Did Sauron have feelings for Galadriel, or was it all a part of his manipulation?

The Rings of Power Season 2, Episode 5 made some fans believe that Sauron could be in love with Galadriel.

Charlie Vickers’ Sauron shared the screen with Morfydd Clark’s Galadriel throughout Season 1 of The Rings of Power. Sauron disguised himself as the King of the Southlands, also known as Halbrand, but the two parted ways when he finally revealed himself as Sauron to Galadriel.

In Season 2, Sauron and Galadriel have been apart thus far, with the former being in Eregion with Celebrimbor and the latter trying to find a way to stop him.

Sauron’s Relationship With Galadriel in The Rings of Power

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In The Rings of Power Season 2, Episode 5, Sauron said something in one scene that caused fans to speculate whether he was in love with Galadriel.

While talking to Mirdania in Celebrimbor’s forge at Eregion, Sauron tells her that she looks just like Galadriel “when the light caught [her] hair:”

“How strange. When the light caught your hair, for a moment you seemed her perfect likeness. Why, Lady Galadriel’s, of course.”

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This caused Mirdania to blush, especially after Sauron raised his hand and ran it through her hair.

Sauron’s words caused many fans to wonder if he truly had feelings for Galadriel in the show.

In Season 1, the two had unmistakable on-screen chemistry, and it did seem that there was some romantic tension between them.

It even went as far as Sauron showing Galadriel a vision of what the world would look like if they banded together and ruled alongside one another, which became a temptation that seemed hard to resist for her at first.

Some sort of connection was even further proven when Elrond asked Galadriel in Season 2, Episode 1 if she was free of Sauron’s influence.

It is important to note that many fans shipped Halbrand and Galadriel throughout Season 1. Even after it was revealed that Halbrand was Sauron, many still wrote fan-fictions about the two being together romantically. They even wanted the show to explore further what a relationship between the characters would look like.

For example, at San Diego Comic-Con during the Rings of Power panel, one fan asked if viewers would see more “Haladriel” in Season 2, leading to Charlie Vickers and Morfydd Clark to exchange glances between one another and Vickers stating, “I think we will.”

As of Season 2, Episode 5, Sauron and Galadriel have not shared the screen in the show’s sophomore season, meaning that fans likely expect interaction between the two characters in the final three episodes.

It is also important to mention that there was a shot in the official The Rings of Power Season 2 trailer of Sauron and Galadriel together, with Sauron using the crown of Morgoth to block a sword attack from Galadriel before using it to pull her closer to him.

Is Sauron in Love With Galadriel in The Rings of Power?

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As mentioned, many fans want to know if Sauron truly has feelings for Galadriel in The Rings of Power, especially after his comments in Season 2, Episode 5.

While it might have seemed like there was something of substance between the two in Season 1, it was just Sauron manipulating Galadriel to gain her trust so that he could then get exactly what he wanted.

Sauron has done this to other characters throughout the show, including Mirdania in Season 2, Episode 5.

While it may have seemed like he was reminiscing on his time with Galadriel and missing her, his telling Mirdania that she looked like Galadriel was more of a manipulation tactic to get her on his side than anything.

In the source material, Galadriel is described by J.R.R. Tolkien to be the fairest Elf in all Middle-earth, so someone telling Mirdania that she looked like Galadriel would be a compliment of the highest standard.

Celebrimbor is not the only Elf in Eregion that Sauron will try to manipulate. He knows that if he is to have true power over everyone, he needs to build up his relationship with other people, and, at that moment, he sees Mirdania as the most vulnerable.

So, while it may seem as though they have feelings for one another, Sauron doesn’t truly care about Galadriel; any advances he made toward her in Season 1 were to get him closer to his actual goal of ruling Middle-earth.

The Rings of Power is streaming on Amazon Prime Video, and new episodes are released on the platform every Thursday at 3 a.m. ET.