One of the biggest mysteries in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 revolves around the adventures of Nori, Poppy, and the Stranger in the land of Rhûn. The Stranger has been fighting to find his identity — and the same can be said for Nori and Poppy as they discover a new way of life with the Stoors. Season 2, Episode 6 explores some deeply emotional themes for Poppy and Nori that help to better set up their characters heading into the end of the season.

Nori Brandyfoot (played by Markella Kavenagh) has been an essential character since Season 1. She has been pivotal in The Stranger’s journey of self-discovery, while also learning about life beyond her community. Poppy Proudfellow (portrayed by Megan Richards) has been the emotional center of their story, keeping everyone moving in the right direction. Kavenagh and Richards sat down with CBR to discuss the events of Episode 6 and what their characters may look like after the episode.

CBR: In Episode 6, Poppy is an essential part of Nori’s support system. Nori’s at an all-time low and Poppy really helps to raise her back up. How does Poppy become that emotional anchor in the relationship and could Nori succeed on this grand quest she’s on without the support of Poppy?

Megan Richards: I think they very much need each other. It’s a balanced relationship. They both provide that for each other. I watched a really good series called Feel Good, written by Mae Martin. There’s a reference that they use for relationships about a bonsai tree. Every relationship has a bonsai tree and sometimes you’re the bonsai and sometimes you’re the gardener. I think they definitely pass [being] the bonsai around. I think sometimes it might be held a little too much by one character, but then it’s fine because it’s been handed over.

But it’s a very equal relationship, which I think was established from the very beginning. And I think that’s why they have that space to argue or to tell each other when they think that something isn’t right, or they don’t agree with what’s happening. That only really happens within healthy relationships. And what’s also very lovely is that this season, they begin to find their own identities outside of that [friendship]. They have a different type of independence, not just from the Harfoot community , but for both of them as separate beings. And I think you really begin to see that in Episode 6.

Poppy is fitting in quite seamlessly with the Stoors, and Nori seems to be having a little more trouble. How do you describe Nori’s relationship with the Stoors, and her discovering that not all Harfoots are nomadic?

Markella Kavenagh: I think she finds it both confronting and incredibly exciting, because something that was really irritating for her with the Harfoot community is that they were so set in their ways. There was no way that they were ever going to listen to any other ideas outside of what was in the Rule Book. That was really frustrating, and she’s now been validated, in the sense that the Stoors have built another way to live and to build their own sense of home. And so it’s just affirming and it’s also daunting — because she’s never met [the Stoors] before and the Gund is intimidating, and I think she has some issues with authority.

But what’s amazing about the Gund is that the Gund ends up actually bringing her into the thought process behind how they live their lives. And that’s something Nori’s never been a part of. She’s never been included in that conversation before and she’s really wanted to [be]. What’s amazing about them coming into the Stoor Village is that they both, Poppy and Nori, have their own journeys within there and [that] becomes clearer and clearer as the season goes on. It’s really lovely juxtaposition between feeling quite fearful of what’s to come, but also very excited. It’s all very thrilling for her.

With Poppy fitting in quite seamlessly with the community, she and Merrimac / Nobody seem to be hitting it off quite wonderfully. What can Rings of Power audiences look forward to between Poppy and Nobody?

Richards: Sweet Merrimac. I think what is such an interesting journey for Poppy — it’s been so long since she’s found a sense of belonging in another being that hasn’t been Nori or the Brandyfoots for five, six years now. It’s a very long time. And so to find that in the middle of the desert, in the middle of nowhere after everything that they’ve been through…

Poppy keeps her cards close to her chest, her real intimate feelings, as most people do. And so to actually understand that that’s what she’s feeling for this new being who’s not even within the Harfoot community — it’s someone who’s completely new — there’s a lot of self-discovery within that discovery and learning that you can trust external forces. I think it’s a new understanding of how to navigate the world. It doesn’t just have to be I’m here with Nori so I’m sticking with Nori and that’s the only thing that I can see. It’s just an expansion of what she already knew before. It’s just a constant learning journey.

Nori is experiencing a journey of self-discovery being separated from the Stranger. Her whole quest has been very reliant on him so far, and without him, she feels very lost. How can she move forward from Episode 6, rediscovering her sense of purpose and self?

Kavenagh: When they head out on this adventure, Nori’s very aware that she’s attempting to help the Stranger find his purpose and his destiny . She realizes after meeting the Stoors, after being separated from him, that maybe there’s more at play and that she has now come into her own sense of purpose. So it’s a formative time for her.

And it’s the first time she’s ever been away from her family. It’s the first time she’s also ever been so exposed in the environment. She’s very used to being quite discreet in how they move and migrate through the seasons. So I think, in that sense, you just see her mature quite quickly — in a way that you didn’t see [when] she was still in her bubble of familiarity in Season 1. This season, she really gets a kick up.