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Full spoilers follow for The Rings of Power season 2 episode 7.
It took six episodes to get there, but The Rings of Power Season 2 has finally reached its long-awaited tentpole battle in The Siege of Eregion. The only problem is that despite the showrunners calling it “the most ambitious thing we’ve ever attempted,” no one’s talking about the brutal, terrifying battle for the elven city.
“What? Why?” I hear you ask. Because everyone is talking about a controversial scene in season 2 episode 7 – titled “Doomed to Die” – involving Elrond and Galadriel. And when I say that this scene in the final chapter of the Amazon prequel series is controversial, I mean it.
Before we begin, one final warning: major spoilers follow for The Rings of Power‘s newest episode, so bookmark this page if you haven’t seen it yet.
What happens between Elrond and Galadriel in The Rings of Power season 2 episode 7?
Let me get straight to the point: they kiss. Yes, two of them The Lord of the Ring‘ the most iconic elves kiss each other’s lips in a move that, when I first saw the 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 crowd clamoring for The Rings of PowerFrom the creators’ perspective, I’d like to provide some context as to why the two kiss.
As you know, Galadriel was captured by Adar in episode 4. While it’s clear that he wants to “unite” with the Elves in a final attempt to destroy Sauron for good, he’s also apparently using her as leverage as part of his master plan.
So when Elrond, Gil-galad, and an elven cavalry arrive from Lindon to aid Eregion and prevent Adar’s forces from sacking the besieged city, Adar uses his wild card in the pack. As the elven forces charge at their enemy in full force, Adar rides Galadriel out—in the same cage she’s been trapped in for much of the second half of Season 2—to hold off Elrond and his mounted troops. Short story: Adar’s plan works, as long as Elrond’s forces stop attacking (and thus don’t trample Galadriel to death when her cage inevitably breaks).
Fast forward and a tense conversation between Adar and Elrond ends with the latter refusing to work with the former to besiege Eregion and stop Sauron. The result? Adar has no use for Galadriel, so he plots to kill her.
Here occurs one of the most divisive moments of Season 2. Elrond asks Adar if he can say goodbye to Galadriel, and after being granted permission, Elrond approaches the chained elven commander and the pair begin to kiss.
Of course, it’s all a trick on Elrond’s part. Before he leans in for the controversial smackaroo, he removes a sigil pin from his cloak. As the pair kiss, he slyly passes the pin to Galadriel, who she can use later in the episode to escape captivity.
Why is the kiss between Elrond and Galadriel so controversial?
So, the kiss: It was meant to be a goodbye, but it wasn’t romantic. It was a chaste kiss and it was mostly a distraction so Elrond would give her the pin. It’s not what some hateful people will try to make of it. #TROPspoilers #TheRingsOfPower pic.twitter.com/7mS1FgmLSoSeptember 26, 2024
To answer that question, we need to delve into the history of Middle-earth. In the literary works of JRR Tolkien, Galadriel is married to an elf named Celeborn during the Second Age. Somewhere in this age, they have a daughter named Celebrian, who eventually marries – you guessed it – Elrond.
So, while events depicted in Prime Video’s TV adaptation aren’t part of canon, Elrond kissing his future mother-in-law is… well, an awkward and uncomfortable moment to say the least. And that’s despite the fact that Elrond makes the move to help Galadriel break free of her bonds in ‘Doomed to Die’.
How did viewers of The Rings of Power react to the kiss between Elron and Galadriel?
It is not surprising that The Rings of PowerThe public has had much to say about this series of events. Viewers have even reacted with anger, disbelief, and even cynicism to Elrond and Galadriel’s kiss.
On Reddit, user Vandermeres_Cat led the charge on the last of those three fronts, writing: “It was just obvious bait for controversy, I think, and why would they do it? Now they’ll have discussions about that nonsense and not the overall great episode they made.”
Other Redditors were also unimpressed, especially those who knew that Galadriel and Elrond become in-laws later in the Second Age. LindenBlade “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? It makes me sick.”
If that wasn’t on my bingo card… neither was she… #TROPspoilers pic.twitter.com/csZKZzonoASeptember 26, 2024
Other Reddit users clearly understood Elrond’s reasoning, even if they were unhappy with how his plan to save Galadriel was executed. Purple_empire wrote: “I knew right away what he was doing (oldest trick in the book!) BUT I thought he was going to give her Nenya? Seems like a smarter choice than leaving it with him before he goes into battle.” Lordleycester agreed, saying, “I know it was to mask him and give her an Elf Swiss Army Knife, but still… I don’t really know what to say,” before The_Last_Mallorn weighed in with “I’ve never seen a kiss so chaste and unromantic. It was purely tactical. You all need to calm down.”
Redditors Curundil And Mali-6 simply asked why Elrond had not kissed Galadriel on the forehead, while PhoenixCore96 also told people to stay calm, adding: “THE KISS WAS NO BIG THING PEOPLE! He even asked for forgiveness beforehand!”
#TROPspoilers sorry but if any of you read anything other than despair in the kiss that is upon you. It won’t be strange to see Elrond and Celebrían because Elrond and Galadriel clearly did not enjoy that damn kiss. Media literacy is truly dead😭 pic.twitter.com/CuhxHhml43September 26, 2024
There are countless other responses on Reddit, X/Twitter, and other social media platforms and forums, but I’ll be here all day if I save them all and include them in this piece. But rest assured, it’s proven to be a major topic of conversation among The Lord of the Ring‘ community, and I’m sure many more people will have something to say about the latest episode of one of the best Prime Video shows once they stream it on one of the best streaming services in the world.
