The Rings Of Power's Episode 3 Alley Fight Takes On A Deeper Meaning After The Big Season 1 Finale Reveal
Contains spoilers for "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" Season 1, Episode 8
Amazon Prime Video just wrapped up the first season of "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power," and what a season it turned out to be. For the first time ever, fans of J.R.R. Tolkien's written works got to check out a full-on live-action take on the Second Age in all of its tense, mysterious glory. New entities emerged in Middle-earth, nefarious plans were put in place, and heroes were forced to step up if they wanted to snuff out the encroaching darkness before it could swallow the world whole. Talk about a fascinating story.
Arguably the most shocking revelation to come out of the "Rings of Power" season finale is that Halbrand (Charlie Vickers) — Galadriel's (Morfydd Clark) companion and a supposed ally in the conflict against evil — is one of the most feared and powerful entities Tolkien ever created: Sauron. The master manipulator that he is, he managed to deceive just about everyone into believing that the Dark Lord was someone else entirely. Even many audience members were caught off-guard by this reveal, though it was far from a well-kept secret.
Aside from the fact that many "Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" viewers had a gut feeling that Halbrand was Sauron, Episode 3's alley fight actually foreshadowed this swerve.
Halbrand's behavior during the fight was very Sauron-esque
In the third episode of "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power," Halbrand is bothered by a group of rowdy Númenóreans. When their poking and prodding becomes too much, he remorselessly snaps one of their arms, coldly commanding that they call him by his name. Without knowledge of his true identity, one could easily chalk this up to Halbrand having a short temper and some violence issues. However, according to Charlie Vickers himself in an interview with TV Line, given that he's actually Sauron in disguise, this moment perfectly foreshadows his eventual mask-off moment in the finale.
Additionally, Vickers notes that even though Sauron is a formidable being in Middle-earth, roughing up some local chumps isn't above him at this point in his personal history. "I think it shows how low he's fallen...Also, you see an element of his weakness, that he's a bad guy, and if you trigger him, he can explode and make mistakes," the actor explained, pointing out that Tolkien's writings specifically reference this part of Sauron's life. This rage resurfaced when he tried to offer Galadriel a place at his side, and she turned him down, turning their important final conversation into a heated exchange.
Sauron's story is far from over, and it stands to reason it'll be fleshed out when the second season of "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" arrives in the future.