Within the season finale of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Energy, two of the largest questions from the sequence to date are revealed. If you’ll want to make amends for episode 7, you will discover it right here.
In any other case, you have been warned: Spoilers forward.

Table of Contents
Mistaken for strangers
ERYN GALEN –The stranger is making his manner via the woods alone. It is wet. He appears to be like like he in all probability smells like damp wool. He is being adopted, although. There’s another hooded factor on the market. The Stranger goes after it– it appears to be like like Nori but it surely’s really the primary one of many creeps within the white robes. The others flip up and one speaks, dropping a bomb on us an entire 4 minutes in: “We serve you, Lord Sauron.”
As they kneel down, he appears to be like somewhat confused. Personally, I odor a pretend out coming. So possibly do not acquire your bets simply but.
Later round a campfire, they inform him about one thing known as the hermit’s hat — stars solely seen in a single place. It is a massive spherical metallic factor. Have they actually been lugging this round? As they begin telling him about how he’ll rule all the things, all of the wind and leaves and whatnot begin stirring and truthfully, it is not a superb search for our pal right here. One of many creeps has to blow one thing in his face to get him to cease swirling crap round. They resolve they must tie him up till he can management himself. Oh, and for those who’re questioning the place the Harfoots are, they’re watching all this from just a few yards away sporting their greatest shrubbery.
However even the perfect shrubbery is not sufficient to idiot the creeps. When the Harfoots attempt to untie him, they notice one of many creeps has shapeshifted into the stranger. What’s worse? One other certainly one of them throws a knife and nails Sadoc proper within the abdomen.
Proper as Nori is about to get carved up herself, the precise stranger wakes up and, to borrow a line from the closed captions, the whooshing intensifies. This half is stuffed with surprises, together with that Sadoc is not lifeless but. Additionally, the creeps beat the ever residing crap out of the stranger, which feels impolite, contemplating who they suppose he’s.
The woods are on hearth — extra stuff burning! Quelle shock! — however the creeps did one thing to the stranger and not solely does he know who he’s, however he can communicate in full sentences. Nori is making an attempt onerous to roust him and, you realize, save her mates from buying a pleasant smokey char. He snaps to and it is round then that the creeps are like, oooooh wait, possibly he isn’t Sauron in spite of everything.
And right here it’s people: He is a Wizard. There you go. Hope you have acquired your bets in writing. Bless him, the stranger proclaims, “I am good!” (Not less than he did not say “I am Iron Man.” That may have been bizarre.) After which it is so lengthy, creeps.
Are Wizards imagined to be in Center-earth within the Second Age? No. However here is the factor: You simply know somebody in some board room was like “OK, we won’t make a Lord of the Rings present and never have a Wizard in it.”

What’s my title once more?
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Now that every one that is settled, Sadoc’s nonetheless been stabbed. He is much more serene about the truth that he is about to die than I might be. Pour one out for Lenny Henry, who will not be gathering anymore Rings of Energy checks.
Later, the stranger and Nori speak. He tells her he is nonetheless somewhat fuzzy however he is acquired to go to a spot the creeps talked about, Rhûn. Nori is bummed he isn’t going to remain and Harfoot round with them. However alas, the Harfoots are packing up and shifting once more. Surprisingly, her dad and mom have made her a backpack so she will be able to go troop off with the stranger, regardless of the actual fact she simply stated she’d had all the journey she might deal with. So after an enormous group hug and a few emotional goodbyes, she units off. The stranger decides which option to begin strolling by smelling the air, a factor Gandalf did within the mines of Moria. So. Add that to your proof pile.
A bummer of a homecoming
NÚMENOR — The king is nearly lifeless and Pharazôn is speaking to a bunch of guild people about capturing his likeness in stone. Amongst that group is Eärien. Whereas she’s sitting there sketching the almost-dead man, he wakes up and begins chattering away considering she’s Míriel. The island will fall if the outdated methods should not restored. Eärien appears to be like like she’d moderately not be there. He even will get away from bed and unlocks a chamber housing one of many seeing stones — a palantir. And Eärien goes in.
Elsewhere, the gang is crusing residence. Míriel is making an attempt to memorize the right way to navigate the ship with out her sight. She tells Elendil that it could be OK if he wished to take depart since he misplaced Isildur and he is principally like, nah. They’re each dedicated to seeing this complete mess via regardless of all of the loss. I swear for a second I believed he was about to odor her hair, however that may be the midnight Weight loss program Pepsi I am consuming warping my mind.
After they get again to Númenor, all of the ships within the harbor have black flags. No, Númenor hasn’t embraced piracy. The king died. Rattling. That is just like the second lifeless king in a fantasy sequence this week.
Forging forward
EREGION — Elrond and Celebrimbor chat about how Excessive King Gil-galad is about to reach anticipating an answer to the entire elves-going-kaput factor. Apparently they’ve none. Embarrassing. Elrond is able to pack all of it up and depart Center-earth. Simply then, Galadriel pulls up on her horse. Halbrand is in dangerous form.
Elrond apologizes to Galadriel for being an ass-hat and sending her off on the ship. She is extra forgiving than I might be. She says she did not leap from the ship to drown, and he or she will not let him drown both. When he asks what they’ll do, she says “swim,” which is massive Dory from Discovering Nemo vibes.
In the meantime, Halbrand has revived and is wandering round unsupervised. He leads to Celebrimbor’s workshop, the place the elf himself has determined to start out referring to himself in third individual. All the time charming. They’ve a chat and Halbrand is placing his palms on all the things and asking too many questions, however dadgummit, that lovely weirdo begins speaking about alloy metals amplifying an ore’s qualities and whatnot and Celebrimbor is like, excuse me what? Clearly somebody slept via chemistry class.
When Gil-galad arrivies, Elrond, Celebrimbor and Galadriel speak to him about this wild thought with the mithril. Possibly they might make an merchandise that may do the amplifying. Celebrimbor suggests a crown, and Gil-galad appears to be like like he likes the sound of a brand new accent for a scorching second. However actually, he is tremendous skeptical about putting all that energy on one individual. Actually. In any case, Gil-galad thinks it is too late. He is additionally a bit incredulous that the thought got here from the lowly Southlander, which feels somewhat classist, however hey. My man is casually sporting gold laurels.
In making an attempt to persuade Gil-galad, Celebrimbor begins saying one thing concerning the energy of the unseen world and energy over flesh and instantly Galadriel’s inner alarm bells begin going off. He acts like a whole sketchball when she asks him the place he acquired that phrasing from. She’ll in all probability let it go, proper?

Arts and crafts with Celebrimbor.
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Elrond will not let the alloy thought go and does handle to persuade Gil-galad to provide them three extra months to work on the thought. As Halbrand and Celebrimbor begin collaborating, Galadriel observes, and in addition places in a request for Halbrand’s 23andMe. In the meantime, he is making an attempt to play bumpkin with Galdriel. Gollygosh, I am unable to imagine I am right here, oh shucks.
Later, work on the alloy plan goes poorly, to the tune of a shit exploding.
So, Galadriel will get the report again about Halbrand’s ancestry. Earlier than the viewers is in on it, Halbrand turns up all stoked as a result of they don’t seem to be simply going to make one factor, they’ll make two issues — and so they’ll be smaller than a crown.
You see the place that is going, proper?
She’s like, look, you’ll want to inform me what your sport is, dude.
Seems, there is not any king of the Southlands. The final man to bear that crest died greater than a thousand years in the past. And that is precisely why my outdated journalism professor used to inform us, in case your mom tells you she loves you, double affirm it.
Galadriel is screaming internally. Halbrand is Sauron.
“I’ve been awake since earlier than the breaking of the primary silence,” Halbrand says. Morning folks at all times must rub it in your face.
As she tries to stab him together with her brother’s dagger, she falls into some bizarre daydream (Halbrand is in her head) the place she’s again in Valinor with massive bro Finrod. After all this pretend Finrod is all pro-Sauron. All of us have that relative.
Then increase! She’s on the raft with Halbrand. He is being tremendous manipulative. He begins tempting her, providing to make her a queen — it is positively a name again (ahead?) to when Frodo gives her the ring in The Fellowship of the Ring. He is like, collectively we will save Center-earth. She asks if he means save or rule and he is very very similar to, ¿por qué no los dos?
She’s not taking the bait, although, and he rapidly turns into that good man from Tinder who tells you you are ugly once you decline a second date.
Anyway, she involves and Elrond is like R U OK. She goes operating off to the workshop to search out Celebrimbor. Halbrand’s taken off. She will not inform them precisely what occurred, however she tells them they must make three of the, ahem, “issues” for steadiness. (You understand we’re speaking concerning the rings, sure? And likewise, that is all an enormous deviation from the lore, however no matter.) She donates her dagger to the forging. The drama is undercut by my cat noisily climbing right into a tote bag within the background.

The true villain of the Rings of Energy finale.
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As Elrond drops the mithril chunk into the new metallic, it certain appears to be like lots like the attention of Sauron for a second. Appears inauspicious. Later, Elrond is pacing round just like the leftover takeout did not fairly settle with him. He goes to the place he’d discovered Galadriel and retrieves the scroll, which after all reveals what Galadriel in all probability ought to have talked about earlier. However the rings are executed and everybody certain appears to suppose they’re purdy.
Again in Mordor, we get a closeup shot of Halbrand’s — or ought to I say Sauron’s — eye. He is standing looking at Mount Doom and he appears to know concerning the rings. And he’s smug as hell.