Rings of Power’s Istar, Sauron reveals set up a bigger season 2

We come to it at last: the great season finale of our time… or of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of PowerSeason 1 at all. Gennifer Humchison wrote this.Breaking BadJ.D. Payne and Patrick McKay and directed by Wayne Che Yip, the Prime Video series’ eighth episode, “Alloyed,” provides long-awaited resolutions to two big mysteries set up in the premiere and challenges J.R.R. Tolkien’s source material along the way. The payoffs may be different, but the implications of these reveals offer welcome opportunities for seasons 2 and beyond.

[Ed. note: This story contains major spoilers for The Rings of Power through the finale.]

“Alloyed” sees Halbrand (Charlie Vickers) outed as Sauron and the identity of the Stranger (Daniel Weyman) confirmed as an istar (or wizard), which means he’s likely to become the one and only Gandalf the Grey. This is how does it fit in with Middle-earth’s lore. As per The Rings of Power’s approach to the canon thus far, the broad strokes of both plot twists are more or less fine; it’s the specifics that will have Tolkien purists hyperventilating.

Of these two developments, Halbrand’s heel turn is more continuity friendly. Tolkien’s writings describe Sauron as a supremely talented smith who gave Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards) pointers on crafting magic rings while disguised and was ultimately exposed — all of which applies to Halbrand in the show. He also manifested a “fair-seeming” appearance, which arguably applies here too, depending on how highly you rate Vickers’ sex appeal. And while the “Halbrand” alias itself is an invention of Payne and McKay, a line of dialogue in “Alloyed” references the name Sauron adopted in the books, Annatar (or “Lord of Gifts”).

Image: Prime Video

Middle-earth continuity where there is The Rings of Power quickly diverge — and the operative word here is “quickly” — is in the timescales involved. Halbrand spends, like, an afternoon schooling Celebrimbor the elven smith on Magic Ringcraft 101 before he’s forced to flee. Tolkien is not pleased with this chain of events and the willingness to Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker), and Elrond [Robert Aramayo] to have Halbrand around.

As an istar, The Stranger’s revelation comes to light The Rings of Power’s loose approach to existing canon even further. The basics of the canon are correct. In Tolkien’s writings, the angelic being who became known as Gandalf was sent to Middle-earth in assuming form to counter the rise of Sauron. The same is true of the Stranger, who also displays Gandalf’s penchant for olfactory-based navigation. That’s where the overlap between the two istari ends, though, as everything else about the Stranger’s arc in The Rings of Power It is pure genius on the part McKay, Payne and their writing team.

It is implied that the Stranger arrived in Middle-earth first, while Tolkien stated Gandalf as the last. Gandalf’s entrance was also markedly less dramatic than the Stranger’s and took place well after the elven rings were forged — yet another example of The Rings of Power’s heavily compressed Middle-earth timeline compared to that of the books.

If you’re in the market for an ultra-faithful Lord of the Rings adaptation, both reveals will probably be the straw that breaks the mûmak’s back, and The Rings of Power Episode 8 will be the last. Everyone else is focused on how they fit into the overall context of the series. These terms are more accurate for the Stranger and Halbrand payoffs, but neither one is perfect. As satisfying as it should.

Photo: Ben Rothstein/Prime Video

Each clue is logical, even though it may not be obvious at times due to plot twists that can change the game. At one point, Halbrand literally ticks off all the ways in which he’s been hiding in plain sight over the past seven episodes. Payne, McKay, and others overplayed the role in this regard, especially considering the number of people who figured out the details surrounding the Southlands king. While the Stranger’s true identity is still up for debate — who knows what might change between the release of season 1 and the development of future seasons, based on the conversation — the possibilities have narrowed. The Stranger’s identity is still unknown. This creates a sense that everything will be ok.

The Rings of Power’s narrative sleight of hand has other drawbacks, too. Notably, the amount of screen time devoted to wrongfooting audiences over the previous seven episodes means that there’s precious little time left to dramatize key events, leading to a rushed finale. Sauron, who is disguised as Halbrand/Annatar among elves, feels like something. The Rings of Power You could have got a lot more story telling out of this, whether it was earlier in the season or carried over to season 2. This crucial plot point is instead covered in just over an hour.

On the plus side, the revelations in “Alloyed” serve a greater purpose than simply trying (and for the most part, failing) to shock us. They also propel the character arcs of Galadriel (Morfydd Clark), Elrond, and Nori (Markella Kavenagh) forward well enough to compensate for the hastiness of the episode’s plot. Galadriel has made peace with her brother’s death and taken another step closer to becoming the serene figure we know from Lord of the Rings. Elrond’s previous lessons in friendship and trust put him in the position to save the elves from withering away. And Nori’s loyalty to the Stranger is rewarded with the opportunity to at last fully embrace her adventurous side.

We even get a rare insight into Sauron’s motivations this episode. Tolkien characterized the Dark Lord as someone driven to megalomania out of a pathological desire for order, and that’s present in a lot of what “Halbrand” says while trying to sway Galadriel to his side. McKay, McKay, and Hutchison all expand on the core argument, painting a more nuanced picture of an aspiring tyrant, who appears to believe that controlling the world is just as important as healing it. It is not possible to present Sauron in a three-dimensional role as an antagonist. Lord of the Rings narrative on the page and screen, but it’s firmly within The Rings of Power’s wheelhouse.

Fittingly enough, these less sensational aspects of “Alloyed” also provide the best evidence yet that The Rings of Power Heading into season 2, there is a more clear sense of direction. As the Middle-earth jewelry advert late in episode 8 illustrates, the three elven rings are now in play, which hits pause on the elves’ destruction and tees up a future conflict with Sauron. It won’t be long before dwarves and men come knocking for their own magical bling, either.

The conflict between Sauron and Halbrand is back in our sights. We saw him last time on his journey to Mount Doom. A fight with Adar (Joseph Mawle), however, may also be on the cards. Then there’s Nori and Maybe Gandalf, who will continue to do their own thing in the largely unexplored realm of Rhûn — a perfect excuse for bold new production designs — while Númenor is poised for a coup courtesy of Pharazôn (Trystan Gravelle).

These compelling plot points are the best. The Rings of Power to run with for several more years, and if Payne and McKay continue to iron out the show’s handful of nagging issues, there’s a good chance it will. Tolkien was fond of observing that the road goes ever on; here’s hoping that in The Rings of Power’s case, it stretches as far as season 5, and figures itself out along the way.