The Stranger Confirmed as SPOILER in The Rings of Power
The Rings of Power finale has arrived and The Stranger has been revealed. It was an eventful week on Amazon Prime as the magic user is apparently a wizard or an Istari. The wizards are storied in Lord of the Rings lore. It's hard to say whether or not The Stranger ends up being Saurman the White, Radagast the Brown or Gandalf the Grey. In fact, the figure could eventually be revealed as Pallanda or Alatar, the Blue Wizards who are not as known by general audiences. It's a fun nod to the series continuity and sure to ignite plenty of discussion as Rings of Power stretches on to Season 2. However, The Stranger had to do some fighting in this entry to escape with the Harfoots.
The Dweller, The Ascetic, and The Nomad were looking for the looming figure and conspired to spring a trap. On the Harfoots side, Nori, Sadoc, Poppy, and Marigold trying to lend the wizard a hand. They toss some rocks at the three figures as The Stranger does his best to fend off the attackers. But, it would seem as though The Dweller, The Nomad, and The Ascetic were looking for the magic-user to actually serve him if he had been Sauron in disguise. Luckily for the Harfoots and people who wagered on other individuals, he is not the big bad of the series.
The Identity of Sauron Finally Out in the Open
The weeks of speculation have been crushing the fanbase. Questions of who Sauron could be stemmed from all angles. People have their answer now as Halbrand stepped forward as the true villain of this series and the entire storyline. But, the showrunners rightfully believed that revealing who Sauron was earlier in the run would risk turning the show into his series instead. Showrunner J.D. Payne spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the choice to carry this secret for so long. It feels like fans still got their surprise in the end.
"It's another Tolkien thing where when a shadow spreads — which is part of what is happening in our show — it affects everyone's relationships. Even Frodo and Sam," Payne said. "They're the best friends in all of Middle-earth, yet they started to mistrust each other because that's a manifestation of that shadow. So having an audience suspect this person or that person could be Sauron is drawing them into that thing where the shadow is overcoming all of us and making us suspicious of each other."
Were you surprised by the finale? Let us know down in the comments!