Spoilers are never late (nor are they early; they arrive precisely when they mean to), so don’t read ahead without first watching the Season 3 premiere episodes for “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.”
“The Rings of Power” Season 3 is here, and it finally feels like the series we were promised from the start (i.e. the one that showrunners J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay wanted to make all along). At this point, the introductions are done and the show’s characters, lore, and locations have all been established. Most importantly, the very silly mysteries around the identity of certain characters all disappear in the first four episodes of Season 3. Because of this, we now know that Gandalf (Daniel Weyman) and Sauron (Charlie Vickers) are a big part of the story, that the insufferable kid Theo (Tyroe Muhafidin) is actually a Ringwraith, and the truth about Ciarán Hinds’ Dark Wizard.
As you might recall, the reveal that Weyman’s “The Stranger” is actually Gandalf didn’t mean all that much in Season 2, given how Gandalf-coded the character was from the get-go. By comparison, the Dark Wizard has been quite Saruman-coded from the start, be it the color of his beard or the way he calls Gandalf an old friend. Yet, the notion of him being Saruman has never made much sense, given how blatantly evil he is. After all, it’s meant to be a huge shock when Saruman aligns with Sauron in “The Lord of the Rings,” so the idea that he was known as the “Dark Wizard” for centuries would seem to undermine that.
Thankfully, “The Rings of Power” has now confirmed that the Dark Wizard is really Pallando the Blue Wizard, not Saruman.
Can Pallando be redeemed on The Rings of Power?
While Sauron is very much the focus of “The Rings of Power” Season 3 (something that’s been praised in early reactions to the show’s latest batch of episodes), Pallando is an important part of the story. Except, Pallando doesn’t exactly ally himself with Sauron out of greed, ambition, or evil the way that Saruman does in “The Lord of the Rings” (nor does he seem all that afraid of the Dark Lord). Instead, he’s already murdered his fellow Blue Wizard and Istar companion Alatar prior to his first appearance on the series.
Pallando’s betrayal, it turns out, was an act so malevolent that it turned the once-green realm of Rhûn into a desolated wasteland. The wizard isn’t entirely repentant by the time “The Rings of Power” takes place, but he does acknowledge that it’s his fault the region has turned to desert, and he seeks specifically to fix it. Hence, his submission to Sauron and the power of Mordor represents a desperate last attempt at correcting his greatest mistake.
All we know from J.R.R. Tolkien’s source material is that the Blue Wizards failed their mission and their fates are unknown when “The Lord of the Rings” begins (although they’re presumed dead). In other words, “The Rings of Power” can resolve a major “Lord of the Rings” mystery by revealing what ultimately became of Pallando in particular. This should also make Gandalf’s mission in Season 3 all the more interesting, as he might yet have a chance at saving the Blue Wizard. Either way, there’s much we’ve yet to learn about the character.
“The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” is currently streaming on Prime Video.