Tensions are beginning to boil over in Númenor, and we’re lastly seeing Pharazôn (Trystan Gravelle) in all his depraved glory. Pharazôn’s manipulation of his son Kemen (Leon Wadham) is simply so completely nasty, utilizing the reminiscence of his late mom and the worst type of negging to drive the younger man additional down a violent and cruel path. Issues get even nastier when Kemen inevitably betrays Elendil (Lloyd Owen), murders Valandil (Alex Tarrant), and has Elendil thrown in jail. There’s a horrible inevitability to the scene because it performs out, and it develops the politicking and energy performs in Númenor extra successfully than every other episode thus far. Tolkien had very clear views on the inherent sinfulness of Males (i.e. people), believing that they’d turn out to be tired of something good that lasted, and the decline of Númenor displays that moderately properly.
Most evil of all, after all, is Sauron’s (Charlie Vickers) manipulation of Celebrimbor. Charles Edwards’ efficiency as Celebrimbor is a superb depiction of a person (or Elf) slowly crumbling underneath the strain of a grasp manipulator and bully. At the start of the episode, he’s pretty cheerful, however that’s nearly instantly undercut by Sauron/Annatar, and we see him slowly give in, not a lot to temptation as to strain from above—anybody who has needed to work underneath a poisonous supervisor will definitely sympathize!
One of many elements of this story that makes it work properly is that Celebrimbor is actually not silly. Tolkien’s Sauron shouldn’t be referred to as “the Deceiver” for nothing, and he isn’t just easy evil, however very, very intelligent evil—and that makes him a lot extra harmful. He has already bought Celebrimbor on his facet by pretending to be despatched by the Valar (the spirits that formed the world), however Celebrimbor is smart sufficient to be suspicious, regardless of the sunshine present Sauron placed on when he modified his type earlier within the season.
Celebrimbor has Sauron bang to rights when he observes that Annatar performs video games with others, sowing seeds in others’ minds and pretending it was their very own concept afterwards. He believes Durin when he describes the injury the Seven Rings are doing, he sees the hazard in Annatar’s plan to forge 9 Rings for Males, however nonetheless he can not fairly pull himself away. That’s partly as a result of he nonetheless believes Annatar is a messenger from the Valar, and partly sheer pleasure within the work of his craftspeople. He provides in to the mental problem of forging these new rings. That’s the one time he falls to temptation, serving to to forge the 9 Rings largely as a result of Annatar goes to do it anyway and he can not watch everybody else do it in a much less efficient method. We are able to see at each step how Celebrimbor senses hazard and tries to tug again, however Sauron is intelligent sufficient to make it possible for he can not fairly do it, and it’s fascinating to observe.
Sauron/Annatar is in a totally unhealthy temper this week, and has fairly drastically modified his persona with Celebrimbor. Gone is Halbrand’s cheerful, heat, pleasant look. Annatar is nearly fully chilly, and Charlie Vickers is taking part in him as nearly a wholly totally different character. Each have Sauron’s iciness, imperiousness, and whole lack of feeling, however Halbrand principally hid these qualities, whereas Annatar wears them proudly. His manipulation of Celebrimbor shouldn’t be primarily based on successful his belief, a lot as merely gaslighting him and bringing him down emotionally each time doable, right down to small issues like criticizing his speech-making and claiming, “You don’t all the time hear after getting an concept set in your head.”
The one a part of Halbrand that appears to be left in Sauron is that he nonetheless appears to have a little bit of a factor for Galadriel (Morfydd Clark). Vickers cleverly shifts his efficiency ever so barely when speaking about Galadriel; when speaking to Mirdania (Amelia Kenworthy), he appears to be smooth-talking and manipulating her in the identical method as everybody else. However when speaking about Galadriel, an fringe of sincerity creeps into his voice, although it’s a change Mirdania is totally oblivious to.
