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  1. #511
    Astonishing Member krazijoe's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 90'sCartoonMan View Post
    I like the Sauron fake-out, making us think it was the Stranger at first. Although the payoff with Halbrand makes the most sense given his interactions with the elves felt really off.

    Halbrand's temptation/attack on Galadriel was cool.



    I think it's too soon to be calling this guy Gandalf. There are still different directions they can go with him.
    Yeah. It could be Saruman since he was the first. But Amazon will try to throw us another curveball and it will be Peter. Yeah. Just Peter. Saw an Ad and showed up.
    Last edited by krazijoe; 10-23-2022 at 08:46 PM.

  2. #512
    Moderator Frontier's Avatar
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    Halbrand is Sauron! What a momentous and not at all predicted surprise! Although I'm eager to see the actor play the villain role more and exactly what Sauron is capable of in this form.

    I'll never not get over the fact that Galadriel made googly eyes at Sauron and Sauron wanted to get up Galadriel's skirt. I don't think she'll live that down for a while.

    So...anyone catch some vibes from Miriel and Elendil? Also feels like Pharazon is debating whether to take the kings' death as a chance for a power play.

    It's nice to see the Stranger speaking in complete sentences and slaying the wraith witches. That was pretty cool.

    I'm surprised Mr. Burrows actually died. It seems like he was doing okay despite being stabbed, yet he's the only Harfoot who dies. I thought the Wizard would heal him somehow or close the wound. I guess he'll be reunited with his wife at least?

    Poppy guiding the Harfoots and them seemingly committing now to not leaving anyone behind was a nice development.

    "I think I've had enough adventure...well, except my parents are actually telling me to go this time, so why not!" I guess we need Nori to balance out the Wizard and keep her plot relevant. Her goodbye to Poppy was a heartfelt scene.

    So Sauron is obviously out to get back Mordor for himself, so I guess we'll have his battle with Adar to look forward to. We know Sauron eventually wins, but I'm curious when we'll see Sauron don his armor again.

    At least Galadriel has moved on from her brothers' death in as far as using her precious knife to forge something new...the titular Rings of Power.

    I take it Elrond is suspicious of whatever Galadriel was hiding about "Halbrand" and her intentions with the Rings? I was kind of surprised she didn't tell them about Sauron because...what is gained by not telling them? Other than saving her dignity because she brought him straight there. Also is she going to marshal the remaining Elven forces to try to go after Mordor next?

  3. #513
    Loony Scott Taylor's Avatar
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    A lot of my favorite scenes this last episode were between Muriel and Elendil. I don't think their connection is anything other than devotion at this point, but who knows. The most poignant scene for me was how Elendil turns and has tears in his eyes when Muriel states that she is planning to establish a beachhead, end their isolation and basically throw Numenor into the fray.

    I've been watching the Ken Burns documentary on WWII, and it really hit home to me just how torn America was at the time between isolation and intervention, while Hitler was steamrolling Europe and taking out Jews by the tens of dozens. While not a direct parallel, that documentary has made me appreciate what the writers in RoP were going for with the Numenor stuff.
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  4. #514
    Ultimate Member Deathstroke's Avatar
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    Here's the Honest Trailer for Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.


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  5. #515
    Chad Jar Jar Pinsir's Avatar
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    It's a much better show than the reviews I watched said. I can understand that people's hate for Galadrial because she is kind of a b-word personality, but that kind of makes her hot ngl. The sword-key creating Mordor was pretty dumb though...if you already have the infrastructure in place to do that...why not activate it immediately? You need a story in itself to explain why it was never used. Also, the science doesn't really make sense either, dust particles don't stay in the air forever. I'm pretty sure in the books, the reason Mordor's skies were dark was because of industrial pollution.
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  6. #516
    The Superior One Celgress's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pinsir View Post
    It's a much better show than the reviews I watched said. I can understand that people's hate for Galadrial because she is kind of a b-word personality, but that kind of makes her hot ngl. The sword-key creating Mordor was pretty dumb though...if you already have the infrastructure in place to do that...why not activate it immediately? You need a story in itself to explain why it was never used. Also, the science doesn't really make sense either, dust particles don't stay in the air forever. I'm pretty sure in the books, the reason Mordor's skies were dark was because of industrial pollution.
    That and the volcano was constantly having minor eruptions.
    "So you've come to the end now alive but dead inside."

  7. #517
    Ultimate Member Jackalope89's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pinsir View Post
    It's a much better show than the reviews I watched said. I can understand that people's hate for Galadrial because she is kind of a b-word personality, but that kind of makes her hot ngl. The sword-key creating Mordor was pretty dumb though...if you already have the infrastructure in place to do that...why not activate it immediately? You need a story in itself to explain why it was never used. Also, the science doesn't really make sense either, dust particles don't stay in the air forever. I'm pretty sure in the books, the reason Mordor's skies were dark was because of industrial pollution.
    Well, in the books, Galadriel should be in Lothlorien with her husband, the Hobbits are a mystery for most of the series in origins (and don't really pop up until a bit before Smeagol's time). Isildur is missing a brother, let alone shouldn't be born, and the Numenorians don't seem to have any colonies in Middle Earth.

    So, "going by the books" is not the best guide to this series.

  8. #518
    Chad Jar Jar Pinsir's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jackalope89 View Post
    Well, in the books, Galadriel should be in Lothlorien with her husband, the Hobbits are a mystery for most of the series in origins (and don't really pop up until a bit before Smeagol's time). Isildur is missing a brother, let alone shouldn't be born, and the Numenorians don't seem to have any colonies in Middle Earth.

    So, "going by the books" is not the best guide to this series.
    I mean that Mordor makes more sense in the books (and films) not that the books should be strictly followed. Like on the maps, Mordor is surrounded by mountains which can also catch the pollution in the air from leaving like they do with rain clouds. Even though a Mordor-biome doesn't exist in rl and if those feature existed in our world, Mordor would most likely be a desert, there is a logic to why Mordor exists in the geography of Middle-Earth that isn't present in this show.
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  9. #519
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    The show left a mixed impression. It was full of unanswered questions and lots of illogical actions.

    Like, why had orcs freed the elf and allowed him to return to the humans to give them an ultimatum? As was shown, elves and humans weren't fond of each other, and there should be no way for the orcs to know what this particular elf is less prejudged against the humans compared to all the other members of his squad. So, why orcs believed what he would go to the humans, instead of running away to look for other elves and bring in the army as the elves initially planned then the squad tried to escape? What was the point of sending him with an ultimatum, anyway? Why not just bring the orc army, surround the humans and demand them to surrender or die? Or simply kill them all, since the humans who surrendered were just sent to die anyway? Instead the orcs had sent a soldier with centuries of battle experience, and even gave him weapons and he predictably managed to transform a bunch of harmless villagers into guerrilla warriors. Even thought they lost in the end, the elf and villagers still managed to kill quite a few orcs, so I don't get what was the point of all this ultimatum thing?

    Actions of Numenorians also don't make much sense. On one hand they are against elves and don't want for Galadriel to stay on the island, but at the same time refuse to give her ship so she can leave. People are rioting about the elf brainwashing their queen, but then the queen had decided to lead an army to some random far way lands together with this elf the same people happily agree and readily join the army, while the elf, whom the majority are supposedly hate and don't trust, is appointed as one of the army commanders and everyone is willingly follow her orders. The army win one battle and happily celebrate, but then a natural disaster happens and they all run away back to their island with no explanation. They hadn't lost all that many people, so why are they running away and act like they were completely defeated?

    The elves are supposedly dying for some reason and somehow mithril is going to save them, ok. First, the show failed to show the urgency, all we saw are some dying trees and few words from the king that their entire race is on the verge of death. But all the elves are still alive and kicking, no visible deceases or anything, even as the day of death is seemingly almost arrived. Would they all just drop dead one day simultaneously? Since the dwarves already know about it qualities, it means they mined quite a lot of mithril, and the small chunk of metal that Durin gifted to Elrond is obviously not all of the metal they mined. So, if the elves wanted mithril so badly, and the situation was supposedly so urgent, why hadn't they provided more recourses to dwarves? They don't need the dwarves to keep mining more, just to buy everything they already have. If they are facing the death of entire race, they should be willing to pay any price. Why hadn't they brought some silver and gold from Valinor? Why elven king hadn't come personally to beg the dwarves? It just doesn't feel like entire race is on the verge of death. And I don't get how three rings are supposed to help them solve the problem. Also, why their trees even started to die? At first I assumed it was because of Sauron, but he was chilling in the middle of the ocean at this time, so it is not because of him. So, why?

    And speaking about Sauron, what he was even doing in the ocean? Was he trying to go to Valinor, but couldn't find a way? Had he decided to abandon his evil plans and become a hermit? He seemed to be very reluctant to return to Middle-earth and Galadriel pretty much dragged him back and forced him to sit on the throne. He seemed to be very passive, being dragged by other characters from one place to another. Only in the end had he become proactive. IMHO, it would have been interesting to see all the events from his perspective. It was also weird how quickly Galadriel had started to trust Halbrand, pretty much entire season they were working together even seemingly developing feelings for each other, but then all of a sudden she lost all trust in him and discovered his true identity. And the clue, that he could not be a king of south lands because elven records show what the lineage was broken was weird. The elf who brought the documents specifically said what elves don't have complete records about human territories, but, instead of assuming what there is an error in their records, or what Halbrand was a descendant of some side branch or someone's bastard, with sigil being passed from father to son for generations, Galadriel treated it as the proof of him being Sauron. And apparently Elrond reached the same conclusion in the end. I don't see logic here.

    IMHO what works against this show the most is that it is a prequel; we already know how it all would end. The elves would not die. Isildur also wouldn't die, while Numenor would fall. The king of dwarves seems callous and somewhat incompetent, but as we know he was actually correct for sealing the mithril mines. On the other hand, Durin and his wife (one of the best characters in the show) want to help their friend and save entire race, but as we know they actions eventually caused the fall of their kingdom, so it is hard to support them. Sauron would not change, because of love for Galadriel, we already know he would be the great evil and would cause countless deaths. And the orcs also would not get the chance to live differently in the country they created, they are destined to be Sauron's slaves and die meaninglessly.

    Question to anyone who has read all the books and other materials, was it explained why Morgoth and Sauron were evil? Had they had any plans? Or they just wanted to conquer the world for no reason with no further plans for what to do with it and were just pointlessly evil?
    Last edited by Harasar; 10-31-2022 at 02:45 PM.

  10. #520
    Incredible Member Indian Ink's Avatar
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    I haven't finished the series, have spoilt it for myself, but the half I have seen I'm in complete agreement with you

    Quote Originally Posted by Harasar View Post
    Question to anyone who has read all the books and other materials, was it explained why Morgoth and Sauron were evil? Had they had any plans? Or they just wanted to conquer the world for no reason with no further plans for what to do with it and were just pointlessly evil?
    A few years since I've read them, but basically evil egotistical short term self interest. Morgoth was more the petulant evil child of the two, but far more powerful. While Sauron was more orderly and scheming, but overplayed his hand in the second age.

  11. #521
    Incredible Member Indian Ink's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Harasar View Post
    The elves are supposedly dying for some reason and somehow mithril is going to save them, ok. First, the show failed to show the urgency, all we saw are some dying trees and few words from the king that their entire race is on the verge of death. But all the elves are still alive and kicking, no visible deceases or anything, even as the day of death is seemingly almost arrived. Would they all just drop dead one day simultaneously? Since the dwarves already know about it qualities, it means they mined quite a lot of mithril, and the small chunk of metal that Durin gifted to Elrond is obviously not all of the metal they mined. So, if the elves wanted mithril so badly, and the situation was supposedly so urgent, why hadn't they provided more recourses to dwarves? They don't need the dwarves to keep mining more, just to buy everything they already have. If they are facing the death of entire race, they should be willing to pay any price. Why hadn't they brought some silver and gold from Valinor? Why elven king hadn't come personally to beg the dwarves? It just doesn't feel like entire race is on the verge of death. And I don't get how three rings are supposed to help them solve the problem. Also, why their trees even started to die? At first I assumed it was because of Sauron, but he was chilling in the middle of the ocean at this time, so it is not because of him. So, why?
    I think it was briefly mentioned that they've been too long away from the light of Valinor. But if I recall that correctly, why haven't the dark elves who have never been there in the first place not been already dying off? They don't answer this, in fact I don't even know if the makers of the show are aware that all the elves started off in middle earth before SOME traveled to valinor back before the sun and the moon were ever made. Actually that's a point. The sun and the moon are basically made from the light of valinor so why isn't that enough?

  12. #522
    Incredible Member Indian Ink's Avatar
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    The show is trash in, lore, logic, and basic story telling.

    It's sort of ok to watch while scrolling through a phone, or late at night while half asleep, and that's about it.

  13. #523
    Ultimate Member ChrisIII's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jackalope89 View Post
    Well, in the books, Galadriel should be in Lothlorien with her husband, the Hobbits are a mystery for most of the series in origins (and don't really pop up until a bit before Smeagol's time). Isildur is missing a brother, let alone shouldn't be born, and the Numenorians don't seem to have any colonies in Middle Earth.

    So, "going by the books" is not the best guide to this series.
    I think Anarion is mentioned in the series as living on the other side of the island.


    Although it's not technically the same continuity, the Hobbit films have her mostly hanging around Rivendell until she uses her "DARK QUEEN" powers to push Sauron and the Nine back to Mordor, then Elrond takes her to Lothlorien on Saruman's suggestion to recover.
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  14. #524
    Extraordinary Member Captain Craig's Avatar
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    I have gotten around to watching this series.
    I'm a passive fan of the Tolkein world. So that is where I'm coming from.

    Boilerplate is I enjoyed it, however, it took me a full 3 episodes to really get everything down. So by episode 4 I felt vested in understanding the whos the motives and entanglements of this moment within Middle Earth. The easiest touchstone was Galadriel and Elf culture. I never fully took the Harfoots. If their story had not been entangled by the Stranger I would've fast forward their segments.
    Halbrand, the Southlands King ending up being proto-Sauron did catch me by surprise. I noticed on this last page that it was not a surprise for some. If you've read the works, Silmarillon(?), would this be explained?
    I liked the character of Bronwyn and how she was the one pushing to keep everyone together. Arondir, her elf...admirer was, for me, the stand in for Legolas. My favorite moment with him was in that trench when he was fighting the orcs in order to get someone out to make a run for reinforcements.
    The elf/troll storyline was very close to being my favorite. We don't even actually get Rings till the closing moments of the season. I guess we will see their power in S2 which is in production.
    Overall I liked it but I'm not a die hard on this matter.
    I rated it an 8 on IMDB, would give it a solid 'B' letter score.
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