IT'S OVER! But How Did It Go? | Episode 8 Reaction | The Rings of Power

[@Emanon...]

The absolute _worst_ part is actually Arondirs fake-out. He was stabbed, got the "dramatic slow-mo death" treatment, and not only is he not dead (which is par for the course in almost every show nowadays), but he's not even wounded and its never acknowledged by anyone! It's as if it didn't happen! I mean, what in the actual fuck!

[@goodputin4324]

that's why I am done when I saw black and Asian elves in this Season.

[@zStC1]

​@goodputin4324 you have no place in the tolkien community. We all shun you.

[@zStC1]

​@@goodputin4324arda is no place for being ignorant/openly racist.

[@QaHh224]

Was the stupidest thing i've ever seen he was stabbed twice but magically heals off screen haha just ridiculously stupid I went back and watched his death again there like what was the point of it altogether haha joke

[@goodputin4324]

@@zStC1 racist how?

[@CarolinaPine]

From a lore point of view, ROP is a disaster, and from a storytelling point of view, it's a disaster.

[@janatman]

Right on! And because the storytelling is so bad, it's not engaging or even entertaining.

[@SandraOrtmann1976]

@@janatman You know something is bad when the reviews about it are more entertaining than the object in question.

[@limitless1919]

You had me on the first part, not going to lie and then you got me on the second one too haha

[@scottmataga5907]

Now that Simon Tolkien is in charge, the appendices to LOTR will be replaced in future printings by appendices reflecting ROP as canon.

[@alkintanriverdi4306]

👏👏👏

[@Raku03]

What upsets me more than anything is how Amazon boasted about having these "Tolkien experts" working on the show, yet they change things because "we like it better this way". Yeah, well WE would've liked an actual 2nd Age story.

[@allthings2allmen]

When asked, "How do we know they were experts?" The blunder twins simply replied, "They told us they were! They were super nice and gave us candy and took us for a long ride in the back of a van!" "Those ring-pops inspired us sooo much!"

[@cholst1]

The entire Gandalf and the Hobbits storyline we got purely because these hack creators "couldnt imagine middle earth without wizards and hobbits" - direct quote.

[@alicetoyou448]

Those guys are the most insufferable people I’ve ever seen

[@bigboxofstuff]

@@alicetoyou448 wait which guys? the writers or TBS?

[@alicetoyou448]

@@bigboxofstuff the creators of Rings of Power. In an after show a couple weeks ago, one looks like the love child of Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg, and the other looks like the love child of Bill Gates and Elon Musk. That’s how in touch they are with the fans.

[@janatman]

So Galadriel got the Morgul blade treatment, and Nenya is being passed around like a party favor... Even though I don't know the lore, I can't believe what I've just witnessed!

[@mckenan3578]

I know the lore, and I thought this was a great finale

[@itzvitality8420]

@@mckenan3578 it was terrible bro 😂

[@allthings2allmen]

Shows like this are necessary to bring more confusion and to further distort the true work of Tolkein! It would be no fun at all if there weren't 15 false floors & 90 trap doors! The whole thing is genius! Now I see that these writers are very wise, highly illuminated beings that want us to explore the endless possibilities!!! (sarcasm alert!!!!!)

[@mekacorno3832]

I know the lore and I find it absolutely ridiculous. The 3 were never touched by Sauron or by anyone other than elves and Gandalf.

[@TETASARAIVACS]

At least this show might push people to go read more Tolkien. 😂 For those who find it a great show, you don’t know the lore. If you do, you don’t like the show. Not compatible stuff 😂

[@Magneto_WasRight]

The RoP made The Hobbit look like a masterpiece.

[@clon76]

Nonsense. ROP is a revelation compared to that horseshit

[@stuffnsuch631]

Think you might have tumbled off that same cliff that galadrial hang glided off with her gown ​@@clon76

[@siriusb22]

@@clon76 no

[@wolfsbane9985]

​@@clon76bait

[@alicetoyou448]

They could have just had a scene between Arondir, Gil-Galad, and Elrond where Arondir basically says he doesn’t have a home anymore and they invite him to help and stay with them, but this show doesn’t believe in ever letting characters have earnest and non-argumentative conversations.

[@markgregorygacosta531]

Thank you for being honest about this show and not become Amazon shills. The Broken sword, Council of Rings and Men of the West are true tolkien fans and just about the only channels i trust.

[@CarolinaPine]

Shieldmaidens of Arda is good, but she isn't reviewing ROP.

[@SandraOrtmann1976]

IMO, The One Ring is also really good.

[@spinstu1]

Tolkien Untangled ftw

[@faustoutloud]

Agree 👍

[@N1njaZ3n]

The Dork Lords is my favorite.

[@AlexisLopez-pb8ms]

Gandalf and the Balrog being present during the forging of the rings is like having a show where a woman named Mary in 2024 giving birth to Jesus Christ and calling it an accurate timeline.

[@upschutt4842]

Calling the show bad is giving the word bad a bad reputation

[@gabemcbride108]

Doesn't anybody that made the show know that "Grandelf" and the Balrog are about 2500-3000 yrs early?! The Balrog wakes up kills Durin, but then goes back for nappy time, instead of killing everyone in the mountain right then!

[@venomdrenched]

It's kind of a weird way of including the Balrog while trying to preserve the timeline. Except now the dwarves have to be dumb and forget that it's down there.

[@sparkspl]

sound of Tolkien spinning in his grave can be heard here in central Europe.

[@ladonthegenius]

I love you guys!!! Thank you for being honest and doing an excellent job reviewing this 💩 of a show.

[@davidmulligan1761]

Any fan of tolkien, good movie making, and coherent writing should be appalled

[@allthings2allmen]

That's right coherent writing should be applied!

[@siriusb22]

The minute I heard Grand Elf I groaned.

[@astrogypsy]

Right up there with 007's cunning linguist. Hollywood culture is just shit.

[@allthings2allmen]

In darkness like this it is hardly worth opening the eyes!

[@venomdrenched]

That's a "Hold the Door" level of name origin.

[@logictotalwar1201]

It's so embarrassing the Cringe in this horrendous awful 💩 show

[@Flemming1980]

Hope someone who isn't Disney or prime finally makes a series about Tolkien and middle earth. To say the least, I am amazed and speechless by this series. It is almost as if it has been written with a kind of hatred for Tolkien and Lord of the Rings fans, as well as stories in themselves. This is just my opinion and I apologize if anyone feels offended. But how can anyone think this is a good series. Tolkien fan or not.

[@bryanmatthews2370]

Kinda like pharazon is on a witch pursuit thingy. He doesn't like her so he points and yells witch I don't think the writers forgot arondeer was stabbed by adar, I think Amazon says "eh, it's tv who will notice?" They have extreme trouble portraying scale. During the siege or eregion, why was there like 20 elves defending it? When Gil galad prepares for his stand in front of the walls of eregion why was there like 12 elves? Where is their army? They don't have a garrison? When the dwarves finally showed up why was there like 20 dwarves? They can't find some extras off the street that would work for super cheap? I feel so bad for anyone who gets introduced to lotr through rop.

[@Yugemos]

My favorite was the scene with Galadriel fighting Sourrr Ron. At one point she falls off a rock from about 5 feet off the ground and it completely disabled her...Made zero sense since moments before she leaped through the air like Michael Jordan on the moon... LOL.

[@HowellingRoots]

Haha "Dont worry about the battle in front of you .....*eyes squint*....Someone is falling in the distance" You both are awesome. From Men Of The West to The Broken Sword. I have enjoyed it all. Thank you for you guys being your most genuine selves 🤘🙏 🍻 -JRoot

[@stevie-con67]

It’s like 100 writers are told to do a little bit each but they’re not allowed to confer.

[@Yugemos]

Like building a house but the electrician, drywall guys, roofer, and framer all have different blueprints. Makes for a real shite house.

[@Aaron-zk6jn]

1000% they thought the more writers they hire, the more great ideas

[@janatman]

Make that a 100 *bad* writers because I have yet to identify a snippet of this show with good dialog.

[@allthings2allmen]

Too many cooks spoil the broth!

[@ostorry]

Threw my chopsticks down when Gandalf… happened. This whole series has been infuriating. And those ‘elves’ at the end … WOOF

[@bananaslin]

and yet you watch every episode!

[@ostorry]

@@bananaslin I live in eternal hope for what it could be 🙏

[@Yugemos]

@@bananaslin People also watched Mr. Hands, that doesn't mean they want to get fucked by a horse.

[@markgrehan3726]

Thanks guys for the honest review. It was sad to see the disappointment though as this could have been an awesome show and they blew it.

[@TheBrokenSword]

💚💚

[@chrisharris2862]

So many reviewers have missed this critical distinction between the show and the books: in TRoP, characters say one thing and mean another, i.e., they’re being ironic. Celebrimbor says “lord of the rings” just after he says Sauron is prisoner to them. In other words, Sauron is the opposite. This is basic irony as figure of speech. It’s also dramatic irony in that the audience knows Sauron is and is not lord of the rings. Also, in the show, characters’ motives are often murky such as they might act one way on one scene, then contradict themselves by acting in an opposite fashion in another. From what I remember of LoTR, the characters almost always say what they mean and act consistently with their stated motives. Just something to think about.

[@alicetoyou448]

I agree. They don’t seem to understand the characters and seem uncomfortable with earnestness and honesty.

[@nanemoon9968]

Thank you for putting the discomfort I felt but couldn't explain into words.

[@Yugemos]

Thaz not irony...

[@chrisharris2862]

@@Yugemos go ahead and inform us, then, what is it?

[@cwilli8937]

Regarding the ring and King Durin III taking it off, I internalized it as the ring (like the One Ring in the trilogy) wants to persist/"be found" and like a parasite it compelled the King to leave it behind and keep it safe. With the ring off, leaping to fight the Balrog seemed like the right thing to do, as a father and as recompense for murdering his subjects.

[@HowellingRoots]

I second that. This show is Diabolical. Not what John Tolkien would approve of....pure disrespect 😤 I cant wait for the newest 3 films by Warner Brothers & the OG Peter Jackson yo return to the fold. -JRoot

[@stevenstehling]

Anyone that argues that we should be happy to be getting any Tolkien content is frankly an idiot. Quality over quantity is absolutely true. It's also a fact that bad adaptations damage the property. It will be harder and harder to get financial investors and quality cast and crew to sign onto a ruined brand, which makes future productions crippled from the start.

[@bigboxofstuff]

YES! I was so afraid of Tolkien being ruined after the Hobbit movies took such big liberties with the story and now we have this trash heap on top of it, soon we will have Obi-wan Ktom Bombadil and the Acolstone and Radagast as headmaster at Hogwarts.

[@venomdrenched]

@@moon-moth1 The thing is, this show is SO terribly sloppy that I could question anyone truly enjoying it as a piece of fiction, even if they knew no Tolkien (even the films). There were parts of this I enjoyed and tried my best to compartmentalize, and they still fumbled a lot of it.

[@johnw1743]

33:15 They've been using 'Dutch Angles' throughout. It's meant to make you uncomfortable. See Maggie Parkes in Rings & Realms for an explanation.

[@SomeIdiotLUL]

the last moment in episode raises his sword ...dude he lost the war was enslaved an barely made it out alive ... absolutely fkn brilliant

[@stevie-con67]

The people who say the reviews are hate filled and biased etc clearly aren’t watching because everything these guys are saying is spot on. It’s embarrassingly badly written.

[@monolalia]

I haven’t wanted to watch the past couple episodes, so thanks for the recap! “Grand elf” + staff → “Gandalf” makes *some* amount of sense insofar as the “Gand-” in “Gandalf” *means* “staff”. Nori or Poppy even decide he needs a “gand” in an earlier episode. I guess it was easy to miss.

[@Mgauge]

With as much money as they spent on this, you would think Amazon could have taken a bit of it to assemble a better writing staff.

[@janatman]

@@moon-moth1 or looked like it was trimmed by a 5 year old.

[@iampetewyse]

And… I’m done. I can’t even watch it out of morbid curiosity anymore, and I don’t want to give Amazon my views. I was genuinely upset, they are butchering Tolkien’s legacy and… I can’t do this anymore.

[@Bhenderson0001]

They cannot really damage Tolkien, because it is obvious that Tolkien fans can easily distinguish between true Tolkien work and woke dei trash...... its easy to see the dividing line.

[@iampetewyse]

@@Bhenderson0001 my worry isn't the fans, because they already love Tolkien's work. My worry is the people who have only seen the show going "yeah this isn't very good, I won't bother reading the books", which is something I had to correct with a friend of mine. "No no, the text is far superior! Don't give up because of the show"

[@bigboxofstuff]

@@Bhenderson0001 Casting is not the issue in this show, if that is where you are at after everything that the hosts have said you are not listening, the cast is fine the writing is bad. Not one actor has made the show bad it is all in the writing, yes they could have made race divisions such as Easterlings and Southerners but that would be the farthest thing from what made this show unwatchable. None of the bad in this is from woke or DEI.

[@Bhenderson0001]

@@bigboxofstuff I think it is all those involved that are the problem, not just the actors. They are so concerned with what they want to add to Tolkiens work that they fail to approach Tolkiens work properly.

[@clon76]

​@iampetewyse What a dumb concern 🤣 🤣 Why would you care if people read some dude's fantasy books? 😆

[@Renie20D]

1) the dialogue was absolutely horrible. 2.) and the show just tosses around member berries after member berries after member berries to the point where all I could do is put my head to my hand to my head 🤦

[@philipg6579]

You guys, men of the west and the broken sword are true Tolkien fans

[@denglongfist4270]

And they did the balrog whip on Durin III… all the callback stopped being cute and are just a symptom of lazy writing and lack of ideas

[@Yugemos]

I'm honestly surprised they didn't have him say, "Run, you fools!"

[@Faktor13]

funny how there are only positive comments on X, but I guess only shippers are left to watch. But at least wo know, that Gandalf is Gandalf, what a shocker...not

[@NIXXUN]

if twtitter hype is to believed morbius would have made money acolyte wouldnt be canceled lol

[@jordanmince7613]

twitter shouldn't be taken serious

[@LeandraMullins]

I am going to post of X here in a well I got spell check before I do

[@keijikhan7562]

The only thing I had some hope for in this bloody mess was that at least the stranger was one of the Blue Wizards. But nope, not even that, the series is without a doubt a multi-million dollar middle finger to everyone who cares at least a little bit.

[@giulioaprati338]

Did you not see galadriel falling on a tree before falling to the ground?

[@elMentity]

Haven't seen the episode yet. Care so little about "spoilers" that I'm watching your coverage first. Good o. Yall for making the effort! RoP aint nothing without great youtubers reacting 😅

[@Sondre_Friis_Nyberg]

To be fair about the crown-stab wound, it was Morgoth's crown. And he is, as yourself said, evil itself. It's not such a stretch to give it some kind of dark magic effects, such as the morgul blade effect. And the morgul blade doesn't directly stop healing abilities (at least as far as I remember), it transfers(?) you to the shadow realm/turning you into a wright. And since Sauron is Sauron, he already is partly in the shadow realm. I think this episode was one of the better of season 2. However, it doesn't change the fact that this whole series is shitting on Tolkien's legacy/works.

[@karlsweeney2328]

Keep it up, boys. When people ask me about this show (and I've only seen the first season), I immediately begin to seathe. So anyone who's annoyed by your criticism is a crybaby.

[@thesiberianproductions3748]

I think orcs are redeemable, but not until Arda is remade and Eru can undo the corruption of Morgoth

[@bigboxofstuff]

I mean it is defiantly a 4th age thing. I love that in World of Warcraft the Orcs are the better side and fully redeemable just have some bad leaders. but Tolkien's Orcs will be harder to do, they are written for the heroes to slay and really not much else, so adding some redemption to them is fine. But this show says "see orcs are okay, but lets keep killing them anyway."

[@roguexranger9043]

The ending gives me so much hope for the rise of Gondor and in fighting with the dwarves for power as well as the fight between sauron and the elves.

[@jamalesis]

The story is all over the place there’s no build up to a climatic meeting or ending. The visuals and the designs are on point and dope. They have also destroyed the character arch’s of each person in the story, changing the timeline and some what of the direction is one thing, but once you’ve changed the intent and what the characters are you have destroyed the entire reason you having a fan base. It’s just all bad. I don’t see them making it 5seasons. This isn’t even a continuation of the Peter Jackson’s take. I guarantee the writer haven’t even read any of tolkens work.

[@allthings2allmen]

I seriously expected to see Sauron & the Balrog in tails, top hats & canes in lock step singing "Me & My Shadow!" (perhaps with an encore performance of "Puttin' on the Ritz" to close the episode?) I seriously think if the writers had their way this production would have been a Broadway musical! The worst ever! That was the thinnest part of the 4th wall in their brains! They skate on both sides of the ice I do believe. Agreed that Vickers did do a great job. Excellent evil portrayal. I like the "not Gandalf" actor too. But as you say they'd all be better in something well written well produced!

[@ManishHBelani]

The dwarf army was not even shown.. LOLOL

[@johnw1743]

Not exactly the arrival of the Rohirrim was it?

[@venomdrenched]

Well, yeah, there were still a bunch of elves and orcs standing in the way.

[@RobKlarmann]

Here are a few things (just a few!) that make NO SENSE: 1. Durin has more power with ring on, so why wouldn't he keep the ring to fight off the Balrog? And what are the chances that the Balrog will now stay sitting in the Khazad-dûm cellar for the next 1,000+ years? Perhaps Disa will be tasked to sing him lullabies? 2. Isildur is set up to be this sad guy who feels rejected a lot...plus mother dying (his fault). No wonder he won't part with the precious! 3. The Adar storyline was such a waste! All this fighting for the ring, for him then to easily just hand it to Galadriel. Would have loved a more clever reveal. Like Annatar coming up to face him, while he is wearing the ring. Adar could have pulled a cool switcheroo (or also kissed Galadriel while handing her the ring LOL) or just something. An Adar vs. Annatar fight was needed...more so than a Galadriel/Sauron fight. And they could have still had the Orcs turning on Adar. But they just thought copying the same killing frenzy from Episode 1 was going to close the story arc well. Which it didn't. We're still no wiser as to who he was or is. Could have been a great situation where Adar reveals why he tried to overthrow Sauron in the first place. But the writers suffer from amnesia! Suddenly, Adar didn't matter anymore. But he also wasn't somebody who did anything to elevate the overall story. Makes me SOOOO angry for the great actors.

[@eaglefangkaratedojo7473]

Adars Sindarin name has been confirmed to be Algolodh. It translates to “not lore master” in honor of Amazon.

[@limitless1919]

They managed to make big plots lame and with no payoff

[@Whyred100]

Great stream lads - gonna miss these breakdowns 😌.

[@xBRVTALx]

Why is Sauron having a sword fight with Galadriel? That is beneath him. He doesn’t need to hide who he is anymore or hide his power. It shouldn’t even be a fight, he could level her with a thought.

[@dillansmith6833]

I agree but the again I'm reminded of the folder that held there own against morgoth and multiple balrogs, it's not outta the realm of possibility at least I dont think

[@dillansmith6833]

Noldor

[@xBRVTALx]

@@dillansmith6833 fingolfin had a melee with Morgoth only because A. He was the challenger and Morgoth had to fight him to save face, and B. Morgoth was so diminished by that point that he had exhausted almost all of his divine power. Had he not been diminished he could have opened a chasm beneath fingolfin and dropped him to his death.

[@dillansmith6833]

Ur prolly right u definitely seem more knowledgeable about it then I am. And that kick was ridiculous for sure lol. The noldor fought whole wars against these beings how did the stand a chance to begin with?

[@venomdrenched]

It would been hilarious if after all that Grand-Elf stuff, when Tom brought up the name subject he was like. "Mithrandir."

[@astrogypsy]

The two "deaths" of Balrogs we have in the writings are both connected to a fall from a precipice. No wings. The description from Moria is impressionistic. Just my take on it.

[@AlexisLopez-pb8ms]

I’m here to watch the details. I trust your reactions. It saves me time.

[@blackwolf4653]

So Gandalf arrived with a Meteor shot from Valinor to middle earth.? That‘s….just dumb man.

[@InspiringPhilosophy]

I feel bad for LOTR channels that have to watch the show. I gave up half way through season 2. It is not even fun to hate watch.

[@Flemming1980]

The only positive thing about rings of power is that you see the community and opinion of Tolkien fans who come out and say their opinion about this series in a call to protect and honor Tolkien's original works. Thanks for all your videos about middle earth, as well as your honest opinion about this series.

[@astrogypsy]

Yea, I can not force myself to sit through it, so thanks for suffering on my behalf. As a fan and student of the works, I feel obligated to be informed about the expressions that come into our culture, but try as I might, I can not deal with the catastrophe that has been ROP

[@TheEmaTOB]

So sad to see the Tolkien Legendarium treated with such laziness. I understand if writers couldn’t stick to the lore (as Peter Jackson couldn’t) but at least try to put together a compelling story, give those characters some dignity, give the audience something to connect with.. seems like it’s too much to ask. I’m simply sad this is what we get these days

[@ceciliabuchanan2417]

I don't believe Tolkien necessarily said no one is completely evil. I think he more said that no one is beyond redemption which to me is different. Sauron could have been redeemed but his pride kept him from so doing. It's a pretty Christian concept that redemption is available to all but not all will choose it.

[@rachel-8636]

Best way i can look at it is all the characters are where they need to be to set up a better season 3.

[@giovannischulze1253]

There once was a show on Prime For which Jeff dropped more than a dime It had many an elf The effects were top shelf It proceeded to waste of everyone's time.

[@faustoutloud]

I haven't watched 1 episode of the Rings of Trash but I did tune in weekly to my Favorite Tolkien Channel to see what they said about it and we all laughed together at this disaster. 😅😊❤

[@analourenco3185]

@@faustoutloud rings of trash is a good one😂 But I prefer rings of poop 😂 they're both funny

[@clon76]

What a sad existence

[@BLD426]

They've all been bad, but I was laughing my ass off during this one.😁

[@stuartedwards8188]

So I gave up after wk 4, I would rather watch your review. Well done lads for pure Grit and determination.

[@alicetoyou448]

I’ll only watch next season if that’s the last I’ll ever see of Nori and Poppy. My boyfriend and I were stealing some choice phrases from Golum to describe them by this ep.

[@jimtunney9419]

I think they’re setting Galadriel up to get arondir. There’s been a couple of scenes with those two now where it looks like there’s a bit more going on

[@adrianbardan782]

we made it boys! we survived another season!

[@AlexisLopez-pb8ms]

The best part of this show is we go into another two years of not having to deal with this show. Hopefully 3 years. But wait for next week when the showrunners release a statement that season 3 is going to be lore accurate. I swear they act like politicians.

[@childishbrownie]

The level of agony " I love being here exists, it will be nice to talk to you guys" in their voices before the show starts

[@wijammin6684]

As a lifelong Chelsea fan and lover of the Welsh countryside, I feel you guys were pandering at the end of the episode. 😁

[@mrman-yj3bn]

The tree broke her 500 ft fall :)

[@mattkofron1481]

Y'all should try to crowd fund a 15 minute proof of concept. And if that was epic, then crowd fun the whole thing.

[@TarnishedWayn3]

Really appreciate y’all and your channel. Thanks for covering this. I think it’s possible I wouldn’t mind the show if I hadn’t read the books….. but we’ll never know 😂

[@janatman]

I've never read the books and come to this world only through PJ's movies, but I can assure you that the bad writing, weird pacing, internal inconsistencies, and callbacks galore make this series a total slog.

[@TarnishedWayn3]

@@janatman I was afraid of that 😅

[@markgrehan3726]

I was hoping the Evil wizard would be Khamûl before he becomes a Nazgul but it seems not. 😪 And I still have no idea how with the alleged budget this show has why they rushed everything. Elendil goes from being just another noble to being deeply in love with Queen-Regent Míriel and having that love reciprocated within weeks? And the rings corrupt, it's Dwarves and Elves even before they put them on it's just so weird. The Rings have already become like the Force they can do whatever the writers need but their abilities will be forgotten and replaced with something else in the next scene. So, Gandalf got his name in the same stupid manner that Han Solo got his?

[@zentzisz]

On a positive note rings of power is really good if you struggle to sleep at night

[@MashupsByMandy]

if the balrog is copyrighted as a character that is only registered in the books to have appeared in the third age, Amazon could technically be sued for including it because they only acquired rights for a specific era (time wise) from tolkien's lore. The only issue I see is if somehow they could argue in court that the balrog being technically immortal means he was existing in the second age, therefore his addition is valid, I think it would be a legal mess if there was a lawsuit and it went that path, but it also possibly could go the route of lawyers looking through what was exactly licensed and what characters are mentioned to be in that license by association or direct mention.

[@MashupsByMandy]

@@moon-moth1 they can't use third age characters, they got the license to use characters and setting from a specific period of the second age, the inclusion of the Balrog could be crossing a legal line.

[@venomdrenched]

@@MashupsByMandy That would apply to Gandalf and Tom too. They all existed at the time, but weren't doing anything that's mentioned... it's all extrapolated from their later appearances. I don't know what their actual license is, so it might be included. That would be a pretty big fumble of them otherwise.

[@MashupsByMandy]

@@venomdrenched I don't think they call those characters by their known third age names, which makes it so they can claim that gandalf is actually one of the blue wizards.

[@kanahjohnson509]

Hey The Penguin is good tho

[@TETASARAIVACS]

Remember: Balrogs have fiery whips that they use to pull people by their legs 😂

[@BlackSabbath31]

The Lore......it was ripped apart from the first second this show started. An atrocity.....an abomination. Sadly, truly i think Master Tolkien would be spinning in his grave just of thinking about this "show". Thanks for the Review, it was funny and i like your content! Greetings from Switzerland.

[@MysteriousAuthor99]

As much as the delivery of "Sauron, Lord of the Rings" was cheesy/clunky, I do somewhat like the idea of Celebrimbor calling him that as an echo of Annatar, Lord of Gifts; it cues a shift in Sauron's persona, he's no longer truly in disguise. Taken earnestly, I like the interpretation that Sauron's tears in that moment were a sort of egotistical catharsis- that he's not mourning Celebrimbor at all, but swelling with pride at his plan coming to fruition. Perhaps the closest thing Sauron could experience to "tears of joy."

[@chrisharris2862]

“The camera angles are all canted…” Could it be Adar is lying to Galadriel?

[@jrconway3]

"Kings of men, mighty men" That literally IS Pharazon though. Pharazon was a mighty king who actually defeated Sauron quite handily. His hubris is believing he could not be corrupted. He did steal the throne, but he was overall a great mighty man and king. Not THIS version of Pharazon, of course. They already ruined that.

[@PipePhilosophy1377]

At this point it’s just comedy. I watch it just to laugh at how much of an abomination it truly is

[@thomasparsons9866]

I’m learning how to make middle age costumes and am writing with some friends. We could probably make a more accurate adaptation of the Children of Hurin or any story in Arda than major studios at this point.

[@JulieMoran1832]

Rings of Power is a show of missed opportunities. It well never live up to its potential with Payne and McKay at the helm and Simon digging his fingers into everything.

[@StarsAndDreamz]

Reframing it as "not a LotR prequel, it's a Peter Jackson's LotR Prequel" absolutely fixes this in my head. Now I can watch it with no brain and just enjoy it as Tolkien-esque fantasy. Thanks guys!

[@StarsAndDreamz]

@@moon-moth1 I appreciate your opinion but it won't change mine. ☺️. It's multiverse theory. If there's a true Tolkienverse, there are an infinite amount of shitty, poorly-written copies. I choose to find some of those shitty, poory-written copies entertaining. 😄

[@soup_doctor]

Sauron was the best thing about this episode and the show. I don't know why they brought back the Sauron x Galadriel thing though...

[@TETASARAIVACS]

C’mon guys! ILL FORTUNE TO PACK A DAGGER IN A BAG! Say it cuts a journey short! 😂😂😂

[@timwilkinson3139]

I thought the wizards werent in middle earth until the 3rd age! The dark wizard is saying that there are 5 of them there at the time of the show?

[@larry691]

@@timwilkinson3139 you are correct! More lore breaking from the show runners

[@johnw1743]

The arrival of the dwarven 'army' was yet another huge letdown. Half a dozen archers on a wall is not an army! All the 'big' battle scenes in both seasons have been damp squibs. The show keeps reminding me of those low-budget plays the BBC used to do in the 70s where all you see are a handful of extras and the rest is left to the imagination. Where did all the money go?

[@gooselepan836]

They made it more dramatic than it should be! It was like I was watching an Indian soap opera!

[@Mabon-sz9nz]

So Galadriel was resurrected and became 'White' Galadriel?

[@bigboxofstuff]

I would agree that the show would detract from the World of Tolkien, for those that do care about the lore it is really heart breaking and for those that don't know anything about it other then the films it will mislead them, even if they like it and it makes them read more it will make them think Tolkien is wrong, if they don't care it will just be rip offs of Star Wars, Harry Potter and Peter Jackson and won't bring them into the world.

[@MattSmith49306]

Finally got round to watching the finale yesterday, and I haven't read through all the comments, but I have to wonder if why the Balrog didn't continue after Durin4 and Deesa was that when it and Durin3 clashed, you see rock falling, so did it seal over the opening Durin3 made and so it somehow couldn't get through? Also, concerning the "hobbits", you have Poppy Proudfellow and Nori Harfoot, do you think somehow from those families we get the Proudfoots/Proudfeet from the Shire?

[@dmcc2873]

The best that the smiths of the 2nd age had the same skill-levels as Augie in Role Models. Seriously - bland, ill-fitting costumes made the battles look like a Sunday meet of the local larp club.

[@benjohnson876]

Hey guys, I love the LOTRs films and the Hobbit is fine too. I am only now as an adult listening to the audiobooks read by Andy Serkis. I'm about an hour into Two Towers. I havent check out the Hobbit book yet, I know I'm back to front but nostalgia from the films took me. Anyway, I'm not massively up on the lore yet, what is ROP based on the Silmarillion? I always heard that was a tough read, what makes it so? Is it one long cohesive story on the overall world of middle earth? I watched like 2 episodes of ROP and it just didnt vibe with me so I'll probably swerve the rest of it. Great work gents!

[@x0UncleSam0x]

24:30 it was obvious that Celebrimbor was saying Lord in irony

[@lukefranklin7363]

You guys made a significant error in relation to who heals Galadriel. Gil-Galad posseses Vilya, the ring of healing. Elrond only receives the ring following Gil-Galad's departure with the Last Alliance. Therefore, it makes total sense that Gil-Galad, holding the ring of healing, the high king of the race, likely the person who taught Elrond how to heal, would take charge in this situation. It appears in your attempt to criticise the show at all turns (which I agree with) leads you to miss some crucial lore points.

[@yomamma.ismydaddy216]

You didnt read the bridge of khaza dum passage closely enough if you think the balrog definitely had wings