Rings of Power “Alloyed” review: The finale

This review contains major spoilers for the entire first season of Rings of Power

Season one of Rings of Power has now come to a close, and the critical verdict is just as divided as when the show originally aired: the skeptics are still skeptical, the fans are still fans, and so it remains up to the individual to ascertain what about the show worked as well as what didn’t. But before we do that, let’s review the facts and where the ending of the most expensive show ever created succeeded and failed.

First and foremost, Rings of Power left the audience with just the right balance between questions and answers as we wait for information about the second season. ‘The Stranger’ that cometh into the lives of the Harfoots was revealed as one of the Istar, or what will become the wizards in the Third Age of Middle Earth. While not named directly, it seems pretty obvious that this Istari is Gandalf the Grey, as his connection to what will become the Hobbits explains itself. In the finale, the Elvish rings of power are also crafted, checking off the first part of many rings to come. Finally, and most importantly, the true identity of Sauron was revealed to be that of Halbrand, Galadriel’s closest friend for most of the season. 

While there were many answers, there are still questions that will draw attention to the second season: What happened to Isildur after the eruption of Mount Doom? Now that Númenor has been to Middle Earth, how will the people of the island nation react to what mostly amounts to a defeat? With Nori and the Istari heading off into the world, what perils face them as they head east? And what of Sauron? What has he gained/stolen from his brief council with the Elves?

To circle back to criticism, I suppose we should start with the elephant in the room: was the reveal of Sauron fitting and worthwhile? It was essentially the foremost question on the minds of the show’s viewers, as Sauron was and is the primary antagonist, despite being hidden for seven out of the eight episodes. One of the main issues I found with the reveal was how the writers attempted to mislead the audience right at the beginning by naming ‘The Stranger’ as Sauron even though it was very obvious that he was not, actually, as that reveal held no real weight. That knocked one main candidate out of the running right away, leading many to suspect the other major character in the show who is not canon to Tolkien’s mythology as the actual disguise of Sauron. Halbrand also made it hard to miss too, taking a liking to Celebrimbor and the Elvish smiths. That did, however, act as a good indication as it made the viewer realize that Halbrand had been obsessed with smithing since early on in his time in Númenor. 

The best part, by far, of the reveal was the actual confrontation between Halbrand and Galadriel. The writers used such amazing techniques, forcing us to literally come face to face with the ultimate evil being. As a Tolkien fan, I also found the relationship the writers developed between Sauron and Morgoth particularly interesting; it is not a particularly common interpretation to treat Sauron as a redeemable character, but by showing us that Sauron was not simply the underlying of Morgoth—not just an evil entity—but something that truly believes that by conquering Middle Earth he is, in turn, saving it. Overall, Halbrand’s reveal was not necessarily the most surprising, but the execution of the confrontation was spectacular and leaves me massively excited for his role in the next season.

While Sauron’s role was massive, there were many other aspects to note. The crafting of the Elvish rings—Narya, Nenya, and Vilya—awesome, to put it plainly. Their appearance is absolutely gorgeous, and the fact that Galadriel had to sacrifice Finrod’s dagger to craft them was a great touch to add some much-needed emotion to the scene. It was odd to see that the writers left the dwarves out of the finale as they managed to fit all the other plotlines, but their role in the season was fairly well sealed at the end of episode seven. 

What ended up being my favorite aspect of the finale, and pretty much my favorite part of the show in general, was the Harfoots and the Stranger. I touched on it a bit before, but everything from the music to the way they designed their wagons to the way they spoke just screamed love for Tolkien’s work. They were, in my opinion, the epitome of adapting the world in both a respectful and innovative way, and to see Nori walk off with (presumably) Gandalf at the end was such a Tolkien way to leave the audience. 

In the final scene what we got was Halbrand, now Sauron, coming up over the side of a rocky mountain, gazing ahead to see Mount Doom and Mordor. What he plans to do, what he has, and who he may appear as in the next season is all still up in the air. While we do know that he will eventually craft his One Ring, I’m incredibly excited to see where exactly the journey takes us next year when season two premieres.