The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Finale Review: Sauron reveal wraps up satisfying Season 1

On Oct 14, 2022

Cast: Morfydd Clark, Charlie Vickers, Robert Aramayo

Creator: J. D. Payne, Patrick McKay

Language: English

Stars: 4/5

Recap:

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’s highly-anticipated finale finally aired and the conclusion to the first season feels more like a beginning for something larger. While the sixth and the seventh episodes truly delivered as they set things in motion the journey of the big finale and it was all worth it. The eighth and final episode of the show answers several important questions including the major mystery that has riddled everyone since the beginning of the show, the identity of Sauron. The episode first takes off with the Stranger (Daniel Weyman) being cornered by The Dweller (Bridie Sisson) and her sisters who shockingly address him as Lord Sauron. Although The Dweller claims that he isn’t ready yet to harness all his power and rise. In the meantime Nori (Markella Kavenagh) who is out to rescue the Stranger along with Sadoc Burrows (Lenny Henry), her mum (Sara Zwangobani), and Poppy (Megan Richards) have a face-off with The Dweller and her sisters who end up injuring Sadoc. While the shape-shifting dweller tries to awaken the Stranger to hs powers, it’s Nori who assures him that he is good which results in the Stranger then finding his power as he blows away The Dweller and her sisters, thus confirming that he’s not Sauron but in fact as The Dweller says Istari or a wizard.

In the meantime the Numenoreans sail back to their island home and before reaching her kingdom, Queen Regent (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) and Elendil (Lloyd Owen) share comforting words on grief and fighting for what’s right come what may. They arrive to find mourning flags hung in honour of King Tar-Palantir (Ken Blackburn). In a separate scene, we also see the King telling Elendil’s daughter Eärien (Ema Horvath) about the Palantir upstairs. As for Galadriel (Morfydd Clark), she returns to Eregion with an injured Halbrand (Charlie Vickers) who is then handed over to the healers. Galadriel’s return shocks Elrond (Robert Aramayo) and Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards). Elrond soon catches her up on the situation involving the lack of enough Mithril. While Celebrimbor is trying to find a solution to save the eleven kingdom, he soon receives helpful advice from Halbrand (Charlie Vickers). Although after learning about his inputs on how mithril could be used, Galadriel gets suspicious of Halbrand only to confront him later on his roots related to Southlands. The major reveal then comes as Halbrand is introduced as Sauron. Following their exchange, Halbrand disappears from Eregion and Celebrimbor in the meantime forges not two but three rings to balance power. The finale ends with a shot of Sauron staring at the volcanic realm of Mordor.

Plus Points:

For the entire season, fans have been placing their bets on the identity of Sauron and with the reveal in the finale, many will agree that the signs of Halbrand being a top contender to be the Dark Lord of Mordor were there from the beginning. The finale has also been paced in the right manner without stretching too much. Visually, once again we get to see some beautiful shots and also certain callbacks to the Lord of the Rings movies. For those who cribbed about the show taking a slow start, the finale certainly turns out to be satisfactory with the right kind of progression that was required to set up the plot. Some scenes that absolutely stand out are like the one where Sauron trails through Galadriel’s memories to tempt her and convince her to fight beside him to save Middle Earth.

Minus Points:

The finale does not wander much in terms of the plot and keeps its focus on the main characters and events that will set up the formation of the rings and the arrival of Sauron. In this deep dive to focus on the key characters at hand, the season finishes without a mention of dwarves. The Southlanders also get no attention in this ending. It’s also a subtle reveal for Sauron (which I preferred) but many would have liked to see his arrival with him showcasing his blazing powers.

Opinion:

When the show first took off, I had my own set of reservations about how slow-paced the first episode was and after Cate Blanchett’s Galadriel, I almost felt like Morfydd Clark may not be able to match up. Although quickly, the show proved me wrong as it impressively built its intricate storyline while the performances also went from strength to strength. After the sixth episode of the show absolutely blew my mind away with a scene-stealing performance by Joseph Mawle as Adar, it seemed impossible to wait for another week t see what happens ahead. Not to mention what a visual spectacle this show has been staying true to its label of being the show with the highest budget of all time.

The focus on the characters has been amazing all through eight episodes of the show and it’s impressive how the makers didn’t trade it for creating any pomp and show with the swords stuff. The idea that the show played on its good vs evil character elements cleverly, especially by adding layers to characters such as Adar and Sauron himself, it has been impressive to see these characters in a different light. In terms of the finale, it was also lovely to see the inclusion of the heartwarming scene involving Nori’s goodbye as she bids farewell to Poppy and her family while setting off on an adventure with The Stranger. There is also the subtle suggestion that The Stranger is probably Gandalf given that he delivers the line, “When in doubt, Eleanor Brandyfoot, always follow your nose.”

The performances in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power have been impressive and particularly Morfydd Clark has proven her might by playing Galadriel with full force. The same goes for Robert Aramayo aka Elrond who delivered some of best scenes with Prince Durin (Owain Arthur). As for Charlie Vickers it’s been an interesting journey considering as Halbrand, he managed to keep us intrigued about his character all through only to finally learn that he’s Sauron. After that last scene of Vickers, it seems Season 2 is going to be amazing with his return to Mordor.

Highlights:

Morfydd Clark’s performance as Galadriel especially in the scenes with Halbrand.
Halbrand’s reveal as Sauron and Charlie Vickers final scene overlooking Mordor.
The callbacks to Lord of the Rings

Conclusion:

All in all, despite what naysayers have had to say, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power managed to successfully deliver a rich season 1 that had its thrilling moments and impressive performances. Concluding with some of the answers that we had been looking for all through the season, the setup for what lies next with the formation of Three Rings of the Elves and Sauron’s return to Mordor is exciting, to say the least.

ALSO READ: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Ep 7 Review: Mordor finally rises as Adar is claimed Lord