This article contains spoilers for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 episode 5.
The Rings of Power fandom may struggle to agree on much these days, but after episode 5 “Halls of Stone,” it seems like we can all finally agree on at least one thing: Kemen (Leon Wadham) is the absolute worst. Even before his father, Ar-Pharazôn (Trystan Gravelle), swindled his way into becoming Númenor’s new king, Kemen has always kind of given off an air of entitlement. But now that his father has become the ruler of their island nation, Kemen seems to be enjoying his newfound power a little too much for our liking.
In a show where the primary villain, Sauron (Charlie Vickers), is evil incarnate, it’s hard to imagine a character worse than that, and yet Kemen seems to be coming for that crown in full force. Not only does he relish the act of stripping Númenor’s sea guard of their stations, but he also actively antagonizes them while he does it. He literally stabs Valandil (Alex Tarrant), an old friend, in the back right after Valandil lets him live.
Valandil’s death isn’t likely to go over very well with Eärien (Emma Horvath), Elendil (Lloyd Own), or Isildur (Maxim Baldry), all of whom considered Valandil as a part of their family. Even though Eärien is currently moving against the interests of her father and supporting Pharazôn and Kemen, she still shows compassion toward Valandil, even as he was stripped of his rank. In Tolkien lore, the only character named Valandil is Isildur’s son and a future king of the Third Age, thus heavily implying that Valandil’s death in The Rings of Power has such an impact on Isildur in the future that he names his son after his fallen friend.