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And the final episode of this first season of the Rings of Power is finally here! I have to say I have enjoyed the show quite a bit, and even if there were some parts that perhaps would have worked if done differently, I thought it was a solid season, and this final episode managed to wrap up many of the mysteries of the season, while leaving open a lot of loose threads, to be explored in future seasons.
And McCreary's music definitely offered a great deal of variations on all the themes we have grown to know and love, offering them a send off until we get to listen to them again, when Season 2 comes!
By the way, Bear is releasing weekly albums with complete score for each episode, so I definitely recommend to give it a listen while you read this, so you can better understand the narrative and the thematic development I analyze. And in case you need it, I'm working on a spreadsheet comparing the tracks on the complete releases to the tracks already released in the first soundtrack album.
SHORT DISCLAIMER: The transcriptions are not always in the same key as the pieces I put as example, and sometimes they are simplified to make it clearer and more concise
The only storyline not featured this episode is the Khazad-dûm one, but I think we got a great close to that one with previous episode, McCreary really allowing his themes to be featured extensively with some emotional variations.
In this episode, we have the other three storylines (Númenor, Harfoots and Galadriel). The Númenor one is perhaps the weakest one this episode, as it didn't really had a lot of screen time. The most interesting part of this storyline is Earien's discovery of the palantir. She is drawing a portrait of the king before he passes away, and he reveals some dark truths laying before them. This whole sequence is scored with an extended statement of the Elendil and Isildur Theme, here also associated with Earien as a member of the family. Listen to it at 6:30 of "An Intriguing Suggestion" or at 0:57 of "Black Flags"
Then, as Elendil and Miriel return to Númenor, and they see the black flags, they realize the king is dead, and we get to hear one last statement of the Númenor Theme before we say goodbye to this storyline. You can listen to it in briefly at 5:35 of "An Intriguing Suggestion", before it plays in full during "Black Flags", at 0:12 and at 2:15.
Elendil and Isildur Theme
Númenor Theme
We move onto the Harfoots storyline, which finally offered some answers and emotions. The Mystics theme, both their chant and the motif associated with them gets extended development during this sequences, especially in their confrontation against the Harfoots. You can listen to the theme at 1:40 of "Encountering Servants", and then at 3:28, 5:20 or 5:55 of "Confronting the Mystics".
This two tracks also feature extended variations on The Stranger's Theme, here achieving its full potential, first intermingling with Sauron's Theme at the end of "Encountering Servants" or at 1:47 of "Confronting the Mystics", as the Mystics proclaim him"Lord Sauron", before turning heroic and noble, as he reveals himself as a "good wizard". I particularly love the statements of this theme at 4:03, 6:31 or 8:40 of "Confrontation with the Mystics", this last one being especially great in its choral presence, joined by his associated ostinato.
The Stranger's Theme
Harfoot Theme
After being mysterious, and even menacing during the season, the theme has finally achieved his purpose, as this mysterious Stranger is revealed to be one of the istar (perhaps it's Gandalf, but the name hasn't been said yet), and McCreary celebrates this with glorious statements of his theme, which finally place him on the good side of the story. This confrontation is not over without some sacrifices, as Sadoc has been badly injured. They bid him farewell, as they watch the sun rise, and McCreary supports this emotional moment with a gorgeous lament on the Harfoot Theme, at 10:14 of "Confronting the Mystics", and then at 1:36 of "Wise One" (6:50 of "The Mystics", and "Wise One" is the same as the track on the album release)
This way, McCreary offers an emotional farewell to Sadoc after his heroic sacrifice. But there's one last goodbye to say before we are done with this storyline. The Stranger is ging on a journey to learn more about his origins and purpose, and Nori's parents have realized that she needs to go with him. In "Wise One", we open with the Stranger's Theme, and we also hear the Harfoot theme, but the theme that dominates the whole cue is Nori's Theme. McCreary develops both sections of the theme extensively, as Nori says goodbye to the tribe, to her family and finally to her dear friend Poppy, before she goes on a new adventure with her friend.
The music here is allowed to soar, to become greatly emotional, greatly developing the theme, and reaching dramatic heights which, if I'm honest, made me a bit emotional during the episode. Listen to a goosebump-inducing statement of the theme at 8:03 of the cue, which sends off this storyline beautifully.
Nori Brandyfoot Theme
This storyline, even if not my favorite, definitely has had some of the best music in the whole show, and these last cues have made that clear with gorgeous, emotional statements of the main themes. But obviously, there's at one more storyline we have to talk about, and that is no other than what happens at Eregion with Galadriel, Elrond and Halbrand.
During the first part of the episode, as Halbrand is healed, and Celebrimbor starts his project, McCreary allows all his different themes to be featured extensively, but giving especial importance to a motif which will become essential during this episode. We get to hear Galadriel's Theme, Elrond's Theme, and some statements of Halbrand's theme, as well as letting the Rings of Power motif to be developed extensively, also incorporating an ostinato that plays over the forge sequences.
Galadriel's Theme
Elrond's Theme
But some dark truths are about to be revealed, and Galadriel suddenly comes to the shocking realization that the one she has been helping might be the one she was so blindly keen on destroying as an act of revenge. In "The Broken Line and the Broken Silence", McCreary supports this horrifying truths with great intelligence. At the very beginning of the track, we can hear Halbrand's Theme, but as she questions him about his true self, a chilling melody rises on strings, revealing the truth. Sauron's Theme is proclaimed as Halbrand accepts this, to Galadriel's shock and anger.
Galadriel strikes, but she is surprised by a vision of the past, as she finds herself back in Valinor, with her brother. The Valinor Theme, missing since the first episode, when she refused to return and jumped off the boat. Here the theme is a bit unnerving, since we know this isn't entirely true.
Galadriel's Theme plays a couple of times here and there, but the highlight of the entire cue is how McCreary reveals that the Halbrand theme and the Sauron theme, had been quite similar all this time, since if you invert the first 5 notes of Halbrand's theme, you get something extremely close to Sauron's theme (check the transcriptions of the themes, below). He develops both ideas extensively, even playing them in unison at 4:27 of the cue, as Halbrand tries to seduce Galadriel.
Halbrand's Theme
Sauron's Theme
After this shocking reveal, Galadriel realizes they need to forge three objects that will help them maintain balance amidst the darkness, and thus commences the Forge of the Rings of Power. Galadriel's Theme opens "True Creation Requires Sacrifice" with a female voice lament, before Elrond's Theme takes over, as he throws the mithril into the fire. Then, the Rings of Power Ostinato takes over, joined by the Rings of Power Motif, both finally achieving their meaning, as the three elven rings are being forged.
This cue also introduces a brand new melodic idea, derived from the chords that inform the Rings of Power Motif, and it's obviously none other than the Rings of Power Theme, finally proclaiming itself at 2:13, McCreary establishing this idea as a chilling melody that will surely develop as we witness the forge of the rest of the rings in upcoming seasons.
The Rings of Power Theme
The episode ends with extended development of this Rings of Power material, before the end credits roll, and "Where the Shadows Lie" starts to play. Fiona Apple's voice reminds me a lot of Emiliana Torrini's contributions to Gollum's Song at the end of The Two Towers, and is very clear that this is no way a triumphant song for the good guys, but a proclamation of the victory of evil.
The Rings of Power Theme plays in full, with some appearances of the simplified motif, but the most chilling aspect of the song are the lyrics. This twisted and sinister melody is then set to a very famous Tolkien poem, relating the forge of the Rings of Power, and which is knwo by many as the narration that occurs over the Prologue of the Fellowship of the Ring, narrated by none other than Galadriel herself.
With this, we finish the season on a dowbeat note, with an impending sense of incoming doom lurking all over the place, and McCreary's contribution with the gorgeously menacing song send off the season with brilliance and elegance.
And just like that, we're done with the season! I really hope you all enjoyed reading this analysis as much as I enjoyed writing them. McCreary's music has been one of the best aspects of the whole season, and his intelligence and attention to detail have offered a very rewarding experience from start to finish. Overall, the show was quite good, although I understand where some of the criticism come, but I think the acting was very strong (I particularly enjoyed the Khazad-dûm storyline for this reason), the story beats and character developments was interesting and well-paced for the most part, and the action and shocking reveals of episode 6 and episode 8 have been the highlights of the season.
I really hope that this show continues in further seasons, since I think there is a lot of potential, and definitely one of the things I'm looking for the most is McCreary's score. I cannot wait to see and hear how he develops his themes, as well as perhaps introducing new ones as new characters are introduced, and if the rest of the seasons are as excellent as this one score-wise, I think it would become such a great achievement for McCreary, and he wouldn't be too far from the monumental achievement Shore did on the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit trilogies!
This season is over, but there's more to come, with the analysis of the last episodes of House of the Dragon, and a couple more proyects I'm planning to develop (perhaps the Willow series?, or maybe the Season 3 of The Mandalorian?), so be sure to stay tuned for those, thanks for reading and enjoying this passion project, and see you all very soon!
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