Rings of Power Episode 8 finally solves the show’s biggest mystery: the identity of Sauron – and it may be who you expected.
The threat of Sauron has pervaded all of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power since its first episode, given his instrumental role in the show’s titular objects.
While other questions lingered, like the true nature of The Stranger or the timeline of the rings being forged, the Dark Lord’s presence and eventual re-emergence have been the subject of constant speculation.
Well, Episode 8, the finale of Season 1, has the definitive answer – Sauron is back.
Huge spoilers for Rings of Power Episode 8 to follow…
Rings of Power Episode 8: Who is Sauron?
Halbrand (Charlie Vickers) is Sauron. No ifs, no buts, no maybes – the Dark Lord cometh, and Halbrand has been waiting all along. Let that sink in.
The opening of the episode finds The Stranger facing off against The Dweller and her cohorts, who believe him to be Sauron. Fortunately, he proves himself to be “good,” at which point they realize their mistake.
After returning to Eregion, Galadriel grows suspicious of Halbrand amid his keen interest in Celebrimbor’s craft. She secretly studies the records of the Southlands, which show Halbrand can’t be who he says he is.
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i support his rights but most importantly his wrongs #Sauron#TheRingsOfPower pic.twitter.com/YCBVpo4L1w
— morgan (@geminigl0w) October 14, 2022
A smile comes across his face as she confronts him, and he reveals his true identity: Sauron. While placing her in a trance of memories, both pleasant and traumatic, he tries to persuade Galadriel to be his queen, but she refuses. The finale ends with him staring at Mount Doom and walking across Mordor.
In an interview with Variety, Vickers said he always had a feeling there was going to be a “dark twist” for the character, given he performed monologues as Richard III and Satan in Paradise Lost for his audition.
Teasing Season 2, he continued: “We’re at a different stage of Sauron’s journey. Halbrand represents his repentant phase. But the question lingers whether that repentance was genuine.
“I have an answer, but I leave that open so people can interpret the first season how they will. That’s what Halbrand’s journey is; it’s him in that stage when he’s being brought low and very slowly rebuilds himself.
“By the start of the second season, he is rebuilt. He still has a way to go, in terms of reaching the power that he gets to in the end. We’re seeing him getting back to being really powerful. You really get to see that progression and I’ll get to play that this season.”
For more on Rings of Power Season 2, click here, while you can watch all of Season 1 now. You can sign up for Amazon Prime here.