The ongoing eruption of Mount Doom causes seismic activity throughout Middle-earth, including an earthquake in the Dwarven realm of Khazad-dûm that destroys their infrastructure and leads to the withering of their crops.
He initially refuses due to her decision to wear one of the rings, but Círdan convinces Elrond that it would be better for him to help guide his friends rather than abandon them.
At Caras Gaer in western Rhûn, a Dark Wizard expresses displeasure with the Dweller, one of his acolytes who failed to capture the Stranger.
Halbrand convinces Celebrimbor that he is Annatar, the "Lord of Gifts", an emissary from the Valar who has come to help make Rings of Power for Dwarves and Men.
[6] After introducing the setting and major heroic characters in the first season, the showrunners said the second would focus on the villains and go deeper into the "lore and the stories people have been waiting to hear".
[14] The title references a line from Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings in which the character Aragorn says he has traveled to "the far countries of Rhûn and Harad where the stars are strange".
[15] The season's cast includes Robert Aramayo as Elrond,[16] Owain Arthur as Durin IV,[17] Morfydd Clark as Galadriel,[18] Charles Edwards as Celebrimbor,[19] Ciarán Hinds as the Dark Wizard,[20] Markella Kavenagh as Elanor "Nori" Brandyfoot,[21] Peter Mullan as Durin III,[22] Sophia Nomvete as Disa,[23] Megan Richards as Poppy Proudfellow,[24] Charlie Vickers as Sauron,[25] Benjamin Walker as Gil-galad,[26] and Daniel Weyman as the Stranger.
[33] A soundtrack album featuring composer Bear McCreary's score for the episode was released digitally on the streaming service Amazon Music on August 29, 2024.
[34][35] All music is composed by Bear McCreary:"Where the Stars are Strange" premiered on Prime Video in the United States on August 29, 2024.
[38] Whip Media, which tracks viewership data for the 25 million worldwide users of its TV Time app, listed the series second—behind Hulu's Only Murders in the Building—on its US streaming chart for the week ending September 1.
[39] Nielsen Media Research, which records streaming viewership on US television screens, estimated that The Rings of Power had 1.02 billion minutes viewed in the week ending September 1.
[40] Samba TV, which also gathers viewership data from smart TVs, listed the series seventh on its chart of top streaming programs for the week ending September 1.
Phipps highlighted the Khazad-dûm scenes, saying they struck "a nice balance between high seriousness and earthiness" and particularly praising the performances of Arthur and Nomvete.
[44] Writing for Gizmodo, James Whitbrook said the episode did a "noble job" catching up the audience on key plotlines from the first season, and highlighted the relationship between the Durins.
Whitbrook said Sauron's transformation into Annatar was both horrifying and awesome, and said it was fun to watch him begin to manipulate Celebrimbor even though it was not yet clear "how much Rings of Power can really wring out" of that storyline.
Miller also had negative thoughts about the Khazad-dûm storyline, feeling its "toothless father-son feud" was beneath the works of Tolkien.
The site highlighted the scenes where Sauron is in disguise, saying "it was the gleam in his eyes, the small smiles and the casual way he held himself that took his performance to another level.