The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 1 Refresher

It’s almost time to return to Middle-earth, where war is on the horizon. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 will see our Big Bad, Sauron, concealing his identity again as an Elf, reminiscent of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Annatar.

In addition, we’ll meet a pretty well-known character in Tolkien lore: Tom Bombadil, who might be connected to The Stranger’s plot. The trailer for the seasonal narrative even teases the Siege of Eregion.

It appears that Sauron will mentally torture poor Celebrimbor, while others, like King Durin III, will fall under the Dark Lord’s sway. Beyond that, the official trailer also gives us a first look at Ciarán Hinds’ character, who may or may not be Saruman.

To prepare for the second season’s inevitable and highly anticipated arrival, I’ve compiled a list of highlights from The Rings of Power season 1 that you should remember as we head into the next chapter.

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Halbrand Is Sauron

It’s always the sexy stranger who turns out to be the baddie, isn’t it? The Rings of Power keeps the Sauron card close to the vest throughout season 1, not unveiling Halbrand’s true identity until a fiery confrontation with Galadriel in the finale. The series toys with a few Sauron candidates besides Halbrand, including The Stranger and Adar.

However, Sauron disguised himself as a regular ol’ Joe to urge the Elves to forge the first three rings of power. After advising them, he later creates the One Ring to bend all of Middle-earth to his will.

Additionally, Sauron used to be the King of the Southlands before the Orcs drove him out. Adar was his right-hand man before he rebelled against the Dark Lord. If you recall, Halbrand asks Adar if he remembers him, indicating they have a history.

Later, Sauron makes his way to the smoldering ashes of the Southlands, now his home base.

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The Southlands Are Now Mordor

Sorry, folks — if you plan to book a vacation to Tirharad, Hordern, or anywhere in the Southlands, perhaps consider staying elsewhere. Adar’s Orcs square off against Galadriel, Halbrand, and the Númenórean army in a bloody battle culminating in an unexpected volcanic eruption, which creates Mount Doom. What’s left in the aftermath is none other than Mordor.

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We Have Three Rings of Power Thanks to Celebrimbor

Celebrimbor is a renowned master smith among the Elves, who later becomes ruler of Eregion during the Second Age. In season 1, Sauron befriends Celebrimbor and advises the latter regarding the mithril used to create the first rings of power: Narya, Nenya, and Vilya. Initially, these three rings were only for the Elves to retain their immortality and make their lands as beautiful as Valinor.

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Nori Brandyfoot and The Stranger Embark on an Adventure

In The Rings of Power season 1, Nori Brandyfoot encounters The Stranger after he crashes into Middle-earth in a meteorite. She finds him unconscious in a fiery crater. He doesn’t know who he is, nor can he talk.

Nori invites The Stranger to join her tribe of nomadic Harfoots (a race of Hobbit) in the Rhovanion. She bears witness to his incredible powers, from using fireflies to form constellations in the sky and creating powerful winds to bending fire.

Later in the season, Nori, craving adventure, accompanies The Stranger to Rhûn to uncover more of his identity. The Stranger has recovered some of his memories and even speech, advising Nori to “follow her nose” when she’s in doubt.

Listen, this man is 100 percent Gandalf. You can’t convince me otherwise. This would explain his love of Hobbits, and the “follow your nose” line is almost plucked verbatim from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

I’m so excited to see his story unfold in season 2.

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Isildur Is MIA

Of course, if you’ve seen The Lord of the Rings films, you know Isildur isn’t out of the picture yet. However, he goes missing after the battle in episode 6. His father, Elendil, and Queen Míriel head back to the Númenórean camp after Isildur saves the queen from a collapsing burning structure, only to become trapped himself.

Elendil believes his son is dead. Maxim Baldry, who plays Isildur, will reprise his role in season 2, so we’ll see how he survives.

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Growing Unrest in Númenor

The political landscape in Númenor is rocky at best. Míriel deciding to help the Elves battle Adar’s Orcs isn’t well-supported by most Númenóreans. In fact, Númenor is pretty anti-Elves. Then, there’s Pharazôn, a statesman who appears to assist Míriel but has ulterior motives up his baggy sleeves. He could potentially usurp Míriel’s throne.

Additionally, the queen returns from the battle in the Southlands (now Mordor) to find her father, Tar-Palantir, the king, has died. Her dad also possessed a Palantír, an Elvish “Seeing Stone” for glimpsing the future. That could easily fall into the wrong hands of someone grasping for power in Númenor.

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Prince Durin IV Loses Title after Aiding Elrond

I’d be remiss if I omitted the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm. Prince Durin IV assists his BFF Elrond in mining mithril to forge the first three rings of power. (Of course, they’ll need more for the remaining 16 rings.)

His father, King Durin III, isn’t happy about this. He bans the mining of mithril in Khazad-dûm. Durin IV goes against his dad’s wishes, though. Unfortunately, the king strips Durin of his title and banishes Elrond from Khazad-dûm.

The end of the season teases the emergence of a destructive entity dwelling in the mines of the Dwarven kingdom — a Balrog. These creatures were Maiar, who fell under Morgoth’s corruption.

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What did you love the most from season 1? What are you excited to see in the upcoming second season? Join the conversation with other Lord of the Rings fans over at Sideshow Social Network or in side.show/geekgroup, and don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!