#rop speculation

[saurongorthaur9]

The funny thing is, even if a kiss happens between Hal and Gal, the antis will say that “it's not romantic”, “they're not in love”, “it doesn't mean anything”, “it's manipulation” and blah blah blah

I have noticed some recent conflict in the fandom over what exactly Sauron feels for Galadriel, and I don't want to insert myself into any of that. That being said, I do agree that what Sauron feels for Gal is complicated. I think there is love and there is obsession and probably other things that can't be boiled down nice and neatly into any one emotion.

With that preface, Tolkien actually talks about how Sauron's underlying driving motive is love. Love of order. Love of beauty. Love of perfection. He even says that in the beginning, these things were Sauron's virtue. Morgoth was a being driven by a nihilistic hatred for all things that he could not control and corrupt, but Sauron was driven by passionate love for Middle-earth and the things therein, and this was actually the core difference between them.

Of course, though we know that Sauron's love (as Mairon) started out as something good, it was quickly twisted into obsession to control what he loved. And eventually, when he was not allowed to control it, it twisted into hatred just as passionate as his love had been.

I love that we're actually getting a microcosm of that with Sauron and Galadriel, and I think how Sauron feels about Galadriel is very Tolkienian, given the above passages from "Morgoth's Ring" that I referenced. I think at the beginning, Sauron-as-Halbrand's love for Galadriel was actually pretty genuine and as pure as it could be for a being like him. He connected with her (genuinely, I believe), he admired her, he found her beautiful, and he saw a kindred spirit within her. And I think those were all pretty wholesome feelings.

However, we've already seen those feelings begin to warp into obsession to possess and control. We saw it even by the end of Season 1, when we saw how manipulative and angry he got when Gal rejected his marriage/partnership proposal. We're definitely seeing it in Season 2 with his creepy, possessive behavior towards Mirdania in the last episode.

I think over the course of the series, we'll see Sauron's love become a darker and darker thing, more and more obsessive, more possessive than a genuine connection: mirroring how his love for Middle-earth fell into something dark and twisted. By the very end of the series, I could even see Sauron coming to hate Galadriel - much as he comes to hate Middle-earth - because he can't possess or control her, but I think it will still be an obsessive hatred that is, in part, a love gone terribly wrong.

All this is to say, I think the best characters are complex characters. Is Sauron in love? Yes, I think he is. Is he also manipulating Gal? Yes, I think he is. Is his love something dark and controlling and possessive? Yes, I think it is. These are all things that can co-exist. The one thing that I do vehemently disagree with is that "it doesn't mean anything" or that Sauron and Galadriel's connection doesn't mean anything to Sauron. I think it means everything to Sauron. And if there is a kiss, I think it will be an extension of that. At least, I would hope so.

[rey-jake-therapist]

I know my mind is broken when I laughed at that poetic and romantic One Ring description, and could only imagine Sauron channelling all of his obsession and unrequited love and lust for Galadriel into the One Ring. No wonder Gollum lost his mind, and Frodo his will to live; they had Sauron talking about Galadriel’s hair and whining about his blue b*lls 24/7! 🤣

HAHAHAHAHAHA behzjejjdjdj

[shady-swan-jones]

Finale theory: what if the black crown is for his-

!!Spoilers for 2x04 and the final trailer!!

In the vision he lifts the crown of morgoth from the rock, but what if he doesn't wear it himself? It's the first time he sees her after calling to her through the rings, now Galadriel is in front of him, eager to eviscerate the darkness he holds. Ready to kill him.

But he's not all darkness and she's not all light. Her alliance with Adar taught her that Sauron is vulnerable too. They are inverted mirrors of each other.

Maybe it's a last ditch effort to get her to his side. Uphold the promise of ruling beside him. Make her his queen.

He places the crown on her head.

Visions engulf her. A queen beautiful and terrible, power oozing from her skin in rivers of silver. Sauron holding her hand, Halbrand's eyes nodding at her encouragingly, he's not afraid of her power. She rests her back on his chest while he caresses her belly. A future. She has touched the darkness.

She takes off the crown and lunges at him with it.

[dwarveslikeshinythings]

My one wild theory for Rings of Power S2:

Either Adar OR Sauron knows where Celeborn is, and this information will drop at a critical moment.

[andthebubbles]

On the Halbrand = Sauron theory, maybe Halbrand is repentant!Sauron and Galadriel somehow finds out, and is understandably furious, and then I think from a storytelling pov it feels like they were setting up something in that scene where Halbrand was watching Galadriel teach Numenoreans how to fight orcs; I felt like they felt like all the viewers would want to see Galadriel vs Halbrand but they withheld it from us. So maybe here is where we finally get the reward, Galadriel fighting Halbrand and almost killing him, but she can't do it, AND Halbrand seems truly repentant, so she lets him go but she still wants nothing to do with him

And meanwhile Halbrand goes and helps Celebrimbor with the forge.

Idk? 😂

[90shaladriel]

I wonder if Galadriel seeing the great wave destroying Númenor through the Palantir would at all be foreshadowing for future seasons of Rings of Power for herself directly?

Would that be interesting divergence for Galadriel to actually be IN Númenor during the Akallabêth? I know this is unlikely but we have no idea what Galadriel will really be doing in later seasons. In the books Tolkien couldn't make up his mind and then doesn't mention her at all really in the War of the Last Alliance.

Could her hunt for Sauron lead her to chasing him to Númenor?

In the Palanatir scene we hear:

Tar-Miriel: It is Númenor 's future you saw

Galadriel: Palantiri show many visions. Some that will never come to pass.

Tar-Miriel: It has already come to pass. The vision begins with your arrival

Clearly Galadriel's arrival is connected with the vision of Númenor 's downfall and that's nowhere in the books but makes a nice connection of Galadriel to Númenor fate. We assume ROP will depict the downfall of Númenor and not give them a happy ending, so would Galadriel be tied up in that?

If she is there during the downfall. How could she be saved? A Great Eagle? Another raft?

[eowyn7023]

Fiction Summary:

What happens when Sauron and Adar meet again in Mordor, at the start of Season 2 of Rings of Power? Does Adar welcome him with open arms? Does Adar submit, sulkily? Does Adar resist him successfully, at first? Does Adar kill him again? My imagination ran riot. Each chapter is a distinct way things could possibly go. The correct answer to what happens, to quote Neil Gaiman, is "Wait and see."

Chapter 1: A Dreadful Reunion

Summary: Adar had hoped that Lord Mairon — the one the Elves called Sauron — would have no interest in Mordor and Adar's family of Uruks. He is miserable to find out that he was wrong.

[thorinds]

I’ve see people having fun with suggesting Adar is Maglor, but I’ll give you one even better: Adar is Maeglin

[brynnmclean]

Celeborn thoughts / speculation:

First off, no way is he dead.  For one, the show CANNOT break lore THAT much and Celeborn survives through the War of the Ring (I find is hysterically funny that Celeborn goes alone to negotiate with Thranduil after the War, but that’s a whole separate post, tell me there’s DRAMA between Galadriel and Thranduil without telling me huh)

Some possibilities as to Celeborn’s location are percolating in my brain:

- Celeborn “Maedhros-ing” a la this post, but--in any case, lost after the War of Wrath, taken and kept by the enemy for Vairë knows how long

- Celeborn in Greenwood under King Oropher’s rule in Amon Lanc (aka future Dol Guldur) -- I like this for the Doriath remnants Sindarin angle + the Harfoots are venturing into Greenwood to look for the Stranger.  It would be nice to introduce Oropher (who will lead doomed Silvan soldiers in the Last Alliance and will die!) and wider audiences are somewhat familiar with TA Mirkwood / the Woodland Realm.

- Celeborn in Edhellond under King Amdír’s rule!  I like this for the connection to Lothlórien... Maybe Amroth is the leader of the port (iirc it was established in FA and it’s on the Bay of Belfalas) and I’m fond of the version of the story where he’s Galadriel and Celeborn’s son.  I don’t think the show will go with that angle, but it would be nice to have Celeborn and Amroth in the same place (again,  Lothlórien connections: Cerin Amroth, Amdír & Amroth as Kings of Lórien, Galadriel & Celeborn as future lord and lady of that land) + also Amdír is yet another doomed King of a Sindarin/Silvan people that will die on the Dagorlad.

I am also partial to the Edhellond location for Celeborn to be in BECAUSE the show has just established that Galadriel and Halbrand are now traveling to the closest Elvish settlement they can reach!  Halbrand has a bad gut wound that Galadriel herself says needs “elvish medicine”.  They’re traveling from Mordor area / future Gondor area (presumably by the Bay of Belfalas) to... where ever they can get to before Halbrand collapses.  You know what settlement is on or near the Bay of Belfalas and is arguably MUCH CLOSER than Eregion (place I’d consider second closest, but you’ve gotta get through the Gap or Misty Mountain Passes)?  EDHELLOND.

Traveling to Edhellond gets us to THE closest place for elvish medicine, gets us introduced to new non-Noldorin elves (who perhaps don’t tell the Noldorin High King all the news ever!) including a minor power player in the Last Alliance, and gets Galadriel connected with her future people... maybe giving her more of this start to the journey to figure out who she is now that she no longer has her sword.

More thoughts about Celeborn’s journey:

- Maybe after the War of Wrath, the elves splintered apart as the continent broke.  Lots of people were lost in all sorts of ways.  Galadriel followed the Noldor who settled in Lindon, Celeborn followed the Iathrim remnants who settled in either Greenwood or--please oh please I want it so bad-- Edhellond.  They thought their spouse was dead.  Celeborn, perhaps, has devoted himself to a different life than his vengeance-blind wife.  Galadriel has thrown herself so blindly into hunting Sauron that she hasn’t stayed in settlement long enough to even hear news of Celeborn’s survival, if it even reached Lindon.

If Galadriel brings Halbrand to Edhellond and reunites with Celeborn, I WILL SCREAM.

[amaltheas-garden]

Is it a hot take to say I liked most of the costumes in Rings of Power? I haven't read much Tolkein so I have no idea what his aesthetic vision for middle earth was but from a PURELY design standpoint I didn't think it was that bad?? If anything, the handful of truly awful costumes got hyper focused on + certain styling choices really brought down some otherwise beautiful designs. IMO the cinematography and set design had wayyy more to do with the costumes looking ugly on screen than the designs themselves. A lot of the sets just looked very fake, so when you already are aware the characters are walking around in an indoor plastic forest with cgi leaves and sunlight added in post, the costumes probably won't look too good either (a lot of commentators speculated polyester was used but I believe the designer came out and said they used real silk for almost everything). Also, high rez cameras that capture EVERY LITTLE DETAIL are a double-edged sword. In a scene of the Numenorians on the boat I could literally see the sunlight reflecting off a guy's armhair the resolution is insane!!! So why would that be a problem for things looking realistic? The best way I can explain is with an art analogy. For most of the history of painting, artists relied on observation, so any detail they captured in their paintings would have been something the unaided human eye could see, and for details they knew were there but couldn't quite make out (think, the leaves on a far-off tree in the background), they would only imply the detail. However, with the invention of increasingly good cameras, a movement known as hyper realism started cropping up, in which artists work from photographic reference, capturing every detail that really only a camera could pick up, giving their work a very unique (and at times unsettling or artificial) quality. Classical art academies in the present day actually forbid students to work from photographs because they believe it trains your eyes to see in a different way compared to observation, and will outright reject any portfolio submissions with work they suspect as being done from photos (which they can usually tell pretty easily, again highlighting the difference in how cameras and our eyes pick up detail). Returning to RoP, I would argue a similar dissonance is at play, as the show has an over-produced, glossy feel to it, which renders the costumes feeling a bit weightless, without texture or grit despite every detail of them being visible. I am not an expert in film making, so I can't speak on what techniques work better when capturing fabric, but I would point to examples like Dune (2021 & 2024), all of GoT and HotD season 2 (though the grey lighting does them no favors), Mirror Mirror (2012), Wolf Hall, and even Shadow and Bone (a show with a much smaller budget) for films and series that had to translate very over the top and fantasy like designs to screen while maintaining a grounded feeling.

In short, I definitely have problems with a number of costumes (which I'll probably discuss in another post), but I think there were other issues that contributed to the costumes tacky and artificial look than the designs themselves.

[fatcatlittlebox]

The more I see press interviews and trailers for ROP the more I think there will be a huge ass haladriel bombshell revealed at the end or near the end of season 2. I’m thinking along the lines of the season 7 finale of Game of Thrones. And I think it will be a flashback or reveal that Sauron and Galadriel slept together when he was Halbrand. They made a concerted effort to keep Miv and Charlie separated during promotions for the most part and I think it’s to mitigate the risk that haladriel-centered questions from interviewers will uncover a revelation that big.

They still continue to hit hard on theme of Adar acting in the role of father to his “children,” the orcs. The show has not yet come full circle with that, the meaning of Sauron’s failed experiments with them and Adar foreshadowing re. causing pain to Halbrand’s child. I can see him discovering that while she is held captive and using it as leverage or revenge. If Galadriel still continues to have visions without Nenya, I’ll feel that would hint that the bond is fortified by Galadriel carrying his child rather than the ring by itself.

I’ve already speculated that Galadriel will go to Sauron at the end of the season. Perhaps it is because she will do so to protect their child. Given that Elrond has already stated his belief that no beauty or good can come from anything Sauron had touched, I can see where Galadriel might fear exile again for such a grave indiscretion.

[rey-jake-therapist]

Speculation time guys ! About Galadriel, Nenya, Elrond and Annatar.

Charlie revealed something about season 2 that we didn't get to see yet : I can't find his exact words, but he said Galadriel's ring was especially important to him because of what it meant to create it, and wants it back (no "we were engaged but she won't marry me so I'm petty and want that ring back now" energy at all, right).

Now, in episode 4 we saw Galadriel trust Elrond with her ring, because she knew she would probably be killed or captured by Adar. We also saw Elrond in full armour (very sexy by the way) battling in Eregion. We don't have any evidence that Elrond and Sauron/Annatar will face each other, but it's very likely that they will, right? Since we see Sauron slaughter a bunch of Elves probably lead by Elrond...

So, we know that :

Sauron wants Galadriel's ring. And he also wants another shot with Galadriel : this isn't some shipper's fantasy but what Charlie said.

Galadriel trusted Elrond with Nenya.

Elrond will fight for Eregion, Sauron is seen kicking Elves' ass in the trailer.

Speculation : I could see Sauron beating Elrond and forcing him to give him Galadriel's ring. Then he could bait Galadriel with it, "if you want it come and get it"...

What' you guys (gender neutral) think?

[shady-swan-jones]

Actors are always told what they can and can't say when they promote a TV-series or film; Morfydd absolutely knew what she was doing when she teased a kiss! She was told what she should say and even though she knew the kiss isn't between Sauron and Galadriel, she and the marketing team knew that the Internet would automatically jump to conclusions the moment she mentioned a kiss. It's called baiting shippers!

Believe it or not, I'm not unfamiliar with PR strategies and I've even been online enough to know what baiting it, so take your condescending attitude and shove it in a different inbox.

To clarify -and I can't believe I have to do that among adults- I was talking more about if the actress knew how invested some corners of the internet (like ours) are in speculating about the scene. I was not implying she isn't media trained or she broke rules to give us the hottest scoop. The post was about her impact to the RoP community. Beyond that, I'm open to discussing theories and speculations, it's the most fun of watching a show while it airs.

Next time you wanna "educate" a shipper, don't.

[thequeensjester]

The opening credits are so dynamic and summarizes the season.

I briefly wrote speculation on this new title card before but didn't really have a fleshed out idea. Now I have more concrete thoughts and so much of it has to do with the opening credits.

But first! Please see and support these two gifsets as their work helped it all click for me:

Opening Credits by fukutomichi & Red Costuming by leotanaka

So, this green title card so far only appears in ep1. Now in s1 ep1, the title card is covered in frost because that's where the present day story begins and iirc, the title card is gold for rest of the series.

Here, I think this green title card is foreshadowing. It's rust, specifically verdigris because we see traces of red alloy, which I think is copper. Verdigris is rust derived from copper and it's toxic.

That seems strange that veridigris is used here (and I'm definitely inspired by Elden Ring lore) because in ROP, that emerald green is linked with the Elves. I believe it's a flip on that and instead, it's showing Sauron infiltrating and poisoning different factions of Middle Earth. This is backed by costuming and cinematography.

The show isn't always trying to be subtle with its foreshadowing and that's okay. It should and needs to pay off. In ROP, Sauron is coded with red; we see that in his prologue look. Red can also double for bloodshed or danger like we see here in the S1 ep1 prologue and the Celebrimbor premonition.

So with all that said, let's break down the updated title sequence!

(caps are slightly adjusted for contrast and visibility. Apparently, the show is too dark on some screens?

I think this is obvious; starting with Sauron at his lowest. Then, the red grain worms its way into the gold patterns. In fact, it sort of resembles:

In the prologue, we see veins erupt on Sauron's face for a brief moment during his tantrum. I *think* we see something similar when Sauron gets rejected by Galadriel.

(Thanks Charlie Vickers and Jack Lowden for all the face! Love when actors aren't afraid to just go for it.)

With the Dwarves, it's fascinating because both father and son are already wearing red before meeting Annatar.

Danger comes to the Dwarves as a result of Mt. Doom erupting so this is something Annatar exploits. Durin IV was right to be suspicious and called Annatar's lies but the fear of doom and trying to be proactive to stop it is much louder. Reconciliation with his dad goes hand-in-hand with giving up their stubbornness to try and work together for their people.

However, this is exactly what makes the Dwarves vulnerable to Sauron. A tragedy.

I see a lot talk about the writers going in circles with Sauron leaving Eregion but only to come back. I think he fled because he's not sure how the elves will react when they find Galadriel in the pond so better leave for self-preservation. He goes to Mordor to scope out the place and manages to plant further doubt.

He asked Adar in s1 if he remembers him and Adar asked him who is he? Sauron already sank his claws in Adar long ago with red wine and his presence here triggers an old memory. Now he's nudging Adar to pursue his doubts and hoping Adar will make that mistake.

Celebrimbor's forge is already tainted by Sauron. His new forge (right) burns redder than the previous one. He may not have been involved in making the three rings for the Elves but his effect on Celebrimbor is there.

Aside from Celebrimbor reciting "not power of the flesh but over flesh," he's wearing red in that exact scene. I looked and tried to find if he's worn red at any other time in s1 but I think this is the only instance. He's usually dressed in blue and green. Celebrimbor's costume change is so subtle because together with the other elves, they are dressed in harmony: gold, blue, and green.

Even when he forged the Elven rings, he wore blue but when he made rings for the Dwarves, well... what a difference. He's also too happy to lie to Gil-Galad.

Red costuming goes into full force in Numenor.

I originally thought this orb was an eye and it still could be. Then thanks to leotanaka's gifset, I realize it could be the icon on Pharazon's chest and foreshadowing the Great Wave.

Galadriel's presence shook up Numenor. Sauron didn't need to do too much because Galadriel's relentless pursuit did the work for him. He saw the Numenoreans' disdain for elves and just needed to gently steer her in the right direction.

I definitely think Sauron takes a lot gambles but actually learned to read the room to NOT get crowned again. He can't know how Numenor will react to their losses in the Southlands. Instead, he just scams them by talking with enough ambiguity for people to fill in the blanks for him. This gives him enough resources to work with.

Now with the elves, here is where things diverge. So Sauron hasn't physically touched the rings but he did affect Celebrimbor and Galadriel, who were both directly involved in making the rings. The golden tree we see in the title sequences is still gold but it's hue is different, slightly warmer as an indirect result of Sauron.

Compare these two titles:

S1 (left) title card uses a bright, radiant yellow gold. S2 (right) uses a burnt gold. I do think current one refers to fire and a forge at work but it's also implying a decline due to Sauron's influence.

I'm curious if the title sequence will continue to evolve throughout the season but if not, I look forward to what the s3 title sequence transforms into.

[andthebubbles]

Preface: I've read lotr and the hobbit but verrry long ago (and iirc I started skimming through lotr eventually) and I haven't read anything else

Does Sauron have magic? Because I've been thinking about the raft and Galadriel just ~happening~ to come across them and the worm just being there and never again once it was just Galadriel and Halbrand... Like, if he has magic, maybe he knew Galadriel would be there or thereabouts in the ocean and went and put himself on a raft and made fake fellow shipwreck survivors and went and looked for her, and once he found her he made the worm/made the worm do what he wanted it to... Yeah idk. Can Sauron do stuff like this lol

[90shaladriel]

In Defense of Sauron was Genuine Theories

I have been meaning to write something about this ever since Season 1 of Rings of Power. I never did and here we are about to get the premieres of Season 2 which will likely blow many theories and interpretations out of the water as they give more backstory for the characters.

In some Tolkien and RoP fandom circles, the notion that Sauron was genuine in his attraction, desire, feelings towards Galadriel as "Halbrand" is controversial. There's also many fan theories putting together Sauron's grand conspiracy to orchestrate all of the events we saw in Season 1. Those theories may indeed be correct depending on what Season 2 and the future of ROP show us. I would argue that they would be doing this through retconning rather than what they actually depicted onscreen in Season 1 being evidence for this master plan.

Disclaimers:

In cannon, Sauron is Very Bad™

In ROP S1 Ep 8, he at least appears to be cruel to Galadriel and possibly tried to drown her* This would definitely be toxic behavior IRL

Season 2 might still vindicate the Sauron was evil all along interpretation.

If you want to write fanfic or create art where sauron is truly bad and evil that is wonderful!

Sauron interacted with the Elves and Poisoned the Tree of Lindon

I think this was a popular idea because it explained Mithril / Elves fading subplot in a way that makes more canon-sense to book readers than how it appeared in the show. If Sauron was a saboteur who came to Lindon, caused the tree to die and threaten the Elves to fade, therefore causing Gil-galad and Celebrimbor to seek solutions. This leads pretty nicely to Sauron's ultimate plan if it were to forge the rings. Circumstantially there was an offscreen "meeting of the Elf-lords" that neither Elrond, Galadriel or the viewers were shown prior to Gil-galad revealing the crisis to Elrond. Some speculated that "Annatar" was one of those Elf lords. It also explains some unusual behavior by Celebrimbor who acted conspiratorial and manipulated Elrond.

It appears that this wasn't the case from the backstory we were shown in S2. While there was a slight time skip from when Sauron becomes Halbrand in the North to meeting the human refugees fleeing the Orcs presumably in the South. Also Annatar was only revealed to Celebrimbor in S2, so he couldn’t have been in Lindon as either Halbrand or Annarar forms.

I think this is still open depending on how much you dislike the Elves fading when the tree dies plot.

The other thing that still work against this is that if this were Sauron's original plan then there would be no reason to detour to Numenor. Nor would there be a specific reason he needed to corrupt Galadriel to gain access to the Elven kingdoms, he already had it!

Plausibility: 1/5 👁️ Eyes of Sauron

Sauron orchestrated the meeting with Galadriel at Sea

A big part of this line of thinking is that it seems so improbable that Sauron and Galadriel would happen to meet in the middle of the sea. Or how could Sauron, one of the Ainur _let_ himself be shipwrecked. There has also been some analysis of Galadriel's odd behavior before entering Valinor when she jumped overboard, could she have been called or drawn by him?

I think the meeting was one of the more interesting choices for a Tolkien adaptation, so I'm very biased here.

We see no mechanism on screen that would imply Sauron had this direct control over Galadriel's actions. If he had been able to do that, he surely would have been able to orchestrate other meetings with Elves to get more direct access to Celebrimbor and Eregion?

In S2 we are shown that he was apparently seeking Numenor when the sea wyrm attacked. I'm still not sure, but it looks like maybe Sauron was able to control the creature with magic or something similar. Or maybe it didn't attack because he stayed still. Perhaps he did cause the wyrm to attack the raft once she was aboard? Maybe!

Did Sauron even have a specific reason to meet Galadriel? There is the connection to her brother and the dagger. I was disappointed they didn't revisit that at all so far in S2 E1. Did he know she was the one hunting him? Did he know her from Valinor as some have speculated he was one of the boys in S1 E1 prologue? Did he know enough about the Elves to know her personality and specific character flaws he thought made her vulnerable to his deception? I don't think we see enough evidence for this to be very plausible but maybe not totally ruled out. His reaction to her on the raft when they did meet was cautious, he did not try to befriend her immediately, nor seek to corrupt her on the spot.

Plausibility 2/5 👁️👁️ Eyes of Sauron

Sauron played 4d chess to get Galadriel to make him King of the Southlands

Sauron eventually makes it back to Middle Earth, almost kills his enemy Adar thanks to Galadriel's help giving him an army, and then results in him winding up with a golden ticket to Eregion and Celebrimbor's workshop.

I think this is mainly people trying to fit the data points of Sauron's actions to the theorized curve of Sauron being evil and wanting to forge the rings to take over the world from before the events of Season 1 occurred.

So far, Season 2 has certainly indicated that Sauron had some kind of plan that he was enacting with the rings and using Celebrimbor in some way. His Halbrand form, which introduced by Galadriel, was instrumental in getting close to Celebrimbor in Season 2 and revealing himself as 'Annatar'.

But do we know he had this plan all along? From the opening episode of S2 we know that Sauron was apparently wandering towards the Southlands and the Orcs before coming across some random human refugees. He chose to go with them, sailing west across the sea away from the Southlands, Eregions or any of the Elven realms, so was he really setting up a long con all along? To me it seems like he may have planned to set up in Numenor, whether to use/corrupt them or to genuinely repent and live out a quiet life in retirement or at least until events in Middle Earth gave him some new opportunities.

Then we have the actual S1 events. He met Galadriel on a raft in the middle of the ocean, it seems like this was by chance. At every point when she offered him the opportunity to return to Middle Earth he declined. His actions in Numenor could hardly be a meticulous strategy to return to Middle Earth, trying to get hired in a forge, trying to get Galadriel to chill out and stay there, getting thrown in prison. Constantly telling Galadriel he would *not* help her.

He only eventually agreed to go with a combination of good fortune (the omen of the white petals) and Galadriel's persistence that he was a King of the Southlands. Maybe Sauron caused the tree to lose it's petals through his corrupting magic remotely? Maybe he was hunting for the crest of the Southlands king offscreen in S2 and deliberately followed that refugee that had it, waiting for an opportunity to steal it? ehhhhh I'm going to say not very plausible

Plausibility 2/5 👁️👁️ Eyes of Sauron

Sauron and Adar were working together (Sauron was a mole)

This was also an interesting theory, that the supposed rivalry between Halbrand and Adar was just for show to help convince Galadriel to trust Halbrand even more. That Sauron knew Adar was planning the eruption all along and that the sword artifact was being taken the the dam mechanism when he chased Adar with Galadriel in the woods. He also stops Galadriel from killing Adar in her interrogation. Adar saying he killed Sauron was just a straight up lie (hence him smirking in that scene). Which means everything Sauron/Halbrand said was pretty much a lie from the beginning as well. Although what the actual objective would be for Sauron is not totally clear to me. Maybe the Elven/Numenor forces would have behaved differently had Sauron not been meddling with both via Galadriel? Maybe they wanted to convince the Elves to create the Rings of Power.

I am pretty sure this now ruled out by Season 2 so far. Adar is shown onscreen actually killing Sauron. Sauron seems pretty ticked off about Adar and the Orcs when he returns as prisoner to Mordor. Adar and Sauron give no indication they are working together though having screentime together again.

Plausibility 0/5 () Eyes of Sauron

Sauron self-injured to go to Eregion

We aren't shown how Halbrand got wounded, he was found already wounded and it's not shown how. He clearly takes advantage of this dire situation to be taken to Eregion by Galadriel. A pretty cut and dry situation where Sauron had both motive and opportunity to achieve his ends.

This assumes that Sauron at this point had the plan to go to Eregion. And that would tie in well with the original Sauron interacted with the Elves prior to S1 theory.

This theory holds up pretty well. I think even if you take the Sauron was genuinely repentant belief, you have to admit by S1 E8 he was working on his own schemes that were not entirely "good". So it's fairly believable even if he was genuine until the battle in the Southlands and deciding to try to be the King of the Southlands, that he quickly changed plans post-eruption as the ultimate opportunist.

I think Season 2 hasn't changed this interpretation at all. He is shown to be clearly invested in Eregion and Celebrimbor again. When "Halbrand" turns himself in to Adar and the Orcs no one says anything about stabbing him or his injuries. Maybe he was stabbed by some random Orc after the eruption but killed that Orc immediately?

Plausibility 4/5 👁️👁️👁️👁️ Eyes of Sauron

Sauron had an ‘I Am Good’ Phase

This could be it's own post. But there is a case I could make that Sauron genuinely had an "I am Good" phase of his own at least through S1 E6 (Eruption of Mt. Doom). I think the best case would be that Sauron was probably morally ambiguous, or maybe at least morally neutral as opposed to scheming evil mastermind.

He saved Galadriel at sea, he didn't have to, or at least it only makes sense for the Evil Sauron in the 4d chess sense. (did he summon the lightning bolt that knocked her in the water?) He appears to have mostly told her the truth when he did talk to her. He could have straight up lied. He initially pushed back on Galadriel's intentions to crown him a king and give him an army, when it would have been so easy to just go along with her. One interpretation is that he only agreed to go was because he wanted to help her or just sheer infatuation with her made him decide to follow her.

Circumstantial evidence: He smiles at the children in Numenor. He stares at the pouch when no one is looking. Before getting into the tavern brawl he pleads with them to not do this. He fights and kills Orcs, he listens to Galadriel when she tells him not to kill Adar. He pulls Galadriel back when she is about to kill him as well. The raft scene in the mind palace seems to be a romantic overture to Galadriel and could be interpreted as a genuine expression of vulnerability (before he screams at her, makes her cry and tries to drown her I guess)

The counter argument is Season 2 it shows him being a rotten pile of goop, taking the lives of others to form the Halbrand body. He clearly let the guy die in the ship and stole his pouch. It's unclear how much he might have used Galadriel or entered her mind. He is a compulsive liar in the Annatar form and extremely manipulative as Halbrand to Celebrimbor.

Before Season 2 I would say this a 4 on the Plausibility scale, I think we have to drop a point at least now.

Plausibility 3/5 👁️👁️👁️ Eyes of Sauron