For all its big ideas, The Rings of Power’s first season felt more like a preamble — a promise of adventure to come, rather than a true starting point. The Lord of the Rings prequel worked hard to introduce a myriad of characters, setting the board for the arrival of the saga’s fabled Big Bad, Sauron. Its first eight episodes ran on the idea that the Dark Lord was hidden somewhere among our noble — if conflicted — heroes. And it wasn’t until the finale that Halbrand (Charlie Vickers), the resident charming rogue, came out as Sauron in disguise.
