The oppressive darkness has gradually started taking hold over Middle-Earth as the second season of Amazon Studios’ The Rings of Power has premiered with its first three episodes. Taking a slow but steady approach, the narrative majorly focuses on Sauron’s masterplan involving the Rings of Power and guides viewers through how differing situations across the continent are shaping up for a major conflict in the near future. The previous season ended with Halbrand, who was really Sauron in disguise, tricking Celebrimbor into creating the first three Elven rings and taking refuge in the newly formed Mordor after confessing the truth of his identity to Galadriel.
The Stranger, whose identity is revealed as one of the five Istars or Wizards, marches towards the east, to the kingdom of Rhûn, in hopes of getting in touch with his past, and he is accompanied by his Harfoot friend, Nori. Númenor suffers the most in the war against Adar’s Orc army; as Queen MÃriel becomes blind, Captain Elendil’s son Isildur seemingly perishes, and old King Tar-Palantir passes away in the capital as well, which sets the stage for a major political shift in the island kingdom of humans. As the first three episodes of the second season chronicle a series of events in various parts of Middle-Earth, a palpable undercurrent of corruption and deceit binds them all.
Spoilers Ahead
Adar’s Betrayal of Sauron
The defeat of Morgoth during the First Age led to Sauron, his loyal and most fearsome accomplice, taking the mantle of the second Dark Lord. However, this didn’t sit well with Adar, the first corrupted elf, and his ‘children,’ all the Elves who later transformed into Orcs—who were subjected to brutality and experimentation at the hands of Sauron since their creation. As a result, led by Adar, the Orcs attempted a coup, and Sauron’s first corporeal form was destroyed when he was stabbed to death by the turncoats in Forodwaith. However, killing the strongest Maiar is not something a handful of Orcs can accomplish, and Sauron’s undying spirit escaped, gathering strength and, in time, emerging in the appearance of Halbrand.
As Halbrand, Sauron came across a luckless band of humans who were fleeing from the oppression of the Orcs, and as he joined them in their journey across the sea, he was acquainted with a kindly elder, whose ancestors were servants of the Southlander king. As the band of displaced humans got shipwrecked, the treacherous Maiar decided to steal the Southlander king’s brooch from the elder and left him alone to die in misery. Eventually, Sauron met with Galadriel, and as they got embroiled in the war with Adar and his army in the Southlands, Mordor and Mount Doom were formed. At present, Sauron returns to Mordor and surrenders himself to Adar, who isn’t able to recognize him and mistakes him for Halbrand. After spending some time getting tortured, Sauron tries to make a bargain with Adar by mentioning the eventual rise of Sauron and how he can use his association with the Elves to learn his whereabouts if Adar releases him and the captive Southlander people. Adar is quite obviously afraid of Sauron’s return, and as a result, it doesn’t take much persuasion on Halbrand’s part to get himself released.
An Air of Mistrust Among the Elves of Lindon
Elrond became aware of Halbrand’s trickery in the final moments of the previous season, and he had also realized that, despite knowing the truth, Galadriel chose to remain silent anyway. As a result, Elrond becomes convinced that Galadriel is under the influence of some sort of dark machinations, and decides to flee with the three newly forged rings to approach Elven king Gil-galad. Galadriel accepts that she had been beguiled by none other than Sauron, who had earned her trust as Halbrand. Gil-galad sends emissaries to Eregion to warn Celebrimbor at once, but much to Elrond’s dismay, the king shares Galadriel’s stance that the rings are of seminal importance to the rejuvenation of the Elven kingdoms in Middle-Earth. Elrond is too apprehensive of Sauron’s corrupting touch, which he considers to have affected the rings as well, and he once again decides to flee with them, this time approaching Master CÃrdan, the wisest among all the Elves.
Galadriel and Gil-galad manage to track Elrond down in CÃrdan’s abode, but by then CÃrdan has managed to escape with the rings with the intention of destroying them. Dejected, the king prepares to take his elf community back to Valinor as the Great Tree of Lindon loses its splendor, signifying the loss of the strength of the Elves in Middle-Earth. However, after getting acquainted with the properties of the rings, CÃrdan decides to return to Lindon and seems to be enthusiastic and positive about the fact that their immense capabilities can be put to good use. Galadriel wields Nenya, CÃrdan wears Narya, and Gil-galad puts Vilya on himself, and indeed the rejuvenating properties of the rings bring the Great Tree of Lindon to its former glory. However, the ring-wearers occasionally get ominous visions of a bleak future, as the influence of Sauron upon the rings can never be completely undone. Elrond feels betrayed after his paranoid counsel isn’t adhered to by anyone, and he proceeds to continuously spite Galadriel for breaking his trust. Later, CÃrdan manages to convince his former student to learn to separate the creation from its creator, which somewhat lessens Elrond’s anxiety. Gil-galad, who was infuriated at Galadriel for her recklessness, puts trust in her as he decides to send her to Mordor to corner Sauron before it gets too late, and Elrond, who has decided to put his differences with his friend aside for the time being, is leading the company of Elves.
Who Is The Dark Wizard of Rhûn?
The narrative focus shifts to the scorching desert of the east, and the Stranger and Nori make their way through an uninhabitable landscape to reach the kingdom of Rhûn, but end up losing their way. However, as Poppy soon joins their company, with Harfoot trailfinder Sadoc’s maps with her, their journey becomes a bit easier.
At the royal court of Rhûn, the present ruler, an unnamed Dark Wizard, probably a former accomplice to Sauron, has sent trackers to observe the activities of the Stranger and his Harfoot companions. In the previous season, the three Easterling researchers had been sent by the Wizard, and at present it is hinted that he knows the true identity of the Stranger. The Wizard instructs his trackers to force the Stranger into submission by threatening the lives of his companions before he eventually gets in touch with his true self. However, as the trackers corner the trio in the desert, the Stranger unleashes a sandstorm using his magic to stop his pursuers, but a lack of control results in the storm getting more severe with each passing moment—until Nori and Poppy get lost in the turbulence. The identity of the Dark Wizard remains a mystery, but from his appearance and his allegiance to Sauron, it seems the Wizard could be Saruman, the Dark Lord’s loyal servant. In that case, if the Stranger is indeed an amnesiac Gandalf, the age-old rivalry between the two Wizards may very well be hinted at in later episodes.
Isildur’s Survival and Ents Uprising
Meanwhile, Isildur is quite obviously revealed to have survived the fierce cataclysm during the formation of Mordor and is held captive inside a cavern in Mirkwood by a giant spider, who could be a descendant of Ungoliant. Isildur’s brave, loyal steed, Berek, is able to find its friend in the dark depths of the Mirkwood, and with the help of Berek, Isildur regains his consciousness and somehow breaks free from captivity. Isildur comes across a woman named Estrid, who has lost her company in the attack of the Morgoth loyalist Wildmen, and reveals that the Númenorean army has retreated to their kingdom, whereas the surviving Southland villagers have moved to one of the earliest Númenorean settlements in the dilapidated city of Pelargir. As the duo make their way towards the city, they are ambushed by a bunch of Wildmen, and even though they are saved by the timely interference of the elf Arondir, Berek ends up being stolen by the barbarians.
It is revealed that Arondir’s beloved Bronwyn, the healer who played a major role in unifying the Southland villagers against Morgoth loyalists during the war against Adar’s forces, ultimately didn’t survive—and even though she had seemingly been healed by Elven medication, the effects gradually worn off. Bronwyn’s son, Theo, blames himself for the death of his mother and has turned bitter as a result. Isildur has a heart to heart with the lad, and later, as Isildur reveals a shared sense of guilt from parental loss while conversing with Estrid, Theo, who was listening to their conversation, gets some much-needed solace. Theo agrees to take Isildur to the camp of the Wildmen who took his horse, but while distracting the barbarians, he nearly gets himself caught. However, the sudden appearance of a number of unseen, gigantic rescuers saves the day, and from the visual cues, it is hinted that the Ents have finally decided to rise up against the dark forces. Unbeknownst to Isildur, Estrid is revealed to be a former Morgoth/Sauron loyalist who is trying to hide her past for reasons still unknown.
Political Shift in Númenor
In the island kingdom of Númenor, the denizens are revealed to be infuriated with MÃriel’s decision to assist Galadriel in her war in the Southlands, which resulted in significant loss of lives. MÃriel tries her best to comfort her people and motivates them to unite for a better future. The Kingsmen member Pharazôn starts to concoct a plan to usurp the throne by denouncing MÃriel’s actions, and he finds an accomplice in Isildur’s grieving sister, Eärien, who is aware of the existence of the mystical Palantir. The fact that MÃriel had kept the future-sight sharing Elven crystal hidden and used it to gain preemptive knowledge of future events is also known to Eärien, and she uses this bit of intel during the coronation of the queen, resulting in a public uproar in the royal court.
In a strange coincidence, one of the Great Eagles descends on the balcony of the royal court, which is seen as an auspicious sign during coronation events, and the opportunistic Pharazôn uses this chance to approach the beast and pose as the new ruler of Númenor. The massive support rallied by the people of court makes it seem that MÃriel will be forced to take a step back, and the fate of the country appears to be in the hands of Pharazôn.
Sauron Convinces Celebrimbor to Forge Dwarven Rings
Meanwhile, Halbrand (Sauron) reaches Eregion to approach Celebrimbor, who seems initially unwilling to meet him given Galadriel had warned him against meeting Halbrand in the future. However, with deceit and trickery, Halbrand not only manages to earn the trust of the master craftsman once again but also nudges his creative self meticulously by informing about the greatness of the rings he has forged. The envoy sent to Celebrimbor by Gil-galad has already been taken care of by Halbrand, and he uses the lack of communication between the kingdoms to his own advantage by misguiding Celebrimbor into thinking that Gil-galad is against his endeavors as an artist. Motivating Celebrimbor with a higher purpose towards the denizen of Middle-Earth, Sauron tricks him by using a bit of a theatrical touch to appear in front of him as Annatar, Lord of Gifts, emissary of the Valars—who has been sent to guide the legendary craftsman in creating the most significant artifact in the history of Middle-Earth, Rings of Power for all the major races, for humans, for Dwarves. Celebrimbor has lived in the shadow of the accomplishments of his grandfather, Fëanor, throughout his life, and as Sauron manages to ignite the spirit of an artist, it is understandable as to why the Elven craftsman gets beguiled rather easily.
On the other hand, Khazad-dûm is facing tribulations—either due to the Valars warning them of impending catastrophe or the Balrog inside the mines of Moria making its presence felt. Durin IV and his wife Disa are trying to make ends meet on their own after Durin IV got disowned by his father, King Durin III, in the previous season. Disa urges her husband to make peace with his father time and time again, but the infamous stubbornness of the Dwarves, accompanied by their massive egos, makes the ordeal impossible. Sauron, fully aware of developments on the other side of the world, makes Celebrimbor send an invitation to Durin IV and Disa and proposes to alleviate the woes of their kingdom by presenting Rings of Power to them in exchange for a supply of Mithril. To gain Durin IV’s trust, Sauron mentions Elrond’s name as well, but the Dwarven prince isn’t as easily convinced. However, Disa holds the opinion that Durin IV should take this chance to make amends with his father—by presenting Annatar’s proposal of saving the Dwarven kingdom to him. Despite his hesitation, Durin IV does so, but at the same time shares his suspicion about Annatar’s intentions with his father as well.
It remains unknown whether Durin IV’s warnings actually result in anything significant at all, as the next time we see him along with his father in Celebrimbor’s forge, the Mithril supplied by the Dwarves is being used to create six rings for the Dwarven warlords. As the episode ends, Sauron’s plan has already been set in motion, and his next target will be the human kingdoms across Middle-Earth. How long the deceit of Annatar will continue to trick Celebrimbor remains to be seen, as the longer Sauron gets to play the role of puppeteer, the more perilous the situation becomes for Middle-Earth.
