Spoilers for Season 2, Episode 7 of Rings of Power are ahead! If you aren’t caught up, you can stream the series with an Amazon Prime subscription. Then, make sure to catch the finale when it airs on the 2024 TV schedule next Thursday, October 3.
After spending the whole season at odds over what to do with the rings the elves were in possession of, Galadriel and Elrond finally came together in a dire moment of need. After being captured by Adar, Galadriel was held captive, and by handing her a pin while kissing her, Elrond was able to help her escape. Now, as I reflect on that moment and how they haven't been on the same page all season, I’m thinking a lot about what Morfydd Clark told me during CinemaBlend’s Rings of Power Season 2 interviews regarding why the two elves not necessarily getting along this season is “important for Middle-earth.”
Now, the question I asked Clark about this relationship wasn’t pertaining to Episode 7 and this heroic moment that brought the elves together, because at the time, I hadn’t seen it. Instead, I was chatting with her about Elrond being named leader of the task force she was on in Episode 2, and the rift that was going on between them. The actress told me that that “was painful” for Galadriel, and then she spoke more generally about the state of her relationship with Elrond, saying:
I really enjoyed exploring kind of their relationship, because it's so terrible to feel a sense of otherness from someone you feel that you're so close to and that you're always on the same page with. And you know, these are also the times where you kind of really have to work to make bridges and find a way that you can get to each other.
As we saw at the beginning of the season when Elrond jumped off the waterfall with the rings after Galadriel and Gil-galad spoke about why it would be advantageous to use them, Robert Aramayo’s elf does not have the same view on how to use the jewelry. This disagreement has permeated throughout the season, and impacted the actions of both elves, because they’re such old friends, and normally, as Clark said, they’re “on the same page.”
Elaborating more on that idea and the severity of the problem they're both trying to solve, this leader of the Rings of Power cast told me more about what Galadriel is doing this season and how her goals differ from Elrond’s. She said:
Galadriel is doing something risky and dangerous, but she knows she needs to do it, because she's the only one of them that's really seen the darkness that's coming. And Elrond is trying to protect. So they both have really worthy causes.
They do both have worthy causes, and they both want to destroy Sauron. Their ideas for how to take him down are just different – Galadriel believes they need to use the rings, and Elrond believes the rings will corrupt them and they need to be destroyed. However, now, we’re seeing them both start to understand each others’ perspectives as they battle for Middle-earth.
Ultimately, this ongoing rift between the two friends was necessary according to Morfydd Clark:
I just get super excited when Galadriel and Elrond are together…They're both characters that I kind of just love. Yeah, I felt for them being at odds. But also it's kind of important for Middle-earth for them to be at odds.
Overall, I think these two’s rift was necessary as well, because they need both their views to win. As we’ve learned through the downfall of Celebrimbor and The Lord of the Rings stories, these rings can’t really do any good. However, Galadriel has a point that this darkness is something that will be harder to defeat than ever, and they’ll have to use Sauron’s tools against him.
Now, the questions are about how this relationship will impact the outcome of the battle that began in Episode 7. To see what happens, and how Elrond saving Galadriel impacts their relationship, make sure to watch Rings of Power’s Season 2 finale on Thursday, October 3 on Prime Video.
