The Season 2 finale of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power told a grand story that captured viewers’ attention. This episode featured a dramatic battle between Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) and Sauron (Charlie Vickers), revealed the true identity of the Stranger (Daniel Weyman), and wrapped up the plot surrounding Khazad-dûm.
As the finale unfolded, the fiery beast that had been sleeping deep within the mines finally awoke. While the series has hinted at this moment, most fans are already aware of the fate that awaits the Dwarven city due to the Fellowship’s experiences in the Mines of Moria many years later.
The Balrog is an important creature in J.R.R. Tolkien’s stories, especially regarding Khazad-dûm’s history. However, the changes made in The Rings of Power create a significant plot hole for the series.
The Rise of Khazad-dûm
In the series, Khazad-dûm is shown at its peak. This is the time when mithril is discovered, promising great wealth for the Dwarves living there.
The series chooses to introduce Khazad-dûm during this golden period rather than stick to the established timeline in Tolkien’s writings. Instead of following the timeline that Tolkien created, The Rings of Power rushed to depict the fall of this great city.
The story escalates too quickly. Durin III (Peter Mullan), influenced by the greed brought on by his ring, begins to dig deeper into the mines. This digging disturbs the monster that resides below, known as Durin’s Bane, ultimately forcing the Dwarves to abandon their home.
Still from The Rings of Power (Credit: Prime Video)
While the fast pace of the story may explain some of these changes, it does not provide the Dwarves with enough time to fully exploit their mithril and earn the wealth that they are meant to gain. This lack of time to establish their fortune before facing challenges with the Balrog ultimately harms Khazad-dûm’s reputation.
The Finale: A Fight for Survival
In the Season 2 finale titled “Shadow and Flame,” the plot takes a serious turn. After obtaining one of the Seven Dwarven Rings, Durin III becomes increasingly greedy. He pushes the Dwarves to exploit the mines of Khazad-dûm beyond safe limits.
When he learns about the war between Sauron and the Elves, he sees an opportunity to mine mithril to create unbeatable armor. This armor would supposedly bring immense wealth to Khazad-dûm.
As Prince Durin (Owain Arthur) observes his father’s descent into greed, he fights back to stop Durin III from bringing destruction to their city. Gradually, other Dwarves begin to understand the seriousness of the situation. They join Prince Durin and his wife, Disa (Sophia Nomvete), in opposing the King. However, the tensions escalate in the Season 2 finale.
When Prince Durin nearly leads the army away from Khazad-dûm, the King retaliates by ordering his guards to confront the rebels. He clears a path to the mine they are trying to protect so he can continue digging despite the warnings from his son. In a critical moment, Durin III breaks down the final barrier, revealing a shaft full of mithril. However, this action wakes the Balrog, and it soon launches an attack.
In a moment of bravery, Durin III decides to give up the Rings that have caused so many problems. He sacrifices himself in an attempt to confront the Balrog. During this chaos, a partial cave-in saves Prince Durin. However, this will not keep the Balrog contained for long.
With the creature now fully awake, it poses a severe threat to the Dwarves’ underground home. The danger is too significant to ignore, leading to the near-imminent fall of Khazad-dûm, especially as external threats continue to grow.
Tolkien’s Timeline vs. The Rings of Power
While The Rings of Power is rooted in Tolkien’s original version, there are key differences regarding the timeline of Khazad-dûm. In Tolkien’s writings, the fall of Khazad-dûm occurs after many generations.
The Dwarves’ greed for mithril leads them to dig too deep, awakening the Balrog, but this takes place in the Third Age of Middle-earth. However, The Rings of Power is still in the Second Age during its events.
According to Tolkien, after the discovery of mithril in the Second Age, Khazad-dûm thrived for thousands of years. The ancient Balrog remained undisturbed until 1980 years into the Third Age. The Dwarves experienced prosperity and built a strong reputation during this time.
Still from The Rings of Power (Credit: Prime Video)
In Tolkien’s account, the Balrog earned the name Durin’s Bane after killing Durin VI, not Durin III as shown in The Rings of Power. A year later, the next King, Náin I, also dies. The people of Khazad-dûm are forced to flee their ancestral home, even though it had been one of Middle-earth’s richest cities for millennia.
The threat posed by the Balrog is relentless, and after being awakened, it will not lie in wait. This means that The Rings of Power has committed to the fall of Khazad-dûm generations earlier than Tolkien intended.
The Impact of Timeline Changes
The changes to the timeline not only release the Balrog too early but also do not adjust the rest of Khazad-dûm’s history to compensate for this.
In the series, Prince Durin and his father have just discovered mithril. In Season 1, they kept this mineral a closely guarded secret, and few knew of its potential. Only a limited number of items have been crafted from mithril, including the Rings of Power and the Doors of Durin.
Although Durin III dreams of crafting more mithril items and bringing wealth to the city, these dreams remain plans that Prince Durin does not support. In this new timeline, before news of the resource spreads throughout Middle-earth, the Dwarves find themselves in crisis. The rapid release of the Balrog robs Khazad-dûm of its status and importance.
Khazad-dûm is impressive upon its introduction, and perhaps in The Rings of Power, that will be its only claim to fame. However, the city needs mithril to achieve the legendary status seen in Tolkien’s tales. The series has not allowed this to happen, resulting in a loss of the city’s rich history and significance.
Over thousands of years, the Dwarves used mithril to build wealth, as the ore is highly sought after throughout Middle-earth. By moving up the Balrog’s involvement by roughly 10,000 years, Khazad-dûm falls long before it can earn the legendary reputation it is meant to have.
The Rings of Power Season 2 is now available for streaming on Prime Video in the U.S. As the series continues, fans will be eager to see how these changes impact the unfolding story and what they mean for the future of Khazad-dûm and its inhabitants.
Still from The Rings of Power (Credit: Prime Video)
The Season 2 finale of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power features an epic battle between Galadriel and Sauron, alongside the awakening of the Balrog in Khazad-dûm. As Durin III succumbs to greed after acquiring one of the Seven Dwarven Rings, he disturbs the Balrog while searching for mithril.
Despite Prince Durin’s efforts to stop his father, the situation escalates, leading to a dangerous confrontation. The series diverges from Tolkien’s timeline, depicting the fall of Khazad-dûm much earlier than intended, which raises questions about the city’s significance and legacy in Middle-earth’s history.
Heartstopper, Netflix’s wholesome coming-of-age series, is set to make its return with the third season on October 3rd. Based on the graphic novels by Alice Oseman, the show has won hearts with its warm portrayal of young love, friendship, and the struggles of growing up.
Heartstopper centers around the relationship between Charlie (played by Joe Locke) and Nick (played by Kit Connor), but it also deals with the lives of their close-knit group of friends.
The series’ first season focused on the developing romance between Charlie and Nick, while Season 2 placed emphasis on Nick’s journey to coming out as bisexual.
Alongside this, other characters like Tao (William Gao), Darcy (Kizzy Edgell), and Isaac (Tobie Donovan) also saw their stories develop.
Now, as Season 3 approaches, the trailer shows that Charlie and his friends are moving forward with new challenges ahead, from thinking about their future to dealing with emotional struggles.
Even though Olivia Colman, who played Nick’s supportive mother, will not be returning, the new season has added stars like Hayley Atwell and Jonathan Bailey from Bridgerton to the cast.
It has been over a year since the release of Season 2, so let’s take a moment to revisit where the characters left off before diving into the fresh drama of Season 3.
Nick Comes Out as Bisexual
Nick’s journey to come out as bisexual was one of the major themes of Heartstopper Season 2. At the end of Season 1, Nick came out to his mother, played by Olivia Colman. While this gave him a sense of relief, Nick still found it hard to tell others, especially his rugby team friends.
His reluctance was understandable, especially after the experience he had with Harry (Cormac Hyde-Corrin), who made homophobic remarks about Charlie in Season 1.
This led to a physical fight between Nick and Harry. Although Nick felt more secure in his sexuality, coming out to his peers remained a struggle.
One of the first people he successfully came out to was Imogen (Rhea Norwood), a close friend who told Nick that she had already suspected it. However, Nick’s older brother David (Jack Barton) presented a much tougher challenge.
David walked in on Charlie lying alone in Nick’s bedroom while Nick was in the kitchen. David made a snide remark, saying he wanted to meet the person who “turned his brother gay.”
Furious, Nick told David that he was bisexual, not gay, but David brushed it off, refusing to believe that bisexuality was real.
Nick and Charlie continued to hide their relationship at school, but their class trip to Paris stirred things up. Nick gave Charlie a hickey, and rumors quickly spread about who could have caused it. At a birthday party for Tara (Corinna Brown), someone asked Charlie who had given him the hickey.
Nick decided that it was time to come clean. He revealed to everyone that it was him and confirmed that he was dating Charlie. This was a bold moment for Nick as he came out publicly as bisexual.
While in Paris, Nick and Charlie also met with Nick’s estranged father, Stéphane (Thibault de Montalembert). Nick wanted to tell his father about his relationship with Charlie, but Stéphane left before he could.
Back in the UK, Nick tried again by inviting Charlie’s family over for dinner, hoping to come out to his father during the meal.
By the season finale, Nick was ready to take the final step. He posted a picture of himself and Charlie on Instagram, publicly coming out as bisexual. The season ended with the couple attending prom together, feeling more secure in their relationship than ever before.
Charlie Opens Up About His Mental Health
While Nick’s coming out journey was a central focus, Charlie’s personal struggles were also a major part of Season 2.
Throughout the season, Charlie supported Nick, trying to make sure he didn’t face the same challenges Charlie did when he was outed against his will. This painful experience took a deep toll on Charlie’s mental health, but he kept most of his emotions hidden.
As the season went on, we learned that Charlie’s best friend Tao was partially responsible for his outing. After Charlie came out to his close friends, Tao and Isaac were overheard discussing Charlie’s sexuality.
This led to the news spreading around the school, which resulted in relentless bullying. The bullying caused Charlie to withdraw, and he began to struggle with his eating habits as a way of coping.
Nick noticed that Charlie was not eating much and tried to talk to him about it. At first, Charlie dismissed Nick’s concerns, but things came to a head when Charlie fainted during their trip to the Louvre in Paris.
Finally, Charlie admitted that he often felt the need to control his eating, especially during the time when he was being bullied at school.
Still from Heartstopper (Credit: Netflix)
In one of the season’s most emotional moments, Charlie opened up to Nick about how the bullying had affected him. He revealed that during his lowest points, he had resorted to self-harm but assured Nick that he no longer did so.
This moment deepened the bond between Charlie and Nick, showing how much they truly cared for each other. Nick nearly said, “I love you,” but the tender moment was interrupted.
The season ended with Charlie drafting a text to Nick that said “I love you,” leaving the viewers with his finger hovering over the send button.
Elle and Tao’s Relationship Blossoms
Season 2 also followed the evolving relationship between Elle (Yasmin Finney) and Tao. In Episode 2, Elle visited the Lambert School of Art, where she befriended Felix (Ash Self) and Naomi (Bel Priestley), another trans girl.
The school gave Elle the chance to fit in with other queer and trans students and to pursue her passion for art. However, her excitement was dampened by the thought of leaving Tao behind.
At this point, Elle had developed a crush on Tao, but her efforts to flirt with him didn’t go well. She decided that getting over him would be the best course of action.
On the other hand, Tao started realizing that he also had feelings for Elle. When he finally mustered up the courage, he asked her out, taking her to see her favorite movie, Moonrise Kingdom.
Their date was awkward, and after it, things felt strained between them. Elle was worried that Tao was trying to change himself to be more appealing to her.
However, the two friends patched things up during a solo trip to an art museum in Paris. The romance between them lingered, and during a visit to the Louvre, Elle kissed Tao. The two began dating, but it was bittersweet for Tao, who feared losing Elle when she eventually moved to Lambert.
Tara and Darcy Say “I Love You”
Tara and Darcy’s relationship saw its ups and downs during Season 2. In Episode 3, Tara told Darcy that she loved her, but Darcy didn’t say it back. Tara pretended not to be hurt, brushing it off as a casual declaration, but the issue continued to bother her.
Still from Heartstopper (Credit: Netflix)
Throughout the season, Darcy avoided talking about her feelings and used humor to deflect any serious conversations.
Her reluctance frustrated Tara, who was open about wanting to express her emotions. During their trip to Paris, Tara confided in Charlie that she envied how easily Nick and Charlie could talk about their feelings. Darcy’s carefree attitude toward their relationship contrasted with how much she clearly cared for Tara.
During Tara’s birthday party, Darcy drank too much and drunkenly told Tara that she loved her. Later, Darcy bought a suit to wear to prom, but her homophobic mother berated her for it and kicked her out of the house. Darcy showed up to prom late and in disarray, but afterward, she finally opened up to Tara.
She explained that her reluctance to express her feelings stemmed from the toxic environment at home, where she had to hide her true self.
Though Darcy seemed confident in public, her home life was much different. She wasn’t out to her parents, and their lack of acceptance made it hard for her to be vulnerable. Tara understood, and the two reaffirmed their love for each other.
Isaac’s Discovery of His Asexuality
Isaac, the quiet member of the group, also had his own journey of self-discovery in Season 2. Isaac, who always seemed content with a book in his hand, started feeling like the odd one out when Elle and Tao began dating.
Still from Heartstopper (Credit: Netflix)
While the rest of his friends were in romantic relationships, Isaac didn’t feel the same desire for romance. Season 2 introduced a potential love interest for Isaac in James (Bradley Riches), the only other openly gay student at Truham.
Although Isaac and James spent time together, Isaac wasn’t interested in James romantically. When James kissed him at a party, Isaac realized that he didn’t feel the same way about romance that his friends did. He began questioning why he wasn’t drawn to romantic relationships.
At the Lambert art show, Isaac had a conversation with a student artist who had created a piece about being aromantic and asexual. This deeply resonated with Isaac, who later picked up a book about asexuality at the library. By the end of the season, Isaac hadn’t yet shared his feelings with his friends, but he seemed to be on a path toward better understanding his identity.
Ben’s Apology to Charlie
One of the final storylines of Season 2 revolved around Ben (Sebastian Croft), Charlie’s ex. Ben had previously mistreated Charlie, and their relationship ended badly.
When Nick and Ben were paired up for a school assignment, Ben expressed his desire to get back with Charlie. However, Charlie made it clear that he had no intention of rekindling their relationship.
In one of the last scenes of the season, Ben approached Charlie and apologized. He explained that he wished he could be out like Charlie and Nick but was held back by fear of his parents’ rejection.
Still from Heartstopper (Credit: Netflix)
Although Ben sought forgiveness, Charlie stood firm. He told Ben that his apology didn’t make up for the pain he had caused. Charlie’s sense of self-worth had been deeply impacted by Ben’s actions, and while Ben’s apology was a step forward, it couldn’t erase the past.
Looking Forward to Season 3
With all these storylines in play, Heartstopper Season 3 promises to bring more emotional depth and growth for its characters.
From Nick and Charlie’s growing relationship to the personal challenges faced by their friends, the new season is sure to continue the heartfelt and relatable storytelling that has made the series so beloved.
Fans can catch up on the first two seasons of Heartstopper on Netflix, with Season 3 dropping on October 3.
