Trop rewatch. 2x08 – "Shadow and Flame"
We have reached the end, and this is the last scene analysis I will write on Adar (perhaps not, as I may revisit scenes later, but for now, at least). Thanks to anyone who read or shared. It has been challenging and fun, and it has given me new realizations along the way. I will continue doing these, focusing on Uruks once the show returns. And thanks to @troprewatch for hosting a lovely event that kept the conversations and excitement for the show going during the hiatus, prompting me to write these posts.
I’m not going to lie, writing about Adar’s final moments in detail was really hard and brought tears to my eyes. In my opinion, Adar is the best show invented character (and there are plenty of good ones!) and I will forever miss his character. The addition of Adar has changed how many of us view the orcs and their history throughout the ages, and he will forever be a beloved addition to Tolkien adaptations.
No more flames, no more darkness
In the season finale, Galadriel is brought to Adar in the woods, kneeling down and turning his back with Nenya on his finger. We find him in a tender and emotional moment, and before having even seen his face, we notice something different about him. It’s almost like a spiritual moment of prayer; we can only imagine what the ring is making him see in this moment, showing him a moment of clarity within himself. Maybe he saw flashbacks to his life, visions of what was to come, or simply just giving his mind clarity and epiphany. We can imagine it might have been an overwhelming moment, too, reliving parts of his past. Perhaps frightening too.
He reveals his healed face, and Galadriel is shocked to see that all his scars are gone, and he appears as his old elven self.
“It would seem, even wounds that have endured an age, can sometimes yet be healed. When last I looked like this, I was known by another name. A meaningless name. A name I was given. Adar is the name I earned. Help me earn it back.”
This is such an important line in order to understand Adar, as it shows his belief in hard work and not being given something for granted. I believe this is essential to understand his belief system, and it shows a philosophy within orc culture, too. He often speaks of what they have endured as Uruks, and he is right to point out that nothing came easily for them. Being created in mockery, they had to work so hard for their self-assurance and resilience. Even his name, something many take for granted, he had to earn and fight for.
He understands that his actions towards his children have deprived his right to the name. He needs to earn it back again, and he asks Galadriel to help him do just that. I think this idea of self-worth through achievement shows how Adar doesn’t know unconditional love; how could he? We can assume he has never known that kind of pure, unqualified love, and if he did, it was such a long time ago that he does not remember what that felt like or even what it is. Even if he loves his children, that love is much different from the one to elves and men. It would be rooted in suffering, dark and utilitarian, as a reflection of their corrupted nature. This i why others races of ME can never truly comprehend it.
Even though the ring heals Adar, he chooses to give back the ring to Galadriel (he chooses the light in embracing his own darkness). There is the possibility that he knew what was going to happen to him – the ring had previously given Galadriel foresight – so perhaps Adar was aware of what was going to happen to him. And if not, maybe just that it was crucial for Galadriel to have the ring in her possession; he might have known something about the future that informed his decision. It could also be that he simply returned it because he had seen the light, and being healed, he did what was right.
As discussed by Sam Hazeldine himself in the Nerdist interview, I also like the idea that Adar was not prepared for what Nenya would actually entail. He saw the ring as a weapon and means of destroying Sauron, but once he put it on he experienced something unexpected. Reliving things that had been long lost to him, perhaps traumatically restored to his eleven form. As he points out there too, Adar didn’t want the Uruks to see him in his elven form as they would have become more skeptical of his motives (more than they already were), and it becomes clear that is why his back is turned when he asks them to leave him and Galadriel alone.
His face changes back to his Uruk form once he returns it, but his mind is forever changed by the healing powers of Nenya. He promises to never make war on Middle-earth again which is a admirable idea in theory – but I wonder what his children would have thought of it had they not been under the influence of Sauron and ruined those plans so quickly.
Adar forgives Galadriel, and she forgives him. He knows he has done horrible deeds, and that is why he does not even have to think about forgiving her.
I like how, yet again, light and darkness are such prominent themes in this scene. Galadriel will remember Celebrombor’s words from the previous episode later, but I think it is applicable here too. Strength is not what defeats darkness; it is light.
“It’s never too late, not even for me”
They are interrupted by Uruks arriving with an injured Glûg. Adar tells Glûg it’s never too late. He is talking about both of them here, but really, it’s already too late, because Sauron has already influenced his children and turned them against him, and this entire exchange is a scheme on their behalf. You can see in their eyes and the way they speak how they have changed, even before Glûg takes the first stab. Amazing acting by the supporting orctors once again!
When Adar realizes he has been betrayed, there is a pain in his eyes you can only notice in a second, but it is there. They stab him many times, more times than necessary which makes the betrayal even more heartbreaking. This scene is a good parallel to what we saw back in the season premiere, when their roles were exchanged.
Sauron appears, standing over Adar, telling him they are not children anymore. It’s an obvious reference to his influence, but more than that, I believe it’s a promise of what he will make them into. Disposable soldiers in his war (already in this episode, he shows that his way to lead them will be much different).
At this moment, I believe that Adar only felt regretful that he had failed his children. Failed to protect them from Sauron. Not sure he ever could, but the important thing here is that he never blamed them or felt betrayed; he most likely more so felt that he had betrayed them.
Even if Adar’s life ended here, you have to wonder how these events prior to his death impacted whatever comes after. Perhaps Adar’s afterlife would look different than the other orcs', but we can ponder on the different possibilities from what we know of him.
Tolkien never decided fully on the nature of Uruks, and therefore, the details of their afterlife would be vague too. It gets even more complicated with an original orc like Adar, who was once an elf and in this case also was healed by Nenya in his last moments. In the case of Adar, because he was healed, it is possible he was judged in the Halls of Mandos as an elf – but he also had done many evil deeds as a Uruk created by Morgoth so naturally it would be more complicated. There are also possibilities that their death could mean complete erasure of existence. A third option that might be even more devastating is that he would reject the summons and become "houseless". Perhaps a more likely scenario for Adar if he had not been healed, as his nature was more stubborn and evil by default.
I personally like the idea of him going the Halls of Mandos in Valinor, for a very long period of judgment and maybe even healing.
