Editor's note: The below contains spoilers for Season 1 of The Rings of Power.
While the Season 1 finale of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power brought audiences the dramatic return of Sauron that had been brewing since the first episode, part of the overall effect of the first season of the show has been to serve as an elaborate opening act to the drama of the Rings of Power and the Second Age of Middle-earth. As such, the ending of the season was really the catalyst for the major events and storylines to unfold in future seasons, as the key players were placed in their starting positions around the map of Middle-earth.
The net result of all of this elaborate interplay was that the audience was given an inkling of where each of the major storylines would be heading in the upcoming seasons, though nothing definite has yet been revealed. So where will the story be going in Season 2?
Welcome to the Sauron Show
One of the more definite elements of Season 2 is certain to be the machinations of Sauron now that he has been fully revealed. Showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay recently confirmed this, saying that the expected “canonical” Sauron story will be coming in the second season, as well as a take on the Dark Lord that mirrors the focus on Galadriel from Season 1. As Episode 8 ended with Sauron (Charlie Vickers) looking out over the wasteland of Mordor, that storyline hints at events suggested by the plot of the series itself and Tolkien’s larger overall timeline.
For one thing, a clash between Sauron and Adar (Joseph Mawle) seems destined to happen at this point, as the elf who thought he had killed the Dark Lord has now set himself up in the place of his old master. It seems unlikely that Adar would be willing to bow before Sauron again, or that Sauron would take him back into service even if Adar wanted to, so there is almost certain to be a power struggle between the two over the orcs and the land of Mordor in the upcoming season.
Furthermore, it is in the fires of Mount Doom that Sauron ends up forging the One Ring itself, in the middle of the Second Age. As the Elven Rings have been forged already, it is likely that the forging of the other Rings of Power will follow suit soon, including, of course, the One to Rule them all.
What Awaits in Rhûn?
While some of the confusion around the identity of The Stranger (Daniel Weyman) was resolved at the end of Episode 8, his mission, and his future, remain interestingly uncertain. He was revealed as an “istar,” that is, one of the wizards, but is also determined to set out for Rhûn in order to find out the answer to the questions of his history and purpose. What awaits him in Rhûn?
Again, a potential answer is offered by Tolkien’s notes and appendices. Rhûn was home to the Easterlings, and among them a lord named Khamûl. Khamûl becomes important because he is eventually ensnared by the gift of a Ring of Power from Sauron, and he becomes one of the Ringwraiths, second only to the Witch-king of Angmar eventually. Since The Stranger is heading off in that direction, it is likely that the audience will be introduced to this character in the upcoming season.
Additionally, the area of Rhûn and the east of Middle-earth is where the Blue Wizards were known to operate, and it was there that they either failed in their mission or used their powers to resist the will of Sauron, depending on which version of Tolkien’s story you are reading. There is a strong possibility, then, that The Stranger and Nori (Markella Kavenagh) will come across the Blue Wizards at some point, and even a (admittedly slight) possibility that he is one of those wizards himself.
Míriel’s Revenge
One of the things that is bound to be a part of next season is the return of Númenoreans to Middle-earth. It was essentially promised by the statement of Míriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) in Episode 7, and it is a story that would fit in with the history of Númenor as Tolkien wrote it. The Númenoreans eventually built an empire in Middle-earth in the Second Age, and the expedition Míriel led promises to be the first taste of an eventual full-scale military and commercial enterprise. This is almost certain to be a part of the next season.
Another Númenorean plotline that is certain to be pivotal is the development of Míriel’s blindness. While it is not part of Tolkien’s narrative, Míriel’s handicap may lead to her relying more heavily on Pharazôn (Trystan Gravelle) as an advisor, which Silmarillion readers will tell you is a disastrous idea. This will pave the way to Pharazôn’s rise to power, and will likely involve him going to Middle-earth himself, furthering his ambitions sketched out in Season 1.
The Balrog Might be a Problem
Just going out on a limb here: Fire demons of the ancient world are known for making a bit of a mess and racking up some collateral damage along the way, so don’t be surprised if the balrog of Episode 7 ends up presenting a problem to the kingdom of Khazad-dûm in Season 2. The timeline is a bit problematic on this front, as the balrog that eventually ends up destroying the dwarf kingdom (spoilers) doesn’t actually do so until late in the Third Age, and was very quiet in the Second. Unless the storyline is bringing up the fall of Khazad-dûm by several thousand years, the dwarves will likely find a way of dealing with the balrog here, but how and when it will impact the plot remains mysterious at the moment. I wouldn’t take the odds on it simply rolling over and going back to sleep, though.
Another Khazad-dûm plotline to keep an eye on is, of course, the issue of succession, the usage of mithril, and the relationship between the elves of Eregion and the dwarf kingdom. Will Durin (Owain Arthur) be reinstated as heir to the throne? Will they decide to mine the mithril again? And since Tolkien pointed to this era as the golden age of elf-dwarf cooperation, will audiences get to see the glorious result of the collaboration of the two peoples?
The Missing Persons' List is Getting Conspicuous
Color me a skeptic, but I don’t think Isildur (Maxim Baldry) is dead. And, remarkably, I don’t think Celeborn is either. In the wild off-chance that I am right about this, there is going to be an interesting storyline developing in Season 2, as Isildur must now navigate the shadowy wasteland that is Mordor and find his way back to civilization. Will he encounter Adar? Will he meet Sauron and be tricked by the man he knew as Halbrand? Perhaps he will be offered a Ring himself, or even be a witness to the forging of the One.
Celeborn, too, must be returning at some point soon, unless the writers are actually running with the idea that he is really dead. How he will return is a complete mystery, of course. He may be written in as the mystery elf who battled the balrog in the Hithaeglir story. On the other hand, maybe both he and Isildur are off playing poker in some remote corner of Middle-earth at the moment, waiting for the most dramatic time to return to the plotline.
Of course, all will be revealed in time, but given that that time looks depressingly close to the fall of 2024 at this point, we are going to have to be satisfied with all the conjecture and hypothesizing we can in the interim.
Season 1 of The Rings of Power is now available to stream on Prime Video.