The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power - Episode 4 "The Great Wave" - Review

[@ARBLACKx]

We are now 4 hours into this show (more than the FOTR extended edition) and literally nothings happened and its so boring. Amazon really fked it up with this show. Shouldve spent all the $$$ getting rights to the silmarillion and hiring writers who are actual fans of the material.

[@willbournerv2259]

oh things have happened, theyre just not interesting things being played out by not interesting characters. they're simultaneously covering lots of ground while delivering nothing, impressive!

[@travisspazz1624]

Can't tell if this is a joke post or not. So much has happened! Sorry if you find it boring.

[@josecanal7556]

I lost it when Halbrand litteraly schools Galadriel telling her that she has to understand first the Numenoreans, learn their interests and fears before trying to make them join their side. The 5000 yrold Eldar doesn't know the bare minimum about polytics.

[@weldenjon]

Just found your channel. Wish you weren’t trying so hard to like this show. The Rings of Power is abysmal, mainly because the writing is so horrendous. Why get excited over two scenes that are Tolkienish when the rest is not? The backlash for this show is so severe (and well deserved) that I don’t believe it will ever go the distance with the number of seasons they are planning. Sorry, but you didn’t earn my subscription because of not calling this series what it isn’t. It is definitely not JRR Tolkien! I personally have had enough of this lore breaking garbage and will just stick to his books with the hope there will be another studio down the road that will do Tolkien justice like Peter Jackson at least tried to do.

[@Persephone_Personified]

This ep. was hot garbage. bleh

[@eds1942]

I don’t know, according one legend, the first Orcs were Elves that were corrupted by Morgoth. And I don’t think this Adar is an Elf. I think he’s Sauron.

[@Saetun.]

I loved you in One Punch Man

[@Dragontrumpetare]

This show isn't really the words of Tolkien. It's only inspired by his characters and placed and the second-age. It at least what Amazon tells in the aftertext of the show. So that's what they can do changes because it's really not lord of the rings.

[@tomislavcehajic9642]

I love very much original Highlander

[@majkus]

The only reservation about Rothfuss's 'Kingkiller Chronicle' is that the third book has been delayed for years and years. One can still hope he will decide it is finished, but so far it has not been very promising. Still, some of the best fantasy writing I have seen in years.

[@jimkettner8363]

Love that Rothfuss book, but stilllll waiting on the end of that trilogy. Would love to see more coverage of sci-fi/fantasy/crime lit more than the shows. Would love for more folks to fall in love with Rothfuss, Joe Abercrombie, Becky Chambers, Ann Leckie, etc.

[@evocatimedia]

Rothfuss has quit if ye ask me. Abercrombie is the true epitome of work ethic.

[@jimkettner8363]

@@evocatimedia I’ll cut Pat some slack, I’ll still want to get the end of the story,but Abercrombie’s skill of brevity and getting into it is really admirable.

[@evocatimedia]

@@jimkettner8363 I also hope Rothfuss returns to continue the saga. Even if he has to do it in more parts.

[@konshtok]

the name of the wind is book one in an UNFINISHED trilogy the 2nd book was published in 2011 - draw your own conclusions also with VOD (streaming) shows in the same genre are not in competition with each other if anything a good show makes you want to see other shows like it if ROP was good it would be getting (and sending) viewers from/to HOTD

[@elenavorobeva6747]

I think they should give them a second season, course can be corrected, better writers hired. Of course, this will never become a real Tolkien, but a good series may still be

[@stevetobin7495]

Name of the wind is wonderful but the 3rd book is well overdue

[@lesliebailey1]

that book is amazing!! don"t read your book to fast because the author is taking forever to come out with the final book.

[@jibberish00]

Ohh… to read Name of the Wind again for the first time…what a treat

[@evocatimedia]

Yeah… like a first dose of opium and then after another dose the author kicks you out of the den and lets you wait 11 YEARS. And counting… Most readers have forgotten so much of that book that they can probably only name 2 characters. (at gun point)

[@jibberish00]

@@evocatimedia I believe you mean it’s like taking your first hit of denner resin! 😅 IMO, name of the wind is great, large sections of wise man’s fear are great, but it’s ultimately over-bloated and directionless. I will read doors of stone WHEN and IF it gets released, but only out of a banal curiosity, not out of excitement-that died years ago.

[@evocatimedia]

@@jibberish00 True.

[@DrDetfink]

This whole production is banking on this preconceived belief, it’ll be popular enough to warrant 5-6 seasons. Wondering if the 8th and final episode of Season one ends with the fate of Nùmenor while Sauron is revealed under the nose of the “Glam-azon” Gladriel.

[@deanzaZZR]

Celebrimbor met Eärendil?

[@nuffsaidny]

LOL @ “sad and demoralized” people are crazy 😭

[@a77ack69]

I feel like i just dont care about the characters

[@deanzaZZR]

So much talk about racism among fans, yet so much strife between elves and men, elves and dwarves/dwarfs. Thank goodness that Girl Power wins out in the end. What power in the Southlands can stand up to the might of Numenor? I guess we will find out. We have already seen Galadriel and Miriel in a calvary charge in the trailers.

[@glibglob8755]

Who cares about this show? You should be reviewing Pearl.

[@ray.b.75]

You’re all over the place today lol. Too many side topics…

[@anoccomir]

lotr rop is just boring and badly written

[@federerfanatic]

You need to learn to breath and talk James 🙂

[@Rommulo35628]

More like the great failure. 👊👊👊👊

[@dddtrump]

After so many LONG DULL Harfoot scenes I was so happy that Episode 4 had ZERO harfoots. The Orcs remain the BEST characters .

[@mikeburchart8522]

Galadriel managing to shove four Numenorean guards into her cell (without even using any magic at all, by the look of it) and then make her way to the King's Bedchamber - without being detected by anyone on the way - really was jaw-dropping.

[@mrbeety]

That part was literally lamer than a Legend of the Seeker episode. Its. just. so. stupidly. written. and. performed.

[@salomaonplanetsaturn6038]

I SCREAMED in disbelief. My wife woke up - with words - "are you mad ?" For 3 episodes, I was relaxed in face of all stupidity. This one broke me

[@Thedeepseanomad]

Instead of “There is a tempest in me” - thrown in prison and Aikido against the guards. How about a more refined version of the following: Scorned, Galadriel suddenly seemed to stand yet taller. Terrifyingly fair, proud and bright she stood before them. Then she spoke, and her voice was that of clear ice: You dare to betray your oaths and stand against me, men of Edain!? I, daughter of Finarfin, who walked the immortal lands of Valinor and bathed in the light of the trees before your ancestors carried the first stone to build the cities of men! She raised her hand. A white flash washed over them and fourth, and the room shook like struck by thunder as the men fell crying to the floor, smitten with a great force. or something along those lines.

[@user-fm3xr9yz3i]

She killed a snow troll single handedly, four dudes is light work.

[@salomaonplanetsaturn6038]

@@user-fm3xr9yz3i there is no question, she can fight Morgoth one on one. I can bet my left boot on it 🥷

[@marna_li]

I don't understand why they are trying to make allegories about racism in our world. The reason for some Men in Tolkien's work disliking Eleves and the Valar is because of their immortality. For a character, who is white, to hatefully say to Arondir that they don't want "pointy ears" here - to Arondir who is the only elf or color - is obviously an allegory for some racism against Black people in the US.

[@antimonycup7066]

Because all of current day Hollywood writing is lazy self-insert fan fiction and on top of that these writers convinced themselves they are fighting political battles that have the same weight and gravitas as the political battles long since won like WWII or the Civil Rights movements of the 60s.

[@marna_li]

@@antimonycup7066 I miss the days when when the story of every episode of a series was self-contained. No stretched out season-wide story archs to cram every theme or trope into - with no clear goal or resolution. Storytelling used to be about making allusions, but now everything is about allegories with specific meaning to the author. This is because the activists that are writing the "stories" want to propagate their view of society and its problems, and their solutions.

[@antimonycup7066]

@@marna_li Exactly.

[@marna_li]

So imagery is more important than the actual story. That is why there is no substance. Tolkien's work has a lot of substance. Amazon has taken the imagery, then substituted the actual content, the world building, with their own narratives which are allegories of the real world. Wanting to convey their message using this imagery that they have stolen from Peter Jackson's movies, which respected the works. Making a mockery of both them and Tolkien.

[@antimonycup7066]

@@marna_li 👏👏👏

[@kriswalter560]

I'm unsure I can continue watching RoP: the writing is so poor, and Galadriel is so unlikable. Sad.

[@chaz9808]

Really not feeling this show so far it’s sad such a waste of money and resources the people involved in this are not fans you can tell

[@bernhardtsen74]

biggest money laundring I have ever seen!how come Galadriel got resting biatch face 80 percent of the time shes on screen?Dwarves carving out their homes to fit Humans too? I would have thought Elrond would have walked around like Gandalf in Bilbos house!

[@immortal5626]

Im enjoying it so far and so are a lot of other people. Wouldnt say its a waste of money and recources. Yes they could have made something much much better but we got what we got. I enjoyed eps4 a lot more than the first 3. And find myself looking forward to the next episode. But ofcourse its all personal preference so i respect your opinion.

[@majkus]

Adar (Sindarin for 'father', even though the writers seem to think all the Elves speak Quenya) is plausibly the 'father' of many of the Orcs, one of the original Elves captured and corrupted by Morgoth, from whom the Orcs were bred (in at least one version of the tales, and alluded to by Saruman in the Jackson film). There are problems with that, of course, but still…

[@ap5672]

Start at 6:00, then start again to hear the preface.

[@sabineb.5616]

Frankly, most of us might feel a bit down if we had to review this mess of a tv show. It´s flabbergasting that Amazon spent so much money on this thing. I don´t even like the look of the show, and I do not think at all that the CGI is very good. The elves look terrible, and each scenery - except for the realm of the rustic humans - looks too shiny and artificial. It´s just not convincing - and I haven´t even said anything about the plot blunders! And I totally agree with you that Peter Jackson´s LOTR trilogy is in many ways a stroke of genius. And at least the first movie of the Hobbit-trilogy is great in comparison with ROP. I recently re-watched the LOTR trilogy because I wanted to find out, if it is really as great as I remember it, or if it did not age very well. And, yes, it did age very well. And compared with fantasy movies of the last 10 years, it actually looks better in many ways, because many great effects have been created without too much CGI. Gandalf´s fight against the balrog, and the Battle of Helms Deep are as great as movie making can get! So far we have not seen anything even remotely as good after four hours of ROP. The cinematography sucks, and I cannot understand, why so many professional reviewers gave the show such high ratings.

[@travisspazz1624]

Lol unexpected journey is easily the worst.

[@diegofsv]

The Name of the Wind is AWESOME. But get ready to be pissed with Rothfuss not releasing Doors of Stone.

[@marlonjormungand7845]

It started awesome and got mediocre imo, imlortant things do not happen andd some characters get sooo annoying

[@travisspazz1624]

This show is critic proof to me at this point. I've seen legit articles say it's fantastic and others say it's horrendous. Idk, it's got some screws loose, but I'm really enjoying it. I look forward to it more than HOTD to be honest.

[@ghostwolf1435]

I kind of enjoyed it but it's tepid at best I really tried 😪 because I love LoTR I'm just not feeling this series yet I'll watch the rest of course it doesn't have that pull that HoTD does for me

[@mrbeety]

"Tempest in me." line is a rip off from when Cate Blanchett plays Elizabeth in Elizabeth and the Golden Age. Cate Blanchett pulled it of 1000 % better.

[@salomaonplanetsaturn6038]

I literally screamed from frustration this episode 3 times. Galadriel - put three guys in a cell with movement of a hand, just begs belief. Isuldur and sister - just ... Get rid of this romantic story! We are wasting time - on nothing interesting ☹️ Adar - I like the idea of elf, but... Realisation, my god ((( Where is Witch king anyway 😐 I want Sorcerer king to be seduced, black numenorians - not this crap they show me 🥱 I'm really angry, tired of giving it a chance PS. I don't like music, it tries too much to be epic.

[@evocatimedia]

Then don’t watch it. When it’s complete you can rush through it like a hungry warg. I think that for the 2,99 per month… this is a lovely bargain. I mean… I didn’t invest MY money, energy and time in this production. So far it’s decent enough, not great or truly epic but a fair attempt. I’ll hold my condemnation, gallows, axe, torches and pitchfork till season 1 is completed.

[@salomaonplanetsaturn6038]

@@evocatimedia I don't pay for it 😳 And I was calm - for first 3 episodes, as stated. 😇

[@evocatimedia]

@@salomaonplanetsaturn6038 Well, then you win either way. Don’t get angry over money you didn’t spend. How you spend your TIME is another issue.

[@EastofVictoriaPark]

It could rub people the wrong way, but taking things a little lighter, the Clerks line about LoTR was funny.

[@oxhine]

Hey, James! Did you notice this? EASTER EGGS: In the room with the Palantir, you can see Narsil, the axe and shield of Tuor and the Dragon-helm of Dorlomin worn by Turin. James, what do you make of this? THEORY: Adar is Maglor, the sole son of Feanor and participant in the First Age Kinslayings whose fate is unknown. He fostered Elrond and Elros. He was scorched when he held a Silmaril which burned him for his evil deeds. Do you think that fits?

[@madmartigan8119]

There is way to much options out there for me to give multimillionaire dollars shows time to correct there mistakes or bad writing while still investing time watching hour long episodes just to be left feeling sad at how great it could have been with a better production team

[@JF-Sebastian]

If you're going to review something you shouldn't feel reticent about criticising it should the need arise. There's really no point in trying to put a positive spin on something you find objectionable or below par. I'd much rather see someone give their honest opinion; there's really no point in holding back.

[@tomislavcehajic9642]

Vileneuve have budget for Dune part 1 like 90 mil, one episode of this series are 60 mil, what i have say to that and Dune is one of best looking movie ever made

[@enriquecabada8841]

not sad and demoralized maybe indifferent 🤣🤣

[@chippewaguy4193]

The only show that you should sit through shitty seasons to get to the good stuff is Black Sails.

[@jimmy_x557]

The saddest thing about this show is how forgettable it is going to be

[@Thedeepseanomad]

Is Adar one of the original 144 that was taken by Morgoth and twisted into the first ancestor of the orcs?

[@sabineb.5616]

Yup! Adar is probably a proto-orc who retained much of his elvishness - maybe, because Morgoth still needed to refine his production mode. I have to say that is one of the few plot lines which I might find actually interesting. I was never happy with Tolkien´s orcs who are all rotten to the core and mostly easy-to-kill cannon fodder for the heroes. The contest of Legolas and Gimly who try to outdo each other in the fun sport of orc-killing, is not one of Peter Jackson´s own ideas. It´s actually in the books, although Peter Jackson cranked it up to the maxx. But Tolkien used this narrative in order to show the development of Gimli´s and Legolas´ bonding and evetual friendship. Later in his life Tolkien was plagued by doubts about the nature of his orcs, and he said that he should have characterized them differently. And he could never make up his mind about the origins of orcs. Most readers and also Amazon´s show runners gravitate towards the theory that the first orc generation consisted of captured elves whom Morgoth corrupted and modified, in order to create disposable soldiers for his armees. But Tolkien had changed his mind about the origins of orcs more than once. Christopher Tolkien has found a note from his father which said explicitly that orcs don´t have an elvish origin and that he needed to change his writings. The problem is that Tolkien never developed a coherent alternative narrative. And the show runners might have felt that the corrupted-elves narrative is by far the most interesting idea. And in the 4th episode we see - probably for the very first time - that orcs have feelings and can be attached to each other and their leader. It´s a pity that we have still not seen much of Adar. But I think that the fate of him and his orcs could be one of a few things which could acually interest me. Otherwise the show has been very disappointing.

[@majkus]

@@sabineb.5616 Yes, the Orcs were a real dilemma for Tolkien, and also to his readers in later times. Do they have immortal souls if they are corrupted by Morgoth from birth? Why would Eru provide souls for such beings? Can they be redeemed? Do they have independent thought? Tolkien wrote his thoughts on these matters, but never came to a satisfactory decision, which probably tells us that even moderately intelligent (speaking) horde monstrosities are not a good idea in a deeply thought-out world in the first place. But they were part of Tolkien's cosmos since he was a very young writer, and difficult to dispose of after more than 40 years.

[@sabineb.5616]

@@majkus , I responded to your nice and thoughtful comment, but it seems to have disappeared into cyberspace. Sorry for that, and thanks for answering - and I agree with you about Tolkien and his problems with hìs orcs😀

[@genreartwithjb5095]

Don’t get all the hate for this show. It’s been entertaining so far.

[@daenerystargaryen]

Honestly, I hated name of the wind. Qvothe and Dena are such one-dimensional, boring characters. If you like complex, well structured fantasy with great characters, I recommend Gormenghast Trilogy by Mervyn Peake.

[@jibberish00]

Qvothe one-dimensional? What? How? Lol

[@LittleMutt]

Gormenghast trilogy is in a completely different, far superior, league. The protagonist of Name of the Wind is an excruciatingly irritating self-centered adolescent whiner. I got to about 40% of the book and then decided to take my hypertension seriously.

[@jibberish00]

@@LittleMuttok, but disliking a character is different from asserting that they’re one-dimensional. I can see how some would become irritated with Qvothe, but I don’t think we can say the character is undeveloped. If anything, the book spends too much time on character development. And yes, Qvothe is utterly narcissistic and painfully immature, which, to my eyes, makes him a believable teenager. They’re qualities the older Qvothe seems to disparage greatly.

[@marlonjormungand7845]

I liked the forst book although something always felt off but in the second book i begun to hate the characters and nothing important happens if i try to remember the plot its just the immature narcissist simping for a narcissistic prostitute bitch, is poor then gets famous is less poor but then all of a sudden poor again. When he was at that feminist tribe who dont believe in mammal reprodution, because whatever, i was like this cant be the same author who wrote the begonning of tho first bool.

[@josie_the_valkyrie]

I've not heard of that trilogy before. I'll have to check it out! The Book of the New Sun is also a brilliant fantasy literature series, though incredibly complex.

[@angelfieseler5358]

Thanks for the reading referral,just audio booked it since I have 12 credits and no new SA Cory or GRRM to download

[@thomasb331]

I feel that the screenwriters know exactly what they are doing, but to the point where it doesn't seem organic like a loosely planned series. My general familiarity with the 2nd Age history in Tolkien is that there will be a lot of failure, setback, and deceptions. The Southlands do become Mordor; Numenor does get destroyed; the balrog does appear in Khazad-dum. It seems like there is a lot of scene setting, with some characters set to go on long arcs, and the heavy drama and character changes coming in future seasons. In the meantime I enjoy luxuriating in a good visual depiction of Tolkien's world. I think Halbrand (the so-called true king of the Southlands) is Sauron, the deceiver. Every time there is a scene that would dissuade me there is one very quick scene or line or cut that makes me suspicious. His first line "Looks can be deceiving." Galadriel's opening monologue in Fellowship of the Ring "But they they were all of them deceived." Sauron secretly made a ring in Mount Doom in Mordor; curious that Halbrand is drawn to joining the blacksmiths in Numenor.

[@SimonCoulton]

Can’t say I watch any of your vids thinking they’re depressed rants… Twitter just gonna Twitter I guess. I think the frustrating thing with a lot of content that is coming out these days is that people WANT to enjoy it, but the creative team behind it seem to have other intentions.

[@MrLakaveli]

The name of the Wind will be bigger rhan GoT in a few years....Mark my words

[@pako4555]

I don't thinks so if they made the adaptation like rings of power.

[@mbrando4403]

this episode was great. i didnt hate 1-3 or anything, but it was quite a step up in quality this week

[@willbournerv2259]

really?

[@salomaonplanetsaturn6038]

I thought it was worse. I prefer - second and third

[@josecanal7556]

The character building is shit.

[@leostarrs-cunningham8576]

Name of the Wind is beautifully written and the framing device it uses is wonderful. Such a layered complex book.

[@daenerystargaryen]

Too bad abouth one-dimensional characters. I hate Qvothe and Dena.

[@perfidious333]

@@daenerystargaryen Thank you! 🙏 Overrated is too nice a word... Still good, but nothing magnificent.

[@evocatimedia]

Name of the Wind is the first book of another “never-ending” saga. The writer is stuck or he quit. Rothfuss started writing it in 1994. Release? 2007. Book 2 released in 2011 and now 11 years of NOTHING. It’s 2022 boys and girls. “In 2020, Rothfuss's publisher and editor Elizabeth Wollheim expressed frustration with the delay, stating she had not read "a word" of the book nine years on.[19]” The story is nice, exciting even but it’s not so complicated or wide scale that it should take this long. My warm regards to everyone that had read all available of Soiaf around 2005. Surely you agree that financial success can ruin authors. 😒

[@matt00794]

So at least with George we have sample chapters and know he’s writing. From the editor else know Patrick had issues actually working ok wise man’s fear until his editor worked more with him. Last year he had a charity goal saying he would release a chapter the goal was way over met and we still haven’t seen it in like 7 months past when he said he would release it. To be fair I think the issue is he set it up so this is the last book and there’s a ton of things that needs to happen in this book with him being a perfectionist I could see that just compounding anxiety making it hard to work

[@evocatimedia]

@@matt00794 I am guessing that he has other interests and pleasures besides writing. My guess is that financial success has done it once again. Victory has defeated him.