Only one episode of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power remains in the first season, leaving fans with right around an hour of fresh content left.
The show will inevitably conclude its season with plenty of questions left unanswered, but fans are enthusiastically hoping for resolution to at least a few of the season’s overarching mysteries. Amazon’s been teasing Sauron’s big reveal for weeks now, but some fans are worried that this, like so much of Rings’ first season, is a ruse. It would be on-brand for Sauron the Deceiver to, well, deceive us, and if that’s the case we’ve got quite the wait before the Dark Lord is officially unveiled.
The theme of deception is hanging heavy over fans this week, as they face the end of Rings‘ introductory season. As they weigh the trickery many of the season’s plots are rife with, some fans are starting to suspect that an unexpected character was also victim to Sauron’s manipulations. A brief scene from the season’s sixth episode is prompting theories that Adar, like the rest of us, was also tricked by the Dark Lord of Mordor, but it’s too late for the father of orcs to turn back now.
Sauron’s big unveiling is right around the corner
The biggest mystery of season one is inarguably the identity of Sauron, a character that many fans suspect has been hiding in plain sight. His official unveiling is expected in Rings’ season one finale, finally providing answers to unceasing fan questions. We’ll finally know for sure if any of the proposed characters — from the Stranger to Halbrand — are truly the Dark Lord in disguise, or if Sauron has been lurking in the shadows, awaiting his moment to rise.
But what if it isn’t?
Despite Amazon’s promises, a chunk of the Rings fandom is convinced that Sauron won’t be revealed in season one’s final episode. Much of season one has been built upon suspicion and distrust, much of which was purposefully sowed among the audience itself. We’ve been looking for Sauron in every corner of the Rings story, with promises from everyone — from Galadriel and the cultists to the actual showrunners — that we’d soon know his identity. The possibility that this was all a deception is absolutely unforgivable in the eyes of some fans, who’ve announced that a riot will follow any finale without a definitive Sauron reveal.
Viewers grow increasingly convinced that Adar was duped
Adar’s arc has been one of the most fascinating to fans of Rings of Power. The mysterious character, initially a candidate for the role of Sauron, has since proven himself to be one of the show’s most nuanced and interesting characters. His aims don’t appear to directly align with Sauron’s — thus far, at least — but some fans think he was tricked into doing the Dark Lord’s bidding none-the-less. A fleeting moment from episode six shows Adar’s reaction to a specific bit of southland architecture, and he doesn’t look too happy.
