The Rings of Power season 2 episode 5 airs heartbreaking death

The latest instalment saw the conflict at Numenor heat up in a big way with a fight between Elendil (Lloyd Owen) and Pharazon's (Trystan Gravelle) menace of a son, Kemen (Leon Wadham).

During a confrontation between Elendil and Kemen in the shrine, Valandil (Alex Tarrant) arrives to defend his captain. But things escalate and he ends up holding a sword to Kemen's throat, clearly enraged enough to kill him.

Elendil manages to talk Valandil down but, as Valandil walks away, Kemen stabs him in the back, killing him - and telling the jailers to take Elendil away.

It's the most brutal death in season 2 so far, with fans heartbroken over the turn of events.

While Valandil was an original character for The Rings of Power, his death paves the way for this storyline to intersect with Lord of the Rings canon in the future.

At the moment, Elendil's son Isildur - and Valandil's close friend - is presumed dead by those close to him, but we know that's not true.

In Lord of the Rings canon, Isildur names his youngest son (who goes on to become the third High King of Arnor) Valandil. So, in the future of the show, it seems likely he could name his son after his deceased childhood best friend.

Episode 5 also saw Sauron further manipulate Celebrimbor - although clearly Prince Durin is onto him, as he can see the ring is changing his father, King Durin, in ways he didn't expect.

The end of the episode also sees Adar (Sam Hazeldine) suggest an alliance to Galadriel (Morfydd Clark), something fans have been theorising could happen due to their desire to defeat their common enemy, Sauron.

Asked by RadioTimes.com if this could be a possibility, Adar actor Hazeldine said: "We're looking at the options and seeing what we could do to counteract the threat of Sauron, for sure. We're not the best of friends so it's a careful balance we have to do to see if we can trust each other or not."

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 releases new episodes on Prime Video weekly on Thursdays – you can sign up now for a free 30-day Prime Video trial.

If you’re looking for something else to watch in the meantime, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide, or visit our dedicated Fantasy hub. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.