The Rings Of Power enters the "House Of Tom Bombadil"

The Rings Of Power probably doesn’t get enough credit for leaning into Tolkien’s inherent hokeyness. It’s something Peter Jackson got right in his original trilogy. The slow dimming of the Hobbits’ rosy-cheeked, Shire-born innocence as the halfling outsiders travel a cruel, dirty, and hostile world, where creature comforts don’t simply pop out of the ground, is an awakening for them. Their little holes are not immune from the mechanized death of the wider world, leading them to cling harder to that which they love. The other ingredient of that alchemy is really corny Hobbit shit—moments when Merry can pull a snapped carrot out of his pocket and whine, “I think I’ve broken something.” In an age of overly serious fantasy worlds, the Hobbits’ broad comedy is a reminder that there is some silliness in this world, and it’s worth fighting for. 

Tom Bombadil is a good reminder of this. The mysterious elemental—paradoxically undefinable and simply “Tom Bombadil”—is often a litmus test for first-time Rings readers. Disconnected from the wider plot (hence why Jackson excised the character completely), the Bombadil detour gives readers a sense of the greater mysteries of Middle-earth, some of which aren’t easily or ever answered. Make it out of the “House Of Tom Bombadil” chapters without losing your mind, and the tonal shifts of Tolkien’s world won’t seem so out of place. After all, the darkness of Mordor is only achievable through the lightness of Bombadil. 

Episode four emphasizes this point by introducing several elements from Tolkien’s Fellowship Of The Ring, shadows of the past that will soon fade into myth. But that also means leaning harder than ever into Hobbit goofiness. Because in an episode that includes the first ever on-screen appearance of Tom Bombadil, the Barrow-wights, and the Entwives, the strangest, most confounding, and memorable thing was sitting on a halfling’s head. Nobody (played by Gavi Singh Chera), as everyone but his mother calls him (she calls him Merimac), looks too much like Sonic the Hedgehog to take seriously, which is why it’s all the more impressive when the brief moments of romantic connection with Poppy work. That’s the magic of Hobbits, a people that have never had good wigs but are so reliably endearing that they can survive even the most matted hairstyling. The cornier they are, the more endearing they have the potential to be—although I’d be really surprised if they turned Nobody into the breakout star. 

The episode splits into three parts, opening with Elrond and Galadriel finally setting out for Eregion, where Celebrimbor has already begun work on rings for Dwarves. Now under Elrond’s (and the Ring’s) command, Galadriel does little to hide her resentment toward Gil-Galad’s decision. Elrond no longer entirely sees his old friend in a confident light, noticing the telltale signs of Ring sickness clouding Galadriel’s judgment. The added complication to their relationship is good. After a season of separation and two episodes of back and forth, it’s nice to see them actually making forward movement. They do have a Dark Lord to catch and time is of the essence, so after braiding Galadriel’s hair, they assemble a Fellowship of nameless Elves and set out for a quest too late, only to find their exit blocked. Sauron—or, perhaps, Adar—has destroyed the bridge to Eregion, forcing the Elves to detour through the haunted Barrow-downs. 

The Elves have the episode's darkest story arc, highlighting the dividing lines between Galadriel and Elrond and the fractured relationships, both emotional and spatial, of the rest of the characters. Still suspicious of the Ring and the power of its bearer, Elrond has the added pressure of sorting through Galadriel’s intentions when considering her council. By the end of the episode, as Galadriel creates a diversion that allows her company to flee the Orcs, Elrond notes that she’s not protecting her friends—she’s protecting the Ring. It’s a decision that lands her in Adar’s captivity. The last time that happened, the darkness within Galadriel grew even more pronounced. 

Separation also plagues the Stranger, though he has no one to blame but himself. Searching the desert for Nori and Poppy, the Stranger follows his map to the stars to the door of Tom Bombadil (Rory Kinnear) and the stump of Old Ironside. For a character as beloved and frequently considered “unfilmable” as Old Tom, directors Louise Hooper and Sanaa Hamri don’t deliver the Bombadil we expect. Following decades of fan art and audiobook narrator Robert Inglis’ booming interpretation of the character, I expected Bombadil to have more of a Ghost Of Christmas Present aura—boisterous and joyful, welcoming but aloof. But Kinnear is quieter, more curious, and wiser than anticipated. It’s measured but playful, with a world-weary detachment, imbuing the character with the complications and contradictions that have long made him such an enigma. 

Kinnear mostly underplays Middle-earth’s eldest, allowing his jokes and riddles to land gently on the Stranger. Rather than the booming voice the Hobbits hear outside the Withywindle, Kinnear hums and mutters, softly lulling the tree to sleep and freeing the Stranger. But he’s also a more plot-minded Tom Bombadil, and when he becomes a compass for the Stranger’s quest, some of his charm washes away, and the adventures of Tom Bombadil become more of an exposition dump. 

On the other side of Rhün, Poppy and Nori find themselves among the Stoors, another breed of halfling who occupy holes in the ground. But after some time with Nobody and the tribal leader Gundabale (Tanya Moodie), Nori discovers that Sadoc’s trail may have begun in Stoors-ville, with the name “Burrows” being a common link between tribes. These mysteries all get shunted to another episode because, like at Tom’s house, exposition needs tending. Rhün is under the control of a Dark Wizard. Modeled after Christopher Lee’s Saruman, the Dark Wizard leads a gang of Easterlings in intimidating gold masks to the halflings' doorstep, not unlike the Black Riders at Crickhollow. Tom tells of a time when another Wizard ate honey by his fire and then lays out the Stranger’s “task” in pretty broad terms: The Stranger’s task is to face the Dark Wizard and Sauron. 

To the south, Arondir, Estrid, and Isildur search the forest for Theo and our final Tolkien first of the episode, the encounter with the Entwives. Of the multiple cameo appearances, the Ents come off best as they are the most reactive to the world shifting below them. Winterbloom (voiced by Olivia Williams) and Snaggleroot (Jim Broadbent, in a real coup) are forest refugees attempting to escape the increased deforestation that’s sprung up since Mount Doom’s eruption. 

Since the Ents don’t really have  a quest for our heroes, the show does something it does all too infrequently this season and takes a break, and the characters talk about something other than plot for a second. There’s a deep connection between Elves and Ents, both protectors of Middle-earth’s natural wonder. Arondir, who regrettably touched ax to wood last season, faces the consequences of his imprisonment by the Orcs. The traumatic events of the Second Age aren’t just committed by willing perpetrators but also by the enemy's prisoners. And yet, the real tragedy of Arondir’s apology to Winterbloom is that it will go unfulfilled. By the end of the Second Age, the Entwives will be gone. 

More than seemingly any episode yet, Rings Of Power leans into Lord Of The Rings proper in this episode, digging up the remnants of an ancient world and presenting them in a time when they were new. Even now, they know the world is changing. The Elves are fading. The Dwarves are fading. Even the Ents are fading. Some things that should not be forgotten are beginning to disappear. History becomes legend, and legend becomes myth. 

Stray observations

• • “Rings for men!?” Is Celebrimbor going to sell “Manbands” on Instagram? 
• • “I said one good reason.”
• • “You’re here. At least, I think you are. Are you?”
• • “A Wizard’s staff is like a name, if you choose yourself worthy of it.”
• • In an episode full of references, Easter eggs, and remixes, the quicksand sequence too closely recalled the tentacle monster attack. However, I do like Arondir and Isildur getting a few jokes. “This we shall call ‘Supper.’” Look at Arondir go like he’s on Comics Unleashed. 
• • I spent too much time thinking about where everyone was in this episode. Namely, I, a complete moron, thought that was Old Man Willow outside Bombadil’s house. Therefore, I was under the impression that Bombadil and the Stranger were outside the Old Forest, not far from the Galadriel and Elrond. Of course, this makes no sense because he’s supposed to be in Rhün with the Harfoots. It made more sense after rewatching: The tree outside Bombadil’s is named “Old Ironside.” Why does Tom insist on living next to man-eating trees? 
• • What did we think of the Barrow-wights? Kind of cool, right? A touch too Disney. I was getting hints of Haunted Mansion and Pirates Of The Caribbean in their glowing green eyes. Obviously, Jackson played with some of that imagery, too. 
• • In addition to Merimac’s wig, I’d also throw Adar in the questionable hairstyles this season. The guy looks too much like David Putty to really be a menace. What are the odds of Adar turning up in an 8-Ball jacket by season’s end? 
• • To that end, the Easterlings look sick as hell, and the shots of their silhouettes crossing the desert are some of the most evocative of the season.