The Rings Of Power Episode 6 Just Showed Us The Creation Of A Middle-Earth Landmark

While "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" is a prequel to J. R. R. Tolkien's beloved trilogy of fantasy books that features a handful of adjustments, there are still plenty of notable faces and places throughout Middle-earth that stick out like a Hobbit's sore thumb. From the mines of Moria to the blisteringly hot-headed face of a Balrog, some images from Tolkien's world aren't easily forgotten, thanks, in part, to Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" film trilogies. 

Of course, with the aforementioned iconic films set a whole age after "The Rings of Power," some major world-shifting events have yet to unfold. For instance, since the show's beginning, The Southlands have been a spot on the map that the casual fans of Frodo may not have been familiar with. Well, a booming bit of clarification has been given in Episode 6 in the form of a natural catastrophe that will change Middle-earth forever and spell certain Doom for thousands. The good news, though, is that if you're an omnipresent ruler of evil forces in a fantasy land who wants to set up a ring-making business, well, this is the place for you.

This week on "The Rings of Power," Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova) stood as the last line of defense between Adar (Joseph Mawle) and his army who were pitted against the unconverted Southlanders. All hope seems lost until Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) and her Númenórean backup appear over the hillside in a Rohirrim fashion and lay waste to the enemy. Nice one, Gal. Unfortunately, even with the enemy captured, Adar manages to pull a fast one on those set on thwarting his plans. Handing the mysterious and powerful sword hilt to Waldreg (Geoff Morrell), the Sauron Stan puts it to use, starting a chain reaction of tremors, floods, and a nearby mountain exploding in fire and smoke, decimating the locals and leaving Galadriel lost in the smog.

This Middle-earth-based bombshell is the first wake-up call for the land's most terrifying tourist spot, Mount Doom — the mountain of fire where the Rings of Power would inevitably be made, along with the one that would rule them all. But while the creation of these trinkets is a glimmer in the eye of Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards) and the yet-to-be-revealed Dark Lord, it's interesting to note that this is a (potentially) significant alteration to the Middle-earth timeline J. R. R. Tolkien established initially.

While "The Rings of Power" is starting to line up certain developments in Middle-earth history with how they were initially written, this most recent one has had a slight alteration, at least we think so. Mount Doom was created by Melkor in The First Age, before Sauron took over the joint in The Second Age, getting to work on his jewelry that would corrupt rulers and bend them to his will (via One Wiki to Rule Them All). Amazon Prime's show has seemingly altered this occurrence, though, with Adar claiming to have killed Sauron and making Doom go boom for his own purposes.

While it's another alteration to J. R. R. Tolkien's lore, it's safe to say, judging by the falling balls of fire and locals turning to ash, that the recent eruption will still have the same effect on The Southlands as it did in the source material. The only problem is that doing so could quickly turn the tide in the enemy's favor as early as next week's installment and put Galadriel and her allies in a terrifying situation.

The last shot of this jaw-dropping episode is Galadriel being engulfed in smoke as the village she'd just saved is decimated by fire and brimstone. Thankfully, the history books confirm that she survives this because who else would we have to scream at Frodo while standing over a water feature in "The Fellowship of the Ring"? As for the locals? There's a strong chance that recent events will see the Orcs advancing like never before, thanks to a shift in the atmosphere

To quote Boromir from "The Fellowship of the Ring" regarding the local perks of Mordor, "It is a barren wasteland, riddled with fire and ash and dust, the very air you breathe is a poisonous fume." In other words, this land of darkness and desolation would be a perfect spot for Orcs to thrive where sunlight doesn't touch, which is just what Adar has been aiming for. The only question is how Galadriel and the rest of our heroes will make it out of this new and still erupting land alive. 

Might we see more casualties, or worse, even more converted to Adar's ways? And will the damage potentially impact the Dwarves' current work mining the earth that has just been rudely awakened in the worst way possible? Find out when "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" returns next week.