Summary

• Gil-galad and Arondir face emotional hurdles in The Rings of Power season 2 amidst a dying tree of life and the loss of forbidden love.
• Gil-galad's trust in the rings and Arondir's revenge mission unfold in new challenges as Sauron's influence grows in Middle-earth.
• The ensemble cast, including Ismael Cruz Cordova and Benjamin Walker, experiences large-scale action and emotional twists in season 2.

Arondir and Gil-galad may be Elves at the far ends of Middle-earth, but they're both facing some emotional hurdles in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2. Set in the Second Age of J.R.R. Tolkien's iconic novel, the show finds Gil-galad as the ruler of the Elven land of Lindon, an area that has been predominantly peaceful, though is on the precipice of collapse as their tree of life is dying, which would require them to leave Middle-earth. Arondir, meanwhile, is a frontline soldier in the Southlands, with part of his decision to remain there coming from his forbidden love for the human healer Bronwyn.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 finds Gil-galad's concerns briefly dissuaded when Galadriel returns with the titular artifacts, using them to restore the tree's power, though also presented with fears from Elrond about their lasting dangers. Meanwhile, Arondir is devastated by the death of Bronwyn after being mortally wounded by the orc attack on her village, setting off on an aimless warpath through the nearby Black Forest. As Sauron's influence and evil begins to take root throughout Middle-earth, both Gil-galad and Arondir will be faced with new challenges.

Ismael Cruz Córdova and Benjamin Walker return to the ensemble Rings of Power season 2 cast as Arondir and Gil-galad alongside Morfydd Clark, Sam Hazeldine, Charlie Vickers, Charles Edwards, Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Maxim Baldry, Daniel Weyman, Markella Kavenagh, Megan Richards and Sophia Nomvete. Packed full of large-scale action and emotional twists and turns for its character, the Lord of the Rings prequel proves to be as gripping as ever.

Ahead of the show's return, Screen Rant interviewed Ismael Cruz Córdova and Benjamin Walker to discuss The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2, why Gil-galad trusts in the power of the rings, Arondir's journey to find a new sense of meaning, and Walker's preparation for singing Elvish tunes.

Gil-Galad "Has To" Trust The Rings Of Power For The Sake Of His People

Screen Rant: Ben, I'd love to turn to you first. Gil-galad is in a very precarious position this season, as he has to grapple with whether to trust the power of these rings in order to save his Elven kind. What was it like exploring that side of him in comparison to what we saw in season 1?

Benjamin Walker: Well, he's on the precipice. He has to. It's that or abandon —it sounds arrogant — our children. We test ourselves with protecting this muddy hunk of Earth, and if this doesn't work, we have to allow it to eat itself. So, it's life or death, and I think that's how evil gets in there. [Laughs] Here it comes, ladies and gentlemen, door No. 3, Sauron!

Arondir Will Protect The People He Cares About, But "At What Cost?"

Ismael, I'll turn to you next. We see you really going on a revenge mission, in a sense, after what we saw in season 1, I can't say why revenge, per se, but we see you very much on the war path. What can you tell me about what is going on with you this season in comparison to season 1?

Ismael Cruz Cordova: There's this deep, deep curiosity of an existential nature that Arondir has. He is neither here nor there. We haven't met a character like him, or an elf like him in the cinematic universe. For example, he's not a royal elf, he doesn't have all of this political power, but he's not a human. He's just kind of at the mercy of both places. So in of that, he finds himself this particular place, trying to find meaning. "What am I? Who am I? What do I do?" He finds it in love in a certain way, but that gets taken in a direction that we shall see.

He finds love, finds family and finds a community, in a certain way. Because at the end of season 1, the Southlanders are also keen to have him with them, but in that, everything just gets turned around. As we all say, grief or a loss is directly proportional to the amount of love that you've experienced, and he is a noble guy. He's a very noble guy, he's made a promise he's going to protect, and protect he will. At what cost? Tune in.

Benjamin Walker: Would did you say earlier? You're the Elven Lone Ranger.

Ismael Cruz Cordova: The Elven Lone Ranger, yeah.

Walker Had To Fight His "Childhood Self [From] Weeping" With The Show's Singing

Ben, for my final question, I'll turn back to you. I have to ask about the singing, because I love that we get to see Gil-galad sing this iconic Elven tune to his people. What was it like finding the right rhythm with this very intricate language during that process?

Benjamin Walker: Sure. it's a kind of funeral dirge, because we find the elves not having any options. We have to abandon Middle-earth. But if you know the books, elves won't stop singing. I mean, there's a rustle in the trees or the light glistening on the pond, and then we're breaking into song.

Ismael Cruz Cordova: Karaoke! [Laughs]

Benjamin Walker: [Laughs] So, on one hand, it was a huge kind of pinch-me honor. But in of the practical creation of it, I had the greatest on the planet, Leith Mherson, helping me with the Elvish. I had the music of Bear McCreary. The hardest part was my childhood self not weeping, because it was incredible. It was an honor to be part of some Tolkien history in some small way.

About The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2

In Season Two of The Rings of Power, Sauron has returned. Cast out by Galadriel, without army or ally, the rising Dark Lord must now rely on his own cunning to rebuild his strength and oversee the creation of the Rings of Power, which will allow him to bind all the peoples of Middle-earth to his sinister will. Building on Season One’s epic scope and ambition, the new season plunges even its most beloved and vulnerable characters into a rising tide of darkness, challenging each to find their place in a world that is increasingly on the brink of calamity. Elves and dwarves, orcs and men, wizards and Harfoots… as friendships are strained and kingdoms begin to fracture, the forces of good will struggle ever more valiantly to hold on to what matters to them most of all… each other.

Stay tuned for our other The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 interviews with:

• Morfydd Clark & Sam Hazeldine
• Daniel Weyman, Markella Kavenagh & Megan Richards
• Charlie Vickers & Charles Edwards
• Co-Showrunner Patrick McKay & Executive Producer Lindsey Weber

The first three episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 premiere on August 29, followed by new episodes on Thursdays on Prime Video.

Source: Screen Rant Plus