Sauron and Galadriel forge an intense relationship in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 1 – and it looks set to ramp up further in Season 2! So, how are Sauron and Galadriel connected in The Rings of Power, and does it jibe with J.R.R. Tolkien’s books?
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Sauron and Galadriel’s Connection in The Rings of Power, Explained
Galadriel spends most of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 1 hunting for Sauron, whom she blames for the death of her brother, Finrod. Along the way, she strikes up a partnership with mortal man Halbrand – who turns out to be Sauron in disguise!
Obviously, this revelation knocks the wind out of Galadriel, especially as there’s a romantic undercurrent to her dynamic with “Halbrand.” Yet the Elven warrior ultimately turns down Sauron’s offer to rule by her side, and they part ways as enemies in Season 1’s finale, “Alloyed.” At the same time, The Rings of Power Season 2’s trailers strongly imply that Sauron and Galadriel’s bond is far from broken.
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Indeed, Sauron actor Charlie Vickers said as much at the show’s San Diego Comic-Con 2024 panel. “I think they’re connected, if not by proximity then by their psyche,” Vickers told the SDCC crowd (per GamesRadar+). “They’re higher beings so I’m sure it runs deeper than being in the same place together. I think the fact that when she turns him down at the end of Season 1, it pisses him off quite a bit. I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a part of him that thinks, ‘I can get her, I can get to join me.'”
Meanwhile, Galadriel will apparently start The Rings of Power‘s second season more committed than ever to defeating Sauron. “Now she’s seen the whites of the eyes of the person who’s bringing it all down, she’s all revved up,” Galadriel actor Morfydd Clark said in a recent Empire interview. Even so, Clark also admitted that her character’s Ring of Power ensures there’s now “an extra-weird connection between Galadriel and the baddest man in Middle-earth” in Season 2.
Do Sauron and Galadriel Share the Same Connection in Tolkien’s Books?
Nope. In fact, Sauron and Galadriel barely interact in The Lord of the Rings and associated works. And the few times they do cross paths, there’s no warmth between them (much less romantic tension). According to Tolkien, when Sauron showed up as Annatar (the Halbrand disguise doesn’t exist in the books) and tried to win over the Elves, Galadriel wasn’t buying it. On the contrary, she and her husband Celeborn – still very much on the scene in the OG canon – weren’t shy about their distrust of Annatar. They were so openly critical of “Annatar” that the self-styled “lord of gifts” quickly pegged Galadriel in particular as a major threat to him.
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This prediction was on the money, and Galadriel’s frostiness towards Sauron eventually spilled over into all-out conflict in Middle-earth’s Third Age. When the White Council (whose members included Saruman, Gandalf, Elrond, and Círdan) attacked Sauron’s Dol Guldur stronghold, Galadriel was there alongside them. She also aided the Fellowship of the Ring in its quest to destroy the One Ring. Bottom line? Whatever inner struggles Galadriel grappled with Tolkien’s books, teaming up with Sauron wasn’t one of them!
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 1 is currently streaming on Prime Video. Season 2 debuts on the platform on Aug. 29, 2024.
Published: Aug 19, 2024 07:21 am