I have definitely been enjoying the series. Episode 5 is my least favourite so far. I found it disjointed and hard to follow. Now, that could be a result of me not knowing the back story of what is going on.
I don't think it's on you, the newest episode covers all of the major story lines so that's a lot of characters and locations to cut between. The last episode didn't have the Harfoots. And a lot of the story isn't covered by Tolkien's writings, or adding their own details and interpretations to something that Tolkien only wrote a little about (like the possible origin and power of mithril).
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I'm going to watch it again as I'm sure I missed some stuff (like the characters looking over the Stranger's landing spot).
Those characters have just been introduced and I don't think anybody really knows who they are. The only other clue to them is their names (or rather titles) from the credits.
Last edited by accord1999; 09-23-2022 at 05:12 PM.
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I brought it up with someone recently - that the hallmark of modern television writers is they don't know how to write so they have people argue instead of providing story and exposition.
All modern TV writers seem to be hacks and all they know how to do is to fill scripts with petty arguing between characters to create tension rather than have tension created by the drama of the events.
The best example is looking at the new Star Trek shows (SNW might get an exemption since it's trying to be TOS) where all they do is squabble and talk back to each other unprofessionally on the bridge.
In classic Star Trek, this never happens and officers even get chewed out by their superior officers for talking back. They just get along, discuss problems, solve them.
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Good episode. The only part I thought was super cheesy was the little speech made to rally the people at the tower in the south. Other than that, I thought it was solid. This version of Galadriel is definitely at her best when playing the warrior, so this was a good episode for her. The relationship between Durin and Elrond keeps developing nicely too.
The Harfoots storyline is enjoyable too. Glad they finally got at least one sweeping landscape view in there. I imagine Bilbo and Frodo as having some of Nori in their bloodline.
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I wasn’t fond of the sword/key thing storyline as a macguffin, but now that I think we’ve got some really clear hints about what it does, I must say I can’t wait until it gets activated.
I wasn’t fond of the sword/key thing storyline as a macguffin, but now that I think we’ve got some really clear hints about what it does, I must say I can’t wait until it gets activated.
You have to admit, the entire plot point of the Lord of the Rings is a macguffin (Ring of Power). Maybe Tolkien even invented the macguffin for modern audiences.
I'm not sure the ring fits the definition of a Mcguffin. It's more a character all on its own. I consider a mcguffin an item that can be replaced by most anything, and it won't affect the story. But the ring needs to be a ring in order to slip off hands, where it shows it has it's own agency. Maybe it could be a crown, or a broach, or something small, but it can't be replaced by anything and not drastically affect the story.
I'm finding myself more and more inagreement with the theories that Halbrand is the King of the dead.
Not sure Adar is Sauron. As I don't think we have seen Sauron yet. Somehow I feel like we haven't even begun scratching the surface of the nine yet either.
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Halbrand being King of the Dead would be a great fit with Galadriel saying to him in the last episode about how there is no peace for him in running away from the fight. Foreshadowing?
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Adar’s reaction when Waldreg mentions Sauron makes me think Adar is not a big fan of Sauron either. Maybe they are dark rivals of some sort.
I do like the idea of them being rivals; perhaps Adar wants the orcs to have their own homeland for their own sake because he empathizes with their situation. Would also be ironic for Waldreg to find himself aligned against Sauron after fanboying him thus far.
I'm liking the show a lot. It almost makes your brain hurt when you think of all the generations from Elros down to Aragorn, and yet Aragorn marries Elrond's daughter thousands of years later. Galadriel becomes Elrond's mother in law in the far distant future from the timeline of this show.
Speaking of timelines,
Spoiler!
I'm curious how they are going to handle the fall of Numenor. The corruption of Ar-Pharazon takes a long time after Sauron arrives. The Queen is leaving Numenor so I'm thinking they are just going speed everything up and it'll fall by this season, but we'll see. I hope they take their time because Numenor is my favorite storyline so far.
Also I am pretty sure Adar is not Sauron. He's just one of many high ranking Sauron servants. Plus, Sauron is said to be beautiful and that's how he corrupts people, including Ar-Pharazon.
I can do without the Harfoot storyline completely. The young actress for Nori is great, but the storyline so far is lame. Here is where I'll bring up the diversity thing from my OP for the last time
Spoiler!
The BIPOC Harfoot actors are doing a great job, especially the patriarch of the group. But in reality, diversity and multiculturalism comes from immigration/emigration and the movement of peoples. This is obviously a very tiny and very homogenous tribe. No one's joining the tribe. It doesn't make sense to have visible racial disparity among them, or if a handful of them spoke American English and the rest spoke British. Seeing diverse groups in a big city like Minas Tirith would make lots of sense. The same goes for Arondir, who has been a fantastic character. I would rather have seen a whole tribe or group of black Elves or something. Having one black elf in a sea of white elves kind of distracts or vice versa. I would consider this a minor flaw of the show, but I know its a touchy subject and I'm loathe to bring it up after the Mermaid backlash. It is worth pointing out that Tolkien himself was anti-racist
Durin continues to be awesome. I'm just so happy with the appearance of the Dwarves with their super long beards.
The Nerd of the Rings recap show is phenomenal. I like how he talks about what's canon and what isn't and how some of the non-canon decisions still make sense in the story. I think he's also annoyed about the Estate not selling certain rights to Amazon that handcuffs the show.
As far as theories go, mine is that Sauron is disguised and in Eregion manipulating Celebrimbor to believe that they need mithril to keep the elves from dying out in Middle Earth.
Celebrimbor had now convinced Gil-Galad, and that is why the 'forge' needs to be built by the spring because supposedly the light of the elves is dying. Elrond called the story of the origin of mithril an unproven myth, so not sure why Gil-Galad believes it other than he has been convinced by Celebrimbor.
Another reason for my theory is in episode 1 there was a meeting Elrond wasn't invited to. Seems strange to mention that as a plot point.
There is also the quote from Adar about how much of what you believe to be true is a lie, which seems oddly specific to say.
I think Numenor will go go attack Adar and his forces and wipe them out, which will allow Sauron to keep hiding as people will think the threat is gone.
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The more we see Halbrand, the more I like him. It'll be especially tragic if he does end up becoming king under the mountain. But at the pace things are going, that feels like it'd be a couple seasons off if accurate.
isildur is such a little bitch, I've lost count but, what, four times now he's shown his morals aren't to be trusted when making decisions that affect others - especially when there's something to be gained by him. I guess we all know how that goes, though.
The more we see Halbrand, the more I like him. It'll be especially tragic if he does end up becoming king under the mountain. But at the pace things are going, that feels like it'd be a couple seasons off if accurate.
isildur is such a little bitch, I've lost count but, what, four times now he's shown his morals aren't to be trusted when making decisions that affect others - especially when there's something to be gained by him. I guess we all know how that goes, though.
The rings were given to Kings of Men, so I'm 95% certain Halbrand is going to be one of the Nazgul eventually.
Interesting observation about Isildur. Perhaps foreshadowing a bit how he is in the future after the War of the Last Alliance.
I wonder if we have seen the eventual Witch-king of Angmar yet. Can't think of any character that would be a match. It seems we have a lot of kings yet to meet anyways. I wonder where they'll all come from. Some will certainly be from Numenor, but there aren't really many kingdoms to speak of at this point.
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This show is uneven at best, but I do think its heart is more or less in the right place.
Going episode for episode against House of the Dragon was the best thing that could’ve happened for them, because I think a lot of people are going to appreciate how not icky this is.
At no point have I been concerned about witnessing the death of an infant or pregnant woman, or the possibility of two direct blood relatives lusting after one another.
There’s a bunch of characters to root for. There are lots of relatable motivations that aren’t solely driven by “because the show needs to happen and that’s what I wrote.”
The whole world they’ve created doesn’t look like an awful place to be. It’s the sort of place you want to imagine visiting.
Westeros is hell on earth, and the good people all get murdered. If they’re even that good.
Again, uneven, but compared to what we’ve gotten lately, I appreciate the manner of the attempt.
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