Galadriel immediately becomes suspicious and soon confronts Halbrand. He concedes that, yes, he is Sauron, and hopes to restore order to Middle-earth. He offers her a place alongside him as his queen. Given the sexual tension these two have shared throughout the series, it's not an unreasonable proposal.
It's made clear to the audience at the beginning that Halbrand has as much potential as Aragorn did to become a heroic king. So it stands to reason that the Halbrand revealed to be Sauron at the end of the season couldn't possibly be the real Halbrand because Halbrand was just beginning his heroic journey to be king.
Elrond discovered the scroll that revealed that Halbrand couldn't be King of the Southlanders, so it's likely that he realized that Halbrand was Sauron and that he escaped. Knowing that Sauron is on the loose, he could warn the dwarves of the growing evil and encourage them to forge their own rings.
Although the finale, “Alloyed,” opens with the reveal that the Stranger is Sauron, that's a fakeout, and the trio of white-cloaked women who were after him was mistaken. We later learn that Halbrand is Sauron, while the Stranger is one of the Istari — the formal name for wizards in Middle-earth.
She discovers that the last king of the Southlands died over 1000 years ago and that the line was broken. The implication being, then, that Sauron (being a shapeshifter called an Annatar) was able to take Halbrand's face at some point during the Second Age.
When Halbrand and Galadriel captured Adar, Adar seemed not to recognize Halbrand as Sauron. Adar also claimed to have killed Sauron after watching Sauron experiment on the orcs, whom Adar sees as his children. It's possible Adar was pretending not to recognize Sauron as part of a ruse.
"So I think in his pitch to Galadriel, it cannot mean that he loves her or that there's any kind of romantic relationship. There should be no ambiguity around the fact that Sauron is evil — he's terrible, and he's using Galadriel to enhance his power."
As for whether Halbrand actually loved or romantically desired Galadriel is to be determined. Sauron is an expert manipulator and likely sees Galadriel and her power as an asset. In line with the old adage, "Keep your friends close; keep your enemies closer," he'd rather have her on his side than against him.
Instead, Sauron did not redeem himself in any way. But the option seemed to have been in place for it to occur, which gave "The Rings of Power" a starting point to build on. The creation of the Halbrand identity seemingly served as a way for Sauron to start a new life in Middle-earth.
But The Rings of Power's Halbrand would be kind to both them and Galadriel so he can build trust if he were Sauron. That lets him get close to his enemies so he can destroy them from within.
Sauron's deepest fear was that Aragorn would use the Ring against him. With its powers of domination, Aragorn could comfortably take over the entirety of Sauron's dark army. Though this would eventually corrupt Aragorn, it would allow him to destroy Sauron and take his place.
Sauron's original name was Mairon. He was the mightiest Maia of the Vala Aulë the Smith, and learned much from Aulë of smithing and handiwork, becoming a great craftsman and "mighty in the lore of" Aulë's people. He was among the most powerful Maiar.
Galadriel asked if he really meant to save Middle-earth or rule it, and when he could not tell the difference, she refused to join him and planned to kill him but was thrown into the water.
While riding, Halbrand seized a spear from a corpse, and maneuvering through through the forest, he ended up riding towards where Adar was heading. Useing the spear to trip the horse, Halbrand dismounted Adar, who attempted to provoke him into killing him. Halbrand was only just prevented from doing so by Galadriel.
Sauron wants Galadriel to become his queen because she's useful, says Vickers. As he's already shown, Sauron can accomplish his objectives much more quickly when he has a highly regarded Elf warrior to get him into places like Numenor and Eregion (where Celebrimbor lives). “He feels a connection to her.
Galadriel was one of the Ñoldor who came to Middle-earth wishing to see the lands and rule a realm of her own. She came with the second host of Elves from Aman with Fingolfin and Finrod. In Doriath, she and Celeborn fell in love and married.
When exactly did Galadriel start to suspect that her traveling companion is not who he says he is? Clark said it was one particular moment in The Rings of Power finale. "When Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards) mentions 'the power over flesh,' and she's only ever heard Adar (Joseph Mawle) mention that before," Clark said.
For those that haven't read Tolkien's work, it's easy to see why many audiences suspect Gandalf and Galadriel are in love. After all, many of their interactions in The Hobbit trilogy practically scream romance. However, their relationship remains purely platonic in Tolkien's source material.
After trying and failing to murder Sauron to save Middle Earth in the final episode, Season 2 of The Rings of Power could see Galadriel blinded by rage at Sauron's betrayal and deception. One thing is now certain; the friends, and even potential lovers, have become sworn enemies.
Additionally, while he was in his weakened state, Galadriel could hold him off through the power of will alone. However, if Sauron had his One Ring and faced off in a battle against Galadriel, it's unlikely that there would be much she could do.
After Morgoth's defeat, Adar at first served Sauron in the latter's mission to discover a way to subdue other forms of life. However, disillusioned by Sauron's cruelty to the Orcs, Adar turned on Morgoth's successor and struck him down, believing for centuries afterward that he had slain Sauron.
One thing episode 6 of The Rings of Power completely puts to rest is the theory that Adar could be Sauron. Adar certainly knew Sauron, but he wasn't a fan. He tells Galadriel that in his quest to master Middle-earth, Sauron sacrificed many of Adar's children. Because of this, Adar killed Sauron.
