makes no sense … no Keyser Söze moment here … one of the dumbest red herrings I have ever seen.

REVIEW CONTAINS PLOT SPOILERS

The season finale of Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power finally reveals the identity of Sauron, we see the forging of the eponymous rings, and we (probably) find out who the Harfoots’ Stranger friend is. All great stuff. The problem? The episode is total nonsense.

Sauron’s initial fake identity reveal is poor. No Keyser Söze moment; rather, one of the dumbest, most see-through red herrings I have ever seen.

The idiocy continues. The greatest smith in history, Michael Palin lookalike Celebrimbor, doesn’t know about alloying metals(!) I, a lowly English teacher, have this knowledge.

The show ends on two big reveals. Probably-Gandalf is… probably Gandalf. And Halbrand is… hang on a sec. Halbrand. Hal Brand. Hal. Hell. Brand. Like fire. Literally, “Hell Fire.” This is a kind of “Darth Vader” situation, isn’t it? Yes, Halbrand is Sauron. Dumb.

Bad plotting, a lack of characterisation, poor acting, shoddy dialogue, stuff that just doesn’t make sense. The disappointing and fairly nonsensical ending that this poor first season deserves.

2/5

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