Yeah, to be honest, would've been better if they just showed some magic circles the orcs were making with the tunnels and left it at that.
Television The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
- Thread starter DWelbz19
- Start date
Fair play to lads arguing about volcanoes.
To be fair, that's the least of my complaints. My main gripes are the shite story and unlikeable characters.
This is a fantasy world, I'm not sure everything is supposed to follow the exact laws of Chemistry! I'm pretty sure if miners on this planet keep digging, they won't encounter a balrog eventually
https://www.usgs.gov/news/volcano-watch-how-long-do-eruptions-last
But this is fiction so I guess it can last a while. But then how is Sauron gonna get inside and forge a ring?
Pretty sure isn’t certain.
You're still watching then, yeah? Even though you hate it.Yep. Sauron's motivation for all does by Tolkien's hand is going to be because he's an incel
I thought the last episode was class but this one was very slow and the ending reminded me of those action films that cut across multiple locations and when they show the Eiffel towel they stick text up saying Paris, France across the screen. Some things can be left unsaid
So who's Eminem? Priestess of the Cult of Sauron? Or something.
is there anything more depressing as Theo surviving that fire
Ah not just me then who saw tge resemblance. I even Googled to see if it was him
No idea who or what that character is supposed to be though.
The Celeborn reveal was a bit odd from a lore perspective, but I guess she assumes he's dead and this is yet another reason for her to go fully in on fulfilling her brothers oath thinking that her brother and husband are both dead. Gives her character more substance for being so driven but I understand why lore lovers will hate that plot line. It is a bit strange that he's not managed to find his way back to Lindon though. He's definitely not dead though and they will be reunited eventually.
I actually liked Theo in this episode and Galadriel came across well. I don't fully understand the reasoning of why they were split up from everyone else though. They were in the same village when the blast happened, that was bizarre.
Unlike others, I actually like the hobbit storyline and i'm intrigued to see how it plays out. It did make me laugh that the hobbits were given all that food only for Nori to then reveal herself (something she was taught never to do) and have everything burn down.
Shoutout to Durin III who excels at being a Dwarf King. I'd be very surprised if they have the Balrog actually attack next episode, he was significantly lower down in the depths. I get that the writers are trying to make it easy for the very casual viewer and explaining the obvious, but it is a little too obvious at times. The Mordor segment at the end should have been handled better, but I really did fear for one moment that Adar was going to say "Y'know what my children, let's call this land Mordor!". That would have been horrific.
I really do hope they go out with a bang in the finale, but I don't really know how they'd be able to do that unless they reveal Sauron. I am going to be very disappointed if it ends up as Halbrand. Please don't writers. Please. Pretty please.
I actually liked Theo in this episode and Galadriel came across well. I don't fully understand the reasoning of why they were split up from everyone else though. They were in the same village when the blast happened, that was bizarre.
Unlike others, I actually like the hobbit storyline and i'm intrigued to see how it plays out. It did make me laugh that the hobbits were given all that food only for Nori to then reveal herself (something she was taught never to do) and have everything burn down.
Shoutout to Durin III who excels at being a Dwarf King. I'd be very surprised if they have the Balrog actually attack next episode, he was significantly lower down in the depths. I get that the writers are trying to make it easy for the very casual viewer and explaining the obvious, but it is a little too obvious at times. The Mordor segment at the end should have been handled better, but I really did fear for one moment that Adar was going to say "Y'know what my children, let's call this land Mordor!". That would have been horrific.
I really do hope they go out with a bang in the finale, but I don't really know how they'd be able to do that unless they reveal Sauron. I am going to be very disappointed if it ends up as Halbrand. Please don't writers. Please. Pretty please.
We don't know, all we know is they're searching for the Stranger, for reasons unknown. They are tracing the same star configuration that the Stranger is trying to find. We'll probably find out more next episode.
I liked that episode 
I've liked this show. Maybe cos I haven't read anything to do with anything and only seen the LOTR movies, read the Hobbit once and almost finished Hobbit series?
I've liked this show. Maybe cos I haven't read anything to do with anything and only seen the LOTR movies, read the Hobbit once and almost finished Hobbit series?
So they had a chance to show everyone being pissed off at Galadriel. Theo gets dragged along for her to dialogue at.
They were scattered around and near the village. Being driven off in random directions in the chaos is an easy excuse to break characters up into groups.
I like the hobbits and meteor man too and think Peter Mullan has been doing a great job with Durin. Clicked with me today who he was and thought he was a great choice.
They've done some brilliant casting in parts to be fair to them. Its walking a bit of a tightrope with the characters and dialogue. Smaller parts doing brilliantly while some of the more prominent characters often fall short
Absolutely. It's hilarious
I hope they don’t do with Celeborn like what I think they might be heading towards
in parallel to another character in this universe that was ‘dead’.
This is the first episode where I actually liked Galadriel.
The hobbits and The Stranger are my second favorite storyline after Elrond and Durin which is easily the heartbeat of the show.
I had no idea you lot were such harsh critics. I liked it.
I don't dislike Bronwyn but her death would have added something to Theo for the future IMO
Ah. Fair
Same.I'm actually enjoying all the different stories and liking that it's split the way it is with elements in different areas. Similar to GoT in that aspect.
Too many mention dialogue too but don't see it as overly bad as some mention
Too many mention dialogue too but don't see it as overly bad as some mention
I had no idea you lot were such harsh critics. I liked it.
The text was for people who miss things. Sad but necessary. Better than Adar naming it. I think it's the elves who do that in the lore?I thought the last episode was class but this one was very slow and the ending reminded me of those action films that cut across multiple locations and when they show the Eiffel towel they stick text up saying Paris, France across the screen. Some things can be left unsaid
You'll be here at the end of season 5 saying the same thing.
I really like the show so far. I mean, I've read every Tolkien book I could get my hands on during my childhood and I can totally get why some changes are very irritating if you're familiar with the lore.
But then again, if we're being honest, many elements of Tolkien's work didn't age all that well and would receive much criticism these days.
Also, you simply have to make concessions if you interpret the source material as a TV show.
The show definitely has its weaknesses but in general, I think people should be more open towards it. I see it a bit like how they are probably thousand different takes on the most popular fairy tales out there.
For instance, Galadriel didn't make much sense to me in the beginning. I get that they want her to develop her character and probably become wiser as the show goes on. But at this point in time, she is already thousands of years old, spent centuries living with and learning from incredibly wise and powerful Valar and Maiar, and was generally a counterpart to the hot headed and reckless Feanor and his sons. If you know that Gil-Galad is her nephew and Elrond her future son in law, it is a bit weird that she's portrayed as much more hot headed, arrogant and unstable than them.
But then again, if we're being honest, many elements of Tolkien's work didn't age all that well and would receive much criticism these days.
For instance, Tolkien's portrayal of orcs isn't particularly contemporary. People turn a blind eye towards it because it is the greatest fantasy franchise ever made, but there definitely are some racist undertones when there's one race who should just be extinguished and all the "right" races are fine with it. Especially when said race came to be due to torture and mutilation without any sign of pity by the good guys. I really, really like that they chose a more conflicted perspective on this with the brillant Adar and also Galadriel having to deal with guilt and numbness. Also, Tolkien has very few strong female characters and I'm sure if you analyzed which attributes they're associated with, it will be primarily stuff such as "beauty", "innocence", "fairness", etc.
Also, you simply have to make concessions if you interpret the source material as a TV show.
If you actually read the Silmarillion and the other sources, the events aren't really "elaborated" but usually summaries. Sometimes a few pages span hundreds of years. So in order to fill the show with life, you have to make things up and you have to focus the story events - so I get why they throw a few things together that were actually far apart on the timeline. And I actually like the cultural stuff they came up with: The hobbits, the dwarf culture, Numenor, etc., even if it is by no means perfect.
The show definitely has its weaknesses but in general, I think people should be more open towards it. I see it a bit like how they are probably thousand different takes on the most popular fairy tales out there.
Can't see it making the 5 seasons.
The lack of quality of this season combined with a 2 year + wait for season 2 might leave it in a death spiral.
I haven't watched the show yet. Waiting for it all to finish. So how is it really? Just keep hearing bad reactions from it. I never read the books so I can't complain about its accuracy. Hope its more good then bad.
More likely that of Morgoth’s.
Sauron himself instilled Morgoth-worshipping in Numenor at some point, if memory serves me right, despite Morgoth being long gone (not dead though, I believe that he’s just banished to the eternal darkness on the outskirts of the universe). But they’ll be looking to lead Sauron to power, not to somehow resurrect Morgoth, which isn’t something that anyone bar the Eru Illuvitar himself can do
It’s more bad than good, sadly. There are some upsides though — the visuals in general, the episode before last was very good/great etc.
It's good. If you've not read the books you'll probably like it. Most of the complaints are by fans of Tolkien. I wish I could binge on it. Shame it's a weekly thing but yeah it's a good'en.
Have they not come for meteor man? I hope Sauron's or his incarnation is revealed next week.
"We Harfoots heart's are bigger den our feet! What we do better'n anyone else is stick together!"
(Unless you're injured, then we'll leave you behind to feckin' die)
(Unless you're injured, then we'll leave you behind to feckin' die
)It's good, as long as you remember it's a big budget Amazon Prime production cashing in on Tolkien lore where the writers can't take LOTR scene for scene so have to make up the story, but the writers are not Tolkien.
Whenever I start losing myself in it something grates and pulls me out of the immersion. That's frustrating, but it is what it is. Parts are excellent, parts are dodgy, but overall it's a good watch.
Yeah we can try our best to discount it, especially if this was a one off. But the problems with lazy and contrived story telling just keep piling up. Then slowly people start losing patience. Like me. Well at least the Balrog looked good, I guess.
Try not to think about it too much. The writers sure as hell didn't.
A wise decision. And a saint's patience for being able to actually restrain yourself. I couldn't because I just simply loved LOTR. Told myself I'd give it a season or two and see if it was worth it. So far, more bad than good. The Elrond/Durin bromance is growing on me. It's reasonable they tried to give the villains a bit more depth. But there are large chunks of just shitty, lazy, writing throughout. It's a bit like Lost with all the mystery boxes. They have so many ideas. Some actually quite good. But no idea how to write a story around it. And they could improve on the characters. A lot of the time, they feel like 2d cut outs contrived to serve the plot. They also waste a lot of time and then wind up rushing the story in the last 15 mins. That is my general feeling.
Hopefully they turn it around in the 2nd season. I can see they are starting to try and reel in the "asshole-ness" of Galadriel by having her blame herself at the end of the last episode. Contrived, because the incident was not her fault to begin with. But they needed a plot device to move the story, so whatever. I just want Galadriel to be a good person again and act like the thousand year old elf that she is. Not the horrible character they've written her so far. Next, I hope they do a better job with Gilgalad as well. He's been given the short end of the stick so far.
Spot on. It's so hilarious. What were the writers thinking? Or smoking?"We Harfoots heart's are bigger den our feet! What we do better'n anyone else is stick together!"
(Unless you're injured, then we'll leave you behind to feckin' die
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That’s shite to hear. Yeah I couldn’t sit through waiting weekly for a world I love so much. It would kill me. the house of the dragon is keeping me at bay while waiting for the show to finalise. I am looking forward and dreading it at the same time.Yeah we can try our best to discount it, especially if this was a one off. But the problems with lazy and contrived story telling just keep piling up. Then slowly people start losing patience. Like me. Well at least the Balrog looked good, I guess.
Try not to think about it too much. The writers sure as hell didn't.
A wise decision. And a saint's patience for being able to actually restrain yourself. I couldn't because I just simply loved LOTR. Told myself I'd give it a season or two and see if it was worth it. So far, more bad than good. The Elrond/Durin bromance is growing on me. It's reasonable they tried to give the villains a bit more depth. But there are large chunks of just shitty, lazy, writing throughout. It's a bit like Lost with all the mystery boxes. They have so many ideas. Some actually quite good. But no idea how to write a story around it. And they could improve on the characters. A lot of the time, they feel like 2d cut outs contrived to serve the plot. They also waste a lot of time and then wind up rushing the story in the last 15 mins. That is my general feeling.
Hopefully they turn it around in the 2nd season. I can see they are starting to try and reel in the "asshole-ness" of Galadriel by having her blame herself at the end of the last episode. Contrived, because the incident was not her fault to begin with. But they needed a plot device to move the story, so whatever. I just want Galadriel to be a good person again and act like the thousand year old elf that she is. Not the horrible character they've written her so far. Next, I hope they do a better job with Gilgalad as well. He's been given the short end of the stick so far.
Spot on. It's so hilarious. What were the writers thinking? Or smoking?
What would the Caf critics have made of Gimli being reduced to comic relief, one wonders.
It's good and has generally been well received criticially. Just how good it is relative to all the other excellent TV you could be watching is more debateable. It ain't without flaws and so far it isn't must-watch TV for me at least.
But it's also important to remember but that a lot of the bad reactions to it online come from the usual incel-core complaining about women and non-white people. Plus to a lesser extent there was obviously a section of Tolkien fans who had taken against it before it even came out who have been complaining since. Between the two of them you're getting the usual review bombing and internet bullshit that doesn't extent to the way most normal people react to TV shows. So I wouldn't be overly put off by all that noise.
If you like fast paced, action filled shows then you won't like it. If you like slow paced with lots of dialogue and world building then you'll enjoy it. It's nothing like the films which is part of the issue as a lot of the films fans have been frustrated there isnt more action. A few clunky bits here and there but that might be easier to forget if you binge it. It's amazing to look at and the music is decent. If you go into it expecting it to be bad then you'll be pleasantly surprised.