Rings of Power: The Missing Information (Ep8)

[@swakprops]

Galu's rant on Halbrand and the show's writing in general is what I've been waiting for since Ep1 of Missing Information. And it is glorious!

[@justinvanheerde4338]

Can’t agree more!

A small part of me is sad to see so many people are happy that I disliked something in the show. :P I suppose that is expected though, my channel is not likely followed by casual fans but rather those of us who have invested in ME in some way and we are the ones most likely to see the plot holes.

[@swakprops]

@ And that is exactly the point. As enthusiasts of Tolkien's legendarium, it is sad to see the show not only disregarding the lore but also breaking it, e.g. the mithril/Silmaril connection, the absence of Ringlore which is the crucial knowledge imparted by Annatar to Celebrimbor which makes those rings the Rings of Power in the first place, having two Durins coexist at the same time etc. I'm also annoyed that an important heroic figure like Gil-galad had been reduced to an antagonistic bugger in the show, not fitting of his character in Tolkien's work. While the show may have been hamstrung by licensing issues, they still had the Second Age timeline set out in the Appendices which they could have used as a backbone for their story but instead they shoved it aside. I'd be interested in your ideas as to how you'd frame a Second Age show based on your knowledge of the lore, if you only had The Hobbit, the LOTR and the Appendices to rely on. I'm sure you'd come up with something a lot more faithful to Tolkien than Amazon did.

[@SheppardOfNumenor]

I for one am all for Jess taking over the Bree and DA campaigns and for taking over the channel as a whole. Let’s see whether her generals survive under her command.

[@nottheeviltwin2]

🤣

[@TyonKree]

Shots fired I will never forget how Aragorn died a senseless death

[@AlexC-ou4ju]

jess' reaction at 37:50 to potentially having her speculation validated by galu is adorable.

[@noobster4779]

Galu for 7 episodes: Keep calm, when in doubt think positiv Galu after episode 8: Throws table over choosing violence Also at 37:33 Aulë and Yavanna discussing how much good they will do the next day in the front while Morgoth in the back escapes with no problem to do more evil :D

[@oerthling]

"Keep calm, when in doubt think positive..." Well said. That's exactly my attitude regarding the show. Some of the dialogue could have been better, but there was a lot to like about the show, or at least be hopeful about. And some of the "blanks filling" was solid to good. I liked the Harfoots and how they are presented. Adar was a cool addition. Khazad-Dum is great. Numenor has beautiful details. In parts things felt a bit thinly populated, but I considered that forgivable given that a pandemic happened during the production. The first time I was actually annoying by something was the whole Mithril creation story and how the elves need tons of it by next spring. Meh, whatever. Not great, but not a deal breaker. What really sucked is how rushed the creation of the rings and Saurons role was during this 1 episode. Annatar should have, IMHO, first appeared in this episode and his subtle influence be a gradually creeping thing during the whole second season. Overall a very mixed bag. There's good parts and bad parts and that the bad parts are entirely needlessly bad is a bit frustrating.

Agreed. I dont outright hate the show but I also do not love it. Some good some bad but being just "fine" is a real shame for something with so much money and time behind it.

[@LeftJoystick]

@ I agree. Being left with a "disappointed" feeling is almost worse than being left with an "I hated it" one. The ‘possibilities that never materialized’ sting.

[@siamath9954]

@ This is exactly how I feel, there's much potential, and much wasted potential. The Halbrand thing was wasted potential, although it was executed well enough with that mental battle. But again, it creates more issues. For every good idea, another problem arises. They might be able to fix some stuff, but.. well, we'll see. In the end it's 2 billion dollars and they don't even come close to the amazingness of an old man walking up some steps in House of the Dragon

[@anthonykeane4984]

@@LeftJoystick i agree id rather it been utterly terrible . Instead it was disappointing not a nice feeling after being hopeful. Maybe season 2 may improve unless amazon cancels it . Though id say thats unlikely considering the money invested .

[@Welshhobbits]

I think Galu should be commended for seven previous episodes without any tirades. I love that Jess is so optimistic, you guys have complimented each other so well in this series, nice work! 😀

[@jeremiahboyd2425]

This is my first time hearing of your departure from YT. While it bring me sadness because I’ve watched your channel many a time over the years, I am also gladdened that you’re doing what you want to do in life and and wish the most genuine farewell after all the last videos are done! Thank you so SO much doing all you’ve done and for your contributing to my learning and enjoyment for Tolkien’s work beyond the Jackson films.

[@epmtotalwar]

Jess throwing in the cheeky "and farewell", loved it! It just dawned on me that we probably aren't going to have your discussion videos for the seasons moving forward. Maybe Jess can keep you you coming back :)

[@nottheeviltwin2]

I'll do my best! Hopefully I can think of some video ideas that Galu will be happy to make with me 🤔 It looks like there will be quite a gap between the seasons unfortunately

[@MadHatterBlues]

@@nottheeviltwin2 have enjoyed these lore chat videos enormously - I’d love to see a similar lore based/questions video for the original movie trilogy! Would be interesting to hear Galu’s thoughts on lore choices for the films and find out if any of them annoy him as much as episode 8 did 😂

[@chakkles4550]

@@nottheeviltwin2 Please do! I found Galu's channel back in 2015 and it's been a staple for me while I do my work. I understand the need for change and to move on as well but I would love if you two are able to continue some infrequent videos such as these around LOTR (or anything else you feel like) as you have such a great dynamic together and you're both so damn easy to listen to. All the best for your adventures across the way in NZ (I'm in Aus :)) and hopefully see you both on here soon :).

[@nottheeviltwin2]

@@chakkles4550 you'll certainly be seeing two more videos in relation to this series 😁 and I'm hoping Galu will be keen to bring my ideas to life 😊

[@chakkles4550]

@@nottheeviltwin2 That'd be awesome! Something fresh involving you might spark his interest, particularly after a break. Either way, cheers!

[@MJ-mi9qc]

After being a fan for pretty much all 7, watching DaC, Skyrim and Lore alike, I wish you the ABSOLUTE best Galu. Thank you SO much for playing the role you did in my teenage years. I'm a genuine adult with my own responsibilities as well now after all this time. It's been an honor, honestly. If this is some of the last we're seeing you, I just want to thank you again. It's a really bittersweet moment, but all good things must come to an end. I'm happy for you and I'm happy to have been here to support your channel. Hopefully I'll see you around the discord. Best of luck!

Thank you for sticking around for so long! All the best to your future as well!

[@rozed]

Thanks to the both of you for these discussions!! I have always really enjoyed whenever Galu talks Histories and Lore, and Jess is an excellent edition. Really hope there is more in the future!!!!

[@charliebrett2432]

Go on Jess! Keeping the channel alive.

[@kosmaskeletzis3125]

Galu I had a great time watching your videos about rings of power I would love as I think many others if you came back for season 2. I understand that you have pointed out that you are quitting KZbin but maybe when season 2 comes out. I'm hoping that Jess will convince you since she seems to have enjoyed these videos a lot :)

[@chrissim4386]

I would like that too, but it´s their choice and I can accept a no. Who knows what will happen within the next years^^ :)

[@thehunter7422]

Same . Hoping fingers crossed he'll come back 🤞🤞 to do the other other Seasons . Love the discussions . It'll be a while for them which is sad ( possibly 2 years per season) I hope the process for the making of the seasons is a lot faster down the line cause they did have to take a lot breaks due to COVID during the making of season 1 and maybe towards Season 2 they didn't have the best start lol. Hopefully Season 3 and beyond will be made a lot faster than the first 2. Cause damn the wait will be very long for Season 5 lol

[@nottheeviltwin2]

I hope we come back and we'll review where we are, a lot can change in 2 years...but let's not draw a line yet (in pen at least 😉) I would imagine they'll speed up the production process to avoid viewship drop off, 2 years is ages between seasons especially as there are so many more streaming sites making big budget projects. I don't think they can really afford to leave it that long between each season! I've thoroughly enjoyed making these with Galu so I'll see if I can think of some video ideas to keep Galu enjoying content creation again 😊

[@timothymartensen9040]

@@nottheeviltwin2 I agree that they wont take 2 full years between seasons. My thought is season 2 will release at the latest, March of 2024.

[@Khar_Toba]

Thank you Jess for being the driving force behind these. This has been very entertaining and I hope it continues to be so

[@neilrobertson5194]

The joy in Jess’s face with the “and farewell” followed by the most pained “mmmm”. So much conflict in Galu doing this 🤣🤣🤣

[@Pinkerton000]

I understand and respect your efforts to refrain from discussing whether you liked the show, but it was very cathartic to see you unable to hold back a little here. I am looking forward to your next video. One thing to say to people who may question whether the stranger is Gandalf...it seems clear to me that, as things stand right now, Narya needs to go to somebody, Cirdan doesn't exist, Celebrimbor needs to die, and they must have it end up in Gandalf's hands at some point to put things in order for the start of Lord of the Rings. So, I'm sure Amazon thought they must include Gandalf so that, if nothing else, he can get the ring that he is meant to have and wears in the movies. The show is ABOUT the rings of power, so they probably think they need to set them up for the movies. I find the magic ladies in white to be troubling. First, I don't think that sorcery is typically possible for humans. I was always under the impression that the thing which allowed some of the Nazgul to become sorcerers was the power of the rings that they carried. And even then, "sorcerer" in Tolkien doesn't mean you can throw around fireballs or do force pushes and stuff like Harry Potter. Magic is so much more subtle in Tolkien. The movies already pushed that enough, this level is just absurd. And I don't think they are humans, because they are banished back to the "shadow from whence they came", as the stranger reuses the line from the movies. And they are revealed as weird spirit things, which can't be like the Ringwraiths because there are no rings yet to turn anybody into something like that. So, the only possible explanation from my perspective is that they are lesser Maiar who want to serve Sauron. But I worry that the show isn't going to pay attention to that. Instead, I worry that they are going to make overt displays of harry potter-like magic commonplace. And I'm also irritated by their insistence on ripping off things from the trilogy. This last episode did that so much worse than the rest of the season. e.g. why recreate the wizard battle from FotR, except with even more telekinetic flipping and spinning? What is the need? What does it do for anything? It exists solely to press intertextual nostalgia buttons, necessarily entailing 1-upping the spectacle, which is the hallmark of lazy and creatively bankrupt film-making. I think we had all grown accustomed to holding the Tolkien legacy to a higher standard, and it is mentally difficult to watch that go away. I had not heard that you were leaving KZbin, by the way. To be fair, I don't watch your DaC content. But I have really treasured your lore content for years. I find all the other Tolkien lore channels to be difficult and frustrating to watch, but your approach and temperament has always felt so refreshingly authentically Tolkien, which seems strange to say. I think you just fit so well with the subject matter and you are so knowledgeable about it. I know quite a lot of detail about Tolkien, myself; I'm the kind of guy who has actually translated a Victor Hugo poem into Sindarin just for fun. But even so, I have greatly enjoyed listening to you talk about stories and bits of lore that I am already intimately familiar with, and to hear your perspectives and thoughts on them. I will be greatly saddened by your proverbial departure into the West.

[@justinvanheerde4338]

Beautifully said. I always come back to listen to his lore videos too. They are fantastic.

Thank you very much for your support over the years. I share your sentiment on the cultists, they were very out of place for a LOTR adaptation. Since this video has gone up though, I have been positively bombarded with comments stating that Cirdan is going to be in season 2. So there is some hope that Gandalf might be a blue wizard. :P

[@rodharrison3752]

I'm in the same boat. I haven't watched watched the DAC videos but I absolutely love your lore videos, they are my favorite on KZbin and I've listened to them all probably half a dozen times over the years. I'm not sure if your move to NZ is permanent, but if it's all the best and thank you for all the excellent content.

[@SpartaSpartan117]

Wait...Galu is leaving 😭

[@sabineb.5616]

@ , I know that using logic for predicting something in this awfully scripted show has been mostly futile - but since I am always somewhat optimistic, here goes: I believe that we will never hear the name "Gandalf" in the show. But meteor man will be revealed as the maia who is called "Olorin" in Valinor, and since Tolkien never explicitly said that Olorin never traveled on a meteor to Middle Earth, the show-runners might've felt that it's not against Tolkien's lore to have Olorin in their show 😉 So, what about the idea that meteor man might be one of the two blue wizards? I really don't think so. The three witch-wraiths who came from the East of Middle Earth, said that meteor man must be one of the istari. So, apparently they know about the istari and that they aren't just regular old geezers. They also know that there are more than one of them. But they can only know this, if they have met or at least heard about istari before they encountered meteor man. And since we can safely exclude that Saruman and Radagast have traveled to the East in the Second Age, this remark can only mean that the witch-wraiths have heard about or even met one or both blue wizards. And since they didn't say "meteor man must be the other one of the two istari", we can also exclude that the witch-wraiths think that meteor man is one of the blue wizards who somehow got separated from his blue-clad pal. All this could mean that meteor man is indeed Olorin*, but we will finally meet the elusive blue wizards as well! Olorin might've been sent to Middle Earth on a covert mission to find out what happened to the blue istari. And he has been told that they can be found in an area where a certain star constellation can be seen. When he recovered his memories, he decides to go to Rhun, because the witch-wraiths have told him that the star constellation can be seen there. I don't have any sound ideas, though, why Olorin was sent to Middle Earth on a meteor!!! Whoever in Valinor was responsible for this traveling arrangement, should be fired ASAP. Maybe someone had the bright idea that traveling on a meteor was faster and safer than taking a ship to Middle Earth and then make a VERY long and perilous trekking tour from the western shores all they way to the East of Middle Earth. Eagles were apparently not available in the Second Age 😉 *While I think we can exclude that meteor man is one of the two blue wizards, he could still be Saruman or Radagast. Tolkien never said that those two wizards never traveled to Middle Earth in the Second Age. But I really don't believe that the show-runners wanted to insert Saruman or Radagast into the show 😉 Meteor man is Olorin alright...

[@whoisgoobafish9623]

Love the image of the powerful valar getting Morgoth in a headlock and dragging him out like a naughty boy 😂

[@kukottoollonstrom2877]

Hello Galu! I just wanted to say that I’ve been watching you for just about as long as you’ve been making dac content. I think I started watching your videos when I was about 13-14 and you had like 200 subscribers at most. I don’t comment often on videos but after all this time I just want to say thank you for all the content you’ve made on this channel. You’ve done many of us a great service and given us many laughs. I wish you all the luck in the future with your career. Tbh I hope jess can keep you around a little while longer haha.

Well thank you for following me all these years. I wish you all the very best for the future as well. :)

[@arbarad7393]

Can’t thank you both enough for doing these videos. They have been a joy to watch and something to actually look forward to after each episode.

[@Whelan-te8eb]

Keep convincing the video ideas on Galu Jess, we all appreciate it!!

[@nottheeviltwin2]

I will! I'll have to get my thinking cap on for something in between this and the Lore videos 🤔

[@dutchislax14]

No exaggeration, I learned nearly all of my understanding of Tolkien’s canon from this channel. It’s not surprising to hear we share many of the same criticisms with the writing and retconning in RoP. Thanks for the great content.

[@thehumanity3324]

Thank you Galu, for being a companion throughout this season. I watched it with my girlfriend as well, and got to play your role of loremaster every now and again, which was fun (and I def plagiarized you, apologies). I was also able to enjoy it more because of your open mindedness, even though I did kind of crack at ep. 7 and 8. But all things considered, thank you for allowing us one more insightful glimpse into the world of Tolkien. You have entertained me throughout countless afternoons, I wish you all the best. Edit: Let the reign of Jess begin! Her enthousiasm might be more catchy than you're willing to admit, and your dynamic is very entertaining. Just look at that cheeky ending!

[@esgardir]

I think you are correct about some of the ring wraiths being sorcerer's. Before they find out the necromancer in Dol Guldur is Sauron they speculate that it could be a human practicing necromancy so men with magic is not unheard of.

[@david7996]

He is correct. I have the german version of the silmarillion, and it clearly states that some of the ring wraiths were "Magier", which is the german word for sorcerer.

[@blankspace6687]

@@david7996 I think there is a Tolkien letter where he explicitly says Nazgul were great warriors, sorcerers and kings of their time.

[@DarkCookie586]

I can wait for the next video when Galu finally snaps and goes on a 3 hour rant 😄

[@bigcheese422]

What a brilliant partnership you are! I was gutted at the end when Galu mentioned the channel winding up. Having been an ardent viewer of the lore videos (bit too old to get the gaming vids alas) there would be a hole where once a very enjoyable and anticipated part of my week would be. However, I’m heartened by Jessica’s cheeky grin and wink at the end - I believe this to mean Galu may have another think coming… the onscreen partnership you have is as charming and entertaining as it is informative. In any case, thank you so much for the vids, they have been by far the most entertaining factor of the Amazon debacle. I wish you happiness and success in whatever your future endeavours may be, and hopefully still on social media for us all to enjoy🤞👏

Many thanks for your kind words and thank you for watching our videos throughout this!

[@SheppardOfNumenor]

Halbrand tricking Galadriel, pulling the wool over her eyes by trusting Halbrand is a total delineation from her character. She was one of the few Elves who knew something was unnerving about Anatar and whatever other form Sauron took in an attempt to fool Galadriel. In the fellowship when they arrive to Lothlorien they were taken to Galadriel so as to determine if an agent of Sauron is amongst them because she was able to sense Anatar was not who he said he was. That’s the strongest gloat she has in the Third Age aside from the ring she had.

[@lordoblivion8038]

Just put an mindset of. Two different mediums. One is an adaptation and the other is the source..simple as well

[@MoffatLee]

@@lordoblivion8038 But at a certain point it's no longer an adaptation and is instead very loosely related to the source. If the Harry Potter films had Neville as the Boy who Lived, Hermione being book-dumb instead of book-smart and the entire spirit of Rowling's work was ignored or flipped on it's head by saying 'actually, the death eaters have a good point, discrimination is great' etc, it would get to the stage where fans would be rightly upset when the film-makers claim to be doing an adaptation. The same applies here. Plot, characters, setting details and most unforgivable of all the themes of Tolkien's work have been ignored, removed, changed or completely reversed in the Rings of Power. While the Jackson movies did make many changes, some of which I think were unnecessary or even detrimental, they at least mostly kept to the themes and spirit of Tolkien's work, they didn't try to shove their own preferred message in the story instead of Tolkien's, the worst they did in that respect was to make it more action heavy to appeal to young men.

[@aliceinwonder8978]

@@MoffatLee That seems a bit extreme. Neville being the boy who lived is a completely different character. In fact, harry potter DID change characters such as hermione being really good at spells in the first movie when in the books she was struggling with them and ron was better. and no one cared

[@snakeboy6368]

Btw, it is confirmed by the showrunners that Cirdan will be in season 2. (And he will have a beard :)

[@nicholascummins7782]

Just confirmed this myself, will be excited to see him

He better have the finest beard that 2023 wig departments can make or I am out. :P

[@johnzin6447]

I've been watching your lore videos since they came out years ago and the show w/ this series you made here. I love the dynamic with Jess. It reminds me of my partner who is curious of the lore but loves the movies and show. And me, who read the books, besides the 12 history of middle earth books, having to explain it in a fun manner. Can't wait for the next video on your thoughts of the show

[@knightslegion1731]

FYI Jess, both those words were "Thanatos". The first one was just spelled with Greek characters while the other was with Latin characters. Also, Galu is right that Tolkien never elaborates on the mechanism that Sauron uses to control the rings. However, it is not unreasonable to think that magic or some supernatural power is being "woven" into them that Sauron understands and Celebrimbor does not. Also, Also--It was refreshing to hear your rant Galu. I know how much you wanted to give the show a chance, so it is a relief to know they are losing even people like you. I also gave the show a chance--though with more pessimism than you probably--and many of my concerns were realized. There is the weird sense of "we can do it better," "wouldn't it be cool if this happened and instead," or a very odd "we should do this differently because reasons." The show feels much more like a fantasy story with Tolkien paint on it, which really pisses me off when I think about it too much. Haha

[@prdalien0]

If only Tulkas were here to headlock the writers and drag them far away from any pen.

[@LeftJoystick]

🗿

[@justinvanheerde4338]

😂👍

[@MadHatterBlues]

Have loved all these lore/questions videos so many thanks to you both. Speculation for season 2: - Isildur will be captured/enslaved when he gets out of the burning building and made to help the start of the barad-dur build. Will get a face to face with Sauron before escaping. - The Dwarves will be jealous of the elvish rings and agree a deal for a pile of mithril for the dwarfish rings to be forged - Gandalf will encounter another wizard in the east

[@krisbrox]

Great content as always, thank you so much for going through this. I greatly appreciate your banter and ranting, and I think you compliment each other nicely in the roles you take in these videos. My comment to the content of the video is that I think the show deserves slightly more credit for how they handled the halbrand/sauron storyline. Specifically, they did give halbrand some motivation for his actions in the season. His disillutionment with his old cause, and the way Galadriel makes him believe in his cause again and turning him away from his path of isolation and disinterest, and back to the path of domination and control over middle earth. While I agree with Galu's take on this part of the story, I just don't think it's quite as badly motivated within the context of the show as he makes it out to be.

[@bradleysmith7170]

Love the channel, my favorite Rings of Power videos along with Nerd of the Rings and the Broken Sword. As for speculation on future seasons, I think both sets of Rings will be forged next season and then in season 3 we get the one ring and the War of Elves and Sauron. Additionally showrunners confirmed Cirdan in season 2 and The Broken Sword said the Tolkein estate finally gave Amazon the rights to use Annatar. So maybe we actually will see him. Will we see Sauron go Rhun and confront "Gandalf?" Would love to see additional videos from you and Jess.

[@TheMonkeymonkeyking]

Thanks Galu and Jess for answering my question! 😁For me at least, listening to these videos as I play DaC has been the highlight of watching 'The Rings of Power'.

[@sebastianweinert2408]

As someone who knows the Greek alphabet, the bit about not being able to say your "first" name did make me chuckle.

[@skeletony9156]

A lot of people are understandably cathartic about Galu's rant, but I also appreciate his restraint and openness toward the show from the beginning because that's what made it possible to see just how disappointing and wasteful the show has been. Regardless of any vindication others may feel for expecting the show to be bad, I still don't think the general attitude of lore-followers (purists is a strong word) was fair and I respect Galu for giving it a chance and demonstrating just how much potential has been lost here.

[@TheAleatoriorandom]

Nice! Was just watching one your old series that I didn't finish back in the day when this pleasant surprise popped up!

[@BrasidasI]

You guys discussing the Episodes, and especially discussing the final, has been far more entertaining than the actual show. Galu holding back his disappointment in this episode was amazingly hilarious! Also Jess, keep persisting, keep going for the next episode, and the next and the next...

Always trying eh Bras? :P Jess is doing what she can but I have loved these past weeks with no videos to record. :P

[@BrasidasI]

@ Yes. Though for more episodes I mean these videos/Lore videos related to this. I can live without the DaC content :) I will even make a confession, I didn't watch either of the two last series (DA/Bree) yet.

[@CraftBeer4Life]

The show was called Captain Planet. The Rings: Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and Heart were worn by the planeteers.

[@ratty321]

A pleasure to watch Galu (and Jess of course). One of the possibly unintentional aspects which has worked best for this series is your resolute neutrality in the first episodes, and the visible struggle to stick to this in later episodes! The Halbrand reveal - particularly the throwaway line "call it...a gift" - made my eye's roll, when one considers the interplay between Annatar and Celebrimbor we could have enjoyed across a season or two. It felt like the season tried to achieve too much at once, and so achieved very little. Which leads me to my question: in an alternate timeline, you are chosen to write the story arcs for each of the 5 seasons of the "Rings Of Power". What would you focus on in each season? Thanks for the content and, should Jess fail to convince you otherwise, best of luck moving forward!

[@danielbryant9647]

Very much enjoying this new content with the two of you, you guys are great together. I shall be very happy for any and all videos that we get.

[@thegoodsoldiersvjek2335]

I've really enjoyed this series and look forward to the next and am enjoying your comments on it .

[@ThomBartley]

Shout out to Jess for forcing Galu to make more videos, he really is my favourite person to listen to talk about LOTR on KZbin and the Expert vs Apprentice dynamic you have as a duo is a really great format too.

[@brianf63]

Don't go!!! Stay!!! Your channel is awesome!!

[@angamaitesangahyando685]

07:00 I ctrl+Fed my LotR, and reminded myself that the Mouth of Sauron was a sorcerer! The other point is how Faramir describes what effectively amounts to sorcery. The third quote is about Denethor II - I would consider him a "sorcerer", too, because Tolkien's magic is more about perception as opposed to casting fireballs. > "And he entered the service of the Dark Tower when it first rose again, and because of his cunning he grew ever higher in the Lord’s favour; and he learned great sorcery, and knew much of the mind of Sauron; and he was more cruel than any orc." > "Childless lords sat in aged halls musing on heraldry; in secret chambers withered men compounded strong elixirs, or in high cold towers asked questions of the stars." > "He turned his dark eyes on Gandalf, and now Pippin saw a likeness between the two, and he felt the strain between them, almost as if he saw a line of smouldering fire, drawn from eye to eye, that might suddenly burst into flame. Denethor looked indeed much more like a great wizard than Gandalf did, more kingly, beautiful, and powerful; and older. Yet by a sense other than sight Pippin perceived that Gandalf had the greater power and the deeper wisdom, and a majesty that was veiled. And he was older, far older." - Adûnâi

[@-Blackberry]

On the point of Gandalf supposedly not using his ring: He is using the ring during the films, to quote: "It is described as giving its wielder resistance to the weariness of time, and the power to inspire others to resist tyranny, domination, and despair; in other words, evoking hope in others around the wielder. " Which I think we can agree Gandalf does during the LotR.

[@TeutonicKnight92]

Those who used the Nine Rings became mighty in their day, kings, sorcerers, and warriors of old... -JRR Tolkien, The Silmarillion, “Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age”

A few others have commented on this point as well. The takeaway seems to be that they became sorcerers with the power of the rings rather than having been sorcerers before they got the ring. Still, I think it supports my notion that they weren't all kings to begin with. :)

[@TeutonicKnight92]

@ absolutely, this was the response to you wondering if sorcerers were mentioned

[@randomenemy4770]

i think Gandalf is actually chosen by Varda not Manwe, following the trend of she's the real opposition to evil, as Manwe is just a bit too passive.

[@Pentagathusosaurus]

Wasn't that also why Saruman always had a bit of a grudge for him too? Didn't she want Gandalf to be the leader of them? Or was that someone else?

[@timothymartensen9040]

@@Pentagathusosaurus if I'm remembering correctly, it's Galadriel who pushed for Gandalf to lead the Council.

[@matwatson7947]

It took 8 episodes but the slow boiling over of Galu's patience reached critical.

[@l.s.9095]

Just my speculations for some things you mentioned in the video: 1. I think we will meet Celeborn in the Nori and Stranger story arc. They will travel to Rhún, where they meet an elve(n warrior), who has been there for a very long time and they will have some adventures with him and later its revealed that he his Celeborn. The reason for him being there is either that he thought Galadriel is dead and so he couldn’t return home because it would be too painful for him or he maybe he is kind of trying to prove worthy to Galadriel by showing that he is also a great warrior (or can find Sauron for her) or he just got lost on the way home/ got captured by the evil people of Rhun. This would link him nicely up with the PJ-films, in which he wants to speak with Gandalf because it’s implied that they’re good friends and this could be the origin story for said friendship. 2. I don’t think Sauron will go straight to evil now. The amazon show really wants to give some more depth to his character I think. In my opinion he will still appear as a friend to the Southlanders and others (maybe even the dwarfs). Celebrimbor will meet with him secretly and together they will craft the other rings as *gifts* to the people of middle earth. Maybe with the idea to bring peace or wealth or something. Then some things will happen (probably caused by Galadriel & friends on their path to revenge or a numenorian colonial expansion war), which then lead to him crafting the one ring as a last resort to fulfil his “good” goals by bringing everyone else under his yoke. Thus he will be the typical marvel villain going down the “road to hell paved with good intentions”. 3. I don’t think we will see the Balrog again. In my opinion it only existed for the trailer (much like the Ents and Elk-Men from episode one did). 4. I don’t think they will ever clearly name the stranger as Gandalf, in my opinion its more likely that they will keep this a speculation point for the rest of the show and be very ambiguous about it. There could be constant hints throughout the next seasons, but nothing clear will be said. Now I would like to add a question: Do you think the search for the materials to craft the other rings will be a big plot point the next season? They focused a lot on the required materials in this show and I wonder if this could be the quest for the main characters next season, so we get a race between them and the evil fellas searching for old elven artefacts to meld down and maybe more mithril. Also, do you think Eminem and his companions/ the Sauron enthusiasts have been defeated for good? I could totally seem them return next season.

[@snakeboy6368]

Your little tirade about the making of the rings is all I have been waiting for for someone to say with passion. So thank you. It is a crucial plot hole that pretty much ruins the show for me. Why o why they did this is beyond me. I was fine with altering the story here and there, as long as the plot makes sense, and the characters motivations are plausible. All of that went out of the window. And for what? Tolkien made a carefully crafted metaphysical world, and despite the enormity of it he tried to let everything make sense. The order of the forging of the rings, and Sauron’s deception, are crucial to it. To have Sauron be exposed before any of the rings are made is not adaptation, it is antithetical to Tolkien’s writing.

[@CORIOLANVS]

28:40 the first name is thanatos as well

[@nottheeviltwin2]

Thank you 😊

[@EchoesOfAngmar]

This episode finally broke Galu

[@LeftJoystick]

24:10 I love how much that blue wizard on the right, Pallando, looks like Mark Hamill. I'd've enjoyed it very much if they had somehow roped Mark Hamill into this show as a wizard haha.

[@luigisaguier8336]

Loving this video, all your content really! You have such a gift for words and would listen to any tale/content you do before sleeping for catharsis and relaxing. My best wishes for you and your family

[@thechieftain21]

Absolutely loved that valar line up picture!

[@MauriceTarantulas]

It's definitely Gandalf because of the comment "follow your nose" which he says in Moria with the fellowship. I think! The whole business of the rings is a bit confusing. But overall it has got better so am enjoying it! The way I look at it is its better than having no Middle Earth series. P.s And I always have a spot for Welsh actresses. (Galadriel).

[@Daddy_Bear_722]

And that is how bullshit artists with no respect for Tolkiens work get away with peddling this mediocre trash. Low standard having consumers like yourself will greedily slurp up any piss poor content they put out. And then just lazily shrug your shoulders and defend this horrific bastardization of Tolkiens legacy with insipidly stupid statements like, "iTs BeTtEr ThAn NoThInG"

[@Thumbdumpandthebumpchump]

I'm not actively bitter about the series, but I just don't see how it even feels like Middle-Earth, other than the dwarves of course.

[@MauriceTarantulas]

@@Thumbdumpandthebumpchump I just look at it like it's "loosely based or themed upon". Then ignore any shockers. There are some good bits but yeah acting wooden and plot v dodge.

[@PP-vr1cf]

God bless your hearts, Galu and Jess. 8 very insightful and entertaining videos. I am very sad that your KZbin Career will be over before further Seasons. But thanks anyway :)

[@nottheeviltwin2]

I'll try and find something for us to do for a little bit longer but I'm not sure I'll be able to fill the gap for potentially 2 years! Never say never to Galu returning though...

[@PP-vr1cf]

@@nottheeviltwin2 As long as Galu doesnt feel forced that would be amazing. But you two are such a great combination together onscreen. Would be just a shame if thats the last we see of you both.

[@nottheeviltwin2]

@@PP-vr1cf you'll definitely see us in 2 more videos and we are discussing the possibility of a few more so we'll see. You'll definitely have a couple more though 😊

[@xValdusIsEpicx]

Unhinged Galu is the absolute best; happy we saw bits of it coming out. And props to Jess for remaining composed. Hilarious video

[@snakeboy6368]

“Those who used the Nine Rings became mighty in their day, kings, sorcerers, and warriors of old.” I always read that as becoming sorcerers after the rings. In any case, magic in Tolkien was extremely scarce and subtle. The magic the main Mystic demonstrates is awfully casual and powerful. If it’s anything other than a Maia, it doesn’t make sense to me.

[@spamhonx56]

Yes, I think i've always assumed that if they had any magical power, it came from the rings, because it fits best with the fact that humans basically just cannot magic.

[@SimsRacingDesign]

It's funny that Galu says 'spoiler alert' after spoiling. Hahaha

[@aloisvandevoorde2670]

From all the videos discussing the rings of power these ones are the best. I look very much forward to them after watching each episode of the RoP. I hope they will retrurn for season 2. Thank you both for the videos and I wish you all the best in New Zealand. I think galu was right in saying that its defenitly Gandalf because of that one follow your nose line in the episode. They could have only made it more obvious if he had just strait up said his name or if he had screamed something in the line of you shall not pass to the white women As for speculation for the show. Since they are changing things up maybe they will let Halbrand help the other races to make their own rings. Something like him going to numenor and pitting them against the elves by giving them the power to create the rings, same with the dwarves. Or maybe not, because at this point who knows what they are going to do

[@nottheeviltwin2]

Thank you 😊 I hope we return as well, hopefully there won't be a 2 year gap as predicted...🤞 Your speculation is really interesting, they'd certainly be moving away from the source material and could be an interesting take on Sauron's influence is weaved into them! I really like this theory 😊

[@chrissim4386]

I think in Season 2 Amazon should turn around a little bit: They could make it so that Halbrandt was just a regular guy being misunderstood by Galadriel and turned into a King he never was. Then he was killed/or hurt by Sauron in Mordor, so Sauron took his place and went with Galadriel to Eregion. Sauron would use her trust towards Halbrandt to get the rings done. In Eregion we then see that Celebrimbor did smith the other rings with Sauron while Galadriel and also we as the audience weren´t looking. They could expand on that, give us all what we want: Anathar (or at least a person who isn´t called Anathar but does his things) and a truly epic campaign of smithing the rings. Then they could cut back into what happened at Ep8 - so their "excuse" would be, that they wanted to show Sauron in Season 1. The rest of the show is fine. I don´t mind a little bit of Gandalf-Hobbit-Action, even if it feels a bit wrong, and the other story lines do work well.

[@McHobotheBobo]

Not a bad twist

[@tobiasthederp]

@36:31 😂 “I am good!” Haha had me dying 😂

[@flyingpig2402]

Hi Galu and Jess, thanks for these videos, they are very interesting and well done. I have a question/theory regarding Sauron. As I understand it, his ultimate goal is not the complete destruction of Middle-earth, he wants "only" to rule all other races. Could this be the reason why he helps the elves create a crown (then a ring) using mithril? Possibly he wants to create an object that allows them to remain in Middle-earth but at the same time allows him to rule them, and maybe for the same reason he saves Galadriel. I don't know if it makes any sense.

[@jakobplobeck8006]

You are Archîr galudirithon, head of the modding team for devide and conquer ... right? My boy!

[@TimHaywoodProductions]

Annatar told the elves he was of the Maia, and didn't present himself as an Elf. " He took on the angelic appearance of an emissary of the Valar " - perhaps he will appear in flashbacks, when they cover the making of the lesser rings, perhaps when they are show that Sauron returns to Eriador to lay it to waste, and to recover the rings he did have a hand in making. I agree that Halbrand knowing about these potential 2 elven rings (which are then made 3), is weak.

[@wezzers84]

After starting so positive and open it’s clear that the show writers have started to disappoint you, because they have trampled over Tolkien lore in a way that is hard to repair and make sense of

[@willhacker7033]

no please you can't leave you are one of the only lore chroniclers that are trustworthy

[@Landwehr900]

There are also slight hints that the cultists are somehow connected to/posessing human forms from the Unseen World, the reason why they seem to travel so fast and are able to be banished by the Stranger. It would track with all the major themes this season about Sauron's experiments with the Unseen World.

[@Manchevo]

Hey Galu, thanks for answering my question on a previous video ! In any case, I just want to say that I kinda wished we saw Glorfindel as well, but it seems that Glorfindel's story might actually be Celeborn's story in season 2, if he is lets say "resurrected" Now me being a LOTR / Middle-Earth / Tolkien fan, I gotta say that I struggled through this adaptation. Like most of my friends who watched it and haven't read any of the written material actually enjoyed the show yet I sadly cringed like 95% of the time. The dialogue felt off, the characters were opposite of what they are in the books, the extra stuff that they wrote for the show (Gandalf, harfoots, cultist, Adar, the southlands.. etc) felt out of place or just wasn't good and so forth. We both know that this was not "Tolkien" at all. We know most if not all the reasons. But at the end of it, we should not despair. If people enjoyed it, great ! Good for them. For the rest of us, we will always have the story that we care so deeply about. And to me it's similar to Star Wars. Like the sequels, I like to think that they don't exist, because I truly didn't enjoy them at all and consider them a failure on what was Star Wars. Lastly, I will mention that I had a girlfriend and we were together for 6 and half years. I planned to marry her yet we are not together anymore and now we walk different paths. I remember watching the LOTR movies with her and reading the books all while laughing and having fun. I truly wish I had someone on this journey that was RoP to have shared it with, just like you and Jess. To have taught her about the lore or rather simply talked about it. But now I'm on a different path. It is the journey.

[@emanuele4921]

I have a little speculation about the Wizard. What if they leave him ambiguous, leave him as "the wizard" or "the Istari", whitout specifically telling his identity? What if they make him look a bit like Gandalf ("follow your nose", travelling with a hobbit ecc.), but what he does is clearly blue wizard stuff (travelling east, helping Rhun rebel ecc.). In this way who is new to the lore watches and thinks "oh here's young Gandalf" and who knows the lore can recognize that he is a blue wizard. BTW I really enjoied watching this series, thank you!

[@thedoctor755]

Your knowledge of the lore is amazing, I appreciate your opinions, and I would hope that you'd continue with these, but New Zealand sounds amazing as well! Moving there, or just an intensive visit to Middle-Earth?

[@nottheeviltwin2]

Just an intensive trip to Middle-Earth 😊 we're going travelling for a couple of months and New Zealand was our driving force for the trip 😊

[@thedoctor755]

@@nottheeviltwin2 I am extremely jealous!! Best of travels

[@TimHaywoodProductions]

It would make far more sense for it to be Pallando who did visit Middle Earth in the 2nd age, who was also known as "Rómestámo" which means "East-helper," from the Quenya word romen, meaning uprising, sunrise, east. It is written that all of the wizards took the guise of old men, to give a wise countenance. So the appearance to me at least just suggests, a Wizard. The only REAL nod to Gandalf is the lifted dialog from the PJ films. But I see that as an Easter Egg, rather than a full indicator.

[@jeffhreid]

Guest appearance by cali cat!

[@asheronel]

Well, so far for Galu keeping it positive on the show... Thanks for sharing your thought on my speculation. I have some others after last episode. After the scene with the cult members (and I would agree it looked like the Ring wraiths scene in film) I think that the journey to Rhun might show us another candidate for a Nazgul, maybe a king, of another Cult member (or the leader of the Cult). In my opinion it could be the Khamûl the Easterling, who obviously was a man of the East. If I remember well, it's indeed said that the Ringwraiths were not all kings, but powerfull men of some kind. I guess that would include sorcerer's. Secondly, I partly doubt that each Ringgroup would have his own season. I personally hope it would, but I think the other Rings are of less importance, since they're created with the assistance of Sauron. The Elvenrings were different from the Men and Dwarvenrings. I think they will be created in the same season, probably season 2, where in the end of season 2 the Rings of the Men will end up in the hands of Sauron. Season 3 would then have the downfall of Numenor, recruiting the Nine (sorry I just think that there will be a part in the show bringing us the Nine) and the birth of the Kingdoms in Exile. Season 4 the Last alliance, and the 5th season the aftermath (working towards the death of both Isildur and Durin) The last being based on the fact the Durin IV was present at the Battle of the Last Alliance with an army of Dwarves of KD. In the matter wil Miriel, I still think she will marry Pharazon, because the show never said the were connected in some way. I do think he will use her blindness as a way to manipulate her into marrying her. He will show her he's the only one she can trust, and he's the only one with the best interest in Numenor. More interesting is the story of the daughter of Elendil. Problaby she has learned something during the death of Tar-Palantir. What will be her role in the struggle in Numenor? Really looking forward towards your thoughts about this, so I'll be waiting for the last 2 videos!

[@joehall8403]

Love the discussion! I do think Jess is definitely right about The Stranger, will be a blue wizard. They are just hinting heavily at Gandalf due to wide appeal. I also believe that they likely won't have the rights to actually represent Gandalf on screen.

[@Thumbdumpandthebumpchump]

That's what people said about Halbrand. He's clearly Gandalf.

[@reav3rtm]

Galdalf is in LOTR so Amazon clearly has all the rights to represent him.

[@joehall8403]

@@Thumbdumpandthebumpchump Halbrand is a made up character? Amazon only have rights to the appendices, which, as far as I can remember, Gandalf does not appear in. Nor does he arrive in Middle Earth until the Second Age. With the Tolkien estate being so protective over the event the books describe, and rejecting all of the deals to represent the events of those books by Netflix, HBO and Amazon themselves, I doubt they will allow Gandalf to be portrayed.

[@joehall8403]

Sorry, should say *Third age

[@angamaitesangahyando685]

15:00 Sorry for spamming, but I find it curious how barely anyone mentions that the Elven Rings of Power lay unused for the entire Second Age, and were only picked up after the first defeat of Sauron. And regarding Lothlórien (Laurelindórenan) - Galadriel only inhabited it for good starting with Amroth's departure, in the 20th ct. Third Age. So Nenya actually _reversed_ the process of decay (?). - Adûnâi

[@ProffesoreTakilovski]

Great, let 's go, new episode.

[@kimsnightmare]

It saddens me that it soon will be over. I have been following this chanel for so long and played dac while watching you

[@FlyingDutchman3]

Keep up with the great videos! I didn't expect you to say my name right since it's dutch hahah

[@nottheeviltwin2]

Were we close? (Galu rather than me) I'd love to know how to pronounce it properly 😊

[@thehunter7422]

37:24 actually she might be onto something with this theory cause recently the showrunners did talk about the form Annatar in a recent interview and they said in the next season we'd learn a bit more of that ( either they were implying Halbrand was their Annatar so they can trick people into thinking he's not cause I guess it works as a plot cause if they say the name out loud, will be spoiled I think for some people and won't be a mystery to us or maybe your friend might be right about the theory she said about Sauron turning into Annatar in Season 2, maybe as Halbrands "master " to make Celebrimbor for sure he'd want to talk to him. Halbrand mentions his "master" when talking to Celebrimbor about the Jewel's he had when he first seen Halbrand walking round his Workshop . Which obviously of course was trying to come on to Celebrimbor and reel him into working with him since obviously he won't admit his master was actually Morgoth . But maybe he'll return as Annatar and mention that Halbrand is his young apprentice in smithing. That would be a cool arc to show on Annatar on screen cause this would also show more onto how easily Sauron can trick people into his illusions of acting as another person involving with shape shifting. Would make sense especially showing after how shape shifting worked with that Mystic leader , the lady that was blowing fire at the Harfoots. It could be a good Segway for season 2. Then again with Celebrimbor being easy to be taken over by his power and knowledge he could also just come back as Halbrand cause what I think what could also happen is with the success of the Rings working to heal the tree , he'll ignore what Galadriel said and will continue once Halbrand shows up to make the 7 and 9 . So many things could happen but that Annatar thing she said could end up being true.

[@thehunter7422]

41:36 well I think there's a couple of points to this I'd like to speculate with 1. With Saurons illusion abilities he was trying to earn her trust cause he knew how powerful she was, he was trying to get access to places and eventually take her to his side by mind control ( or seducing like he usual does . How he seducted Celebrimbor for power and knowledge.) I assume she didn't want to say anything to them about Halbrand ( at least not yet ) cause of what Halbrand said . If they tried to outcast her in the beginning, what would they have done if they told them she was teaming up with Sauron the entire time ? That thought took her over so to speak. 2. Now him teaming up with the Numenorians I believe was kind of said , he originally didn't want to go back , he wanted to stay in Numenor when he was talking to Galadriel before he revealed himself ( assuming they're , the showrunners) were implying he wanted to do the Numenorian takeover earlier than usual or pretend to "start over" in there , studying their weakness etc. But also at the same time to what he said to Galadriel, he was going after her enemy and his . Remember when Adar said he killed Sauron, and also the scene where Halbrand was about impale him with the spear he had in episode 6? I think they were implying he did kill him but just like the books says , he's practically unkillable with his powers . And I'm pretty sure the you remember me line was personal for eventual revenge . He was taking advantage of them to go after Adar and his orcs to eradicate that threat . I guess he knew Adar was powerful. So now that we see him in Mordor at the end of episode 8, I think they're implying he's got some unfinished business with Adar and he's gonna either kill him on the spot when he arrives , or Adar will plea for Mercy and he'll beg to go on Saurons side along with his orcs ( only for both of em will secretly have I'll intentions in the end where it'll end up that Adar pleaded to eventually get on his side to kill Sauron again but secretly Sauron also will have the intention to use him as a servant to eventually kill him as well but most likely of course Saurons plan will be the victor most likely then when he uses him for something for a job, he'll most likely backstab him after he's done that certain job. Cause of course Sauron is the ultimate Manipulator and Deceiver. Would make sense to show how he takes over Mordor for himself from Adar. That's gonna be an interesting scene one way or another in season 2 lol but going out after that , once he deals with him he'll be making his forge in Mount Doom, then he'll make preps to get more allies , make orc pits possibly and plans to make Baradur and goes more into it once some jobs have been made in Mordor. While that's happening I'm gonna guess he'll go back to Eregion in disguise, help make the 7 and 9 rings with Celebrimbor, then go back to Mount Doom and make the One Ring , then he'll realize with the deception of the 3, War of the elves and Sauron will commence 😁 I hope I get this right lol )

[@mothersmilkltd4329]

Good luck in New Zealand. For my part I hope more videos commenting on the series. I am enjoying them very much. About the show I only expect two things. Show Celebrimbor nailed to the banner of Sauron's army and one of the protohobbits is Morgoth.

[@jalektor9670]

I am pretty disappointed with the season finale. I agree with Arachir about the reveal of Sauron Makes no sense. I was expecting it to last longer, have him be revealed next season or even after. How are they going to create the remaining rings? How is Sauron going to corrupt the nine? I might watch season 2 and Beyond. But after that finale a little bit meh. Going forward I'm interested to see who the nine men are before they were corrupted to Nazgul. And who the seven dwarf lords are. I'm not even convinced the show will go into that kind of detail. Even just gloss over it. I can see Khazad-dum v the Balrog being a season finale. Even a full episode of CGI

[@Damichem]

It's gonna be a sad day when y'all leave youtube. I still rember stumbling upon your lore videos years ago. All good things pass with time I suppose. :(

[@protozoanpro]

I could be wrong, but isn’t the crater that the white cultists stand over different from the one where Nori found the stranger? I think the terrain surrounding them is different. I’m thinking back over multiple weeks and am too lazy to do the research, but I think there were two craters meaning there’d be two wizards. They might be Saruman and Gandalf though

[@ProffesoreTakilovski]

Galu, it would be great to see you present movie location/LOTR, during you visit of New Zeland. 🙂 Thanks for all the years of great show, best regards to you and your family.

[@charliebrett2432]

Hi Galu and Jess. I completely agree with your disappointment over the creation of the rings and on Halbrand being Sauron from a lore perspective it was shocking. Yet I do grudgingly admit that in terms of on screen entertainment Halbrand being Sauron adds more of a dramatic upset for the show as a whole. He was for me my favourite character in season 1 and I think the potential for his character in further seasons will be facinating to watch due to his story through season 1 and his relationship to Galadriel. I do think that the more complex nature of Sauron’s motivations will still be shown but in a slightly different way from the books. Would be interested on what your thoughts are on this?

[@louisstemler5004]

Hi Galu. I write from french, I hope it will be understandable for you 😅 I have an opinion about Halbrand being Sauron : we have, I think, to understand the way Amazon turned it : For a good TV show today, you need some suspense : we can see it with Isildur diing : we know the story, it's useless to pretend that Isildur is dead. If in the Amazon TV show, a character named Anathar came and helped Celeborn, it would be obvious for us he is Sauron. Sauron is , even more than Morgoth, the Lier, the deceitfull... The elves were deceived by Sauron. To show this, the Amazon writers chosed to have this character, Halbrand. Of course, we knew he was Indeed Sauron, but it was not obvious for commun peuple, and then came the surprise.

[@LeftJoystick]

These have all been so great!!

[@wtfuntime]

Here’s something you didn’t mention that bugged the heck out of me as a mechanical engineer with decent knowledge of metallurgy and blacksmithing. The idea that something as basic as alloying the metal is the only contribution that Sauron needed to make to help Celebrimbor is ridiculous. The idea of alloys improving the desirable features of pure metals has been around since before people learned how to smelt iron ore. The show went out of it’s way to beat us over the head of how amazing and great a smith celebrimbor is he couldn’t come up with alloy???? That might have flown for people who don’t know anything about smelting, forging, or metallurgy but to anyone who does it was akin to Sauron pointing that a door is labeled push while celebrimbor kept trying to pull and the show billing that as a genius idea.

[@brandonholdridge2775]

Please find it in your heart to continue the DAC playthroughs!

[@easynow6821]

Didn't Celebrimbor create a load of lesser rings as well as the 7,9 and 3. That is why Gandalf thought Bilbo had one of the many lesser rings and not a ring of power??

[@paulsevenitz616]

Actually for me it would be nice to see that this season was this chapter of redemption of Sauron, who of course through manipulation seeks a kind of unequal interaction between his power and the folks of middle earth.. the beautifull elves, couraggious men.. that like they are bound together (with him as ruler) instead of destroying these folks … but galadriels reaction like made this tiny spark of good intention vanish…and in season 2 he indeed returns in another body..completely different character..as Anatar to infiltrate Celebrimbors atelier and there simply to play mindtricks on him… what also may be a factor that he believes that the elves forge two rings in the manner as he conducted and his first idea was actually simply to control the elves with his masterring he is about to forge…but then he gets surprised that he has not the power over the 3 rings he expected, as they put into the rings this sword of galadriel that may have a magical power..a pure power…whereas the other rings will be forged out of other ores that are dark…

[@Loth_Wolf]

The writers talked about Season 2 telling the backstory of Sauron and his earlier influence over the elves, how Celembrimbor and Gil-Galad were deceived. I expected that Durin (IV) might be Narvi and the mining of Mirthril has to proceed. Narvi might work with Celembrimbor to produce the other rings, which really kind of bugs me. Never thought I'd miss Annatar.

[@Frostborn_]

Jess you need to keep Galu here on youtube

[@callumdixon7830]

I think the rough 5 season plot line is season 2 sauron conquers Mordor/becomes more conqueror, season 3 attacks eriador and numenor gets influenced by him (doubt they’ll do the capture plot), season 4 numenor drowns and elendil builds up Gondor (doubt they’ll use arnor since it’s Amazon), season 5 war of the last alliance. But zero faith in the rest of this, and now I think about all the dwarf plot line and hobbit garbage I have no clue…

[@toeknee3410]

What’ll they even do with Isildur? He’s gone MIA/KIA from the show’s perspective lol. I think they’ll try to make him acquainted with the land of Gondor so as to maybe make him rule the lands closest to Mordor and then his father takes Eriador? Not sure, not quite interested in what Amazon is going to do with the show following this season so all speculation… Or maybe he’ll set up a colony in Middle Earth that then gets attacked by Sauron which prompts them to seek help from Númenor so as to then move the plot further in that direction

[@chakkles4550]

I would say I am slightly above a casual lord of the rings fan, much of my knowledge comes from the movies, a couple of the books, games, supplementary texts and YOU :). Just wanted to say, I also hated how Halbrand was Sauron. Why'd he save Galadriel? Why did the elves continue with the rings despite finding out who he was? Why did all of the people in the Southlands blindly go 'oh yeah! the king we've been looking for' if Galadriel finds that the line died out 1,000 years ago? That last question is one of the biggest plotholes for me, why do these people think they have a king in exile if the line is dead so long ago and would have obviously been referenced by the generations thereafter. Madness!

[@TETASARAIVACS]

I can imagine an Annatar getting into Celebrimbor’s mind, using the Elf’s pride to distract him from the fact that he’s Sauron: -“Hello Celebrimbor! You do remind me of Feanor himself…”

[@daledavis671]

Galu, myself and some others I have talked with, would love to see a video on how you would have written this series in broad strokes.

[@cptdelay7869]

We need a seperate Video series of Galu just ranting about Rings of Power. XD

[@brydonthunder]

Arachir, I know others have wrote this but to help you catch this bit of info: Cirdan has indeed been confirmed to be in season 2