The Rings of Power: the season 2 finale decrypted

The magician, Sauron, Galadriel, the Balrog, the rings… That's everything you need to understand from the last episode of the season.

The siege of Eregion, the arrival of the Balrog, Sauron's takeover… A lot happened in the last episode of season 2 of Rings of Power. Lots of Lord of the Rings references too. So why? How ? The protagonists decipher.

Warning spoilers!

Gandalf, first journey to Middle-earth

In this finale of the Rings of Power, it was revealed what everyone in the audience had guessed for a long time: the Stranger is none other than Gandalf. Arriving on Middle Earth via a meteorite in the first episode of the series, this powerful mystery character kept his identity secret until the end of season 2.Gandalf… That’s what they’re going to call me, isn’t it?” he said, stick in hand.

“No one will believe us, but it was a journey of discovery for this character as much as for the writers” explain the showrunners in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, who assure that they did not immediately decide his identity. They mention in particular having first imagined making Saruman or an Ithryn Luin (a blue Magi in Tolkien's lore). But McKay and Payne justify the introduction of Gandalf, from the Second Age: “Deep in the History of Middle-earth, volume 12, Tolkien confirms that Olórin (his original name among the Valar) had already visited Middle-earth. Tolkien had thus left open the possibility that Gandalf had already come before the Third Age (the Lord of the Rings era) And there were also things that we discovered in the mythology that really seemed to fit the character. That's what we do all the time with this series: we. looks for ellipses in the mythology, and then this becomes a great opportunity to fill in the blanks Gandalf the Gray falls to the Balrog, and then is returned in the form of Gandalf the White, who is not exactly the same man, but. “It's the idea that there may have been an even earlier iteration of Gandalf before he came back as Gandalf the Grey.”

Sauron, being sensitive

Beyond the official entry on the scene of Gandalf (the brown one?), this last episode of season 2 delivered a very intense reunion between Galadriel and Halbrand, or rather Sauron. Moreover, the latter invites the young Elf to join him, to become his queen and to reign at his side. “It was really important that we felt the tension between them, how destabilized she is when she sees him, because she had really fallen very much in love with Halbrand in season 1,” deciphers the director of this finale, Charlotte Brändström for EW. “We are almost in a love story. He really seduced her. He really got into her head and it threw her off balance, so she knows she has to be strong and stand up to him.” She rejects him so Sauron leaves her for dead and leaves with his army of Orcs. But he is also unhappy deep down, analyzes Charlotte Brändström :

“His former leader, Morgoth, had this vision of creating order in Middle-earth, and it didn't work. They lost the war. Sauron was left alone. He tried again to ally with Galadriel. He offered to come with him, to be his queen, to rule Middle Earth together. And she said no. Then there was Celebrimbor didn't have the know-how to make. these rings necessary to realize his vision He had it So he suggests that they do this together And once again, he failed to create an alliance. There is something broken in Sauron, that his partnerships do not work. He goes from rejection to failure and struggles to connect with another powerful being who could realize his vision with him. And this is a problem for Sauron, who feels real grief, a feeling of failure, when he loses. Celebrimbor, who could have been his friend, couldn't help but corrupt, manipulate and destroy him, and he reacted by crying as he saw him die…”

Durin vs. the Balrog

Durin vs. the Balrog

Far from Eregion, in the bowels of Khazad-dûm, the Dwarves face another evil from the darkness. The famous Balrog, awaited for long episodes, has finally made his appearance, taking away King Durin, who ended up letting go of his ring to die an epic death. “The characters who do evil in Tolkien are sometimes good people who do bad things. It's rare to see someone who is all good or all bad. And even though King Durin made real mistakes, there was clearly some good in him” decipher the showrunners in Deadline. “So this painting of the dwarf jumping with his ax is the last thing Durin IV sees of his father.”

The Rings and their powers

The creators of the Prime Video series refuse to say when the One Ring will arrive, in The Rings of Power. But they appreciated seeing the first rings take effect: “What's really fun about this season is that the people wearing these rings don't yet know everything they can do.” insist Payne and McKay in Deadline.

“They discover their powers along the way. At the start of the season, Elrond felt that the rings given to the elves were tainted. But Galadriel says no, that they are perfect. And Elrond eventually realizes that this ring can truly help and heal, and warn us of danger…”

So the One Ring for season 3 of Power Rings ? To be seen by 2026 on Prime Video.