‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ season 2 is set to premiere on August 29th, 2024. The show aired its first season back in 2022 to a somewhat mixed reception which is a shame considering the eye-watering sum of money Amazon spent on it. The show was initially highly awaited, but as soon as the first promo materials started – the trouble started as well.

It’s hard to think of an aspect of the show that wasn’t criticized by the audiences. Starting with cheap-looking costumes, the portrayal of Galadriel, and numerous inconsistencies with the source material. One one the most highly criticized aspects was that the show somewhat hinted that there’s an enemies-to-lovers type of arc going between Galadriel and Halbrand.

Galadriel itself was portrayed as a completely different character than what we’ve seen in previous adaptations and books in general. She was portrayed as violent, foolhardy, rash, and overeager to take part in violence, something uncharacteristic of her graceful and matronly presence in ‘The Lord of the Rings.’ Her relationship with Halbrand which sometimes leaned more toward passion and romance was the last straw, especially when you take into account that at that point timeline Galadriel was already married to Celeborn and had a daughter with him, Celebrían. Though they didn’t appear in the show at all.

Now season 2 marketing heavily leans on the premise that there’s something romantic going on between Halbrand, now known as Sauron, and Galadriel. The showrunners already explained that the upcoming season will focus more on the villain as Annatar takes command and tries to seduce Celebrimbor into doing his bidding.

Showrunners also acknowledged that the connection between Sauron and Galadriel will be especially important in Season 2, as the Dark Lord is seemingly obsessed with the Elven Lady:

It is a driver of story for quite some time to come and is really satisfying when you see them together again in Season 2.

In the new episodes, Galadriel and Sauron share a profound connection that neither has experienced before, and this bond haunts them both. Their relationship is described as being deeper than romance by Charlie Vickers who portrayed Halbrand:

Their connection runs far deeper than anything surface level.

Now some fans like the idea of the show venturing in that direction while some abhor the idea:

What do you think about the romance between Sauron and Galadriel? Let us know in the comments below!