The first season ofRings of Poweris on the verge of a climactic ending, but the storyline still has the audience guessing. The mystery remains of Celeborn’s whereabouts, when or how Celembribor makes the rings, and the identity of Sauron, among other things.
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With one episode left in Season 1, there are only so many questions left that need answering. Those are the big secrets, but every character seems to have a different fate waiting for them, and even those well-versed in Tolkien lore cannot tell.
6Miriel, Deposed By Ar-Pharazôn
The show hasn’t visited Numenor for a couple of episodes, but the last fans saw, the advisor Ar-Pharazôn and his son were doing what they could to win the hearts and minds of the local people and sabotage Miriel’s plans behind the scenes. Considering how popular he is, it would be easy for him to take over while she was gone. The bad news when she returns, from the destruction of the Southlands to the loss of her sight, will only fuel this fire.
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According to Tolkien’s history of the Numenorean rulers, Ar-Pharazôn went even further than that to secure his claim to the throne. He forced Miriel into marriage, and because she was the rightful queen he was able to claim the kingship. The show might take another tact, but either way, Miriel is returning to a different country than the one she left.
5Isildur, Saved By Berek
Everyone watching this knows he isn’t dead because he has to live in order to obtain and then lose the One Ring in a few decades.The real question is, how is he going to get out from under that burned house that fell on him?
For those who know the movies, this isn’t the first time someone who was taken for dead was saved by their horse. Brego, Aragorn’s horse, saved him from a similar fate in the movies and this looks like a callback to the same event. What Elendil takes for despair on Berek’s part is actually a certainty that Isildur is still alive.
4Bronwyn And Arondir, The Founders of Gondor
“A fresh start,” Arondir said, pretending to refer to the lands south of Ithilien and west of the Mountains of Shadow but really talking about himself and Bronwyn. There have already been human settlements in these fertile and temperate lands, but these new arrivals mark the dawn of a new age on the River Anduin.
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The Numenoreans will eventually leave their island and found impressive cities like Minas Tirith and Osgiliath, but these places weren’t built from scratch. When they arrive in Middle-earth there will already be human kingdoms set to welcome them, and these would be the ancestors ofthe Stewards of Gondor. Denethor and his family line were not Numenoreans but descended from the humans that first settled on the west coast of Middle-earth.
3Halbrand, A Ringwraith
Everyone remembers the fearsome Witch King of Angmar, the powerful leader of the Nazgûl, but only slightly lesser known ishis second in command, Khamûl. He was the Ringwraith who spoke to Farmer Maggot and took over after Éowyn slew his boss.
What does this have to do with Halbrand? They were both Kings of the Easterlings. Khamûl’s ancestral kingdom was Rhûn and was seduced into accepting one of the Nine Rings as a gift to symbolize his power. The last time Halbrand appeared on screen, he was suffering from a “sour” wound and didn’t look very well. Galadriel mentioned that he needs Elvish healing, and what if it was offered to him in the form of a ring that would prolong his life?
2Theo, The True King Of The Southlands
If Halbrand can’t step up, either because his wound becomes mortal or he takes one of the Nine Rings, someone else has to and the most likely candidate would be Theo. Not only does he have a great character arc but he seems to be at the center ofthe most important plot developments, and he’s changed regarding his feelings about his mother, Elves, and life in general.
He’s not a coward, nor is he afraid of the unknown, and has a special admiration for Galadriel and Ardondir after being skeptical of their motives. Bronwyn and Arondir are going to found the new kingdom that will eventually become Gondor, but Theo will be the one to rule it.
1Waldreg, Revealed To Be Sauron
It’s past the time this character, who has quietly skulked in the background for several episodes, got a much closer look. Keep in mind that Sauron is not a fighterlike his master Morgoth, and fled from justice when it first came looking for him after the War of Wrath. His powers are in manipulation, trickery, and secrets, and episode seven ends with Waldreg fawning over Adar, and flattery was one of Sauron’s best skills.
How did Waldreg know how to use the sword hilt? Does Adar even know about it? The connection here is never indicated, and Waldreg’s sudden outbursts of enthusiasm, followed by fading into the background for a while, is getting more suspicious all the time. His fawning devotion to Adar could just be an act to put the elf off until Waldreg reveals his true identity.
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