Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 Episode 4.

Well, Rings of Power fans, how are we holding up after that mega, three-part Season 2 premiere last week? To say that all the pieces are now in motion feels like a massive understatement, as the first three episodes brought with them status quo changes for just about every character. Relationships are being tested, power is changing hands, and with the three Elven rings of power in play, Sauron (Charlie Vickers) is turning his eye toward the Dwarves. What’s next for Middle-earth?

Episode 4 opens with Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) and Elrond (Robert Aramayo) preparing to set out for Eregion. Elrond is seeking Galadriel’s advice when it comes to logistics for their troops, but Galadriel is still bristling at her friend taking over her command, even if it was on High King Gil-galad’s (Benjamin Walker) orders. Elrond tells Galadriel that Gil-galad has also ordered him to name her his second, and while it’s not the role she had before, it at least softens her enough that she agrees to help.

Their small company sets out from Lindon towards Eregion, but the most direct path is cut off when they find the bridge across a chasm has been completely destroyed, a result of Sauron’s handiwork. One of their company, Camnir (Calam Lynch), proposes two alternate routes, one to the north, which would make the trip longer, and another through the hills to the south. Galadriel warns them of an evil in the hills, one that her ring seems to be signaling. She tells them that this is all likely a trick to force them in a particular direction, but Elrond says with both routes to Eregion likely being watched anyway, they might as well head south, despite Galadriel’s protests. As they leave, he threatens to send her back to Lindon if she won’t stop listening to the ring, but Galadriel agrees to nothing.

Meanwhile, in Rhûn, the Stranger (Daniel Weyman) is all on his own, having accidentally sent Nori (Markella Kavanaugh) and Poppy (Megan Richards) flying away via sand tornado. He follows a goat, the only other living creature around, to a small settlement occupied by a lone farmer (Rory Kinnear). He tries to ask the farmer about the constellation he’s looking for, as it’s visible above his hill, but the wind carries his sketch away and leads him to a tree, where one of the branches resembles the one he sees in his dreams. The tree doesn’t take kindly to someone trying to rip off one of its branches though, and swallows the Stranger instead.

Nori and Poppy Meet Unexpected Friends in ‘The Rings of Power’ Season 2 Episode 4
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While the Stranger… reconnects with nature, Nori and Poppy wake up elsewhere in the desert, blown so wildly off course that they have no idea where they are. Wherever they may be, they’re not alone, as the sound of horses leads them to flee right into the path of a young man who goes by Nobody (Gavi Singh Chera) — but whose name is actually Merimac — who has remarkably Harfoot-like features for someone who claims to not know what a Harfoot is. He and Poppy hit it off at once, though that goes immediately south when they ask him about the water he’s carrying. The two convince him to take them back to his village, where they’ll meet with their leader, the Gund (Tanya Moodie).

The village, built right into walls of stone in a bowl-shaped crevice, throws the Harfoots off, as it doesn’t seem natural for their people to be living in holes. And just as we’re wondering if that means these people are Hobbits instead, the Gund, AKA Gundabale, arrives to set the record straight. They’re not Harfoots or Hobbits, but rather Stoors. She’s furious with Merimac for bringing them, given the fact that they’re being searched for, but offers the two Harfoots the chance to explain why they should be allowed to stay. Nori explains that they set out to help a friend find his destiny, and that the friend in question is a giant. Giant is relative when you’re as small as they are, so this doesn’t raise many alarm bells — until Nori reveals the Stranger is a wizard. And unfortunately, the only wizard around here is the Dark Wizard (Ciaran Hinds), he of the Saruman beard. That’s all Gundabale needs to hear before she orders the girls to be tied up.

Speaking of the Dark Wizard, his sentries report back to them that the Stranger — whom they call the Istar — killed two of their number with the sandstorm he conjured before heading towards “the hermit” in the north, while the Harfoots have gone missing. The Dark Wizard orders them to focus exclusively on the Harfoots, saying he’ll find the Istar himself.

Tom Bombadil Arrives in ‘The Rings of Power’ Season 2 Episode 4
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The only one finding the Istar right now, though, is the hermit farmer, who coaxes his tree to let him go. He also introduces himself to the Stranger, saying he used to be called Tom Bombadil. The name is familiar to those who’ve read The Lord of the Rings, of course, as the character appears early in Frodo’s journey, but is noticeably absent from the Peter Jackson film series. As played by Kinnear, he’s a joyful addition to the series, a source of whimsical levity in a production that otherwise risks getting bogged down by the heavier elements of the plot.

Once the Stranger freshens up, Tom finally asks him about the stars he was asking about earlier. The Stranger said he was hoping to find his friends under the stars, and after making a few comments suggesting he’s older than the stars themselves, Tom turns the Stranger’s star sketch into a piece of bread with the flick of his wrist. Tom might have joked that he wasn’t who the Stranger was seeking under the stars, but now I’m thinking he might just be wrong about that.

Bearing witness to the casual power that Tom Bombadil wields over nature, the Stranger asks him to teach him as well, but Tom says the Stranger can only learn when he’s ready, and as of right now, he isn’t ready. Their conversation, and the Stranger’s realization that Tom is who he was meant to find, is brought to a close by the sounds of horses in the distance. Tom explains that he knew the Dark Wizard years ago before he took over Rhûn, and says that his objective now is to join forces with Sauron to continue amassing power, something he warns would turn Middle-earth to ash. Tom then tells the Stranger that it now falls to him to stop both the Dark Wizard and Sauron, which is a lot of pressure for someone who currently can’t remember his own name.

On the road to Eregion, the company arrives at Tyrn Gorthad, also known as the Barrow-downs, an ancient resting place of kings. Elrond and Vorohil (Charlie Rix) plunge ahead, but they don’t make it far before they start hearing voices whispering a song. They find what’s left of Gil-galad’s messengers along with the message to Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards) and shortly after that, the Barrow-wights — eerie spirits inhabiting the burial ground — make themselves known, by dragging Daemor (Oliver Alvin-Wilson) to his death. Gee, if only someone had warned everyone that going via Tyrn Gorthad was a bad idea. Their own weapons prove ineffective, but Elrond arms everyone with the weapons the wights were buried with when they were Men, as only those can return them to their rest.

Arondir and Isildur Meet the Ents in ‘The Rings of Power’ Season 2 Episode 4
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Outside Pelargir, the search for Theo (Tyroe Muahfidin) is on in the wake of his being mysteriously snatched up after he and Isildur (Maxim Baldry) snuck into the wildmen camp. Theo might have told Arondir (Ismael Cruz Cordova) that he wants nothing to do with him now that Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi) is dead, but that doesn’t stop Arondir from joining the search too. They find the abandoned camp, and Arondir notes that something drastic must have happened for them to leave their weapons behind. They continue the search, with Arondir assuring Isildur that Theo has survived worse, seeing that the Numenorian is beating himself up for what happened. Arondir hears a noise in the distance and goes to investigate, finding only a squashed, dismembered body belonging to one of their own.

The people of Pelargir are ready to go to war with the wildmen, but Arondir warns them that it’s unlikely that Men had anything to do with the death. Most of the settlers are still determined to track the wildmen down, but Isildur’s priority remains finding Theo. Estrid (Nia Towle) suggests they look north, which raises Arondir’s suspicions. He later finds Isildur and Estrid flirting by the aqueduct and interrogates her, singling out the burn on her neck. He recognizes the mark as a burn that men loyal to Adar (Sam Hazeldine) inflict on themselves to hide the brand from others, a mark he missed because Estrid and Isildur entered town together. Using this to his advantage, Arondir orders Estrid to take them to the rest of the wildmen.

Nursing his hurt feelings, Isildur escorts Estrid behind Arondir as the three of them head out again, and Isildur’s pity party is brought to a halt when Arondir spies a cluster of crushed white flowers on the ground, the same that he found the night before near the dead body, and with that, the Elf has identified Theo’s mystery kidnapper. The three come across a marsh with a muddy patch, which very quickly pulls down Isildur, and Arondir shortly after. Despite the fact that they refuse to uncuff her, Estrid tosses in a branch for them to grab, and accidentally unleashes a giant slug instead. Fortunately, Isildul and Arondir manage to hitch a ride up through the mud, Shai-Hulud style.

It’s enough for Arondir to reevaluate Estrid’s trustworthiness, and give her the key to her manacles, for Isildur to use if he chooses, which he does. Just as Isildur’s thinking this night is turning around, and he might get to kiss Estrid after all, she steals his sword, telling him that even if he and Arondir forgive her, it’s unlikely the rest of the settlement will, as she believes herself beyond redemption. Isildur tries to talk her down, with Arondir on standby in case things go south, but they soon have much, much bigger (literally) problems on their hands. And with that, the Ents have joined The Rings of Power.

The Entwife who has been the source of the flowers Arondir found does not take kindly to their presence in the woods, and even Arondir’s appeal for mercy doesn’t go well when he begrudgingly admits to having cut down trees before. He and Arondir promise Isildur’s sword isn’t to be used on trees, but rather Orcs, and the Ents Snaggleroot (Jim Broadbent) and Winterbloom (Olivia Williams) tell them that the destruction the Orcs wrought in the woods drew them there. Winterbloom is still determined to kill them both, but Arondir does manage to get her to at least spare them so they might ensure the trees in the wood thrive once again, a mercy she grants. She even goes a step further and reveals a wooden cage full of prisoners, including Theo, whom Arondir embraces at once.

Estrid, who was knocked out by Winterbloom, finally comes to with Isildur nearby, and just when this boy thinks he’s finally getting that kiss, they’re interrupted again… by Estrid’s betrothed, Hagen (Gabriel Akuwudike), one of Theo’s fellow prisoners. She might have lied about her allegiances, but unfortunately for Isildur, it seems like she was being honest about this. With Theo back safe, fulfilling Arondir’s promise to Bronwyn, he tells him that he must set out after the Orcs that passed through, and asks Theo if he’d like to come with him. But Theo has a promise of his own to keep, as the people of Pelargir are in need of a healer, and the two part on friendly terms.

Back in the Stoor village, Gundabale tells Nori and Poppy that the village elders voted to throw them out at sunrise. The two of them take it reasonably well, telling her that had Sadoc (Lenny Henry) been the leader here, he would have done the same. The name Sadoc Burrows catches Gundabale off guard, and she takes Nori to an old mural of theirs and tells her a Stoor legend that says one of their own used to dream of a land that, to me at least, sounds an awful lot like Hobbiton. She tells her that one of their own, a Rorimas Burrows, set out to find this place, with the promise of sending for the rest when they did, but that day never came. Suddenly the reason the Walking Song is tied so closely to Rhûn makes a lot more sense. Nori tells Gundabale that Rorimas never found the place he was looking for, and the Harfoots just kept wandering after that. Trouble arrives in the form of the Dark Wizard’s scouts looking for Nori and Poppy. They leave fairly quickly when Gundabale denies having seen any Harfoots, but its safe to say this isn’t the last they’re seeing of them.

Galadriel Faces Down an Army of Orcs in ‘The Rings of Power’ Season 2 Episode 4
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Still on the road to Eregion, Galadriel tries her luck with Elrond again, telling him she believes the ring is guiding her. Elrond is terrified by the possible suffering it could cause in their quest for victory, but Galadriel says the possibility of Sauron winning is even more terrifying. He tells her his father had a vision that he would one day have to protect Celebrimbor, and Galadriel seems ready to encourage him, until the ring gives her another vision, this one of Morgoth’s crown, an injured Elrond, a city overrun by Orcs, and most importantly, Sauron without his terrible blonde wig.

The vision frightens Galadriel enough that she makes Elrond promise to put defeating Sauron above all else, even her life, and while he fears the ring might be influencing her, he does promise to put defeating Sauron first, perhaps recognizing his friend’s true feelings, even beneath the ring. Drums call the Elves attention, and they make it to an outcropping in time to see a trail of Orcs headed to Eregion, likely the same Orcs Arondir is pursuing. Their position doesn’t stay secret for long, as a group of Orcs trying to shoot a horse for their supper accidentally hit Camnir instead, and hear him struggle. The group draws closer as the Elves try to stifle his pain, but Galadriel, guided by instinct and the ring, puts her hands on his wound and heals it, to everyone’s astonishment, and Elrond’s horror. Galadriel orders everyone back to Lindon to warn Gil-galad and stays behind to delay the band of Orcs herself, but not before entrusting her ring to Elrond’s care. The rest of the company is moved that she would sacrifice herself for them, but Elrond cynically believes that she only did it for the sake of the ring. Galadriel puts up a good fight with the Orcs surrounding her — that is, until Adar arrives to put a stop to things.

The first four episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power are streaming now on Prime Video.

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