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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsThe episode behind the Tom Bombadil and barrow-wight discussion is Season 2, Episode 4, “Eldest,” released September 5, 2024—not Season 1, Episode 4, “The Great Wave.” “Eldest” makes conspicuous changes to Tolkien’s characters, settings, and chronology, but the available coverage does not establish two settled mistakes that it fixes. The more accurate question is whether its choices address criticisms—or create new continuity questions.
What is different about Rings of Power episode 4?
“Episode 4” can refer to two different installments. Season 1’s “The Great Wave” follows Queen Regent Míriel, Isildur, Arondir, Elrond, and Theo; it does not center on Tom Bombadil. Season 2’s “Eldest” is the installment featuring Bombadil, the Stoors, a tree-rescue sequence, and barrow-wights. Rotten Tomatoes’ Season 1 listing identifies “The Great Wave,” while Den of Geek’s review of “Eldest” discusses the Season 2 episode’s Tolkien comparisons.
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What two Lord of the Rings mistakes does episode 4 fix?
No clearly established pair of mistakes is documented in the coverage of “Eldest.” The phrase “fixes two mistakes” is therefore best treated as an argument about adaptation, not a settled account of what the episode corrects. Two relevant points of comparison are the placement of Bombadil and the tree sequence, and the episode’s use of barrow-wights and familiar material. Neither automatically proves that the show fixes an error in Tolkien or in earlier adaptations.
Bombadil and the tree sequence
Den of Geek reads the episode’s desert tree as an adaptation of Old Man Willow and notes that the series places Bombadil and the Stoors in different geography from their book-associated settings. That is a useful comparison of a recognizable scene and character placement, but it is a reviewer’s reading of the adaptation—not evidence that Tolkien’s story contained a mistake that needed repair.
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Barrow-wights and chronology
In his Forbes review, Erik Kain argues that the barrow-wights appear too early relative to Third Age chronology and criticizes the episode’s reuse of dialogue and scenes from The Lord of the Rings. Those are Kain’s critical judgments. They should not be mistaken for a conclusive demonstration from Tolkien’s primary texts that the episode corrects, or commits, a specific continuity error. Read Kain’s review.
Does Rings of Power season 2 episode 4 follow Tolkien’s books?
“Eldest” draws on Tolkien-associated characters and imagery, but the cited reviews describe adaptation choices rather than a scene-by-scene reproduction of the books. The tree episode is interpreted as an Old Man Willow echo, while Bombadil and the Stoors appear in relocated geography. The show also puts these elements into its own story and uses familiar material in ways Kain criticizes as repetition.
The episode’s Bombadil also has a stated creative rationale. Showrunner Patrick McKay called him an “enigmatic, whimsical, eternal being” and said that having the characters encounter him was appealing, according to TheWrap’s September 5, 2024 report. That explains the production’s interest in bringing the character into the series; it does not make every change faithful to the books.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to judge the episode’s Tolkien changes
- Chronology: Separate a reviewer’s claim about Second Age and Third Age timing from what is established by primary-text evidence.
- Geography and character placement: Note where the series relocates characters or groups compared with their book-associated settings.
- Adapted versus invented material: A recognizable character or scene can be an adaptation or echo without being a direct recreation.
- Continuity versus taste: A chronology claim is different from a judgment that reused dialogue or a scene feels unnecessary.
Season 1’s “The Great Wave” is a separate episode and a different subject. For context on that installment, Rotten Tomatoes Editorial’s Season 1 midpoint explainer summarizes Tolkien’s Orc-origin material as describing Elves captured and corrupted by Morgoth, while noting that Tolkien did not write a long narrative about one individual Elf becoming an Orc. That background should not be conflated with the Bombadil and barrow-wight discussion in “Eldest.”
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