Of all the relationships in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, the bond between Tar-Míriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) and Elendil (Lloyd Owen) of Númenor might be the most tragic. As the rightful queen of Númenor, Míriel has her hands full with political unrest, and that allows Elendil, a captain of the Sea Guard, to step up in a major way at the end of Season 1. They haven’t had many quiet moments to figure out their relationship in Season 2, as both are enmeshed in a battle between Númenor’s two political factions: the King’s Men (who resent the Elves) and the Faithful (still loyal to the Eldar). But the romantic subtext is there for those with eyes to see, and The Rings of Power doesn’t miss any opportunities to provide it.
“It certainly feels like it starts to go beyond just queen and loyal servant,” Addai-Robinson told Inverse shortly before The Rings of Power’s return. “Lloyd and I definitely picked up on the fact that there is something interesting to explore here.”
