Rings of Power Episode 4 - HONEST REVIEW | Lord of the Rings on Prime

Hello friends and foes of Middle-earth and welcome to this fourth breakdown of Amazon's Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Episode 4. In this review I'll go through some of the worst things in the 4th episode and talk about some of the many issues this series has. At the end I'll give scores for various elements like story, lore, cinematography, dialogue, acting etc.
As many of you know, I was not that optimistic about the show and many of my fears were confirmed as The Rings of Power seem more like a fanfiction than a faithful adaptation of Tolkien's works. One thing that surprised me though, is how boring the Rings of power is. I will say though that episode 4 is the best of first 4 epsidoes, but the dialogue and writing is still really awful. Luckily there are no Harfoots in this episode! 🎉
[!SPOILERS!]
In the episode we will discuss Míriel's dream about the downfall of Númenor. I think it's a fine way to foreshadow what will eventually happen, but I feel it might have been a bit too early, there are still five seasons after all.
We also meet Kemen, the non-canonical son of Pharazôn. We also experience Pharazôn's speech-skills as he calms down an entire crowd of xenophobic Númenóreans screaming 'Elf-lover'.
Galadriel gets into a argument with Míriel, where she used the line; There's a tempest in me, which we know from one of the trailers.
She gets thrown into prison, but easily escapes later in the episode, climbs the tower in Armenelos and pays a visit to the old kind, Tar-Palantir. Tar-Palantir is apparently very sick and Míriel is taking care of him. We get a bit of his history, but it's not entirely lore-accurate. Míriel reveals a palantir to her and she sees the Downfall of Numenor as well. I go a bit into detail about the actual lore surrounding the palantiri.
Galadriel is meant to sail back to Middle-earth, but at the last moment the tree Nimloth starts to lose it's leaves and then Míriel changes her mind. She is going with Galadriel to Middle-earth along with an expeditionary force. Isildur and his friends Valandil and Ontamo signs up as well.
In Khazad-dûm Elrond discovers that Durin IV have been mining Mithril in secret. He swears an oath not to reveal anything about it though. The mine collaps, but they all make it out alive.
We also get some really interesting dialogue between Elrond and Durin about fathers. Elrond speaks about his father Eärendil and how he fears that he might be disappointed with him.
I think Peter Mullan as Durin III did an excellent job, and was one of the best moments in this episode, in my opinion. At the end Durin is sent to Lindon along with Elrond to visit Gil-galad (likely in the next episode).
In The Southlands Arondir is sent back to deliver a message. Theo and his friend Rowan searches for food in the village of Tirharad, but Theo is attacked by the orc Vrath (played by Jed Brophy).
Theo manages to escape, but is attacked by Vrath at the last moment. Arondir manages to save his life however and the flee through the woods. Bronwyn shows up and helps them escape to the elven watch-tower of Ostirith.
[!SPOILERS!]
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Images from episodes of Amazon's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
Clip from Amazon's trailers for The Rings of Power Title from LOTR:ROP
Images from The Lord of the Rings Trilogy - New Line Cinema
Images from The Hobbit Trilogy - New Line Cinema
Melian the maia and her daughte Luthien, in the throneroom of Menegroth by Pete Amachree
Image of a Creeper from Minecraft
The Oath of Fëanor by BellaBergolts
The Ships of the Faithful - Ted Nasmith
#ringsofpower #lotronprime #tolkien

[@CounciloftheRings]

Thank you all for watching! 🙏 It surprises me each week how many of you are looking forward to these reviews! It's such an honour to share this Tolkien community you all! Thanks to each one of you! Thanks for leaving comments! Thanks for participating in quizzes and thanks for subscribing and staying awesome 🤗🎉

[@kamion53]

French and Saunders had a topic in their show : "Taffy Turner, inside America, so you don't need to go there" Watching the revieuws works a bit the same, so thanks for watching RoP so I don't have to. ( but still have an idea what the S**** is all about) "There is a tempest in me" and you see Miriel thinking: "Yes dear , not special, don't play the drama queen, all women have it once a month."

[@Freud5709]

the orcs were out when they shot the arrows because it was cloudy, which was made very clear before that scene. In the later scene, the orcs needed to stay in the woods because the sun was out. Honestly, how fu..... stupid are you? At your level of brain deadness, it's no wonder, you can't enjoy the show. You are also wrong about the origin of the sword in the background of Galadriel, it's another sword. And you can't actually know if the timelines are always the same. It could well be that it does not happen all at the same time. So the tower the elves and dwarfs build could be 2 - 3 months ahead of the happenings in Numenor. It's very likely too because Galadriel will need at least 1 month or even more to travel back to the elves and she will be already there next episode.

[@lotuschamp7796]

Speaking of religion, why would the derfs sing to the rocks and not to mahal?

[@danielc9967]

Lol, you have to be the biggest incel on thr internet lol. Anyway big ups to your business acumen, this hate train would generate some good $$$

[@apricot2879]

Keep up the great work man! I genuinely look forward to seeing these each week now.

[@toodlescae]

At this point I'm rooting for Sauron and the tidal wave.

[@jarkan9075]

Same 😂

[@1nf1d31]

SAME

[@jmdrd4168]

Lol

[@kevwhufc8640]

Me too

[@aguata6]

😆

[@majkus]

The problem with Galadriel being given a 'character arc' (an overworked term by now) is that she starts off being so unlikeable, so unreasonable, and so single-minded that the only reason for the audience to care about her at all is that we know and admire the character from Lord of the Rings. Compare Aragorn, who was given a non-Tolkien character development in Jackson's films, a reluctant king who does not even take up Anduril until Elrond teleports to Dunharrow to bring it to him. It works because we like and admire Aragorn from the moment we meet him. I suspect that the writers intend for us to like and admire Galadriel because she is a 'badass' and does these superhero things; and I suspect, especially for some women in the audience, that may work. But the rest of us no longer even _care_ if she acquires humility and wisdom any more.

[@charliedulin]

None of the other characters actually like Galadriel except elrond and he barely spent any time with her. If no on in universe likes her how are we supposed to?

[@tototats16]

As a woman, I don’t understand how some girls can even like this Galadriel. They don’t see her unlikeable personality and only focus on how “badass” she is. No offense to Morfydd Clark, but she can’t compare to Cate Blanchett’s ethereal and graceful performance.

[@dova3839]

The writing and direction on this show is less than amateur

[@asarishepard8171]

I just think they cant write likeable cause they're personally unlikable.

[@queenberuthiel5469]

@@tototats16 How is she "badass" tho? (My question to those who says she is badass.) I don't know but the only explanation I can come up with, is that modern feminists obsess over seeing women in power that they do not really care much on how well written her character is or how generally likeable she is. An example of dismissing the character's behavior because they wanted some lesbian representation or whatever, is with Namaari and Raya of Disney. Namaari is such a jerk. She is a gaslighting manipulative character but it's okay because she = relatable and sassy, apparently. 😒

[@brandonwhitaker8468]

The common people were weird to me in this one. They start out yelling and chanting in the streets about not wanting to be taken over by elves (which is already tacky and unjustified), and then one speech just makes them completely pivot to being happy and calm. And THEN, at the end, when it really seems like the queen is now working with the elf that they were just rioting against, the people all volunteer to help out like it's their favorite thing in the world. They really just feel and believe whatever the plot requires. Why did we waste our time with a near-riot at the start of the episode if none of that sentiment creates any actual issues?

[@sweeperboy]

Remember, these are the Numenorean people, the greatest Race of Men there ever was...doesn't give much hope for the rest of Mankind, does it?

[@FlyfishermanMike]

Agreed. That 180 turn was jarring.

[@lynnm6413]

They did it because they wanted to give their Karl Marx look-alike a Moment to preach about working conditions, and to give the finger to the Germans and insert the Hitler salute, after all they already went after the Irish, Scottish and English…they are going down a list…this ep was Germanys bad political ideas, check

[@napolien1310]

Yes it was ridiculous, and I heard someone who loved the show and the event by saying Ar-Pharason with a masterful plan drove the queen regent and the faithful out of Numeanor with this. I was like WTH!!? How can you tell the ones who volunteered are part of the faithful and it seems most people volunteered which conclude the faithful are the majority, if they were the majority in government then the old king will still rule.

[@kronusx3484]

Lol seems like the writers just wanted to throw more stereotypical anti white people stuff in it for the sake of ''it reflects our society''. It always makes me wonder how the same people that claim racism/sexism throw typical white stereotypes and ask others what the issue is. The hypocrisy is astonishing.

[@IostsouI]

Galadriel's age is also an issue in the show. She told Helbrand that she has persued Sauron since before the first sunrise and then she confirmed she knew Elros, creator of Numenor's Hall of Law. But yet think the audience is stupid enough to believe she's going through an adolescent growing phase.

[@MrMintyfreshsmell]

I mean she acts like an angry teenager not like a battle hardened warrior. Instead of Atomic Blonde level of badass we just get an angry bitch who fails upwards because plot armor.

[@samday414]

When you consider how long elves live she is most probably still very young by their standard. By the lort she is around 8,000 years old.

[@shubhamgoswami8699]

@@samday414 yet she is atleast 8000 years old. She should have enough wisdom to know how to behave in a queen's court. I can understand her first scene with Miriel that she was perhaps angry with numenorians for breaking off all contact, still dosen't excuse her behaviour. Not to mention she was ready to kill elendil, a man who saved her life. I am 22 and I know not to do either of those things.

[@samday414]

@@shubhamgoswami8699 by the third age she is around 8,000. By this point she is about a 1/4 of that age. So by human standards she is between 17 and 20 years old. She has a lot of growing up left to do and it will be good to see how she develops as she ages. Even in the original works she is described as being a stubborn and strong headed youth.

[@shubhamgoswami8699]

@@samday414 ?? Elves are immortal, you can't convert their age into human age-- as their age is not finite. Besides it's not like their perception of time if different, if anything it's faster(only in theories). Thousands of years is still thousands of years. You're telling me Halbrand... Who is likely atmost 35 yrs old is wiser than one of the most wisest of the elves? And if we're comparing elves only, Elrond is much younger than even Galadriel, he seems to not lack... Well common sense. And even in the second age, Galadriel is said to be wiser than Elrond. One of the reasons she was given Nenya. And the youth you speak of was referred to when she was an actual child. Before Melian, from whom she got most of her wisdom. I can understand they need to show character development, hence I think Galadriel was the wrong choice for a protagonist like this.

[@michaeldiebold8847]

How can anyone make LOTR so boring? That's talent. 4/10

[@cloudambient]

I agree. I couldn't even finish this episode. I got bored and switched to something else instead. Don't know if I care to watch anymore now.

[@michaeldiebold8847]

@@cloudambient I had it on in the background as I cooked dinner. I forgot it was on at one point.

[@TrveLatinCel]

@@cloudambient same 😂 i finished after like an hour break tho

[@lafeil]

Agree, give me movies and books instead.

[@interplanetaryexpeditionsa1229]

4/10 is way to generous. 2/10 or 1/5 stars.

[@likac92009]

I think the writers really wanted to have Feanor in the show, but they are stuck with Galadriel, so she'll have to do the role of a proud, big-mouthed, self-centered Elf who moves masses and makes things happen.

[@inspektorradisha]

Except Feanor had charisma and he was masterful orator, hence these writers could NEVER write his character and do him justice.

[@CamoflaugeDinosaue]

I think the writers wanted to slap another douchebag whamen character in another formulaic predictable, cheaply produced TV show and collect their cut of Amazon's laundering operation.

[@sdlfjlsdkf]

@@inspektorradisha Hear, hear!

[@ItsSVO]

No, they always wanted a “strong female character” and Galadriel doing everything her male counterparts actually did is their ideal worldview. This was all intentional

[@perguto]

At this point this show is nothing but a parody: "These immigrant Elves are taking our JOBS!" like wtf

[@artnull13]

Some orange Numenorean politician: “Numenor will build a wall and Valinor will pay for it! Make Arda great again!”

[@Shadow-In-The-East]

@@artnull13 "They're bringing bow and arrow crime, they're bringing pipeweed. And some, I assume are good elves."

[@polarisnorth4875]

They've replaced Tolkien's passions of morality and thr human condition with Amazon's agenda, of course its shit.

[@siriondil4739]

For real, I thought “the elves are stealing our jobs” was a joke people made because it was the vibe of the scene, but then I find out they actually said it. What a joke. I can’t wait for Ar-Pharazôn to dye his hair orange.

[@kamion53]

But they did take THEIR Jobs, haven't you not read it that the Numemoreans all worked for Santa before they were banished to the island?

[@w-james9277]

The Harfoots were the best thing in this episode.

[@CounciloftheRings]

😂😂 yes excellent performance!

[@Enerdhil]

😂😆🤣 Good call!

[@mikestanmore2614]

Just think how much better RoP would be, if the entire production had as much air time as the Harfoots did this episode.

[@w-james9277]

Gandalf "...and stay off the road." Harfoot "Nobody goes off the trail!"

[@dw620]

@@CounciloftheRings Sir (Lenny Henry) Not-Appearing-in-this-Episode, per Monty Python? Oh, and if Galadriel's arrival is enough to presage the sinking of a whole island, does that make her... a Mary Tsunami? (sorry; I'll let myself out... ;p~)

[@MrJopijopa]

I love the part where different villages all end up in the tiny watchtower with 4 potatoes.

[@CounciloftheRings]

😂😂😂

[@theuselessdrunk]

the problem with the initial scene is that when it actually happens it already lost the impact. imagine if someone had been shown a vision of the red wedding in the very first episodes of game of thrones

[@CounciloftheRings]

Good point

[@FilipMoncrief]

that's one of the things that actually work. Its more like knowing about the Long Night in GoT, to instill a sense of dread and coming apocalypse. It actually makes the Numenor plot somewhat tense. Not that it redeems the show lol

[@majkus]

I agree. Not so much that they give away the event itself-indeed, a lifelong recurring nightmare about the Great Wave (Tolkien's words and capitalization) inundating green fields was an inspiration for Tolkien's Atlantean myth of Númenor (after which he no longer had those nightmares)-but that they prepared this fairly long and spectacular CG sequence that _should_ be part of the big climax of season four (assuming season five is the founding of Gondor and fall of Sauron). They could have teased it at _least_ as dramatically by showing Miriel sleeping, shaking her head at the nightmare, of which we only see the briefest glimpses, ending with the same shot of Miriel being inundated, and waking up. A bit cliché (but no more than what we got), and kills the 'surprise' of it just being a dream-but who was really surprised? And do _not_ get me started about the fan-service not-like-Tolkien palantír vision.

[@hugomouro6555]

It's the most damning aspect of the lore for me, the obliteration of Melian and her influence on Galadriel.

[@rangerone8813]

That is a relationship I would love to see developed. By someone competent, of course.

[@user-zy9yg2eu5t]

I'd love to see some more lesbian action

[@Jim-Tuner]

As with many things, they have no rights to use that material.

[@hugomouro6555]

@@Jim-Tuner that's no excuse to butcher the character's nature and psychology.

[@haleyschreiter9746]

Thank you for pointing out that the proposed "character arc" for Galadriel in this show doesn't line up in the slightest with her canonical development over the ages.

[@dw620]

"From her earliest years, she had a marvelous gift of insight into the minds of others, but judged them with mercy and understanding, and she withheld her goodwill from none, save only Feanor." - Tolkien

[@isaachester8475]

Yes. She was certainly ambitious and against the grain, wanting to stay in Middle Earth to rule her own land. But she wasn’t stupid nor overly rash like the show makes her. They could have made her character so much subtler yet still interesting by playing on this motivation.

[@davidcuadrillerohernandez1377]

@@dw620 she is a mixture between Feanor and actual Galadriel yet acting like a teenager.

[@salisalo4815]

In this episode I actually asked my self for the first time, was it really their intention to make Galadriel so stupid and incapable of interacting with other people properly, or if this is just some weird choice on their side to build suspense and conflict? And then.... Halbrand calls her out on this and details her failures to her, like this is actually intended...

[@CorePathway]

The whole script is ham-handed. Zero nuance. Zero set up, just payoff. They give the audience NO CREDIT whatsoever.

[@obscur_artiste]

The authentic fall off Numenor could be 3 to 5 season series of its own, in the vein of I, CLAUDIUS. This show treats the lore in an almost adversarial fashion, like they're being forced to use bits here and there against their will.

[@Maryondo]

Well put

[@CounciloftheRings]

Yes I, Claudius style would have been interesting

[@alexandrejose8362]

This is something that this entire series could have been. The forging of the Rings, Galadriel's life, Elrond's life, the return of Sauron, all could be given their own series or be done in a much more slow pace but aren't, everything has to happen together and at the same frantic pace.

[@madmartigan8119]

@@alexandrejose8362 for me that is what sucks the most about them screwing up, I think most fans want shows to succeed but there definition of succeed is not tied to money like studio's but that said if they had done it right and really focused on the stories they could have made several successful shows and really create a franchise for Amazon and Fans

[@obscur_artiste]

@@alexandrejose8362 It seems like no one at Amazon Studios sat down and figured out how to maximize the return on their investment, and using the available lore in the most effective way for productions. Not just bad storytelling, but bad business. Very short sighted.

[@flickyt4709]

Can't believe how bad this show is ...script writers first ever job out of high school ?

[@thumos]

Write something Tolkienian! Make it epic and poetic! You have 15 minutes!

[@bavariancarenthusiast2722]

Why would you write this - did you see the 4 episodes? For me its building up - entertaining story bow

[@justinn9622]

@@bavariancarenthusiast2722 huh? are you implying its well written? the showrunners are awful..

[@Boogeyyyman]

@@thumos, Peter Jackson somehow managed to get Tolkienian dialogues.

[@Jim-Tuner]

Ironically....yes. The show runners (writers of episode 4) had never written an episode of television before Rings of Power.

[@CaliOaklander]

Make Numenor Great Again?

[@orkinho1]

Valinor is not sending their best!!

[@artnull13]

Make Arda Great again! The Numenorians even have hats and everything

[@Enerdhil]

Pharazon gave a great Orangeman Bad speech....

[@Boogeyyyman]

@@Enerdhil, at least they didn't turn Pharazon into Biden sniffing other people's hair

[@rfs55]

Numenor is obviously US and the show is wwII

[@joeb6656]

You were VERY generous giving this episode a 5 out of 10. A 5 out of 20 would have been more fitting in my opinion.

[@CounciloftheRings]

Yeah I think this will be my highest rating this season though 😂

[@TheJmlew11]

I’d say that from a television standpoint it wasn’t the worst. Lore wise sure, it’s bad. But this was the least bad episode from a writing standpoint. Our lead is still incredibly unlikable and there are weak parts of the script. But it wasn’t a total train wreck

[@CounciloftheRings]

@@TheJmlew11 yeah it's the best of the 4 episodes

[@harisabram4767]

The HodD ep.4 got 8.6 on imbd. I put that ep at 6.5 or 7 out of 10. This ep.4 of RoP I would rate above a 7, even if it was Non-Tolkien. It superior than HodD. 5 or lower I cannot see. It is too far my reasonable expectations. I can see some give it a 6 and some would even it at 8+ but 5 and below? I cannot take this seriously.

[@MaXiMoS54]

It could definitely be a lot worse. Its not as bad as to what they did to the Star Wars movies

[@skipski100]

There is a tempest in me, later there will be light showers in me. Tomorrow in me will be chilly, partly cloudy and damp.

[@kentmains7763]

I think it's actually getting worse. Galadriel the Tiny continues to be as likeable as a bad case of toe fungus. The Elves are going to take their jobs? Do Elves actually have jobs?

[@Maryondo]

Elves are just like Men. They just have a little bit more time :)

[@blondymonk1535]

Me too...

[@littlejune131]

Elves very much do have jobs, but to claim they would seek employment or professional accomplishments in a land of Men is somewhat ludicrous -- Elves had several prospering kingdoms of their own in the Second Age, and have hardly ever wanted for work or the pleasures work brought them. So there should be no reason whatsoever for them to come to Numenor seeking any work at all, except perhaps for those who worked as diplomats.

[@scambammer6102]

The Erondil "rescue" was just ghastly. Adar was supposed to be some kind of evil badass and he was the nicest guy in the show. Everything about this show blows.

[@gamer2101]

Jokes on you!! I love toe fungus.

[@davidtran7435]

Galadriel: let's fight for the Southlands Queen: go screw yourself ~~petals fall from tree~~ Queen: fuck it; let's do it!!! 😂😂😂😂😂

[@jtullius]

Tone, organization, and insight of this channel is excellent. Very much enjoyed the review(s). I think you're a bit generous with the costumes. Celebrimbor and Elrond are somehow still in their default outfits after presumably weeks or months have gone by. As far as lore goes, I sense that they're trying to give us doggy treats to keep us happy-i.e. ensure our disgust does not reach critical mass. The idea that dwarves are only just discovering mithril is silly, though of course Moria is one of the last places to find it in the second age. Eärendil's (final) ship was made of mithril (and "elvenglass") according to the lay, and I am sure Elrond would have known this. *Sigh* As you say, "but ok...."

[@cloudcollector83]

23:50 When I watched the slow motion scene with Arondir it was so obvious they were trying to go for the same dramatic effect as during Boromir's last stand or Gandalf's fall in the PJ movies. The difference: in RoP they only did it for the "coolness" factor which felt extremely cheap to me.

[@ferk4528]

I thought exactly the same.

[@kitkat261]

I thought for sure Arondir or the woman were going to be shot, amd start Theo's angsty arc into darkness

[@workerdroid290]

The glaring problem I cannot overlook is the Numenorians. They were a noble and very powerful seagoing military force, one that defeated and humbled Sauron. Here, they look like a village of unworthy tradespeople, living in the confines of castle cities. Where is the mighty navies and many hundreds of thousands of professional fighters? Stupid, cheap insulting….

[@kenshiro-lycus3050]

I really don’t think the show runners know what numenoreans are!!, they are not like regular humans, Increased lifespan, wisdom, and physical abilities!

[@SnailHatan]

Wisdom??? No, they’re xenophobes who are worried about elf immigrants terking der jerbs!!!

[@kenshiro-lycus3050]

@@SnailHatan they are taking our jobs!!, they don’t get tired!!! Elf lover!!

[@kenshiro-lycus3050]

Let’s go Pharazôn!!

[@GreatGreebo]

The ONLY thing that makes this travesty of a series bearable is the fact I know we will be getting your recap & rating videos. Thanks for slogging through this so we don’t have too. Cheers and excellent work. Your reviews are always spot on!

[@jelletimmermans3916]

So how can you POSSIBLY judge this show if you haven't seen it?? This recap and these screenshots don't do it justice

[@GreatGreebo]

@@jelletimmermans3916 I’ve never drank bleach nor walked into oncoming traffic but I know them to be bad things 🤷.

[@jelletimmermans3916]

@@GreatGreebo well dying is a pretty objective thing yes. Luckily this show won't kill you. The cinematography is actually great

[@GreatGreebo]

@@jelletimmermans3916 Agreed on the cinematography. It’s too bad the writing didn’t follow suit because this series would have been amazing if that had happened!

[@jelletimmermans3916]

@@GreatGreebo hmm well I think the writing is amazing

[@TheoryMaK15-255]

Thank You for Honoring Tolkiens Legacy And His Lore, By being Honest and Full of Integrity AND Common Sense, To Him and His Teaching of The Legacy and its Lore of His Creation. God Bless you! And May The Light of The Valor Always Shine Upon You!! Thank you!!

[@FELSENBUCHT]

Aren't Numenorians supposed to look kinda elvish and majestic? These look like the typical and overused image of filthy humans in fantasy....nothing screams "the greatness of Numenorians that live to up to over 200years"

[@darrenhall7454]

Yours are the best Rings of Power reviews on KZbin, by far. I just love your sighs, they say so much. 😁

[@Maryondo]

So true :D

[@jaymay7957]

I still haven’t finished ep 3, and didn’t bother just jumped into ep 4 and fell asleep about 15 mins in. I think I’ll just watch the KZbin reactions

[@altal2993]

My wife knows nothing of Lore and likes simple "unthinking" shows............ she thinks the show is OK (first 3 episodes)... if you "forget" this is Tolkien, the show is OK. Watchable with flaws. It ain't no Expanse or Battlestar Galactica.... If you remember "Tolkien"... the show is an abomination. Completely disrespectful to the Lore, the author and the works itself. I don't even know why they bought the right if they were never going to use the narrative other than names and places

[@Alexyrion]

These reviews are very entertaining! I know the show runners don`t give 2 shits about Tolkien`s work at all so... it`s good to have a place I can come and hangout with people who actually care about the source material!

[@Jim-Tuner]

The fourth episode is the second episode of TV the show runners have ever written. Among their many problems is a total lack of any experience in writing.

[@Esta-Beed]

I cannot stand Galadriel to a point am not watching this tripe anymore

[@MajorSmurf]

I don't understand the writers logic in this show. It's like they write for 5 minutes than forget everything they've written. They clearly needed OC elf to be elsewhere for their next plot point and to get him there. They decide for the enemy to release him to deliver a message. Which raises the point why they didn't just make his escape successful in the previous Ep. Enemy also gives him weapons back? Hello? Are you mad? There's a very good reason why people don't let prisoners go as they're likely to be a potential problem or they might just run off in the other direction after release. How did Adar know he would even go to the tower. He might just have ran towards an elven city to tell them instead. He could have just used an orc to deliver a message. Enemy also doesn't tell his orcs or give him something so that they don't kill a messenger for them. OC elf, son and mum also just randomly converge on a random location in the woods. Like yes plot points happen because a writer wants them to but as a writer you have to make it at least feel natural. Why was elf at village when he was going to the tower. Some suggest he used the orcs tunnels but why would he be using those? He don't need to protect himself from sunlight. Wouldn't he just straight hightail it to the tower if at all? Also we see the son using the road to get to the village so why was his mum sprinting through a god dam forest?

[@CounciloftheRings]

I think too many had a say on the script to be honest

[@FlyfishermanMike]

Secrecy is their advantage and they let an elf go?? Hacks.

[@ezekialjackson2011]

The overall writing and Galadriel are easily the worst part for me, but they go hand in hand really. Galadriel is just insufferable in this show, i really don't understand how anybody is supposed to like or get invested in this character when she's written to be a petulent child basically. I understand that's what character arcs are for but you still need something to grip you to the character to invest you in their story and every scene with her in is just a mess imo, I'm not familiar with Morfydd Clark's other work but surely she has more talent as an actress than she is showing on screen, i want to say it's mainly down to the writing and direction.

[@disres1337]

i couldnt take the "THE ELVES ARE GUNNA TAKE AR JOBSSS" seriously

[@liamrobinson2084]

Allow me to congratulate you on the measured tone and relentless even-handedness of these reviews. Cheers!

[@americanvirtues]

Your review on 1.5 speed was 1000x better than the show. On episode 4 I used the 10 second skip button more than I ever have. I am tired of the slow pace. My wife is a seamstress she gave the costumes 2/10. thank you and I hope you keep making these so I don't have to watch it. I'll just come here for the synopsis

[@larky368]

Why would you spoil the effect of the drowning of Numenor by showing it in a dream???? That's like wrapping a Christmas present in saran wrap.

[@hakan7346]

There is no real feeling of danger or any kind of suspense in the show. Every character has the thickest plot armor.

[@Maryondo]

*plastic armor :D

[@SnailHatan]

That was always going to be the case with the main Tolkien characters. Did you expect to be worried about Galadriel and Elrond?

[@MoffatLee]

@@SnailHatan But they also created a bunch of OCs who could be killed off and then proceed to pile on the plot armor for them too.

[@hakan7346]

@@SnailHatan No not those we know what happens to those characters why would you assume just Elrond and Galadriel when I said ''every character''? Its like you are trying not to understand what I'm saying.

[@spencerfrankclayton4348]

I love your grading/scoring of each aspect of an episode. A lot of times the music is fine, but meant for a better show or movie.

[@CounciloftheRings]

Yeah I think it could have worked better if the story dragged it up

[@simmo1024]

In the three weeks since this series first aired, I have read fellowship, two towers and return of the king. Time better spent.

[@catherinehiley3274]

The answer to what they did with the soil is easy they dug a big hole and buried it

[@abelingaw5070]

I had to replay the scene where Galadriel just throws 4 guards in that cell with ease, NUMENOREAN guards ffs. And its at the 3rd time I notice that the 2 of them just walked in there. Damn this shows choreography and acting.

[@CounciloftheRings]

Yeah it’s so bad. The celldoor is also closed, but magically opens

[@fingolfin7295]

The bastardization continues. At this point this is just cheap propaganda. Nothing else. Good thing there's no harfoots in this one though. They're unsufferable.

[@oldsynner]

One nice image was the top of the cranes building the tower -- the structure being based on a logarithmic spiral. Maths hasn't come up much in Middle Earth, but I assume it would be more an elvish thing than dwarfish.

[@the2ndbreakfastclub]

Love your reviews! Also I just realized you are also Macbeth of Gondor! Do you happen to have any new updates on Kingdoms of Arda? I know myself and many others are so excited to play it when it’s ready

[@CounciloftheRings]

Sadly not. The trailer have been delayed for some unknown reason

[@mrcat3493]

5/10 is generous. The show is a mess and Galadriel is insufferable. The writers have turned her into a petulant child.

[@walterbrownstone8017]

They saved money by casting Amazon warehouse workers.

[@belegur8108]

hm, showing Numenor being engulfed by a tidal wave is not forshadowing... its massive spoiler ... foreshadowing is the white tree loosing all its leaves...

[@TheJmlew11]

With each passing episode I am more and more convinced that Galadriel was originally written as an original character, but some producer changed it to make it someone who general audiences are all familiar with.

[@jfh9219]

I love the reviews. I also have been going through your videos and learning the lore. Thank you for your work! It is appreciated!!

[@majkus]

I think the reason Beleriand was not shown on the map is simpler than 'we didn't have the rights'; after all, they got the rights to show a map of Númenor. It seems to me that they decided, not at all unreasonably, that to show this major landmass that distorts the _very_ familiar coastline that so many in the audience know, only to have it disappear within the next five minutes of narration, would serve little purpose, and would confuse many. It's a little like substituting Arwen for Glorfindel, a character who soon disappears. There are some breaks from Tolkien's world which are easy to understand from the creator's point of view; and many of them are mildly regrettable (like Glorfindel) but acceptable. Others are more difficult to understand (pick your least favorite).

[@AABradyKK]

Even a simpler reason. It no longer exist. Beleriand went bye bye after the first age....

[@majkus]

@@AABradyKK But in the very first backstory sequence, when the Noldor first sail to Middle-earth, we see a map in which Beleriand is absent. It is historically inaccurate, but they had reasons for doing it this way. Do try to keep up.

[@Krabatserb]

Thank you for the review! In my opinion, some good moments were completely destroyed by some very bad. The ones were Strong woman's tempest discussion with the other strong woman, and how the strong woman puts these tall guatding soldiers into the prison cell. No no no.

[@swordmonkey6635]

I'm surprised by the higher score. I was divided between being bored to tears and rolling my eyes throughout the episode as a Tolkien Lore fan. It seems like Amazon are trying to be clever playing the shell game with "Who's Sauron?" I don't think it's Halbrand because that forge being built leads to believe that Sauron is in disguise in Eregion and just hasn't been introduced to Elrond yet.

[@Maryondo]

Though the Elven smiths were already around and busy when Annatar arrived. He wasn't the reasons for the existance. He just took use of it.

[@swordmonkey6635]

@@Maryondo Well with the "deadline" for the forge's creation that's being pushed into the plot, I think Annatar is in the background calling the shots (whispering in ears).

[@Maryondo]

I doubt it. We would have seen him in one form or another then

[@KiazaKadaj]

Sauron is halbrand.

[@Maryondo]

The only convincing Sauron so far is Galadriel. Though even Sauron was more wise and cunning and so on. A mastermind.

[@Pdotta1]

Appreciate hearing an honest review from someone competent, thank you.

[@esumiwa5583]

I really enjoy the actress playing Disa. Really, I know the character is not in the books, but her acting feels like a female dwarf. And Arondil's actor as well. Sadly, there given very little to work with...

[@Jim-Tuner]

Yeah. I questioned Disa at first as a character, but the actress really won me over. She is really doing a good job with it.

[@lynnm6413]

6:50 the reason why they cannot show Beleriand is because it sank into the sea in the end of the War of Wrath as we saw in the prologue where the city was underwater and people wer floating… „For so great was the fury of those adversaries that the northern regions of the western world were rent asunder, and the sea roared in through many chasms, and there was confusion and great noise; and rivers perished or found new paths, and the valleys were upheaved and the hills trod down; and Sirion was no more.“ Tolkien, Silmarillion

[@CounciloftheRings]

It’s from episode 1. Galadriel mentions the elves sailed from Valinor, but then we see Beleriand is missing, and she says they sailed for Middle-earth. And then comes the battle with Finrod, which would also be in Beleriand ☺️

[@lynnm6413]

@@CounciloftheRings oh, I see, I didn‘t catch that…I‘ll have to go back…cheers

[@Jim-Tuner]

In theory they have the rights to the name Beleriand, but not to any map of it.

[@Yusuf_K7]

I really feel this story should have been told from someone else’s perspective, not Galadriel. Also, they should put time markers after every ‘teleportation’, to show that it’s been a few months or so.

[@smokydesperado]

Perhaps Elrond does end up breaking his vow, and the consequences of that lead to his caution in fellowship of the ring? Though not quite as dramatic as what Durin described, what happened to Celebrian was in a way "dooming Elrond and his kin to sorrow"

[@GraupeLie]

That's what I'm beginning to think...That might be an interesting twist, actually...

[@jakoby256]

When Legolas or Aragorn overpowers several enemies, that's fine. But when Galadriel, a several thousands years old elven woman does it, that's somehow unbelievable? Come on. Also the structure looks elven because the plans are elven, its simple as that.

[@darkvalar779]

An absolute banger of a video. I hope you keep these videos going because these videos feel like a correction to the episodes of The Rings of Power and are like a breath of fresh air from all the disingenuous videos about the series.

[@robertrichter7389]

I am so thankful of your reviews. They are at the same time relieving and educational, if that makes sense. I enjoy your content a ton. Namárië.

[@CounciloftheRings]

Thanks! Glad to hear that 🙏

[@NewYears1978]

This was my favorite episode but I still did not like it. It had some cool moments but the writing is completely ridiculous. Not having to see the Harfoots is probably one of the biggest pluses in this episode. The taking our jobs speech (Elven ships are on our shores! Nope..there's literally no Elven ships..just one lost Elf...) and Galadriel pushing aside 5 soldiers like it was nothing...stupid. Then, Drinks all around! And INSTANTLY women with wine are there... so freaking stupid. This show is worse than GoT season 8..and I thought no one could write worse than Dumb and Dumber. Also - Hey Elrond, don't tell anyone about the Mithril, but here's a piece of the Mithril. This will directly lead to the elves having the Mithril and I assume During being mad at Elrond again... masterful writing.

[@rio20d]

That's very nice catch CoTR, I also noticed on ep1 that map at 06:45 shows a much smaller middle earth after Beleriand sunk under the sea due to the final war of wrath between Morgoth against the host of Valar. I know they don't have the rights to those materials, but a bit weird that Arondir said to Adar that he's from Beleriand.

[@markoosh]

When the only thing you like about a show is its visuals and music... sad times.

[@loffredabernardes]

elrond and durin relantionship is pretty much the only saving grace on this show It's actually decent and convincing which is just unseen on the rest of the show

[@michellebeckham5310]

The Numenorians don't look like an isolated race of people more like a party mix.

[@alexandrejose8362]

This one I can excuse, since there was already some differences between the Houses of Hador, Beor and the Halathin, and here the lack of rights could be used to include the House of Bor as a formative people, but it is buried beneath all the other things

[@DJdext]

I've been asking if the orcs put token elf's sword and bow in a locker so when he left they could give it back to him. The scene with elrond and the dwarf was good but only because it was generic. I don't have either parent alive now but what I wouldn't give to have just one more conversation. This would get anyone in their feels. Had the writing been better it could have hit harder. My overall complaint is the elves don't really look or act different than humans. In the movies they were other worldly. I wish that was done here.

[@DarkSlayer010]

So many sighs and groans of frustration from the narrator. And this is for the best episode yet. Oh my. 🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️

[@haydenwilliams458]

You are the first person ive heard to compare galadrial to a Karen, and you are so spot on!!

[@lillyaltland4359]

Your episode reviews are excellent. This show is so bad it's a must hate-watch. It's a very poor decision by the producers to present so many story lines in different locations, 10-15 minutes at a time. This has destroyed the pace of the show.

[@scambammer6102]

I think it's merciful that we only have to watch short segments.

[@ffelegal]

They aimed for Game of Thrones season 1 but delivered some season 8 by incompetence.

[@majkus]

A 'must hate-watch'? And yet every time someone watches, it becomes more of a 'success' from Amazon's standpoint. They don't care whether you like it; just whether you have an active Prime subscription and watch the show. And they are right. With a huge fan base such as Lord of the Rings has, this program literally can not fail, from a business standpoint, regardless of how good it is. Even all the months of shrill carping from the 'Woke! SJW! It's a war on white men!' crowd only created buzz and awareness and viewership. Great system, huh?

[@marymaza2187]

How did they build so much of the forge tower so quickly? In the 1st episode Celebrimbor had only some sketches and blueprints that he showed Elrond. Did Celebrimbor have object teleporting abilities the same way Elrond teleports himself from an Elf city to a Dwarf city at will?

[@Maryondo]

The dark side of the force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural.

[@aldonis7515]

I’d like to imagine some time has passed in between the episode. The only problem is that there’s no indicators showing that happening, which is quite disappointing.

[@Enerdhil]

As usual.........timeline compression.🙄

[@SnailHatan]

Time is passing, but there’s no way in hell for us to know how much because it’s never shown. People are never shown traveling, there’s no mention of dates or “it’s been X months since we’ve started building, we’ve been on this shitty raft for 30 days,” etc. It’s all done even worse than GoT season 7+8. Nothing matters. The world feels tiny because there’s no sense of traveling time or distance. Just showing an often inaccurate map isn’t good enough.

[@rgerber]

@@Maryondo did you ever hear the tragedy of Gandalf the Pride?

[@rangerone8813]

The Harfoots should be cut from this series with a hot knife. Hobbits did exist in this time period, and as far as “prehistoric nomadic bush-hobbits” go, their design is not illogical, but they are entirely unsatisfying to watch that they must only be of interest to some kind of lore-paleontologists. FYI, I have little interest in learning more about the pukel-men either.

[@ChaosTheory666]

Oh yeah, the Harfoots weren't in this one. Didn't even notice. 😂

[@andrewfontana3136]

Maybe Adar is the Mouth of Sauron. The Mouth was supposed to know Sauron's mind better than any other and it would make sense he was in charge of Mordor when Sauron was away. All I remember of the Mouth's origins in the book really was that he had been called the Mouth of Sauron so long he'd forgotten his own name. I'm guessing the little chunk of mithril will end up being made into at least one ring. We know Galadriel's ring is made of mithryl. On top of everything else you said about the escape of the boy from the orcs, I was also annoyed by the fact that he waited until night when the orcs are most active and aware to get out of the well. But I guess they totally ignore the fact that as night dwellers they can see perfectly well at night even without their torches. Again I guess it's a Pippin Jackson moment where going towards danger is the safest thing to do.

[@Arad1086]

It's rather curious how galadriel can lower the show's score on almost every aspect single handedly; bad writing, bad acting, bad story progression etc.

[@PrivateVoid1]

"[Galadriel]...worse than Rey"...is possibly the most damning thing anyone could say of a character in film or tv. Honestly, it doesn't get any worse. But is it justified? Hell yeah. Amazon & Disney should collaborate on a new show: Battle of the Mary Sues, in which the two Powerful Women battle for victory. Spoiler Alert: they both win.

[@nokinova904]

im pretty new to ur channel but i really enjoy ur ratings. I also liked this episode the most out of the 4. Still not a fan of the Show but its still kind of entertainment to put in on for some cringe moments (its a nice mix: Friday RoP cringe, Monday: HotD excitement) However im super exited for the House of the Dragon review to hear a little bit more excitement in ur voice. Thanks for the videos. Always looking foward to them. :)

[@CounciloftheRings]

Glad you like them! I won't be doing House of the Dragon reviews sadly - But I might make 1 video when season 1 is over, as I really liked it.

[@smoore6461]

So sad to see what Amazon is doing with Lord of the Rings, they have somehow managed to take one of my favorite characters in LOTR, I loved Peter Jackson's version of Galadriel, he made her likeable as well as strong, deep and truly powerful, unlike this current dumpster fire of a show. Your very generous with your points, things like tge visuals maybe but i could not go much over 2 on most other categories outside of CGI which In this Era of movie and TV making CGI needs to be pretty astounding to really move me. Another great review though! Best part of this Is no Harfoot stupidity.

[@Gyrosmeister]

How would Elrond have had conversations with Earendil when he was a toddler when Maglor adopted him?

[@Maryondo]

He was 6, when got adopted. :)

[@Gyrosmeister]

@@Maryondo yeah, that's why I was wondering how he would have deep conversations with his father

[@Maryondo]

@@Gyrosmeister Because Amazon said so ;)

[@Gyrosmeister]

@@Maryondo Indeed :P

[@kamion53]

@@Maryondo Elros and Elrond were left alone but Maglor took care of them after the raid on the elves of Sirion. would be an interesting plot twist if Adar is the same a Maglor, the only one of the sons of Féanor who did not return to Aman and whose death is not reported and of whome the Silmariilion suggest he wandered as a tormented soul. It would make a meeting between Elrond ans Adar very interesting.

[@mycaleb8]

You've earned some respect for being willing to highlight the positives.

[@CounciloftheRings]

Thanks!

[@mycaleb8]

@@CounciloftheRings Absolutely. I'm not a fan of the show either, but I've felt that you some of the negative reviews have been hyperbolic and dishonest. This review was honest and that was good to see.

[@CounciloftheRings]

@@mycaleb8 Nah I've just always expressed my opinion. I will say though that a lot of stuff gets edited out of the reviews. In review 2 I talk a bit about how surprised I was for liking Disa as a character. The audio just got kinda bad and the way I phrased it was also a bit clunky. I sometimes put that into the next reviews though :)

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

On the sound piece, I was very annoyed when Durin was putting his hand on a rock (scene with Elrond about the mithril) and the sound effect was that of a fake rock like if you were knocking on a rock at Disneyland

[@lymeregis4354]

Yes, I noticed something similar when the broken sword made a metallic sound when it shouldn't.

[@luke2470]

I feel damage to my soul by watching it, much like when the elves hear black speech, or those who hear Morgoth's music.

[@ChrisGrahamkedzuel]

14:26 is that Narsil? What is Tar-Palantir doing with Narsil? That sword was passed down from Silmarien all the way down to Elendil as they were the line of Andunie.

[@CounciloftheRings]

It’s actually unknown how Elendil got it, but yes many assume it was an heirloom of the Lords of Andúnië

[@FilipMoncrief]

This makes Hobbit a 10/10 movie in comparison :Dd just compare the acting of Thranduil to that of Galadriel

[@DocFear]

Aside from the shoddy script and dialogue bad enough I'd rather listen to nails on a chalkboard... I don't understand why the costumes on such a high budget show look like they were robbed from an off-Broadway play.

[@Eneeki]

Amazon's version of Galadriel would have taken the ring from Frodo and become a dark queen. she has ZERO redeeming qualities.

[@Matanexpert]

In Ep.3 Elves had a plan - escape from pit and run asap to their kin in order «return in numbers». I guess Arondir forgot about that plan and decided give choise to humans join to Adar and spent some sweet time with healer. Amazing.

[@linski561]

Please correct me if i'm wrong but at this point in the second age wasn't Galadriel supposed to be married with a daughter , who would eventually marry Elrond. Very well done with your analysis , keep up the good work 👍

[@CounciloftheRings]

Yeah she was 😄

[@Jim-Tuner]

The husband was written out because (by rumor) they intend for her to have a romance with Sauron.

[@linski561]

@@Jim-Tuner Good grief, season 2 plot will be the tribulations of the bastard child torn between good and evil parents 😂

[@lotuschamp7796]

The sinking of numenor, season 4 - the sinking of the show, episode 1 season 1

[@One.Zero.One101]

I think this show has had terrible dialogue so far, but the fight between Isildur and his friends was probably the best dialogue in the entire series. "You've always wanted to get fired, but for us we worked our entire lives to get here. So congrats you got what you wanted but your ruined our lives". It's the first time I believed what a character is saying. It's the first time I resonated with a character's point of view. It's the first time dialogue evoked emotion from me.

[@CounciloftheRings]

Yeah it was some of the better dialogue for sure

[@mathu8]

[Orcs grunt respectfully] 😂

[@duffypratt]

If Halbrand is Sauron, why did he save Galadriel from drowning? Makes no sense at all.

[@Boogeyyyman]

Because he fell in love with her and wanted to hit her elven booty 😆😅😂 She is the reason why he wants to return back to the light side. But later she drops him and he becomes evil again.

[@dw620]

You make the mistake of expecting anything to make sense here! ;p~

[@Jim-Tuner]

Because he wants to do her before he kills her. The big rumor since the start is a Sauron-Galadriel romance.

[@sergiorrwodz]

They had so much potential, so much money, the best story… why did they not put more effort on writing, dialogues and casting?I dont get it. And people are actually liking the show.

[@tarth8086]

Thanks for the video! I have a mixed feeling of your review. I love that you are digging into this show and provide your insights not just about the tech "details" but also actually thinking through the logic of it (that's why you can find so many plot holes here and there!), but at the same time I feel you like a lot of the comments here are being too picky about it :)

[@CounciloftheRings]

Well I do have quite high standards and rarely give 10/10. I see moviemaking as an artform, so it takes a lot of work to impress me. When I see the same tropes being used over and over again it’s hard not to mention it 😄

[@frankvandorp2059]

I wonder how often they're going to use the sun as a plot device to prevent orcs from doing anything at all, while depicting orcs walking around in sunlight effortlessly in between those scenes. So far, we saw them have a vampire's reaction in two episodes, while we saw them walking around in sunlight in those exact same two episodes.

[@Djsonley]

Maybe they wanted all the big battles at night like GoT did against the white walkers. Cool at first but then you didn't know what was happening half the time that episode. That was done ecause they couldn't pull a daytime sequence off with the limited CGI and budget. I hope Sauron uses a power to help the Orc's fight in the daylight. We need to see day battles. This could actually work when he returns to power the Orc's might gain strength too from his will.

[@squaeman_2644]

BuT iTs FAntAsY, iT dOEsNt HaVE rULeS!

[@AriseInGondolin]

The writing just keeps getting worse. Who leaves their village behind without provisions? And making Númenor an allegory for MAGA really pissed me off. These writers are absolutely trash.

[@FlyfishermanMike]

Small details and conveying the passage of time certainly aren't their strong suits. What their strengths are or if they possess any have yet to be seen.

[@weesky5222]

they are able to make created sister of isildur becomes adunaphel. they can do anything....as long as it's bad.

[@JohnDavidSullivan]

Just want to say, channels like yours and European Lore are killin' it lately with these fantastic videos. I cant imagine how painful it must be watching this so we dont have to. Thanks i guess!! My mate keeps nagging me to watch it but... Nah not happening 😏

[@CounciloftheRings]

Glad you like them!

[@monkeyman1350]

Yeah after the first episode I refused to watch more despite the Tolkien lore being something I truly love. I don’t want to support these shitty studios/writers when they knowingly continue to tarnish already good things for the sake of money.

[@JohnDavidSullivan]

@@monkeyman1350 agree.