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Season 2, Episode 4 of The Rings of Power, titled “Eldest,” was released on September 5, 2024. It moves through four separate threads that do not share a location: Galadriel and Elrond heading toward Eregion, the Stranger’s meeting with Tom Bombadil in Rhûn, Nori and Poppy among the Stoors, and Isildur and Arondir’s search for Theo. The episode’s final movement belongs to Galadriel and Elrond, and it is covered in the last section below.
Episode details
- Title: “Eldest”
- Season and episode: Season 2, Episode 4
- Release date: September 5, 2024
- Screenwriter (per the episode’s official page credits): Glenise Mullins
- Directors (per the same credits): Sanaa Hamri and Louise Hooper
The Stranger and Tom Bombadil in Rhûn
Separated from Nori and Poppy, the Stranger ends up in Rhûn, where he meets Tom Bombadil. He tries to retrieve his map and is captured by a tree. Tom frees him, then offers the kind of riddling counsel the character is known for. The Stranger asks Tom how to learn to wield a staff. Tom replies that the Dark Wizard once came to him seeking power, and he warns that a larger conflict involving Sauron is coming.
The episode presents Tom as “the Eldest,” which is the episode’s title and its framing for him. The show leaves his nature open rather than settling it, so viewers should treat this encounter as a set of hints rather than a full explanation of who Tom is. One exchange, as reproduced by GamesRadar+, is a line of character dialogue from Tom: “There’s what you’re searching for, and there’s what you find, ain’t there?”
Nori and Poppy among the Stoors
The two Harfoots run into Merimac and are led to a Stoor settlement. Its leader, Gundabel, tells them a story about a Harfoot who would find a prosperous homeland. Nori’s reply is that the Harfoots kept wandering, which keeps the story’s hope at arm’s length. The scene’s tension rises when Dark Wizard trackers arrive. Gundabel keeps the travelers’ location from them, so the Stoors’ hospitality becomes a form of protection.
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Isildur, Arondir and the search for Theo
Isildur and Arondir keep searching for Theo, and Estrid’s knowledge of the land shapes their route. Estrid carries a mark that ties her to Adar’s people, which adds unease to her help. The search also includes a dangerous creature, which the episode uses to raise the stakes of the chase.
The episode reveals that Theo is with the Ents. Arondir asks for forgiveness for harm done to the forest, and the Ents eventually release Theo and the other captives. The resolution depends on Arondir’s appeal rather than on force, which gives this thread a different emotional register from the battle movements elsewhere in the hour.
How the threads fit together
The four threads are edited to alternate rather than converge, so the episode’s structure depends on tonal contrast. The shift from the quiet, mythic register of Rhûn to the urgency of the Eregion approach is the most noticeable transition, and whether it works is a matter of taste. Critical opinion is split. Rotten Tomatoes lists reviews that disagree about the episode’s balance and effectiveness. One review describes it as “mixing breathless action scenes,” while another argues that the Harfoots, Stoors and Ents add emotional grounding. These are individual critical judgments, not a settled consensus, and the aggregate score on that site changes over time, so it should be checked directly rather than taken from this article.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Galadriel and Elrond: the final movement
Setting out without word from Celebrimbor
With no word from Celebrimbor, Galadriel and Elrond assemble a small group and set out toward Eregion. Their route is disrupted, and Nenya gives Galadriel a threatening vision. Elrond chooses to press on despite her warning, which sets up the tension between them for the rest of the episode.
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In the Barrow-downs, the group encounters barrow-wights and suffers an attack. The sequence is less about the wights themselves than about the cost of Elrond’s decision to keep moving.
Eregion and the choice to stay
As Adar’s forces approach Eregion, Galadriel uses Nenya to heal an injured elf. She then hands the ring to Elrond and remains behind to delay the orcs. The episode ends with Adar cornering her, leaving her position unresolved.
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