The Rings of Power The Great Wave Review: Setting the stage in slow, gorgeous fashion

Not a ton happens in The Rings of Power’s latest episode. There are a couple of cool moments in The Great Wave. Unfortunately, everything about this episode is about setting things up for the future.

Galadriel is still in Númenor and doesn’t leave for Middle-Earth until the closing moments. Adar lets Arondir free to deliver a message to Bronwyn and her village of men. Prince Durin and his wife Disa lie to Elrond about what Durin is mining.

The biggest issue with The Rings of Power thus far is there are too many storylines and none of them have been tied together. Luckily, with Galadriel embarking on her journey to Middle-Earth, that’s about to change.

Morfydd Clark continues to excel as Galadriel. She does a great job of showing how Galadriel is most comfortable on the battlefield and less convincing when it comes to negotiating. Cynthia Addai-Robinson and Clark have terrific chemistry. Whether they’re trading barbs with each other or counseling one another, the interactions between Queen Regent Miriel and Galadriel are excellent.

The show does have a ton of heart. Every episode of The Rings of Power showcases warmth in different ways. In The Great Wave, Elrond’s story about wanting to talk to his father is lovely and the marriage between Durin and Disa is heartwarming.

Bear McCreary‘s score continues to impress. The show’s visuals continue to set new standards. The Rings of Power just needs to move along at a quick clip. If you’re binge-watching this series, I suspect these early episodes may be important building blocks. Unfortunately, there’s been almost no story advancement since Galadriel landed in Númenor for any of the characters.

Durin still doesn’t trust the elves. Númenóreans despise the way elves look down on them. Isildur still doesn’t want to sail. The nature of Bronwyn and Arondir’s relationship isn’t clear. The purpose of Sauron’s blade is more confusing, not less. Not to mention, the Harfoots aren’t in the episode at all.

The potential is evident. The Rings of Power just needs to grab the brass ring and start connecting these stories together.

With the overview out of the way, let’s dive deeper into the elements that stood in The Great Wave. There may be some minor spoilers. The Rings of Power is available to stream on Amazon Prime.

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Fear of The Great Wave

Galadriel tries to convince Queen Regent Míriel to support the war effort in Middle-Earth. She wants Míriel to send soldiers and to reform alliances from long ago. Míriel turns down the request. She commits to sending Galadriel back to Middle-Earth alone. Galadriel takes things too far by claiming Míriel isn’t the real queen and is thrown into prison with Halbrand.

Galadriel receives some good advice from Halbrand. When Galadriel escapes, she heads to Míriel and the king’s tower. She discovers the king is bedridden with Míriel at his bedside.

Míriel shows Galadriel her vision through the Palantír. A great flood is coming that will destroy Numenor. Galadriel understands Míriel’s fear and specifically what it’s like to shoulder a burden nobody else knows about. She tries to convince Míriel to choose faith over fear and to join forces. Míriel points out faith sounds good from an individual perspective but isn’t a strong enough thread to hold over an entire kingdom.

After some leaves from the tree fall, she agrees to support Galadriel’s quest to Middle-Earth. Isildur, who got himself and his friends fired, steps up to join Galadrie’s detail.

Mining for trust

Elrond returns to Durin’s house. He knows Duran is keeping something from him. Disa lies to Elrond on her husband’s behalf. Later, Elrond uses superhearing to listen to a conversation between Durin and Disa.

Elrond confronts Durin at the opening of a mine. He finds out a Durin is mining Mithril. A rare substance that leads to a great period of prosperity for the dwarves. There’s a collapse in the mine.

Nobody is hurt, but the king puts an end to the mining operation. Prince Durin is angry at his father. Elrond tells a great story about his father. He used to wonder whether his father would approve or disapprove of Elrond’s accomplishments. Now, he’d like to have just any conversation with his father one more time.

Durin talks to his father. Surprisingly, King Durin doesn’t rebuke his son. He accepts his son’s ambition. Prince Durin reveals to his father that Elrond wants Durin to go to Lindon with Elrond. He also reveals that he believes Elrond, but also feels like something else is going on. The king agrees with his son’s intuition.

Adar’s Ultimatum

Adar is clearly a former elf. He doesn’t reveal a ton of information about himself other than he clearly wants to become a god. He releases Arondir so he can send a message. Basically, the men and women can give up their land to Adar and live or they will be killed.

Meanwhile, Bronwyn’s son is getting more impatient and using Sauron’s sword more often. He’s saved by Arodnir and they are able to escape the orcs chasing after them.

I assume Galadriel meets Arondir and Bronwyn at some point this season. There just wasn’t a whole lot to grasp onto in this storyline after the cool scene with Adar that had great tension and intrigue.

The Great Wave Final Thoughts

Now that the really gorgeous setup is finished, it’s time to pick up the pace a bit going forward.