Rings of Power is Not Very Good: Breakdown and Analysis - Part 2: Adrift

Rings of Power Episode 2 was better than Episode 1, but it is still bad. Tune in to find out why.
00:00 - Galadriel in the Ocean
00:26 - Nori and the Stranger
06:59 - Hordern
09:11 - Eregion
11:16 - Arrival at Khazad-Dum
16:56 - Nori and the Stranger pt. 2
19:30 - Galadriel is Rescued
22:34 - Elrond and Durin
28:29 - Galadriel and Halbrand
34:15 - Bronwyn vs the Orc
37:48 - The Storm
38:29 - Nori and the Stranger pt. 3
39:18 - Durin and the King
38:58 - Galadriel is Rescued, Again
40:13 - Galadriel's Plot Analysed
42:12 - Arondir/Bronwyn's Plot Analysed
46:17 - Nori's Plot Analysed
47:41 - Elrond's Plot Analysed
49:34 - Conclusion
50:27 - Outro
Second Channel - / @randomft2
Rando Discord - / discord
Patreon - / randomfilmtalk
Twitter - / randomfilmtalk

[@outrider44]

If any elf were oblivious to the passage of time for mortals, it most definitely should NOT be Elrond, who himself was half-elven; who was, with his brother and parents, left with the choice of mortality vs immortality. His brother Elros chose to be mortal and became the first king of Numenor. Elrond should be keenly aware of how time affects mortals.

[@Florjb0rjTheFloorboard]

But to know that, you have to actually care about the world building. So that eliminates the screenwriters, producers, set designers, etc.

[@iandevine3063]

Get back to me after you live for a couple thousand years.

[@TheBrotherdarkness9]

Elrond and Celebrimbor did not just "travel" to Khazaddum, they took a leisurely stroll through the woods in their morning gowns.

[@rickjohnson9558]

Noori is such a rebel that she stands right next to the dinner table and sings, despite the fact that her mother tells her repeatedly that there is NO singing at the dinner table. That girl is simply out of control! What will she do next?

[@Arc115YT]

As we have established, she doesn't follow the rules. If I had to guess what she'd do next, it would probably be that she's going to be brave and caring. Just a guess tho.

[@NickiRusin]

the Noori gets a little brave, clumsy and caring at night

[@poneill65]

Bronwyn must be a Queen,... because she's the only villager that hasn't got shit all over her (including the perennially shirtless Innkeeper,).

[@TheSchultinator]

I mean, even though it's Monty Python logic, it makes sense/still works

[@Florjb0rjTheFloorboard]

Halbrand's character description being "totally not evil" is 100% the only trait I could pinpoint

[@brianensign7638]

I hate the way the show pretends like Galadriel is the only elf who was ever traumatized by war. Don’t you think Elrond, Gilgalad, and everyone else also lost friends and family? She should be surrounded by people who have “seen what she has seen.” She should be learning from them how to heal and recover from the horrors of war, since she is apparently the only person in middle earth who has not yet figured out how to do so. Was this show written by a woman who’s been told her entire life that she’s a self-centered bitch, so she’s using Galadriel as a projection to explain why her bitchiness is justified? That can’t be it, surely.

[@mrdavman13]

Gandalf came on a boat. And knew everything from before. He was olorin before, but given the name mithrandir by the elves when he landed. And Cirdan gave him naria a ring of power

[@stuartpenwarden253]

He also didn't come to middle earth yet by quite a bit, but that is a tiny thing I guess.

[@poneill65]

To add to the absurd,.. because fuckit, why not. Durin expects Elrond to be clairvoyant as he clearly didn't send any invites to weddings/births. Theo lifts the orc 2-3 times his size into the air using his own body weight. Galadriel is dragged down into the depths by a WOODEN mast and a WOODEN pulley block. Wood Floats (Like Ducks,.. Very small rocks,... churches,...and Witches!)

[@jennifermorrill5184]

So, if she, weighs the same as a duck.... she's made of wood. And therefore.... A WITCH!

[@saddlerrye6725]

But witches only because they're made of wood! (Also, we've established that rocks do not float, so Galadriel is maybe made of rock)

[@suemccarthy853]

Could still build a bridge out of her.

[@poneill65]

@@suemccarthy853 Only if Second Age Arda was banana shaped, but one so wise in the ways of science such as yourself knows that 🙂

[@jasonmcclatchie6877]

@poneill65 Burn her anyway! 😀

[@Angrenost02]

31:19 As someone already said, in the lore Galadriel was born before the sun existed, but when Finrod died the sun did exist, so it doesn't really work. This is the show trying to hint at the deep lore but failing because in the end it's still wrong. This happens quite a lot, believe me. It's weird too because the show keeps hinting to parts of the lore that only people who have read at least both the trilogy and the Silmarillion (so pretty hardcore fans) would know, but in the same time they change so much of the story and characters that for most of these fans (like me) it's clearly not Tolkien's Middle-Earth. Anyway, great work friend, I'm glad you decided to do this.

[@MarqMortis]

The show also didn't do a very good job establishing that the trees were the source of light before. Without the Silmarilion knowledge, I would've made the same assumption as in the analysis.

[@40X70N]

The sun thing is technically true because those trees from E1 used to basically act like the sun/moon and after they were destroyed, we got the sun and moon. Though, this implies she's been hunting Sauron since, IIRC, before anyone knew he was a baddie.

[@randomft]

Would have been good if the show was allowed to explain that!

[@40X70N]

@@randomft feel like the show would've benefitted greatly from having access to the rest of the lore, and maybe some cohesive writers wouldn't hurt.

[@skatman3278]

@@randomft yup. absolutely.

[@freman007]

@@randomft I think it would be possible to imply/infer a lot of the history without explicitly spelling it out. Not least somehow reflecting the fact that Galadriel is nearly four thousand years old, a wife and mother, and arguably one of the most powerful magic users in Middle Earth. They could have done this story with a different Elf character, even a female Elf character, and it would likely have been just as awful, but not such a slap in the face to Galadriel fans.

[@troffle]

​@@randomft It felt to me like a bit of a stab in the chest when you said last episode that you wouldn't be reading the books. I myself haven't read the books yet, I went to a non-Amazon store and got The Hobbit and the three Lord Of The Rings books. And the new roleplaying game. And... found your reviews. I saw how other franchises like Asimov's Foundation were ruined by TV bastards (and most other franchises I grew up loving), so I figured I'd get the REAL Tolkien before I let these Amazon bastards ruin it all. So I'm halfway through The Hobbit and making my way through, I'm still in my apprentice stage of getting into Tolkien. A person could get into The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings pretty easily because they helped define a huge amount of fantasy games and fiction now. No need to explain when D&D and other movies make it clear. But it turns out that between this crapshow's "Second Age" and the Hobbit/LOTR there was an AWFUL HUGE LOT OF STUFF THAT HAPPENED that is NOT traditional fantasy fare. ... in the Second Age, the Middle-earth also called Arda was flat. Seriously. Flat-earth (although Tolkien played around with both a round- and flat-earth version, the version that made it though in the end was the Flat-earth). Ar-Pharazôn and Númenor's people were trying to attack Valinor. Through what amounts to the world's demigods (Valar, beings on the Morgoth level) asking their father-god (Ilúvatar), the Númenor fleet was swept away and the earth was bent/curved into a sphere. Before all of this and before the world had a sun and moon, the light came instead from two Trees. They were destroyed by Morgoth, but their last fruit each were saved and turned into the sun and moon. Before the time there was a sun, the "Years of the Sun", were the "Years of the Trees" (Valinor years, roughly 10 solar years, a bit less... 9 years 212ish days?). Galadriel was born in the Year of the Trees 1362. Galadriel was born literally before there was a sun and a moon. Another 133 Valinor years passed before there was a sun and moon. And we come to the thing @Impaling Prince told you. Who knows, maybe Payne and McKay - Dumb & Dumber - didn't know this. Given how the rest of this show turned out, I wouldn't trust these idiots to tell the story even if they knew anyway. The writers of the show are too stupid to tell it. The audience they're writing for are too mainstream, normie and dumb themselves to have gotten the point or cared. The show never had a hope of making this clear to the audience.

[@michelecastellotti9172]

the story of:"evol place make fire cold" makes -1.000.000 sense on account of the fact that we see isildur, elrond, frodo and sam sweating like mfs when inside the volcano, inside of mordor... this is an obbious reference to the scene where gandalf throws the one ring in frodos fireplace, yet when frodo touches it, its still cold... too bad that its not because the ring made the fire cold, by that logic the entire baggins house was evil... which it wasnt, the ring could *ONLY* be destroyed inside of mount doom, by its fire and magma, so a pathetic little fire like the one in frodos house had no effect on the ring whatsoever, the ring that didnt absorb heat at all is what i am saying.

[@maxgrozema1093]

To add to this, in the books Sauron basically bitchslaps/fireballs Elendil and Gil-Galad to death with fiery hands.

[@Undomaranel]

​@@maxgrozema1093 Too soon fam, too soon. RIP Elendil and Gil-Galad.

[@supra0_0nova]

Belrogs must’ve been secretly good guys then

[@5ema55unto]

The reason leading a character to a location is NEVER the reason why he/she stays there: Help on a building -> Get Mithril Wants a ship to leave numenor -> Persuade the Queen about going to war. The symbol is sauron's mark and relates to magic ->It's a map. Hallbrand wants to be a blacksmith -> Goes to war being the 'reluctant king' . Like they have bullet points regarding the narrative... but they don't how to get there.

[@TheSchultinator]

Conspiracy board, but only the writers can interpret it, cuz they made it

[@AliciatheCho]

Yeahhhh Galdriel jumping into the seas….she was literally suicidal. She even told Miriel that Elendil saved her life. Weirdly the show doesn’t highlight that because it would make her behavior sympathetic - if not exclusable My bestie and I watched this together. She’s a psychiatrist and offered that Galadriel had anxiety and agitated depression. That Galadriel’s behavior in the frozen north being an example of risk-taking behavior of some suicidal people. Yet the actress that plays her claims Galadriel is “very hopeful.” There is a huge disconnect between what the cast thinks they filmed versus what audiences saw

[@lsixty30]

I think pride is the root of the delusion.

[@adamwintz1072]

She told Miriel he rescued her from CERTAIN DEATH (Disparu voice). That means she intentionally jumped to her CERTAIN DEATH and therefore nothing she does the rest of the way makes any sense.

[@michaeljensen3491]

where Galadriel jumps of the boat is literally as far away from middle earth as she could be without entering Valinor. not to mention the ocean there is literally impossible to navigate cause it has no light and no stars, the greatest mariner ever (Elrond's father) needed a silmaril to find his way. a big problem with the show is Galadriel has lost tons of people to Morgoth and Sauron but because they don't have the legal rights to explain it what she says just doesn't make sense.

[@michaeljensen3491]

This show doesn't work as an adaptation or as a show.

[@Tar-Elenion]

Just want to note that the 'hundreds of miles from the shore' (that *Galadriel wants to get to) is a couple thousand miles...

[@randomft]

I know, I realised this during my video for Episode 3. Her plan is to swim 100 times further than anyone has ever swam IRL which would take nearly 100 days non stop with no food water or sleep. Sounds about right to me.

[@Tar-Elenion]

@@randomft Well, I have been _reliably_ _informed_ by _lore experts_ and _professors_ that she is an "Elf" and thus this is not only reasonable but what Tolkien intended... Or something. More seriously Normally, with these breakdown videos, if the person doing them has not read Tolkien, I usually stop watching, but your videos have been quite good, and I am enjoying the take from someone not familiar with what Tolkien wrote.

[@randomft]

@@Tar-Elenion Thanks. Yeah I wanted to make clear at the start that I don't really like adaptation arguments because it just muddies the waters when talking about what the show does well or poorly. Like, I know the Elves are meant to have long hair, but in and of itself this doesn't make RoP bad, just unfaithful.

[@Tar-Elenion]

@@randomft Understandable. I do the adaptation arguments since I am very familiar with Tolkien, though I will also apply critiques from within what the show itself presents. My issue with the "experts" and "professors" is that they rely on partial or out of context citations from Tolkien, or present personal opinion (often derived from an out of context quote) as an indisputable fact. In the event, I am looking forward to your upcoming takes.

[@BernardLangham]

the issue with Elves having 21st century haircuts is not really that it breaks lore, but that it removes one of the props which Jackson effectively and deliberately used to make them appear fey and otherworldy -- wise and ancient non-human immortals from a land of eternal light and bliss. the instant TV series more often than not makes them look like that decidedly worldly and determinedly middle-aged middle manager from your workplace hell of choice (I'm looking at Celebrimbor, amongst others).

[@matthewmiller8297]

"The only reason the king walked over to the box and looked inside was to provide a visual cliffhanger for those members of the audience who periodically leave the room to lick some windows." Wow. Just wow.

[@reaemishi2278]

I always thought the jumping into the ocean scene could actually work. The god of water is the only god in Tolkien who takes direct action in the well being of the world on a regular basis. Like how it protected Frodo and Arowen from the 9 in fellow ship just for the asking. If she jumped in the water and then asked for his help and then found the shipwreck and was rescued by sailors we could all just go, right, god of water helped them out cause he hates Morgoth and his creations. Heck it would even make sense why Saurons ship is attacked and why Galadriel is delivered to him, the one they both want to kill. It would also make sense that when she joined with him there was instantly a typhoon.

[@MW-bv3wu]

Cannon issue: the Ford's of Bruinen are the direct path to Rivendell and Elrond has enchanted them to "rise in anger" if an enemy attempts to cross. The movies may not have told us this. On the other hand, Arden is shown muttering a spell. Either way, an Elf's magic makes the river do something.

[@evanharrison4054]

Except nowhere in Rings of Power is it revealed that gods exist or even just the water god. If they did a passing mention, maybe, but as it stands, it's a plothole to anyone who isn't willing to go into the Silmarillion to find an answer(love that book by the way) I think it's more of an issue of privileged trust fund kids writing these stories who were ferried back and forth between their mansions and their private schools and have no idea of how long it takes to cover ground(or, in this case, water) Same thing that happened in Game Of Thrones when they caught up to the books. Suddenly everyone could show up anywhere at any time, because as I suspect, most of the writers probably haven't walked 50km in total during their entire lives, so it's incomprehensible to them that in order to cover something like 400km, it would take about 3 weeks of intensive marching on a flatlands. As for jumping out of a boat in the middle of the ocean, it's pretty much a death sentence, even if a ship is actively looking for you and has a vague idea of where you are. If you want a reference, just look up the 1810 Méduse, the french frigate. Point is: a kid fell through a porthole, they gave him a flotation device, fired a cannon to alert the ship following her that someone fell overboard, yet the kid was never seen again. I believe that took place during the day, with little wind around to create waves to obstruct visibility. Even if you are willing to accept that Ulmo himself intervened at the 11th hour, it's still a baffling decision for Galadriel to make. Kinda like jumping into a woodchipper and hoping that your Jesus fish sticker on your car will cause divine intervention. Anyway, I like your attempt at fixing the show, but it's a bandaid solution to a gushing flesh wound.

[@resathe6760]

@@MW-bv3wu Yep, I don't think there is any source for Ulmo being involved in that. Even in the movies Arwen's spell doesn't talk about Ulmo.

[@sarahgould5435]

Gandalf straight up told Frodo that the fords of Bruinen were flooded by Elrond's arts, while the horse shapes in the foam were Gandalf's own touch. Besides which, if Ulmo would save Galadriel when she tried to swim back from Valinor, why didn't he save Amroth, King of Lorien, when he tried to do the same thing? The reason Celeborn became Lord of Lothlorien is because his cousin Amroth started for Valinor, regretted leaving his Sylvan lover Nimrodel behind, and then drowned trying to swim back to her. Orome was a much more regular help than Ulmo, which is why he found the first Elves and why the mearas, descendants of his horse Nahar, are in Middle Earth, rather than Valinor.

[@reaemishi2278]

@@MW-bv3wu I was under the impression that all the elven magics like their crafts were basically gifts from Vala and serve their will, just like the Ainur and their magics. That is what distinguishes it from the dark magic arts which get their power from Morgoth's corruption instead and allows you to use them for evil. I'm not an expert but I though that was the whole point of creating the dark arts to begin with wasn't it? Magic you could use selfishly for your own purposes? In non-Tolkin terms basically the difference between a wizard and a cleric. I thought it was based on the biblical distinction between miraculous magic and witchcraft.

[@andrewalt6060]

Arondir has like one expression on his face the entire time, he makes Vulcans seem laid back by comparison.

[@sharksbreath7]

Usually when a show treats it's viewers like idiots that's a bad thing, but in this case it makes sense. That has to be their target audience.

[@saddlerrye6725]

I laughed so hard at the Feanor thing. They leave him out of the prologue, when it was actually him who led the elves back to Middle Earth... Then they mention him, the Silmarillion, and Morgoth just for funsies?? What does that have to do with the series???? Morgoth ain't get any deader, Feanor ain't get any deader, and the shinies are either lost or not in Middle Earth. So what was the point? Also, thanks for the analysis, it's fun to hear it from a purely movie-fan standpoint.

[@michaelnewswanger2409]

I feel the need to point out Durin is pissed Elrond missed his marriage. There is no facebook, phones, or internet in middle earth. If you expect someone from a different kingdom to know an important event is happening you must send a messager. In the world of the show it would make more sense for Elrond to be upset at Durin than the other way around.

[@TallisKeeton]

1. "an alliance with dwarves would be diplomatic achievement of the age" and then 2. "their prince is dear friend almost like a brother to me" what I just missed between those lines ? Maybe an explanation WHY someone with whom you are like a brother is not already your best ally ? :D Remember that Moria and Eregion were from the very start not only neighbours but best allies and friends for an age ? :D Ah, wait, it was becouse of friendship between the dwarves and Celebrimbor... ah, right, Celebrimbor - the guy who was left alone outside the doors of Moria :D

[@sarahgould5435]

And they never explain this. Elves and Dwarves don't get along and Dwarves deeply mistrust Elves...but somehow a complete newcomer Elf 'just happens' to be as close as a brother to their prince? How and where, exactly, did this happen? Disa asks this question at dinner to try to trick the audience into thinking we've gotten an answer, but we never do. Elrond was just out running around one day when he heard screams so high-pitched that he thought it was a distressed child, went to see what the issue was, found 5 hill trolls attacking a Dwarf that 'just happened' to be the heir to the throne of the most influential Dwarven clan in all of Middle Earth, and took up his bow to save him. 😮‍💨 Oh, that's not contrived at all. Where, exactly, did this happen? The introduction between Elrond and Celebrimbor established that Elrond had never been to Eregion, the only Elven realm that would bring him close to Khazad-dum. Are we supposed to believe he was just wandering the wilds around there alone at some point for...some reason? Or maybe it was the other way around, except... The Dwarves are established as isolationist by virtue of having no trade with Elves, and having no one *else* around with whom to trade. So what the heck would the heir to their throne be doing all the way over by Lindon on the coast? If he was there for diplomatic reasons, Elrond saving him would have cemented the Dwarven side of whatever deal he was there to forge, making this entire trip unnecessary. If Gilgalad's Elves sabotaged that deal by their own attitudes, Elrond's personal friendship would already have proven insufficient to convince the Dwarves to commit. There would be no reason to think it could work now, meaning the trip would still be pointless.

[@TallisKeeton]

@@sarahgould5435 oh my what a mess of a TV show :D

[@matthewmiller8297]

"I don't know how they knew this unless Morgoth is the kind of guy who tells his enemies that he cries himself to sleep..." :D :D I just can't watch this channel without snorting out loud about every 60 seconds.

[@Pdotta1]

I’m glad you’re making these. I almost want Amazon to make all five seasons.

[@Mr_Vosakisen]

You want RFT to loose his sanity?

[@sydneyslaughter7163]

FIVE?!

[@TheGamedMind]

Yes please, if that should suffice to bankrupt them then that would be most welcome.

[@ageoflove1980]

The scene where Galadriel meets Halbrand is the reason why I argued strongly against the theory that he could ever be Sauron. I had some pretty hefty nerd discussions about it. Halbrand had to be some sort of random lost noble because thats the only way this completely bizarre chance encounter made any sense at all, as little as it did anyway. They became friends because of this random encounter, and convenietly he did of course tie a bit in to the greater plot by being from The Southlands. Also his character was a good vehicle to show some of the racial tensions between Numenorians and "lesser" men and provides us, the viewer, as a point of reference through which we could discover Numenor and learn a bit about their arrogance. This would also be what "was up" with Halbrand as he was trying to hide the fact that he belonged to the people that once allied with the dark forces and was running away from that tainted heritage. This works, because we as viewer were clearly told that something "was up" with this guy and the prejudice we have against him would tie in nicely with the prejudice Numenorians or Elves would have against him too. This even would have been a nod to Aragorn, couldnt help but notice he and Halbrand look a bit similar. Of course Aragorn faces a similar prejudice in Bree where he is considered "one of them rangers". Also, they are both supposed to be characters who reject their "royal" past and seem disillusioned before they start their redemption arc and eventually become the King they were always ment to be.Following this, his bond with Galadriel would indicate that not all hope is lost regarding the relationship between Elf and Man. He would be the shining example of why anyone would bother to care about these people anyways. A sort of male version of Bronwyn, and that would eventually tie their storyarcs together. They would eventually all meet up in The Southlands together and battle evil as the "last alliance of elves and men." On a sidenote: This ocean business also provided a good reason to show actress Morfydd Clark in a very revealing dress clinging to her impressive physical shape, in order to provide the viewer with something nice to look at. This is an actual technique used by ancient Greek sculptors called the 'wet drapery' style, to show physical features through a transparant piece of cloth, so its not as weird as it sounds. Not exactly Shakespeare, I know, but hey, sometimes a simply story works the best. All a bit convenient, but sure, effective storytelling. Some "random guy" is used a lot in storytelling as a narrative vehicle because that guy is often the easiest for the viewer place himself in and identify himself with. You can then proceed having other characters explain things to "random guy" and therefore the viewer, avoiding these people to just abandon any logic and simply have them say things out load to themselves. The fact that ACTAUL SAURON would be floating around an ACTUAL OCEAN, looking for one single person, all as some sort of bizarre PREMEDITATED plot.... would be insanity level madness that even the most fond enjoyers of mushrooms wouldnt think of... Well...

[@Guilherme-ow3wb]

- It took 1-2 days to reach Rhoden, so it would take Bronwyn 1-2 more days to go back. She's shown running, so of course she just ran for 1-2 days straight, without supplies, resting or sleeping... - When you think about this kind of stuff in other medieval style stories, someone reporting a village burned down is always taken very seriously. After all, nobody would have a reason to lie about something like this. And it would be easy to prove otherwise. This is more jarring when it's specially coming from someone from your OWN village who is well-known and not some random stranger. If the local medic comes running and warns everyone that a neighbouring town was burned to the ground, it looks ridiculous and unreal seeing no one giving a shit about it and dismissing it as a "rumor". But we know it's all "men don't listen to women" message. Her killing the orc also makes her a "strong female character" too, of course. - Another thing the Brownyn part highlights is how uneven the presentation of the show is. In Ep 1 you had Galadriel fighting a troll like it was some anime fight with barely any blood in it. Suddenly on Ep 2 you see a leg breaking in close detail and a fight with an orc that's stabbed, impaled, strangled and decapitated in a scene that would leave nothing to be desired in some of the most violent shows around. It will be even more evident when Galadriel fights with squires in a market as if it's a kid's show and then there's the battle with villagers and the orcs and the aftermath of it. - The Harfoots scene is so fucking terrible. The showrunners paint them as happy people who stay together. Then when the guy breaks his leg he's left behind to die, along with his whole family. How does this come any close to a community that's happy and stays together? If getting injured means me and my family get left behind, why would anyone there ever help one another? Nobody would do anything to not risk injuries. They would be untrustworthy. This is a fucking dystopia. How these clowns portray them as 'Hobbits' predecessors is infuriating. - Notice that when the guy is having trouble with the pillar, there are tons of Harfoots just sitting around watching the whole thing and none ever even try to do anything to help. - The Harfoots laugh their asses off about people that were left behind and died. Dieing to bees is actually one of the most gruesome ways to die when you stop to think about it, there was some time ago a news about a dog that died protecting his owners from bees and got stung to death and it was gruesome. Imagine that to a person. Showrunners absolutely clueless. - When Nori and her family, and even Poppy are left behind, if you have numerous shots of Harfoots not carrying anything that would've all been perfectly able to help them. In later episodes they'll tell how the carts are vital to the Harfoots to carry stuff around. And here you see 2 carts left behind and tons of Harfoots not carrying anything not giving a shit about it.

[@Truffle_Pup]

Have to say Charlie, I'm enjoying these far more than I did watching the actual show over these past few centuries. Also, I hope in future episodes you bring up the fact that we all spent 8 Million Years listening to Lenny Henry attempt an Irish accent. I'm so glad my parents don't "do the internets".

[@awsome182]

What really bothers me... Yes, Gil-Galad is the king, yet he's Galadriels grand nephew and around 100 years younger than she is. Yet they chose these actors to play these two characters, making Gil-Galad look middle aged man and Galadriel look like a teen.

[@grossepointemichigan]

Plus the fact that Gil-galad had no authority whatsoever to grant passage back to Valinor to Galadriel.

[@JesterForHire1663]

For what it's worth, around the 31 min mark, you bag on Galadriel for saying she has been pursuing her enemy since before the sunrise, that is technically true. The Noldor rebellion and exit from Valinor to chase Morgoth and his servants did start before the sun and moon were created. Not long after Feanor's forces landed in Middle Earth and set up camp the Valar took the two last fruits from the dying trees, put them in hallowed vessels and put them in the sky, making the Sun and Moon. The orcs were very dismayed about the Sun. Love your videos btw, I'm surprised Critical Drinker hasn't reached out to get you on his After Hours livestreams, seems like you'd fit in well there.

[@Tar-Elenion]

Although, since Amazon only has rights to LotR and The Hobbit, they don't 'know' that Myth (that the sun and moon were created after the death of the Two Trees). LotR and The Hobbit (rev) both have an extant sun and moon from before the Trees were killed.

[@Alex-ms8mb]

i think my biggest issue with the the girl hobbit is that she doesnt seem to have any common sense. she acts like she isnt living a dangerous life, her whole life she has been taught to fear hide and run, but she walks around like a modern child back talking and breaking the rules. this person has not experienced modern comforts and has not been raised to believe she can do anything and be anything. i see alot of pippen in her, his character makes sense bc he was sheltered in the a hobbit hole with all the comforts he could hope for.

[@paxwax1]

My favourite is G tugging on that bit of rope on the raft like it’s somehow helping.

[@TallisKeeton]

😂😂

[@michaelsnow3536]

I am loving these reviews. Most in depth, critical but fair, doesn't just feel like a straight bash. Good stuff! EDIT: So Halbrand ended up being the guy branding Elves with the map of Hell........... Subtle.

[@jamesnewman8011]

Galadriel's brother wasn't kill by Sauron until about 500 years after the beginning of the First Age. The First Age is demarcated by the first sunrise in Middle-Earth that was facilitated by Fengolfin. Therefore it can easily be concluded that Galadriel had not been pursuing Sauron since before the first sunrise. However, Galadriel is older than the first sunrise in Middle Earth. She was actually 1322 years older than the rising sun.

[@shikniwho7215]

how funny of her to say "it is not who we are" when most of the half-foot couldn't care less about their own if they unable to keep up.

[@freman007]

A dwarf that isn't good at holding grudges? Hand in your beard, Durin. You're no dwarf.

[@bluewonk8910]

It's fantastic that Celebrimbor doesn't put on clothes fit for travel either. He walks in those long robes 100 miles too. Just dragging it on the ground. Ehy wouldn't he put on some travel attire 😂

[@NoxAtlas]

Tbh the conflict between Durin and Elrond is the best of the series. Elves are immortal and barely have a grasp on time, so it's understandable that Elrond struggles with the fact that time flows differently for other beings. Just like how hard it is for us humans to relate to an animal that has a lifespan of 3 years. Even the concept of mortality is so bizarre for them that the elves consider humans as an otherworldly enigma because they don't even know what happens to the humans after they die. Dwarves have a much longer lifespan but are still mortal, and the relationship between them and elves has always been quite rocky (no pun intended) because of their natural differences. However, even though time flows differently for an elf like Elrond, it sounds strange to me that he neither attended Durin's wedding or came to celebrate the birth of his children. This sounds like he never learned about these events, which sounds like it's Durin's fault for not informing him. This all could have been prevented if Durin sent a letter or a messenger to tell Elrond, "Hey buddy, wanna come to my wedding?" And Elrond, being so close to him that he considered him a brother, would have come and celebrated with him. Or if he actually received the message and chose to ignore it, he's a total asshole and doesn't sound anything like the actual Elrond. My conclusion: the premise is interesting and the show could have earned some points by focusing on the dilemma of the elves being different from all other beings In Middle Earth. But the script is absolutely trash, and the whole conflict could have been avoided if Durin informed Elrond of his wedding and the birth of his children and Elrond actually being a noble friend and prince with diplomatic skills.

[@adamkenway7308]

Elrond, of all the Elves, would have a cognizance of the passage of years for mortal folk. He's half-elven and his brother Elros chose to be judged as man, living and dying as the founding King of Numenor.

[@doltBmB]

3:50 I'll point out that we do learn a new thing here, she cares about strangers while the rest of the harfoots are psychopaths!

39:03 PLEASE do collect all the instances of "milking the nostalgia boner". And they don't limit it to the trilogy either. They go for Game of Thrones scenes and quotes too sometimes.

[@randomft]

I will absolutely be collating references to the PJ trilogy when I do my final autopsy. I don't know GoT well enough to do it for that too but if I see any obvious ones I will include them!

[@Mrspuma527]

I’m so glad I found this channel! Great commentary and love the Emperor’s New Groove references. Thank you

[@theother1281]

Why are Elrond and Celebrimbor so short? Why do Gilgalad and Celebrimbor look so old, after all thier parents are Galadriel's cousins? I just looked up the actors in IMDB and both the actors playing both Elrond and Celebrimbor are 180-185cm, so they have cast tall actors; so it must be the CGI that makes them look short.

[@AlejanderLong]

what！？？180+？？？

[@yellowrose0910]

They both look like ST:DS9 founders. Can't get beyond that.

[@HK23783]

Might be the clothes, they make the actors look short. In LOTR pretty much all the elves wear clothing that reaches the floor in one piece, making them look taller.

[@whom382]

@@yellowrose0910 I don't think I can unsee that now that you mentioned it.

[@Palindrome3945]

It's the npregnancy dresses that make them look short

[@buzzedbeelzebub9454]

I really dig that you're not one of these culturally hypersensitive channels, but also that you're not just an overt chud like a lot of the people bashing ROP. It's a bad enough show without people bitching about perceived wokeness or whatever. Apart from the occasional dig at Twitter people, this is just a straight up and down review, and it's so refreshing to see.

[@williamchamberlain2263]

35:00 good timber is _not_ cheap in a peasant society: that floorboard would be a pretty significant outlay, which is why most houses had ground floors made of literally _ground;_ packed clay or earth.

[@adamheywood113]

>deus ex life-raft ...God from the life-raft? Expertly foreshadowed sir

[@cy-one]

31:57 had me genuinely loose my composure IRL sitting at my PC :D That was glorious!

[@skatman3278]

Absolutely tickled me that.

[@ParkerJColeAuthor]

Broke me at "3,2,1 Finrod." Love your dry wit and humor. Thank you for your commentary and insights into storytelling. I've taken notes for my own writing pursuits.

[@johnbox271]

Bronwyn story was strong in this episode: woman tells men was "is", men disbelieve woman, she proves men wrong. Great personal satisfaction had by some of the audience.

[@sparo_art]

So I'm a passionate feminist and all the criticism toward Galadriel and Brownin is one point. It is infuriating when, to get a woman to be an interesting character with agency, writers will give her one-liners and dum all the men surrounding her. Galadriel just expects everyone to bow to her for some reason, and Bronwin is the same. I would have loved for her to be shown from the start as someone who is respected and listen to because she's a healer (a good reason for her to be a little smarter maybe). But no, they just go "oh see people don't respect her cause she's a girl and they are dum". So for me, this was all bad writing hoping to get away because look at this cool lady

[@bitofalice]

Admittedly I've yet to complete the entire video-series, but I just wanted to commend you and say (based on part... last, then 1 and 2, in that order) well done! Loving the style of analysis and taking notes on the characters, very enjoyable mix of humor and very well articulated critique. Keep it up! :)

[@KhorneBrzrkr]

I know I’m late to the party, but I want to say it is pretty impressive that Nazanin Boniadi passes for a “mid 20 something” when she is in fact in her 40s

[@nothingman7163]

The South Park writers seminar is an actual masterclass.

[@seangannon6081]

How the hell was little Nori supposed to help raise that giant pole??? Her father was struggling with it and apparently using enough force to completely snap his ankle.

[@TeutonicKnight92]

So this is a book thing but I’m pretty sure it is it the appendices. There shouldn’t be a King Durin and a Prince Durin at the same time because the Dwarves believe that the KIng Durins are the reincarnation of the orginal Durin also called Durin the Deathless

[@TallisKeeton]

About the costumes and mannierisms and walk of dwarves - if I was not knowing that these supposed to be Tolkien dwarves I would be thinking that they are from T. Pratchett's books :D The costumes are rich and have many finely looking elements and mostly proper colors (proper for a culture living undergound) but for me at the same time these are costumes with a suggestion of travesty or making fun of this group of charachters. Which I dont like :( Too long capes which make them too short and clumsy, funny gold fringes, pink hues on some of their beards, silly kind of walk as if they wore not only their own armors but some other heavy weight, and idiotic "ceremonial" helmets of the guards with unmovable "beards" becouse of which these guards should be unable to move their heads left and right they need to look only forward which makes their guard's job problematic :D

[@Tripleat117]

This video series so far feels incredibly thorough and concise. I admire and praise your writing style, to the point and well mannered, and I look forward to the rest on your channel, and any future uploads. 👍

[@BernardLangham]

18:15 -- i felt that the writers and editors were trying to suggest a causal connection between Meteor Man using magic and random bad things happening nearby, further hinting (as if they haven't dropped enough already, what with the cold meteoric fire etc) that he is extremely evil. the fact that you didn't feel the same might just mean that they didn't do a very good job at suggesting the connection. Meteor Man emits magical energies -> jump cut -> rope breaks -> ankle breaks at an impossible angle. later, and consistent with this thesis, Meteor Man does magic -> fireflies die. the fact that Meteor Man appears oddly innocent, and later helps the Harfoots, is probably going to tie in to one of the major tag lines Amazon hammered home in the teaser trailers: "nothing is evil in the beginning", which i imagine will turn out to be a running theme. actually, it definitely will, since they're going to be showing the character arcs of the nine future Ringwraiths and their fall into darkness.

[@randomft]

I think that would be a stretch. They do indeed show us the thing with the fireflies, in that he appears to accidentally kill them, but my take from the scene in question is that they edited two scenes that have no direct connection in order to create tension, with the supposed throughline being that what happens to Nori's father is as a consequence of Nori not being there. If you are saying however that the fact that his foot breaks in an impossible way indicates that it was caused by magic, I really doubt it but to be honest if the show had demonstrated any competence with subtlety I might buy that theory. I guess we will see!

[@randomft]

@Vandole I disagree, I think they have been ambiguous enough with meteor man to where he could be evil. I don't think he is, and whether he is or not there are still things to criticise. Either way, him having "not killed anything yet" doesn't mean he isn't evil, that doesn't make sense.

[@Dessarius]

I feel bad because on one hand this show TRIES to give us all the lore tidbits we need to know to make the first age and second age make sense, but cannot do so due to legal obligations. On the other hand this is Amazon's fault and the fact that they paid billions of dollars for a couple dozen pages that I spent less than $100 on (including the hundreds of pages of story prior to them) is fucking hilarious to me. RIP Rings of Power.

[@justin_5631]

I can't believe someone else did the Math on galadriel saying Galadriel's friends' names. I gave 10 seconds per name and a full human lifetime for approx 190million. Not bad for different computations. Sounds about the right ballpark.

[@Persephone_Personified]

Halbrand • is totally Sauron. • sadly yes I’m sorry and serious

[@randomft]

Pretty sure you are right but I will hold judgement until they try to explain that it was his plan all along to find Galadriel in the sea...

[@BernardLangham]

although the series drops a few contrived hints that Halbrand might be Sauron (interest in smithing, etc), i think they're misdirection, just as i also think that Meteor Man is misdirection. apart from anything else, we know that Sauron arrives in Numenor much later, when he surrenders to an overwhelming Numenorean force that attacks his stronghold in Mordor, is captured and taken to the island, and proceeds to corrupt the Numenoreans and brings about their utter destruction. i think Halbrand is exactly what he appears to be: a cut-price Aragorn (the fact that he physically resembles Viggo Mortenson is unlikely to be a coincidence) whose trope is neither more nor less than to be a shaggy, morally grey and slightly raffish but oddly likeable Strider stand-in: the unwilling heir to the kingdom of the southern lands, whose character arc will culminate in finally accepting his duty as king and leader before he tragically (and inevitably) becomes one of the Wringwraiths, probably the Lord of the Nazgul.

[@randomft]

@@BernardLangham I am inclined to agree with you. If I had to put money on one I'd say at this point that he is a bargain bin Aragorn, rather than Sauron. Either way though there are serious problems with his character.

[@BernardLangham]

@@randomft the Halbrand and Meteor Man subplots are fairly obvious ploys to keep the viewers treading water in order to find out who's the secret Sauron -- because lord knows there's not many other reasons to keep watching. the poison pill payoff will probably be that none of them are, and we watched in vain. RIP.

[@failedGraphics]

@@BernardLangham The problem with this theory is that it assumes the writers are actually following canon time... they are not. Halbrand is Sauron and Meteor Man is Gandalf because the writers are absolutely incapable of misdirection and subtlety. Not to mention all the time compression. Saying that Sauron doesn't go to Numenor until much later, or that Gandalf doesn't come to middle earth until much later doesn't matter because hobbits don't exist in the second age at all. And yet here they are. The writers have been disregarding the canon timeline since the very beginning in order to get their member berries on, so I don't expect this to be any different. That being said I do think Halbrand is supposed to invoke some faint memory of Aragorn, only for it to be turned on its head when it's revealed in a very unsubtle way that he was the baddie all along. This is further supported by the fact that the southern lands are located in the same place Mordor is supposed to be. Making Halbrand the king of Mordor...

[@SirWarkwark]

It's been a year, and reviews of this series is the best thing that came out of it

[@elechliter]

Thank you for your intelligent and Comedic reviews

[@randomft]

Thank you for your kind donation

[@PvtSchlock]

Well, as of this view the count reads just shy of 900 subs. I wish you the best with whatever you do with your channel, good work!

[@FeatherRanching]

I doubt that Galadriel even remembers the names of the 7 elves (at least) who died for her ill-conceived quest. Does she blame their deaths on Sauron, too?

[@brendancoulter5761]

Technically, the sunrise line works with Tolkiens Lore, kinda. The trees you see in the beginning were the original lighs of middle earth, only after they were destroyed were the sun and moon created. Too bad the show failed to establish that or that line could have possibly been cool, ohh well.

[@Tar-Elenion]

Although, since Amazon only has rights to LotR and The Hobbit, they don't 'know' that Myth (that the sun and moon were created after the death of the Two Trees). LotR and The Hobbit (rev) both have an extant sun and moon from before the Trees were killed.

[@DaDunge]

31:30 Actually the sun didn't exist in Valinpor they got their light from those trees, the sun and the moon were created from the little light remaining in those trees after Morgoth destoryed them.

[@pollyhepburn7116]

This channel needs more views and subs! thank you for this

[@connorarmstad3582]

Excellent breakdown and commentary!

[@JacobStJules]

Quality stuff right here. Thank you for your work.

[@Papamarmottin]

I've just watched your review of this calamity's second episode and I must admit it's one of, or perhaps even the best review I've seen thus far. Though I was at first set back by your lack of knowledge of the books, your commentaries are insightful and funny to say the least. I'm looking forward to watching the remaining reviews, but I'll also be subscribing to your channel hoping your other content is just as wonderful. Thank you.

[@andrewlivengood6073]

Love this guy, deep takes and the list making is a great element. And holy crap TRoP is utter garbage.

[@mrdavman13]

Galadriel is older than the sun yes. The two trees were the original light source of the whole world. That is why in the Silmarillion there is the “battle under stars” because when the noldor first get to beleriand there is no sun or moon, only stars. She is much older than the sun actually

[@Tar-Elenion]

Although, since Amazon only has rights to LotR and The Hobbit, they don't 'know' that Myth (that the sun and moon were created after the death of the Two Trees). LotR and The Hobbit (rev) both have an extant sun and moon from before the Trees were killed.

[@sarahgould5435]

Not really. The two lamps were first, so technically they were the original, even though none of the light shed on Middle Earth later on was derived from them. Which is much more interesting than Mordor being created by a mostly-unfinished Rube Goldberg machine that set up a dam to somehow overflow *uphill* when opened, in order to pour *down into a volcano's magma chamber from hundreds of feet above.* That makes at least 2 origin stories the writers wasted our time with, because both the original cause Mordor's barren, volcanic state and the origin of the presence of mithril exclusively in Khazad-dum on Middle Earth are entirely irrelevant to the story Amazon claimed to be telling. There were precisely 0 reasons to make these up outside of "but we wanted to enrich our story with those Origins and and actually tell the entire story of all Middle Earth, ever, but we don't have the rights to Tolkien's versions." Which still calculates out to...0 reasons.

[@alakomachado9680]

I'M IN LOVE WITH THIS CHANNEL. Just one observation, in technically this Galadriel is persuing the Dark Forces since before the Sun rised in the sky. When she was a child, the light came from Yavannah's trees, and the Sun and the Moon first appeared in the sky during Galadriel and other elves departed from Valinor to chase Morgoth. HOWEVER... this is bullshit in the show, because when she's a kid THERE'S NO CONCEPT OF "SUN", and still the writers "kinda forgot" that detail and made her brother mkae that stupid metaphor using the Sun. So fuck me for caring, i guess.

[@TallisKeeton]

wait what ? her brother talks about the Sun ? Where? :)

[@skatman3278]

31:15 to be fair, the trees you saw being destroyed in the first episode used to be what provided 'light' to the earth - not a 'sun' and that's what she's referring to here. But then that's completely down to the show to explain that. OR make references. Can't make a reference and not provide the context.

[@NotDeadYetJim]

Highly amusing run throughs of a series I will never watch, but since I have watched more than two other lengthy per episodes reviews, I am very interested in. Yours is turning out to be my favorite.

[@shadowdemon2272]

I can somewhat forgive the "you're making that face again" line, if interpreted as a marker of how close their friendship is and how well they know each other; I can usually tell what face my closest friend is making without having to look at her. The issue is that, like most of Nori's early scenes, it would still be unnecessary even under that context as Nori and Poppy's bond has already been well established at this point, so further establishing it is repetitive and accomplishes nothing.

[@trissy8820]

Your commentary going over the show, is miles more entertaining than the show your talking about 😂 keep kicking a$$ m8.

[@lutek1]

Just spending an evening watching this excellent set of reviews. Again. For the third time. And not for the last time, I'm sure.

[@happynihilist2573]

Out of every youtuber with a cursed icon your now my vaorte Keep being long

[@ouchiegiverjr]

Finding more rings of power getting shredded is my new drug, more please.

[@Rarerorirur]

I may not be interested in lotr stuff in general but both you and your content is really well done 👌

[@MissMy5.0]

Liked, COMMENTED, & subscribed.

[@joshuasingleton9373]

Just on the walk to khazak dhum from eregion, they have the map wrong too, it's south of them in line with lothlorien.... but in this show its north....

[@anneselby2293]

They should make a five seasons, so that you have to make THESE fabulous videos, but I'm not a cruel person and I wouldn't want to put you through that torture. As I listen to this I'm also reading The Fall of Numenor which has just come out in book form. It's literally about the Second Age and makes a mockery of Rings of Power.

[@ez-8238]

Evil is not hot but very cold So cold that it does burn like fire. in reality its called ice burn. But thats reality. In a fantasy setting you can exaggerate the effect. But i got zero explanation of why the fire around meteor man is benign. My guess is the script says so.

[@funky_cold_christina]

Love your use of Kronk. Emperors New Groove is one of my favorite movies. Good job with your analysis. I haven’t watched Rings of Power and now I know I shouldn’t even consider it. Thanks 😊

[@LoveToSpootch]

Just got done watching all your videos on Rings of Power, and holy shit, what a dumbster fire of a series XD

[@darkbum1510]

"Now, if I was a sexism" Good god, sir! You are wonderful! I like the edgy but also very focused commentary very much. That ontop of the general "long-form" quality your content has makes it truly enjoyable to me! :)

[@xzemmyx]

Subjectively, i loved Elrond and Prince Durins scenes. Looking forward to watching the other videos. 😊

[@rhyme4rhythm]

I did not even make it to the end of the first episode watching it on prime. I love these videos though, they are wonderful and the only way I would ever find out the plot of ROP.

[@Avatar1977]

Leaving aside the difference in the origin of Gandalf (for 'tis he) coming to Middle Earth via meteor, the fact Nori doesn't get cooked by the fire makes a mockery of Galadriel's earlier comment about evil fire not being hot....

[@dauphinkivol5555]

Are we going to aknowledge that the HARFOOTS, wich means "hairy feets", doesn't have hairs on their feets

[@bulbasaurbrutal5137]

15:20 Someone should have told the showrunners/ruiners that to give the audience the exposition they need of what every character in the scene already knows, they could have had the dwarfs break out into a song that is traditionally sung before this rite and it breaks down the basic rules and builds suspense and makes the trial Elrond is facing to seem much more perilous. It'd be so easy to cobble together such a scene, with dwarfen chants "Who, who, who will break the rock, who, who, who breaks before the rock"

[@morganstrom8584]

There are ways to write a compelling Mary Sue and this ain't it 😂 I really love Galadriel in the books and PJ movies but this one sucks. I want to give her the benefit of the doubt but ehhhhh

[@demonzabrak]

22:47 It’s about people talking big but not knowing their own limitations. It may be the most coherent metaphor they use.

[@1-800-PlsAdoptMe]

31:35 so in Tolkien lore the Lighting of the world changed a lot, Originally the world was lit by the two trees in Valinor however Morgoth destroyed those, the sun and moon were eventually created from the last two remaining seeds/fruits of those trees and at some point There may have been 2 lamps? (Not sure if that was b4 the trees or after the trees but before the sun and moon)

[@DeanStorm28]

Technicly befor the trees there where 2 towers that gave light to the world ^^

[@phoeniqs]

Thanks!

[@yellowrose0910]

Nice how when found by the Numenoreans evil Galadriel is in shadow and relatively-good Halbrand is in light. Literal foreshadowing! Still sucks though.

[@Kveldred]

I love your videos - it's rare to find such a gem among smaller channels; I would put $100 on it that we see 100K subs in a year! - but I gotta disagree re: Brave Curiousfoot: If you have to do something - especially with e.g. a time limit - and plan on doing it together with a friend, who agrees and promises to be there (especially if it's something to benefit both of you), and then the friend doesn't show up... It's reasonable to attempt it yourself (who hasn't had that happen? "well, you weren't here, so I tried to load the thing myself"), and if you get hurt surely anyone who promised to be there and help would feel guilty. Bravefoot Curiousrebel is absolutely an ass, IMO.

[@randomft]

Correct, except that Dad McStupid was literally surrounded by other people who could have helped him. Even though as their society is fundamentally unbelievable there are evidently no strong young men able to do this kind of thing. And thanks for the kind words

[@Kveldred]

@@randomft Well... uh... hm. That's true! I may have let my contempt for the blunt and stupid way the writers try to hammer in her character traits affect my judgment of the character herself...

[@Yoolee01]

A while back I started suspecting that. YT is cutting the reach or views/likes on podcasts that detail how bad ROP is, bc/ they should be getting so many more.

[@randomft]

Maybe, but my channel has grown tremendously from these videos. I started with 50 subs and part 1 got like 100 views in the first week. Part 7 is on 20k in the first week.

[@Yoolee01]

@@randomft well deserved :) I still think it should be more, but maybe I'm just prejudiced against YT (and Amazon)

[@rebeccavaughn8897]

29:00 Guyladriel doesn’t look like a soldier but then none of the soldiers look like soldiers.