"The Great Wave" threatens the fall of Númenor and covers the events across Middle-Earth! Re:cap of "Adar" - Galadriel and Elendil are riding on horses to the House of Lore on Númenor. They ride across fields, a beach, Galadriel smiles (first time?) on her white horse. Galadriel’s blue dress is beautiful, more kudos to costume designer, Kate Hawley. Elendil and Galadriel reach the Hall of Lore, a castle perched on a sea cliff. Halbrand is at a forge and offers his services for free. The Smithy (Phil Vaughn) says he needs a guild crest to be authorized to work at a forge. Two workers are suspicious of Halbrand arriving with an Elf. He is busy eating his clams by himself. A worker, Tamar (Winham Hammond) sits across from him and Halbrand notices his guild crest. Halbrand is mocked as other workers sit next to him. He offers all of them coins for more ale. The party is just getting started, but Halbrand leaves flipping his gold coin, the worker and three others follow him. They are bullies and supposedly some higher form of human? Tamar calls him Low Man.
The focus on Númenor is so corrupt, I’m hoping for everything to go the way of Atlantis. Elendil and his family are sailors so at least they will be free. He is bounced around, punched twice, but Halbrand gets up with several strikes knocking out a few including Tamar. Guards have spears on him because they don’t notice a street fight until it is over? Galadriel finishes writing a letter and hands it to Elendil in a room of scrolls. She wonders at the library built by Elros, brother to Elrond, and first king of Númenor. Elendil explains that it was saved by the last king who is now exiled because of his loyalty to the Elves. He is now locked in a tower. He gets some pages about an enemy spy, Galadriel sees a symbol and matches it with a map of the Southlands (later Mordor!). She reads from the page that it is written in Black Speech, a plan to build a realm of evil. This is in case Morgoth is defeated, a contingency plan! A great scene that lays out what is going to happen.
A Harfoot dressed with raven wings and a beaked mask dances along with the others in a Harvest Festival. It is to prepare them for the journey. Sadoc leads them and chants, “Nobody goes off-trail.” I really like seeing a festival like at Ren Faires for than Bilbo’s birthday party, but there are similarities. Marigold checks on her husband’s injured foot. She’s afraid that they will be left in the village. Largo reassures her that they will reach the Grove. Nori is sneaking over to have a look at Sadoc’s book. She is stopped by Poppy who doesn’t want to help the Stranger find his stars. Nori coerces Poppy to stand watch or she will reveal her practical joke. These two are like Merry and Pippin, troublemakers. Nori looks at the star charts, Poppy gives a warning, and Sadoc enters his cart. She has hidden underneath the table. Poppy enters to say to Sadoc that the others are waiting while she tries to guide Nori’s hand, very funny! Nori is able to get the pages she needs. Sadoc makes his speech and says the Harfoots left behind and calls out their names.
The response is “We wait for you.” Very sad. The Stranger goes to a campfire and sees the star chart page. The page is set on fire and the Stranger stumbles, covered by tarps and netting, he stands up roaring. Then, calls for Nori! She is surrounded by the community and told about the danger from Sadoc. Nori is told she will be punished by being “decaravaned”, left behind! She protects Poppy and says it was only herself. Sadoc says that all of the Proudfoots will go at the back of the caravan. Marigold chastizes her daughter and says they must pack. A puppet show tells the defeat of Morgoth, Elendil meets with Isildur and Eärien. Isildur doesn’t want to take the Sea Trial. Eärien gets a message and tells her father that the Builder’s Guild accepted her. Galadriel visits Halbrand behind bars and gives him the page in Black Speech. She says that he is the king from the Soutlands. Galadriel wants him to return to Middle-Earth for both their sakes. Night, a tower, Queen Regent Míriel tells her father, Tar-Palantir, that with the arrival of the Elf, the “moment” has come. Yes, the last part of his name is familiar!
In a sunken path, the Harfoots travel with their carts, Poppy stays back to check on the Proudfoot family who are struggling. The cart rocks and they find that the Stranger is there. Nori says the Stranger can help them and he carries the cart above the path. At the mines, the Elven guards start the revolt, swinging leg chains to strike the Orcs, and pulling their hoods off to reveal the sun! The Orcs begin dragging the prisoners back with the chains, but the Elves catch them in a tug of war. Arondir leaps off them to attack with an axe! He brings down the tents making the Orcs scream in the sunlight! Lurk orders the Warg to be set on the prisoners! It has a wild, hyena-like look and takes down two Elves! Arondir pulls back on its chain and then flips around it, sending the warg into the tree roots! He begins tying the chains around the tree roots, the Orc Vrath pulls him back, but Arondir grabs a tree root to stab the Orc! Revion has freed himself and begins scaling the pit. The warg chases after him, but a spear thrown by Arondir kills it! Arondir tries to climb up the pit, he sees Revion turn, struck by arrows!
He is thrown back to the pit and Lurka orders him taken to Adar. The Orcs chant Adar’s name and he almost comes into focus, a human! At the capital of Armenelos, Míriel starts to give blessing to babies, but suddenly they start crying as there is a rumble. She walks out to see the flowers drift from the White Tree and flood waters swamp the island. It is the Doom of Krypton, Middle-Earth style! The waters swallow her and she wakes from the vision/nightmare. At a market, Kemen (Leon Wadham) tries to get the attention of Chancellor Pharazôn, his father. Eärien hears the guildsmen including Tamar mock the queen regent inviting Galadriel to court. He leads the crowd in shouting, “Elf lover!” At a market, tries to get the attention of Pharazôn interrupts them to remind them that one Elf couldn’t topple what their people have built. He gives a speech to the crowd that he promises Elves won’t take Númenor. Drinks are given out to the Númenoreans. Kemen tries to flirt with Eärien, but she is called away to work on plans. Míriel sees the papers of the Enemy's plans meeting with Galadriel and says she stole the scroll.
She says that Halbrand is a former king of the Southlands and that the queen regent can help take back his land. Um, this isn’t going to work, small minds… Galadriel decides to ask her father and defies the petty ruler. So Galadriel joins Halbrand behind bars. Isildur is on board a ship for the Sea Trial, he hears a woman whisper his name, he is distracted and allows the rope to fly out from his friends’ hands. Isildur stands up for his friends, but the sail master removes all of them from the Sea Guard. Later, Ontamo is angry that he heard a voice from the Undying Lands, he brings up his mother who died, the voice, and Isildur punches him. Arondir sees the Orcs bowing before Adar. We see him (Joseph Mawle), hardly fair, his left side of his face is scarred (hardly fair) with Elf ears. He speaks in a hoarse, raspy whisper. Adar puts his hand on a wounded Orc and stabs him with his dagger! Arondir watches this and Adar speaks in Quenya. He tells the Orc leader that he is from Beleriand, only Lindon remains from that place, Adar remembers it. Adar wants Arondir to give a message to the men (and Bronwyn) at his former watch tower.
More refugees from the Southland enter the tower. Waldreg has only a piece of bread, the rations are running to low, Theo brings up that he can go to Waldreg’s cellar for food. His mother tells him that they can hunt. There are bodies of sheep on the road seen by Rowan and Theo. They make it back to the village and forage for supplies. Rowan is frightened of going to the tavern so Theo goes on his own. He finds a bag of grain on the floor and the door starts to open. Rowan sees the clouds are dark over head and runs off with the cart of supplies. An Orc, Vrath, startles him so Theo takes out the black hilt, stabs himself, and reforms the blade! Theo runs away and Vrath warns the others. Theo hides in the well. Vrath takes a drink of water from a bucket, drops it on Theo, but finds only water in the well. Theo bursts from the water. He has a deadly, black sword and just hides from Orcs in the daylight? The base of a tower and another are being constructed which amazes Elrond, the work shared by Dwarves and Elves. Celebrimbor is stunned seeing Elrond look like his father, Eärendil the Mariner. He is troubled by Durin. At Khazad-dûm, Elrond speaks to Dissa, who suddenly remembers that Durin went to Quarz Chasm. Elrond notes that Durin didn’t take his chiseling axe while Gerda continues her play.
Disa meets with her husband on a bridge, Durin IV says they are working on the old mine, this is seen by Elrond. Another part of the books with the distant sight of Elves not really seen with Legolas in the movies. He notes that the mine is below the Mirrormere at the eastern entrance. Guards approach Elrond, but he says he knows where to go. Elrond enters the mine, he hears wind from a stone wall, and repeats Gerda’s song. The wall opens, impressive to see a Dwarf mine!, he sees at a wall a vein of silvery metal, Mithril! Durin IV is angry, thinking Elrond is a spy come to take their discovery. Remember that Gandalf said the Dwarves dug too deep and awakened the Balrog! Elrond doesn’t want it, but he says he only cares about their friendship, and not secrets. Durin wants him to swear and oath, “hand to mountain”, love it! Elrond swears on the memory of his father. Durin opens a chest and says it was found by Disa, “a new ore”, called in Dwarvish, “gray glitter.” Elrond corrects his Elvish pronunciation as Mithril! This will lead to the height of the Dwarven kingdom and its fall! There is still the matter of Númenor, Galadriel and Halbrand’s escape, and its destruction! Eowyn dreamed about it in The Two Towers (2002). This episode does a good job juggling the cast of characters spread across Middle-Earth. “The Great Wave” brings Galadriel’s quest for Sauron, the fall of Númenor, and the discovery of the Dwarves together, but it is still slowed by Míriel’s arrogance.
Four Rings of Power out of Five!
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