The finale of the RINGS OF POWER has aired. Mordor has been created. Sauron has been revealed. The Stranger has been… given some sort of classification status. And ultimately I really liked this series. But there are plenty of other questions that remain hanging as we now head into the long wait for season 2. And that is not a bad thing. Like I said, I thought the finale answered enough questions in a satisfying way that it concluded a solid season 1 for the fledgling Tolkien drama.
Still I have to wonder, will there be course corrections in season 2? Will there be introductions of new fan favorite characters (seems like it – see my previous blog post on questions heading into the finale for my guesses)? They have seemingly left so many pieces in precarious places on the board that showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay have enough wiggle room to do practically anything. So what are my biggest questions and how can they shift the narrative in Season 2?
1. What will become of Adar – will he become the GOOD bad guy?
When we last peek in on Adar he had ended the season on a massive W. He was comfortably in the shadow of the recently erupted Mount Doom, his Orc army surrounding him triumphantly chanting “Adar”! But with Sauron pka Halbrand visibly on his way to Doom at the end of Episode 8, his standing may be in jeopardy. Adar is still presumably at odds with Sauron (whom he believes he killed) and judging by how Halbrand greeted Adar in Episode 6, there is still much animosity on his end as well.
Like I said in my previous blog post, I think Adar has the potential to be the most interesting character of Season 2. He is a tragic figure, a force of evil operating under the pretense of doing something good (fighting for Orcs, fighting against Sauron) that will probably be undone by Sauron. He is such a great chatercer that if he were a character in the STAR WARS sequel trilogy or STAR TREK Kelvin series, he would be killed off in the first 10 minutes of the next installment because the writers would not know what to do with him. And if you know anything about anything that might not be a great sigh for Adar here. But I hope the plans for him are more than a quick out at the beginning of next season. And considering his placement on a cover of the ROP edition LOTR novel set (sad I am staking my hopes and dreams on movie tie-in covers that have been so hated-on – though I bought a copy) maybe Adar has a chance.
As I wrote in a previous blog, I think Adar has the potential to be a great GOOD bad guy – much like Ben Linus on LOST or HRG (Horned Rim Glasses man) on HEROES (two aughts shows that structurally and tonally feel similar to ROP). I think if he is defeated at Doom and exiled and crosses paths with Isildur or even Galadriel next season, he could be that formidable enemy of my enemy is my friend character – someone who can give our heroes a unique insight into Sauron, someone who opposes Sauron, but also someone who may not want an outcome that is aligned with our protagonists. Foreshadowing this unique position were his interrogation scenes with Galadriel and Halbrand were some of the most interesting on the series this season. He felt like a true match for both Galadriel and Sauron pka Halbrand – someone who favors neither and though he did not recognize Halbrand as Sauron, it felt like he already knew there might be differing motivations for both Galadriel and Halbrand and used those against them. His is a unique narrative that builds that very unique GOOD bad character and this one is lucky enough to have Adar in that position. Let’s hope we get more of him next season – away from Mount Doom.
2. Where is Isildur and will he become the man befitting of the “Heir to Isildur” title?
Speaking of Isildur, we have not seen the famed Numenorian and founder of Gondor since way back in Episode 6. And even then I could not believe THAT guy was THE guy (that Aragorn thought so highly of centuries later in the LOTR story). I presume that Isildur, in his current beta state, may be stranded from his father and fellow Numenorians for some time. This would largely give him enough time to (hopefully) remake himself into the Chad Isildur that we all envisioned when we first heard or read the title “Heir to Isildur”. Because right now, he is not that guy.
But maybe he shouldn’t be right now. At least not at this point in the story. Look I like the actor. And I think his character is filled with more self doubts than self-reliance at this point in the story for a reason: we are going to see him become the Isildur that we had heard so much about in legends told during the Third Age. At some point, presumably, now stranded on his own, he will become the man, the chad, the guy.
Now one other interesting possibility is Sauron teaming up with Isildur. Remember Sauron is on his way to Mordor. And Isildur is seemingly stranded in that vicinity. Isildur knows Halbrand but has no idea that Halbrand is Sauron. Good this be a way Sauron pka Halbrand finds a way back to Numenor? Could Sauron pka Halbrand use Isildur to help him take out Adar? Could this interaction somehow have a transformative effect on Isildur? Could Isildur land the first blow against Sauron when they are one on one with each other? Could Sauron harm Isildur? Everything is on the table and it is all interesting.
And yes, Isildur will eventually found Gondor with his brother Anarion. Hang on a second, Anarion has yet to even show his face in this series. I do wonder if that means his sister will somehow be involved in bringing Anarion to search for Isildur in the Southlands? Speaking of which…
3. What will Earien see in the Palantir – perhaps… Anarion?
When we leave Earien, sister to Isildur and Anarion, she has just been shown the palantir in Tar-Palantir’s quarters and is about to look into it. But that is the last we see of her. What will she see? I think many presume it is the fall of Numenor – much like Tar-Miriel and Galadriel witnessed earlier in the season when they looked into the same palantir. And while that might be true I don’t think it is crazy to think that she might also see something else, something relating to the now unknown fate of Isildur. Could Earien see that Isildur is alive and stranded in the Southlands now Mordor? Could she see further into the future and see that her brothers will found Gondor?
In either case, I think Earien would then be pushed to go find Anarion (I think somewhere out in the western reaches of Numenor) and convince the brother to set sail to the former Southlands to find Isildur. I could see this taking a large chunk of season 2 even as Isildur wanders the desolation in the Southlands.
I also just want to say that I really love that McKay and Payne did not forget Earien. And I love her storyline, being left behind, looking after this dying oldie but also presumably being given the key to unlock some great next step in this saga – is so Tolkien-esque in its execution, that it is not those with swords or staffs that are necessarily most crucial. I hope they pay this off. Making Earien a big part of season 2 is something that I really want to see.
4. Is the Mithril origin story aka the Simaril story actually true?
Much was made back in episode 5 when Gil-Galad told the tale of the way mithril was created. Wikipedia version: mithril was supposedly created by a (missing?, unknown?, fourth?) Silmaril hidden in a tree. An elf pours his light energy into the tree to protect the Simaril and a Balrog pours dark energy to destroy it. The result is Mithril in the caves beneath the roots of the tree. Anyway, Gil-Galad says that this mithril can save the elves from the impending doom of their species foreshadowed by the dying tree in Lindon.
Considering that this is the biggest lore departure in the entire first season, and something seemingly entirely made up by showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, many have said that it cannot be true. I’m not sure if that alone disqualifies it but I do think that there are other reasons to question the veracity of both components of the tale. First, the elves are alive and well in Middle Earth during the third age without the seeming use of mithril as a cure so presumably there has to be either a complete de-bunking of the story by the third age – or at least an addendum to it that will allow elves to keep living in the third age without the use of mithril. Or maybe the elves are just housing mithril in the third age and we never knew it. Presumably and hopefully this will be proved false in some manner or another and some of this will come to light in Season 2. Because LORD OF THE RINGS proper would have some seriously weird retcons in it if not.
5. Is The Stranger Gandalf, a Blue Wizard, or something else?
This might be the #1 question for most people’s list. And I know A LOT of people, Tokien scholars and casuals alike, think The Stranger is Gandalf. And I think it is a good assumption considering he basically quotes Gandalf from Peter Jackson’s “Fellowship of The Ring” and considering Gandalf’s history with Hobbits. And it also helps for the show trying to sell itself to casuals. Heck even I call the Stranger, “Gandalf” when I talk about the show with casuals considering watching. But I also think there is reason to hold out hope that The Stranger is a Blue Wizard – either Alatar or Pallando, two Istari canonically sent to Middle Earth in the Second Age.
First off he is identified as an “Istar”, a wizard. And that is a very specific kind of wizard in Tolkien’s writings that both Gandalf and the blue wizards belong to. These blue wizards, Alatar and Pallando, also called Morinehtar and Rómestámo in other Tolkien writings, do travel East upon their arrival – similar to where The Stranger is headed at the end of Season 1. Not much is known about their ultimate end but it is presumed by many, including Tolkien, that they were not successful in their campaign against Sauron. This lack of knowledge as to their ultimate ends also ties the pair of Blue Wizards to the show as the X-Ray comments in one of the final scenes for The Stranger reveals: “there are many stories about Istari, not all of which have been told”, which seems to point to the lesser known Blue Wizards.
The TWO big question marks for the blue wizard theory is that 1.) two wizards arrive simultaneously in Tolkien’s lore and 2.) they wear blue – neither of which seem applicable to The Stranger. Another would be that the showrunners failed to name The Stranger at all in season 1. If it was going to be one of the Blue Wizards I think the show would have likely tipped their hat to that name in the final episode versus Gandalf – which I think they would be more likely to hold until next season when the reveal can be accompanied by a narrative that would perhaps give more reason as to why Gandalf is in Middle Earth in the Second Age (when canonically he does not appear till the third). Presumably if revealed with no narrative explanation in this final episode there would be a lot of questions and more backlash – and they already had the whole Halbrand/Sauron reveal to get across the finish line (which they did).
On a side note, if this is Gandalf, I like that they’ve gone back to a more 70s, rugged, grounded version of an Istar, a little closer to what we saw on the poster for Ralph Bakshi’s version and away from Ian McKellen’s Gandalf – who was good but hey, even Ian McKellen said he wasn’t that fond of Gandalf the White’s look. So who is this Stranger? Well we will have to wait till Season 2 to find out. Right now I think it is about 60/40 – Gandalf/Blue Wizard. But I am not giving up hope for a Blue Wizard.
6. Will Celeborn or Glorfindel show up in Season 2?
Celeborn is another piece of somewhat controversial handling in Season 1 of RINGS OF POWER as he was presumed deceased by his canon wife Galadriel within the series – when no such fate existed in canon. On Nerd of The Rings YT channel, he speculated quite interestingly that Celeborn might be given Glorfindel’s second age story arc in Season 2 and beyond of the show and I think that could be a great theory.
Glorfindel is an elf deceased in the first age that returns from Valinor in the Second Age and helps in the fight against Sauron in all kinds of different ways (including fighting a Balrog – hmmm). But Glorfindel is also missing from this first season of RINGS OF POWER. Now previously I had speculated that the Stranger might be Glorfindel. But since they do go so far as to name him an “Istar” or wizard in the finale, I think that option is out. So will Glorfindel show up in Season 2?
Perhaps what Galadriel has said and believed about Celeborn being dead is true. But perhaps he will be sent back like Glorfindel was and will take that storyline up in Season 2 – as the Nerd of The Rings YT channel suggested. Also presumably Celeborn has to show up at some point, with our without Glorfindel’s storyline, as he and Galadriel have a daughter and eventually move away from Lindon and found Lothlorien together.
7. With the three Elven rings completed, will the Halbrand form of Sauron transform into something/someone else to create the other sixteen rings?
The three elven rings that are completed at the end of Season 1 are always made without the supervision or knowledge of Sauron – hence when he discovers their existence he attacks Eregion. But there are still 16 rings and the one ring that still need to be forged, presumably, in the course of the show. So how and when will this happen?
Will Sauron show up in a guise that is not Halbrand in Season 2? Will we discover in Season 2 that the other 16 rings have already been forged and are just in lock-up? Will Celebrimbor continue to work with Halbrand/Sauron in secret without the knowledge of Elrond and Galadriel?
One way or another the showrunners have to get the Rings of Power forged and with Sauron revealing himself so early in “the game”, I am very curious to see how this gets pulled off.
8. Numenor’s future
There are so many dominos that seemingly have to fall before Numenor’s own. Although the story of the Rings of Power can seemingly not be told without the Fall of Numenor, there is so much in the Fall of Numenor that the Numenorian story could almost be its own miniseries or series (like HBO’s HOUSE OF THE DRAGON).
The prophecy of the palantir seen by Galadriel and Tar-Miriel will take a while to play out within the narrative of the series. I can’t possibly see Numenor falling till late Season 3 or even Season 4 (of the planned 5 episode series). Still we have to see the chess pieces start moving into place for this to happen. Presumably we have to see Pharazon and Tar-Miriel marry (guessing this will happen next season), Pharazon team with Sauron, Pharazon capture Sauron, and that’s saying nothing of anything going on with Elendil, Earinor, or Isildur. But there is a lot of wiggle room into how these events take place. We’ve seen as much in HOUSE OF THE DRAGON and the way they interpret text (albeit that text is sort of presented as interpretable). Still there is much room to fill in for this Numenorian saga and that makes me both excited and nervous.
I mean so far, so good – but there is a ways to go. And a lot of ways this could go wrong. But also ways this could go right.
9. Is Sauron really going to be the ROP’s Walter White? Shouldn’t he be Gus Fring instead?
The showrunners have gone on record post-finale as saying that Sauron will be like “Walter White” in Season 2. I’m not sure if I like this but that might be depending on my own interpretation of Walter White as a morally gray character. Moreover if they are trying to make Sauron a sympathetic or empathetic antagonist, I think it could be a bit tricky.
But I also think Sauron is not the third-age Sauron yet that we all think of as a black-as-night villain. In the same way that I previously said that Isildur is not the Isildur of legend and lore yet. That is, in many ways, the point of this series. And Tolkien himself has hinted in letters that Sauron is at least motivated by penitence during the second age – even if he is ultimately overcome by evil.
So maybe Walter White is not the best comparison. But perhaps he could be Gus Fring instead. And by that I mean a guy who is 100% evil but also that is working towards order (something that Sauron was originally motivated by in THE SILMARILLION) and that perhaps his machinations are holding something together in Middle Earth – or that our protagonists think they might. I think Gus Fring is a much better model for someone who would have the cleverness and persuasiveness to bring so many people together to willfully see to their downfall. White is a great character but he is far too much an agent of chaos and I’m not sure even I see the Sauron comparisons here.
10. Is the time compression thing working?
I think one of the more interesting points of comparison between HOUSE OF THE DRAGON and RINGS OF POWER that has not been talked about is their approach to telling stories that take place over decades (and in the case of RINGS OF POWER – centuries). Whereas HOUSE OF THE DRAGON has decided to feature large time jumps between each episode (which will seemingly throttle after the most recent episode once the narrative settles into the Dance of the Dragons per se), RINGS OF POWER has decided to go the route of TIME COMPRESSION.
And the showrunners admitted to using time compression prior to the premiere of Season 1. And while I think that it is an interesting way to approach the centuries of story that are necessary to tell the tale of the creation and destruction of the Rings of Power, it is also something that could get awkward and could also seem like too much is happening in a short period.
I think one of the things I liked about the story of the creation of the rings is that Sauron was game planning this for centuries. And we probably will not get that. We also won’t see how mistakes of one generation pave the way for greater missteps of the next but the eventual redemption of the next – which is really freaking cool in Tolkien lore. It is completely antithetical to the pacing of Lord of The Rings and I like that and will potentially miss that in this series.
I do like that even though they have compressed time, there is still an almost leisurely pace to the story – which I think fits Tolkien well – despite some criticism from general audiences. I think this (let’s call it) deliberate pace suits the time compression well. One of the things I don’t like about HOUSE OF THE DRAGON is the way the time skips make it feel like everything important happens in a day or two every 10 years in the lives of those characters. And you don’t get that feeling in RINGS OF POWER.
No Scoops Club 