[Blind Guardian]

*Spoilers for episode 3, which as of my writing this was released only a few hours ago*

As I said in another thread, I think that the Stranger is Gandalf. His being with the Harfoots is a backstory as to why he likes Hobbits. This is furthered in episode 3 with him joining the Harfoots migration and assisting in moving the buggy.

Some things that stand out: the way he interacted and spoke to the fireflies is similar to how he spoke to the moth on top of Orthanc. The way that he took away the light without making physical black shadows. Even with how he forgot who he was after becoming Gandalf the White. This might be his initial rise to Gandalf the Grey.

Now with Halbrand being Sauron, I think it is more plausible after seeing episode 3. Melkor and Sauron were smiths with Sauron being Aule's maiar. He saw the forge and immediately tried to convince them that he was the best smith on the island. He also seemed the relish the violence of fighting with the group that cornered him after he stole that emblem. In the books Sauron was in Numenor and lead to their downfall.

But, then again, it's completely possible that the writers are throwing in nothing more than a different version of Aragorn. He does look like Viggo Mortensen as the Ranger.

It's also possible that Adar is Sauron or the first "mouth of sauron". I don't have much on this, except for his gloves looking like Saurons. His being Sauron seems like of cheap and not like when Sauron was haunting that forest in the Hobbit. I guess we'll find out in episode 4.

As for the entwives, I think it's possible that Arondir ends up meeting them. Where else would his story go? Everyone around him is dead or far away. There was also him agreeing to chop down that tree. The ents might be lurking nearby, watching. They're either going to understand that he had to do what he had to do to survive or they're going to be furious. He might have something to do with the ent wives going to Valinor without the male ents.