Full spoilers follow for The Rings of Power season 2 episode 7.
It's taken six episodes to get there, but The Rings of Power season 2 has finally reached its highly-anticipated tentpole battle in The Siege of Eregion. The only problem is, despite its showrunners labeling it "the most ambitious thing we've ever attempted", nobody's talking about the brutal and harrowing fight for the elven city.
"What? Why?", I hear you ask. Because everyone's discussing a controversial scene in season 2 episode 7 – titled 'Doomed to Die' – involving Elrond and Galadriel. And when I say this scene in the Amazon prequel series' latest chapter is controversial, I mean it.
Before we begin, one final word of warning: major spoilers follow for The Rings of Power's newest episode, so bookmark this page for later if you haven't seen it yet.
What happens between Elrond and Galadriel in The Rings of Power season 2 episode 7?
I'm just going to cut right to the chase: they kiss. Yes, two of The Lord of the Rings' most iconic elves lock lips in a move that, when I first watched episode 7 weeks ago, I immediately knew how divisive it would prove to be. Now, before you fly into a rage, grab your pitchfork, and join the mob baying for The Rings of Power's creators' heads, let me provide some context to why the pair give each other a smooch.
As you'll know, Galadriel was captured by Adar in episode 4 and, while it's clear he wishes to 'ally' himself with the elves in a last-ditch attempt to destroy Sauron for good, he's also evidently using her as leverage as part of his masterplan.
So, when Elrond, Gil-galad, and an elven cavalry arrive from Lindon to come to Eregion's aid and prevent Adar's forces from ransacking the under siege city, Adar uses his joker in the pack. As the elven forces charge full pelt towards their enemy, Adar wheels out Galadriel – in the same cage she's been imprisoned for much of season 2's latter half – to halt Elrond and his mounted troops. Long story short: Adar's plan works as Elrond's forces stop charging (so they don't stomp Galadriel to death when her cage inevitably breaks).
One quick skip ahead later, and a tense conversation between Adar and Elrond ends with the latter refusing to work with the former to besiege Eregion together and stop Sauron. The result? Adar has no use for Galadriel, so he plans to kill her.
It's here when one of season 2's most divisive moments happens. Elrond asks Adar if he can say goodbye to Galadriel and, after he's granted permission to do so, Elrond makes his way to the chained-up elven commander and the pair proceed to kiss.
Of course, it's all a ploy on Elrond's part. Before he leans in for the controversial smackaroo, he removes a sigil pin from his cloak. As the duo kiss, he slyly hands the pin to Galadriel, which she can use to escape captivity later in the episode.
Why has Elrond and Galadriel's kiss proven to be so contentious?
So, the kiss:It served as a goodbye but it was not romantic. It was a chaste kiss and it primarily worked as a distraction so that Elrond would hand her the pin.It's not what some hate-mongering people will try to make it.#TROPspoilers #TheRingsOfPower pic.twitter.com/7mS1FgmLSoSeptember 26, 2024
To answer that, we need to dive into Middle-earth's history. In J.R.R. Tolkien's literary works, Galadriel is, at the time of the Second Age, married to an elf named Celeborn. At some point during this era, they have a daughter named Celebrian, who eventually marries – yep, you guessed it – Elrond.
So, while events depicted in Prime Video's TV adaptation aren't part of the canon, the very fact that Elrond ends up kissing his future mother-in-law is... well, an uncomfortable and awkward moment to say the least. That's in spite of the fact that Elrond makes this play to help Galadriel break free of her shackles in 'Doomed to Die', too.
How have The Rings of Power viewers reacted to Elron and Galadriel's kiss?
#TROPspoilers “you did WHAT with WHO??” pic.twitter.com/0jZ1BzzZ7FSeptember 26, 2024
Unsurprisingly, The Rings of Power's audience has had plenty to say about this sequence of events. Indeed, viewers have reacted with fury, disbelief, and even cynicism over Elrond and Galadriel's smooch.
Over on Reddit, user Vandermeres_Cat led the charge on the latter of those three fronts, writing: "It was just an obvious bait for controversy, I think, and why do it? Now they will have discussions about that nonsense and not the generally great episode they made."
Other Redditors were similarly unimpressed, especially those who know that Galadriel and Elrond become each other's in-laws later in the Second Age. LindenBlade opined "Um, Elrond… what are you doing with that kiss… that’s your future mother in law bro…", while Home-Furnishing said "AAAAAAHHH! Why did Elrond kiss Galadriel I’m gonna be sick."
Didn’t have that on my bingo card… neither did she… #TROPspoilers pic.twitter.com/csZKZzonoASeptember 26, 2024
Other Reddit users clearly understood Elrond's reasoning, even if they were unhappy with the execution of his plan to rescue Galadriel. Purple_empire wrote: "I immediately knew what he was doing (oldest trick in the book!) BUT I thought he’d give her Nenya instead? Seems like the smarter choice rather than leaving it on his person before going into battle". Lordleycester agreed, saying, "I know it was to mask him giving her Elvish swiss army knife but still.... I don't really know what to say", before The_Last_Mallorn weighed in with "Never have I ever seen a kiss that was so chaste and unromantic. It was purely tactical. Y'all need to calm down."
Redditors Curundil and Mali-6 simply asked why Elrond didn't kiss Galadriel on the forehead instead, while PhoenixCore96 also told people to chill out, adding "THE KISS WAS NOT A BIG DEAL PEOPLE! He even asked for forgiveness beforehand!"
#TROPspoilers i’m sorry but if any of you read anything else but desperation into the kiss that’s on you. it’s not gonna be weird to see elrond and celebrían because elrond and galadriel both clearly didn’t enjoy that fucking kiss. media literacy truly is dead😭 pic.twitter.com/CuhxHhml43September 26, 2024
There are numerous other reactions on Reddit, X/Twitter, and other social media platforms and forums, but I'll be here all day if I seek out every single one and include it in this piece. Rest assured, though, it's proven to be a big talking point among The Lord of the Rings' community, and I'm sure many more people will have something to say about one of the best Prime Video shows' latest episode once they stream it on one of the world's best streaming services.
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