The Rings of Power season 1 finale has dropped on Prime Video – and, unsurprisingly, it is crammed with big and stunning revelatory content material.
The excessive fantasy, big-budget Prime Video collection has lastly answered among the greatest questions surrounding a few of its characters, the forging of the titular rings, and key Center-earth lore (in addition to some notable revisions to its historical past and timeline). In truth, there’s a lot packed into episode 8 – titled Alloyed – we think about your head could also be in a spin over all the things you have simply discovered.
Beneath, we’ll break down the largest moments and divulges from The Rings of Power’s eighth episode. We’ll clarify who Sauron and The Stranger are, which rings have been created, and extra in regards to the episode’s most important speaking factors.
Main season 1 spoiler, in addition to data in The Lord of the Rings Appendices, observe . If you have not watched episode Eight, flip again now.
The Rings of Power season 1 ending defined: who’s Sauron?
Reply: That’ll be Halbrand.
Initially, we thought he was an inheritor to the Southlands’ throne, but it surely was all a lie. He is the Darkish Lord himself, aka Sauron, aka Morgoth’s apprentice, aka Lord of the Rings major antagonist who forges the One Ring.
Followers have lengthy speculated that Sauron was masquerading as Halbrand since we met him within the present’s two-episode premiere, though the present’s solid already knew Charlie Vickers, who portrays Halbrand, was taking part in Sauron. Due to some tight writing and several misdirect on the writers’ room’s half, too, Halbrand had fallen down our record of candidates about who would find yourself being Sauron.
Now, many people have eggs on our faces – ourselves included. Forward of Alloyed’s launch, we instructed that Halbrand could not be Sauron as he was nowhere close to The Mystics, the mysterious trio who’d spent the previous three episodes looking for Sauron. As we are saying, it is a pretty bait and change on creators J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay’s (and their fellow writers’) half.
So, how did we discover out Halbrand is Sauron? Extra gasoline was added to this explicit hearth when, after arriving at Eregion and recovering a bit too short from his wounds, Halbrand meets Celebrimbor and begins to work his magic.
We have been all channelling Galadriel at this level, proper? (Picture credit: Prime Video) He convinces the elven smith to forge merchandise – from Elrond’s piece of mithril – of unimaginable power. Initially, it’ll be a crown that Excessive King Gil-galad will put on. However, when that fails, Halbrand suggests making two rings – i.e. two of the titular Rings of Power – as a substitute. This performs out much like how Sauron seduces Celebrimbor and the elves in J.R.R. Tolkien’s supply materials, with certainly one of Sauron’s aliases – Annatar – counselling the elves on the rings’ forging.
Later, when Galadriel requests and receives a scroll regarding the Southlands’ royal lineage, Halbrand’s title is not there. In truth, there’s been no Southlands monarch for 1,000 years. After confronting Halbrand about this, he reveals he is Sauron in disguise. Following a more and more frenetic verbal forwards and backwards, Sauron makes use of his talents to lure Galadriel into a thoughts jail, tries to drown her after she refuses to hitch him in reshaping Center-evil underneath his tyrannical fist, and makes his escape.
The final shot of season 1 is Halbrand/Sauron smiling as he seems out over Mordor, which he’ll flip into his base of operations. All together now: uh-oh…
The Rings of Power season 1 ending defined: why is The Stranger known as Istari?
The Stranger is revealed as certainly one of Center-earth’s 5 wizards. (Picture credit: Prime Video)
Reply: as a result of that is the gathering of highly effective beings he belongs to.
Sauron’s reveal apart, The Stranger’s identification was the largest query followers had going into The Rings of Power’s first season. Sadly, we do not study what his title is – most likely as a result of he does not have one or cannot bear in mind the one he was given.
Nevertheless, what we do know is one thing that followers had additionally closely speculated on because the present’s first trailer dropped in February. And sure, it is true: The Stranger is one of many Istari, the 5 wizards despatched by the Valar to assist Center-earth’s races within the combat towards Sauron.
We study this when The Stranger is battling The Mystics halfway by way of episode 8. The trio, who’s about to be destroyed by The Stranger, states that he is an Istari. Requested Nori what Istari means later in the episode, The Stranger tells her that it means “clever one. Or, in your tongue, wizard”.
This will likely be a contentious problem amongst diehard Lord of the Rings followers. Within the supply materials, the Istari aren’t despatched to Center-earth till the Third Age. Provided that The Rings of Power is about within the Second Age, some Tolkienites will bristle at – nay, be livid with – the collection’s revision of this explicit piece of Lord of the Rings lore. Extra informal viewers, although, aren’t more likely to be fussed about this historic tweak.
Which wizard will The Stranger find yourself being? (Picture credit: Prime Video) So, the following main query is: which wizard will The Stranger be? The plain alternative is Gandalf. And, based mostly on a basic Gandfal quote he says to Nori earlier than they depart for Rhûn – “When unsure, at all times observe your nostril” – it appears nailed on that is who The Stranger is.
That stated it might be one other piece of deception on the showrunners’ half. Who’s to say Gandalf does not study that quote from one other wizard?
Subsequently, then, we will not rule out Saruman. Despite everything, he began out as a drive for good till his want for power corrupts his thoughts and he turns evil, and Gandalf at all times seeks his counsel in instances of want. Possibly Saruman is the one who presents that considerably clever quote to Gandalf, who goes on to make it his personal.
There are three different potential candidates, too. We have seen a kind of – Radagast the Brown – in Peter Jackson’s Hobbit film trilogy, however, he does not play an enormous position in The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings novels, nor does he go on large adventures. Radagast tends to spend his days surrounded by animals and concocting therapeutic potions, so The Stranger is unlikely to be him.
Whereas Gandalf is wanting the obvious alternative, we suppose The Stranger is likely one of the different wizards, whose backstories aren’t even detailed in Tolkien’s supply materials. To study extra, we have to ask one other very important query.
The Rings of Power season 1 ending defined: why is The Stranger and Nori going to Rhûn?
What lies in retailer in Rhûn for our intrepid duo? (Picture credit: Prime Video) Reply: to search out solutions about The Stranger’s previous and true identification.
Early in episode 8, when The Mystics are satisfied with The Stranger is Sauron, we study that certainly one of them – The Nomad – bears a defence with a constellation engraving. That is the identical set of stars on The Stranger’s torn piece of paper, which Nori stole from Sadoc’s Harfoot historical past tome, to assist The Stranger in The Rings of Power episode 3.
With The Mystics hailing from the land of Rhûn, a big area located in Center-earth’s far east, it is not a stretch to recommend that The Stranger will discover that constellation – and solutions about his identification – there. That is the place he and Nori have set off for within the season 1 finale, although it is unclear if they will study extra about The Stranger after they arrive.
Our view? We predict The Stranger will discover who he’s in Rhûn. Not solely that, however, we consider he’ll study he is one of many Blue Wizards.
Learn our Rings of Power recaps
Tolkien’s fleeting notes on the Blue Wizards provide some clues as to why this could be the case. For starters, the 2 Blue Wizards do not have non-elvish names in Lord of the Ring’s depth historical past. Within the language of the Valinor, they’re often known as Alatar and Pallando. Amongst Center-earth’s races, they’re additionally known as Morinehtar and Rómestámo.
In contrast to Gandalf, Saurman, and Radagast, nonetheless, the Blue Wizards aren’t given widespread names. This offers The Rings of Power’s writers the flexibility to create names for the pair if they seem within the present.
Whereas data on the Blue Wizards is scarce in Tolkien’s works, we additionally know that they travelled far into Center-earth’s Japanese areas – precisely the place The Stranger and Nori are heading to in season 2. Who’s to say that the duo will not run into the opposite Blue Wizard, be part of forces with them, and serve the Valar by stopping the Easterlings – a race of Males loyal to Sauron – from bolstering the Darkish Lord’s forces?
The one different data now we have is that they seemingly served as missionaries or adversaries to enemies in this area. Like their widespread names, then, the collection’s writers can fill in a big lore-sized gap in Center-earth’s historical past and inform us what position the Blue Wizards – whether or not The Stranger is one or not – had in Rhûn and past.
The Rings of Power season 1 ending defined: which rings have been solid?
Three rings for the Elven-kings underneath the sky. (Picture credit score: Prime Video) Reply to the three elven rings – Nenya, Narya, and Vilya.
After Halbrand/Sauron practically kills Galadriel, he mysteriously disappears, leaving Galadriel and Elrond to dissuade Celebrimbor from urgent forward together with his suggestion to make two rings.
As an alternative, Galadriel proposes that three objects must be solid. “One will corrupt and two will divide,” she says, earlier than Celebrimbor clocks on and provides “However three will stability”.
So, three Rings of Power are created – and so they simply occur to be the three items of jewellery {that a} highly effective elven trio put on for the rest of their time in Center-earth. Not solely that, however, their forging is aided by Finrod’s dagger, which includes Valinor gold and metal to assist with the crafting course. A reluctant Galadriel is hesitant to half along with her brother’s weapon however, to serve the better good and save the elves from destruction, she agrees to offer it up.
(Picture credit: Prime Video) The primary ring is named Nenya, the Ring of Adamant and in addition the Ring of Water. This band is fabricated from mithril – clearly – and comes geared up with a stone of adamant. It is the ring that Galadriel owns by way of the Second and Third Ages.
Subsequent, now we have Narya, the purple Ring or Ring of Fireplace, which is about a ruby. Tolkien’s supply materials do not state that Narya accommodates mithril however, based mostly on what happens within the season 1 finale, it should do. Narya finally ends up being worn by Círdan the Shipwright, one of many oldest elves to reside and a personality who’ll debut in season 2. Círdan passes Narya onto Gandalf a while later.
Lastly, Vilya, aka the Ring of Air and the Ring of Sapphire, is the mightiest of the three elven rings. It is a band fabricated from gold with a sapphire set in it, which is presented to Gil-galad after its creation. Elrond will get the ring after Gil-galad.
What makes the elven rings so essential in the battle towards Sauron? The Darkish Lord had no involvement in their crafting, so these bands are unsullied by his fingers. When Sauron finally creates the One Ring, the elves aren’t corrupted by Sauron, which means he cannot affect them as he does with the 9 kings of males, who flip into the Ringwraiths. Due to their rings’ power, although, they understand when Sauron has solid his ring to enslave Center-earth, which units The Struggle of the Elves and Sauron – a key battle within the Second Age – in movement.
It is unclear if we’ll see the opposite 17 rings – the One Ring, the 9 for the kings of males, and 7 for the dwarf lords – solid in season 2. With Sauron now set to occupy Mordor, you may wager it will not be lengthy earlier than we do.
For extra Rings of Power protection, learn up on how the present’s second episode virtually spoiled Sauron’s reveal, discover when Charlie Vickers discovered he was taking part in Sauron, or get the lowdown on that Stranger to reveal.
The Rings of Power season 1 is on the market to stream in full now on Prime Video.
