The intense penultimate episode of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is now streaming, and "Doomed To Die" focused on the devastating Battle of Eregion, as Adar - with Galadriel as his prisoner - and his forces launched an attack on the Elven kingdom while Elrond and King Gil-glad mounted a desperate defence.
Spoilers follow.
With Durin unable to keep his word to Elrond by sending an army of Dwarves to bolster the Elven ranks, Adar ultimately emerges victorious, stabbing Arondir (possibly fatally) and seizing Galadriel's ring, Nenya, from Elrond before flinging the Elf to the ground.
Meanwhile, Celebrimbor realizes that Annatar has been Sauron all along, and he's been tricked into forging the nine rings for mortal men while his city crumbles around him.
Prime Video has now released a brief promo for next week's season 2 finale, and it sees the Dark Wizard (surely Saruman... right?) make his presence known to The Stranger. Will we finally get confirmation that this mysterious "Istar" is Gandalf, or will the show deliver an unexpected twist?
The teaser also sees Durin demand that his father take off his ring ("or I'll take off the whole hand!"), as the trapped Balrog is finally unleashed from deep within Moria. Finally, we catch a glimpse of a tense face-off between Galadriel, Sauron and Adar, as the latter reaches for Morgoth's crown.
"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 1’s epic scope and ambition, Season 2 of Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power 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."
Returning cast members include Morfydd Clark, Benjamin Walker, Charles Edwards, Charlie Vickers, Markella Kavenagh, Nazanin Boniadi, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Tyroe Muhafidin, Maxim Baldry, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Owain Arthur, Trystan Gravelle, Ema Horvath, Sophia Nomvete, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Leon Wadham, Daniel Weyman, and Sara Zwangobani.
Sam Hazeldine (Peaky Blinders) replaces Joseph Mawle as Adar, with Ciarán Hinds (Game of Thrones), Rory Kinnear (Penny Dreadful), and Tanya Moodie (The Man Who Fell to Earth) joining the ensemble in key roles.