The showrunners of the ‘Lord of the Rings television series discuss the season finale’s shocking disclosure of Sauron and its implications for the upcoming fifth season in an interview. “Some viewers may be thinking, “Finally, this is the plot we were promised in the pilot!” They get it in season two from us.”
Season one’s main mystery about The Rings of Power has been revealed: For a long time, Sauron has been masquerading as Halbrand, the Aragorn-like vagabond who convinced Galadriel that he was the vanished king of the Southlands.
J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, the showrunners, recently spoke with The Hollywood Reporter, where they discussed their decision to introduce the Dark Lord as a likable “poor guy” and hinted at the character’s future development in the upcoming second season.
Sauron Will Be Like Walter White in Season 2
McKay explains that the evil depicted in “The Lord of the Rings” novels is so potent that it may cause widespread fear without requiring a physical manifestation. In Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings films, he represents the all-seeing eye that watches over the city from atop the tower. We thought it was important for Sauron to have his own entity.
We want to investigate his inner workings in a manner that would pay off for viewers as they saw him develop into the Dark Lord. You have expanded your knowledge of him beyond the moniker “Sauron.” We considered writing Sauron’s backstory. The thought of Sauron as a master deceiver who may fool certain viewers is fascinating to us, but we didn’t want to develop a program about finding him.
We spoke a lot about what Milton did in Paradise Lost,” Payne continues. In which he manages to make Satan interesting. He’s the first antihero who’s so interesting that you can’t look away from him. It was all Milton’s plan for you to make the same mistake as Adam and Eve. He intends for Satan to be so convincing that you, the reader, are subtly persuaded by him, and therefore come to see your own sinfulness and the urgency of your need for salvation.
Payne elaborates, saying, “In Tolkien, Sauron is a trickster, and we know that in Second Age he appears in ‘fair guise.'” What if he manages to creep up on you and get you to empathize with him and be on board with him so that once you truly discover who he is, he already has his hooks in you? Because of your emotional investment in this individual, it’s not as simple as saying, “This guy is bad, I’m going to step away.” What if we could make the viewer experience the same thing?
The idea wasn’t to deceive everyone with a revelation that felt utterly out of the blue, and the showrunners say they’re happy with the fact that many online had predicted Halbrand was Sauron along the way.
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An emotional investment, according to Payne, is made when “a creeping suspicion” developed over the course of a full season is validated at the season’s end. One of the highest kinds of art is a tragedy. Even though you know how Romeo and Juliet ends, the play is being performed hundreds of years after it was created. The enjoyment of a surprise can only be gained by seeing it once.
After the final episode airs, McKay hopes that people will rewatch the whole season to take advantage of the new perspective it offers. We’re crossing our fingers that Season 2 will help people appreciate Season 1 all the more by allowing them to see it through a different lens.
The makers of the Prime Video series have teased that the antihero Sauron will play a significant part in the next season, which has already started production but won’t air until sometime in 2024.
What is Galadriel’s identity in the first episode of Season 1? Whence did she emerge? What kind of harm did she endure? Payne wonders aloud why the woman is so intent on her goals. In season two, we’ll be doing the same thing with Sauron. In this way, we may complete the puzzle.
It’s okay for Sauron to be Sauron again, McKay says. Comparable to Tony Soprano or Walter White. His evilness, however, is not simple. If we introduced him in the first season, we were afraid he would steal the show. The first season is like “Batman Begins,” while the second is like “The Dark Knight,” with Sauron’s moves taking place in broad daylight. We can hardly contain our enthusiasm. A canonical plotline was implemented in season two. Some viewers could be thinking, “Finally, we’re getting the tale we were hoping for back in season one!” Season two is where we finally deliver.