As of the end of episode 7, Galadriel and Halbrand are on their way from Mordor to meet the elves. Perhaps this is how he meets Celebrimbor. And then when he does, he’ll casually say to Celebrimbor, “hey, that’s a pretty nice forge. I have some recommendations for how to improve it. Oh, and try using that Dwarven mithril to fashion rings.” Ending the season this way (which is how I suspect it will conclude) would be a cleverer way to reward the fans for their attentiveness to the clues and non-Tolkien fans are none-the-wiser. Whether Halbrand is revealed as Sauron (assuming this theory is true) at the end of the season is still unclear, though I’m actually inclined to say he will not be outed as Sauron formally (though I suspect something will happen that confirms to at least the fans that...