Every narrative thread is coming to a head in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 finale. The latest season of the Prime Video prequel to J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels has seen the feeling of evil slowly spread throughout Middle-earth, with Galadriel still hunting for Sauron after revealing himself in his Halbrand disguise, while the Dark Lord hides in Eregion in his Elven form of Annatar to work with Celebrimbor to forge new rings. All the while, Númenor finds itself in the midst of a power battle between Míriel and Pharazôn, while the Dwarven kingdom of Khazad-dûm falls into shambles.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 finale sees the Uruk’s siege on Eregion largely succeeding, destroying the Elven realm and all of Celebrimbor’s works, while Sauron kills the ring forger and chases after Galadriel to acquire the rings made for Men. Durin IV, meanwhile, must confront his father before he inadvertently unleashes a Balrog, while The Stranger rescues Nori, Poppy and the Stoors from The Dark Wizard and his forces, and finally lands on his identity being that of Gandalf.

The ensemble Rings of Power season 2 cast remains full of new and returning faces, including Elrond’s Robert Aramayo, Benjamin Walker’s Gil-galad, Charlie Vickers’ Sauron/Annatar/Halbrand, Galadriel’s Morfydd Clark, Durin IV’s Owain Arthur, Celebrimbor’s Charles Edwards, Arondir’s Ismael Cruz Córdova, Disa’s Sophia Nomvete, Nori’s Markella Kavenagh and The Stranger’s Daniel Weyman, among many others. Matching the same scale and worldbuilding of Peter Jackson’s beloved original trilogy, season 2 shows the creative team are only scratching the surface of J.R.R. Tolkien’s source material.

Ahead of its premiere, Screen Rant interviewed director Charlotte Brändström & DP Alex Disenhof to discuss The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 finale, watching Elrond’s transformation into a warrior from a politician, how they made Adar’s death a full-circle moment with the directorial style, and introducing the new Elven land of Valley of Imladris, better known in Tolkien’s world as Rivendell.

Brändström & Disenhof Were Thrilled By Aramayo’s Warrior Transformation For Elrond

“…I find that Robert is a very, very intelligent actor too…“

Screen Rant: I’ve talked with Vic about Robert about prepping to finally see Elrond in action. But what is it like actually getting to shoot Elrond’s action scenes in both episodes 7 and 8 for you both?

Charlotte Brändström: Well, I mean, he’s incredible. I felt like, character wise, it was so interesting to see him change from a politician in who he was and even the way he looked, and becoming this warrior. And then, I find that Robert is a very, very intelligent actor too, so he feels his character moments, he feels his emotion. He knows when to play them. So, there was a moment that was very important for him at the end of 7. It’s when he realizes that Durin has betrayed him, is not going to come and to save them, that the Dwarves aren’t coming.

He can’t fight anymore, because he was fighting through the night, and showing all this courage, because he knew that he needed to hold onto Eregion until dawn, because then the army of Dwarves were coming. And when he knows they’re not coming, he knows all is lost. He doesn’t want to fight anymore, so he just sits down. I found it very emotional when he just sits and watches the elves getting slaughtered around him. So, it was really about finding the character moments with him, and he loved that.

Alex Disenhof: Yeah, he’s a very thoughtful actor, Robert is, so it was fun being with him during season 1 in his politician days. Seeing his transformation was just satisfying as kind of the first audience. It’s cool to see him all of a sudden taking charge, being on horseback and riding into battle.

The Duo “Mirrored Something” From Season 1 When Filming Galadriel & Sauron’s Confrontation

“…kind of a full-circle moment between them.“

I’d also love to look at episode 8 for Sauron and Galadriel’s epic confrontation as he tricks her. I love the use of Dutch angles to really sort of exemplify how off kilter she is in this sequence. How did you both come to the decision that that was what you wanted to go for in that sequence?

Charlotte Brändström: We actually mirrored something that we had done in the first season. There is a scene in episode 6, at the end of episode 6, there is a confrontation between Adar and Galadriel in the barn. It’s been quite a while, but we remember that, right? [Chuckles] That day, we went Dutch, completely Dutch, the whole scene. So, Alex saying, “It would be cool to just redo the same thing and to go Dutch again.”

Alex Disenhof: Yeah, it’s kind of a remembering how their relationship is, and it’s off balance. We knew that it was the final moment between them.

Charlotte Brändström: We knew he was going to die in that moment.

Alex Disenhof: Yeah, kind of a full-circle moment between them.

The Duo Wanted A “Real Visual Departure” For The Valley Of Imladris

“We wanted to feel like a reawakening a little bit…“

Now I’d love to also hear about Galadriel awakening in this peaceful Elven land of the Valley of Imladris, which Lord of the Rings fans obviously know as Rivendell. I love the use of vibrant colors, and of kaleidoscopic-like imagery. How did you go about determining the right visual approach to keep us hopeful, even if it does seem like all hope is lost after losing Eregion?

Charlotte Brändström: As you said, it was about hope, they wanted to keep the hope. They were on their way towards a better world. They’ve found this sort of safe haven that we’ll know more about in season 3. Even her costume we changed, we made sure she was dressed in white, we wanted her to look totally different. And then, we wanted to hope for a better future for the Elves, so it was much softer lighting after all the crazy battles.

Alex Disenhof: Yeah, it was important to establish a real visual departure from what we had just seen. So, we overexposed, we did a little bit of filtration, actually, which we don’t normally do on the show, so the highlights glow just a little bit. We wanted to feel like a reawakening a little bit, and I’m actually really happy with the way it ends. I think we did what we set out to do.

About The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2

In Season Two of The Rings of Power, Sauron has returned. Cast out by Galadriel, without army or ally, the rising Dark Lord must now rely on his own cunning to rebuild his strength and oversee the creation of the Rings of Power, which will allow him to bind all the peoples of Middle-earth to his sinister will. Building on Season One’s epic scope and ambition, the new season plunges even its most beloved and vulnerable characters into a rising tide of darkness, challenging each to find their place in a world that is increasingly on the brink of calamity. Elves and dwarves, orcs and men, wizards and Harfoots… as friendships are strained and kingdoms begin to fracture, the forces of good will struggle ever more valiantly to hold on to what matters to them most of all… each other.

Check out our previous and upcoming Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 interviews with:

Morfydd Clark & Sam Hazeldine
Daniel Weyman, Markella Kavenagh & Megan Richards
Charlie Vickers & Charles Edwards
Benjamin Walker & Ismael Cruz Córdova
Co-Showrunner Patrick McKay & Executive Producer Lindsey Weber
Ema Horvath
Trystan Gravelle
Vic Armstrong
Barrie Gower
Markella Kavenagh & Megan Richards (post-episode 7)
Markella Kavenagh & Cynthia Addai-Robinson (post-finale)
Charlie Vickers (post-finale)
Benjamin Walker & Robert Aramayo (post-finale)