Eat earth, dig deep, avoid spoilers. This article discusses plot details from the latest episode of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.”
You might say that “The Lord of the Rings” exists in the context of all in which we live and what came before. Whether it be the animated movies from decades past, the seminal live-action “The Lord of the Rings” movie trilogy, the various video games, or “The Rings of Power” series, all stand on the shoulders of what Professor J.R.R. Tolkien originally brought to life when he put pen to paper all those years ago. One needn’t look far to find debates raging over whether a particular adaptation “feels like Tolkien” or not, which conveniently cuts right to the heart of the matter. While other IPs seem doomed to a death spiral of endlessly self-reflexive tendencies and references, season 2 of “The Rings of Power” represents a bold step into the future — ironically, in this case, by echoing a moment lifted directly from the property’s past.
The big moment comes early on in episode 4 of the Prime Video series, through one particularly memorable sequence. After losing the Harfoots Nori (Markella Kavenagh) and Poppy (Megan Richards), the lonely Stranger (Daniel Weyman) happens to stumble upon the most unlikely person imaginable out in the wastelands of the desert region of Rhûn. Yes, it’s none other than Rory Kinnear’s enigmatic Tom Bombadil, a merry fellow whose boots are, indeed, yellow. But it’s what happens next that should seem awfully familiar to fans of the previous movies. After unsuccessfully trying to amputate a branch from a tree (in his defense, he thought that was how he was meant to get his wizard’s staff), the Stranger ends up at the mercy of the very alive hunk of wood … but, luckily, good ol’ Tom is there to save the day.
In the process, this homages two famous moments: a chapter from Tolkien’s “The Fellowship of the Ring,” and, intriguingly enough, a deleted scene (since restored in the extended edition) from Peter Jackson’s “The Two Towers.”
Tom Bombadil: Wearer of boots, eldest of beings, and tamer of trees
Would it surprise anyone to realize that “The Rings of Power” showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay took their cues directly from Tolkien when it came time to introduce Tom Bombadil for the first time in live-action? Although set long before the events of “The Lord of the Rings,” season 2 all but recreates the whimsical hermit’s first action all those centuries later when he bursts onto the scene in the pages of “The Fellowship of the Ring.” While traveling through the Shire and forced to traverse the ancient and ominous region known as the Old Forest, our plucky Hobbits Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin quickly run into trouble. Placed under strange spells that cause extreme drowsiness, the quartet wind up in the heart of the woods and in the arms of the Old Forest’s central source of power: a malevolent, living tree known as Old Man Willow. The twisted creature promptly attempts to murder the hapless Halflings, quite literally swallowing up Merry and Pippin within its trunk and refusing to let them go.
Until, that is, ol’ Tom Bombadil happens upon the commotion and leaps to their aid. All but scolding the willow (considered among fans to be a lone “Huorn,” a sentient treelike being that makes up the “flocks” tended by Ents, the “shepherds” of the forest), Bombadil’s solution is to simply yell at Old Man Willow to return to his slumber and leave the trespassers alone: “You should not be waking. Eat earth! Dig deep! Drink water! Go to sleep!” This works splendidly, of course, and our little heroes are treated to a prolonged staycation in the house of Tom Bombadil. This wasn’t the last time we’d see a spin on these events, however.
The Rings of Power throws back to The Two Towers extended edition
Tom Bombadil might not appear in any of Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings” movies, but he sure does make his presence felt anyway. “The Rings of Power” made history the moment Rory Kinnear turned towards the camera with that goofy grin and announced his character’s arrival in Middle-earth, but technically that wasn’t the first time we heard the words of Bombadil spoken aloud in this franchise.
Hardcore fans know that, as lengthy as they are, the trilogy spawned even longer versions of the movies with their extended editions. Adding scenes that were deleted or cut short in order to keep the theatrical cuts palatable for mainstream audiences, all those restrictions went out the door for the sake of purists — many of whom would gladly take every extra minute spent in this beloved fantasy world. One of these scenes was restored for the extended edition of “The Two Towers,” which found a clever workaround to the missing Bombadil of it all. In a direct adaptation of the above sequence with Old Man Willow, Jackson substituted the wise Ent Treebeard in place of Bombadil, saving the very same culprits of Merry and Pippin from a wayward Huorn in Fangorn Forest. The moment is written exactly the same as in Tolkien’s text – the powerful hero figure swoops in to save two Hobbits from certain death, calming the tree down with the exact same phrase.
“The Rings of Power” adds a neat wrinkle to this, reinstating Bombadil in his traditional role but putting the Stranger in danger (heh) as opposed to any Harfoots and replacing Old Man Willow with another moody tree named Old Man Ironwood. This intro has the added benefit of establishing that there’s far more to this oddball fellow (whose boots are yellow) than meets the eye, showing that he wields a power over nature that the Stranger desperately wishes to learn and master. Whether he ever manages to do so will be a challenge the upcoming episodes will surely put to the test.
New episodes of “The Rings of Power” stream on Prime Video every Thursday. Solana Token Creator
