LOTR: Rings of Power Episode 4 Review

gamerant.com:

LOTR: Rings of Power has a ton of story ahead of it, cresting the first half of Season one as Episode 4 comes to a close. The show is moving through its events at a fairly leisurely pace, but the events themselves are still classic enjoyable high fantasy action.

Episode 4 «The Great Wave» is directed by Wayne Che Yip, as was the previous entry, but writer Stephany Folsom is new to the series. She joins the duo behind the pilot episode, J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay, to bring this new episode to life. The consistently evolving crew will hopefully continue to bring new elements to the series.

LOTR The Rings Of Power: 7 Characters Created For The Show

«The Great Wave» eschews Nori and the Harfoots' narrative, leaving the episode unfortunately bereft of the series' most charming element. In its place, the show returns to Elrond's adventure with his buddy Durin in the Dwarven lands of Khazad-dûm. The series tips its hand to reveal where it's going with the Dwarves as they discover the all-important Middle-earth resource Mithril. Fans will recall this magical metal as the active ingredient of armor and weapons throughout the franchise. It's a big reveal, but the show slips into similar territory as the modern Star Wars films like Rogue One and Solo. The misstep is in focus, as the show seems to put a bit too much importance on this thing that casual fans would remember. On the other hand, Durin, Disa, and Elrond's interactions are among the best writing in the series thus far, so it's a mixed bag.

Meanwhile, the new settlement established by Bronwyn struggles to feed its people and keep them safe as they flee their ancestral home. The warrior Arondir, rendered cynical and angry by his and his men's failed jailbreak in the previous