The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 1 Episode 4 Review: The Great Wave
After watching The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 1 Episode 4, “The Great Wave,” it’s hard to shake the feeling that this series doesn’t know where it wants to go with the rest of its season.
While the series brings together elements of Tolkien’s universe, it continues to struggle with pacing. The multiple plotlines and setups often leave the viewer hanging at the points where they should be the most invested.
For example, after The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 1 Episode 3, “Adar,” I thought we might be picking up with Alondir at the start of this episode. However, the series drops us back into Numenor. It takes about 15 minutes for that plot to pick back up, and even then the scenes cut away right when we want to lean in and hear more.
I’ve said in my previous reviews of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power that this show has beautiful cinematography. That doesn’t change on “The Great Wave.” There are truly some impressive shots and some gorgeous moments that are accented beautifully by Bear McCreary’s score.
However, the plot tends to drag overall, attempting to bring in plots that we last saw on The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 1 Episode 2, “Adrift.” Over time, it starts to feel like The Hobbit trilogy, where you have the feeling that this is material that’s been stretched out with the intent of buying time.
Right now, it feels like we are just following three or four different threads and hoping that eventually come together. After viewing “The Great Wave,” I started to wonder if The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power would have been better served with smaller seasons and a more anthology-based format.
Still, there are some great performances on “The Great Wave.” For one, Isildur and Elendil. This is one of the few plots that seems to have a strong connection to the world of Middle Earth as a whole. It’s interesting to see Isildur find his way into battle given who we know this character later becomes. Maxim Baldry delivers a dynamic performance opposite Lloyd Owen and I hope to see more of them in the coming episodes.
It was also great to go back to the dwarves and the alliance that Elrond forges with Prince Durin. After a week away it’s refreshing to revisit the mines of Khazad-dûm. The introduction of mithril is an interesting segue into Middle Earth lore.
The few scenes we get with Disa and Durin are some of the high points of this episode. The chemistry between Sophia Nomvete and Owain Arthur feels like a genuine married couple. The same can be said for Durin’s scenes with his father. The father and son bonding moment between them is heartwarming and carries a lot of emotional weight.
Despite these bright spots, the series continues to drag as it works towards a conclusion. While we know what the series should be focused on, it gives us a few interesting moments at the expense of a lot of exposition and very little action.
Now that Galadriel has secured an alliance with Numenor, maybe there will be some more interaction between the plot as the series moves to a Season 1 conclusion.
Stray Thoughts:
- What was the point of sending Galadriel off in a boat with a guard if she was just going to walk into Numenor? Did Miriel have a change of heart?
- I really don’t know why this series likes to start with a cliffhanger and then bring us back in at a completely different place.
- You know what this episode reminded me of Elven hearing! Where has that been for the last three episodes?
- Theo’s scene with Sauron’s hilt is gorgeous and I am very excited to see where this plot goes, but it’s one of those scenes where it feels like it’s just a bright spot in an episode that is struggling to keep the audience’s interest.
- I hate to say it, but I didn’t miss the Harfoots on this episode. It’s clear that the star fall ties into Sauron and that the Stranger is going to become important. However, it does feel like the plot slows the series down overall.
What did you think of this episode of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power airs new episodes Fridays on Amazon’s Prime Video.
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Lauren Busser
Lauren Busser is an Associate Editor at Tell-Tale TV. She is a writer of fiction and nonfiction whose work has appeared in Bitch Media, Popshot Quarterly, Brain Mill Press Voices, and The Hartford Courant.