The Rings of PowerOwain Arthur and Sophia Nomvete have already hinted at how the Dwarven Rings will sow division in Khazad-dûm in Season 2.
The actors, who play Prince Durin IV and Princess Disa in Amazon’s high fantasy prequel series, sat down with me to discuss all things dwarven ahead of The Rings of Power the launch of Season 2. The biggest question I had, perhaps unsurprisingly, was how the upcoming crafting of the Seven Rings for the Dwarf Lords will impact the duo, Durin’s father, King Durin III (Peter Mullen), and their underground kingdom.
It seems like they’ll be just as divided as the three Elven Rings, as the Dwarves’ immortal brothers are taking a “huge risk” by using said magical artifacts in Season 2. Indeed, we only get a glimpse of the forging of the Dwarven Rings toward the end of Episode 2 of the hit Prime Video show’s second season. Given the differing opinions Durin IV and Disa have already voiced against each other – and Sauron, who’s masquerading as Annatar this season – it seems like the seeds of his division could spell danger for Khazad-dûm as a whole.
“He distrusts Annatar,” Arthur said of Durin IV after his first encounter with Sauron’s alias and Celebrimbor’s plan to make more rings. “Annatar mentions Elrond, which was a big mistake on his part, as he probably didn’t expect Durin to be such good friends with an elf. That immediately raises suspicions.
“But it is hearing about the rings and the cunning of the plan that divides opinion. Durin does not see them as a quick fix (for Khazad-dûm’s problems), but some people truly trust them, and others develop a thirst for them. It is like being addicted to drugs in a sense, because of their apparent ability to cure problems, but that is not the case with substance abuse, and it certainly is not here.”
The dilemma that is Khazad-dûm is there for all to see. As a byproduct of the creation of Mount Doom in season 1 episode 6, a powerful earthquake strikes The Lord of the Ring‘ famed dwarven kingdom, which destroys the race’s sunbeams vital to dwarven agriculture. As a result, their crops die and Khazad-dûm’s limited food reserves must be used to sustain the population.
Oh, and let’s not forget that the two Durins have become estranged after an explosive argument in Season 1, Episode 7. Oh, and then there’s the fact that Disa and her fellow Resonators have seemingly lost their ability to “sing” to the mountain – another crucial part of Dwarven culture that helps them expand into new territories ripe for excavation. That’s before we even mention the rise of the Balrog, also known as Durin’s Bane, which will surely attack the kingdom before the final episode of Season 2.
“Their opinions (about the rings) shift and change,” Nomvete said. “For Durin, it’s all speculative, but Disa sees it through rose-colored glasses because the dwarves are in crisis. This has to be the answer, because it’s a magic pill that fixes everything. She’s lost her spark and her pure part because she can’t sing to the mountain, so while I think her intentions come from a place of love, she becomes desperate. She can feel the pain within the walls of the city, which leads her to make some slightly questionable decisions.
“But they (the rings) end up like putting a bandage on a wound or covering up the cracks. I think Disa discovers that later when she starts to relate things back to her voice. She thinks, ‘Wait a minute, it’s taken forever to come up with this gift of resonance. These rings aren’t going to fix everything.’ There has to be cause and effect. There has to be a price and she starts to feel that the price is not only great, but also dark. That’s when things shift between Disa and Prince Durin, who starts to wonder why she’s wavering in her faith in the rings.”
I’ll be bringing you more exclusives from one of Prime Video’s best shows in its second season, including more of my chat with Owain and Sophia. In the meantime, read our spoiler-light review of The Rings of Power season The first three episodes of 2, or check out even more exclusive stories from my interviews with the showrunners and other cast members.