[Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Episode 4, “The Great Wave.”]
With a scope so large and characters so beloved, it’s easy to feel like every episode of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has been major so far. But Episode 4, “The Great Wave,” propelled the Prime Video series forward for just about every character on its roster.
The only group unseen in the September 16 episode was the Harfoots and their tagalong Stranger, but one moment involving Theo at the end of the episode may have confirmed a theory about who he is. And that’s just one of the major moments from the episode — albeit a big one!
Here are the biggest reveals from The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Episode 4 and what they mean for the characters and kingdoms involved.
Adar’s Identity & Ultimatum
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“The Great Wave” reveals Adar’s face after his blurry debut in the final moments of Episode 3. As rumored, Adar is played by Game of Thrones alum Joseph Mawle. His face is scarred and his ears are pointed, and he speaks to Arondir in an elvish language, when revealing he grew up in elf lands. He now believes he could become a god one day. The orcs idolize him as their leader (“Adar,” in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Sindarin language, means father).
The corrupted elf tells Arondir to “go to the men that have taken refuge in your watch tower. Deliver them a message.” The message: Bronwyn and her people may live if they forsake all claim of the Southlands and swear fealty to him. Refusal is fatal.
Theo Uses the Sword & It Leaves a Mark
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The Southland humans are running out of food at the elf tower in which they’re taking refuge. Bronwyn has stepped up as a leader, and Theo’s trying to follow suit by going back to the village for grain with his friend. He’s attacked by an orc, but defends himself with the mysterious broken sword he’s been hiding.
As previously seen, the sword bears the mark of Sauron, which Galadriel discovered is a map telling his followers where to meet in the Southlands: Mordor. Ever heard of it? Theo stabs himself with the hilt to make the blade grow, allowing him to get away from the shocked orc.
The orc alerts its companions, revealing they had been looking for the hilt as Adar directed. Clearly, it has special meaning to them. Could it be Sauron’s sword from the war that defeated Morgoth, his leader? Theo told Entertainment Tonight that he sees the weapon as his character’s “precious,” hinting it has corruptible powers. Perhaps it’s what corrupted Adar?
Mithril Mining in Khazad-dûm
Ben Rothstein/Prime Video
The elves and dwarves are working together on Celebrimbor’s project, but the elven-smith suspects Durin is hiding something. And he’s right. After convincing Disa and Durin he can be trusted, Elrond learns from his old friend that the dwarves are secretly mining mithril — a precious, silvery metal, that’s very lightweight but immensely strong. Bilbo gave Frodo his mithril shirt in the Lord of the Rings movies as protective armor.
They’re not only mining it, rather they’ve discovered it. Durin tells Elrond that Disa first detected the mithril when doing a routine singing ritual (also seen later in the episode!). They realized the precious metal was worth more than gold, but also that it was “perilous to mine.” In the books, mithril helps Khazad-dûm thrive, but it also leads to the kingdom’s downfall.
Galadriel Uses a Palantír & Gets Reinforcements
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Queen Regent Míriel and Galadriel hit a turning point when the warrior elf discovers Míriel’s father, the former king unseated for being an “elf lover,” is dying. Míriel tells Galadriel the story of how she came to the throne, and then reveals a palantír, which she says is the only one of the Seven Seeing-stones known to them. The others are lost or hidden.
Palantíri can be used to see the past or future. Míriel saw Galadriel arrive in Numénor in her palantír, saying it marked the beginning of the end of her kingdom. She’s convinced the elf must leave to protect the island. As Galadriel later begins to sail away from Numénor, the white petals of the kingdom’s white tree begin to fall — a sign those faithful to the elves don’t take lightly.
It prompts Míriel to change course and provide Galadriel with support in her efforts to rid Middle-earth of evil, calling it a “fateful hour in the destinies of men.” She believes she must help Galadriel to save Numénor. Elendil asks for volunteers to protect the queen regent as she brings Galadriel to the Southlands.
It seems the fall of Numénor, which happens in the Second Age, could very well be seen in The Rings of Power.
The Stranger is Sauron?
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Healing from the orc attack, Theo is approached by one of the older men from his village at the elf tower. The man recognizes the marks from the hilt on Theo’s skin, showing he has scars that look the same.
He ominously calls the sword a “power fashioned for our ancestors by his master’s own hand — the beautiful servant you’ve lost, but shall return.”
“Have you heard of him, lad? Have you heard of Sauron?” the man asks, confirming the sword’s original owner. “You must’ve seen it in the skies. A few weeks back now.”
He’s referring to the comet that brought the Stranger to Middle-earth. The man then tells Theo that the starfall “means his time is near. It is to you and me, lad, to be ready,” and then warns him to save his strength for when Sauron returns.
The man’s eery warning could mean the Stranger’s fall to Middle-earth was part of a prophecy, like Galadriel arriving in Numénor. But could this also be a hint that the Stranger is Sauron? Whether the Sauron loyalist meant the comet was Sauron or just a sign of his return remains a mystery.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Fridays, Prime Video