This put up incorporates spoilers for the season 2 finale of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Energy.”

“The Rings of Energy” is brimming with homages and callbacks. The variety of easter eggs I’ve present in season 2 alone is astonishing (and I did not even embrace all of them in that checklist). All through each seasons, showrunners JD Payne and Patrick McKay have gone outdoors of Center-earth for inspiration numerous instances, together with a Harrison Ford-in-“The Fugitive”-style leap right into a waterfall in season 2, episode 1. (Ford’s legendary stunt double for Indiana Jones additionally served as this present’s second unit director; we spoke to him on an episode of the /Movie Every day podcast after the massive battle episode.)

The present additionally repeatedly goes again to Peter Jackson’s movie trilogy for inventive and nostalgic moments, and I could not assist however discover that “The Rings of Energy” season 2 ended with not one however three callbacks to a well-known Sam Gamgee sequence from “The Two Towers.”

In that scene, as Sam, Frodo, and Gollum put together to depart Faramir’s firm and head towards Shelob’s Lair, Sam waxes eloquently about being part of the tales that “actually mattered.” His inspiring phrases proceed to relate, backed by epic music, as we get a sequence of pictures exhibiting triumphant Rohirrim at Helm’s Deep and charging Ents at Isengard. It is a scene for the ages, and it finds its genesis in a scene in “The Two Towers” e book when Sam equally discusses with Frodo the awe-inspiring undeniable fact that they have been drawn into one of many nice tales of legend. The sequence continues to reverberate by means of time in “The Rings of Energy,” too, as we get equally transferring soliloquies from Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards), Poppy (Megan Richards), and Galadriel (Morfydd Clard) within the final two episodes of season 2. Let’s break them down.

On the finish of episode 7, Celebrimbor and Galadriel cross paths one final time. Brimby arms off the 9 Rings and prepares to return into the tower to distract Sauron whereas Galadriel makes a break for it. Earlier than she goes, although, he makes an emotionally stirring speech, saying, “Maybe the Elves want solely do not forget that it’s not power that overcomes darkness, however mild. Armies might rise, hearts might fail, but nonetheless, mild endures, and is mightier than power. For in its presence, all darkness should flee.”

This can be a good counterpoint to the entire “mild touching the darkness” storyline of season 1, and as Celebrimbor delivers the strains, we get a montage of the continuing battle outdoors the partitions. That is admittedly much less uplifting than Sam’s authentic speech, however it’s clearly composed and edited in the identical model, with sustained, ethereal music enjoying within the background as it really works by means of a development of barely slowed-down motion sequences.

The second Sam Gamgee homage comes towards the top of the finale episode. As Poppy provides consolation to Nori within the wake of the Darkish Wizard’s assault, she says, “After my household … Mr. Burrows sat me down. Advised me, ‘Some issues cannot be fastened. Some issues misplaced are misplaced endlessly. Irrespective of how exhausting we combat, how a lot it hurts, or how a lot our hearts yearn to place them again collectively. Trigger this world’s a lot greater than any of us, and generally the winds blowin’ in opposition to us are too sturdy.'” She follows this with the uplifting line, “‘At these instances,’ Mr. Burrows stated, ‘we have simply obtained to simply accept it. What’s broke is broke and will not repair. And all anyone can do is try to construct one thing new.'”

This comes in opposition to a prolonged montage of unhappy scenes, together with Dwarves trying on the lately vacated throne of King Durin III (Peter Mullans), Elrond watching Eregion burn, the discouraged Males of Pelargir (together with a romantically forlorn Isildur), a shackled Queen Míriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson), and a fleeing Elendil (Lloyd Owen). The ultimate shot is of Sauron (Charlie Vickers) holding Fëanor’s hammer as Poppy says the unknowingly ominous phrases, “all anyone can do is attempt to construct one thing new.”

When Galadriel wakes up in what is probably going the long run spot the place Rivendell can be constructed, Elrond, Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker), and Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova) collect round and ask for her counsel relating to what they need to do subsequent. She seems to be at her Ring of Energy, Nenya, and says, “I might bear in mind the counsel of our pricey pal, Celebrimbor, biggest of Elven-smiths. And remind our those who it’s not power that overcomes darkness, however mild. And the solar but shines.”

Sure, this can be a rehashing of Celebrimbor’s earlier speech, however I am together with it because the third Sam Gamgee nod as a result of, nicely, they slip proper again into the homage sequence once more. As Galadriel talks, the digicam leaves her face, and we get sluggish, panning pictures of Elves standing up, King Gil-galad up on the cliff face, and cheering as transferring music performs within the background.

There you have got it, people. Three bonafide Sam Gamgee-esque homages, every evocative in their very own approach, and all coming inside lower than two episodes of time. They’re enjoyable to identify, however the truth that they crammed three in there in comparatively shut succession feels a bit odd to me. Nonetheless, the scenes add loads of coronary heart to the ending of a tough season for the Free Peoples of Center-earth.