The future of Númenor hangs in balance as the political struggle for the high seat continues, and even with the usurper Ar-Pharazôn trying his mighty best to earn the support of the masses to strengthen his claim on the throne, it will not be as easy as he had initially assumed. In the previous episode, to embolden the position of Pharazôn’s and King’s men, Kemen took matters into his own hands while trying to diminish a sacked Elendil’s influence on the sea guards and went on to desecrate the religious practices of the Faithful. Elendil chose to strike Kemen for his dastardly act, which resulted in a violent clash, ending with Kemen killing Elendil’s protégé, Valandil. As it turns out, the repercussions of the tragedy have far-reaching impact, and Elendil and Míriel get caught up in Pharazôn’s ploy in the process. However, in the end, a scheming Pharazôn gets a taste of his own medicine, as Míriel’s claim to the throne is strengthened thanks to the whims of fate.
Spoilers Ahead
Why Was Míriel Put Into Trial by Abyss?
Elendil is held responsible for the death of Valandil, and accused of high treason at the same time for his direct disobedience of Pharazôn’s commands. With the usurper and his accomplices calling the shots, the trial is a farce anyway; therefore, it is no surprise that the former Sea Captain is sentenced to capital punishment. However, on the condition that Elendil renounces his ‘crimes’ and swears his fealty to Pharazôn, legitimizing his claim to throne, his life can be spared—and even though Elendil agrees to follow the first directive, he cannot, in good conscience even pretend to support Pharazôn’s cause. As a result, his sentence is to be carried out, and probably with the intention to mock Elendil’s background as one of the Faithful, Pharazôn commands the execution to be performed by the old tradition of the Faithfuls through Trial by Abyss, where the mighty Sea Serpent will confront the accused and Valars will decide his fate.
Míriel isn’t willing to let her best advisor/commander sacrifice himself over a futile attempt at adhering to honor, and like she has asked Elendil previously as well, the queen regent once again urges him to swear allegiance to Pharazôn and save his own life in the process—at least for the sake of the nation itself, which will be crippled in Elendil’s absence. However, the captain is determined to let the divinities judge him, unwilling to bend his knee to a scoundrel at this late phase of his career. Neither Míriel’s pleas nor his daughter’s earnest requests can shake Elendil’s resolve. However, just as his trial is about to be carried out, Míriel steps up to bear the punishment on behalf of Elendil, and given the fact that Elendil’s act of treason was carried out under her name, her appeal is legitimate by the old traditions as well. For Pharazôn, there couldn’t have been a better opportunity to remove his political rival, and he readily allows the trial to be carried out.
Why Was Míriel Spared By the Sea Serpent?
Míriel gets taken into the submarine depths by the Sea Serpent/the Wyrm, but surprisingly enough, the gigantic, vicious beast decides to spare her life and returns her to the shores. This is seen as divine intervention, as the Faithful consider it to be Valar’s benediction that the queen regent remained unscathed, and Elendil wastes no time into motivating the crowd to show their support for Míriel’s claim to the throne. Pharazôn has no other option except to fume in anger; he himself seized the moment during the coronation by appearing in front of the Great Eagle, thereby concocting the narrative he had the Valar’s will by his side. And now fate has served him in kind by turning the tides in Míriel’s favor.
The question remains as to why the Sea Serpent ended up sparing Míriel‘s life, and the most plausible answer seems to be that Míriel’s support towards the Faithful had won her the favor of the Valars, and it was their influence that guided the Wyrm’s decision. Míriel’s background as a secret supporter of the Numenoreans, who were allies to the Elves, the Faithful ones, was the reason that the majority sect of the kingdom, the King’s Men, started voicing their opinion against the queen regent. Following the loss that the Númenorean army suffered due to Míriel’s decision to help Galadriel, the majority of the people started supporting Pharazôn for his background as one of the King’s Men. But now, at her direst hour, Míriel found help thanks to her connection with the Elf supporting Faithfuls, as the Valars send aid in mystical ways to make their presence felt. Another possible reason is linked with the first time the Sea Serpent made its appearance in The Rings of Power, as it had spared the lives of Galadriel and Sauron in the first season as well. That incident could be interpreted as Sauron’s evil presence driving the Wyrm away, but also in a positive light; Galadriel’s fearlessness and nobility allowed her to remain unharmed by the primeval creature. Similarly, Míriel, the upstanding fearless queen regent, was possibly perceived as a noble spirit by the Wyrm, who decided to spare her life similarly. However, even with the regained support of her people, will Míriel be able to take her rightful place as the successor of Tar-Palantir? Guess we will know as the remaining two episodes wrap up the third season.
