- Tom Bombadil To The Stranger

“Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them?” – Gandalf To Frodo#TheRingsOfPower #TROPspoilers pic.twitter.com/k60iwXOBth

— Fellowship of Fans ? (@FellowshipFans) September 19, 2024

Nori Blames Herself For Putting The Stoors In Danger, and Poppy Has Found Romance With Merimac

The Stranger need not fret, as the Harfoots have steel and grit of their own.

Gundabale Eathhauler describes how she has lived amongst the Smials in the same place all her life and calls it her home. Nori blames herself for putting The Stoors’ lives in danger and offers to turn herself in. However, Gundabale and Poppy have different views; if The Stranger is important to saving the world, they must protect him. There’s a feeling they will have to fight.

Oh, and Poppy and Merimac kiss to start a cute romance. I was not expecting it, and it came out of nowhere with no build-up, but it’s nice to see a Hobbit romance brew.

King Durin III Has Lost Himself To His Ring

It’s painful watching Prince Durin IV see his father fall, and Season 2, Episode 6 contextualizes how much pain Sauron caused with the making of the rings. While Celembrimbor’s tragedy is paramount to the story, the broader effects must be noted.

It was expected that Annatar would visit King Durin III, especially with Eregion running out of mithril. He tells the King that Eregion is threatened by invasion and asks for more mithril to help forge more rings to protect Middle Earth. But King Durin rejects Annatar’s negotiations.

Annatar looks into the fire nearby, and a slight vision of a Balrog appears. Sauron, in response, is bringing Khazad-dûm to its doom.

Prince Durin IV is happy that his father rejected Annatar, albeit briefly, as he learns that the King rejected the negotiation purely out of greed. The King believes that if war is coming, armies throughout Middle Earth will want mithril for armor, which will mean victory. He will provide mithril to those who pay the most, essentially wanting to profit from war in Middle Earth.

King Durin then proceeds to tell his dwarves to dig deeper in the mines, which is the breaking point for his son, who begs him to take off the Ring, which provokes a violent altercation between them as the King throws the prince to the floor.

Durin is upset to see his father lost because of the Ring. We’ve seen this before in the books and films with Gollum, Frodo, Isildur, Bilbo, and Boromir—the inability to remove themselves from the Ring and the obsession.

Disa and Prince Durin set out to protect the mines as best as possible, but the fate of Khazad-dûm is inevitable. Seeing Durin see his father becoming a shadow of his former self is a heartbreaking moment in the series.

Annatar (Sauron) visits Khazad-dûm to negotiate for more mithril but King Durin rejects his request in ‘The Rings of Power’ Season 2, Episode 6 (Credit – Prime Video)

The Siege of Eregion Begins – Sauron Takes Over Celebrimbor’s Mind

Adar is ready. His army starts the assault on Eregion, and the siege alarms ring throughout the city. Before it starts to ramp up, Annatar cuts his hand to make it bleed.

At this point, we could argue that Celebrimbor still has elements of his mind in place as he pushes Annatar away so that he can go outside and understand why the Siege alarms are going off. This is the first physical altercation between them. It’s like Celebrimbor understands, deep down, that Sauron is deceiving him, but he is far too deep in the shadow.

“Episode 6 is very good, though not as strong as ep 5 but it still effectively progresses the narrative towards the sack of Eregion and fully establishes Sauron’s now total control over Celebrimbor”
~ @Harry4878 #TheRingsOfPower

Read full breakdown here: https://t.co/8Ef8zHCE1r

— Fellowship of Fans ? (@FellowshipFans) September 19, 2024

But Annatar knows that if Celebrimbor goes outside, the making of the Nine Rings of Men will be over, and so he uses his dark powers to go inside Celebrimbor’s mind and create a new prism of reality. When Celebrimbor reaches outside, it’s peaceful and beautiful. Eregion is in good spirits. It’s the reality you’d expect Celebrimbor to love and adore.

At this point, Celebrimbor believes Eregion is safe, so Annatar tells him that he has retrieved more mithril ore, one-ninth of the amount per Ring (we know Annatar failed in getting more mithril, so this is part of the prism of reality). He blesses him with more compliments, explaining that the Silmarils will merit little compared to the Rings of Power and will be the most precious creations of all Middle Earth. And in the last line of manipulation that sends a chill down our spines, he tells Celebrimbor to “best Fëanor.”

Celebrimbor heads back inside to forge the Nine Rings, and as the doors shut, the reality of Eregion returns, as screams and panic can be heard from the elves. Annatar smiles and walks with purpose around the city, and he looks out from the watchtower with his arms raised, knowing full well that his design is coming together perfectly.

The Orcs launch their weapons at Eregion. This is precisely what Sauron wanted.

Season 2, Episode 6 has a similar impact to Episode 2. Seeing Sauron’s deception and trickery grow is seismic in the world of Middle Earth. It’s painful seeing Sauron tap into Celebrimbor’s desires to be the best Elven Smith that can beat the achievements of the Simarils. Episode 6 goes further than the previous episodes, as Sauron no longer hides in plain sight. He smiles when no one is looking, and his plans appear more obvious the closer the rings are made. The prism of reality Sauron places Celebrimbor in adds to this sobering, upsetting, and tragic story. As Adar recognizes, Sauron makes his victims feel they are in control and that their wishes will come true. Celebrimbor believes he will become a “great” of Middle Earth and that the Rings of Power is his destiny. In reality, he’s all part of Sauron’s design.

Read More:

• The Rings of Power Season 2, Episode 5 Recap and Analysis
• The Rings of Power Season 2, Episode 7 Recap and Analysis