In Season 2 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, fans waited eagerly for an important moment. Galadriel (played by Morfydd Clark) and Sauron (played by Charlie Vickers) finally faced each other in an exciting duel on a cliff.
This fight was featured in the Season 2 trailer and made fans of Haladriel very excited. The fight included great choreography and intense moments for both characters, making viewers look forward to Season 3.
In a recent interview, Vickers spoke with Collider’s Carly Lane about this final fight. He discussed Sauron’s changing feelings towards Galadriel. Sauron now realizes that Galadriel will always find a way to survive. He explained, “Even though he stabbed her with the Crown of Morgoth, he’s underestimated her too many times.
He knows that she’ll survive in some capacity, that she’ll find a way. And again, it is unfinished business. They’re the forces of good and evil, and it’ll endure as long as the show does, that they’ll have this kind of connection. It’s no longer, ‘I can get you to join me.’
I feel like that door is now shut, because he says the door is still open and then she says it’s shut and then roundhouse kicks him to the face. [Laughs] But I think it’s now, ‘How am I going to defeat you guys?’ That’s the new mission. He hates the Elves and it’s like, ‘How can I exterminate, get rid of all of them, so then I can just really control and order Middle-earth?’”
The Many Faces of Sauron
One exciting part of the duel is when Sauron changes his appearance. He appears as Halbrand, Celebrimbor (played by Charles Edwards), and even as Galadriel. Vickers enjoyed returning to his Season 1 character. He said it was “really cool” and added that it showed how Sauron could have had power over Galadriel.
He explained, “It was Halbrand with slightly less stubble because I had to switch between Annatar and Halbrand in a day — although I think maybe I had a weekend to try and grow some stubble, which I pathetically attempted to do, and then we jumped back to Annatar on the same day.
But it was nice. It was nice to try and push [Galadriel’s] buttons in that way and almost show to her, ‘This is what could have happened had you joined me, and now look at the power that I have over you, and I will always have this power.’ It was a really long scene that Morfydd [Clark] and I worked on together. It was really fun to develop the physicality of it, and the action had to be grounded in the emotion.”
After appearing as Halbrand, Sauron quickly takes Galadriel’s form to confuse her. Clark did an excellent job of capturing Vickers’ energy, but he did not coach her. He stated, “I think I left it up to her because she’s such an amazing actor, so I just let her do her thing, but it was really because I hadn’t seen it.
I watched it for the first time last night, and I was like, ‘Okay, nice. That’s your imitation of me.’ It was really cool. I think she had a lot of fun doing it, but I left her up to her own devices. It was great to see.”
Filming the long sequence presented challenges for director Charlotte Brändström. She mentioned that it took several days to shoot. It was not only about the fight choreography but also about getting both Vickers and Clark ready for their roles.
Still from The Rings of Power (Credit: Prime Video)
She said, “It was five, six days or something that, I think. Also, it took a long time because of makeup, and the prosthetics, and stuff like that. Or when I had to get Morfydd clean and to be the other Galadriel, you couldn’t be done on the same day because she would need to go and get made up, and changed, and everything, and we would’ve lost hours in the day.
So we had to schedule it. I also wanted to shoot that scene as chronologically, as much as possible. I almost did, except for these problems. And also, obviously, changing Charlie, because he had to have a beard when he was Halbrand. But he was very shaved when he was Sauron, so that was something else.”
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 is available for streaming on Prime Video now. Keep an eye on Otakukart for Lane’s full interviews with Vickers and Brändström.
In only three episodes, Survivor 47 has shown that this season will be messy. This is a fantastic thing. This CBS reality show, created by Charlie Parsons, has entertained viewers for years with its stories of people surviving on a beach and voting each other out for a grand prize of $1,000,000.
The “New Era” seasons have changed the cast, with players being overly worried about how others see them. They rarely engage in the exciting, confrontational conflict that fans love.
Fortunately, this issue has decreased in recent seasons, thanks to players like Liz Wilcox and Q Burdette. In this current season, the first two episodes show people who are not afraid to speak their honest, sometimes embarrassing, thoughts.
This resulted in a surprising blindside that made viewers wonder: will this chaos continue and lead to even more shocking moments throughout the season?
Survivor Is Built on Blindsides
The latest episode of Survivor picks up right after the last one. Sue Smey and Caroline Vidmar celebrate TK’s elimination while his former ally, Kyle Ostwald, struggles to find a way forward. Gabe Ortis tries to help him by suggesting that Kyle team up with Sue and Caroline to vote out Tiyanna.
Kyle quickly informs the others about this plan. However, Sue does not want to hear it. She believes it is too early for this discussion and states in confessionals that she wants revenge on Kyle because he voted against her last time.
She is not the only one targeting someone! Anika Dhar and Sam Phalen from the yellow Gata tribe clash daily. Sam complains that Anika tries to control everything and corrects him frequently, even though she is right much of the time.
Fortunately, he has an idol that he plans to use on Andy Rueda, who is the apparent target, to help get out Anika with the support of his ally, Sierra Wright.
Tensions are high among these two tribes, but the red Lavo team feels even more annoyance. Everyone seems to be frustrated with one person: Rome Cooney. Since day one, people have labeled him a showboat.
His constant bragging annoys everyone, especially Aysha Welch, who is frustrated by how he hoards supplies and then complains that others are not contributing.
Although he irritates everyone, Teeny Chirichillo feels that since he has an idol, the best strategy is to ally with him, Kishan Patel, and Genevieve Mushaluk, even if she finds him very annoying.
Still from Survivor 47 (Credit: Paramount+)
Her irritation with him is outweighed by the understanding that Rome is a valuable player, especially when a boat arrives at their beach. Along with Anika and Kyle from the other tribes, Rome leaves for a journey.
Do You Have to Be Likable to Win Survivor?
Journeys are a regular part of modern Survivor. These trips from camp usually give players a chance to gain a new advantage or lose something important in their game.
The three contestants join forces, and Rome complains that he is at the bottom of his tribe while his two main rivals, Aysha and Solomon “Sol” Yi, are in control. This is a complete lie he hopes will put a target on their backs. Eventually, they discover their task: each person receives a bag containing one Advantage and two Lose Your Votes.
Drawing an Advantage gives them the benefit right away while drawing a Lose Your Vote means they will lose their ability to vote at the next tribal council. They can draw again to try for the Advantage, but drawing another Lose Your Vote means they lose their voting power for two tribal councils.
This risky game leaves Anika and Kyle without one vote and gives Rome an advantage, making him even more confident as everyone prepares for the immunity challenge.
This ocean challenge requires players to climb a large floating structure and jump off. They must swim and walk across a balance beam while collecting keys to unlock pieces for their final puzzle. The prize is not only immunity but also some vital supplies. Everyone is eager to get started.
However, the show changes things up by showing how each tribe divides up tasks. While the Gata and Tuku tribes easily assign roles, viewers see Sol and Rome clash on the Lavo team, with both men wanting to go first.
Still from Survivor 47 (Credit: Paramount+)
They do not resolve this until Rome complains that he will be “really mad” if he cannot go first, pushing the older man to give in to avoid a tantrum. Even with Rome starting, the challenge does not help the Lavo tribe, which struggles with the final puzzle and faces the tribal council later that evening with Jeff Probst.
In Survivor, You Don’t Always Get What You Want
Before tribal council, moments on Survivor are usually filled with intense strategy. However, Lavo’s time before the elimination ceremony is simple. Rome knows he has all the power in his alliance. He identifies Sol and Aysha as his targets for the night, with Teeny initially convincing him to focus on Sol and maintain her relationship with him.
Unfortunately, Aysha does not respond well to this plan. When Teeny and Kishan tell her she is safe if she votes out Sol, she argues that they should target Genevieve instead. This causes the others to question whether she is trustworthy.
This ending is bittersweet for a likable player. It shows the genuine hurt that every eliminated castaway feels but rarely expresses. This emotional moment adds to the pure chaos that defines the early parts of this season.
Each episode offers at least one scene filled with intense feelings as these players seem to be losing their cool earlier than expected.
This chaotic gameplay creates an exciting experience for viewers, reminding longtime fans of the wild early seasons that made this show popular. This is a great energy to start with, and if the trailer at the end of the episode is any hint, viewers can expect even more drama ahead!
Still from Survivor 47 (Credit: Paramount+)
As alliances shift, Rome Cooney emerges as a polarizing figure, annoying his tribe yet holding power with an idol. Tensions rise among tribes, especially before the tribal council, where Aysha faces betrayal from her allies, resulting in her elimination. This season’s intense emotions and unpredictable gameplay evoke memories of the show’s wild early years, attracting long-time fans.
