Everything WRONG with The Rings of Power - PART 2 - Vanity Fair Article

[@richardrose2606]

It's a well know fact that Elrond was an enthusiastic stamp collector.

[@CounciloftheRings]

😆

[@ecthelionofthefountain8267]

There is strong evidence in favour of long haired elves by Tolkien himself. "Ingwë had curling golden hair. Finwë (and Míriel) had long dark hair, so had Fëanor and all the Noldor, save by intermarriage which did not often take place between clans, except among the chieftains, and then only after settlement in Aman. Only Finwë’s second son by Indis had fair hair, and this remained generally characteristic of his descendants, notably Finrod. Elwë and Olwë had very pale hair, almost white. Melian was dark, and so was Lúthien." The Nature of Middle-earth - "Hair" All the Noldor had long hair "All the Eldar had beautiful hair (and were especially attracted by hair of exceptional loveliness), but the Noldor were not specially remarkable in this respect, and there is no reference to Finwe as having had hair of exceptional length, abundance, or beauty beyond the measure of his people." The Peoples of Middle-earth - "The Shibboleth of Feanor Finwe's hair was no longer than other elves. Of the Teleri "But most it was their wont to sail in their swift ships upon the waters of the Bay of Elvenhome, or to walk in the waves upon the shore with their long hair gleaming like foam in the light beyond the hill" Morgoth's Ring All the Teleri "Their gleaming hair was twined with flowers" The Hobbit - Flies and Spiders "In general the Sindar appear to have very closely resembled the Exiles, being dark-haired, strong and tall, but lithe. Indeed they could hardly be told apart except for their eyes." The War of the Jewels - Quendi and Eldar

[@Tar-Elenion]

Heh...

[@ecthelionofthefountain8267]

@@Tar-Elenion Done. I have a feeling I'm missing something.

[@Tar-Elenion]

@@ecthelionofthefountain8267 The Sindar, who are Teleri in origin, look like the (long haired) Noldor: "In general the Sindar appear to have very closely resembled the Exiles, being dark-haired, strong and tall, but lithe. Indeed they could hardly be told apart except by their eyes; for the eyes of all the Elves that had dwelt in Aman impressed those of Middle-earth by their piercing brightness. For which reason the Sindar often called them Lachend, pl. Lechind ‘flame-eyed’." WotJ, Quendi and Eldar

[@ecthelionofthefountain8267]

@@Tar-Elenion Thank you. Edited. That's what happens when I have too many Tolkien books in a haphazard manner.

[@Tar-Elenion]

@@ecthelionofthefountain8267 I've taken to keeping various notepad docs with the quotes on them for some of the more common topics brought up. Then I can just copy paste with little editing, if necessary, to keep it on point.

[@Alex-dh2cx]

"reflect what the world actually looks like" One of the main criticisms of Tolkien's books in the 50s was that it didn't reflect the world they lived in; that's what made it so incredible. Tolkien hated people trying to find some hidden allegory in the story about the modern world, stupid stuff like the ring being a commentary on nuclear weapons

[@rodgermurphy5721]

Are you anti free speech?

[@Alex-dh2cx]

@@rodgermurphy5721 I'm not sure how me mentioning Tolkien's feelings about people searching for allegory where it isn't is somehow anti free speech. Did you read my comment or do you just like asking dumb questions?

[@ScooterDoge]

The ring is an allegory for addiction. Lol. I can see it that way but it surely wasn’t intended as such.

[@svanemy]

They actually can come up with a story "Tolkien never wrote". It is quite simple; just dont call it lotr and instead make up your own fantasy world. You would have no angry fans, and people who like fantasy would probably watch it anyway. No downsides what so ever. So the question is: Why didnt they do this? Because they thought they would make more money if they fed on the existing fandom. They seem to fail to see they are nothing like Tolkien, and should not compare themself to him in any way. To feed on Tolkiens work and still think it needs to be changed is so arrogant. Like why do I love Tolkiens world in the first place? Because it so well crafted, it actually feels real whitout being anything like "the world as it is". I do not want "the story Tolkien never wrote", but the one he did.

[@Outereme123]

There’s actually more to it than that, though you are partially correct. The actual point is to destroy things, you can see it with so many other IPs lost, like Star Wars. Hollywood is now plagued with activists, and they know full well they have a well established IP on their hands - the holy grail in fact - but don’t give a shit about staying faithful to the lore. It’s about delivering the message and nothing else. What I find most amusing about this particular case though, is they didn’t expect this level of blowback from it. Which is why they didn’t put the second teaser on KZbin. All I can say is hold the line everyone. I absolutely hate the state of Hollywood and the “entertainment” they put out these days, and I hope to got this is the time we see a shift, because I’m tired of the pandering. I just want good stories without the bullshit political messaging.

[@hunterroylund4842]

It’s the exact same phenomenon as “Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure”, which isn’t a Spyro product at all but just a lazy inclusion of him to sell their own bullshit.

[@seregrian5675]

@@Outereme123 Well spoken, mellon nin, and I share both your revulsion to Hollywood and your resolve against them

[@charlesstanford1310]

I'd like the stories Tolkien sketched but didn't fill out: there are plenty of those that could have made for really interesting productions. There's still opportunity for fans to make their own movies, as some have already done.

[@seregrian5675]

@@charlesstanford1310 yes, exactly! I enjoyed seeing the indie film, "Born of Hope". I personally think that crowdfunding might be the most viable way for faithful lore content to be made into movies.

[@anthonypietrobon2713]

You could voice an Ent! And a wise Ent at that, calmly pointing out how Amazon and the individuals involved have butchered this opportunity. A lot of the criticism has been very emotional, I include myself in this and although I believe it’s deserved and fair, it makes it easy for the woke brigade to label us and any criticism as racist, bigot etc etc. Keep it up, this is fantastic work.

[@Ytomany]

“It felt only natural to us that an adaptation of Tolkien’s work would reflect what the world actually looks like” you know to negate the whole point of a fantasy world.

[@Evarakeus]

Even if the Durin reincarnation idea is just silly superstition, it still wouldn't make sense for there to be two Durins as their co-existence would debunk that superstition. Whether true or not, the idea that each successive Durin is indeed the same Durin reborn would need to be positively informed by history to even exist as a concept, ergo there's no excuse for D3 and D4 to be contemporary to each other

[@ComradeCommissarYuri]

I give ya a hint Durin the Elder an Durin the younger (more progressive)

[@truechaos6927]

To be technical, Elrond wasn't a single father. He was still married, it was just his wife had traveled into the West after her capture and torture by orcs and rescue by Elrohir and Elladan.

[@CounciloftheRings]

Yeah that’s true - perhaps my understanding of single father is different, but he took care of his children after she sailed into the west. He raised Aragorn for the majority of his childhood too ☺️

[@truechaos6927]

@@CounciloftheRings that is true, especially for Aragorn, since he was still very young when his mother brought him to Rivendell, and while he did help them and provide wisdom, his own children were over 2000 at the time their mother sailed to Valinor

[@truechaos6927]

@@CounciloftheRings and to be really honest, ever since I saw what they did to Galadriel, I have not been looking forward to this trainwreck called Rings of Power.

[@twanvanexsel7760]

@@CounciloftheRings same goes for Theoden and Denethor. They did not divorce their wifes... ugh... now I jinxed it. Amazon is going to show a divorce trial in this show... #whoneedsagoodlaywer

[@Jakegothicsnake]

@@twanvanexsel7760 Aye, if I'm not mistaken, they were both widowers.

[@vergil8833]

When all elves who have their hair length described it is described to be long hair and no cases of elves being described to have short hair exists then that means all elves had long hair. Tolkien never stated outright that dwarves don't have blue hair, but he never suggests that they do either, so giving a dwarf blue hair would be completely incorrect, therefore I think it is completely incorrect to give any elf short hair. It is also what makes sense. Elves don't experience time like we do, so having to cut their hair every couple of months would seem like an unusual thing to do for such a permanent people. Much like their aging I believe it acts in three phases. In the first 50 to 100 years of their lives they will go from being children to adults, but for thousands of years after that their age will not physically change them, only way later on when they reach their final phase do they start looking old and growing facial hair. Much like the note about facial hair, I think the hair on their head acts the same. As a child and young elf their hair starts short then grows to a certain length, after that it will not grow longer for their entire 2nd life phase, giving them permanent long hair which they do not cut at all, only braid. It is what seems the most natural aswell. Striving against ones own body is a human trait, it is not a struggle for the elves, they do not paint their faces for they have natural beauty, they do not shave for they are naturally clean shaven, they do not have piercings, they do not have tattoos, they do not mind themselves with any personal attempts at improving their natural form like humans do. To cut their hair because "they just like the look" seems like a very not-elf-like thing to do. They can obsess over the beauty in other things provided it is brilliant enough, but self-alteration is not something they've shown to do or desire. Evil does that in the form of shapeshifters, and men do that, like the Numenoreans who go to war with the Valar over a grudge about immortality, a limitation of their bodies that they despise. So in short, cutting ones hair then styling it every day is not an elven thing to do, elves should therefore not have short hair. But mainly because Tolkien has never described an elf to have it.

[@Johnny-Thunder]

17:20 What I find so hypocritical about that is that everybody and their mum knows that if the shoe was on the other foot - if a traditional African story was to be made with white or other non-black characters playing traditionally black roles, there would be a collossal uproar about it and this Maldonado person would be at the forefront of it. So maybe somebody should make a movie about a white Shaka Zulu and then say: 'who are you to be so threatened and disgusted by a white Zulu?'

[@Alexs.2599]

Bingo! Exactly.

[@shanemedlin9400]

White people cannot culturally appropriate anything because they have oppressed everyone from the dawn of time: they gave up their rights by taking the rights of others. Yes?

[@alkhemiaaugustine3764]

That has already been done several times over with entire existence of Hollywood 😂. Please. If you were to talk about audience pandering by what they did I would agree.

[@alkhemiaaugustine3764]

Also this is no traditional story so the comparison is null 🤦

[@sl6706]

This is what they want to happen. People turning on the people not involved with the show. I’m black and no one I personally know in my family or friends that are black that have seen or read the tlotr have complained that there are no black people in the movies. Blame Hollywood for all of this not black people is what I’m saying.

[@garysmith3037]

Corey Olson lost a lot of credibility when he makes stupid defensive arguments like the one about the looks of some of the characters, proven by quotes from the books that give detailed descriptions of them. He definitely comes off as a shill for the series when so many of his claims are easily debunked.

[@CounciloftheRings]

Yeah I think that was quite shocking

[@AlienDrone_22]

Excellent, well-crafted content and wonderful narration. This is my new favorite LOTR channel. Thank you so much.

[@CounciloftheRings]

Thanks! 🙏

[@normis6620]

This channel deserves so many more views

[@yilz123]

Same!

[@rockinHurley777]

Agreed

[@markcannon8522]

They’re trying so hard to turn Galadriel into a dude and Elrond into a girl

[@CounciloftheRings]

indeed

[@rockinHurley777]

Absolutely

[@oshkeet]

It's almost as if Galadriel was considered unusually tall and strong in her youth, to the point characters thought she was rather boyish. Yknow, like whats in the actual backstory that no complaining has ever read. Series might be a fun disraction but dang if garbage nerds arent throwing themselves on it to fight some dickless culture war.

[@markcannon8522]

@@oshkeet you are the reason every recent show sucks, people like you will swallow literally anything they throw at you.

[@squaeman_2644]

By simply filling masculine social tropes with female character types who embody those very tropes it might not be so much an elevation of the femenine as much as a blind attachment to the masculine qualities as the ones that actually matter.

[@anonymussicarius8899]

"Does it really feel like ancient Europe, if there are no Romans running around?" - Well, if the storie is situated in 2nd century northern Europe (or earlier) then there would only be (depending on the region) Celts, Germans, Slavs and/or Scythians, because the Romans didn´t expanded north yet. "Would it feel like the Middle East if ther were no Templars/Crusaders running around?" - Well if the storei is situated before 1118/1095 then there wouldn´t be any of thsoe, because they didn´t exist yet.

[@mm8366]

Why oh why would they create a new half-elven relationship with new non-canonical characters? There's almost no way that goes over well. It needs to harken back to Beren and Luthien, Tuor and Idril, and foreshadow Aragorn and Arwen. There's no way they pull all of that off in a satisfactory way. It's just so stupid that they would create new stories /characters that we don't know and don't love when they have the ENTIRE SECOND AGE TO WORK WITH!!! What's wrong with the story? Why not tell the actual fucking story!?

[@jamierobertson9832]

The sheer bloody hubris of the article's author to write that nonsense baffles me.

[@christiansorensen7567]

Yes, indeed! Tolkien established that literary longing for the 'Golden Age.' They are not ashamed of the past, they long for it, because much good and prosperity was lost! You're the first I've seen hit that right on the head.

[@CounciloftheRings]

Well I feel I got some of this from Shippey many years ago when watching the ‘behind the scenes’ material, but I’m not sure actually

[@ashnazgthrakatulukii1165]

Galadriel proudly wears a star of Fëanor on her armor. And it make me to wonder why Gimli was called "Lockbearer".

[@tomasz9429]

"Some characters will be familiar, and they will be the initial attraction(...) But the entirely new faces may ultimately become even more involving(...)" They say, in open speech, that they will dangle a hook of familiar characters in front of you. Later they will switch focus to whatever insane abominations going against lore established by Tolkien will take to the screen. I'd launch the writing team from a trebuchet to stabilize the flight of the One Ring into the Cracks of Doom.

[@jimkluska253]

Perfectly said!

[@Maryondo]

Hehe, I know that .gif you're referring to ^^

[@GreatGreebo]

Thank you for this video. I agree with every point you made. With every photo and article released, the show just keeps getting worse. The arrogance with thinking *they* can write the story Tolkien never did?! It’s a HARD PASS for me.

[@Maryondo]

He didn't write that story for a reason 🙃

[@iwantgoals1566]

It’s so bad, the only thing that looks remotely decent is the orcs. No wonder they’ve barely released anything new. They’re scared sh*t less of the backlash it might get cause they’ve already been Ratioed to oblivion. The fact that they have 5 seasons planned out already also scares me. It probably be a lot of plot armour for stupid characters and things that don’t make sense to service a dumb story. Only way to save this series is to fire these two dumbass directors and hire someone who will actually be passionate about the project.

[@yilz123]

Same! After watching Comic-Con I can see how charming the show runners are and I was skeptically hopeful. Then I watch the trailer…

[@Davidguy57]

Not only is this a great analysis, this is just plain funny to watch! I busted out laughing when Gollum said "What is it?" about Arondir. Great work. So glad I found an honest Tolkien channel

[@CounciloftheRings]

Glad you liked it! ☺️

[@lied1484]

Totally loved your content! To see all the inaccuracies lined up makes it even more clear to me. How i wish they would've made something beautiful and true and magical as it is in the books and in our (old) children hearts. Thank you for your time & effort to put this together. 💙

[@CounciloftheRings]

Thanks for watching! Gonna be interesting to see what the final result will be right before the release XD

[@douglasarthur2673]

It is not Lord of the Rings. It is not Tolkien.

[@rockinHurley777]

Sure isnt.

[@valiantzildjian1021]

true, just a trash woke

[@lurdkatmin3298]

The elves with buzzcuts tho 💀

[@CounciloftheRings]

Didn’t you know Celeborn is a famous hairdresser 😂😂

[@rexrogers1859]

Middle Earth Supercuts 😂

[@earlofdoncaster5018]

Journalist: Have you read the books? Payne and McKay: There's books!? Journalist: Yeah, those things that are like phones but you can't read them in the dark. Payne and McKay: Yeah, er, I once read..... a book.

[@dronesclubhighjinks]

“Those things that are like phones but you can’t read them in the dark.” 🤣🤣🤣 when you wrote this comment, the first episode probably had not been released yet. I think you have even more proof now that they did not read the books, which are also available as e-books not that these Showrunners are aware of that. Thanks for the laugh, my lord!

[@frankvandorp2059]

Wouldn't it already be much more lore-accurate if they had made Elrond the military commander and Galadriel the politician, instead of the other way around?

[@CounciloftheRings]

Yes

[@ComradeCommissarYuri]

They are trying to subvert our expectations... Like that worked for anything else really

[@Chociewitka]

Unions of Adan to Elda only 3 times - but "Aegnor and Andreth" was an "almost-union" even if unconsumated due to war-time both partners stayed forever faithfull to each other - and of course the union of Imrazôr the Numenorean and Mithellas, the maiden of Nimrodel, who was a Silvan elf - the ancestors of Prince Imrahil who was visibly of elvish descent in tLotR book.

[@seregrian5675]

Also, mellon nin, let us not forget the unrequited love between Turn son of Hurin and Finduilas as well...

[@brucetucker4847]

Three unions of Edain and Eldar - that doesn't rule out Elves who were not Eldar (Avari) and/or Men who were not Edain.

[@skyintatters]

@@brucetucker4847 even if we allow for those loopholes, all the characters involved were significant often noble people who had an impact on their own and through their union, while the show just has two OC randos, so why should we care?

[@brucetucker4847]

@@skyintatters How do you know who the characters are or what effect they have? You've already decided that before seeing it or knowing anything about them.

[@n00bplayer72]

One major point worth remembering about the Dwarves is that since they were created by Aulë, without any input from Eru, the other Valar or even his wife, you could say that the Dwarves all suffer from testosterone overdose, which is why even the women are virile and have beards.

[@mallowmallow2070]

I was really hoping for at least a little bit of facial hair, even if not a full beard. Kind of cowardly art-direction to omit them entirely despite the canon evidence otherwise.

[@swagathan5]

Heard about this channel in the comments of another one talking about this show, and I am glad I checked it out! It feels like Gandalf himself is talking to me. Keep up the good work!

[@CounciloftheRings]

Oh really? Which channel btw? 😁

[@Bauernjoerg07]

i was in fear about was the Show will be like. well, now i terrified.

[@iamzod]

Man can't wait to see your breakdowns of each episode when they air (hoping/assuming you will)!

[@CounciloftheRings]

Well it’s the plan at least, though I fear it will be a huge task 😳

[@richardvandeursen2395]

@@CounciloftheRings And a demoralising task no? I have read LotR for over 40 years, The Hobbit as long. I read it to my son when he was a wee fella. I have read the Silmarillion and Unfinished tales and you are right. The people in charge of this project have not either read the books or if they have read the books understood them properly.

[@valentin7693]

@@CounciloftheRings you'll have a good amount of views if you do it imo

[@rockinHurley777]

No. Don't. Don't give it the attention it needs/wants.

[@valentin7693]

@@rockinHurley777 why? There will be a lot to talk about this Tolkien "adaptation".

[@seregrian5675]

Councillor, you have earned yourself a subscriber this night - your even-handed critique of the Amazonabomination is most encouraging!

[@CounciloftheRings]

Welcome! 🤗

[@Relics_of_Arda]

I like the little movie clips you've added in. 😆

[@CounciloftheRings]

Gives a nice little touch and humour :P

[@examiningkubrickphilosofia1530]

Yeah EXACTLY what Tolkien would want lmao

[@jonathankieranwriter]

NO, indeed! The shoehorned anachronisms and contemporary socio-cultural lectures injected into this White Elephant (Mumakil?) are already apparent. The storytelling would have to be resplendent and utterly captivating for me to overlook these egregious idiocies … and what are the chances of *that* happening? Superbly and brilliantly elucidated. Thank you. I don’t feel so isolated in my own skepticism.

[@BernddasBrotB7]

An Elf would ABSOLUTELY NOT have a romantic relationship with a single mother. The logic is as follows from the Elf's POV: If she's a mother, she is married. because she is not a virgin. Marriage is a permanent bond, which continues after death, as proven by the problems around Finwe. Thus, having such a relationship is adultery. It is explicitly stated that adultery is UNTHINKABLE to any Elf. Also you forgot to mention Imrazor and Mithrellas, which was a fourth known Elf-Man pairing.

[@seregrian5675]

That is precisely correct regarding Elven cultural norms! We could go as far as to say that these Amazons are guilty of cultural appropriation

[@Alexs.2599]

Yeah exactly. This story between a single mother and an Elf is utterly ridiculous. And I'm sorry but he looks like he is half Elf half Haradrim. Amazon is taking Tolkien's very specific purposed world and turning it into a generic high fantasy D&D.

[@jwilliwonka]

You overlooked the Sigil of Feanor on Galadriel's breastplate. Nothing like representing your creepy uncle in battle.

[@CounciloftheRings]

Nah I cover it in a later video ☺️

[@seregrian5675]

Thank you, I was about to point that out to the Councillor when I saw your post. Having the Star of the House of Feanor on "Galadriel's" armor would be yet another negative lore-point (maybe a two-point loss)...

[@queenberuthiel5469]

Forget that he's her creepy uncle who asked for her hair thrice. He's a bloody murderer.

[@spacejunk2186]

Nothing radiates more badassery and coolness than wearing the symbol of a guy who ruined your branch of your people with crimes and murder on your chest. So brave.

[@hayakihd8621]

I especially like your point about the slow decline of civilization and magic in middle earth. In the third age, we can only longingly look at the remnants of buildings and statues of past ages, with the people who have lived during these either dead or passing into the west. Every artifact tells a story about greatness and glory long fallen. The few remaining elves are mysterious, incomprehensible beings, so much above men. And now, seeing these graceful, mysterious people in the trailer of the lotr series acting like teenagers in a highschool drama and talking big words without any substance is more than underwhelming. Are these scenes really the answer to all of the questions and mysteries we brooded about when looking at the remnants of khazad dum, mithlond or ost-in-ethil? Is that really what Celebrimbor, Gil Galad, Galadriel and Elrond looked and acted like? If yes, what have I spent my time doing? I imagined great places and glorious people with honor and grace, fighting and dying side by side in order to do the right things. It feels like Amazon spat on all of my time spent thinking about the greatness and beauty of middle earth with their product, without even wanting it, to be fair. Their vision of greatness and glory doesn't align with my vision and so I imagine with that of many other fans. Their answers and visions are underwhelming, disappointing and insulting to the true beauty of middle earth and it's peoples. But maybe it's not possible. Maybe nobody is able to portray middle earth how it should be besides Tolkien, not even Peter Jackson, although his lotr movies may be the best attempt we have ever had. Why should we humans have the ability to visualise something above us, the greatness of the old ages, the domain of the inhuman finally replaced by us from the 4th age onwards? Where does this arrogance stem from...? Ok this was really long so TL/DR: Why is the portrayal of the second age goofier than the third age, when it should be like a 1000x more glorious? (Pompadour Elrond lmao💀💀)

[@nmjjmn663]

Should've given them calling their critics "trolls" a lore inaccuracy for their reinterpretation of history, lol. Just kidding. Nice video. Does a good job breaking down the issues.

[@darnunt]

"Disa" is obviously a copycat name of Dis, Thorin's sister, but she certainly didn't live in the Second Age so it's definitely not her. The creators of this show couldn't bother to come up with a lore friendly Dwarven name of their own, so they just took the only female Dwarven name that we know of (I might be wrong there with Dis being the only female Dwarf name Tolkien gave us) and just added an "a" at the end. How clever of them /s.

[@svanemy]

I try to understand the bad casting and short, eighties hairstyle of the male elves, but it feels like their trying to mock all the fans and artists who have imagined elves like beautiful beings with long, flowy hair. So why do so many of us think of Tolkien elves this way? Maybe because Tolkien described elves who had long hair, but never ones mention one with short. Some people have talked about "artistic freedom", but it doesnt feel very imaginativt to come up with something like "men have short hair". And how is the no beard aproach a more artistic and creative take on dwarven women?

[@courtneycherry5582]

And they had options, afros, dreadlocks, braided hair. African American can have long hair beautiful hair. Elf's have long hair beautiful hair it doesn't make sense besides they didn't care. 😡

[@TheShapingSickness]

I admit I didn't know who Carl F Hostetter was, but I'm also not claiming to be a Tolkien expert. So for these people to self proclaim themselves as Tolkien experts and ignore that fact it's incredibly embarrassing to say the least.

[@KingSeagal]

I love that you totally see the writing on the wall for this show!

[@roskelld]

This is great, really looking forward to the next part. You brought up quotes that I wasn't aware of so I feel like I'm learning a bit more of this modern day community formed around using Tolkien as a vehicle to amplify real world agendas. I personally found that the quote from EP Lindsey Weber __“It felt only natural to us that an adaptation of [author J.R.R.] Tolkien’s work would reflect what the world actually looks like,”__ to be the one clear statement that is helping explain the decision making process with this show. One that is a stark difference to the quote you played from Jackson.

[@ecthelionofthefountain8267]

"Can we come up with a novel Tolkien never wrote" should be at least -2 points 😂

[@CounciloftheRings]

So close to do it! I actually think I gave -2 points for something in a later part 😂

[@ecthelionofthefountain8267]

@@CounciloftheRings I believe it was the armour made from wood 😂. There is also strong evidence in favour of long haired elves by Tolkien as well.

[@BobanG.]

Absolutely agree my Lord Ecthelion! EDIT: in regards to the -2 points 😆

[@CounciloftheRings]

@@ecthelionofthefountain8267 Yeah there is! But it's never stated 'all elf males have long hair' So that's why I didn't go much into detail on the matter. It is something I've wanted to cover for some time though.

[@ecthelionofthefountain8267]

@@CounciloftheRings I have provided a bunch of quotes in another comment from Tolkien that strongly suggest most if not all elves have long hair. We also have Tolkien's own illustration of Beleg and Gwindor (Flinding) as well.

[@squashedeyeball]

Truly good analysis man. Every bit of what we know so far can lead to a rabbit hole. Amazon made a rather simple task so complicated for no reason: all they had to do was to make several separated shows about Third Age events/character and BAM! They're sitting on a gold mine. Just imagine: "The Life of Aragorn"; "The Wars of Dwarves and Orcs": a potential on screen, lighthearted yet gory Dungeon Keeper, or a hardcore wartime drama. everything that had to do with Gondor fighting anything and later the Kinslaying; I would even make a horror mini series about Queen Berúthiel, or incorporate her as a main character in a "villain show" focused on evil black Numenorians. This could include the infighting in Harad and further south and east, the oppression of Sauron and his allies and the works of the struggles wizards.

[@cyl3nt]

What they did to the dwarves and elves is no less than Modern-Day Blackface!

[@LordMelkorMorgoth]

Great analysis, very enjoyable. Amazon is destroying Tolkien's lore, you are just ripping all of the pillars under Amazon.

[@Peter-ri9ie]

Man, this was a good video. Going through point by point. Have subbed. Looking forward to seeing more. 👊🏻

[@ohifonlyx33]

I really appreciate how you can allow your opinion to be gracious, even while meticulously roasting every inaccuracy. You have a good handle on what things should be, who and what matters in the story, and also what is a permissible flaw. You don't haphazardly give out negative opinion points and if something looks relatively decent or piques your interest, you'll give it a point... it's much easier to understand the problems this show faces when it's not merely mad people saying "It's all wrong!" and then nitpicking even seemingly normal things. But what you said at 15:49 ..."in Middle-earth there's a longing for the past" Yes! Not only did Tolkien write so much history and depth into the world, the characters largely have a respect and reverence to the past. There's a sense of knowing where you came from. History does, of course, stretch so far back that things like Entwives and Tom Bombadil and the blue wizards are older than living memory.... And to the men of middle-earth, much of what happened is merely legend... which seems to be a problem for them (e.g. the ring passed out of memory). Meanwhile you've got elves who remember the light of the world when it was young... but Saruman, wise and ancient as he is, decides to push forward and he aligns with Sauron. So... yeah, the past has an important presence especially in how it informs your choices.

[@zoebrugg7594]

6:39 Oh Gollum, that was perfect! 🤣👍🏻

[@Maryondo]

"Another story line will follow a sailor named Isildur [...] years before he becomes a warrior and cuts the soul-corrupting ring off Sauron's hand [...]" I am surprised you gave this a plus-point so quickly, to be honest. Sure, a great idea to see more from Isildur. But...! I had to read this line twice because first I thought they made up a new character who they called "Isildur" too. Let's say I am not familiar with Tolkien's works and I did only read this line. How would I interpret it? My interpretation would be: A *random* mere sailor from whereever-he-comes-from becomes a random mere warrior at some point and then ends up cutting the RIng off Sauron's hand. Like seriously? He's a noble! A noble of the line of kings of Númenore! Who becomes the Prince (and for two years the king) of Gondor and Arnor! He's not just a sailer and warrior! Sure, he was sailing, but that doesn't make him a mere sailor! I hope this was just some bad wording/marketing and not their actual plans...! ... but considering how they butchered the lore/canon already, I am worried. *Very* worried. Else a great video as usual. Keep it up!

[@CounciloftheRings]

Yeah I assumed it was just to hint that we will see him sailing around middle-earth, which I don’t mind too much. I still hope he’s a noble, I didn’t even consider they might change that 😨

[@yangchow]

"Here sits king Theoden on his throne - He's a single father.." this was hilarious!

[@CounciloftheRings]

Glad you liked it! XD

[@rogeransaloni2035]

I have only one thing to say about this series, and if someone think one need to watch a few episodes before creating an opinion, I pity their hope, for it will be crushed. The (butchering of the) Lord of the Rings - The Rings of Power is an endless pit of dissapointment and a lesson of how not to adapt great classics of literature.

[@Tar-Elenion]

What "collaborators" were there "that claimed the life of her brother"... Three unions between the Eldar and Edain. There was also Mithrellas and Imrazor (thus Mithrellas should be an Avar who at some point went west to Lorien (or her parents or further ancestors)).

[@CounciloftheRings]

Servants of Morgoth apparently Ahh yes good point! Oddly enough rarely mentioned in the context for some reason. It should be listed without doubt! Well spotted - lore point to you!

[@Tar-Elenion]

@@CounciloftheRings "Collaborators" just seems a strange term for that (and, they were dead, except Sauron whom the article says had vanished, and he is not a plural).

[@CounciloftheRings]

@@Tar-Elenion I agree

[@seregrian5675]

@@Tar-Elenion I would offer (and this is a stretch) that perhaps if they refer to "collaborators", there was but ONE and ONLY one Elf that ever collaborated with the Shadow: Maeglin son of Eol, who betrayed all of Gondolin to Morgoth to satisfy his lust for his cousin, Idril Celebrindal.

[@Tar-Elenion]

@@seregrian5675 Yeah, but he had nothing to do with Finrod's death, was dead himself and Amazon does not have any rights to him (he is not mentioned in LotR).

[@nosotrosloslobosestamosreg4115]

Everything on that trainwreck is wrong

[@twanvanexsel7760]

Great video. Agree with most of it. I think why the showrunners have opted for golden crowns for Galadriel and Gil Galad. 'galad' is a Noldorin word meaning "light". (sun)light is more often perceived as being golden. Hence golden crowns (and no, I dont have the illusion that the showrunners know Galadriel was born under the starlight... (which is more silverlike...). At least Peter Jackson projected the light of the stars in Galadriels eyes. (by literally have a few dozen lightbulbs lighting the reflection in her eyes, when he shot close up scenes with Kate Blanchett.)

[@hazbojangles2681]

When all this terrible stuff comes out I feel terrible pain. It’s just the little things that they mess up but they are what matter.

[@Relics_of_Arda]

14:54 You started to sound like Gandalf there. 😁

[@CounciloftheRings]

Hahahaha 😂😂😂 I take that as a compliment

[@Relics_of_Arda]

@@CounciloftheRings It was 😁

[@Dorkyorcy]

Me: I wish the Rings of Power had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened. Fans: So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the turd that is given to us.

[@Buclock]

Love the editing mixed with the LoTR and Hobbit trilogies , actually made me lol at times

[@NmDPlm31]

God, I love that artwork of Glorfindel. It is glorious.

[@CounciloftheRings]

Yeah it’s by Alberto dal Lago 🤗

[@NmDPlm31]

@@CounciloftheRings Yeah. I've admired it for a while now. Every time I see it I'm just reminded how awesome it is. I just need to break down and buy a print for my library/office already.

[@markdeveredavis]

In his essay "On Fairy-Stories", Tolkien talked about the suspension of disbelief that is needed to fully enjoy a work of fantasy. Any element that distracts from that pulls the audience out of that world and they are suddenly on the outside looking in. This destroys the emotional connection one has with the protagonists as they navigate through lands and situations we "know" are impossible. This bears directly on the race issue. Making elves, dwarves or hobbits black breaks that spell. Race is not arbitrary. It is the product of geographical genetic development. African, Dravidian, or some pacific natives have black skin because of the equatorial regions they come from. When a black character just shows up magically in these races it is jarring. It takes you outside of the World Tolkien created (the North West of the Old World, East of the Sea) and puts you in a movie theater where you are quite obviously being given a political lecture.

[@maxheadroom4659]

I really dislike the art design in general for this. Those sword hilts are hideous & impractical. Your hand would slide up and down it at the first drop of sweat or blood that touched it.

[@vladmods]

Hahahaha, the "single father" part with Theoden is pure gold! I feel your pain, friend.

[@balthus7579]

Your understanding tolkien philosophy is very deep.

[@mz5863]

I love these video's! On a lot of points I agree and I'll get back on that later but, as a woman, I do have to point out one thing I don't agree with. I do think a single mother could be a good description of a character. Well, not really ...abandoned mother might have been better haha. The difference between those fine gentlemen and this lady is, of course, that their wives died while her husband ran off. For women in history that was a rough deal and probably she has had some scorn over her. I think that's why they chose that description and why it can be character building in her case.... though it has yet to be revealed in what way. Obviously the father of her son did her bad... otherwise why be so flirty with the elf? (unless he's the father? Man that would be baaaad. Sure hope not!) Anyway. Back to the points I do agree with, the way they un-canonly forced women in roles that don't portray women in Tolkien's story's at all. Galadriel is my favorite character... of the books and movies. This show BUTCHERS her. Why do we have to put women in mens roles in order for them to be powerful? If a woman is masculine, let her be a masculine new character but don't write existing feminine characters into masculine roles. So annoying. That's not girl power, it's misogynie. It can make me really angry because a woman doesn't need to fight and be angry in order to be strong and powerful. That's why I loved Galadriel in the trilogy. She was wise, soft spoken yet with so much strength and power and everyone looked for her advice and approval. She was elegant and ambitious yet able to resist the offer of the ring whilst having a will to rule. I strive to be a woman like that and embrace what makes femininity beautiful. That's also a thing I hate about these series because an other way femininity was celebrated in Tolkien and Jacksons work was that femininity in men was also considered beautiful. That men now suddenly have modern haircuts while the women (as far as I can tell) do not.... w.. why? If anything, I think this show in it's intention to be inclusive actually is far from inclusive. If they really wanted to create a inclusive world and rewriting Tolkiens work for it, why not do it properly and based on history. Why not write in cultures based on Asian or African inspiration just as the original books are inspired by European? (think of all the old civilizations that could be used! Egyptian, Mayan, Indian, Native american/canadian/etc, so many more!!) It would make more historical sense and would do those cultures much more honor than there are given now... by putting them into a culture based on a western countries. I could go on and on. But basically, Tolkien and Peter Jackson did femininity and masculinity in men and women justice. The way Eowyn wanted to fight and not be left behind, was told by everyone she couldn't and then did it anyway? Without having to sacrifice her femininity? That's a strong female character well done. And a very feminist message at that. And Aragorn... Do I have to explain why he's such a populair character for women? Not (just) because he is a bad ass but also because he is loyal af, gentle, sings, heals, sensitive, emphatic. He's just really a great motherfucking guy! Let's not even start on Luthien or I'll be typing for hours on end. ... okay I'm done! Haha!

[@istari0]

Concerning Galadriel's picture, there's also the sword over the back matter; how's she going to draw it swiftly? It's easy to "come up with the novel Tolkien never wrote." What's arrogant is when they think they can write anything close to his caliber of writing. I want to see Elendil, Gil-Galad, Galadriel (Tolkien's Galadriel that is), Glorfindel, Isildur, Celebrimbor, etc. Do those right and I might be interested in the new characters as well. Dwarves? I'm just left shaking my head. Elves? More head shaking. Galadriel? If I shake my head anymore, it may fly off. At least the costumes in cats conveyed they were cats; what these are supposed to convey is ... Well, I have no idea. Hobbits do not define the look and feel of Middle-Earth. This is simply pandering. Meteor-Man is flat out a massive lore violation and shows their unwillingness to follow what Tolkien wrote. Why would anyone expect an adaptation to reflect what the world actually looks like? It's obvious it should look like the setting in which Tolkien set his mythology. Congratulations on the double digit NOs! I think you forgot one choice: C - didn't care what the books said. That certainly applies to the alleged Tolkien scholars from Glasgow who really only care about their political agenda and not what Tolkien actually wrote. I'd managed to forget about them for a bit and if I never hear/read another word from them it will be too soon.

[@CounciloftheRings]

Yeah I saved that for a video if ever I get a chance to cover the article

[@ecthelionofthefountain8267]

Yes, I agree. I would have also thrown Elrond into the mix of wanting his character done right.

[@normis6620]

Newsflash, rumor has it that Theo, Bronwyn's son, is Arondir's and he is a half-elf. Thank you for this ones, goes to show that fans disgust with ROP is not out of "isms", but rooted in the shameful disrespect to Tolkien's work

[@Jezza_One]

The more I see and hear about this series the lower my expectations become.

[@CounciloftheRings]

Same

[@meduseldtales3383]

@@CounciloftheRings Can I ask, did it ruin the movies that they had Arwen riding around wilderness with sword in hand, then her breaking off engagement with Aragorn and leaving for Undying Lands, and finally falling ill and nearly dying because of Sauron's bad mojo?

[@CounciloftheRings]

@@meduseldtales3383 It didn’t make much sense, but not the worst. Kili and Tauriel’s love-story on the other hand… by Durin’s beard that was bad

[@Diegoromir]

Excellent video! Thank you very much for being one of the channels faithful to the Professor's works and for defending them so perfectly and avidly. I would like to know your opinion about the diverse cast and I was sad not to be able to hear your point on this matter, I respect your position of not wanting to get into the subject (although you have commented a little about it). I'm not saying that's your case, but I've noticed many Tolkien fans trying to avoid this subject, perhaps for fear of judgments, but I don't believe that going against this diverse cast is wrong or racist, as many falsely argue. I don't see it as wrong to criticize this casting, because the valid criticisms of authentic fans do not start from a racist or discriminatory premise. It is perfectly understandable to go against a casting that makes no sense within the lore and is also inauthentic according to the source of Tolkien's inspiration for these peoples. Tolkien wanted to create a mythology for England, and the stories of his books are intrinsically European, due to its sources in European cultures, mythologies and histories, mainly from the Germanic, Celtic and Greco-Roman cultures. Example: Elves and Dwarves are beings from Germanic mythology, Hobbits and the Shire are based in rural England, Rohan in Germanic and Anglo Saxon peoples, Númenor in Atlantis, a Greek story and Lyonesse, of Arthurian legends, Gondor in Rome and Byzantium, The Battle of Pelennor Fields was inspired by the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains, Dead Marshes in the Battle of the Somme, Mordor in the Black Country of the West Midlands of industrial England, Mount Doom on Mount Stromboli in Italy, among other examples... Tolkien even attests that the Northwest of Middle-earth, where the main stories take place, would be Europe in the distant past (or as he himself said, "in a different state of imagination") and even establishes its latitudes referring to Europe, with Hobbiton and Rivendell being approximately at Oxford latitude, Minas Tirith at Ravenna or Florence latitude, more or less close to Belgrade, Ethir Anduin and the city of Pelargir close to the latitude of the ancient city of Troy, Umbar, the City of Corsairs, around the latitude of Cyprus and the bottom of the map as if at the latitude of Jerusalem. It's understandable to expect the casting of any Tolkien adaptation to reflect his description of characters and peoples and respect the source of his inspiration. Do not fear the judgment of people who know nothing about Tolkien, my dear fellowship. Namarië.

[@ComradeCommissarYuri]

There’s only one thing wrong with the Amazons Lord of the rings the rings of power.. The fact it exists

[@mountainwolf3358]

20:11 Elrond was a lord, the Herald of the king Gil Galad. 21:11 Yes but can you imagine if we saw Isildur cut a finger on Sauron's corpse ? Not only would that give him a bad image, worthy of a greedy looter who desecrates a corpse. But it would also make Sauron look like a victim.

[@nosfonader8792]

Diversity should be separate and region specific. Make fantasy based around countries other than Europe if you want that. Like the game Raji which is Indian based and Assassin's Creed Origins was Egypt based. The Shadow of Mordor and War were better tributes than this. The black guy was from Harad so nobody complained about that. Rings of Power should have been an original fantasy show if you want d diversity so bad

[@jnerdal]

I dont say this often, but very good Sir. Looking forwards too part 3.

[@ottolehikoinen6193]

Thank you for this. This could be a video to send to a person who says something positive of the series when it starts.

[@Angrenost02]

"It's only natural to us that an adaptation of Tolkien's work would reflect what the world actually looks like" Except the actual world doesn't look like the Rings of Power show does it? There is still a pretty big part of it which isn't diverse at all. Countries like Japan for example. This level of diversity is only achieved in modern western metropolises, and I doubt this person has ever lived outside one of them.

[@vav2868]

I don't want to see anything with what the modern world looks like! I read it as a kid to get away from my real world (and it wasn't even as bad as it today 🙄)

[@KingBarnaDuke]

Exactly. Me too. I escaped this world and went to Middle earth. Skived off school to finish the books.And when I'd finished ....i started again!

[@dmais95]

"here sits theoden king of rohan - he is a single father". hahah died

[@thebrotherskrynn]

Really appreciated this video, though I like the armour of Galadriel and kind of prefer Dwarf-women unshaven. But other than these two nitpicky disagreements with you my friend, I must say that each lore inaccuracy, is accurate in this video. Elrond is the part that gives me most pause, as he's one of my fav characters, and I'd have liked him to have a more important role in this series and was never ambitious, at least not for himself. His ambition was rather like Prior Philip from Pillars of the Earth, where his sole desire is to help the world around him. As for the lecture towards the wonderful prof who gave us the Nature of Middle-Earth (already one of my favourite monographs) is just not something I can agree with them upon. I can't understand it; why scold him when you could plead to meet with him and discuss fascinating topics such as his and Tolkien's view of metaphysics especially those of Middle-Earth. In all, I really enjoyed this video as said, it crystallised in my mind a great deal I had been pondering. Along with the determination to at some point interview the editor of NoME.

[@CounciloftheRings]

I think the chain-mail of her armour looks really bad and like some cheap copy made in China 😆 Yeah Elrond could have been a lead role. Would have been interesting if the relationship between him and Elros had been explored and the whole idea of time would have played a much bigger role and you'd better understand Elrond's relationship to the Dúnedain. I think the dwarves are super interesting and dwarf-women must have been so different to the women in our world. I think it would have been super interesting to see and explore such a unique society. I didn't even point out her costume is lore-inaccurate as well (unless you think a dwarf-man would dress like that too). Giving them beards would have been interesting and likely have made them stand out from the other female characters in the show (especially now that they have added a ton). By the comments on the article they (Dimitra and Mariana) don't really address the tons of fallacies Carl points out, but instead just reply "You don't know anything. I wrote a book. Read it, here's a link. Oh and I got a ph. d. in a completely different subject matter, but look at me I'm smart". It honestly doesn't seem like they knew about Carl nor the book, which just makes it more laughable that they call themselves Tolkien experts. (And why I think they are knobheads). The comment section is pretty much: Carl: "No that's wrong. Do you have a source?" Dimitra & Mariana: "No it's correct. I am the source and I say it's correct. Go and read my book"

[@markcannon8522]

Who cares about what you prefer this is about keeping it accurate

[@Tar-Elenion]

@@CounciloftheRings The odd part about the comments from Dimitra is (unless I am greatly mistaken) she knows Carl. I wonder if she just missed that it was him posting. It reminded me of Carl making some comments in the TORn forum, and one of the participants basically told him he was wrong and should read Nature of Middle-earth. Carl thanked her for the suggestion. Another person then suggested that she should go back to the post and read his signature...

[@CounciloftheRings]

@@Tar-Elenion Hahaha that's hilarious. Well in that case she missed his name a ton of times as he left a ton of comments and she just kept replying 'see my other response'

[@Tar-Elenion]

@@CounciloftheRings Yes, I saw those, as best I could tell, her 'other post' said nothing really different, and Dimitra did not substantively reply to him (though I have not checked it in months).

[@joemummerth8340]

Tolkien would be appalled by this woke ,politically correct world we find ourselves in through to much tolerance of the intolerable !

[@jimkluska253]

Real quick, I took a gander at the views from the shills that were bought during that trip and gift giving back pocket buy out, and since then their numbers are way down!😅🤣🤣😂.....what a shame

[@fallyn2920]

what still baffles me is that usually when someone buys an IP, they actually WANT the fans of the original IP to enjoy the new stuff, such as the fallout series. But Amazon actively seems to not want the original fans to enjoy this at all. It looks great but it's probably gonna end up like The Wheel of Time.

[@wd2989]

Excellent analysis. I agree with you, The Vanity Fair article did the most ruinous damage to my trust/expectations for a Tolkien adaptation. I stopped promoting the show with family and friends after that article. As more and more pics and stories came out , I took note of how few were about Tolkien characters. I think out of 23 characters, only 8 are Tolkien 2nd Age characters. WTF??! I’m not interested. I expect some original characters but not THAT many.

[@brucewayne7838]

amazon should be sued for calling this " lord of the rings" rings of power , and an insult to tolkiens world of anglo/norse culture.

[@panopticpunk]

I would love to see all the characters that are PoC that are good in the book - i have ALOT of people in my real life right now, calling Tolkein racist, solely because i dont like the OC's of RoP, and i tried to explain to them the Haradrim that battle in pelennor fields ARNT evil, just confused - they were convinced that Sauron was basically god, and the elves were evil - that DOESNT make them evil - it makes them confused, because of the lack of free-flowing knowledge in middle-earth, and the geographical location of Harad. Anyways, i would love some specific instances i can show / refer to, so i can finally convince these people That tolkein ISNT racist - he never was - and neither am I for wanting the show to be lore accurate.

[@meduseldtales3383]

Tolkien states quite clearly that the people of Northwest had a special intrinsic resistance to the evil teachings of Morgoth and Sauron, which the other races didn't have. Is that racist or something else is up to the reader of course.

[@CounciloftheRings]

Sure! I quote one source in my video about the blue wizards. It states that there were many Easterlings that fought against the will of Sauron. But more importantly - they are not evil because of their skin-colour but because of their geographical location. Sauron and Morgoth were strongest in the east and south because it’s further from Valinor. Or that’s at least an important factor to mention I’ll see if I can find time one day to cover this fully

[@panopticpunk]

@@CounciloftheRings Thank you VERY much! It is HIGHLY appreciated - and 'ill be sure to share your videos - honestly some of the best deep-cut lore video's on Arda i've ever seen - And your mod looks AMAZING - i haven't been excited for a game in a long time, but i sure am excited for that =O. The amount of effort.. all for others enjoyment. 🤯 Thank you. Seriously.

[@CounciloftheRings]

@@panopticpunk no problem! ☺️ you should read Carl F Hostetter’s comments on the article as well. He touches the subject briefly as well

[@wd2989]

I like the comment highlighted in this video (but missed by many non-readers) - Tolkien’s world is Arda, it is a long ago , ages ago , representation of our Earth. The lands: Middle Earth , Aman/Valinor, far Harad, Rhun The Hither Lands are all just land masses on this world of Arda . If your friends can imagine our planet of Earth about 1000 or 2000 yrs ago - knowing that the human population didn’t globally mingle as happens today - then maybe they’ll get the concept that Arda had diverse populations the same way. The mortals of middle earth were different in appearance from the mortals of Rhun and The Hither Lands. Hope that helps.

[@PleaseNThankYou]

I'm torn between desire and disgust. Desire to be brought closer to my Love and disgust to find he bathes in horse manure now. It seems that he rejects me while still selfishly keeping me at arms length. What to do; what to think. I feel stranded on the road thinking he will keep his promise to fetch me in September.

[@earlsfield]

"Does it feel like Middle Earth without Hobbits" - YES, thats the point, the fact that such small and irrelevant creatures could shape the fates of many - but not in the second age. Skys are strange. Ef off Lennny.

[@annamiau8116]

shkies are shtrange*

[@earlsfield]

@@annamiau8116 pies are grange.

[@EWStark-mv2cm]

I am loving these videos. Also Carl F. Hostetter had me cracking up like crazy. 😂😂😂😂

[@CounciloftheRings]

Glad you like them!

[@laurasolomon1675]

What's wrong with it is that amazon is mucking around with it and being woke & etc. I won't be following it or videos that do so. Amazon specializes in cheap knock-offs, and there's no chance they won't follow that trend here. Too bad youtubers don't boycott that crap.

[@The_Reality_Filter]

Here's the thing though if they really wanted to "reflect what the world actually looks like." they would've had 60% of the cast being Asian(20% would be Chinese) and yet there are no Asians and the only diversity is sub-saharan Africans. That's not diverse at all that seems racist.

[@frocat5163]

Galadriel is tracking down the orcs and _COLLABORATORS?_ When I first heard that, I immediately wondered how the hell they thought there would be elves who collaborated with the Enemy. The only elf to ever come close to "serving" Morgoth was Maeglin, and he couldn't really be called a collaborator. He made a shitty decision based on his own selfish desire for Idril, but that's not collaboration. I've since decided perhaps the collaborators are the Easterlings who served Morgoth and betrayed the Elves and Edain during the Nirnaeth Arnoediad. Of course, based on the other things these idiots have done, I fully expect there to be many elven men who collaborated with Morgoth. Because of course they would. EDIT: LOL for real at those two self-proclaimed "Tolkien Scholars" being so ill-informed, ignorant and arrogant to belittle an _actual_ Tolkien expert like Mr. Hostetter. It's yet another example of how these idiots actually know nothing at all about the world they're bastardizing, and are so far up their own asses they can't even be bothered to know the individuals who have performed actual research into Tolkien and his works. It's hilarious to see Mr. Hofstetter completely own them like that.

[@quickclaw240]

No beard on the dwarf women! Minus 100 points. Baruk khazad khazad ai menu!

[@jimkluska253]

Awesome vid! Ur monotone delivery sums up perfectly what this show will deliver. Blah, blah, meh, meh. What's for dinner. But according to the shills it's gonna be the bestest everrr

[@mrcat3493]

I can’t get past Elrond’s boy-band haircut.

[@artnull13]

Sounds more like D&D than LotR

[@rumination2399]

I like your understated exasperation. Too much breathless outrage about this

[@Bigby-von-Wolfburg]

I am sorry, but WTF is this single mother bullshit? I totally lost it at that part xD LMFAO

[@Catholicdragonslayer]

The best part is that until only a few hundred years ago, and even today with the exception of a relative handful of places (like parts of the U.S. and increasingly Europe), the different "races" (however you cash that out) didn't really intermingle in a single nation-state or culture. So even *if* they want to make this "look like the real world" or even "look like the modern real world", there isn't really a need for racially diverse casting, unless you want it to look like New York City or something.

[@skatemetrix]

The biggest reason why Rings of Power will be utterly awful, ignoring all the casting decisions and politics Amazon has thrown into it, is for the following reason: Amazon only has rights to the Hobbit and LOTR. They must tell the story of the Second Age using only the appendices and bits and pieces scattered around the LOTR books. They don't have the rights to the Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales or anything of the History of Middle Earth which constitute the chief amount of material for the Second Age. Which means most, if not nearly all, of the material in Rings of Power is going to be non-Tolkien material. The best example of why this fails is the Hobbit trilogy of films; there the writers had to invent characters and new plotlines which were of average or poor quality when compared with Tolkien's original works. This really dragged down the Hobbit films, while nearly all issues with the suburb LOTR film trilogy occur due to the introduction of new non-Tolkien material. The conclusion from all this is obvious: Rings of Power is going to be an utter trainwreck with most scenes being non-Tolkien scenes, and the key events described by Tolkien in the LOTR appendices will be loosely adhered to. An example from your video and quoting the article: "As the series begins, Galadriel is hunting down the last remnants of their collaborators, who claimed the life of her brother." Question: Which brother? Nowhere in LOTR or the Hobbit does it mention Galadriel having a brother or any other sibling. Thus the screenwriters must create a new character who will look similar to Finrod (which is why that image of "Finrod" has confused the fans" but will not be Finrod. This they can get away with as long as this character does not "contradict" the story of LOTR. Also the mention of "collaborators" is a major red flag as there is only one known Elven character who deliberately betrayed other Elves and that is Maeglin; the Elves do not collaborate with Morgoth or Sauron, they may be tortured and mutilated and even twisted into Orcs, but inwardly (in the absence of torture or mutilation) they will not betray their own kind to save themselves or to seek personal gain.

[@CounciloftheRings]

Well the Fellowship of fans firmly believes that Will Fletcher will play Finrod. Not the Finrod we know from the books of course 😩

[@skatemetrix]

@@CounciloftheRings I don't think Finrod can be used in Rings of Power, and if he was he cannot be referred to as Galadriel's brother because that connection is only revealed in the Silmarillion which Amazon don't have rights too. I think the Tolkien fans, and those holding out hope that the show may be good and may have access to additional First Age and Second Age material, have been completely and utterly misled by the very image Amazon released which showed the "Two Trees of Valinor." Amazon can actually show the Two Trees as these are referred in the LOTR appendices "... the radiance of the Two Trees, Telperion and Laurelin, that gave light to the land of the Valar." Thus Amazon can show the Two Trees but not reveal anything else about them except that they were destroyed by Morgoth- but they can't even mention exactly how the Two Trees were destroyed. Amazon has pages 1352 to 1358 of LOTR to refer to key events in the First and Second Age, with a sprinkling of tidbits scattered in the rest of the books.

[@Tar-Elenion]

@@skatemetrix Finrod, Galadriel's brother, is mentioned in LotR: "She was sister of Finrod Felagund, Friend-of-Men, once king of Nargothrond, who gave his life to save Beren son of Barahir." App. B "Noblest of all was the Lady Galadriel of the royal house of Finarfin and sister of Finrod Felagund, King of Nargothrond." App. F

[@wd2989]

Yes Finrod is mentioned in the LOTR Appendix. And the story of how he died in the dungeon is in The Silmarillion. So I was very surprised when the Fellowship of fans indicated it was “Finrod in a battle scene”… gave me pause… what are the showrunners inventing now ?? Setting the stage for “a reason for Galadriel to be angry” is my guess. More made up crap/fiction to substantiate their warrior motif.

[@istari0]

There have been multiple reports of the show being given permission from the Tolkien Estate to use material from other texts. Given that people have been justifying (or trying to justify) changes made for the show based on information from other books, I believe these reports to be at least partly true. It was always obviously true that they would need to write new material for the show because of the lack of 2nd Age material that Tolkien did write. What they should have done is use what he did write as the starting point for new material. What they have done is change what he wrote and add new material that is not consistent with what he wrote, using a variety of foolish justifications as we have seen.

[@JamieZero7]

6:58 I just noticed that elf is wearing an ent's face. Yavanna would be annoyed.