The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power - Amazon Prime

[kevwun 16444]

Has episode 4 already dropped or is it tonight?

[Js1 87224]

It is up - 66 min 

[Biff Tannen 46190]

On 9/2/2024 at 9:36 PM, KeysPhoneWallet said:

I wouldn’t be surprised if these are the 2 blue wizards that then become Saruman and Gandalf.

That's not what happened (I don't think).  There were 5 wizards total.  Saruman, Gandalf, Radagast, and 2 blue wizards who disappeared into the East.

[Biff Tannen 46190]

Great episode with a ton of content.

Spoiler

First, Tom Bombadil!  They did a great job introducing him and can't wait to see more.  Also, brought back the scene with Old Man Willow (different name) that they referenced in the extended scene in Two Towers with Merry and Pippin.  Used the same lines and everything.

Second, another LOTR reference that was left out of the movies with the Barrow-Wights.  Super cool.

Third, Ents were cool, but I'm finding it hard to care about the Arondir/Theo storyline much.  

Fourth, I like that they are fleshing out the Hobbit history.

Much more to come.  My body is ready!

 

[Biff Tannen 46190]

Also

Spoiler

In the Barrow-Wights scene, the Wights had the same lines as Gollum. “When Sun is gone and moon is dead”, etc 

 

[Js1 87224]

1 hour ago, Biff Tannen said:

Great episode with a ton of content.

 

I liked it! I’m really digging this season 

Epsiode was even better when they didn’t go back to Numenor for a bit 

Edited September 6 by Js1

[ztejas 44265]

I'm not buying their band of elves. They also need a paraplegic Venezuelan and a Navajo with Downes syndrome. 

Do you think the black elf is good at basketball?

Spoiler

HOLY SHIT THEY FOUND THE ENT WIVES!!!

Me and Arondir are going to get an apartment together in the lower east side and write the next great American screenplay. (Galadriel can come too)

Overall enjoying the new season. I thought ep 3 was a bit of a slog but I'm such a sucker for Tolkein world-building that it's going to take a lot for me to not stay invested. 

I do feel like they are distancing further and further from LOTR canon 

Spoiler

(I mean the whole Gandalf and Tom Bombadil thing is way the fuck out of left field)

which is okay and might work out for the better although I'm sure plenty of viewers are going to keep bitching about it. 

Edited September 6 by ztejas

[Frieda’s Boss 181]

I know the usual suspects on YouTube are crushing this, but I’m enjoying this season. They need to tighten the storylines though. For example, unless Theo ends up being the Witch King, just clip his storyline.  Also I’m not sure I need the political intrigue in Numenor either (but I haven’t read anything beyond the Hobbit and LOTR so perhaps it’s super important). Still hoping the Stranger isn’t Gandalf, and this Dark Wizard isn’t somehow Saruman. The one thing that stands out that really bugs me is Galadriel’s overly breathy voice with the  rolling of her R’s. 

[ztejas 44265]

2 hours ago, Frieda’s Boss said:

For example, unless Theo ends up being the Witch King, just clip his storyline.

Counterpoint: Arondir

(I agree the side plots are a little excessive)

2 hours ago, Frieda’s Boss said:

Still hoping the Stranger isn’t Gandalf

I think it's a million % Gandalf but they did the Sauron twist pretty well in S1.

Edited September 10 by ztejas

[Biff Tannen 46190]

7 hours ago, Frieda’s Boss said:

unless Theo ends up being the Witch King,

Hadn't thought about this.  Could be interesting.

[CooterBrown 18289]

I would watch this.

 

[Scary Stranger 1726]

I know the usual suspects on YouTube are crushing this, but I’m enjoying this season. They need to tighten the storylines though. For example, unless Theo ends up being the Witch King, just clip his storyline.  Also I’m not sure I need the political intrigue in Numenor either (but I haven’t read anything beyond the Hobbit and LOTR so perhaps it’s super important). Still hoping the Stranger isn’t Gandalf, and this Dark Wizard isn’t somehow Saruman. The one thing that stands out that really bugs me is Galadriel’s overly breathy voice with the  rolling of her R’s. 

My kids call her ‘Jenna Maroney’ for that reason.

[52-80 19377]

 

On 9/10/2024 at 8:02 AM, Frieda’s Boss said:

 The one thing that stands out that really bugs me is Galadriel’s overly breathy voice with the  rolling of her R’s. 

ok so its not just me hallucinating things then.  it was never this prominent last season, was it? seems like elf lady turned latina in 1 episode.

[billfromlaketravis 11848]

2 hours ago, 52-80 said:

 

ok so its not just me hallucinating things then.  it was never this prominent last season, was it? seems like elf lady turned latina in 1 episode.

Como chingas! 

[Js1 87224]

We have to stop SauRRRRRRRon before he gets to MoRRRRRRRRdor 

[atomheartbevo 90665]

2 hours ago, Js1 said:

We have to stop SauRRRRRRRon before he gets to MoRRRRRRRRdor 

[52-80 19377]

How was celebrimbor so gullible?

Was magic an exclusive trait to elves/valars…such that if annatar performed a trick that was enough proof that he was sent by the elven gods?

[Biff Tannen 46190]

33 minutes ago, 52-80 said:

How was celebrimbor so gullible?

Was magic an exclusive trait to elves/valars…such that if annatar performed a trick that was enough proof that he was sent by the elven gods?

All societies have their gullible morons. /noCR

[Spankytoes 1748]

Finally started watching S2. The whole series has been dogshit slowly exiting the rectum. 

[UT_OB1 2266]

26 minutes ago, Spankytoes said:

Finally started watching S2. The whole series has been dogshit slowly exiting the rectum. 

If you hate it that much don’t watch 

 

I think the show is great. 

[ztejas 44265]

14 hours ago, 52-80 said:

How was celebrimbor so gullible?

Was magic an exclusive trait to elves/valars…such that if annatar performed a trick that was enough proof that he was sent by the elven gods?

I think he's so lost in his craft and lets his lust for creating incredible things kind of blind him. 

Also he's called Sauron the Deceiver for a reason. He's definitely supposed to have some magical powers of manipulation - even over elves. 

But yeah on the surface it seems a little silly.

[Biff Tannen 46190]

On 9/13/2024 at 6:08 AM, ztejas said:

I think he's so lost in his craft and lets his lust for creating incredible things kind of blind him. 

Also he's called Sauron the Deceiver for a reason. He's definitely supposed to have some magical powers of manipulation - even over elves. 

But yeah on the surface it seems a little silly.

Yep. Don’t forget he also desperately wants to live up to Feanor as the greatest smith in Middle Earth. Blinded by ambition and insecurity. 
 

Spoiler

I kinda missed the Stranger/Harfoots story this week. And the dwarves are waking up the Balrog. Shit gonna get real. 
 

I know that Elendil (sp?) eventually becomes King, but curious to see how this coup turns out. Well, the coup on top of the other coup I guess. Lots of coup-ing happening in Numenor. 

 

Edited September 14 by Biff Tannen

[ztejas 44265]

Gonna be honest. Feel like the show is losing a bit of steam. Everything is feeling kind of cluttered and disconnected. Just seems like a lot of waiting around and setting shit up without... shit happening. 

We'll see where they go. I'm definitely going to stick with it.

I like the dwarf plot although it can get a little cheesy at times. I REALLY like the acting the guy playing Sauron is doing - and I think they are developing his character very interestingly and well. He's just pure evil but I catch myself kind of liking him at times - which is supposed to be who he is. 

I'm ready for Numenor to fall and Elendil to take the mantle and for whatever the fuck is going on with Gandalf and the harfoots to get on with it. 

Still a big Arondir fan. Dude does nothing but fuck shit up.

[52-80 19377]

21 hours ago, ztejas said:

Still a big Arondir fan. Dude does nothing but fuck shit up.

 i want him to find Theo and thrash him with a switch.

[atomheartbevo 90665]

22 hours ago, ztejas said:

Still a big Arondir fan. Dude does nothing but fuck shit up.

[ztejas 44265]

1 minute ago, atomheartbevo said:

Elmo better watch his ass. Might catch a backhand throat slash.

[52-80 19377]

Dude lost his woman and goes on a john wick streak. Respect 

[ztejas 44265]

Obviously the best episode of the series. What's problematic is that they had to cut out two side-plots to get there (or Jesus Christ - I guess it's three now).

It's like, um, yeah, maybe there was a bit too much bullshit going on to cram into 60 minutes every week.

I like the overarching storyline as a whole and there's a ton of potential remaining for later seasons - just not sure they're doing a very good job at maintaining momentum week to week and keeping the quality consistent. 

It's like they're crafting a satisfying narrative with good scenes, writing, acting etc. they're just not stitching it together well to make good TV. 

Think S1 was a bit tighter in that regard. 

Edited September 26 by ztejas

[nineliveslost 3011]

I have the series slow and grinding. Sort of like a dungeon crawl game. The only way I am half enjoying the series is to disconnect with the books and treat it stand alone. Visuals and acting are good but waaay too many story lines and at times the pacing and storytelling is disjointed. Hate how Galadriel whispers and hisses her lines but enjoy her overall. 

Another pet peeve. I hate how they attempt to make the orcs sympathetic. Hate it. They are fucking evil like a sociopath or psychopath. They were corrupted and bent on destruction.  Stop trying to humanize them 

I am sticking with it but think it should have been max 3 seasons about the rings. There are so many other stories they could flesh out 

Might get negged for this but they are trying to be "all inclusive " with the elves. Just seems out of place. Like a Norwegian indigenous Japanese. But whatever 

[UT_OB1 2266]

I have a new favorite metal song 

[Rimbo 27073]

I'm enjoying the shit outta this, warts and all.

[ztejas 44265]

1 hour ago, nineliveslost said:

I have the series slow and grinding. Sort of like a dungeon crawl game. The only way I am half enjoying the series is to disconnect with the books and treat it stand alone. Visuals and acting are good but waaay too many story lines and at times the pacing and storytelling is disjointed. Hate how Galadriel whispers and hisses her lines but enjoy her overall. 

Another pet peeve. I hate how they attempt to make the orcs sympathetic. Hate it. They are fucking evil like a sociopath or psychopath. They were corrupted and bent on destruction.  Stop trying to humanize them 

I am sticking with it but think it should have been max 3 seasons about the rings. There are so many other stories they could flesh out 

Might get negged for this but they are trying to be "all inclusive " with the elves. Just seems out of place. Like a Norwegian indigenous Japanese. But whatever 

I like this take because you're an obvious book nerd but you are willing to look past that shit to still enjoy the visual realization of Tolkien.

I'm not quite a book nerd but I'm totally a lore nerd and I agree with a lot of your points. To me it feels like they're putting a lot of badass Tolkien shit in live-action but also kind of making a shitty TV show? 

I don't care about the DEI-fucking-whatever-black-people-in-middle-earth-or-not horseshit neckbeard arguments but I agree that the Elf stunt with the most black and most asian stereotypically looking actors possible posing as elves was ridiculous. Arondir's looks don't bother me. He still looked elvish enough. Like "within range" if that makes sense. The other two was just too much and not in line with anything we've ever seen. I'm glad they both quickly died. 

I can't decide on the orc humanization. I kind of dig it but I can understand why it would bother some. 

[ztejas 44265]

1 minute ago, ztejas said:

There are so many other stories they could flesh out 

Well they're trying to add in dumb shit like Gandalf and Tom Bombadill to hit on as much fan-service as possible and I think that's the problem. That shit should have been separate from the start. 

[nineliveslost 3011]

6 minutes ago, ztejas said:

Well they're trying to add in dumb shit like Gandalf and Tom Bombadill to hit on as much fan-service as possible and I think that's the problem. That shit should have been separate from the start. 

They could have added a breath of fresh air by making a separate series from great story with the Blue Wizards. The men of the south turning corrupt would be another excellent story

The Blue Wizards are an open book that they could have explored, and no one could bitch because there is so little written 

Dive into Tom and how he flirted but didn't completely involve himself with the affairs of middle Earth.

don't try to cram everything into this series

 

 

 

Edited September 27 by nineliveslost
drunk

[ztejas 44265]

1 minute ago, nineliveslost said:

They could have added a breath of fresh air by making a separate series from great story with the Blue Wizards. The men of the south turning corrupt would be another excellent story

The Blue Wizards are an open book that they could have explored, and no one could bitch because there is so little written 

Dive into Tom and how he flirted but didn't completely involve himself with the affairs of middle Earth.

don't try to cram everything into this series

 

 

 

Dude I'm a little lit myself. You're with friends.

What exactly do they have rights to? They can't do any of the hard origin stuff like Morgoth or the Valar/Maiar before coming to middle earth because it's in the Silmarillion? Is that correct?

[nineliveslost 3011]

5 minutes ago, ztejas said:

Dude I'm a little lit myself. You're with friends.

What exactly do they have rights to? They can't do any of the hard origin stuff like Morgoth or the Valar/Maiar before coming to middle earth because it's in the Silmarillion? Is that correct?

per Wiki

The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit are set during the Third Age of Middle-earth, while the First and Second Ages are explored in other Tolkien works such as The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, and The History of Middle-earth. Because Amazon only acquired the television rights to The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, the writers had to identify all of the references to the Second Age in those books and create a story that bridged those passages. These are primarily in the appendices of The Lord of the Rings.^[17] Tolkien's estate were prepared to veto any changes from his established narrative,^[37] including anything that contradicted what Tolkien wrote in other works.^[17] The writers were free to add characters or details,^[37] and worked with the estate and Tolkien lore experts to ensure these were "Tolkienian".^[17] They referenced letters that Tolkien wrote about his mythology for additional context on the setting and characters.^[17][53] Simon Tolkien, a novelist and the grandson of J. R. R. Tolkien, consulted on the series and helped develop its story and character arcs. He is credited as a "series consultant".^[54]

[ztejas 44265]

3 minutes ago, nineliveslost said:

per Wiki

The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit are set during the Third Age of Middle-earth, while the First and Second Ages are explored in other Tolkien works such as The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, and The History of Middle-earth. Because Amazon only acquired the television rights to The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, the writers had to identify all of the references to the Second Age in those books and create a story that bridged those passages. These are primarily in the appendices of The Lord of the Rings.^[17] Tolkien's estate were prepared to veto any changes from his established narrative,^[37] including anything that contradicted what Tolkien wrote in other works.^[17] The writers were free to add characters or details,^[37] and worked with the estate and Tolkien lore experts to ensure these were "Tolkienian".^[17] They referenced letters that Tolkien wrote about his mythology for additional context on the setting and characters.^[17][53] Simon Tolkien, a novelist and the grandson of J. R. R. Tolkien, consulted on the series and helped develop its story and character arcs. He is credited as a "series consultant".^[54]

We need one of us to make it big and buy the Silmarillion rights. That's where the real fucking money is. 

[nineliveslost 3011]

2 minutes ago, ztejas said:

We need one of us to make it big and buy the Silmarillion rights. That's where the real fucking money is. 

To me with the right director and writer that would have been a perfect trilogy. Difficult, yes. Peter Jackson would have lost 8 years of his life but it would have been glorious. Consider it a distant prequel to the Hobbit 

NO cameos  

[52-80 19377]

i kinda like adar as the anti-hero

the asian archer elf was dumb. they gave her this Hero Moment in the episode, except it didnt look convincing or heroic, and when she was previously on screen, they did nothing to give her credibility.  even a short lived character, you kinda want to build them up to establish some connection with the viewers.  (imperfect analogy but oberyn martell only had a few appearances in LOTR and he died a cool death).

my only other gripe is with with sauron and how the limits of his magic/deception was never defined.  in other fantasy series, u know the boundaries of the fiction, so even if "magic" is involved, u understand whether it works within the rules of that universe.  here, i have no idea how much of what he does is Canon and how much is Deus Ex Machina.

[Hate 20250]

I loved this episode. It was exciting throughout. I can’t wait for next week.

[Knoxtnhorn 6310]

22 hours ago, Hate said:

I loved this episode. It was exciting throughout. I can’t wait for next week.

Yeah, that was good stuff.  Reminded me of Season 1 in that it seemed to drag a bit until the final 2 episodes.  BTW, do all these folks live down the street from each other?  The dwarves were still in their home mountain, but were going to make it by morning?  And when do they piss?   

[nineliveslost 3011]

Dwarves don't piss in the books so at least they are sticking to canon with that part 😁

[NeverMarryAStripper 22313]

There aren’t any bathrooms in middle earth, so nobody does

[BabaYaga 15631]

Good episode.  Few things:  From having drained creeks and stock tanks over the years, there is usually a few feet of fine silt at the bottom that is like glue.  Have fun walking across that, let along dragging some massive siege engine through a newly drained river.

Siege engine is directly below you, unprotected.  You have archers throwing incendiary bags and shooting them in the air with arrows.  Maybe repurpose those to the threat directly below you that is made entirely of wood.

If that doesn't work, oil and big ass rocks seemed to work quite well throughout Europe.  Come on elves!  Get with the times.  

 

[Js1 87224]

23 hours ago, Knoxtnhorn said:

Yeah, that was good stuff.  Reminded me of Season 1 in that it seemed to drag a bit until the final 2 episodes.  BTW, do all these folks live down the street from each other?  The dwarves were still in their home mountain, but were going to make it by morning?  And when do they piss?   

Khazad-Dum and Eregion are fairly close to each other

From the show map

[52-80 19377]

4 hours ago, BabaYaga said:

If that doesn't work, oil and big ass rocks seemed to work quite well throughout Europe.  Come on elves!  Get with the times.  

You’d think they’d also be eons ahead in technology from having the ultimate compounder for collective intelligence:  immortality. 

Elves live forever unless killed in combat. Wouldn’t the smartest elves just be ceaselessly discovering new shit. And also the most athletic elves be learning every single kinetic technique on earth. Like Neo downloading kung fu from a chip implant. 

Their agelessness should accelerate their societal curve so steeply I’d expect them to launch heat-seeking drones at the orcs from behind a force field curtain.

[ztejas 44265]

5 hours ago, BabaYaga said:

Good episode.  Few things:  From having drained creeks and stock tanks over the years, there is usually a few feet of fine silt at the bottom that is like glue.  Have fun walking across that, let along dragging some massive siege engine through a newly drained river.

Siege engine is directly below you, unprotected.  You have archers throwing incendiary bags and shooting them in the air with arrows.  Maybe repurpose those to the threat directly below you that is made entirely of wood.

If that doesn't work, oil and big ass rocks seemed to work quite well throughout Europe.  Come on elves!  Get with the times.  

 

 

7 minutes ago, 52-80 said:

You’d think they’d also be eons ahead in technology from having the ultimate compounder for collective intelligence:  immortality. 

Elves live forever unless killed in combat. Wouldn’t the smartest elves just be ceaselessly discovering new shit. And also the most athletic elves be learning every single kinetic technique on earth. Like Neo downloading kung fu from a chip implant. 

Their agelessness should accelerate their societal curve so steeply I’d expect them to launch heat-seeking drones at the orcs from behind a force field curtain.

[Js1 87224]

I really liked that

[UT_OB1 2266]

Yes. Very much. I really liked Adar. I also like getting to see in person just how evil  and powerful Sauron was. Elf king cracking jokes at Galadriels expense was also entertaining. They’ve also done a really good job making me hate Pharazon and even more so his son. I have Cersi / Joffrey levels of hate for him. 

[Js1 87224]

19 hours ago, UT_OB1 said:

Yes. Very much. I really liked Adar. I also like getting to see in person just how evil  and powerful Sauron was. Elf king cracking jokes at Galadriels expense was also entertaining. They’ve also done a really good job making me hate Pharazon and even more so his son. I have Cersi / Joffrey levels of hate for him. 

The finale scene with Sauron and Celebrimbor was a banger of a scene