The Rings of Power season 2 took a long-standing Game of Thrones trick and repeated it, proving it to be as effective as always. As of The Rings of Power season 2’s ending, the comparisons between the Prime Video show and Game of Thrones are more apt than ever. Both exist within a high fantasy world and push the boundaries of what is possible in the realm of TV. The Rings of Power‘s expansive cast mirrors that of Game of Thrones, while the CGI elements utilized in both give them unrivaled cinematic value.

The Rings of Power season 2 furthered this even more than season 1, sporting more impressive visuals than anything else on TV. The Rings of Power season 3 will undoubtedly push the boundaries even more so, continuing the comparisons to Game of Thrones as the former looks to solidify itself as a cultural footnote of fantasy TV like the latter. Interestingly, one element of Prime Video’s show – specifically The Rings of Power‘s Siege of Eregion – copied a storytelling trick from Game of Thrones, not only giving more credence to the comparisons but also proving this very trick still works.

The Rings Of Power Season 2’s Ending Followed The Classic Game Of Thrones Format

The Penultimate & Finale Episode Format Is As Impactful As Ever

The storytelling trick in question is using the penultimate episode of a season as a major action set piece. For six seasons – discounting seasons 7 and 8, both of which had fewer episodes – Game of Thrones utilized this technique to the point where audiences were equally dreading and anticipating the penultimate episode of each installment of the show. After these giant spectacle-based episodes, Game of Thrones would use the season finale to wrap up major plot points and character arcs all while teasing upcoming seasons.

The following table contains spoilers for Game of Thrones.

Game of Thrones’ Penultimate Episodes

Season
Episode Title
Major Event

Season 1
“Baelor”
Ned Stark is beheaded by Joffrey Baratheon.

Season 2
“Blackwater”
Tyrion defends King’s Landing in The Battle of the Blackwater.

Season 3
“The Rains of Castamere”
Robb and Catelyn Stark are killed in The Red Wedding.

Season 4
“The Watchers on the Wall”
Jon Snow defends The Wall from the Wildling army.

Season 5
“The Dance of Dragons”
Daenerys is attacked by the Sons of the Harpy and rides Drogon for the first time.

Season 6
“Battle of the Bastards”
Jon Snow lays siege to Winterfell in order to retrieve it from Ramsay Bolton.

In The Rings of Power season 2, this trick is emulated. The penultimate episode of the show centers entirely around the Siege of Eregion; Adar and his orcs attack the elven city in order to kill Sauron who is manipulating Celebrimbor into crafting more of the titular Rings of Power from Lord of the Rings. Elrond, Galadriel, Gil-galad, and Arondir then lead a defense of Eregion, resulting in a massive, action-packed episode that depicts a battle on a scale unlike anything else on TV, similar to what Game of Thrones used to do.

Having The Siege Of Eregion As The Rings Of Power Season 2’s Penultimate Episode Worked

The Final Two Episodes Of The Rings Of Power Season 2 Are The Best Of The Show’s Entire Run

Overall, The Rings of Power season 2 copying Game of Thrones’ trick worked without fault. The penultimate episode focusing on the Siege of Eregion allowed The Rings of Power to flex its muscles regarding its scale. From the fantastic CGI landscapes to the thousands of extras dressed in fantastic prosthetic makeup as orcs or on horses in the awe-inspiring elven cavalry charge, the Siege of Eregion is perhaps the biggest battle ever shown on the small screen. This continued into Elrond, Arondir, and Gil-galad’s last stand against Damrod, Adar, and the orcs, making for a truly epic penultimate showing.

Not only did this allow season 2, episode 7 to work, but it gave episode 8 the space to focus on tying up season-long plot points. After such a focus was placed on Eregion in the episode prior, the finale could focus on wrapping up Galadriel’s confrontation with Sauron, the dwarven Balrog storyline in Khazad-dûm, Celebrimbor’s death, the Rhûn storyline involving The Stranger’s reveal as Gandalf and so on. Each of these storylines was wrapped up nicely for The Rings of Power season 3 to continue them, thanks largely in part to the penultimate episode’s Siege of Eregion.