One of the master strokes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 1 is the dynamic between Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) and Halbrand (Charlie Vickers), or, as we now know him, Sauron. Those names have become pop culture staples in the almost quarter-century since director Peter Jackson‘s adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien‘s epic The Lord of the Rings trilogy debuted. Galadriel, played there by the radiant Cate Blanchett, represents serene wisdom. Sauron, eerily voiced by Alan Howard, conjures images of greed, molten lava, and feral rage. Setting these characters against one another feels like a mission statement from Rings of Power showrunners J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay: existing fans know which character embodies good and which personifies evil. What happens when the two meet as equal and oppositional forces? To start, their interactions strengthen the tale Payne and McKay are weaving out of Tolkien’s extensive mythology. The dynamic grounds both characters’ arcs: Galadriel’s vengeance quest against Sauron, and Sauron’s knack for emotional coercion.

And, intentionally or coincidentally, it builds some of the most delicious enemies-to-lovers tension we’ve seen in a hot minute. Rings of Power‘s first season deploys the tropes expected of a high fantasy world and of two enemies building an unexpected connection, with the bonus of our distraught heroine discovering she’s been bamboozled by her sworn nemesis — who then offers to make her his dark queen. It’s a cliché banquet executed with immersive flair, sold through Clark and Vickers’ chemistry, and a feast to which fans responded, if Season 2’s marketing is anything to go by. Granted, a legitimate Galadriel and Sauron romance is highly unlikely. But one glance at Season 2’s promotional photoshoots, trailers, and social media posts shows that Prime Video is leaning into the appeal of Galadriel and Sauron, not Galadriel versus Sauron. I say let them cook.

‘The Rings of Power’ Season 1 Makes Galadriel’s Quest Personal

The fantasy genre has rarely seen a clearer delineation between good and evil than Galadriel, the Lady of Lothlorien, and Sauron, the Dark Lord of Mordor. But as much as Rings of Power plays up this archetypical dichotomy, it goes one step further. Galadriel isn’t fighting to protect Middle-earth just because her integrity compels her to. In Season 1, she’s driven by her relentless need to avenge Sauron’s murder of her brother, Finrod (Will Fletcher). A millennium spent nursing her grief has slid her into moral grayness. Even though this deviates from Tolkien’s canon, it immediately transforms the fight for Middle-earth’s freedom from generic fantasy into a point of personal contention — a necessary move to ensure that the Galadriel-Sauron conflict carries a keener bite.

That personal element proves both painful and illuminating for Galadriel, the series’ de facto protagonist. Her relationship with “Halbrand” starts hostile, their quarreling punctuated by Galadriel habitually slapping a dagger against his throat. But if the regal elvish warrior and the rogue-ish human want to survive being lost at sea on a tiny raft, they must rely on one another. Their chance encounter sparks a reluctant partnership neither can shake once they reach land. Halbrand seizing Galadriel’s forearm to prevent her from drawing her blade becomes consensual arm grasping.

Galadriel and Sauron Have the Perfect Enemies-to-Lovers Arc in ‘The Rings of Power’ Season 1

The wonderful tropes escalate from there. They lean close, exchanging conspiratorial whispers. They argue about philosophy. They bond over shared heartaches. Galadriel won’t let the darkness swallow Halbrand; he returns the favor. Fighting side by side is a rare and indescribable experience — and struggling to confess those feelings (while avoiding eye contact neither flinched away from before) startles them defenseless. Their mutual vulnerability establishes a charged, intimate, and accidental baseline, the tendrils of which create an even more compelling pairing.

Sauron disguising himself is the only circumstance where these two could develop an unlikely and believable kinship. Galadriel discovering the truth — that her ally is the same creature who killed her brother — is inevitable, and it’s distressing to witness how her tentative hope shatters. The Commander of the Northern Armies has witnessed and waged constant war. One might even say she’s at war with her trauma and loneliness. Gradually, she clings to the hope that Halbrand’s connection to the Southlands represents, and Sauron exploits her longings. Unmasking him doesn’t merely ruin the first hope Galadriel’s felt in centuries; it destroys their bond, violates her trust, endangers her people, and humiliates her. No matter how much she falters, Galadriel will never accept his dark queen offer (more’s the pity). Nevertheless, she unwittingly shackles herself to the being she most despises, who also threatens her world. That betrayal deeply stings.

Welcome to the comforting aesthetics of an enemies-to-lovers opening act. Every moment on the Haladriel journey is catnip to romance fans. As a lover of romance and Tolkien, wanting Galadriel and Sauron to angrily kiss wasn’t on my bingo card, yet the combination is intoxicatingly potent. Not even Aragorn’s Andúril sword could slice through their tension, something Season 2 is all but guaranteed to dial up to 11; their pseudo-friendship’s baggage is a breeding ground for drama. After all, enemies-to-lovers can’t exist without the paradoxical clash between vicious loathing and softer, repressed yearnings. Galadriel and Sauron’s miasma of ambiguity sends our feet kicking — and since the second season’s promotional campaign has dived headfirst into Haladriel supremacy, they must agree.

‘The Rings of Power’ Season 2 Promos Play Up Galadriel and Sauron’s Ambiguous Tension

Image via Prime Video

Take Clark and Vickers posing for an Entertainment Weekly shoot with the aura of a royal, evil romantasy couple. A related video places a solemn-looking Clark beneath a tree; the camera pans up to reveal Vickers lounging in the branches above, staring down at Clark. Empire Magazine gave the actors matching covers and a separate photoshoot with color-coordinated outfits. Interviews with both parties emphasize how heroine and villain are “connected […] by their psyche” in Season 2 (between the two, Sauron sounds especially down bad, crying at the forge).

And I’d be remiss not to mention the final trailer’s dramatic closing moment: Sauron using his helmet-crown to block and hold Galadriel’s sword before delicately saying her name. Agony, anger, and fear pour off Galadriel’s battle-muddied face, their eye contact searing enough to rival Mount Doom’s lava. The Rings of Power social media channels shared this exchange as a stand-alone clip; apparently, the Haladriel reunion carries enough hype to justify being its own teaser. You won’t see me arguing, especially since Sauron’s blond wig glow-up makes him a certified hottie.

Exploring Sauron’s Motivations Can Enrich the Enemies-to-Lovers Angle

Image via Prime Video

One of Rings of Power‘s biggest draws is, in fact, the Dark Lord himself. Until now, The Lord of the Rings‘ chief antagonist has only appeared onscreen as a giant eye “wreathed in flame.” According to Payne and McKay, Rings of Power Season 2 will delve into new franchise territory: Sauron’s psychology. Long-form storytelling requires a different approach than Tolkien’s novels or Jackson’s films, where Sauron’s distance and mystery increase his intimidation factor even though he’s a static character. Since Sauron’s descent into unmitigated tyranny is predetermined, Rings‘ biggest potential lies in exploring how he arrives at that point. Not to mention, any enemies-to-lovers story worth its salt gives its morally bankrupt leading man as many complex contradictions as his heroic love interest. Payne and McKay describing Season 2 as “all about the villains” doesn’t indicate otherwise.

That said, Season 1 doesn’t skimp onhints about his motivations, even if his words fashion his plans into their most palatable-sounding version. Does this ancient being crave power for power’s sake? Does he really believe that he can atone for his crimes by conquering Middle-earth? Is he bitter that Galadriel, an equal worthy of his respect, refused his quasi-marriage proposal? When they reunite, will he press the issue, taunt her about her mistake, or both? On the cusp of Season 2’s premiere, all we know is that he’s a seducer skilled enough to deceive Galadriel, an elf wise enough to eventually reject the One Ring, and that he’s turned his deceiving eyes uponCelebrimbor (Charles Edwards) next. Sauron can manipulate Galadriel, catch feelings for her, and burn his enemies down. He’s a multitasker.

Galadriel and Sauron’s Dynamic in ‘The Rings of Power’ Is Too Appealing To Resist

Image via Amazon Studios

Middle-earth might dabble in high stakes melodrama, but I don’t expect this ship to expand past loaded subtext. As long as the marketing for Season 2 (and the season itself) feeds my inclinations, such details don’t matter. The Haladriel dynamic we’ve reveled in so far is the emotionally fraught antagonism that, thanks to Sauron meddling enough to create it, exists in a nebulous realm beyond just a righteous heroine fighting a malignant villain. They have been at one another’s throats. They’ve stared into each other’s eyes. With the Season 2 trailer, they’ve finally crossed weapons. We can enjoy watching their turbulent, heated, attractive struggle, as a treat. After all, wasn’t Galadriel the one who mentioned “touching the darkness once more”? If her resident bad boy wants to put a Ring on it, let him.

Season 1 of Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is available to stream on Prime Video, with Season 2 set to premiere on August 29.