Warning: Spoilers ahead for Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, episode seven
There were a few notable callbacks to Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy in today’s Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, one of which may show just how similar Aragorn is to his ancestor. Episode seven – ‘The Eye’ –, dealt with the fallout of last week’s explosive (pun intended) episode and one character appeared to have been lost to us, though those paying attention will know that won’t stick for long.
In Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, audiences saw Aragorn take a “little tumble off the cliff” during a fight with warg riders en route to Helm’s Deep. The news left his friends devastated who, believing there was no chance he could have survived the fall, carried on without him. The only one who didn’t give up hope was Brego, Aragorn’s horse buddy, who found him unconscious on the riverbank and nudged him back to life.
In the most recent episode of The Rings of Power, Isildur was trapped when a burning building came down around him. Fearing the worst, his friends focused on the remaining survivors and fled the scene, leaving Isildur behind. However, Isildur’s horse was unwilling to abandon his master despite Elendil’s desperate pleading. He was set free, and a few fans have been quick to notice that there are a few similarities happening here.
This wasn’t the only moment from the episode that felt inspired by Jackson’s work. A later scene that saw Galadriel and Theo hiding from orcs brought back memories of four Hobbits hiding under a tree from a terrifying Nazgul. Just as the Nazgul tried to smell out the Hobbits (or the power of the Ring) the orc also attempted to sniff out anyone hiding in the vicinity, eventually giving up as everything smelled like ash.
It is nice to see these little nods to the well-loved trilogy, though fans will just have to wait to find out if their suspicions are confirmed regarding Isildur’s fate. With next week being the season one finale, viewers are hoping for something truly spectacular that will leave them desperate for more.