Middle-earth is at a breaking point on a crucial Lord Of The Rings
Who's a threat and who's a friend? Elrond and Nori are having a hard time telling the difference.
TV Reviews Middle-earth
When we first landed on the shores of The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power, the kingdoms of Middle-earth were in a state of isolation. The Elves watched over Middle-earth, particularly the Southlanders, while Númenor thrived on the sea. But inside those kingdoms, resentment stirred. In the South, men detested their watchful eyes. Some would prefer the unblinking one of Sauron. And the Dwarves, for Durin’s part, felt abandoned by the Elves, who allowed their friendship to wither.
“Partings” complicates matters by challenging the allegiances of the characters, who will make unpopular choices in their communities. Most of those decisions, driven by gut instinct, cause tensions between outsiders and locals. Few reflect this better than Nori and The Stranger. The Harfoots actively avoid all other tribes because of the danger they pose. Not Nori, though. Her heart is open in ways others don’t understand, but does that come at a cost? “Am I a peril?” The Stranger asks Nori. “No, you’re here to help,” she answers. How does she know that? The Stranger’s purpose is so unclear that even he doesn’t know if he’s a danger to those around them. He’s certainly a danger to fireflies.
Are we born bad, or do we break bad? These are questions that “Partings” raises almost immediately, and it doesn’t have an easy answer. Each storyline refracts from one another, with characters dealing with the costs of being a stranger in a strange land, creating unforeseen dangers for those they care about. But, as is often repeated, “All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost.” That’s easy for Gandalf or Poppy to say, but being Elf on the edge of extinction could create some lapses of judgment.
Assuming the Stranger is gold that doesn’t glitter, the Brandyfoots choose compassion over prejudice and welcome him into their caravan as they did for Poppy. Director Wayne Che Yip tracks their migration from the Old Forest to the Grove, following the food where it grows most abundant. Poppy’s mom’s beautiful walking song provides the soundtrack for Yip’s shots of the two wheelbarrows trekking across the marshes. We see the warmth inside the Brandyfoot family that heats those around them and those watching.
But as we catch up with the other Harfoots, we see some of the distrust we’ll see elsewhere in this episode. Malva (Thusitha Jayasundera) encourages her husband Sadoc to banish The Stranger and the Brandyfoots, dooming the family unless The Stranger can prove he’s not a peril. Despite concerns, The Stranger shows his quality by saving Nori, Poppy, and Malva from a pack of wolves, injuring his arm. The Harfoots are willing to welcome him into the fold, but now Nori is having second thoughts. He creates magic but can’t totally control it, which frightens Nori. Maybe he is a peril.
Many on Númenor can relate. Galadriel and Halbrand haven’t exactly been welcomed with open arms by the Númenóreans. The sea may always be right, but an Elf in Númenor puts people on edge. Nevertheless, the Queen Regent is offering her navy to protect the Southlands. Sending her citizens to war is not a popular position, and Kemen (Leon Wadham) hopes to convince his father, Pharazón (Trystan Gravelle), to act. Of course, Kemen’s father would never take orders from an Elf, but Kemen doesn’t see the whole picture. If Númenor goes to Middle-earth, they can unite with the south and take control of trade routes and commerce. Pharazón sees the prospect of war as an opportunity, which should tell us everything we need to know about the guy.
Like Pharazón, the High King Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker) has ulterior motives. Hoping to smooth things over, the tactful Gil-galad invites Durin to dinner so he can give him the third degree about what’s happening in Khazad-dum. That’s all well and good, but Durin wants to know where he got this fine stone table, which the Dwarves would typically reserve for special purposes. Elrond eases the tension by reminding everyone that they’re here in good faith. Well, sort of. Later, Gil-galad and Celebrimbor come clean about their intentions: They know about the mithril, and it’s necessary for the survival of the Elves. Mithril contains the light of the Valar that keeps the Elves’ eternal souls healthy. Remember all that talk about trees last week? The one in Lindon is rotting. If the Elves don’t get mithril soon, they must return to the Undying Lands or die on Middle-earth.
These scenes exemplify the most frustrating aspect of the show. We know that the Elves know about the mithril and that Elrond was sent to confirm its existence, and it feels like we’ve forever for Elrond to catch up. Still, it does pose an interesting question for the future. There’s a Balrog somewhere in Khazad-dûm that we were introduced to this week—in a stylish flashback that felt like the show owning its visual language. In Fellowship Of The Ring, Saruman blames the unleashing of the Balrog on Dwarves delving “too greedily.” Is it possible that this is the Elves’ fault?
The speedy eight-episode season can cause some herky-jerky plotting. Some things feel rushed, like Bronwyn’s call to the men of the south to stand and fight, and others are stalled, like Galadriel in Númenor. It’s hard to be too mad about it, though. By the end of this first season, Rings Of Power will still be shorter than Peter Jackson’s trilogy, but spending some time in these locations has offered a chance to dive into characterization on levels other than plot. Most importantly, waiting for Galadriel to convince Míriel has allowed us to get to know Isildur.
Isildur has considerable Luke Skywalker energy. He’s rearing to go on an adventure and do something meaningful—just as his father did. But his ambition has led him astray. Isildur risked his friends’ well-being, cost them their jobs, and betrayed their trust (this sounds a lot like Elrond). The two-punch apology was funny, but it won’t get him on the ship for Middle-earth. With no other option, Isildur stows away on one, hiding near a ships oil supply. Unfortunately, Kemen is also led astray by ambition and attempts to blow up the ships, leaving Isildur to rescue him. It all works out for the latter, who gets a spot on a boat headed for Middle-earth, working as a stable sweep. He’s going to have to earn his spot.
Númenor better hurry up. On the watchtower Ostirith, the Southlanders are as split as the Númenóreans. Half want to stay and fight in a Helm’s Deep scenario; the other will kneel to Adar, who, like Arondir, Galadriel, and The Stranger, is an outsider too. Adar displays his power before the Orcs, forcing them to hold their skin to the sunlight. He wishes they could experience the sun as he does, complicating his character with a layer of sorrow. He almost seems to regret his decision to become a Dark Lord, but his motivations and allegiances are shifty. He’s an Elf living among Orcs, but when he’s mistaken for Sauron by the barkeeper, he is almost mad about it.
After forcing the barkeeper to kill Rowan, in a harrowing example of Adar’s brutality, we return to the top of the Ostirith watchtower, where Arondir trains Theo on the bow. Arondir explains his connection to the people he was supposedly policing all these years, so Theo reveals the hilt, which is actually a key. It’s easy to forget that Sauron’s forces built Ostirith, so when Arondir shows the sword statue, it feels a little convenient (sort of like that letter from a spy that outlined all of Sauron’s plan a few episodes back. Arondir has probably been looking at that statue for decades. Like the lighting that struck the tree and created mithril, it almost seems a little too convenient, like it was fated to be this way.
Where there was once isolation, we now see collaboration. Rings Of Power asks its characters to choose between their heritage and friends. Should Elrond betray Durin for the sake of the Elves? Should Míriel listen to King Palantir and cancel the trip to Middle-earth? Lord Of The Rings remains skeptical of political maneuvering, emphasizing the importance of genuine community connection and friendships to guide these characters to the light.
Appropriately, “Partings” ends with us setting sail for Middle-earth, the Orcs marching to Ostirith, and Elrond and Durin heading back to the mines. Elrond chose friendship over heritage, appealing to the goodwill of another for the benefit of all. Still, Gil-galad’s hard stare reminds us the conspiracy isn’t entirely unmasked. The last few episodes set up a series of showdowns, and if we had to guess. the Harfoots are heading directly toward the middle of it all. Nori says that The Stranger is here to help. Let’s hope she’s right.
Stray observations
- That closeup of Durin, where Owain Arthur leans into the frame and reassures Elrond, was lovely. Profile closeups of Durin were a winner last week, too. So I guess what I’m asking for is more.
- Speaking of things that make me happy, “This Wandering Day” is a banger. We want more songs on this show, please.
- Galadriel’s sword-fighting exhibition was a gas—excellent choreography, music, and performances. It was such a different kind of experience from, say, The Witcher’s opening duel. This show can calibrate action and violence remarkably well, making the sword-fighting light and exciting while not losing the horror of Adar’s blood tribute.
- The CG wolves looked a little jankier in this episode, but I appreciated the consistency of their skull shape and the skulls worn by the Orcs. The long snoot on the Orc masks gives them such unsettling quality.
130 Comments
I’m getting some major “DENNIS! There’s some lovely filth down ‘ere!” vibes from this shot.
the peasants in Grail had way less condescending dialogue
and could afford better accents
This is a good a time as any to say I have always wanted to live in Dennis’s autonomous collective.
I’m not familiar with LotR lore, but were the two “companions” at the meteor site new characters or somebody from the books? They all had a great look.
At this point, it doesn’t matter. They’re so far off the books (which isn’t explicitly a bad thing) that even if they were, they’d be effectively totally different.
I am not well versed in the lotr lore, can you tell me in what big way is the show departing from the books? I am just really curious about it, and the Internet is full of articles that only talk about minimal things, or stuff that potentially is still open to interpretation (just because Tolkien described some characters in a way doesn’t mean that all individuals belonging to these characters’ race are the same, it’s a loophole of course but not a big departure). Or at least can you tell me what precisely made you be like “no, okay, they have done this thing, ergo this is now so far off the books”. Again, it’s just curiosity, I don’t feel strongly on either side (I’m not pro or con to being as faithful as possible), although, I must confess, the choice in ethnicity and having an active female protagonist do not faze me in the slightest.
I am not well versed in the lotr lore, can you tell me in what big way is the show departing from the books?The biggest change is the timeline compression. In the books Sauron’s return and the creation of the Great Rings occurred well over a thousand years before Isildur’s birth. The show has moved those events forward in time, at the same time altering the in-between history significantly. There’s absolutely no records of the Hobbits’ ancestors from the Second Age; they certainly existed, but no one wrote down what they had been doing in that time. They also wouldn’t have been speaking the same language or possessed the kinds of names that they’d eventually develop in the Shire, though that can be excused as translation convetion. There’s no record of any being falling from the sky as a meteor. This character’s identity may also contradict the existing lore, but we can’t be sure before it’s been confirmed. In the books a Durin’s birth is a momentous occasion, as every Durin is considered a reincarnation of Durin the Deathless, the oldest of the Seven Fathers. He is supposed to be reborn six times before the final decline of the Dwarves, with centuries between every occasion. The show seems to ignore all this, featuring Durin III and Durin IV as father and son. The backstory for mithril and its association with the decline of the Elves is completely original, though the way it’s explained gives the impression that it may be just an in-universe myth. Either way, it’s a new addition. All the events in the Southlands are original additions, essentially compressed together from the vague, implied events relating to Sauron’s rise to power in the East. The Elvish villain Adar is also new. I think this is one of the more acceptable changes, since it fleshes out stuff that Tolkien passed with barely a glance. I’m not an excessive purist, I think that the story has to come first, but I’m not especially pleased with those changes that don’t seem to be actively serving the narrative.
It’s a bit like they took the books and Tolkien’s alternative notes and threw them in a giant blender and told a story from what came out. It’s not bad and has familiar elements but isn’t the books either. One easy to describe and obvious change is Miriel. In the books, she’s the only child of her father but is usurped on his death by her cousin who forces her to marry him. This is considered both rape and incest in Numenor, but the cousin is too popular and powerful to be stopped. Ar-Pharazon is that cousin-usurper-king. Tar-Miriel is thus more a tragic victimized princess in the original. Galadriel’s character is both consistent and inconsistent with the books (I’d say). She’s supposed to be fierce and ambitious, but I’d expect her to be politically savvier. Closer to what they seem to be doing with Elrond.
Plus, thanks to the vagaries of how the copyright of Tolkien’s work has been split up over the years, they’re actually legally forbidden from using certain parts of it.
Yeah, though they seem to pushing the edges a bit. They showed the two trees with the spiderweb on them. Implying visually what they weren’t allowed to say.
In the books, she’s the only child of her father but is usurped on his death by her cousin who forces her to marry him. This is considered both rape and incest in Numenor, but the cousin is too popular and powerful to be stopped. Ar-Pharazon is that cousin-usurper-kingGiven that we have another fantasy series with rape/incest vibes at the moment, I’m happy enough that they leave that aspect out of this one.
Given that we have another fantasy series with rape/incest vibes at the moment, I’m happy enough that they leave that aspect out of this one.The thing between Pharazôn and Míriel is definitely still in the horizon for this show, but the details Moggett gave are just one version and interpretation. Tolkien never openly touched rape — even in a couple of cases where he frankly should have. Pharazôn and Míriel never had any children, so the whole “marriage” could have just been a political sham, for instance. And the trip to Middle-earth aside, Míriel’s character is still largely within the bounds of Tolkien’s text. He left most of the details concerning the coup unspecified, and in the show Míriel is still only a Queen-Regent, ruling in her ailing father’s place.
Yeah, I’m glad this story is giving Miriel more agency. I would also have enjoyed the earlier version where Tolkien had her being seduced along with Ar-Pharazon and they are a sexy evil couple…
What’s weird is that you could see them setting up a certain kind of narrative: since Miriel’s apparently unwed/childless, Pharazon’s already next in the line of succession, with an arguably valid claim to the sceptre on the basis of the King’s Men’s greater wealth and numbers.IIRC, all the Appendices say is that Ar-Pharazon seizes the sceptre and because he’s the last King there’s no mention of an heir. So there’s no real need to lean into the grossness of the succession. But if the King’s Men haven’t been doing an imperialism in Middle-Earth for the last few hundred years, I’m not sure what the source of their power (or corruption) should be.
Yeah. Right now, I’m visually loving the aesthetics of Numenor, but it feels a bit like they soft-pedaled how powerful they were. They are not a hermit kingdom of fading power, they’re an aggressive imperial force strong enough to be a serious threat to the elves and to Sauron himself. This also applies to the Numenorians themselves. They’re supposed to be kind of magical people who can live hundreds of years! I think the writers want to distinguish them from the elves, maybe? But in doing so, they seem to losing who the Numenorians were. And it undercuts an interesting point Tolkien made: Abnormally long life made the Numenorians fear and resent death more! They were close enough to being elves that they hated that they weren’t.
Amazon’s website already confirms the Númenoreans as long-lived. They’re introducing such lore elements slowly in the show itself. And the timeline compression essentially rushes Númenor from an isolationist little paradise to an imperialistic powerhouse in the matter of years, rather than centuries.
A bit early to tell, yet, since only one Southlander has encountered the Numenoreans so far, and he is (apparently) of royal blood himself.
Well, fwiw, I wish the show had more time to delve into Numenor. Even if they’re putting off any political focus until season 2 or 3, give some characters Adunaic names and have them lean into the narcissism/elitism. What if a Southron 10 is really just a Numenorean 6? Make Halbrand conspicuously shorter than Elendil. Have his smithing skills be mid at best to the guildsmen and get told that to achieve Numenorean-level mastery through the guild would take another 30 years.They’ll probably come back to the fear of death stuff a little bit when the show gets into the sectarian politics, but I think it’ll be hard to spend much time on that, not just because Celebrimbor’s bizarre deflection about the Elves dying, but bc it’s hard to really imagine what the Numenorean fear of death is really like compared to other men.
Agreed, the show is not getting across how powerful Númenóreans are supposed to be. You get no sense that they were instrumental in taking down Morgoth during the War of Wraith. That they are arguably the strongest fighting force in existence. I mean, in the age we are watching now, Sauron eventually lays waste the elves and men of Middle Earth with his armies and calls himself the lord of men. Pharazôn gets irked by this and sends an army so vast and powerful that Sauron’s armies literally run away in fear and Sauron is forced to surrender. The Númenóreans were also had vast wisdom, lived for hundreds of years, and were giant and incredibly strong. They averaged around 6’5″ in height and Elendil was almost 8′ tall! I get that from a production standpoint having them that tall isn’t feasible, but there are other ways to convey power. Like being smarter, less bumbling and being better fighters. Even Galadriel (who really isn’t shown to be as powerful as she’s supposed to be either) wouldn’t be so dismissive and flippant while in Númenór. She fought in the War of Wrath and should know how powerful the Númenóreans are.
You get no sense that they were instrumental in taking down Morgoth during the War of Wraith. That they are arguably the strongest fighting force in existence.The Númenoreans didn’t yet exist during the War of Wrath, and their ancestors, the Edain, had been reduced to a band of ragged refugees with little to no fighting power left in them by the time the War started. After the Battle of Unnumbered Tears, there wasn’t a single force in Middle-earth capable of standing against Morgoth. Only the direct intervention of the Valar and the Elves of Valinor saved the Edain and the Noldor from total ruin. There isn’t any source suggesting that the Edain would have had anything meaningful to contribute in the War of Wrath; their loyalty before the War was far more significant than their practical contributions in it. Nor did the Dúnedain of Númenor become a meaningful fighting force overnight. They spent centuries in peace, with no interest in war or conquest. The show seems to be compressing their development from peaceful isolationists to the world’s greatest military might within a single generation, if not less, when in the books that process took many centuries.
Even Galadriel (who really isn’t shown to be as powerful as she’s
supposed to be either) wouldn’t be so dismissive and flippant while in
Númenór.
Sure, but this mostly reflects something that’s not even worth really complaining about, i.e. how artificial this entire interaction is. Galadriel’s in Numenor primarily to introduce Numenor within the series. It would be easy to imagine even within the barebones timeline of the Appendices, Numenor having its own interest in a resurgence of Orcdom in ME, whether because Southrons reached out to Pelargir for aid or because the King’s Men in Umbar had their tribute interrupted.I get the sense that a lot of Galadriel’s weaknesses are so prominent to simply make sure that she has some. It would be interesting to explore what Galadriel’s wisdom (and all that time spent with Melian) means in terms of relating to other Elves or other races, but maybe that’s as impractical as any visual indication that she reflects the last light of Laurenin. But what we’re left with is that she’s a hothead who washed up in Numenor because she decided to swim across Belegaer–and sure, the writers are going to do whatever they’re going to do, but that’s such A Choice.
All of it is made up and has no connection to the works of tolkien. No one is actually or ever was complaining about race/gender stuff, bezos paid for good reviews from critics but audience reviews are mostly bad so bezos pays this site and other sites to claim racism is the cause of bad reviews.
Everything. Vasically they wrote their own story completely ignoring Tolkien style and themes and slapped names around to dress it up as “based on” the Lord of the Rings. Which is not.Really, it’s a total travesty.Cheers
A couple other folks replying to you have kind of hit the nail on the head. My biggest issue would be the timeline compression. By the time Isildur is born, Celebrimbor is dead, the Numenorians have already fought Sauron once, and the One Ring has been made. Numenor already has colonies in Middle Earth and the Southlands have already been pretty well ravaged during the previous war. Basically, Middle Earth in the show is the equivalent of doing a show about the history of Rome that starts with Julius Caesar and has him suggesting stoicism to a young Aurelius. For specific character stuff, book wise Galadriel is already in Lothlorien, married to Celeborn, and has a daughter. This is Arwen’s mother, and makes it a little weird given how close the show portrays Elrond and Galadriel. That said, I’m willing to be more flexible on specific character stuff if it serves the story, but it’s hard to tell if that’s the case (although I do like all the Southlands stuff so far).All of the above is fine too. Like it’s the story for the show. If people enjoy it, that’s really all that matters but it’s getting harder and harder for me to separate what I grew up reading from what I’m seeing, which I recognize is one to see extent. But I was excited about seeing a Second Age show, so seeing that this is less adaptation and more ‘inspired by’ at this point is kind of a bummer.
Okay I’m just gonna answer you, hopefully the others will see the answer too. Very interesting stuff, but then I do have to ask something, what is your position on the original trilogy and The Hobbit? Both of these compressed, prolongued , added weird stuff, cut others, united more characters into one, made stuff way more melodramatic and horror-like (like Galadriel’s reaction to the ring and “passing the test”) thus completely changing the nature of Tolkien’s writings (whatever that means).
I feel like depending on the directors, writers, and the actual material at disposal to hope for something more faithful is a bit of an overreach, we are still talking about adaptations. The show in itself is not anything great and if it didn’t have the lotr name it would be quite the boring show, in my opinion. However, since all the plotlines are yet to be reunited it is possible that they aren’t necessarily happening at the same time right? Maybe there was the meteor guy who appeared in all plotlines but I don’t quite remember (but still, it could be another meteor). My theory is that it’s one of those other blue wizards who have disappeared or something.
Anyway, I am not convinced by the arguments that are basically different iterations of “there’s absolutely no records of…” because of course there isn’t, the show is based on the Appendix of a book, half-ideas that Tolkien did not develop too much on. And it’s not like they added a space ship or vampires, it is just as valid as the original trilogy.
Then there is the mithrill thing, I feel like they had to give some kind of conflict that could still be significant and entertaining to watch. Honestly the dwarfs storyline and the metor guy one are the ones I find most interesting and compelling, so I don’t know why people would criticze those too much.
Don’t get me wrong, I am no big fan of the show, mainly because I find it a tad boring on more occasions, but to be honest, fantasy TV shows are rarily particularly well done, at least this one is very pretty to look at. And finally, the original trilogy has made other (big) changes and yet I still consider it to be one of the best film series ever made (while the Hobbit is just not good, talking about soules cash grabs). Perhaps we should wait for the first season to be over, but, for now, I feel like the not being faithful enough argument is not fair if you (it’s a general you) have enjoyed the original film trilogy (and the Hobbit).
Well, the LOTR movies made plenty of changes I don’t like, but I generally understand why those things were done from a filmmaking perspective. Like I understand why having Arwen show up to help instead of Glorfindal was done, because Arwen is just kind of scenery in the books and Glorfindal doesn’t have any impact on the core story. So it makes sense to give her something more to do for the limited of time she can give it. Making her glow, however, is something that I absolutely hate.I like the LOTR movies because they work as movies. I can see why changes were made, for the most part, even if I don’t agree with them, which isn’t something I see in the show. The LOTR films are well paced (for the most part) and decently written. There’s maybe about an hour across all three Hobbit movies that I can watch without cringing. But my original post that you replied to wasn’t ‘Don’t watch the show because it’s not faithful enough’ but ‘it doesn’t matter if any characters are in canon, there’s fundamentally different now’. If people enjoy the show, I don’t want to try to pour water on that. If the show was well written and compelling (in my opinion obviously), it might be easier to accept it, but I think too much of the show is leaning on the ‘recognize this name?!’ crutch. The stuff I do enjoy the most is actually the stuff totally made up in the Southlands, with no obviously pre-established character and like you mention the show looks great, so I’m not going to tell people they shouldn’t watch it or its hot garbage. Unlike the LOTR movies, I just don’t find it strong enough in other areas to be able to overlook/separate the much more sweeping deviations it has to do. Some I even understand why, due to the rights issues, but there’s not enough meat on the bone to keep chewing at. I would love to be surprised though!
Yeah, sorry for only responding to your comment, I didn’t want to single you out specifically, I don’t know how to answer to everyone without being overinvested in something that actually does not faze that much. Your comment seemed the most “neutral” so I was more interested in your take, and in my answer I tried to respond to the other comments, too.
I think it’s too soon to judge the show, waiting every week for one episode without having proper cliff-hangers does not make me excited to watch it the following week. However, maybe consuming it all in one sitting may be better? Let’s just say that the show knows that its name is reason enough for people to tune in, so they are really going at it slowly (in my opinion). The show has no real momentum is what I mean to say. It’s not dramatized enough to be a TV show and the comparisons with the movies do not help.
Let’s hope it picks up toward the finishing line of the first season!
Yah I just didn’t want to have any misconceptions that I just rage hate the show or something. I want it to be good, but I also don’t want it to trample over established lore. Like yeah the LOTR movies made changes and cut stuff, but not at this level. Like the time compression really kills a lot of the ‘threat’ of Sauron. By the time Isildur was born, Sauron had already almost conquered the entirety of ME and almost totally defeated the Elves, until Numenor got involved. So Numenor during the time of Elendil and Isildur had colonies in Middle Earth and was really at the height of world powers, which is what led to their pride and ultimately Sauron’s corruption of them. Most of that is in the Appendixes too, so they could follow it but they chose not to. And the mithril thing is just insane.Aside from that, my girlfriend pointed out that every single character Galadriel has encountered in the show she either threatens, ignores, or dismisses. She’s incredibly unlikable and makes really stupid decisions. Like the conceit I guess is she grows into the Galadriel we know but she’s just written so poorly.And I think that’s probably the crux of it. If the writing was solid and the story created was really compelling, I could probably get invested. But it’s not. It relies on name recognition but then makes those names unrecognizable characters. Even that said, though, I really enjoy the Elrond/Durin dynamic and the Southlands. Maybe the show is just bad at juggling everything. I dunno. But I also know first seasons generally suck, with rare exception. So I’m not totally writing it off. There are pieces there I enjoy. Just need to make sure I have enough booze handy :p
I remember the fellowship of the ring compressing the 17 years in which Gandalf went to investigate the origin of the ring he gave to Frodo to safe keep into what looked like a couple of weeks at most (which proved that the Hobbit was perfect to guard it even later as it didn’t corrupt him during all those years). And the Galadriel thing I don’t find it so annoying because I’ve seen these sort of character developments with so many male characters that were super dismissive and arrogant at first and then become better people once they learn humility (Vegeta, a dbz gan favourite, is basically that). It’s not my favorite thing, but ti claim that there isn’t even a bit of misogyny in the comment people make about her is naïve (even your girlfriend’s). Especially because she dismisses them at first but then she learns from the human guy how to be more humble. Ad also, what the films did to faramir is unforgivable, so yeah the films did change many things from the books, and they didn’t have only the bloody appendix of a book, they had more than a 1000 pages to adapt. Let’s just see where the show goes by the end of it with a couple of beers in hand to make it more fun hehe.
I obviously didnt expect perfect fealty to the books but they are so, so, so far afield here that it has very little to do w/the books. I dont think i can continue w/it.
They are new characters, who seem to represent the unseen sorcerers and cultists who served Morgoth and later Sauron in the books, but whose individual representation was left at the Nazgûl and the Mouth of Sauron in the books.
One of them (Poppy Proudfoot) is a great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great (etc. etc. etc.) auntie or grandma to Bilbo (who had a portrait of Linda Baggins, nee Proudfoot, in his house). Expect to see Poppy either become an accidental “first ring bearer,” or somehow gain exposure to it, sometime around season 3 or 4, which will be how Baby Gandalf learns that Little Bigfoots have a high level of resistance to mood rings.
One of them (Poppy Proudfoot) is a great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great (etc. etc. etc.) auntie or grandma to Bilbo (who had a portrait of Linda Baggins, nee Proudfoot, in his house).Poppy’s name is Proudfellow, not Proudfoot. And none of the Harfoot names have anything to do with the Shire Hobbits, this is from before even the language used in the Shire existed. Every single Harfoot who has children is a likely ancestor to every single Shire Hobbit, that’s how long ago this show is set in. It’s like someone claiming direct descent from Pharaoh Tutankhamen in the modern day; if any such descendants exist, they would amount to thousands with equal levels of heritage.
Ah, shucks… thanks for the Foot/Fellow correction… I guess I jumped the gun on that. I’ve now found that watching with the CC on is helpful.
Little BigfootsThe next hobbit song should be this.
“Bilbo (who had a portrait of Linda Baggins, nee Proudfoot, in his house).”What the literal fuck are you on about here? Linda Baggins/Proudfoot?Please share the drugs you have access to, thanks.
BTW: I’m assuming the blonde is Annatar (or maybe all three of them are in this telling, like Magi)…they seemed to be toting a lot of trinkets and hiding their ears. Rewatching it, the blonde appears to be a woman, so maybe not (or maybe they just decided Annatar’s gender wasn’t important to the storyline and could be changed)
Yes, the blonde with pale blue eyes is a woman, played by Bridie Sisson. When the first extended trailers hit and it showed that close-up of her face everyone assumed that must be a form of Sauron, but one of the showrunners said she wasn’t. She did say the blonde woman is from Rhûn. Rhûn is the name for all the land east of, well, the known lands. It’s not dealt with much in Tolkien’s writings other than that Sauron had great sway of the peoples there when he returned to power in both the Second and Third Age. By this point, Sauron would’ve already returned to power in Mordor but the show is doing some wacky stuff with the timeline. It’s somehow both compressing it like crazy while also dragging out getting to any of the significant events.
Watching it a few more times, it does seem like they’re all on similar levels rather than two being servants of the blonde. Heralds of Sauron seems more likely to me now, but their early interest in the Stranger seems odd if he is Gandalf or another wizard (which seems to be more likely given how he looks/acts). The whole prophecy of a falling star foreshadowing Sauron’s return confuses me a bit because a wizard falling from the sky as a sign of Sauron’s return seems a bit indirect….I’d expect a Sauron prophecy to maybe contain stuff about rumbling in the earth or trees disappearing.
The characters I’ve responded to best are Galadriel and Durin, so this episode felt Harfeet-heavy and wheel-spinning. The stuff about mithril was especially clunky.Numenor at least had Galadriel’s swordfighting, and, for some reason the bit that tickled me most, a horse being loaded onto a boat. I think it was funny to me because, while it’s easy to imagine Tolkien writing “The Lay of the Riders of Elessar Departing for Middle-Earth”, it probably wouldn’t include anything quite so prosaic.
Then did the sons of Tar-Minyatur ride tall and fell and fair
upon the ships of Belegaer with sails blond as their hair
But first they had to lade aboard each single colt and filly
Using some sort of horse pulley harness that all looked rather silly
That harness thingy is actually straight from real life, the showrunners have done their research.
I think the stereotype of bookish conservative boys loving Tolkien comes from the fact that Tolkien is mostly just history but with all the silly bits taken out.
I am & have always been bookish, and have been pretty far left since my second re-read of LOTR in 1970. So my mileage differs. And I love the silly parts of history, even though I don’t subscribe to Great Man theory, I still think history is soap opera like.
Yes, they’ve done their research on that pulley, but seemingly little else related to Tolkien lol.
The dwarves are carrying the show for me at this point.
same
While horses can certainly be put on boats, even in ye olden times, those particular boats did not in any way look large enough to do so.
I love Galadriel and Durin, but I also really love the positivity and joy that Nori has, and I also think she’ll appeal to a very specific type of young fan. As for the horse, I can feel them going “nerds gonna be wondering where the Numenorians got their horses so let’s show that”…and fair enough as they have the budget. I will also say I love the positivity and optimism in this show. Galadriel may be hard-headed, but she really believes in the good fight. Nori believes in The Stranger and Elrond didn’t betray Durin. Arondir believes in the humans. Even Isildur’s friends, who know he’s a f*ck up, love him.
Tolkien would invent a language specifically for the Numenorean grooms to speak to the horses.
Utter pish. Horses on ships were mentioned in his books.. FAIL…
Sure, but did he write anything about how they got the horses on to the ships? I think not!It could have been pulleys, ramps, teleportation, horse swimming lessons, riding on horses riding on eagles, or afloat atop rafts made of several other horses tied together. We just can’t say!
So I’m confused by Numenor. They’re supposedly a militaristic island nation, but they only have five ships to use for an invasion force…? And if the fire had gotten to all of them they would have been fucked? Really??? And Galadriel mentioned five hundred soldiers. In the ending shot of the ships leaving port, there is no way that one of those ships had a hundred people on them.So, wtf?
The timeline compression at work again, along perhaps with other tweaks. Originally the Númenorians were described as men of peace with no interest in battle or conquest, and their militarization was a slow process over many centuries. The show seems to be inclined to squeeze that into a few years at most. Since most of the Númenorian history still exists in some shape or form, it’s possible that the showrunners have introduced a new isolationist period where the armies and colonies were temporarily disbanded for a few generations, but we’ll have to see exactly how they’re going to handle it all.
They’re stacked underneath the deck, head to toe for better compression
Well, it’s not an invasion force; the idea is that the Numenoreans are going to try to organize the Southlanders under Halbrand.But yes, the artificial boat scarcity is the sort of thing that makes no sense at first glance and arguably less the more you think about it.
“they only have five ships to use for an invasion force”They have five ships and 500 soldiers they can send as an expeditionary force on relatively short notice on the whim of the queen regent.Hernan Cortes took 11 ships and 500 men to Mexico.
Sure, to explore and look for gold. They didn’t send Cortes with the intent of having him fight a giant army ruled by a demigod.
I am more confused about their attitude towards exploration. If they are a truly strong seafaring nation why have they never really “explored the “mainland coast” up to now. Like if they are sooo isolationist how did they ever really develop as a seafaring nation…?
Only five transport ships large enough to carry a hundred cavalrymen on site in their capital’s harbour isn’t that implausible.
Once again, the exaggerated urgency created by the timeline compression unfortunately shows itself. The idea that every Elf in Middle-earth could be introduced to mithril in a few scant months or that witnessing it would do anything to them as a race is extremely far-fetched, I’m sad to say. The concept of the Elves fading and their desire to delay it is pure Tolkien canon, but the execution leaves much to be desired. I also wasn’t especially happy of Celebrimbor calling the Valar “gods”. It’s an entirely appropriate title when used by Men, but the Elves ought to know better. On character level, however, this episode worked a lot better than the previous one. We’re finally getting to the reasoning beneath the Southlanders’ attitudes and their past, and Galadriel feels much more like herself than before, even if she still doesn’t quite radiate the power and authority she ought to. And outside of the canon characters, there’s still room to question who will end up serving whom without it feeling too clunky.
On Galadriel, do you really think she should have debuted much closer to her final form at the beginning of a planned five season run? The fact that she already feels a little more like herself as the first season is starting to close seems in every way intentional. Given that the series is almost certainly going to follow her more closely than any other main protagonist, it seems reasonable on a creative level to give her plenty of room for growth.
I agree about the weird urgency of the “we’ll be dead by spring” comment. Maybe I missed it, but I didn’t even hear Gil-galad or Celembrimbor make things seem that desperate, and I would have thought they’d stress that if they were trying to convince Elrond. I just got the impression that they were going to begin to fade away without it, and even that seemed overly dramatic. Though I suppose that could just be Elrond’s own choice of tactics.
On Galadriel, do you really think she should have debuted much closer to her final form at the beginning of a planned five season run? I have no problem with Galadriel having different demeanour, attitude and such in the show. I’m certainly not bothered that she’s portrayed as a warrior, or that she’s carrying a lot of anger and guilt. But I do feel that Galadriel should never come off as petulent or ineffectual. Even younger, less experienced Galadriel should be capable of provoking genuine fear with her wrath. People shouldn’t be capable of offhandedly dismissing her without any concern. They should only be able to mock her until the moment she’s standing in front of them, looking them in the eye. A protagonist capable of inspiring awe and fear is nothing new, so I’m not very happy that the show pulls its punches in this regard. I agree about the weird urgency of the “we’ll be dead by spring” comment.Having thought about it a bit more, I’m starting to wonder if it’s outright fictional in universe. Celebrimbor felt rather manipulative towards Elrond, invoking the latter’s father yet again to motivate him to do exactly as Celebrimbor wants. But that in turn makes both Elrond and Gil-Galad feel rather more naive than they ought to. I’m still waiting to see just how this plot thread is going to be resolved.
But I do feel that Galadriel should never come off as petulent or ineffectual. Even younger, less experienced Galadriel should be capable of provoking genuine fear with her wrath.OMG THANK YOU! You have put into words what has been bothering me about Galadriel. Also that she is too short but still…what you said
I suspect the ‘elves being saved by mithril’s light’ plot to be a red herring, something to draw the elves and dwarves into conflict. Supposing that Sauron has manufactured this idea, then it would force the famously proud elves to depend on dwarven mining, destabilizing the dwarven kingdoms and eventually waking a Balrog.
I know it puts me in the minority but the Harfoots embody the things I really disliked about the Lord of the Rings – excessive travelogues and overused, overlong songs.
I know the Stranger will be vital to the plot but otherwise this would be a better and tighter show if they were cut from it.
“Excessive travelogues and overused, overlong songs”So you haven’t read the books.
Oh I was referring to the books. Young me spent a lot of time skimming and skipping pages.
That Galadriel training session was really great, and exactly the sort of thing I love to see in things like this. It had a real Princess Bride feel with her commenting on her opponents’ skills while smoothly handling them. Do we know why Isildur covered for Kemen’s treachery? I don’t really recall if they showed they knew one another in a previous episode, though they did seem more than passingly familiar here. But even if they’re friends, it seems weird to just let blowing up a ship or two pass quietly, especially if it represents as much as 40% of your fleet (I’m sure they have more than five ships, but I’m not really sure of the scale of Nùmenor’s war power here, and that was an awful dramatic send off for just three ships at the end of the episode).
I figured it was a mutual silence pact. Kemen gets off the hook for arson, Isildur gets off the hook for stowing away.
That, and Kemen is currently considered the more trustworthy of the two. If Isildur tried to throw blame, Kemen could just blame Isildur of everything.
Problem with that would be explaining why he needed Isildur to swim him back to shore. They’re just not remotely comparable crimes, and even if Numenorean law dictated throwing stowaways overboard rather than just dumping them on the nearest land, it’d take some explanation to have that apply to a boat still in harbor.
I meant that Kemen could in turn claim that Isildur was the one behind the sabotage. Although the accusations couldn’t be proven either way, Kemen has a better reputation and stronger backers than Isildur at the moment.
Sure, but in that case they both hang. My bigger point is that unless the show’s trying to establish a running joke about Numenorean ships being death traps, there’s no obvious reason for Miriel, Pharazon or anybody else in power not to entertain the idea that it was sabotage and treat it as such.
Galadriel assumes it was sabotage by a “partisan” and says as much. What is silly is that everyone else is basically like, “meh, happens,” in regards to two ships getting destroyed. As though this a common thing that doesn’t require deeper investigation.Not only isn’t there any hint of an investigation, but everyone just buys that Isildur and Kemen happen to be out fishing in the middle of the night? It was a pretty sloppy way to get Isildur enough redemption to get on a crew. Also, Numenor is supposed to be the most powerful naval force in the world, with a huge portion of their culture built around the navy. Why does everyone accept that they only have three ships left out of the original five? There should be no shortage of ships.
Not only isn’t there any hint of an investigation, but everyone just buys that Isildur and Kemen happen to be out fishing in the middle of the night?
Maybe only Kemen? It’s hilariously underexplored, but one possible implication is that Isildur just happened to be walking past, saw Kemen get blown out of his fishing boat which just happened to be located within what is presumably the Queen’s harbor, and then dove in and saved him.A fun thing to imagine is what a Numenorean ship would be carrying in tapped casks, and which is as explosive as coal dust, or why at least the first ship that blew was undocked? Or why Elrond believed Celebrimbor about the risk of the Undying… dying rather than simply returning to their forever home?
A fun thing to imagine is what a Numenorean ship would be carrying in tapped casks, and which is as explosive as coal dustSome sort of Greek Fire equivalent, maybe? Though the taps would be an odd addition.
I assumed it was just lamp oil, which was always carried by ships pre-electricity. Though it seemed like an excessive amount for the voyage and it would never be stored on its side, let alone with spigots. Two easy for it to start rolling around in bad seas.It also wouldn’t explode like that so maybe it was some kind of Greek fire type thing. Oddly unexplained.
Even Greek fire wasn’t highly explosive, and was usually assigned to dedicated ships/crews rather than the general navy. And even then, who are we supposed to think are Numenor’s naval rivals? The orcs won’t fuck with water, and it’s hard not to think Halbrand’s ramshackle raft has nothing to say about the Southrons’ shipbuilding/seafaring skills.And, well, it’s nuts that if the Numenoreans anticipate any naval combat that they wouldn’t bring a larger fleet because of the risk it may put Miriel to.
The show treats running a kingdom as something that, like, half a dozen people do, and everyone else are just extras running around lifting crates or whatever. Pretty much everything about Numenor we’ve seen (beautiful though it is, visually) is hilariously unrealistic. It’s the way a ten-year-old thinks a powerful naval kingdom would work. I don’t mind this so much from a narrative standpoint; it’s fantasy, there’s tropes, whatever. But it’s a little frustrating when what we see doesn’t even make sense on its face.When someone said “we’re sending five ships!” as if that was a lot, I actually emitted a guffaw. (For context, in the Punic Wars, both the Romans and Carthaginians routinely lost entire fleets consisting of hundreds of ships.)
Sure, possibly? FWIW I’d have thought it much less ridiculous had the ships simply burned—a ship that needs significant repairs isn’t any more fit for deployment as a ship that’s been sunk, after all. And it makes so little sense to carry something so risky in a small fleet with the monarch abord.
My burgeoning take is that Kemen (and to a lesser extent Earien) are net negatives to the show because given that the show’s not really doing politics yet and they presumably can’t be horny, they’re just in agreement about the shared bizarre ideology against imagined Elven tyranny.
I dont know if the show has told us the Isildur knows about his sister’s relationship with Kemen, but I just assumed that was why.
Do we know why Isildur covered for Kemen’s treachery?
No. It’s a little frustrating because it seems like they’re just going to deal with Numenorean politics in later seasons, and they’re making an unnecessary muddle of things now.I.e. with Kemen, the main question that would need to be answered after he destroyed some of the Queen’s ships is how he’d be executed. It’s an extraordinary risk to take (by proxy, much less personally), and we’re given no context for why he would other than vague notions of sovereignty, which don’t really have a textual source to them.
The training session was yet another step in this shows utter destruction of Numenor. An island nation if 7 -8 ft tall humans so imposing that Saurons armies ran at the mere sight of them. Now they’re seemingly just lackeys that exist only for character bearing the name Galadriel, while in no way resembling the actual Galadriel from the books, to show how amazing she is. It was still an improvement over watching her be dismissive and insulting towards everyone, but not much. I really hops Amazon is smart enough to pull the plug on this after one season, just start over if you still insist on making a LOTR show. May want to try reading the books first next time, lot of good characters and stories in there
Well, just can’t get into this show.
Galadriel wouldn’t wanna be anybody else
You made her insecure
Told her she wasn’t good enough
But who are you to judge
When she’s a diamond in the rough
I’m sure you got some things
You’d like to change about yourself
But when it comes to her
She wouldn’t want to be anybody elseNa na na
Na na na
Na na na
Na na naShe’s no beauty queen
she’s just beautiful her
Na na na
Na na na
Celerimborena Gomez?
I agree with the review 100% and the fact that I read it, and understood what and to whom all those goofy-ass Middle Earth terms and names referred to is a testament to this show’s success so far. And I say “goofy-ass” with all due respect and affection for the goofy-ass source material.
I don’t know about the rest of y’all, but I’d watch a series just about the Harfoots annual migrations and the trial and tribulations they encounter while roaming about Middle Earth.
Hell yes! And narrated by Attenborough dressed as Tolkien.
There are dozens of you…. Dozens!
I’m a bit at wits end with the show. Every week I get 15 minutes of each subplot.
Galadriel and Halbrand get to leave Numenor!
Gandalf Meteor Man and the Harfoots have good times and bad.
Arondir and the human jerks work together against orcs but also have deep mistrust.
Elrond and Durin are friends but there’s tension between their people.I’m over the glacial pacing.
Wake me up when Numenor ends.
Not Nori, though. Her heart is open in ways others don’t understand, but does that come at a cost? “Am I a peril?” The Stranger asks Nori. “No, you’re here to help,” she answers. How does she know that? The Stranger’s purpose is so unclear that even he doesn’t know if he’s a danger to those around them. He’s certainly a danger to fireflies.She wasn’t saying he is here to help in reference to him coming to save Middle Earth. No, she was talking about him being right there helping her family move the cart. She was talking earlier about all the stuff that threatens them specifically, but he isn’t one of those perils.
Am I the only one who just doesn’t care about the Harfoots? I find nothing appealing or endearing about them. Hobbits don’t come into play in the lore of the second age. There’s really no reason to have them here.
I like them, but I was slightly shocked at how willing the Harfoot lady was to abandon an entire family to the wolves. Tolkien said that while they didn’t seek conflict out, Hobbits had from early on known how to fight. They wouldn’t have survived long otherwise. I’d like to see a bit of that. Anyway, the star character of this show for me is Durin. I could watch a whole show about Durin and Elrond.
I’m typically unbothered by lore changes, but the Mithril thing and tying it to the elves losing their “light” is a bit meh. It just seems unnecessary. The sadness of the elves in Middle Earth—being torn between going “home” and their love of Middle Earth–is a huge part of their lore and really the whole feel of LotR. But, I guess it just ties Mithril into the Great Rings, which in their way are also about keeping the light of the elves alive in Middle Earth, so it’s not a massive stretch. Just a bit more literal than I’d like.Either way, I am liking this more and more as the characters begin to show more of their color.
Yeah, I haven’t been bothered by any of the lore tweaks on the show until this mithril thing. It’s a substantial change that has implications that would’ve been mentioned long after this period in time in the same lore (LotR and its appendices) they are using for the show. Mithril carries the light of a Silmaril? The elves of the Second Age are at risk of “dying” without it? What? Now, maybe they’re setting it up that Gil-Galad and Celebrimbor are lying to Elrond to gain access to mithril, but that’s wildly out of their characterization in the lore. Not to mention, that would mean Elrond is an idiot for believing them.
You have missed the point.. the Elves can and do mislead others .. especially when it comes to the survival of their race… We also do not know who Sauron definitely is…
I suspect that there is more to the elven light story than we’re being told here. My guess is that Sauron is playing all sides: tricking the Elves into fearing for their light, tricking the dwarves into hazardous mining, all of it like putting pressure on a pimple and daring it to pop. After all, Sauron famously takes advantage of Dwarven greed, men’s lust for power, and the elves… I dunno. I don’t know the lore well enough to speculate on that point.The big question for me is: if we assume that these developments are all downstream of Sauron, what then is his master plan to bring these threads together?
I had a similar thought – how else does Sauron trick them into taking and using the rings if not for some sense of preservation of the race? – and really hope this is the case, or something similarly sneaky. However I know mithril is mentioned if not used in Tolkien’s actual works that precede The Hobbit and LOTR. Not a huge deal.
There’s a problem with the timeline too, since mithril is supposedly just discovered but Earendil sails the sky in a ship made of it.
There’s a problem with the timeline too, since mithril is supposedly just discovered but Earendil sails the sky in a ship made of it.I rather dislike the story myself and suspect that it’s supposed to be fictional in-universe, but there’s at least a few versions of Eärendil’s legend, and only the one in Bilbo’s song from Fellowship of the Ring does he get a ship of mithril. But there’s definitely supposed to be mithril in the Undying Lands and any Elf who’s been there ought to know as much.
The elves knew about mithril before the dwarves found some.. so the elves might of had a source when Earendil had his ship..
The elves knew about mithril before the dwarves found some.. so the elves might of had a source when Earendil had his ship..
“So the fate of the entire Elven Race is in my hands.”So the Elves need to bask in the glow of mithril to recharge their internal Live/Laugh/Love batteries? Otherwise they can’t do birchwood baroque architecture without it? What are they, Marvel-KryptoniTians?How does Gil-Galad recharge after a hard day’s court? Does he decompress with some Darth Vader-esque Eggy Chamber, or does he just curl up amongst the Roots, and stimulate the nodules?
hhahahahahahahah AV club gave is a B+
You trashy shills you
I’m not liking this wholly new invention that mithril comes from the light of a Silmaril, and Elves now need it to not “die off.” I have no issue with the show trying to fill in all the blanks with new material, but this a choice that has no basis in any lore. Not in the appendices, not in LotR. It just doesn’t make sense. I don’t even mind that the show is making it so that the only place mithril comes from is Khazad-dum. Making it be something that the elves need to survive is just wacky. If instead, they’re trying to setup Gil-Galad and Celebrimbor as conspiring against Elrond to get info and mithril, that doesn’t matter. Elrond, or any elf, wouldn’t be stupid enough to believe that the lack of the light of the Valar means they’re suddenly going to die out. They’ve been without it for thousands of years now. It’s now the sun and stars and moon, which the show actually has Elrond talk about in an earlier episode. Side note: also not loving this portrayal of Gil-Galad. The idea that he’d scheme against Elrond and Galadriel for his own purposes is bizarre. The three of them have been the closest companions since the First Age, let alone the time period depicted in the show. The show is likely going to come to a, “ah, we all trust each other now,” moment between the three of them because, of course. Instead of mining the drama that all three of them believe the Dark Lord is alive and actively working against them, when nobody else is ready to acknowledge that.
I’m not sure yet that the mithril => magical light story is true. It seems plausible that the IDEA of mithril healing the elves is fake news spread by Sauron, in an effort to either bring the Elves and Dwarves into discord, or to invite the dwarves to mine too greedily. Either way, this paves the way for everyone to want some rings of power for themselves later.
My best theory is the mithril story is actually the work of Sauron, deceiving the elves. That would actually make sense. He’s manipulating each of the races to believe their survival is somehow tied to the acceptance of the rings. I’ve always wondered how exactly he conned them each into taking them, aside from the broad strokes about lust for power, greed, and general sense of immortal superiority. If this is the case, then it makes pretty good sense.
The whole elves needing mithril is the same sort of bullshit as Arwen’s life being tied to Aragorn’s in the movies that I couldn’t stand. It’s an unneeded plot complication that was never in the original story that does not make the story better. But I guess writers need to justify giant budgets so they come up with half baked ideas to keep having jobs.
Well I’m enjoying it. I have read all the books, appendices and all, but it was 30 years ago now, so all this debate and frustration over compression and plot changes make’s me really happy I can’t remember most of the lore Tolkien mapped out but never completed.It’s true enough to the overall story arc for all but the most hardcore of Tolkien fans to enjoy the fantasy tale they’re weaving, and spectacle enough to keep new fans coming back for more.
Galadriel’s sword-fighting exhibition was a gas—excellent choreography, music, and performances
A sword expert reviewing onscreen sword pointed out how crazy it is that in movies and TV shows, character train with real sword instead of wooden ones, and now I can’t unsee it. The fact that a reward was offered to the first one who hit Galadriel made the scene look even more stupidly dangerous.
I also hate this trope where people are supposed to be learning by getting their ass beat by someone far superior to them. That’s not how anyone learns.
Usually the kickass scene is just a demonstration of “this is what you’ll be able to do once we’re done”. It’s not education, just a show to pump up the trainees.
That is EXACTLY how training works. DUH.. you show the trainees how inadequate their fighting techniques are by a demonstration, anyway it wasnt training it was a challenge..
Not sure a sword expert was really needed for that call. I’d imagine there’s a case to be made for using dull metal swords if they better match the weight and balance than wooden ones.
What we see here is so off-base that it’s hard to even begin to explain how wrong it is. Medieval-style kingdoms like the one this appears to be (based on the visible technology level) primarily fielded forces of arms made up of knights and their retainers; the common folk typically weren’t soldiers. (And there’s a whole thing to say here about the political system, where kings weren’t all-powerful dictators, but depended on the support of numerous other nobles.)
They didn’t have large amounts of uniform armor; everyone was providing their own gear (which means they had to have the money to do so, which means they couldn’t be peasants), so everyone looked different. It’s possible that Numenor is so fantabulously wealthy that they can afford to make huge amounts of really fancy armor and just give it to anyone who wants to wield a sword. (If Numenor is that wealthy, one would expect a lot of economic activity outside the city. Elendil and Galadriel rode off to wherever and it was immediately wilderness. All of that should be carpeted with farms, necessary to provide the agricultural base necessary to support specialization, like blacksmiths.)
Even if you did have conscription of the type they seem to have here, given that we see tons of young men in identical armor, you’d never have a bunch of soldiers “training” like this in the middle of a random street in the middle of the city. You at a minimum would have barracks facilities segregated from public areas, because 1) you do not want civilians wandering through your training areas and accidentally getting hit by swords, and 2) you do not want unauthorized folks wandering around your military facilities.And I think it goes without saying that you do not train soldiers by yelling folk wisdom at them or promising them a promotion if they can hit an elf. Training soldiers was (and, to some degree, still is) about teaching them how to work as a team, and in the era of swords and armor, how to stay in formation and obey commands, which were far more important than whether they could be a badass sword ninja.
I can explain all of that away: it’s fantasy, not history. Just try to enjoy it.
I am trying. The narrative and character parts aren’t good enough to distract from the poor worldbuilding. /fin
You seem to be confusing fantasy with reality.
Elves basking the the light of the Valar:
>> The CG wolves looked a little jankier in this episode, but I appreciated the consistency of their skull shape and the skulls worn by the Orcs. Despite the dialogue and closed captions referring to wolves, the creatures on screen were clearly modeled on reconstructed entelodonts. (Note the very un-canine hooves.) Whether this was a deliberate misdirection or the result of some underpaid VFX worker deciding fuck it I’m doing prehistoric hell pigs, I cannot say.The warg in episode three was… something else.
While I’m, generally, enjoying the show quite a bit and don’t really mind most of the changes/time-compression, the whole mithril=Elven salvation twist is a mis-step. Unlike the other cosmetic changes this one violates the bedrock of Tolkien’s core mythology; Humans die and their souls pass from the world, Elves’ souls are bound to the physical world and they can’t, permanently, die, whether they are in Middle-Earth or Valinor. The land of Valinor, as Al-Pharazon finds out, has no special properties to grant immortality, it’s just a place where immortals live. Plus, what is Gil-galad going to do with the mithril? Have every Elf in Middle-Earth eat it? Snort it? Take a bath in it?
“Ar-Pharazon”
the CGI is movie quality and everything else in this show is strongly reminiscent of Xena: warrior princess or similar mid-budget cable dreck. Very jarring to watch!
The narrative of this whole series is so murky. Yes, I understand Sauron is back and up to something, and the people of Middle Earth had better do something to stop him, but every single episode ends with that same conclusion. We’re more than halfway through the season and I don’t understand the enemy. I don’t understand the politics. I don’t understand really who’s doing what or why. At least we finally got some resolution to the mining/mithril thread, although… is that even close to how Tolkien designed it?Honestly – and I do actually like the characters – this series is more guilty of narrative wheel-spinning than anything I think I’ve ever watched. It’s like watching a drag race where the cars are at the staging line, revving, shittalking, warming tires, but they never actually race.
That closeup of Durin, where Owain Arthur leans into the frame and reassures Elrond, was lovely. Profile closeups of Durin were a winner last week, too. So I guess what I’m asking for is more.Durin/Owain Arthur are the MVPs of the show and cast so far, without question. The storyline with he and Elrond is fantastic, and their bond feels extremely real.It’s clear to me (I haven’t read the books, other than The Hobbit and LOTR) that Durin does help Elrond and the crystal pendants that the elves wear (that Arwen gives to Aragorn when she chooses a mortal life) are mithril.
I can’t be the only one bored by this show