Massive spoilers for Season 2, Episode 7 of Rings of Power are ahead. If you aren’t caught up, you can stream it with an Amazon Prime subscription. Then, make sure to watch the finale when it premieres on the 2024 TV schedule this Thursday, October 3.
This season, Sauron has upped his game, and he pulled off a great deception by shielding Celebrimbor from the real world so he could make the rings of power. However, that facade dropped in Episode 7, and Charles Edwards’ elf didn’t just figure out that he was being deceived, he called Charlie Vickers’ character out for it too. So, when I got to interview the actor behind the Lord of the Rings villain, I had to ask him about this moment and what was going through Sauron’s mind during it.
During my first set of Rings of Power Season 2 interviews, I asked the cast which LOTR character they’d act like if they got the rings. They all responded by saying they’d be overtaken by its power. Then, watching the second season of their show, it was reiterated that it's impossible to not be negatively impacted by the evil power of the jewelry. Even Sauron, the being behind the creation, is being manipulated by them, and Celebrimbor called him out for it during the following conversation in Episode 7:
Celebrimbor: And after all that, you would still choose to inflict the same pain upon me?
Sauron: No. You chose it. Not I.
Celebrimbor: What?
Sauron: All depends on the Rings. And since you forced me to torment you to bring them into being, I am but a victim of your obstinance. And you, the true author of your own torment.
Celebrimbor: You truly are The Great Deceiver. You can deceive even yourself.
Sauron: Finish them.
As a viewer, I know I was shocked when Celebrimbor straight-up called out Sauron. It turns out the villain was too. During my interview with Charlie Vickers about Episode 7, he broke down his character’s thought process during this moment where he was accused of deceiving even himself, explaining:
For sure, you see his reaction when he kills Celebrimbor, he loses complete control, and that's something that he doesn't do very often, and I think that kind of lends to it being really powerful, because Sauron does kind of, he becomes controlled by these rings. He will stop at nothing. And Celebrimbor kind of hits a nerve when he says these things to him, because in trying to control everything and reorder and rehabilitate Middle-earth, he kind of puts himself under the spell of these things he's created, and that upsets him to no end. And Celebrimbor, very intelligently, can use that particularly when he knows he has nothing left to lose.
If you know the lore, you know what’s coming in terms of the end of Sauron and Celebrimbor’s relationship. However, the smith won’t go down without a fight, and he’s using everything he can to chip away and torment the evil being who has deceived him.
This moment in Episode 7 is a great example of that. After Edwards’ character realized what was happening, he does everything he can to stop it. While he might not have the physical strength, he did have the brains to get into Sauron’s head and try to take him down. While Celebrimbor was in significantly worse shape than the Great Deceiver at the end of the episode – I mean he cut off his own thumb for pete's sake – he did manage to create an impactful crack in Sauron.
As Vickers said, that deeply upset his character, and it pointed out Sauron’s fatal flaw. Now, the question is how will that impact both of them in Episode 8?
Thankfully, we’ll find out soon because the Season 2 finale premieres on Prime Video this Thursday, October 3. So, make sure you are tuned in to see how this moment between Celebrimbor and Sauron affects what’s coming, and make sure to refresh CinemaBlend over the week as we bring you more exclusive coverage from our interviews with Charlie Vickers and the Rings of Power cast.
