[S1E4] The Stranger _BEST_

Among all the Sauron suspects in Amazon's The Rings of Power, Meteor Man is arguably the most convincing thus far. Falling mysteriously from the sky with no memory, this stranger is a magical being with hidden dark intentions, and his arrival caused a blackened leaf to float from a tree in Lindon. The plot thickens in the final moments of The Rings of Power episode 4 when Waldreg discusses the Dark Lord's return with young Theo. Not even trying to avoid creepiness, Waldreg asks Theo if he's heard of Sauron, claims the villain is destined to return, and ominously utters, "You must've seen it in the skies... it means his time is near."

[S1E4] The Stranger

There seems to be a formula established already as we have had back-to-back episodes moving at similar beats. It is great to meet another character, but at the same time, not much has happened to really pull me into this story and its characters. The twins offer some great comedic moments and Izel is getting a little braver, but there is still some depth lacking in these characters. Perhaps more flashbacks with Izel and his sister would help amplify the stakes for him to complete his journey. Plus, for a character with nothing else to lose, he is not giving his all like I would expect. Especially given the backstory we got from him in the last episode. It seems that he has been no stranger to traumatic events, so I guess this could explain his weakness thus far. Nonetheless, these are small issues that may be fixed in the coming episodes.

In Central City, the State Alchemist Brigadier General Basque Grand is accosted by a mysterious stranger with an X-shaped scar on his brow while walking alone at night. Though the Iron Blood Alchemist puts up a valiant fight, the Scarred Man uses a mysterious power of his own to take the man's life.

At headquarters, Edward discusses the situation with Colonel Mustang and acknowledges that, even though - as a State Alchemist - he will likely see a great deal more evil and may even be ordered to commit atrocities of his own as a "human weapon" of the military, he will continue to press forward on his path until he has achieved his ultimate goal. But, at the same time, Ed cries out that he is only human despite his abilities or his position and that he was unable to save even one little girl. Meanwhile, the scarred man arrives at the Tucker house, while Shou and Nina sit under house arrest, and declares to Shou that, as an alchemist who has strayed from the path of God, he must die. Placing his right hand on Tucker's face, he displays his strange ability once more and destroys Shou's body from the inside. Noticing Nina, the stranger apologizes for what has been done to her and repeats the process, asking her to go in peace. As the Scarred Man exits, he asks God to care for the two souls that he has just sent to the afterlife and removes his sunglasses to reveal red eyes.

Gloria decides to borrow money from Pilar to pay the blackmail, but Pilar refuses to make the loan. What can Gloria do? The next thing we know, it is night and someone breaks into the office and takes money from the safe. Hmmmmm. But I am getting ahead of myself. Before the robbery can happen, Mateo has to finally clear out of the office. This happens when he asks Clara to join him for dinner at the super-fancy Alcalá, probably not this Alcalá but maybe, as Velvet is no stranger to anachronism. In any event, Clara cancels plans with Pedro and has Rita help her find a dress to wear.

Ayame and Shinya bond over breaking everything they do down to science. When they go to eat, Shinya finds himself unable to hold Ayame's hand out of nervousness. Ayame says it's fine and she will head to their next experiment spot. When she is walking alone, a man approaches her and takes her by the wrist saying that he is in love with her at first sight. Shinya seperates Ayame from the stranger and explains he cannot make such claims with no proof. He goes to the extent of flaunting the data they both recorded so far and says he can't even prove they are in love. 041b061a72