**Spoiler Warning** Rings of Power S1E8 - "Alloyed"

[Huinesoron]

Well! I did not expect actual Rings of Power, though the props are very pretty. I guess Elrond's getting Vilya straight out of the gate?

I do actually remember thinking that the best way to pull the Annatar surprise would be to have him enter Eregion under another name, and be given the name Annatar later, so that people who knew the books would also be surprised. I... didn't expect all that to happen in 20 minutes, though. o.O

I feel like they wrote Halbrand so that you can go back and rewatch him, to see whether he ever lied (I'm guessing not). I remembered him yelling at Adar about the unspecified terrible thing he did to him - which came, in hindsight, not long before Adar confessed to killing Sauron. Should have listened, Artanis...

I confess to a moment of sudden horror when Elrond walked in to find Galadriel smiling at the new Rings, because... evil characters had been shapeshifting in this very episode, and what if 'Galadriel' was actually Halbrand now??? But she wasn't, so that's fine. Would have been a fun twist though.

I might come back and do a rundown of where everyone ended up and how I feel about it, but for now I'll just say that this house ships Miriel/Elendil, but Nori/Poppy even harder.

hS