‘That trial is a reaffirmation’

Image: Prime Video

Cynthia Addai-Robinson can relate to the trepidation her Rings of Power character, Míriel, encountered when she walked into the sea in episode 6, “Where Is He?” The former queen enters the water during a sea trial in Elendil’s stead, following an old devout Númenórean tradition: a sea monster passing judgment (read: devouring you, or not). For Míriel, the moment comes as a test of her faith: She wants to spare Elendil and puts her trust in their ancient religion, despite what the new Númenor leadership might say.

For Addai-Robinson, filming the scene was similarly an act of faith and conviction.

“I had never worked underwater before, and it was terrifying,” Addai-Robinson tells Polygon. Still, she persisted, hoping her alarm wouldn’t register on screen. “I’ve had many tests like this. Riding a horse, being in a helicopter — these are all things that remind you that you’re mortal, and you’ve got to sort of get past your own actual feeling around it and remember that you’re in service to this character and this moment and what it represents.”

The scene was technically shot in two parts: on location in the Canary Islands, and in a tank at Pinewood Studios in the United Kingdom. Addai-Robinson had to get certified to use the respirator in order to film, and (through no fault of the crew she was with) felt “absolutely terrified” as she tried to approach the same calm as Míriel.

Ultimately, they both emerged out of the water triumphant. But, Addai-Robinson notes, their journeys weren’t identical — after all, she was putting her trust in the very accomplished crew of The Rings of Power. Míriel wasn’t exactly making a reckless choice, but she was certainly at peace with a risky decision. Yet, while the former Númenórean queen might not have been positive she would emerge from the sea trial, Addai-Robinson knew that she was making this choice not for herself, but for the greater good.

Image: Prime Video

“The biggest thing that Lloyd [Owen, who plays Elendil] and I talked a lot about was the idea of blind faith versus what your heart and your instincts tell you is right or wrong,” Addai-Robinson says.

For Míriel, the push and pull is complicated: She has been ousted by the Númenórean people in favor of Pharazôn. But once she hears that Elendil saw a more promising vision in the palantír, she’s convinced Pharazôn’s rise to power is something they should trust in — even as it’s clear he’s dismantling Númenórean traditions (and possibly… worse).

Much of the former queen’s plotline this season has been driving to this moment, and about the ideological division between her and Elendil over her belief in what serving “the greater good” is. Ultimately, Addai-Robinson pointed back to a moment all the way back in episode 3 of this season — a beat she specifically asked the showrunners to change to strengthen Míriel’s characterization: When a grieving citizen of Númenor slaps the queen in front of her court over last season’s losing battle, Míriel was originally supposed to address the people in a stirring speech.

“I remember talking about it with the showrunners, because I thought, to me, this isn’t really about appealing to the masses in this moment,” Addai-Robinson said. “This is about specifically addressing this one individual woman who is clearly in pain, who is clearly deep in grief — as is Míriel.

“I think what’s more powerful and more interesting is if she appeals to this woman directly, that this is not about having a moment, so to speak; that it’s really about person to person, individual to individual.”

It’s the kind of leadership that can inspire people. It can also possibly fall flat in front of a populist like Pharazôn, who’s busy playing to the baser instincts of the population. The sea trial payoff had to hit as the ultimate reframing of her instincts over his: divine anointment that’s hard to combat.

Ultimately for Addai-Robinson, the euphoria at being spared by a sea creature paled in comparison to finally getting out of the tank and the “state of panic” that filming the scene left her in. And while she’s happy for Míriel, she notes that it isn’t going to be smooth sailing from here.

“On the other side of that trial is a reaffirmation — not just of her faith, but I think a lesson to herself for her. That to actually be victorious in this, there is something to understand about herself and her strength, and something to be gained from that,” Addai-Robinson says. “After the sea trial, where we leave off with things, we don’t immediately see the aftermath of that; we don’t get to see her take a ‘victory lap.’

“But the question remains: Even though she’s triumphed and the public has witnessed this — essentially witnessing a miracle — Pharazôn is not just going to let that ride.”