As The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 begins, the battle for Middle-earth is as tense as ever. Kingdoms such as Lindon (the Elvish realm) and Númenor (the main human kingdom) have infighting going on. While the Southlands and environs are scattered, running scared as the evil Adar and his army grow in strength.

One trump card against evil is making its way across the desert terrain of Rhûn. This is the partnership between the Stranger and Nori. They’re trying to unlock the Stranger’s destiny and what could be the full-blown power of the Istar (a wizard). Unfortunately, as their journey continues, an immense tragedy unfolds that could break the Stranger in a big way.

Rings of Power Season 2 Brings Poppy Back to Nori and the Stranger

The Rumored Gandalf Gets His Fellowship Back

Nori ended Season 1 of Rings of Power by leaving the Harfoots. She wanted them to find a haven, which fans would come to know as the Shire years later. Meanwhile, she felt she had a higher calling in helping the Stranger — a man who has barely regained his memory since falling to Earth. Nori left her best friend, Poppy, behind, but the latter sneaks around and catches back up with the duo this season.

Poppy just can’t leave her “sister” to make the trek alone, which makes them the Sam and Frodo of their era. They’re undertaking a big task with the person many assume to be a younger Gandalf. While that’s yet to be confirmed, there is wizard magic at play. The Stranger uses his powers to conjure up some food from nature. While he gets nourishment, he admits he is scared. He can’t control his powers, which he knows will endanger his allies.

As the team becomes parched and hungry, he passes out. The girls decide to drag him to a well, but when they pull up water, the bucket is latched to a bell. It rings out loud to let people know intruders are around. There are also predators who have been looking at this fellowship as prey. The tracking process has been made easier with this audible beacon.

Rings of Power Season 2 Separates the Stranger and His Friends

The Stranger’s Powers Go on the Fritz and Sends The Harfoots Away

When the bell is rung, hunters arrive on the scene. They have been stalking the group for some time as part of a bounty. These masked figures want to take the Stranger to Ciarán Hinds’ Dark Wizard. Once the handover is complete, they think the villain will cure them of some mysterious ailment. The affliction is making them as ruthless and desperate as possible. In the melee, the Stranger uses a makeshift staff to generate a sandstorm he hopes will blow the villains away. While he does so, he also loses control and sees the girls get caught up in the swirling vortex. This dusty tornado takes them in and sends them away.

It’s a very jarring sequence of events that gives Rings of Power Season 2, Episode 2 a more tragic edge. The Stranger has found Tom Bombadil and wants to hone his magic. He can tell Tom has the knowledge to help. However, the Stranger’s confidence is low. He’s uncertain if he can find the girls again, or if he does, how capable he’ll be in defending them. Being this vulnerable comes at the worst time. The Dark Wizard has the Dweller and other “white wings” out there. They have supernatural powers, too. Therefore, the Stranger will face constant trouble. The hunters are normal men who don’t mind using the girls as hostages and bartering tools.

Tom warned him of these threats and the rising difficulty level. The Dark Wizard’s mystical acolytes have tools that the Stranger might not be ready to handle yet. It carves out a very unpredictable picture. Once the Stranger finds Nori and Poppy, he’ll also have to deal with the guilt of knowing what he dragged them into. It’s a very debilitating situation in terms of his destiny and effectiveness on this journey of self-discovery. At the end of the day, the Lord of the Rings movies and books have always been about the consequences of one’s actions. It has viewers tentative of what’s due to transpire.

Rings of Power Season 2 Is Exposing the Stranger’s Weakness

The Dark Wizard’s Hunters Are Seeing the Stranger’s Kindness as an Opening

The enemy knows the Stranger’s weakness: He has compassion and love for these Harfoots. It could result in the mystical agents or the hunters going after Nori and Poppy’s tribe, as well as the new clan they meet: the Stoors (another Harfoot species). If there are casualties, that would certainly crush the Stranger’s soul in Rings of Power Season 2.

Should he turn out to be Gandalf, it would explain his affinity and deep bond with the Harfoots and the Hobbit descendants to come down the line like Bilbo and Frodo. The Harfoots may well have bled, sacrificed and died for the Stranger in these harrowing times. While the collateral damage would feel bleak, it would honor what this series is: a show about war and bloodshed. No matter how one spins it, lives will be lost, people will be used as pawns, and extreme measures will be taken to achieve victory.

The Dark Wizard senses the Stranger’s potential, so he has no problem greenlighting his minions to go as hard as possible, and as dark as possible. The Stranger may soon learn that he is a curse, and not the blessing he assumed he was. With Tom at his side, he is poised to learn that being an Istar has a price to pay. Whatever this Stranger’s role, and whoever he is, the operatives loyal to Morgoth’s teachings won’t stop trying to break him. He is an obstacle to them and the darkness they all want to seed out. They are jostling for power and wouldn’t like an Istar trying to dictate who gets to rule the realm.

Moving forward, the Stranger will have a huge target on his back. Any Harfoot with him will have a similar bullseye. They are innocent, selfless people he won’t want hurt. As it stands, he will need to gain his bearings and figure out how his powers work. Tom knows this, too. It leaves the Stranger with a heavy burden: if he doesn’t unlock his magical firepower, he won’t be able to protect anyone, whether it be the Harfoots, Stoors or himself. It places pressure on him, but he has the heart, soul, grit and motivation to level up. He is slowly learning not to let tragedy define him or hinder his higher calling on this mortal plane.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 debuts new episodes Thursdays on Prime Video.