THE ISTARI WIZARD
In the East, the Stranger meets the mysterious female trio, who call him "Lord Sauron" and declare their mission is to serve him. The trio say they would take him back to Rhûn to learn how to control his powers.
Rhûn is the eastern region of Middle-earth (including the Southlands, now Mordor) and the cradle of all the clans of Middle-earth, including the Dwarves. Later, when Morgoth rose, the peoples gradually migrated to the West. Those who remained in Rhûn side with and are loyal to Morgoth and later to Sauron.
At first, the Stranger believes in and followes the arrangement of the trio. But then Nori and other Harfoots catch up and awaken him. Thanks to the staff that Nori steals from the leader of the trio, the Stranger banishes the trio back to their darkness.
Before being banished, the trio realize that the Stranger was not Sauron, but one of the Istari Wizards (this could be Gandalf the Grey).
THE FIRST 3 RINGS AT EREGION
The Great Tree at Lindon is dying, and King Gil-galad is urged to leave Middle-earth and return to Valinor to avoid becoming a mortal being. However, when Galadriel returns with news of the rise of the dark forces in Mordor, Elrond and Celebrimbor try to find a solution from the small mithril ore that Elrond brought home.
In Eregion, home of the Elves Blacksmiths, Halbrand is healed and offers Celebrimbor the idea to forge mithril with other metals to amplify its power. Later, Galadriel sacrifices her short sword for Celebrimbor to melt, mixed with mithril. Galadriel's short sword has gold and silver components from Vanilor, so the quality is superior to the material from the Middle-earth.
Because of Halbrand's statement "of power over the flesh", Galadriel begin to doubt Halbrand's identity because it was a statement she had heard from Adar saying about Sauron.
Galadriel sends someone to check the genealogy of the royal family in the Southlands and discovers they had no descendants a thousand year ago. Galadriel confronts Halbrand and he admits he is Sauron. Halbrand says he loves Galadriel and wants her to become his queen to rule the Middle-earth together.
Fearing that one day the rings would fall into Sauron's hands, Galadriel suggests making 3 of them instead of 2. Elrond finds the family tree of the royal family in the Southlands and possibly understands the situation; perhaps in future developments he will offer to make other sets of rings.
In the final scenes of the season, Halbrand goes to Mordor Mount, perhaps to begin forging his One Ring.
THE RINGS OF POWER SEASON 2
Filming for Season 2 of The Rings of Power began in October 2022, and the installment is expected to air sometime in the middle of late 2024.