The two-year wait is at an end. The second season of The Rings of Power is set to begin on Amazon on Thursday.
As tends to be the case with J.R.R. Tolkien’s world, there was a lot to take in. Given the layoff, it’s easy to forget some of what happened. Here’s a quick refresher on the major developments from Season 1 that should continue to be significant in Season 2:
Hidden in plain sight
“They were all of them deceived.” Understatement of the century. (Or Age, I guess.)
Sauron, a.k.a Halbrand, pulled a real fast one on Galadriel last season. Although, Gil-galad did call it in the very first episode:
“…she might have inadvertently kept alive the very evil she sought to defeat. For the same wind that seeks to blow out a fire may also cause its spread.”
Maybe tell her that next time?
In all seriousness, the twist was brilliant. Above all else, Sauron’s rebirth is carrying us into the second season and is set to result in mass chaos.
For those who do not recall, Halbrand was always somewhat suspicious. He was a fallen leader who had done bad things. He never fully gave of himself, and there was an instant in Númenor where he revealed remarkable athletic ability — along with hit talents as a blacksmith.
But, it was not until the final episode that Galadriel learned of Halbrand’s lies. In that same moment, we viewers all learned the monster Galadriel was hunting had been by her side all season long.
Gandalf?!
“When in doubt, always follow your nose.”
Still referred to as “The Stranger,” there were two moments in Season 1’s final episode that seemed to confirm this individual is Gandalf:
- The line mentioned above, which is a callback to The Fellowship of the Ring, when the group was in Moria.
- Sauron’s witches finding out The Stranger was not Sauron, but instead one of the Istar (a.k.a. LoTR’s order of wizards).
Throw in his relationship with the harfoots — the predecessor of hobbits — and Gandalf’s name almost doesn’t need to be said.
In fact, don’t be surprised if “Gandalf” isn’t uttered in Season 2.
Gandalf has carried a few titles. Mithrandir. The Grey Pilgrim. (Stormcrow might be my favorite.) However, there’s one significant name wasn’t uttered throughout any of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit movies. Gandalf’s original name: Olórin.
Of course, Olórin isn’t the only name that has yet to be utilized in the LoTR shows and movies. But, it would be a nice touch to have his original name be utilized in his first visit to Middle Earth.
Durin’s Bane
Speaking of Gandalf, his old buddy the balrog of Moria — soon to receive his more common title, Durin’s Bane — popped up in Season 1 of The Rings of Power when the dwarves of Moria dug too deep.
Nothing was done with this development after we saw Durin’s Bane pop up in the seventh episode of Season 1, but the San Diego Comic Con trailer for Season 2 indicates we’ll spend some more time in Moria.
Presumed dead
We all know very well that Isildur has much left to do. Presumed dead in Season 1, it appears The Rings of Power showrunners didn’t have interest in keeping him sidelined any longer. Images of Isildur’s appearance in Season 2 have circulated online ahead of the first episode.
Isildur appeared to perish in the battle that led to The Southlands being morphed into Mordor. In his time throughout the season, Isildur was one of the more annoying characters. Although not exactly a beloved character among Tolkien’s impressive list of creations, Isildur was a bit more of a nuisance than some might have initially expected. Will that maintain or can he have a bounce-back season?
