The ‘Rings of Power’s latest episode might’ve just confirmed our Stranger suspicions!

One of the lingering mysteries in The Rings of Power has been the identity of The Stranger (Daniel Weyman). Showrunners have assured us that this will be the season we know for sure who he is. But is there already a strong hint in that latest episode?

Major spoilers ahead for TROP season 2!

In The Rings of Power season 2 episode 4, we find The Stranger separated from his Harfoot friends, Nori and Poppy, and searching for them, when he finds a goat that leads him to the house of Tom Bombadil. Meanwhile, the sandstorm that he conjured throws Nori and Poppy in another direction, where they stumble upon another tribe of hobbits, The Stoors, and their colony, which is built by making holes in canyon walls. If that reminds you of a certain county of hobbits from the Third Age, you’re not off!

While the Harfoots were led by a trail finder, the late Sadoc Burrows (who has a Stoor connection himself, BTW!), the Stoors have a matriarch leader, known as The Gund (Though, as per Merimac’s rule, we aren’t supposed to call her that!). Gundabel, the leader of the Stoors is at first angry at Merimac for bringing these Harfoots to their home and begins an inquisition about their purpose.

This is the moment when you have to put on your elf ears and listen closely because there’s a major hint about the possible identity of The Stranger!

Gundabel asks Nori and Poppy to plead their case as to why she should let them stay with the Stoors, and Nori gives a long answer about having crossed rivers and mountains to help her friend. When Gundabel inquires who this friend of hers is, Poppy says, “He’s a giant.” To which, Merimac wonders, “Oh, like an elf?” which seems a fair assumption because elves are supposed to be quite tall. But Poppy tells him that their friend is bigger than an elf. 

And Gundabel says, “So he’s a great big Grand-Elf.” And she rolls her eyes.

But at this exact moment, LOTR fans watching the episode would be pointing to the screen and jumping because “Grand-Elf” sounds a lot like Gandalf, right? RIGHT?

This could be too on the nose or it could be a major hint! It’s worth noting that later in the episode, Tom Bombadil tells The Stranger that just a wizard’s staff and his name are two things that no one can give to him, because they’re already his. He simply needs to find them and claim them. And it sure looks like Rhûn’s the place where he’s going to do it.

Honestly, this reminds me so much of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or The Alchemist, both stories where the protagonist goes to the desert to find an elusive cosmic answers about their life. So it makes perfect sense for our wizard to find all the answers he’s looking for!