Rings of Power is Not Very Good: Breakdown and Analysis - Part 5: Partings

[@randomft]

10K views in the first 48 hours. Guys, I never expected anywhere near this response, given that a month ago my channel was dead I was hoping for a few hundred views. Thank you so much!

[@MrShadowfax42]

If you keep doing stuff like this on, let's be fair, crap shows, you could be massive, and you have no shortage of material. This is gold, 1:11:14 the racist/misogynist comment killed me. I'm stealing the hell out of that. The typing in Notepad sections are hilarious too.

[@randomft]

@@MrShadowfax42 Thanks! I definitely only plan to cover things that I actually care about. I have no intention of covering She-Hulk or whatever just because it's bad. I genuinely care about Lord of the Rings and I have a lot to say about Rings of Power as you can probably tell! So yeah I have no idea what I will end up doing after I finish this RoP series but we will see :)

[@MrShadowfax42]

@@randomft I was thinking more Wheel of Time than She-Hulk. I almost feel better inclined towards She-Hulk because it doesn't to pretend to be anything other than trash. And let's be honest very few people really care about She-Hulk as an IP. Anyway, here's to 4 more seasons of RoP so I can enjoy all of the far more entertaining roast videos such as your own. From Disparu, to you, to Charlie Hopkinson "Gandalf Roasts" videos, in the last month or so this stuff has been far more entertaining than anything the mainstream has to offer. Angry Joe losing his shit around the release of episode 7 was a highlight too, lol

[@AM-tk2pk]

Please make more videos! You're an absolute joy to listen to!

[@LeschekOfLechia]

3 chapters more, sir! You are doing an excellent job! I'm waiting

[@LeschekOfLechia]

I absolutely LOVE Girl-Boss speech when she mentions that the tower is a symbol of their strength. In the very next episode we discover that this tower was standing on one rope that was later on cut and building collapsed. This is hilarious.

[@nadinefeiler9204]

you just don't understand. As elves plan long term they build a demolition ripcord into all major buildings 😉

[@RoninDave]

@@nadinefeiler9204 Random Elf a thousand years ago: Findor, why are you putting a demolition ripcord in this tower? Findor: Ah, I foresee a time long from now when a desperate group of people will need it in their fight against evil. Elf: Wow! Will it help them win their battle? Findor: Not really. It'll just kill a few of the enemy and set them back for a few minutes Elf: Seems kind of pointless then Findor: Yeah, but putting demolition ripcords into towers is just kind of my thing besides I won't be there so I really don't care.

[@tsemayekekema2918]

It becomes even more retarded because the tower is really a symbol of their "colonization" by the Elves running it. Yet those morons would label critics as ists & phobes

[@spencertaylor-mrliltay]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@TheDressageAddict]

Lol and the fact that a tower holding symbolic power is a thing because it's phallic.

[@SilhouetteSE]

While the entire village wears grey potato sacks and thick sheepskins, the healer prances around in a bright blue tank top dress, whose back section looks suspiciously like a modern sports bra 😀🥴

[@HK23783]

Also, THE FUCKING COLOUR OF THER DRESS!!! it is not natural at at all, looks cheap and shows waaay too much cleavage.

[@erikgoossens1]

😂😂😂 Thanks for the laugh.

[@thurielangel3239]

This dress made me so nervous watching the show because she literally never covered up, girl must‘ve been freezing 🥶

[@SilhouetteSE]

@@thurielangel3239 Don't worry, her looove is keeping her warm 😅

[@tylerskiss]

The wardrobe department on this show should be blacklisted. And the wire work crew. In fact, I think matte painters were the only actual professionals on this show.

[@kunsagigyula8091]

Let’s be honest! This show is a real gem! The amount of great content it inspires on youtube is truly remarkable! Thank you Amazon for spending 1 billion to support talented content creators!

[@tyr3759]

Yeah, I never had this fun on a show. Not by watching the show of course, but how it utterly gets destroyed

[@tyr3759]

@@dezperado9365 Agreed. HotD is really well done, with excellent actors and a good storyline, well written. My only gripe is that it's slightly woke. But Rop is just embarrassing in every way possible. I feel for the actors who play in this trainwreck. Definitely not good on their resume.

[@Tripleat117]

We got another TLJ on our hands, RoP bringing smaller tubers to the forefront.

[@MWcrazyhorse]

Right!!! Enjoy the Clown Show!!! HONK HONK

[@sidnew2739]

Me from the future: Just wait until season 2 "Cringe of power- Electric Boogaloo"

[@natty4316]

“This tower will be a symbol of our strength” Proceeds to abandon the tower and destroy it with a single arrow

[@MortusVanDerHell]

On the Girl Boss issue, I disagree with Eowyn's assessment. Considering her position and the tasks assigned to her, she was not the helpless woman in social constraints always condemned to cower. Yes, she had had to watch her uncle being talked down by his advisor over the years and had had no chance to do anything about it. Yes, she had to watch her brother and her cousin go to war and the latter died in the process. But as Aragorn rightly said: she was not in love with him (and the man) but with the glory he represented. She wanted to achieve something and collect personal glory after all those years of enforced idleness. So much so that she rode with the king in disguise to Pellenor. But what did she leave behind? The king, Theoden, had ordered her to protect and rule the people in his absence. She was thus appointed by him quite directly as the new queen, should he and his heir (her brother Eomer) not return from the war. Would the King of Rohan appoint someone without any leadership quality and know-how ? Someone he assumed was rooted in a narrow role model, good only for child rearing and cooking ? Hardly. Eowyn is a noblewoman of a warrior race. She can fight, she understands tactics and politics, economics and law. However, she is so desperate to collect martial glory that she disguises herself, neglects her duties as a leader and wants to go into battle. Or as Pippin put it: he looked into the eyes of this young soldier and was shocked to see a man who had finished with life. Who went out to die [gloriously]. Only when she was through the meat grinder and met Faramir in the Houses of Healing did she realise what hell she had just survived - and the trauma that had dragged her into it was given time to heal. Her marriage to Faramir and her later career as a healer can only be seen as a setback as long as one ignores that Tolkien himself (as well as his son) fought in a world war. He understood better than anyone else - and better than most people living today in the western industrial nations - that the greatest happiness is to be allowed to live in peace and not to have to take up arms. He makes this happiness possible for her after her suicide attack on the Witch King. It is the greatest reward he could have given one of his characters.

[@randomft]

Great comment, I find myself in agreement.

[@thomasklima215]

Very well put, thank you!

[@MemoristCed]

A year later (or so the system says), I find this comment and it is a thing of beauty. Thank you for taking the time to write it all down.

[@majkus]

Particularly notable is the fact that all of these problems would still be there if the Tolkien names and references were erased. The 'lore' issues are a disaster of their own, but even if this were YAGMF (Yet Another Generic Modern Fantasy), it would still be a storytelling shipwreck. Your analysis is thorough and spot on.

[@PrincessFionaYT]

This is what happens when half of your billion dollar budget is dedicated to PR companies to convince people that if they don’t like the show that they are horrible people

[@calumlittle9828]

Reminds me of Creative Assembly.

[@GasparGa]

To be fair, a large (and loud) portion of people criticising the show did it for the wrong reasons and are in fact, horrible people. But yeah, I mostly agree

[@PrincessFionaYT]

@GasparGa I don’t think the percentages of those kind of people are very high and are likely equal to the amount of a holes you would find in any large group.

[@theabhorrentchef7226]

Is there a “wrong” reason for criticizing this show? Highly doubtful

[@PrincessFionaYT]

@@GasparGa loud but not that large

[@TallisKeeton]

Eowyn's cultural origins - which were Rohan's epic songs about her kingly ancestors, Eowyn's status as princess (so one of the candidates for being an heir of Edoras), Eowyn's talk about cage - not only in her own words but also Theoden's speach about her situation which proves it when he tells Aragorn about Eowin's loneliness as an orphan ( father killed by orcs and mother died of grief) and her uncle's caretaker - so it was not only her girly whim, Eowyn's frustration about supposed behaviours of Grima, Eowyn's infatuation with Aragorn, Actualy IMO all those things have worked as her motivations and made her belivable "shieldmaiden". Bronwyn got nothing of this sort of development.

[@DM-nw5lu]

I do find it odd women seem to have to excel in a "world of men" to be admirable though. We admire men who excel in our world (which sadly still is a world of men in many ways). Why are women only admirable if they succeed in a world pitted against them?

[@TallisKeeton]

@@DM-nw5lu I dont see "world of mem" and "world of women". Its the same world. Dividing it such way is destruction.

[@DM-nw5lu]

@@TallisKeeton Who rules the world now? Mostly men. So it is a world of men.

[@YouWillBeHappyOrElse]

@@DM-nw5lu It's because the people who claim to advocate for women, despise the things women naturally tend to excel at. Secretly, they only see merit in men--and not just any men, but only the most excellent men. So their idea of a "great woman" is one who is basically a great man.

[@johns1625]

Who would have guessed, the whole Harfoot storyline served only to get Gandalf alone with a hobbit again. You guys member Gandalf and the hobbit guys? When they went on that adventure? You member? I member!

[@victorcode2075]

Oh I member

[@RoninDave]

it also served as a mysterybox and misdirect of their "Who's Sauron" game but once that gets revealed it makes the Harfoot storyline completely pointless as they have nothing to do with any of the other characters and storyline. If Hobo Gandalf somehow plays a part in the going-ons of the later seasons, they could have reduced his whole Season 1 storyline to about 15 minutes

[@TallisKeeton]

if only this was not totaly against lore :D as Tolkien precisely wrote in one of his letters (I read it like 4 times) that the content of 1 and 2 ages must have been different in its vibe (in an adptation), becouse there is no place for hobbits. No Gandalf and hobbits.

[@rosiehawtrey]

LOTR secret diaries.

[@sidnew2739]

I member! I member!

[@kunsagigyula8091]

“You do not leave your super important evil macguffin in the hands of a child” Episode 6 - Arondir: “Hold my beer”

[@sailiealquadacil1284]

3:01 Here's another problem with this song: It's not a walking song. Based on the bits I've heard, I'd say it might work as a lullaby. But not as a walking song. Historically speaking, people had songs for pretty much anything, including work, different professions, the seasons, celebrations and many other things. Songs were used to pass time, or to get the rhythm right while working. Compare this song to "The road goes ever on and on" from Fellowship to get an understanding of what I mean. I can also provide a few examples of songs from my culture to highlight the difference between lullabies and walking songs. This is so bad.

[@tylerskiss]

Aren’t the lyrics just words lifted directly from one of the books? If not this song, then another. Point being, all that money and they couldn’t get a single artist to pen some original song for your fantasy epic!? This show was such a blatant money laundering scam.

[@sailiealquadacil1284]

@@tylerskiss I honestly couldn't tell you, I never heard the entire thing, and have zero desire to change this. But I wouldn't be surprised if they did just that.

[@TheL0ngbeard]

It's worse than that, it's a song about leaving home and wandering the world, which is not something that the little psychos do. It's like people from the heartland of Europe singing about the sea which they have never ever seen. And some of the words are stolen (not all who wonder are lost) for memberberries, except these ones are rotten and crawling with maggots.

[@Sinewmire]

@@tylerskiss The songs in the LOTR films are taken from the books. The soundtrack is also woven with songs from the book. "Wandering Day" is not from one of the books, though the term "wandering day" is presumably taken from a reference to the Hobbits "wandering days" before settling in the shire. Of course, Hobbits are not the Harfoots.

[@TallisKeeton]

Book Elrond was not easy about taking oaths for any reasons as he knew from the grevious experience of his ancestors what the costs of an oath could be. He even refused to order the Fellowship to take oath of loyalty toward Frodo !

[@eljcd]

8:00 "This tower will be a simbol of our strengh". Remember this for the next episode. Muahuahuahua...

[@randomft]

Just watched that scene. I have like an entire page of problems with it.

[@mikestanmore2614]

When a video criticising the RoP is twice as long as the episode, and seems to take less time than the episode, the series has issues. Well done!

[@theredranger9723]

Would love to see individual group breakdown after series concludes. For example, an entire vid devoted to Harfoots. Like how they are evil little gremlins that constantly contradict themselves. “Nobody left behind”( steal wheels and leave them to die) “We are careful and paranoid” (we love to touch potentially dangerous things we don’t understand)

[@randomft]

I may well do this!

[@liliesaregoodfortheliver2954]

I'm honestly unsure if the Harfoots are actually as evil as people say or if it's a meme. I'm fully willing to believe it, though. Do they truly abandon and possibly eat their own kind?

[@amandahall3931]

​@@liliesaregoodfortheliver2954 they don't eat each other, but they fully admit to leaving people behind - and later laugh about it as they list off whoever they have left behind, it's really f***ing weird

[@liliesaregoodfortheliver2954]

@@amandahall3931 what even. That's horrible. Thank you for the clarification.

[@ostatnifajek128]

Other creators focus predominantly on the lore accuracy (I am a Tolkien fan to the point of obsession, btw) and take one side in the war or the other. You just point out why this show is bad by itself, and I find it really refreshing. The fragment about Durin, Gil-Galad, and the table had me rolling 😂🤣

[@tylerskiss]

As another obsessed fan, this show was impossible to endure! It’s a bad show from a basic screenwriting sense, but from a work bearing Tolkien’s name, it’s a crime. The timelines all screwed up- this is like having a Samurai era film with cowboys and iPhones and time machines… then they have Balrog’s waking way too soon, the eponymous rings being made out of order and f’king ringwraiths when there are no rings!!! Not to mention a million and one aesthetic crimes.

[@YouWillBeHappyOrElse]

@@tylerskiss You guys should listen to Tolkien Untangled's series on how the show COULD have been good. He just takes what Tolkien wrote and spins out a splendid five-season story...and it will make you weep for what might have been.

[@HateshWarkio]

The "Sea is always right" gets even funnier in the next episode, just you wait

[@NothingButStardust]

What an amazing breakdown of the show! I was laughing when you mentioned that you’ll go into “beast mode”. I was thinking, “wait, you were pulling your punches all this time?” 😂😂

[@unitron2005]

THIS ISN'T EVEN HIS FINAL FORM!!!!!!

[@constcarry]

THANK YOU for bringing up the decomposing harfoot cart in the beginning! Haven't heard anyone mention it. It was a great tie-in to all the horrible ways they've abandoned their own. Hearts bigger'n their feet indeed

[@RoninDave]

The setup for the Battle of Helm's Cheap was a combination of low stakes and lower interest. We have a few dozen against a few dozen from all we have seen. On one side is a ragtag bunch of orcs literally in rags with a sun allergy against unwashed untrained racist farmers. For some reason boss girl Browyn thinks farmers should stay and fight bloodthirsty orcs rather than hightailing it to the coast using the sun to help them escape taking with them the magical macguffin the enemy wants. And unknowingly coming to their rescue is a few hundred Numenoreans cobbled together off the streets with little to no military training. Wow. Color me bored.

[@Evarakeus]

This content is SO good, I can't believe you're still under 1k subs. I really hope you continue with this even after RoP finishes, because it's wonderfully balanced in its mix of detailed analysis and humor.

[@Ongaliman]

The funny thing is, they could've solved the problem with Bronwyn's character if they used the fact that in many cultures herbalist, medics etc. were considered witches or shamans and were consulted when the village was in danger. But they prefered to make the villagers not to distrust her (as many distrusted herbalists and witches when they were not needed), but to despise her. A herbalist who is considered a shaman would've been a good fit for a leader of the village in times when you're met with something out of the ordinary. Orcs in this instance. I have no idea why they went the route of total condenscension on the part of the villagers. There are a lot of tales where in the times of need people turn to women who are considered witches. It would've been a much better use of her profession as a herbalist. And on the other hand if she is not considered a witch or a shaman, why is she despised by villagers? Medics are basically gods in small towns or villages. Her character is really strange. But to be fair all characters are strange in this show. We are not even aware of motivations of any of the characters aside from Galadriel. But even her motivation is a strange one and contradicts the lore on every level. A lot of people like Durin's character, but I actually do not like him at all. His whining about Elrond not coming to his wedding is ridiculous, as he apparently didn't write about it to Elrond in the first place. If you want your friend at your wedding you invite him, not just sulk about him not coming. I would've been surprised if my friend chastised me for not coming to a wedding I was not invited to. And the scene with the table is just... He emotionally blackmails a Noldor king just to get a free table. There is nothing to indicate that Gil-Galad was awful to dwarfs before, so it is an unprovoked theft. And Elrond just stands there totally fine with it. His king was robbed just because, but nah, it's all fine... There is no evidence of elves' wrongdoings to suggest the dwarfs have legitimate grievances to warrant the behaviour. It's all really strange. But considering they just don't care about their own show (fabrics for the show are abominable, roots of Galadriel's hair are sometimes dark, because they didn't dye them, cgi paper, scallop etc...) I shouldn't be surprised.

[@andyedwards9222]

If they had shown the villagers as leaderless, indecisive, unsure what to do, leaving Bronwyn no choice but to step up to the plate. That would have made her choice as leader believable.

[@MrShadowfax42]

Great point, eg Mrs Carmody(?) in Stephen King's "The Mist".

[@joshualittle877]

Gil Galad did not to the best of my knowledge, no never mistreated or had ill dealings with Dwarves until after Durins bane appeared in Moria. When that occured both kingdoms were sealed shut to contain it. That however does not mean that many other Elves and Dwarves have not mistreated one another. There is bad blood between Elves and Dwarves in general that goes back to the 1st Age. There are very real good reasons by this point for them not to trust each other. Elrond says it as honest as any Elf can. No Durin should not just trust any Elf. Dwarves were for example hired by King Thingol( who is maybe the single oldest Elf in Middle Earth at the time and married to a Miar named Melion who is next to Morgoth himself one of the most powerful beings in Middle Earth at the time.) She has for all that time protected his kingdom. Thingol hires Dwarves from Nogrod( another words not Durins people) to place the Silmarills he now possessed into the Nauglamier aka "The Necklass of the Dwarves" that Thingol also possessed. The Dwarves toward outsiders had rather strange notions of ownership. By the time their task was completed they were so covetous of the new object they wrought with the most beautiful objects of both cultures. All they would need was the Arkenstone which is found much later and the most valuable objects of the Dwarven ancestory are right there. King Thingol for his part didn't understand either the Dwarven notion of ownership or his peril at the time. The Dwarves eventually overpower and kill Thingol over possession of the Nauglamier and Silmarill now contained in the necklace. That Necklace was oddly enough made by the Dwarves for Finrod Galadrials brother, from the beginning of the show who was a Noldor King that was killed by one of Saurons Werewolves while defending Beren from the beast. He killed the Werewolf but was mortally wounded doing so. Those Dwarves were killed by Elves and Ents and never arrive home. and the Nauglamier is recovered. The Elves for their part also stopped trusting Dwarves as much after this killing but also over the release of the Balrog. It has since the release of The Lord of the Rings always been Dwarves who are blamed for digging to deep and to greedy and accidentally releasing a Balrog. This show is for the first time suggesting that it was actually the Elves that pushed Dwarves to mine stuff they never wanted to mine to begin with. This again is a big departure from the books.

[@Ongaliman]

@@joshualittle877 I was saying about in-show reason, as it departs from the book so far, that I'm not sure why are they even use the names from Tolkien's work. And they haven't shown any reason for dwarves to distrust elves. They just said that they do not trust them. Tbf they do it all the time for almost all the characters. But yes, if I remember correctly in most of the conflicts between dwarves and elves in the books it was the dwarves that were... Quite unreasonable. But I thought that at this point in time they actually had a good relationship between Lothlorien and Khazad-dum. But again the timeline in the show is so strange and Galadriel for some reason not a ruler of Lothlorien, and her husband died or disappeared, so whatever goes, I suppose. Btw I can't understand why she is saying "Celeborn was his name". She knows full well, that he is in Valinor already if he died, and if he is not dead it makes even less sense. His name is still Celeborn.

[@sailiealquadacil1284]

@@Ongaliman I mean, elves don't automatically get re-embodied after they died. We know of a handful of elves who returned, but it usually takes a while. For all she knows, Celeborn could still be in Mandos. She might also not be aware that re-embodiment is even a thing because she could only find out by meeting Glorfindel after his return to Middle-Earth (which happened later canonically, I believe, and the show hasn't mentioned him yet as far as I'm aware).

[@sims2lovealot]

Thank you for shouting out Shadiversity's breakdown of the training scene. It's hysterical just how bad it is. And it's just wild that they are trying to show that Numenor is not a military power, when they're literally meant to be a legendary fighting force and the Dunedain are descended from them. Sigh.

[@the98themperoroftheholybri33]

Idk where they got the idea Orcs are vampires, there isn't any lore saying that orcs are allergic to the sun, they just dislike light but can deal with it, just like humans don't like being in dark places but we don't burst into flame

[@TheStacanova]

Real quick, because of Amazon’s complete lack of transparency, we don’t know what they exactly have “rights” to of Tolkien’s. I was trying to figure that out today and I believe it’s ALL of LOTR, not just the Appendices, because Celebrimbor isn’t in the Appendices, just Fellowship. I also believe ROP not saying “Gandalf” or “Hobbits” is a choice, not a “rights issue”. Originally, I thought anything that originated in “The Hobbit”, they wouldn’t have the rights to, however, anything that would apply to such as “Gandalf & Hobbits” should also apply to “Elrond”, & we see that they have the rights to Elrond who appears in everything “Gandalf” & “Hobbits” do. It’s been publicized that they don’t have the rights to The Silmarillion & the Unfinished Tales, that seems to be consistent with what they’ve used and haven’t used. Which most likely means, if they don’t use Gandalf for the Wizards name, they won’t use Olórin, but instead Mithrandir, since that name originated in the LOTR. I believe Amazon have hidden behind the murkiness of what they have rights to, so them & their shills can use it to shield themselves from criticism.

[@starlimitz2]

Every time that evil cat does the evil laugh it kills me! I love it!

[@icantbelieveit]

I hate btw how Bronwin is the only one of the village that isn't dirty or wearing rags

[@liliesaregoodfortheliver2954]

Even the non-noble people of Rohan looked like they gave a care about their appearance. They might have bathed every two weeks, but they still tried, darn it.

[@6tiple6ix6afia]

I think it's hilarious that the show is a "masterclass" in equality, meanwhile bland white woman #600 is doing ALL the talking while the black dude is basically a background character lmfao

[@Manon627]

What stood out to me is that all those villagers are wearing long sleeves, some even sheepwool. But here is my girl bronny in a summerdress

[@GreatGreebo]

The clarity and brevity in your very accurate review of this dumpster fire of a series is appreciated! Thank you 🤘

[@Axterix13]

The whole Halbrand for ruler thing also makes no sense as it relates to the Queen-regent. Like why would her country want to meddle in the Southlands? Why would she want a strong, centralized government there? What does she and her country gain? And how does that please the gods and therefore avoid the fate? Where is all the work to set up a reason for this? There's nothing there about lawlessness and pirates that plague their shipping. There's nothing there about how a stable government would promote trade. There is no talk about past friendship with that area. And why would the queen accept that Halbrand is the heir? He has a piece of jewelry that looks like what is in a drawing. Okay, and? That thing around his neck doesn't come across as some unique item, something of which there is only one. It'd be like if I had a pendant with the coat of arms of the British monarchy on it. Nothing about that makes me king, nothing about it puts me next in line to the throne. If you want the item to mean something, it needs lore to warrant it. It needs to be the sword that cut the ring off the dark lord's hand. It needs the special writing and to have special powers to make it so special it is The One Ring. It can't be "generic item from a local jeweler". And even if she buys that he is the heir, for some reason, what leads her to believe the people of the Southland would accept him? And why would she want a guy that was just in jail for theft and fighting, who then sold out his friend for a guild crest? Going after the orcs at least makes some sense. There's a long history there. Orcs are the enemy. Orcs, if allowed to take root, would cause problems down the line. Fighting orcs got them their island, so it stands to reason that going over there and killing orcs would make the gods happy, so they don't take the island away. So there are old reasons and new reasons to go fight the orcs. But, hey, guys, we're going to go establish a kingdom for this guy we just met? Not so much. Heck, even as a secondary reason, it weakens the primary goal of placating the gods, because the why of what you are doing is no longer as pure. It is pretty evident that the entire thing happens because they want to use this to push Halbrand down a certain path, and to remind us of Aragorn. And the writers did none of the work necessary to actually work it into the story.

[@Popepaladin]

It makes sense in a realpolitik way for Numenor to try installing Halbrand as sort of a puppet king to Southlands who owes his position to Numenor. And even if we ignore that angle it is probably better to have any human kingdom there instead of just leaving it to orcs.

[@michaelsnow3536]

Bro for the love of all that is good, please make more of these. This sh*t is fantastic. It's got that Lindsey Ellis style cutaway quote gag that gets better each time it's used. Kinda hope RoP gets a second season just so we get more of this!

[@sn4831]

Looool Lindsay Ellis didn’t invent this style of reviewing. The RLM Plinkett reviews did

[@Prometheus4096]

Galadriel just pushing 4 armoured guards who are all 2 feet taller than her into her cell and closing and locking the door before they can even respond is just comical. And amazing that no one ever objected to that scene even being in the movie, including the actors. They must have said 'wtf no way we can act this out' to whoever was directing them to record the scene this way. Imagine if a silverback gorilla trying to do this against 4 teenager humans, who are trying to resist. That would look completely different. Would also take way longer. You'd have to toss them to the ground and then drag them in, at most 2 at a time. Does she really have the raw physical power of way greater than 4 full grown men? Why doesn't she achieve this feat through guile or magic instead?

[@robinthrush9672]

Not only that, but the lore states that these men are like Captain America-levels of strong with extended lifespans and taller than normal men.

[@Noctes0]

I have no idea why you do not have 1000X more views and subscribers. Watching every one of these RoP videos. Well done sir, very well done!

[@TallisKeeton]

every Numenorian soldier got the uniform suitable for training - even the girls, but Galadriel's going to train them dancing around in a ball gown :D

[@Dazgul]

I wonder how long it takes the harfoots to completely camouflage their carts for every varying terrain they go through. Everytime you see them they have a completely new detailed foliage

[@paxwax1]

And considering you never see anyone else (and animals would just smell them) you have to wonder what the point it is.

[@erikgoossens1]

Also camouflage only works when you don’t move. One of the first thing you learn when in the military.

[@DarkestApe]

Can we add The Sea character traits to the list? Im pretty sure the show established that it is always right on multiple occasions.

[@HipHopRepair]

The Sea - wet - always right - jiggly - ???

[@heathergarnham9555]

Knows Isidurs name

[@liliesaregoodfortheliver2954]

​@@heathergarnham9555 Blue (sometimes, very complex character)

[@Nokaret]

​@@HipHopRepair ??? would be "is an idiot" They'll find a way to ruin even that character, just wait for season 2 😆

[@cy-one]

0:10 about the show getting longer: Don't fret, RFT. Your videos are a gem _because_ you are so verbose and analytical. You have nearly 1k subs and this video has over 11k views. Keep doing your thing! 4:31 about the androgynites (chuckle'd), the one you showed in the closeup has earned the name "Feminem" in the fandom :D 5:30'ish about Adar willingly burning the Orc: Yeah, I agree. I found that OOC for Adar as well. I don't get the point of it. The Orcs clearly don't have the same understanding of sunlight than Adar does. It's like someone saying "I wish you could just smell the wonderful smell of open sewage, for soon our sewage system will go online and the streets will no longer flood with poop" while dunking some poor guy face first in sh!twater. What? 17:13 that "Niaah" had me chuckle quite bit :D 23:20 give or take a minute or two: some sadistic part of me enjoys your futile attempts of making any goddamn sense of the flow of time in this show :D 33:00 about Malva's suggestion of taking the wheels of Nori's family's cart: Remember this in one of the upcoming episodes when the leader of the nothobbits literally says he wishes Malva to not always be right about everything. As shocked as he is in this scene, part of him seems to agree with her views nonetheless. 33:43 Yes. 35:28 about training somewhere in an alleyway: Yeah, that got me too. Like, we're talking about mf'ing Numenor here. A civilization that makes ancient Rome look like cavemen. And they train their soldiers _in the city in an alleyway?_ Btch please.

[@goodtimesgamingtm1316]

Also I think you nailed it with something I’m not sure anyone has mentioned or at least I don’t remember if Shad did in his video and I don’t know if anyone else has. Reality was literally bending to Galadriels will in that practice fight scene. Like it wasn’t like two people trying to defeat a annoyingly good combatant. It was like two guys trying to kill someone with cheats on or like she had a magnetic repulsion field around her.

[@Pdotta1]

These reviews are so exhaustive, detailed, petty, and I love them.

[@sololeveling7390]

Orc's hand literally burns from the sun Adar: ''I wish you could feel the sun's warmth

[@liliesaregoodfortheliver2954]

I CAN FEEL IT ADAR, IT F*CKING BURNS!!!!!

[@JackChurchill101]

Feanor captured the light of the trees in the Silmarils. That's the first thing referenced in the appendices. It also references exactly three, and that two were lost and one remained in the sky. All included in the agreed appendices. The show runners have full rights to exactly what the Silmarils are, and chose to change it to give the elves "better motivation".

[@randomft]

So the whole mithril came from a lost Silmaril thing is entirely non-canon?

[@MrTheDratex]

@@randomft Yes. Or we technically know were two lost ones are, or what happened to them that is. The last two remaining sons of Feanor had them and one threw it in the ocean while the other killed himself with it throwing himself into a fiery chasm in the earth. From then on no one has ever found them again.

[@askarsfan2011]

The table scene only underscores how little elves and dwarves really know about each other despite being neighbors.

[@wrayday7149]

There was one payoff to a plot point. When they are at the dinner and the elvan leader talked about the light fading it hinted at the reason why the elves garrisoning the town were recalled. It also sort of suggested why no one went looking for them when they went missing, because no one was going to be sent out. In short the elves were tactically retreating without alerting anyone and this also explains why Madrial was recalled. However.... given the nature of the dwarves.... flat out telling them the truth would of most likely resulted in the dwarves giving them the mithril because it would be something the dwarves could lord over the elves until the end of time. But he did get the guys dinner table... so there is that!

[@tomsimmonds6258]

At this point I’m only still watching the show so I can watch your videos

[@mark-ok3yp]

Dont watch it so these clowns stop making shit like this. They think their shows are good shit lol

[@jasonjuster8388]

I listen so I don't have to watch.

[@mark-ok3yp]

@@jasonjuster8388 same here these are more enetertaining than the shows these days

[@DamianSzajnowski]

I'm watching critique/slander videos instead of the show, same with most Disney shite like Star Wars and Marvel. More entertaining and safer on the psyche.

[@rollrcoastrbacon2725]

Same here with this and EFAP. I’m so glad to be done with this billion-dollar mess

[@williamchamberlain2263]

32:20 You can (probably) add hunters to the list of people not consulted or ignored during the show - those wolf prints look like they were pressed into the dirt (heavily, very heavily) and then pine needles sprinkled around them - there are no needles on the bottom of the prints, and none sticking up around the edges that were pushed down on one side Edit: to be fair, the platform at 35:45 is a decent size for a ship's deck, so a good training size for a marine. Not so good for a land force, which is better off with polearms + combined arms with horse and archers, but there you go. Also also that choice of size could also just be luck, given the established competence of the producers/directors, or be based on modern fencing competition length.

[@NocandNC]

Absolutely devouring these videos, I love how you break everything down with wit. Bullet points are also fantastic.

[@AnaatthiGozo]

I wonder if Halbrand was written by a separate writer since he's capable of calling out Galadriel's bs

[@alitabattlebot013]

Watching this five months after it was posted. It shows the quality of your work, that you have managed to get over nine and a half THOUSAND subscribers within such a short period. Keep up the good work, I appreciate that you take the time to put out the best work you can, as a rushed work is forever bad both to yourself and others.

[@zak7an2]

Pharazon's plan relies heavily on the gratitude of a guy who told him that Galadriel was going to meet the queen in exchange for a guild crest which means that he either doesn't understand Halbrand's intentions or is hoping to persuade him to change his mind which is not portrayed in the scene of Pharazon talking to his son

[@zak7an2]

also i cant believe i didnt catch this earlier but why are Celebrimbor and the Watchwarden old? since when do elves age physically?

[@GnarfSlein]

To be fair, Ancient Britons managed to freight giant stone slabs from Wales to Southern England. Of course I am aware that the distance from Lindon to Khazad-Dum is far greater than that, and they rolled them on timbers, and did not have awkward elves to carry them ...

[@rosiehawtrey]

They probably walked them, same as Easter Island and much more efficient but somewhat more complicated.

[@sandrawagendorfer729]

34:45 Although his timing is impeccable ... you must consider that "A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to."

[@randomft]

Which is perfectly fine in LOTR because it doesn’t directly save everyone’s life!

[@sandrawagendorfer729]

@@randomft That is true , very good argument 😃

[@sandrawagendorfer729]

@@randomft Love your Video!

[@Muz__27]

I love hearing your take on all the episodes with you not knowing anything about the Silmarillion. It shows that the complaints are not only from people annoyed at the disregard for the lore. But I can tell you it's so sad how horribly wrong they got the Numenoreans let alone anything else in this show that you mentioned several times that they aren't a warrior people and they don't have an army. They're suppose to be a race of exceptional humans that 6 ft tall would be on the small side of the population. They have a massive ship armada that at one point completely overwhelmed Sauron and his army that all he could do is run for his life. Elendil is suppose to be close to 8 ft tall hence his nickname Elendil the tall. It is so hilarious how far they got things wrong in this show.

[@MemoristCed]

Indeed, the only thing about height they got right in this show is that Galadriel, even at 6'4", would still be considered short on Numenor. (Though she's still tall among elves, standing eye-to-eye with most Eldar men.)

[@AlfonsJQuack]

Great videos. Definitely worth the wait. I just wish the writers, producers and showrunners would have put as much thought into ROP as you in your KZbin videos.

[@HNCS2006]

That Eowyn scene hit me hard. When she resents being put in charge to take care of the women and children, Aragorn says, it is a noble charge. That's right. The thing I hate about all this brand of "feminism" is that it inherently degrades mothering and nurturing as a bad thing. It's like women have to become men in order to have value. Then Eowyn rightly retorts that she also wants renown. Especially given her caged and lonely state. So her desire to go and protect on the field makes sense. And does not come at the cost of degrading traditionally women's duty. So satisfying. And only makes RoP all the more pathetic.

[@famass2807]

Feminism does not degrade mothering and nurturing, it simply tries to expand on the possibilities of women which are seen as too week for other things such as combat. Eowyn would have been a better soldier than that old man that couldnt hold an arrow, but she was forced to stay away. It's about showing that we dont use the full potential of our society.

[@HNCS2006]

@@famass2807 hence why i quoted feminism in quotation marks. To mark that there is a slightly different meaning. So, i agree with you

[@famass2807]

@@HNCS2006 We dont really agree though. Feminist or "feminist" is not the one degrading motherhood and nurturing. Because historically society does not values women's role as much as men. Even today, teaching (nurturing) is not paid as much as tradionally manly fields. Relatively, we do not really value women's traditional job. We have been disregarding long before feminism came along.

[@HNCS2006]

@@famass2807 true. Society in general has not valued women's duty. My point however is targeted at a brand of feminism that purports to empower women. Implying that women are only valuable if they act like men or have the abilities of men, is not true or real empowerment of women, hence not true feminism. Traditional prejudice i can deal with, i can fight. But i despise false feminism.

[@01talima]

Eowyns arc in the book is so much better, the film kind of puts her defeat of the Witrch king as vindication. in the book its a sign of his Hubris and her realising she was wrong. war is not to be glorified .war is horror. it is after this she decides to become a healer and takes on what i think tolkien uses as his highest honour, gardner. an arc i dont think a woman would be allowed today.

[@Theravingranter]

So maybe I’m wrong because I haven’t seen anyone talk about this but Gil-Galad’s plan makes no sense in another way. He wants to protect the elven lands from Sauron’s evil which means he is aware Sauron is out there spreading evil and he feels mythril is the only way to defend his people and their “light”. However this makes him incredibly stupid, I know a character being an idiot in Rings of Power what a shock, but he sent away Galadriel who he was aware she knew about Sauron, until he revealed it she was the only one who believed in Sauron and was actively trying to defeat him. Yet he sent her away, admitting out loud that her searching for Sauron and trying to defeat him was bad. I just…what? How are you going to send away your only means of defense against evil, the only one who was willing to go out there and fight it and believed in it being there, and then episodes later be all like “I need to protect my people from Sauron”?!

[@Oppenheimskr]

You need to finish this masterpiece. Best RoP reviews on the internet.

[@nategraham6946]

And how could Gil Galad possibly have suspected that the dwarves had found a brand new mineral that has magical properties, unless he already found some on his own and figured the dwarves would have more?

[@korycassel5197]

I like the term 'dirty little sociopaths' for the Harfoots. DLSs.

[@mr.s2005]

the whole problem with this series nobody with real experience is running the show. The writers keep writing contradictions, they keep making fools of themselves by stealing lines from Cate Blanchet Elizabeth. They spend so much time showing Galadriel being a sociopath who manipulates or degrades everyone she meets....and one moment saying that an enemy shouldn't be killed to threaten to commit genocide. Frankly it appears these writers like that good guys are fully justified in being evil because they are the good guys, like how the Halfoots are also supposed to be good guys but welling to leave their comrades to die....right after singing about not leaving people behind. This all would be baffling to me, if not for what I have seen in the U.S. for the last 10 years, the same political ideology that drives this series is the ideology that supports mob violence, no matter how many people assaulted or killed....well, its all good to them, because they are right, and therefore can get away with committing evil acts.

[@big_red01027]

The timeline is ruined beyond repair. Also, there's no way Gil-Galad is this stupid.

[@mysticdragonwolf89]

What gets me is there is no evidence of the Southlands having any standing militia or army - these are all village folk with pitchforks and torches…during a time when you could be raided at anytime by bandits/pirates/orcs - this series have established how vulnerable these villages are yet the only military power we have seen are elves, Numinor (only on the island), and dwarves (though we haven’t seen any evidence of it it’s just assumed). Meaning this series is going out of its way of showing no humans such as raiders except 1 who uses only words of threats to hunt possible betrayal and that’s it. Humans being on the side of evil are not shown picking up a sword against their own people…despite this was a thing and that orcs were told to have multiples and spread everywhere or they…hunted to extinction…? The series was never clear. Anyway - cause there is no standing army or militia in the Southland, this forces the armies to be sent long distances from their own borders and supply lines to engage and defend these defenseless villagers. I wasn’t aware Numenor had jurisdiction reaching so far inland to Mord-I mean the south lands…you know the country that is sea faring…are there other kingdoms on the mainland of Middle Earth?

[@TallisKeeton]

about the scenes of soldier's training : + it appears that such great empire as Numenor has no garrisons becouse they train on a street, between foodstalls, but at the same time they got these racks for swords put under the wall, which IMO suggests that someone must have brought it there becouse : 1. no one could wore weapons on the streets of Numenor, (in the series they do), 2. and there were no rentals of swords on the streets of Numenor :D which suggests that someone must have brought the rack here from some armory or garrison, so then + they got armories or garrisons. :D

[@spencertaylor-mrliltay]

They basically wrote Isildur out to be an undecided teenager, a college student trying to decide what career path to stick to… but worse 😂. It would be like someone who has reached final exams right before earning a Bachelor’s degree, decided to change their mind and instead of just finishing out the final step then trying the new thing, just quitting and wasting all that previous time. Isildur is that one guy who lives in his parents basement at 40 after never actually getting a career going.

[@zardox78]

1:07:14 Eh, that's not strictly true. GRRM has openly stated that he's not as smart as Tyrion. And when someone pointed out that he was the one who wrote Tyrion so he _must_ be as smart as him, his answer was "Yeah, but he's coming up with ideas on the spot that take me years (or decades) to figure out." There have been plenty of brilliant characters written by people who are less so. Do you believe that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was as smart as Sherlock Holmes? But that only supports the main thesis, really. If a writer can't even make their characters _seem_ moderately intelligent (with total control of the world and circumstances around them), it's a pretty clear indication that they are of less than average intelligence. Especially if they don't even notice.

[@LeftenantBeige]

“• Does not understand why a blacksmith might be skilled at handling swords!” 😂😂 🤦🏽‍♀️ 40:16

[@tatianakos8398]

The fact that Adar is basking wistfully in the sunlight made me chuckle. Elves are known to love, even revere the light of the stars, as they actually were born under the stars and it is said that starlight still remains in their eyes (hence why in TFOTR they brilliantly used Christmas lights to be reflected in Galadriel’s eyes). So Adar, a THOUSAND YEAR OLD ELF who was BORN under the stars and then was abducted by Morgoth to become a « proto orc » thus presumably remained in the dark for, again, THOUSANDS OF YEARS, seeming to regret that he won’t bask in the warmth of the Sun, is utter BS. And another sign that the « creators » of this sh*t show don’t care AT ALL about the amazing source material.

[@Violaphobia]

I mean can’t you like both?

[@MemoristCed]

@@Violaphobia In the Silmarillion, the sun is actually associated with Men, not Elves. There is a passage that speaks of how the sun is a sign of the awakening of Man and the waning of Elves; the Elves were awakened before the sun or moon existed (Galadriel is literally older than the sun), and so their celestial kinship is to the stars, which DID exist when they awakened. So, Adar basking in the sun would be a sort of enjoyment, but it wouldn't have the spiritual dimension for him that the scene implies.

[@TaoScribble]

How did the ships *_explode?_* Does oil explode?? What kind of oil was that?? Do they have gunpowder in Middle Earth??? All I know are the Lego games; I'm genuinely confused as to how that happened.

[@liliesaregoodfortheliver2954]

As far as I know, gunpowder is used first in Middle Earth during the War of the Ring. Y'know, thousands of years before this.

[@TaoScribble]

@@liliesaregoodfortheliver2954 I'd have to go back and watch again, but wasn't what came out of the casks a liquid?

[@liliesaregoodfortheliver2954]

@@TaoScribble yes indeed it was. And unless the Numenoreans have Greek fire, it's probably not explosive.

[@ErmIDK19]

"nobody walks alone , nobody's left behind" erm except those put to the back of the train without help when there's plenty not pushing carts .and then left behind

[@theother1281]

Another brilliant analysis, your reviews mean that TROP wasn't a TOTAL waste of $1,000,000,000!

[@elck3]

Tour de force amount of work for this, really looking forward to the fun times ahead with episodes 6, 7, and 8!

[@unitron2005]

This video was a joy to behold. The analysis, just beautiful and overall really, really well done. The one constructive criticism I would give is that the comedic reaction clips are a bit repetitive, as you keep using the same 3-5 ones a lot of times during a 1:33 hour video.

[@joshualittle877]

They spent more money than Peter Jackson did on all six movies so the question is on what exactly. Some of the asthetic and backround imagery is as good and there is alot of detail they managed to put into it. For example the image of the Sun( or a star) on their armor and sails. Now these are the Numenoreans that Aragorn and virtually everyone in Gondor is decendants of. But Gondor and Arnor heraldry had the image of the White Tree instead of Numenorean Star. Numenor was a gift of Illuvitar to the decendants of Earendil The Mariner. The first of those were his sons Elorond and Elros. They and all of their decendants were given the choice of living as an Immortal Elf or Mortal Men. Elrond chose to be an Elf and Elros the Man became Tar- Miniyatur. Miriel, Elendil and his sons, his sons friends and Miriels Father are all amongst those who are faithful to the Valar and Elves. Muriel's father Tar-Palantir is the Actual king. He is the old man in the show you see her talking to every so often. The majority of the Kingdom had a falling out with the Elves and the Valar. It was Morgoth that found Men first in Middle Earth Some stayed under his dominion and other fought back and or escaped. The houses of men that became Numenoreans were those loyal to the Elves and Valar. Morgoth however planted a seed in the minds of almost all men to fear death that was by Illuvitar meant as a gift. The Numenoreans in particular are gifted an Island all to themselves because while they aren't immortal like the Elves and Valar and so cannot live in Valinor neither are they regular men. Especially the Royal line of Numenor that includes Elendil and his sons are extremely long lived. Tar - Minyatur( Elros) for example lived for 500 years and Elissar( Arigorn) lived 250 years. Each of these kings only died when they themselves chose to give up their lives. This reinforced the idea that death for Mortal Men was always meant as a gift. What occurs is that at some point in their history when they have their brake with the Elves over the returning of this ancient idea that the Valar were withholding immortality from them that the kingdom begins to change. Some of those changes were profound and very noticeable like the Elves stopped visiting. Some were more subtle. Notice that Muriel and Her father both have sur names beginning with the Tar prefix, Tar - Murial and Tar-Minyatur. Muriel is the Queen Regent because her father was forced to abdicate and step aside because he was one of those faithful to the Elves and Valar even though Kings had not been amongst the faithful in Numenor for so long by that point those who weren't faithful were called the "Kings Men". Muriel and her father were still faithful and so they had Titles and still spoke privately in the Elven Quenya. In Quenya the Tar signifies Royalty where as Ar is simply the Westron version. When Ar-Pharazon becomes king which I expect to happen any day now his title will not change.

[@sarahgould5435]

The White Tree with seven stars (I forget the name of the constellation, just that Elbereth set it as a warning and challenge to Melkor...and that the Dwarves took it as Durin's sign of authority) was the heraldry of Gondor specifically. Gondor was founded by Isildur, who made a point of bringing the last fruit of Nimloth with him. It was an important symbol and heritage to him at the time of the Founding. But Nimloth was not brought to Numenor until well after Elros had Founded it, while they had been guided to the star-shaped island in the first place by the ship of his father Earendil, who immediately after took to the upper reaches of the sky as a star. So having a star, rather than a tree for their heraldry makes some sense. Having the *sun* on their heraldry makes less sense. The sun is associated with Men in Tolkien's world, but in a generic sense, not a Numenor-specific sense, since the rising of the sun signaled the Waking of the first Men in general.

[@Guilherme-ow3wb]

I think by this episode I didn't have enough brain cells left to keep up with all the bullshit and just watched the thing in zombie mode. I applaude your mental strength, sir. Good lord, at least I laughed a lot watching this, so many contrivances and contradictions and convoluted stuff I didn't notice... Pharazon and Gil-Galad's analyses on their motives and the size of Numenor's navy despite them apparently having numerous young men training as sailors had me howling, good lord. Even more bizarre when in the "sea is always right" episode the three friends joke how they are gonna get commands in a short time... one would assume by this that there are tons of ships and sailors to have so many captains around, but the size of Numenor's navy is 5 ships. And one of them just happened to conveniently be patrolling the middle of the ocean for no reason and found Galadriel too. And the fight in the square... I just imagine that recruit actually running Galadriel through (he really tried to) and then imagine if she dies. The whole reason for the war is over, and by the guy who actively wanted to join the army after being dismissed by the navy... this fucking show...

[@jansandman6983]

As a serviceman myself. I know for a fact that a Medic/Corpsman can lead a fight if it false down to it. but in this case she's just a plain peasant civilian house widow who happens to know how to prescribe medicine and has zero experience or even training to be in actual or mock battle. Meanwhile about Eowyn, She's a princess that belongs to a house of hardened warriors so even though not shown we can assume that she has some training at fighting. but despite her martial prowess she is still not allowed to actively be on the frontline as it was not a place for women. And by the way Theoden was not Eowyn's father he was her uncle and Eomer was her brother.

[@MemoristCed]

To be fair, it's easy to mistake their relationship. Theoden raised Eowyn, and sees her more as daughter than niece; and Hill gave off such a paternal vibe when he talked to her and Eomer. (RIP Bernard Hill)

[@demonzabrak]

On the topic of Guild Crests: tldr a guild crest should be less like a degree and more like a registration-card/permit They aren't things that inherently require exorbitant amounts of time to acquire (in most settings where guilds are similar to real world medieval craftsmen guilds). While there was an expectation of passing some sort of test, or demonstration, or example piece, traveling between cities wasn't unheard of, and guilds were (initially) local agencies. A young craftsman would be expected to apprentice, sure, but when they apprentice they also register with the local guild, as an apprentice, with an apprentice crest. They were more like a cross between a workers union and a mafia group than they were a college. These apprentices would occasionally take tests to gain higher ranks, and that is actually where the expression "masterpiece" comes from. It was the piece that you make to submit to your guild to reach the rank of Master. There was also a third rank (technically the middle rank, between master and apprentice) in most guilds, paid daily wages, which seems to be what whoever that character is is trying to do. Discount Aragorn. Journeymen from the french tradition. "whole day men" translated into 'English.' It is entirely reasonable to expect a crest only takes registration and an agreement to pay guild dues and/or comply with pricing guidelines, along with another afternoon performing a variety of tasks in front of a... whatever. Inspector? Master Craftsman? Review Board? "Some noun empowered to judge skill level." He showed up to a forge looking for work, and while it may be somewhat unusual to not check the guild status first, if you were lazy and had tasks of varying skill and importance to do that day, why not... let them start on the easy shit and see how far they go? Maybe they mess up on the first nail and you tell them to piss off immediately, maybe they do everything perfectly. If they pass muster, and don't have a guild crest, you tell them they have to have one before they can work for you. If they show back up later, cool. Now, did the WRITERS know that? Or did they just want to do a corruption to benefit a protag? Gee, I wish I knew if it was a carefully researched bit of background worldbuilding, or a cheap gimmick. It's certainly impossible to tell. We'll never know.

[@BWMagus]

Not sure you understand what a "guild" is--the crest is not a degree, it's permission to work. Like getting a liquor license before you can serve alcohol--you might know all about alcohol, be an expert, but without that piece of paper, you can't legally do it (in the US, no idea if UK has something similar). Guilds were sort of like precursors to unions; in the major cities, if you wanted to be a silversmith, you needed to be part of the silversmith guild, to pay a fee, to trade as the guild orders, while the guild prevented outside competition and would arrange large deals and, at their height, even pay to secure trade routes with privateers and mercenaries. They ended up being major players in the politics of major cities, rivaling the nobility and clergy in influence and power. Anyway, the show sets up a simple rule; no crest, no work. So Halbrand is given a crest, so he can now work; there is nothing absurd about this. That was due entirely to your erroneous assumptions about what the crests are. The other 35,186 problems in the show, though, you're correct about.

[@denissediaz3640]

ooo i just finished watching the video and you're now passed 500subs. I really like your videos. Specifically, your editing is pretty good.

[@randomft]

Thanks! Video editing is very much not my area of knowledge so it’s good to know people are enjoying it!

[@aussiebaka5363]

I absolutely love your videos, mate. Very well put together, funny, and worth the wait in between :)

[@connorarmstad3582]

Your videos are fantastic. Informative, entertaining, and clever.

[@senseweaver01]

22:24 - Yeah, he is now able to have a job because he has a Guild Crest. That's one of the few things that does make sense in this show. Like you don't even know how long it takes to get a Guild Crest of what you need to do to earn one. It could literally take signing a contract after proving you have blacksmithing experience. But also, he was given that Crest by Farazon. So one of the leaders of the city believes he had earned that Guild Crest. With that sort of authority, of course that would be acceptable.

[@martsvend]

Please keep going with these reviews. Funniest ones I have seen so far of ROP.

[@Henkvanpeer]

I see your channel shows good growth. Very much earned. Tnx! --one of your very early subs☺️

[@spencertaylor-mrliltay]

48:25 😂 I’ll be honest Durin saying this actually did make me laugh. Yeah afterwards when gave it an ounce of thought I wasn’t happy about that phrase really being in a Tolkien story but honestly the reason I laughed at it is because Durin really probably was the only character I liked from start to finish (even though yeah the writers tried their hardest to ruin it) but in this show with the amount of 💩 going on all the time sometimes the jokes from the funny Dwarf worked on me because the show was constantly breaking me and pissing me off so that anytime he did make a joke I was just desperate for a chuckle before going back to being disappointed.

[@tjm11015]

1:28:20 "Boofing his happy-sacks"!‽¿.... I just can't 😂😂😂

[@SirWarkwark]

Mithril was just a rare, durable, light mineral that both elves and dwarves worked for their armour and weapons for millenia. The elven armies of the Noldor wore mithril in the first age!

[@jp-ou5zn]

I rarely write comments on youtube, and I even more rarely would ever watch a review video over an hour long, but hot damn I did both today! Nice job man! Even though I don't even watch that stupid show or even any shows, I really enjoyed your review of it - it was entertaining, and most of all, made me laugh out loud a few times, well done!

[@johnnyrocketed2225]

Just realized - building a tower right next to a mountain isn’t really securing the high ground in the area. An army could just climb up half way and launch incendiaries right into the courtyard. (8:22) So, so bad. Love the summary notes sections by the way- nice touch👍😉

[@rosiehawtrey]

The Russians vs Japan 1905. Look up Drachinifel on the 2nd Pacific Squadron 😂😂

[@Englandfred]

Thank you for putting out content I look forward to. I gave up on this show on episode 4, but find my entertainment watching HOTD and your uploads. Great work and I am happy to see your channel grow.

[@johnbox271]

I think people might follow Bronwyn because (Nazanin Boniadi) has stood against Sauron and the Orcs before... survived and escaped their grasp. Sorry my mistake. Nazanin Boniadi has stood against Tom Cruise and Scientology... survived and escaped their grasp.

[@rosiehawtrey]

Shame she didn't manage to ram a Morgul blade in him at the time.. Kinda cute too.

[@troffle]

> the stranger seems to be learning to speak extremely quickly which can partly be explained by his clear magical ability or potentially because it has in fact been months since we last saw them which I can't actually confirm or refute because the show hasn't previously communicated the passage of time so why would it start now ... length of hair and beard growth? > pitch correction software Can't help but notice, the singing clip you play from Lord Of The Rings has them singing, but NO BACKING INSTRUMENTALS. Because, you know, they're in an INN. Hard to tell and focusing on this crap hurts (how do you do it?) but it sounds like there's some kind of violin and some kind of piano in the background. CARRY THEM IN SOME SPECIAL WAGON DO THEY? Or are the wagons like Numenor's ships, TARDIS-like? Ah, worldbuilding. Then again these people can't get the fundamentals of spacetime right can they. > struggling through various hazards such as what appears to be marshland because I have to assume there was no way for them to go around this and oh look there's another cart here WHY WHY DOES A PERPETUALLY NOMADIC TRIBE NOT FIND OR LAY AND FOLLOW USABLE PATHS Or at least, avoid the path that STILL HAS A WRECKED PREVIOUS WAGON IN IT? I mean, isn't there some quasi-mythical practice of spiking the heads of creatures as a warning to those creatures? Wikipedia says "the earliest known archeological evidence for mounting heads on stakes has been identified in Sweden, at a Mesolithic site in Kanaljorden, in the floor of a dried lake, dating to 8000 years ago" SO UM. > To conclude on this thought: the way women are depicted in Rings Of Power as being the equals to men in all regards is not inherently a problem. Yes it is. How well are men depicted in this series? > As I have said previously, I don't care if Rings Of Power is loyal to the books, I care if it is good in its own right And as much as it's a stab through the heart, I understand your reasoning and won't dispute it. But be fair, how much easier would it have been for it to be good if it, oh I don't know, *HAD* been loyal to the books? > Cowladriel discovered Halbrand's lineage she then revealed this information to Halbrand Oh hallelujah there's a website called Scraps From The Loft with transcripts of the episodes so not only can I text-search quickly, but I don't have to *watch* the stinking video. "There is no King of the South lands. The line was broken. The last man to bear your crest died over a thousand years ago." ... sir, when you come to your review of Episode 8, you _will_ be adding "competent researcher" to her profile, please? > which prompts Bronwyn to momentarily consider leaving to kneel before Adar HOLD UP. Did Arondir upbraid her for this IN FRONT OF EVERYONE? So everyone now knows Bronwyn was going to follow the other half? The half that, by the way, they slaughtered? > the only explanation that makes sense is that they deliberately restricted the army to 500 people but this is never mentioned in the show Likely one of the writers played Age of Empires and figured "yeah! FIVE HUNDRED UNITS will just walk all over ANYTHING!"? > starting with the Nori plot this plot line does not take up a huge amount of the episode but its purpose seemed to be to develop Nori's friendship with the stranger and resolve to some degree the conflict between her people and the stranger ... and point out that she is caring, compassionate, curious and brave? > Is there a lesson to be learned here? The new generation of media makers are idiots, postmodernism is well on its way to Peak Stupid, "Rings Of Power" is a colossal lesson in what to NOT do, Bezos or Musk or all the other giants deserve the crud they get... > because really until the end of episode 8 everything is pretty much up in the air ... "most shows don't get good until Season 3"? > and I apply both meanings to my use of the word 'dense' here are going to be larger gaps in between me putting out these videos. I have no intention of rushing them or playing the algorithm so it will be a case of wait and see Unfortunate, but understandable. > when I hit 500 subs I'm apparently able [...] since releasing part one, my channel has seen a bit of a growth spurt, going from 50 Subs to just over 400 WAHAHAHA This video is four weeks old. You have almost two thousand subscribers. :D

[@johnprime1147]

1:15:49-1:16:01 I'm clipping that. The way you said it. God

[@CptAvenger]

Adar ºCares about orcs ºInflicts needless pain on the orcs -Love it!!!!

[@Popepaladin]

Father -loves his children -beats his children with a belt Surprisingly common in the real world too.

[@Trowa71]

I needed this. I've been trying to watch Dr. Corey Olsen's analyses, and I love the man, but I simply can't get behind his enthusiasm. Scene after scene, line after line, my eyes roll to the back of my head, it's actually kind of painful. It's been hard tip-toeing the racism about the casting and finding purely writing critiques, so thank you. Also, thank the fucking heavens for House of the Dragon, what a phenomenal show and it lifts me up every weekend after being dashed by this car crash of a show.

[@Trowa71]

6:50 nonono, oh my god, whaaaat, nonono. I knew something was off with the extras in this show, but such shabby and blatant copy paste, how is this possible?

[@randomft]

Thanks! Haven’t yet watched HotD but I plan to when the season finishes. When I do my end of series autopsy I will do a segment on the racism issue because I do have things to say about it that I am not hearing anywhere else, but it’s not relevant to the quality of the show so I’ll save it for then.

[@hollowatelier]

So the only point of contention I have with this comes at the 38 minute mark. Otherwise, I agree with the volume of your work and find it a positive delight to listen to your breakdowns. Especially your commentary on Rebel Moon. That said: Her advice for fighting with your feet, rather than your arm is actually sound advice. If you have the upper hand in mobility, you can demolish someone whose got the upper hand in strength. A proper duel between two seasoned fighters is going to end up looking like a dance. If you can't land your attack, it doesn't matter how strong you are. Admittedly, it's one of the few things they honestly get right throughout this series, but it's worth pointing out. The fight is awful for all the reasons you point out. So there is that. It's like one step forward, eight steps back.

[@Twinrehz]

I really enjoy your analysis, and hope you're able to find another project to deconstruct once this show is over! Youtubing's pretty rough work, but I hope you're able to keep it up.

[@askarsfan2011]

The writers don't know the difference between a summons and a visitation. Yup, sounds right.

[@wolfsong4720]

Honestly my biggest problem with the whole mithril plot is that it isn't actually magical. It's pretty, and it's very strong, but it is not magical. A friend of mine described at as the Middle Earth equivalent of stainless steel. The elves and dwarves are going crazy over trying to obtain stainless. Steel. WHY.

[@jrfour2408]

I mean, I would disagree; it's so light that a chain shirt of it weighs about the same as a feather, and is strong enough to make a blow from a literal gaint trollbeast that would've 'skewered a wild boar' not even leave a bruise.

[@viktorievesela2882]

Your videos are getting me through finals at an art school, and i am eternally grateful for every small chuckle i get from them. Please continue making content, as its really good and on point.

[@kotapainting]

34:44 A wizard is never late, Random Film Talk; nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to.