The Rings of Power season 2 was a big improvement on its predecessor, with 10 moments standing out as the season’s best. Although The Rings of Power‘s cast remained mostly the same in season 2, the overall quality of storytelling was much stronger. It is worth pointing out that season 1 was not bad, but by the time of The Rings of Power season 2’s ending, it was clear how much more confident and assured the second installment in the Prime Video show truly was.

The Rings of Power season 2 continued the exploration of The Lord of the Rings’ Second Age, specifically the defining moment in which Sauron manipulated Celebrimbor into crafting the titular jewelry. As Sauron’s Rings of Power plan fell into place, darkness rose around the many characters sworn to oppose him, from Galadriel and Elrond to Durin III, the wizard known as The Stranger, and those residing in Númenor. Across these many storylines in The Rings of Power season 2, many epic moments were highlighted, with 10 standing out above the rest.

Annatar’s First Visit To Eregion

The Manipulation Of Celebrimbor Begins

One of the standout moments in the three-episode premiere of The Rings of Power season 2 was Sauron revealing himself as Annatar to Celebrimbor for the first time. The scene features brilliant performances from Charlie Vickers and Charles Edwards, as well as striking imagery of the heavens that allows the former to convey the angelic form of Annatar. The visualization of Sauron’s illusory powers was perfectly captured, with Vickers delivering a fantastic monologue that sets the tone for the rest of the season.

This scene is where the manipulation of Celebrimbor truly begins, giving the scene a dose of narrative weight too. The addition of Bear McCreary’s excellent track titled “Emissary at the Forge” makes the scene that much more epic. This is all capped off by Sauron name-dropping the franchise by dubbing Celebrimbor “The Lord of the Rings,” setting the events of the season into motion.

Valandil’s Death

The Sad Passing Of A Season 1 Character Was Highly Effective

In The Rings of Power season 2, episode 5, Valandil is killed by Kemen. The scene comes as the civil war between the Faithful and the king’s men grows greater, not only making for an impactful one-off moment but also highlighting the troubles that The Rings of Power‘s Númenor faces. Overall, Valandil’s death is one of the more purely shocking moments of The Rings of Power season 2, largely thanks to how well it was constructed.

For one, the performances of Alex Tarrant, Leon Wadham, and Lloyd Owen as Valandil, Kemen, and Elendil respectively were all excellent. Tarrant has long embodied Valandil’s endless nobility, while Wadham makes Kemen someone that is easy to detest. Owen’s heartbreaking reaction as Elendil watches Valandil die makes the scene all the more emotionally resonant. Finally, the initial moment of Kemen stabbing Valandil is done expertly in a one-take shot where the former remains hidden, making the scene one of The Rings of Power season 2’s most shocking.

Sauron’s Illusion Over Celebrimbor

Sauron’s Deception Becomes More Magical

As The Rings of Power season 2 continues, Sauron’s manipulation of Celebrimbor takes another step forward. The Rings of Power‘s Siege of Eregion begins, causing Sauron to cast an illusion of peace over Celebrimbor. It is the depiction – and breaking – of this illusion that ranks as one of the best moments in The Rings of Power season 2.

The transition between Sauron’s illusion and the destruction of Eregion shown in The Rings of Power season 2, episode 6 was done practically.

The scene in which Celebrimbor discovers this illusion is riveting, driven once more by the performances of Edwards and Vickers. The former’s anger and barely-contained madness are equally excellent and heartbreaking to see, while Vickers finally lets the mask of friendship drop and unleashes the darkness of Sauron. The relationship between Celebrimbor and Sauron was one of The Rings of Power season 2’s best aspects, with this scene typifying that.

Elendil Claims Narsil

The Sword Of Kings Finds Its Owner

Admittedly, the scene of Elendil claiming Narsil is not quite as effective in its own right, but for what it sets up. Narsil is a weapon that goes on to have a pivotal role in The War of the Last Alliance and the War of the Ring, meaning seeing it in The Rings of Power is overly exciting. The scene itself works, but it is the idea of Elendil coming into his own as a future king of men – and holding the sword that is integral to many of Sauron’s Lord of the Rings defeats – that makes it so compelling.

Elrond & Rían Destroying The Orc Siege Engine

A Turning Point In The Siege Of Eregion

The Siege of Eregion shown in The Rings of Power season 2, episode 7 houses several of the season’s best moments. However, arguably the crown jewel of these moments is the destruction of the orc siege engine by Rían. The elf uses her last arrow to blow up the siege engine before being pierced with several arrows herself, emulating the death of Boromir and giving Elrond and his comrades the courage for one last push against the attacking orcs.

The scene is suitably epic and features a classic Lord of the Rings depiction of self-sacrifice. The scene holds some emotional weight because of this, but it is the slow-motion tracking of the arrow, the huge explosion, and the excitement of Elrond in battle that makes the scene one of the turning points of the battle. As a whole, this moment captures what works so well about The Lord of the Rings as a franchise, with the forces of light giving everything to combat darkness.

Elrond, Arondir, & Gil-galad’s Last Stand Against Damrod & Adar

The Ending Of Season 2, Episode 7 Holds Another Standout Rings Of Power Moment

At the end of The Rings of Power season 2, episode 7, Adar unleashes his last wave of attacks against Eregion after Rían’s destruction of the siege engine. The first tactic is to unleash Damrod, the giant troll hellbent on killing Sauron. The battle between Elrond, Gil-galad, Arondir, and Damrod is brilliant and suitably thrilling, rivaling the moments of troll battles from Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies.

This offsets the epic nature of the fight with Damrod with a dark moment of defeat as Arondir is stabbed by Adar and Elrond is left in despair after the dwarves of Khazad-dûm fail to appear…

After Damrod is defeated, Adar rushes the few remaining elves with a new wave of orcs. This offsets the epic nature of the fight with Damrod with a dark moment of defeat as Arondir is stabbed by Adar and Elrond is left in despair after the dwarves of Khazad-dûm fail to appear. With these two moments occurring back-to-back, they combine to create one of the best from The Rings of Power season 2 thanks to the action-packed spectacle and strong emotional core.

Galadriel vs. Sauron

The Two Pillars Of The Rings Of Power Clash

For the most part, the writers of The Rings of Power have done an admirable job in making Galadriel and Sauron the two main characters of the show. Galadriel is the force of light while Sauron is that of darkness, with season 1 establishing this. Despite The Rings of Power season 2 separating the duo, they come together once again in the finale for a clash that goes down as one of the season’s best moments.

For one, the fight choreography is impressive, especially Vickers as a confident and cocksure Sauron. Seeing these two characters clash feels all the more rewarding given their time apart in season 2, with Sauron’s prowess in battle being matched by his manipulation. Galadriel gets her moment to stand against Sauron though, falling from a cliff to stop the Dark Lord from obtaining the Elven Rings of Power.

The Stranger Being Confirmed As Gandalf

Gandalf Is Officially Part Of The Rings Of Power’s Story

Since The Stranger was confirmed as one of The Lord of the Rings’ Istari, the common theory has been that he is Gandalf. This was accompanied by several other references and Easter eggs that supported this theory, yet confirmation seemed far off. In The Rings of Power season 2, episode 8, however, The Stranger’s identity as Gandalf was finally confirmed as he realizes the Stoors’ name for him, Grand-Elf, will lead the peoples of Middle-earth to dub him something very similar.

Lord of the Rings Wizards
Maiar/Valar Name
Color

Gandalf
Olórin
The Gray

Saruman
Curumo
The White

Radagast
Aiwendil
The Brown

Unknown
Alatar
The Blue

Unknown
Pallando
The Blue

Given the somewhat obvious nature of the reveal, many have come around to the idea of The Stranger being Gandalf. This meant that the reveal was incredibly heartwarming, driven by the iconicity of Gandalf and his fan-favorite status. Above all else, Daniel Weyman embodies the personality of a young Gandalf well, with the character’s singalong with Tom Bombadil after this reveal marking one of The Rings of Power season 2’s most purely Tolkien moments.

Celebrimbor’s Final Stand

Celebrimbor Was The Heart Of The Rings Of Power Season 2

Celebrimbor’s manipulation and torment at the hands of Sauron was tough to watch in The Rings of Power season 2, making him one of the show’s most sympathetic characters. As such, witnessing his final stand against Sauron in which he had the last laugh was incredibly satisfying, and easily one of season 2’s best moments. As always, Charles Edwards was excellent as Celebrimber disregarded Sauron’s power over the Rings.

Celebrimbor’s speech about light banishing darkness is another honorable mention for one of the show’s strongest moments concerning the greatest of elven smiths.

Despite not being as physically intimidating or as strong as a warrior, Celebrimbor gets the last laugh over Sauron. The moment is made much better due to the lack of a physical confrontation, as Celebrimbor mockingly dubs Sauron the Lord of the Rings. The scene is then capped off with an exciting foreshadowing of Sauron’s doom at the hands of The Lord of the Rings’ One Ring as Vickers and Edwards give one last acting masterclass as an on-screen duo.

Durin III Sacrificing Himself To The Balrog

The Opening Of The Rings Of Power Season 2’s Finale Is Its Best Moment

Undoubtedly, the greatest moment in The Rings of Power season 2 is the sacrifice of Durin III. The finale opens with the Balrog attempting to kill Durin, who takes off the Ring of Power after realizing his own mistakes. He gives some heartwarming final words to his son, crowns Durin IV king, and leaps towards the Balrog, axe in hand. This moment is awe-inspiring, from the shot of Durin leaping toward the Balrog to the emotional undercurrent of a son watching his father die.

All of this is presented excellently, with beautiful cinematography, a fantastic CGI rendering of the Balrog, and a brilliant score by Bear McCreary. All of these elements combine to make the moment stand out as The Rings of Power season 2’s best. Not only is the imagery of a dwarf facing down a Balrog chill-inducing, but it also has an emotional pull and outstanding production value, ranking it above The Rings of Power season 2’s other standout moments.