For several weeks, The Rings of Power has increased the pressure throughout its season 2. This week marks the broadcast of the eighth and final episode of this new batch, with a finale which answers a lot of questions. Revelations galore, especially about good old Gandalf. We finally know how the magician got his name and his staff.
/! Warning, the following contains spoilers for episode 8 of Rings of Power /!
but who are you gandalf?
Since the trilogy Lord of the Rings by Peter Jackson, many fans whose questions remained unanswered. JRR Tolkien left parts of his world open to interpretation, while leaving parts of his story without any real answer. An ideal situation for future works, which can thus play and complete the world of the British author. Be careful though, the exercise is delicate as the misstep is so easy. Purists have been watching for years and attacking such a pantheon of Pop Culture is risky.
With The Rings of PowerPrime Video wanted to find ITS series to generate new subscriptions. And while the first season of the series left fans of Middle-earth wanting more, this season 2 aims to be more fleshed out. Broadcast since August 29, this second batch of episodes has finally reached its grand finale. Expected at the turn, the episode came out well. Although the averages of review aggregators are still waiting this Friday, October 4 for episode 8 of season 2, the feedback is positive.
An episode in which we discover the elven city of Eregion falling under the black blades of Adar and his Orcs, while Sauron managed to seize the nine rings of power made for men by the master elven blacksmith Celebrimbor. Among the other intrigues of this season 2, we find the descent into Hell of King Durin III, corrupted in his ring, convinced that descending into the infernal depths of the mountain was a good idea. It is there that he crosses paths with a Balrog, a cult demon from Tolkien’s work, whose duel with Gandalf has entered the legend.
Speaking of good old Gandalf, season 2 of Rings of Power took the opportunity to confirm a popular theory: that according to which the Stranger would be none other than Gandalf the Grey. So many of you have been right, and have been for weeks. In this final episode, the Stranger saves Forts and Piévelus from the attacks of the Black Magician, even managing to stop an avalanche of rocks from burying the village of Forts and its inhabitants. A miracle of which the potential victims of the Black Magician are well aware and who take advantage of this respite to thank their benefactor.
Thanking the Stranger and his magic, everyone stops to praise his heroism by calling him “Great Elf”. The Stranger by Daniel Weyman chats with Tom Bombadil by Rory Kinnear where he learns that it is not a Magician who chooses his staff, but rather the reverse (like a wizard and his wand in Harry Potter by JK Rowling). Bombadil also pushes him to choose a name. And after a few seconds of reflection, the Stranger transforms the “Great Elf” of the Piévelus into Gandalf. A theory concludes with this episode 8 of season 2, while the series tried to cover its tracks by suggesting that the Stranger could well be Sauron.
In Tolkien’s texts, Gandalf did not arrive in Middle-earth from Valinor until the Third Age, which was around the time Sauron had taken the form of the “Necromancer” and was hiding in the shadows. A final episode which therefore answers many questions, while paving the way for its continuation. A season 3 expected around the corner, it remains to be seen what challenges the main characters will encounter in future episodes of Rings of Power. Any ideas? Don’t hesitate to share them with us via the comment section just below.
After a Master’s degree in Journalism at the IEJ, I permanently joined the Hitek editorial team in 2017. Passionate about video games, new technologies, science fiction and pancakes, I take pleasure in sharing my interests with the greatest number. Always up for a Jägerbomb on the terrace.
