‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Season 2 Episode 7 Review: Doomed to Die

While The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2, episode 6 showed Sauron’s emotional manipulation and gaslighting, it is in episode 7 “Doomed to Die” that we see his true cruelty. Some of this cruelty has been shown in grand and obvious ways. You have the hallucinations that forced Celebrimbor into a sort of fugue state as he was creating the final nine rings for the humans. And you also have the destruction of Eregion. But personally, his true cruelty that shocked me was the death of Mirdania.

This young elf from Eregion and blacksmith, she could have easily fallen prey to the cookie-cutter writing that happens to women who are in the circle of powerful beings, who often take the form of a man. She could have sided with Sauron as a means to gain a better position in Eregion. She could also have fallen prey to some kind of love and lust for Sauron. But she didn’t. She remained true to herself and wanted the best for her people no matter what. That’s why she put her trust in Sauron. And she paid dearly for it.

At one point I really thought that if Sauron couldn’t have Galadriel, he would take Mirdania, twist her with his cruelty, and have his own queen. Or if he wanted a facsimile of the queen. And if he hadn’t had to do something drastic at this point with Celebrimbor, I think he would have kept her around. But the fact that he was able to get rid of her so easily so he could continue gaslighting was shocking. Logically, I know Sauron is evil. I learned that from the movies I grew up with The rings of power yourself. But the simplicity of this cruelty when it came to Mirdania really shows that everyone is a pawn in his game.

Even what happened to Celebrimbor, that was cruelty. Sauron might respect Celebrimbor to some extent because this great blacksmith creates the rings Sauron needs to keep everything under control. But he put Celebrimbor in a small box and didn’t expect it to come out. Celebrimbor did that. And his coming out even surprised me because I thought he was letting his vanity and religious experience with Annatar serve as a guiding light. But Celebrimbor was stronger than Sauron expected him to be. And it’s a very small but delightful reminder for longtime fans that Sauron may be all-powerful, but he underestimates the power of free will and the power of love, whether it’s for friends or your community. Maybe even all of Middle Earth.

“Doomed to Die” was very sharp on the power of free will and the power of love when it came to the reunion between Elrond and Durin. That’s the kind of power that lasts for decades and doesn’t fade with time. That is what will bring Sauron down. I think so The rings of power Could it have been better by reuniting them earlier? Absolute. One of the things I think is missing The rings of power In general, they don’t rely on friendship as much as they should. That was the power of the OG films and The Hobbit and it should be the power of The rings of power outside of the friendship between The Stranger and the two little halflings.

Then there is Adar. As Sauron manipulates the minds and throws young elves over the city walls, he faces all-out war with the elves and the capture of Galadriel as collateral. And he’s walking to his own death, if I ever saw one. Adar is so focused on protecting his family that he doesn’t realize he is about to lose them. If I push them so hard, it will be his downfall, and that makes me sad. Not just because he is a father trying to save the orcs from a worse fate at the hands of Sauron. His impending death also makes me sad because The rings of power have managed to humanize the orcs and show that they are more than just crazed killers. They fear death, just like every other creature on Middle Earth. They have communities and families. They love. And they love Adar, with this war with the elves in Eregion being a test of that love.

Sauron is going to destroy the orcs and enslave them. He’s not going to give them any other home than the one he makes. And he hopes to do that to the rest of Middle-Earth as a way to protect them. What he doesn’t tell them is that he’s protecting them from themselves like a fantasy mafia boss. And if they annoy him, they end up like Mirdania, flung over a city wall because she was a simple chess piece on Sauron’s journey to prove to himself and the world that he is stronger than Morgoth. The problem is that he never was and he never will be. And if he tries to prove himself like this, it will be the death of him, which is ultimately the best part of it The rings of power as a whole.

And before you go, don’t forget to check out Prime Video’s inside look in episode 2×07 below!

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power drops new episodes every Thursday on Prime Video.