If you’ve been following the slow-burn tension of Amazon’s Middle-earth, Rings of Power Season 2 Episode 7, titled "Doomed to Die," is basically the moment where the dam finally breaks. It’s brutal. It’s loud. Honestly, it’s one of the most heartbreaking hours of television I’ve seen in the fantasy genre in a long time.
You see, for weeks we’ve watched Sauron—disguised as the "Messenger of the Valar," Annatar—gaslight the living daylights out of Celebrimbor. It was psychological warfare. But in this episode, the war stops being in Celebrimbor's head and starts being at the front gates of Eregion. Adar’s orc army is here. They aren't playing around.
The episode is a massive, sprawling siege that feels heavy. You can almost smell the soot and the desperation. While the show has taken plenty of liberties with Tolkien’s timeline, this specific beat—the destruction of the greatest elven smithy—is a cornerstone of the Second Age. And man, did they lean into the tragedy of it.
The Psychological Collapse of Celebrimbor
Watching Charles Edwards as Celebrimbor is genuinely painful at this point. He’s a broken man. In Rings of Power Season 2 Episode 7, we see the moment the illusion finally shatters. For those who might have missed the nuance, Sauron has been keeping the smithy in a sort of "time bubble" where everything is golden and peaceful while the city outside burns.
When Celebrimbor finally steps out onto the balcony and sees the reality—the fire, the screams, the total ruin—the look on his face is haunting. It’s not just that his city is dying. It’s that he realized he helped the devil do it. He’s spent his life wanting to surpass his grandfather Fëanor’s legacy. Instead, he’s become the ultimate cautionary tale.
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He tries to fight back. He cuts off his own thumb to escape shackles, which is a level of grit we haven't seen from the elves so far. But it's too late. The Nine Rings for Men are finished. That’s the real kicker. Sauron doesn't need him anymore, and the way Charlie Vickers plays Sauron here—cold, efficient, almost bored with his victory—is chilling. It’s a reminder that Sauron isn't just a big eye on a tower; he’s a manipulator who enjoys the "craft" of breaking people.
The Siege of Eregion: Chaos and Mud
Usually, TV battles look a bit too clean. Not here. The Siege of Eregion in Rings of Power Season 2 Episode 7 is a mess of mud, black blood, and failing hope. The Orcs are using giant trolls—specifically Damrod, the Hill-troll who is basically a walking tank—to tear through the elven defenses.
What’s interesting is how the show handles the military strategy. Or the lack thereof. Adar is willing to sacrifice everything, including his "children," to kill Sauron. He doesn't care about the city. He doesn't care about the rings. He just wants the Deceiver dead.
The Arrival of the High King Gil-galad and Elrond provides a brief flicker of hope. But the show does something smart here: it subverts the "cavalry arrives at the last second" trope. Normally, when the Elven banners appear on the horizon, the music swells and the tide turns. Here? The tide just gets bloodier. The Dwarves, who were supposed to show up and save the day, are noticeably absent.
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Durin IV is stuck in Khazad-dûm dealing with his father’s descent into greed and the shadow of the Balrog. This choice highlights the isolation of the different races during the Second Age. Everyone is too busy with their own problems to see the bigger picture until it’s far too late. It’s a theme Tolkien hit on constantly—the way evil wins when good people are divided.
The Elrond and Galadriel Dynamic
People have been debating the chemistry and the "kiss" between Elrond and Galadriel in this episode. Let’s be real: it wasn't a romantic moment. It was a tactical distraction. Elrond used it to pass a lockpick to Galadriel so she could escape.
Some fans are annoyed by it because of the lore implications (Elrond eventually marries Galadriel's daughter, Celebrian). However, in the context of the episode, it felt like a desperate goodbye between two friends who didn't think they were going to survive the night. Elrond is evolving from a politician into a hardened commander, and Robert Aramayo is nailing that transition. He looks exhausted. He looks like he’s carrying the weight of the world, and honestly, he is.
Why the Ending Hits So Hard
The final act of Rings of Power Season 2 Episode 7 isn't about a big explosion or a cliffhanger. It’s about the silence after the screaming. The city is falling. The defenses are breached. Adar has the upper hand, but he’s lost his soul in the process.
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The most striking image is the destruction of the statues and the beauty of Eregion. It represents the end of an era for the Elves in Middle-earth. They will never again reach these heights of craftsmanship or peace. From here on out, it’s a long, slow decline toward the Third Age.
Key Details You Might Have Missed
- The Rings for Men: They are finally out of Celebrimbor's hands. These are the rings that will eventually create the Nazgûl. The weight of that future hanging over the scene is palpable.
- Arondir’s Fate: He takes a brutal hit from Adar. It’s a reminder that even the most skilled warriors are vulnerable when faced with the sheer numbers of the orc horde.
- The Music: Bear McCreary’s score for this episode shifts. It loses the ethereal elven woodwinds and becomes heavy, percussive, and dissonant. It mimics the destruction of the art of the smithy.
The Reality of Adaptations
Look, purists will always find things to complain about. Yes, the timeline is compressed. Yes, characters are in places they aren't in the books. But Rings of Power Season 2 Episode 7 captures the spirit of Tolkien’s tragedy.
It’s about the hubris of thinking you can use the tools of the enemy to do good. Celebrimbor thought he could save Middle-earth with his rings. Instead, he provided the chains that would bind it for three thousand years. That irony is the core of the episode, and the showrunners didn't shy away from the darkness of that realization.
Next Steps for Middle-earth Fans
If you want to fully appreciate the fallout of this episode, your next move should be to revisit the "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age" section in The Silmarillion. It provides the dry, historical context that makes the emotional beats of this episode hit even harder. Specifically, look at the descriptions of Eregion’s ruin to see how the showrunners mirrored the atmospheric dread Tolkien described.
Additionally, pay close attention to the state of Khazad-dûm in the finale. The absence of the Dwarves in Episode 7 isn't just a plot point; it's the setup for the inevitable confrontation with the Balrog. If you’re tracking the geography, notice how the Orcs are now positioned to threaten the rest of Eriador. This isn't just a loss for the Elves; it’s the collapse of the northern buffer against Mordor. Prepare for a much darker tone as the series moves into its final phases of the season, focusing on the redistribution of the Nine and the political fallout in Númenor.