The ‘Rings of Power’ Finale Was Lethal, Sexy (?!), and Good as Hell
This interview contains spoilers for the Season One finale of Rings of Power.
After eight enthralling episodes, we’ve come to the end of the road for Rings of Power. Well, the end of the road for now—as Tolkien himself would tell us, “the road goes ever on and on,” to the tune of four more mega-expensive seasons. But at the glacial rate that television of this scale gets made, it’ll likely be years before we meet again in this sacred recap space, dear reader. I will not say do not weep, for not all tears are an evil.
This week, get ready for something a little different. For the first time ever, I’m not handing out any rings of power—how could I when Galadriel, Celebrimbor, and Elrond have that task completely covered (we’ll get there, don’t worry)? Instead, I’m breaking down the finale’s three biggest revelations, from secret identities to the secrets of jewelcraft. Here we go!
Sauron Is Hot Now?
Some of you called it long ago: Halbrand is Sauron! Gasp! The finale does a masterful job of unspooling this reveal, tracing Galadriel’s nagging suspicion until the truth hits her like a freight train in an epic spacetime-bending confrontation.
When Galadriel and a wounded Halbrand ride through the gilded gates of Eregion, High King Gil-galad is none too happy to see her, though Elrond is delighted. Elvish healers tend Halbrand while Galadriel learns the full extent of the species-ending calamity facing her kind: mithril will save the elves, but there isn’t enough to go around, so Celebrimbor and Elrond are working together to devise an invention that can bend mithril’s life-giving light around the kingdom. It must be round to bend light, so perhaps they’ll create a crown—or a ring. Gil-galad, for his part, is ready to throw in the towel and ship the elves off to Valinor (why is that always his solution?).
A much-recovered Halbrand, who has a background in blacksmithing, starts hanging around the workshop to meet his idol, Celebrimbor. Soon enough, they’re collaborating like old friends, with Halbrand advising Celebrimbor on the proper alloy to stretch their limited supply of mithril as far as it can go. When Celebrimbor thanks him for the tip, Halbrand replies, “Consider it a gift.” There he is, friends—there he is! Annatar, Sauron, The Lord of Gifts himself. It was all I could do not to shriek then and there. For lovers of Tolkien’s lore, it’s a scrumptious clue.
Something about Halbrand’s blacksmithing prowess doesn’t sit right with Galadriel, who quietly asks a page to fetch records on the history of the Southlands and tell no one of this request. She confronts Halbrand with what she’s learned: the royal line of the Southlands was broken thousands of years ago, meaning that Halbrand isn’t who he claims to be. Halbrand / Sauron congratulates her on figuring it out, then throws her into her mind palace: Valinor, back by the very same idyllic creek where she once sat on a log with her brother. Feanor is there, but it’s not the Feanor Galadriel knows and loves—it’s Sauron, wearing Feanor’s face, his own poisonous rhetoric dripping from Feanor’s lips. Then, with another wrenching transition, they’re back on that fateful raft in the Sundering Sea, where Sauron attempts to convince Galadriel to join him as his queen, saying that together, they can save Middle-earth. “Save it or rule it?” she bites out, to which he replies, “I see no difference.” Their confrontation escalates in fury and might, two fearsome foes pressed nose to nose, Sauron’s face twisting into a monstrous mask à la Bilbo Baggins in The Fellowship of the Ring. When Galadriel comes to, Elrond is pulling her out of the River Glanduin, and Sauron is nowhere to be found. Elrond wants an explanation, but Galadriel is already taking off on foot, sprinting toward Celebrimbor’s workshop.
Here’s my question: what are we supposed to make of a sexy Sauron? Tell me you didn’t feel a little thrill at that final shot of him gazing with menacing glee over Mordor, definitely sporting a smoky eye as his black cloak blows in the breeze. Talk about Sauron taking his “fair form,” indeed.
The Stranger is Gandalf!
The episode begins with a real fake-out as The Stranger is pursued deep into the forest by the three witchy women from Rhûn, who tell him, “We’ve come to serve you, Lord Sauron.” The Stranger doesn't know that he’s Sauron, they insist, because his memory was scrambled when he was “cast out” (by Morgoth or by the meteor? Unclear). The gals intend to lift the veil from his memory and strengthen his evil powers, but there’s just one wrench in their plan: four pesky Harfoots. Nori, Poppy, Nori’s mother Marigold, and Sadoc Burrows descend on the encampment in a righteous fury, fighting back in the time-honored halfling tradition of pelting rocks at the mystics’ heads. The Stranger, immobilized by The Dweller’s powerful magic, lies resigned to his fate as one of the women menaces toward the Harfoots, her hands full of lethal flame. “Close your eyes,” Marigold advises Poppy. “It’ll only hurt for a moment.” My heart!
Nori rushes over with The Dweller’s staff, begging The Stranger to wield it and save them. He argues that he can’t help because he’s evil, but Nori isn’t convinced—”It’s not who you are, but what you do,” she insists. It’s textbook Tolkien: good and evil aren’t fixed states, but forces we flow between at all times, and it’s never too late to change—just ask Boromir. The Stranger takes Nori’s pep talk to heart, seizes the staff, and obliterates the mystics with a blinding beam of white light. “He’s not the Dark Lord—he’s an Istari!” one shouts with her dying breath. That’s right, he’s a WIZARD, baby! When the battle is ended, the toll becomes clear: Sadoc has taken a blade to the belly, but he’s at peace with his fate. “The missus is waiting for me,” he insists, casting his eyes skyward. When the Harfoots move to carry him home, he asks only that they stay awhile and watch the sunrise together. Soon enough, he slips away into the Great Harfoot Beyond as the music swells and the sun glows over the treetops. Who knew that I’d shed a tear over the mean old grouch who made the Brandyfoots walk at the back of the caravan?
Back in Harfoot country, The Stranger tells Nori of his plan to journey to Rhûn in search of answers about his origins. Nori struggles to say goodbye, but as it turns out, she won’t have to—her parents have rigged up a backpack full of supplies to send her along on the adventure, with Marigold saying, “You’ve always belonged out there.” Dear, sweet, orphaned Poppy struggles to say goodbye too, asking Nori tearfully, “Why does everyone I love always leave?” Rip my heart out, why don’t you, Poppy? But I’m not going to worry too much about her—after she helps Sadoc’s replacement Malva Mettigrass read a map, it seems Poppy may be getting an internship as a trail-finder. Put Poppy in charge! She won’t send anyone to the back of the caravan, I’ll tell you that.
When The Stranger and Nori make to leave, she confesses that she doesn’t know the way. He notes that the breeze coming from a certain direction smells sweet, saying, “If in doubt, always follow your nose.” A classic Gandalf quote—which means that he’s not just any wizard, he’s Gandalf! I love that Rings of Power has chosen to build out Gandalf’s backstory in this way; of course it was a young Harfoot girl with a thirst for adventure who was his first friend in Middle-earth. No wonder he’d later show such a soft spot for hobbits, especially fellow adventurers like Bilbo and Frodo Baggins. Next season, I can’t wait to catch up with these two on their adventure to parts unknown.
Three Rings for the Elven Kings!
Back in Celebrimbor’s workshop, Galadriel races in soaking wet with a revelation. They must fashion the alloyed mithril into three rings—“one corrupts, two divides”—but three is a solid number. To do it, they’ll need gold and silver of the purest form—”gold and silver from Valinor,” Celebrimbor says, looking pointedly at Galadriel’s beloved dagger. After Galadriel has wrestled with her obsessive thirst for vengeance throughout the entire season, it’s deeply moving to see her cast Feanor’s dagger into the forge and symbolically part with the past.
What follows is a stunning, lavish, lovingly imagined sequence depicting the forging of the Three Rings: Narya, Nenya, and Vilya, the only rings of power untouched by Sauron. Galadriel hasn’t told Celebrimbor or, more importantly, her dear friend Elrond what she learned about Halbrand / Sauron, nor anything about his role in the science behind the rings… methinks she might pay for that in Season Two.
That’s all for now, everyone. Thank you for coming along with your friendly neighborhood Tolkien nerd on this unexpected journey. Stick with us—we’ll be keeping you abreast of all Season Two developments as the show approaches. Namárië!
You Might Also Like
