Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) was captured earlier in the season by Adar (Sam Hazeldine) and his orcs. He uses her as a bargaining chip with the elves before the most recent episode’s big battle. When Elrond (Robert Aramayo) refuses to negotiate with the enemy, he requests that he be allowed to bid his friend farewell.

Exclusive: Elrond actor Robert Aramayo explains to GamesRadar+ why *that* kiss was all about practicality, not passion

Then, Benjamin Walker, who was sitting next to Aramayo and plays High King Gil-galad, chimed in saying that it was Elrond’s “only viable play, really.” And they’re both right. The elf needed to seriously shock and distract Adar and the Orcs so he could get the pin to Galadriel, and it worked.

Speaking to me during season 2's 'Path to the Finale' press junket on September 25, Aramayo admitted that the sequence was meant to be intentionally provocative. However, The Rings of Power actor, who plays Elrond in the hit Amazon prequel show, suggested that his character had plenty of reasons for acting the way that he did.

It's taken six episodes to get there, but The Rings of Power season 2 has finally reached its highly-anticipated tentpole battle in The Siege of Eregion. The only problem is, despite its showrunners labeling it "the most ambitious thing we've ever attempted", nobody's talking about the brutal and harrowing fight for the elven city.