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One of the most consistent themes in J.R.R. Tolkien’s works is corruption. In his world, evil is not natural. It does not create and it does not exist in a vacuum. Instead, it is something that perverts, distorting and obstructing good, like a shadow blocks the light. Tolkien often describes the presence of evil as a shadow passing through the world, and dark beings like orcs, trolls, and even Gollum himself, are imagined as twisted, deformed versions of pre-existing creatures.
This theme of corruption is especially prevalent throughout The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, a story that is, at its heart about the ways that choices made the best of intentions can be twisted over time. The rings at the center of the show are meant to enhance the natural abilities of their wearers, protect them from decay, and ultimately help defeat the dark forces of Sauron. Yet it is ultimately these rings, through manipulation and greed, that will bring much of Middle-earth under the Dark Lord’s control.
But the rings of power aren’t the only magic objects that the characters must contend with season two. During an exclusive interview at Den of Geek‘s SDCC studio, The Rings of Power‘s central Numenoreans told us about the mysterious seeing stone known as the palantir and how its presence will affect the ongoing political battle in the island kingdom of Men. Spoiler alert: It sounds as though, while the Numenoreans may not have rings of power, they still have plenty of problems of their own.
“Even though within our part of the world we don’t see the rings, the one element that we have that is just as powerful is the palantir,” says Cynthia Addai-Robinson, who plays Numenorean Queen Regent Miriel. “And we definitely have some shenanigans going on [with that] this season.”
The infamous seeing stones were originally created to enable communication across vast distances, to aid in intelligence gathering, and to show helpful visions of the past or future. When placed in the right hands, the stones could offer powerful guidance to help the rulers of kingdoms protect their people and avoid war. But they also have their dangers, as anyone who has seen Peter Jackson’s trilogy of films already knows. The palantir plays a huge role in the corruption of Saruman the White and almost paralyzes Peregrin Took. In the Tolkien books, a seeing stone is what drives Denethor to suicide.
When stared at for too long or used too frequently, the stones can wear on the mind, making it impossible for the viewer to distinguish between what has been and what will be. King Tar-Palantir essentially says as much to Elendil’s daughter Earien (Ema Horvath) at the end of The Rings of Power season 1. And although the palantiri technically cannot lie about upcoming or previous events, those with ill intent can easily use them to manipulate, obscuring context or presenting half-truths, making them more dangerous than they might initially appear. In both the movies and books, Sauron loves using these seeing stones to break his enemies
“I think that certainly the idea of the palantir is a very powerful tool that in the wrong hands can be manipulated and used for ill instead of good,” Anderson says. “So it has that same sort of temptation [as the rings], that same sort of pull of ‘how will people utilize this’? It’s an elven artifact and so its [influence] is something we are going to see in season two play out in our world.”
Much like the rings that will come to dominate so much of this series’ story, the palantir is, in its own way, a symbol of both temptation and control: Who has access to the power it represents? Who fears what others might do with its abilities? Who hopes to use it for their own ends?
“In season two, what you have is ambition, and how [that desire for] personal advancement in certain characters affects society in Numenor,” Lloyd Owen, who plays Elendil, says, laughingly gesturing toward his castmate Trystan Gravalle, who plays the constantly scheming politician Pharazon.
The Chancellor has been steadily angling to seize power from Miriel, and it certainly sounds as though political wrangling and ideological infighting will be a big piece of Numenor’s story this season.
“It’s in every human being, ambition,” Owen says. “And that is what gets turned up and up and up in them, and all without a ring needed. That’s already there in the politics of Numenor. That schism in society has always been there. It’s just going to start cracking and getting wider.”
The season two promotional materials lean into the idea of increasingly dark influences within this run of episodes, from everyday greed and corruption to the steadily encroaching sphere of Sauron’s influence and control. In Numenor, specifically, the threats are much more human, as increasing civil strife and competing political ideologies pit former friends and family against one another.
“It’s a roller coaster,” Gravelle says when asked about the series’ second outing. “It’s the same with our characters. [But] it’s a very human element we bring to it.”
Though none of the series’ titular rings seem to be bound for Numenor, there’s no doubt that the fate of the island kingdom still hangs in the balance this season, from both a political perspective and a very literal one, considering that multiple people have now seen visions of its future destruction by a great and unstoppable wave.
“The stakes are very high in season two,” Addai-Robinson teases. “We’re talking about a battle of good versus evil. It’s life, and death, and life versus death.”
But as so often happens in Tolkien stories, there are big choices to be made, and those decisions will not just shape the future of Numenor, but of all of Middle-earth.
“Are you going to be on the wrong side of history or the right side of history?” Owen asks. “As a Numenorean, you have a choice. There’s a moral choice for everyone in The Rings of Power.”
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season two premieres on Aug. 29 on Prime Video.
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