Rings of Power S2 E1 Review | Return of the Ring(s)... A Weak Start

[@jeremiahjudeestaniel5917]

I still find it hard to believe that Gil-Galad, this Gil-Galad will go toe-to-toe with Sauron. They completely removed the ethereal feel of the Elves of Tolkien...

[@anttibra]

To be fair, in this show orcs can go toe-to-toe with Sauron... What a stupid show.

[@Kanaxe]

@@moron_on_the_internet Yeah pretty sure they'll have Gil-Galad get obliterated by Sauron, then Galadriel fight and destroy him

[@NoQuarterNoMercy1]

You mean Dough Boy.

[@pavelslama5543]

Well, its not that hard when they downgraded Sauron so much that he gets Caesared by 6 orcs...

[@jeremiahjudeestaniel5917]

@@moron_on_the_internet I'm not looking forward to that

[@davidandrews2972]

I really struggled with this episode, because after all of the promises to be closer to the lore it went off into the wide blue yonder. Even if it wasn't way against canon for him to have "died" at this point, no way could Sauron have been taken down by orcs so easily. And would Cirdan have really have said "Manwe knows how deep" when he of all elves would know that Ulmo is the relevant Vala?

[@tjk3430]

OG Sauron went out like a chump. A bunch of orcs? Was Morgoth similarly scaled to be so weak in this universe?

[@neilbakshi7365]

Thank you for bringing up the Ulmo problem. Because the very next thing that happened was...Ulmo rocked the boat. That was a moment to connect the two scenes. Instead, it was left looking like Cirdan made some pretty bad boats.

[@philcrook5256]

Surely that scene with the hands would have worked much better if Gil Galad was only wearing one ring?

[@fenreer01]

You're right, but Liberace the Elf isn't leaving a single piece of jewelry in the box.

[@johnw1743]

They wanted him to have lots of rings at first because in a later shot he is shown only wearing one and has dumped the rest - indicating possessiveness or obsession I presume.

[@joshpearson2928]

Gil-Galad looks and has the energy like a semi-retired dad in a bathrobe who won't stop talking about his glory days in college

[@TheDeviousBandit]

bahahahahaha that is gold

[@ViscountAlexOfTheHorsePeople]

It's so stupid. He's IN his glory days!

[@Arnorian3320]

On the subject of when Sauron took on human form again: if you look closely at the scene in the cave, after it shows him dripping down, it fades to black. It then comes back again with the same shot, but the stalagmites surrounding him have grown a lot. So he basically spent the entirety of the Second Age as a puddle of goo. I'd guess from the time he got out of the cave to when he met Galadriel, only a few months went by. Which is kind of hilarious because it means Galadriel spent centuries hunting him for nothing.

[@ages6592]

I agree, it was not very observant of the guys to not realize the time span there… and the fact that Sauron is still a big deal for the orcs, well how many people are still taking about Jesus as if they know him nowadays.

[@tylerlund3881]

From a design perspective, showing a change in the environment that is very difficult to see instead of doing what LOTR is known for like a voice over or something else, is a missed opportunity and would’ve made the whole process much easier to understand

[@richardkern112]

​@@tylerlund3881 Difficult to see? It's center frame and the only thing that changes from shot to shot. Also, he walked from the Forodwaith to the Southlands. That is another indicator of just how much time has passed

[@hero0fcanton190]

I wish I noticed that, but that part was just so slow I lost focus!

[@tylerlund3881]

@@richardkern112 I’m not trying to throw shade at the filmmaking. It’s a cool concept, I just think that for something that is THAT important for context, I should’ve been explained better

[@johnallen6254]

This show single handedly reduced the mystical, beautiful, mysterious Elves of Tolkiens world to a soap opera cast….with bad haircuts included

[@thefrozenone417]

Galadriel: Halbrand is Sauron. Gilgalad: *sends an email*

[@austincummins7712]

Yeah, it reminded of Boss Baby- "what are you going to do about it?" "I am going... to write a memo"

[@jimluebke3869]

"Everyone always talks down to her" To be fair, she's like 4'11" in heels.

and 70 in IQ

[@TheJmlew11]

I was not expecting a continuation to Gil-Galad Wendy’s manager lore, but hearing you two talk about that truly made my day!

[@Emanon...]

According to the show, Venom Sauron would've lasted the entirety of the second age as the last years of the age are under Ar Pharazons reign in Numenor. Just for reference, the second age lasted 3000+ years and Pharazon ruled for like one hundred of them... Which also means that they were hunting Sauron while he was goo for more than two millennia. Lol.

[@strawberryparfaitbelle]

Oh my god your point about Gil-galad is so spot on. Galadriel's arc should really have been his minus the overt rage and stupidity! Imagine a king worthy of Fingolfin and Fingon's (I'm in this camp) legacy. We know he is, but I'd like to see more of it. I would love to see them expand on Gil-galad in ways that would reflect his lineage. A king who knows he's only in the role because literally every one else died fighting this evil. A king who knows the fight isn't over and is haunted by it. A king ready and itching to rise to the heights of the bravery and sacrifice his fathers have shown. I want a Gil-galad with Fingolfin challenging Morgoth living in his head rent-free!!!

[@FredThePhoenix]

Celebrian should’ve been the main character. They obviously needed someone young, single and in need to guidance after making tons of mistakes. And someone with strong ties with Elrond. Why not have Celebrian? She ends up with Elrond, has Arwen as a daughter and Galadriel and Celeborn can be in the background and give her advice. They only wanted Galadriel for the name recognition. Sad 😢

[@deanzaZZR]

Running away from Galadriel to visit Cirdan because he's older but more importantly wiser is too funny. Yoystan, thanks for making the extra effort to get this episode out even though you were so busy this weekend. Hopefully the new bride and groom are as happy as King Elessar and his queen their honeymoon weekend.

[@MenoftheWest]

❤️ Thanks for the comment and kind words, my friend! I wish them the same!

[@MultiAshfaqkhan]

This show is a lore of its own, no way so far in the show over 2 seasons have we got a hint that Galadriel is as wise as she is mentioned in the book, so Elrond running to Cirdan makes the only sense.

[@conraddickinson24]

I tried to be open-minded and give it a chance, but we got to face reality here this adaptation of tolkien's work is a flop. By the end of season 1 I was rooting for the Orcs. The start of season 2 is not any better for me.

[@oddjam]

I think the angle they took on orcs was intended to make people question the common assumption that they are naturally evil creatures, and I actually think that's a pretty solid idea from the writing crew (especially since it reflects Tolkien's own view of the orcs, which we know from various letters he wrote), but I don't really think they executed this plan particularly well, much like other ideas that had decent potential on paper.

[@ben_jamin197]

I'm glad for Yoysten's honest reviews. The show irks a lot of us, but it gets muddied in the more clickbait, culture-war channels.

[@miratodc]

The show biggest flaws are the writing and the lack of grace. You dont feel in middle earth, its more like an amusement park with Tolkien references.

[@lunafencoven]

Noone talks about the look of Círdan. Yeah, I get it. He's the oldest elf, and he has fair hair, but that doesn't mean he's supposed to look like 60-year-old man with grey hair. He's an immortal elf!

[@Mallarkey]

That doesn't mean elves don't age though...they just age really slowly once reaching maturity. And Cirdan has been around a REALLY long time.

[@lunafencoven]

@@Mallarkey Elves DO NOT physicly age after they reach maturity. Source: 'Elven life cycle - Tolkien Gateway'

[@cholst1]

@@Mallarkey Beyond a couple of them growing beards (Cirdan included). They don't age beyond adulthood. "Apparently, beards, though rare, were the only sign of further natural physical ageing beyond maturity."

[@giornogiovanna3079]

Yeah but this takes years before lord of the ring happens, cirdan was younger, it doesn't makes any sense, like my English

[@resathe6760]

@@giornogiovanna3079 I agree that he probably shouldn't look like a 60 year old guy although he is described as "grey and old" but if it were the case that elves age after a long time the time between the second age and third age would be irrelevant for that. Cirdan is - apart from the Maiar and maybe Tom Bombadil - the oldest being in Middle Earth and he is one of the oldest elves ever. He could have been one of the elves awoken at lake Cuivienen or he was at least born shortly after. The Valian years during the time of the trees were a lot longer than the years of the sun in which the time was measured after the first rising of the sun. Tolkien changed his mind about how long they were at least once and if we go with his later notes one Valian year is 144 solar years, Cirdan could be over 60.000 years old. 4000 years would mean nothing in this time period.

[@adamqjsmith]

I get why ppl hate it that show. But watching it and then seeing yoystan tear each episode to bits after is a lot of fun for me.

[@VladfishTheMagnificent]

The ONLY way the "Sauron getting Caesar'd" scene makes sense is if it's somehow a part of his 3D chess. He does give Adar a brief look as he kneels to receive the crown. A signal? He also doesn't attack Adar. Maybe he felt he needed to die in order to bring his plans to fruition. That's the only way I can explain how a group of orcs managed to take down a Maia.

[@tjk3430]

Exactly. This is all just another Sauron deception is the only way it makes sense. But that wouldn't make sense!

then why does Halbrand wander into Adar's camp later. Nothing in that looks like a master plan. It was completely pointless.

[@VladfishTheMagnificent]

That's the idea, maybe--it SEEMS pointless, but meanwhile it's all going exactly according to his plan. I don't know, just speculating here. Otherwise, you're right, none of it would make any sense.

[@NewExiles]

Why in the opening scene don't we see Sauron trying to create something with the power over flesh. Adar in episode 6 of season 1 refers to Sauron trying to create this and killing orcs (His children, as Adar refers to them.) Galadriel in episode 1 of season 1 in the beginning find smiting tools, but we don't see anything in the opening scene of season 2. Why does Elrond not destroy the rings himself, Cirdan does nothing special, he just wants to trow the rings in the sea, Elrond could not do this himself? There is no problem with him going to Cirdan for advice, but if you go to him to ask him to destroy the rings, and he uses a means that you could have done yourself, why let Cirdan do it in the first place, and why does Elrond not do it himself? What if, when Elrond jumped down the waterfall and the little bag came loose. Problem solved right, rings destroyed, according to ROP. Why did Celebrimbor not sent out his own messengers to ask Lindon if the rings work before Halbrand arrived in Ost-in-Edhil, is Celebrimbor not interested if his creations worked? Halbrand needs to go from Mordor to Ost-in-Edhil, this is a long journey. When Halbrand gets to Ost-in-Edhil, the use of the rings should have been months ago. You're telling me, that Celembrimor, did not send messengers or even gave Lindon a visit to take a look? What makes Cirdan changes his mind about the rings, Cirdan never clarifies, Elrond and the rest doesn't suspect that Cirdan is corrupted, so what made Cirdan change his mind? Why does Galadriel get Nenya, because it fell at here feet? Galadriel is the elf in disgrace according to the actress herself, but Galadriel does get Nenya? There is more, also in the scenario that they created Celebrimbor should be much more suspicious of Annatar than in the original story, but you know, plot must happen. So things just happen, and it is all on an automatic flow where nothing gets any thoughts or reflection.

[@adb9231]

I’m disappointed. “Very loosely based on the works of Tolkien” isn’t what I wanted or hoped. I do get that the lack of depth in second age story writing means they were absolutely compelled to make stuff up, especially if they are doing 4-5 seasons of 8 or so episodes. But could it have been done more sensitively to what Tolkien wrote? Some of their choices grate. It’s a hard watch.

[@Nealikus]

I think you nailed the core issue of the show. It’s not for anyone. It has no target audience. It’s too scattered and unfocused for casual observers of Tolkien (ie movie enjoyers and trilogy readers), but it is far too immaterial to the actual source for the fans. Nobody is a casual fan of the Second Age. If you are aware of what is supposed to be happening in the second age, you’re definitely a hardcore fan who would be confused by the choices of the show. These “hidden references” for the fans are even more frustrating because they’re references that only the dedicated would get, and those people are known to hate altercations to the source (elves at helms deep, anyone?)

[@blankface5052]

I think elves at helms deep was more acceptable than some of rings of power’s changes. It wasn’t Peter Jackson’s unfamiliarity or disrespect for the source material as it was him trying to get the elves more involved on screen. Their actions in the book were largely on the side and not the focus of the book and he didn’t want people to think the elves were doing nothing. That being said, he didn’t use the same logic for the dwarves, instead having a throwaway line from Legolas about war coming to the dwarves too, which could’ve been said about the elves too. Idk, Ig it’s less offensive also bc it’s less consequential to the story. Glorfindel was cut out to give Arwen more of a story too bc in the book she honestly didn’t do much of anything. She really wasn’t much of a character without the appendix. For movies, you can’t rely on appendices or to assume the viewer will go do additional research on their own. It’d be weird if they were faithful to the books to then see Aragorn getting married at the end to someone the viewer has barely seen. Also, how would 20 minutes of Tom bombadil go on screen?

[@bulldogsbob]

Well if nothing else Rings of Power has given you more stuff for this channel.

[@codynoel1721]

The events of the Tolkien universe are my favorite story of all time, but I gotta say, I have zero interest in watching season two of this show. I enjoy listening to two other fans of the stories talk about lore and will listen to your review, but you would have to pay me my hourly job rate to get me to watch the show. Not mad at it, I won't hate watch it, it's not so bad that I have to tune in for the train wreck. It's just wildly uninteresting, which is something that's strange to say about something that's supposed to be based on the Tolkien universe. Looking forward to the Helm Hammerhand movie though! Looks great! Thanks guys for y'all's videos! I love listening to people that are passionate about a subject matter talk shop, and being a big fan myself, I've always loved your channel! Keep up the awesome work!

[@IarwainBen-adar]

Right. Like never mind the fact that it’s bad. The fact that it’s supposedly Tolkien and yet boring as hell should be a war crime. Tolkien takes up more space in my head than I’d like to admit (it being my favourite IP) and yet this show is uninteresting. How does one manage that? It’s more impressive than anything they’ve done in the show!

[@codynoel1721]

@@IarwainBen-adar Agreed. The LOTR movies definitely took liberties from the source material, but at the end of the day, they’re just exciting to watch. Could you imagine being someone that’s not into the source material and popping that show on? You’d change the show pretty quick.

[@IarwainBen-adar]

@@codynoel1721 I would hope they change what they watch but honestly I’ve seen and argued with a fair amount of people who think this show is legitimately good. I have no idea how honestly (except for some people literally just wanting to be mindless entertainment/more “Tolkien” is good not matter the actual quality). That said it’s definitely not the majority who are like this despite what the people who defend this show want to believe (I’ve legit seen people try to argue that we’re the minority🤣🤣).

[@hollin220]

Absolutely lost it when you said, “When Sauron becomes Venom” hahaha

[@valedor89]

I actually enjoyed the first episode of Season 2 (Rings Of Power), though It bothers me that they treat Galadriel like a Millennial brat. Puzzles me that Sauron was defeated by mere Orcs (Sauron though surrounded by Númenóreans and elves defeated Gil-galad, Elendil, and and almost killed Isildur).

[@bryanmatthews2370]

I did enjoy gil-galad's reaction to sauron being back, like "🤦🏾‍♂️ uhhhhhh, this guy again"

he should have torn G's hair out

[@arthurfearnall7427]

Great work guys, I'm so glad you're back! Thanks for doing honest and balanced reviews, without falling into the trap of just doing negative algorithm bait like so many other channels..

[@SM3388]

In the books Annatar is recognized as a Maia by all the elves. Every elf in power except for Celebrimbor is suspicious of him and distrusts him, the high king going so far as to forbid his entry into Lindon entirely. There can't be too many Maia running around middle earth during the 2nd age that would raise the suspicions of so many powerful elves, and yet Annatar was allowed to reside in Eregion for hundreds of years without Galadriel or Gil Galad recognizing him as Sauron or even pulling rank on Celebrimbor and telling him to oust Annatar. Are the book elves stupid?

[@anabsolutetrashfire1312]

Waking up to see some commentary for that godawful trashfire. I couldn't get past this one scene in the first season where they made Galadriel and Elrond look like they were flirting.

[@LemurKrazy]

Sadly this review is more entertaining than a show I won't be watching.

[@dopedwookiee]

Stunning and brave take, there.

[@di3486]

Exactly same😂

[@flapjacki9579]

Very edgy. How do you know how much you would enjoy it without watching?

[@BradsGonnaPlay]

@@flapjacki9579Very easily, because it’s the second season, my dude. Most of us watched at least part of the first season and we were disappointed enough to only follow at a distance with channels like these.

[@azraelwolfsblood2902]

Imagine formulating your opinions off some incel fantasy nerd on whether or not you should watch a show

[@teaguetozier7006]

So glad I’m not the only one frustrated with how Gil-Galad is being written. 🤦🏼‍♂️ So bad.

[@kimchiii3200]

Back to back to back? Guess im not sleeping tonight!

[@mr.joshua6818]

Same lol

[@alekseizaitsev58]

After the first season I wasn’t expecting anything good from this show. And for me the second season is surprisingly more enjoyable and not no cringe! Probably because I had no hope at all. If you will treat this show as a fun fiction, you will be probably able to enjoy it.

[@minecraftstarfleets1840]

I feel like once RoP is all said and done, we as a community should just take the visuals and Bear McCreary's score and do a series of videos retelling the actual events of the Second age, and then it would actually be worth watching.

[@minecraftstarfleets1840]

Although on further thought, I'm really having a hard time with the goofy looking elves. No offense at all to the actors and actresses, it's just short hair I think that's throwing me off after being raised on Jacksons films. Maybe we can Photoshop everything too lol. That and edit in proper army sizes so it doesn't look like every battle is a skirmish haha.

[@eds1942]

I thought the first 3 were easily better than season 1. But,.. the time compress still takes me out of it. That and while I thought that Galadriel was ok is season 1, for a younger Galadriel of maybe early in the First Age. But now we are at the forging the Rings and she’s still acting like a 20 year old. Which brings me to the age disparity between Celebrimbor, Elrond and Galadriel. Celebrimbor should be in appaerence roughly around Galadriel’s age, maybe 35 like the actress (though she looks a good 5-10 years younger). But his actor is literally old enough to be her father (54). Meanwhile, the actor who plays Elrond looks about Galadriel’s age (31 vs 35), whereas Elrond was born during at the tail end of the First Age. She’s nearly two thousand years his senior, assuming the conversion YT to YS is reliable.

[@cnacma]

I’m glad that the very first thing you guys did was give a shout out to the visuals. The bad writing and everything else completely overshadows it every time. The art department and vfx artists on this show are some of the best I’ve seen. Honestly seeing all these elven cities and khazad dum brought to life in such a beautiful way after reading about them most of my life has been enough for me. Even if the rest is just disappointing I’ll still go back for the visuals.

[@kaidorade1317]

I wonder if the Orcs get tax write offs if they are married with kids

[@ringbearer1420]

I just hope there is a scene where and Orc pulls up at someone’s in a blue wagon to make a delivers for “Mordor Prime”.

[@joshpearson2928]

Honestly why didn't they just make Galadriel's character Celebrian. It would have worked so much better and would have made the friendship with Elrond less weird, since in canon Galadriel is Elrond's mother in law.

[@Thranduil999]

why do the grey havens look like a lake with 1 farm? Loved Peter Jackson's version. Amazon made it look absurd.

[@johnw1743]

Perhaps we are meant to think of it being scaled up over time. As more and more Elves leave in the Third Age its importance as a port would grow.

[@gimli21]

THE KING HAS RETURNED!!!!

[@MrBuddyGuy]

Every single video yall knock it out of the park! We need to see our Lord of Silver soon! And funny how we still have no Glorfindel when he would’ve made way more sense but, reasons reasons reasons I guess 🤦‍♂️

[@TommasoStradaMusic]

The song of the Eldar sung by Gil Galad is the best moment of the show so far...First three episodes are not that bad but Sauron in the first scene looks like a carachter from Twilight 😅

[@livechilllife]

I had a little bit of a struggle with the timeline, but once I figured it out, I really enjoyed the first three episodes of a good strong start to the season

[@BradsGonnaPlay]

Did I hear y’all correctly? There’s a scene of Cirdan- the elf with the noteworthy beard- shave his beard? Yeah this show is intentionally doing this, there’s no way this isn’t being made to encourage hate watching.

TBF monetizing hate watchers is easier than making a good show.

[@isaacmallorn9137]

Greetings! Forgive me if it's improper to mention other channels/videos, but I recently saw a video titled, "Why in the World did The Rings of Power cost a Billion Dollars" by Ross McFarlane. I though it brought up a very interesting perspective and actually helped put some rationality behind why everything seems so absurd. Again, I don't know if this is proper, but I would be very interested on your opinion and if it changes your perspective. Cheers! Always enjoy your work!

[@Luke-kj1rj]

is he a shameless shill for the show like nerd of the rings?

[@isaacmallorn9137]

@@Luke-kj1rj Haha, no he isn't, he's actually quite critical. But he sheds some light onto why it feels so all over the place and underdeveloped. Not to mention why the peoples that be at amazon consider it to be a success despite it getting very poor reviews all around. He provides a more, "Meta" look, going over the people and things around the show; as opposed to the going into the show itself.

[@Luke-kj1rj]

@@isaacmallorn9137 he was bought and paid for. Attended the premiere of season 1 at the expense of amazon if im not mistaken. He can go spit

[@JoPrair]

The people who wrote this show are not serious. So many “serious” moments had me laughing my arse off. The Dark lord, looking like Micheal Scott trying to get the orks not to unionise, with similar levels of threat and competence. Elrond running home to taddle on Galadriel to Gilgalad, and Galadriel trying to snatch the rings from him. It was low effort sitcom levels of writing quality. How did Amazon keep these guys on?

[@TarMody]

It is consistent with Galadriel's character that Halbrand was unable to tell her that he was in fact Sauron. Although she did not participate in the Kinslaying at Alqualondë during her time in Doriath, she kept it a secret from Melian and hesitated to tell her.

[@AllanBeam]

But that shows that Galadriel was an unparalleled judge of character. So how was Sauron able to so easily dupe her.

[@sandy-jn5rd]

Adar would later mention that the crown of Morgoth had magic that helped dispose of OG Sauron. But they lazily did not show how or what. Sauron just got beaten easily in E1.

[@esjope]

In a way there are maybe just 2 options how to tell this story. The other would be a documentary style show keeping all the events as they are written and without time compression. The more enjoyable option is to re-write it into a show such as this. That may be one of the reasons I don't mind the changes and much as I did with PJ's changes that seemed so unnecessary. And since there has to be massive changes to the actual historical facts, the changes make the viewing experience more exciting because unexpected things happen all the time. If I was a billionaire I would produce versions of 1st and 2nd ages (doc-style) and LOTR that are 100% accurate.

[@Euthyphro]

I believe it’s suggested Sauron was a puddle of goo for thousands of years because when it fades back into that shot, there are stalagmites in the cave that have grown, which implies it’s been a very long time.

which means sauron was effectively defeated by a gaggle of orcs. and of course his super nifty ice volcano killed nobody, so I guess it was just for special effects.

[@mathewkolakwsk]

Are you glad this show exists, warts and all? While I had to think on it for a few days, I am really glad that we have it, primarily because it does remind me about the six Jackson movies. Is it what it could have been? No, it’s not written by experts in story telling or Tolkien lore, but Jackson’s movies have some simular flaws. The movies were still great - they had big changes, but those changes were there for flow, modernity, and for the medium (film). This show isn’t as good as the movies, but it’s adjacent. I agree that Giladrial and Gil Galad are not good enough - they aren’t the regal angels that they should be… my guess is that they’ve been humanized to make them relatable, flawed, and modern. It’s trying to meet modern audiences, and the show runners are definitely making mistakes, but the sentiment I feel here is: “It’s better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all.”

[@kaanboztepe]

so what happens to the restored elven lands when they take those rings off?

[@daneelolivaw1976]

I agree on most of what you said. Still, on the positive side, and to their credit, I felt they are trying to repair the horrible inconsistencies of season 1 (although they did not succeed for now)

[@esjope]

And the first 10-15 minutes -- I have already re-watched that many times. 10/10.

[@patrickb1303]

If you take away the weight that Lord of the Rings and Tolkien’s work in general gives to the show. It’s really not that good. If it was set in another fantasy universe it wouldn’t have gotten a second season. Amazon is trying to recoup its investment plain and simple.

[@bolggamer]

I thought the Elven plotline was the WORST by far of the episode. The Sauron bits were actually entertaining and the weird Gandalf-not-Ganfalf plotline was meh. The Elven portion was just boring. Like, my god! Boring!

[@bubblehulk7647]

I honestly don’t think Elrond knew Halbrand is Sauron, or else he absolutely would have told everyone, especially Celebrimbor and Gil Galad. He just knows he’s not a king.l and becomes distrustful. This makes it worse though, because he has no reason to play keep away with the rings and rush straight to Gil Galad.

[@davidkemp2421]

Sauron Coalescing was timelined by the cave not having and then having stalagmites

[@Solarrunner]

I am going to watch S2, I saw S1 and I liked it, I will probably like this as well.

[@kinghashbrown6951]

If you watch it for what it is, it is very good and entertaining. If you're looking for a 1:1 book adaptation, you will be very disappointed.

[@Didymus20X6]

@@kinghashbrown6951 Wrong. Most of us aren't looking for a 1:1 adaptation. We're just looking for a DECENT adaptation, and this isn't that. It's neither decent nor an adaptation at all. Even if the show had no connection to LOTR, the dialog is awful, the character motivations make no sense, and things just happen to drive the plot (what there is of it) forward. It's not good by any stretch. Apart from the LOTR lore, it would get a 4/10 from me. But since it purports to be based on Tolkien's lore, it gets a 2/10.

[@Alexs.2599]

Well to each their own. This series is very weak in my opinion.

[@Alexs.2599]

@@Didymus20X6 I agree 100%. A more faithful adaptation of Tolkien's secondary world and it's themes. No one is asking for a word for word, page by page canon series. Which by the way is impossible. Just a series that is respectful of Tokien's works. That's all we're asking for.

[@Ka_T_ya]

Haven’t seen anything from s2 yet . Not convinced it’s worth the bother .

[@pipocaacida5310]

Its not caricature, it is a fanfic... The most expensive fanfic ever!

[@titeveggvutnm1883]

😂

[@josiah3408]

So excited! loved watching you guys during season 1 (love your other content too)

[@kennybell5108]

I wish there weren’t spoilers for upcoming episodes sprinkled throughout this ep. 1 review. I enjoy your vids tho!

[@rogaineablar5608]

I think the Venom stage probably lasted hundreds of years. Who knows how long orcs live? Maybe they live forever like elves they were derived from.

[@Chief.95]

Can someone please explain to me WHY Sauron went to Mordor at the end of season 1? I thought season 2 would show him doing something there besides being Adar’s prisoner and then getting released and leaving again. Kinda seemed like the only reason he went there was for that super badass camera shot at the end of the first season, which was super badass, but what the hell was he DOING there tho?

[@Seomus]

I'd say, the writers didn't know why he went and would figure that out later. Then they broke down season 2 and realized they needed to get him back to the elves. It's same with why didn't Female Sam just go with Not-Gandalf and Female Frodo instead of having her chase after them.

[@neildaly2635]

“And you escaped, but he did not as mighty a man as he was and only orcs to withstand him.” Wrong Denethor orcs can kill Maiar in ROP. I watched 1/2 of the first episode and that was too much, happily it is not my job. Unnumbered Suck. I will listen to your reviews though.

[@primal1233]

Although there are some issues like there was with season 2. I say season 2 is a little bit more enjoyable to watch than season 1

[@gibranlewis7300]

I think Peter Jackson & co sometimes went TOO far in downplaying Gandalf's power. His dusk to dawn, lightning & flame that left even the witch-king badly shaken, battle with the 9 on Amon Sul was omitted, his water horse waves were attributed to Elrond and on and on. His battle with the Balrog for control of the door to the chamber of Balin's tomb was left out, diminishing them both. I've repeatedly said, I am on board with Gandalf appearing in the 2nd age, because I think it important for casual fans to know that the Ainu Olorin ( Gandalf ) is a type of guardian Angel who has been aiding the Elves ever since Elves came into being, even when the Elves sometimes didn't know it.

[@wiktorLicht]

I think the show is boring but better than S1. What hit me the most are the dialogues between elves. My god, they were written by some reddit moderator dreaming of his imaginary lady. So cringe. As if they tried to imitate Tolkien's elves but lacked the sophistication and now it sounds like a very dumb person trying to imitate poetic Shakespearean style, or Yods on drugs. And the actors cannot deliver this dialogues properly...

[@neilbakshi7365]

I actually wondered if they were trying to dumb down the language because their failed attempts at Tolkien's style in the first season were just impossible for viewers to understand. But they're not good at either.

[@aleksander8497]

The elves of the first and second ages are awesome. In this show they couldn't be more pathetic.

[@NovRen19]

That which has no root to Tolkien will be easily washed away with the currents and tides of true Orthodoxy. Let shows be in accordance with Secundum Tolkien. There is no reason other than monetization to discuss this..."show." Ave from Dor Vahdor-Verse

[@Queen-fn4ly]

in my opinion i enjoyed it so far way better than season one . what i actually love about this channel is a healthy conversation and debate . not trying to hate and troll for views but really showing a full review about the show and i like that

[@Didymus20X6]

Exactly! Oh, I'm a 100% pure hater of the show, but I appreciate Yoystan's fairness. Which is why I find it baffling how other show haters can call Yoystan a shill, while the show lovers call him a hater. He's being FAIR! It's just that the extremes are unable to see beyond their own view. I'll gladly defend Yoystan against either extreme camp.

[@MithrandilPlays]

I thought the episode was just ok, but would be one of the best in S1. The Harfoots plotline is mind-numbingly boring, as in S1, but the stuff with Adar is fairly cool. I don't like Gil-Galad's acting but the way everything played out was cool.

[@ages6592]

Elrond jumps into water to make sure the magic things which everyone hunt after but still may be used for evil… no one seeing the relationship to Elwing?

[@milesmiles225]

I love hearing you guys shit on this show, its very well done

[@becklyn3]

Yeah i only made it partly through the first season. Now i just watch reviews and parodies of this show. That is much more entertaining than the actual show and i would rather support individual creators and not big corporate studios, since they ruin everything now.

[@Americarnaud]

I might be a bit too optimistic, but I feel like they tried to retcon/fix some mistakes from season 1..? I mean I didn't dislike the first 3 episodes as much as season 1 I guess... I'm hopeful that the rest can be at least ok

[@iroscoe]

That's a pretty low bar to get over though .

[@Americarnaud]

@@iroscoe yeah I know but I don’t wanna give up on it. I need it to be at least entertaining and somewhat sensical, I can forgive the fanfiction aspect of things as long as it makes sense for the show

[@atlasfeynman1039]

15k views. 250 negative comments. Perhaps you should realize that a majority LIKE the show.

[@user-lm9oq6yw6n]

😂😂😂😂

[@AllanBeam]

Are the negative comments directed towards the review or the show 🤔

[@pinkace]

I am glad they are distancing themselves from the source material. I already read the books. I don't want to be told the same story again. What kind of super boring person would want the same story again and again!?

[@christianefiorito3204]

Episode 3 was bad. Look into dark when Sauron is Venom goo. There are stalaktites in the back. At the beginning they are small and before he rolls down the hill zhe stalaktites grew a lot. A geologist did try to calculate the growths of the stalaktites with about 1500 years of black goo.

[@neilbakshi7365]

It's pretty clear that the target audience of this show is about 12 years old. Which is fine, that's around when most people read the books. I just wish Amazon would set that expectation somehow. The marketing appears to be alongside other adult content.

[@R92-q4b]

I’ve been waiting 2 years not to watch RoP, but rather to hear my boys talk about it 😅

[@RS2KR]

I made the mistake of watching the first episode during the day and I couldn’t see a thing. Overall I would give it a 6.5/10. Good not great. Some good moments along with some confusing moments like Elrond.

[@travisspazz1624]

Thought this was actually a great premiere!

[@Sky-nv7hj]

this show is so offensive to Tolkien it actually hurts

[@alura5376]

Not defending it, but in th mountain, ‘Venom’ is shown, there is an awkward cut, then all the stalagmites and stalactites have ‘grown’ several feet. So they thought it was how I no geological time passing. But this does not match the orcs behaviors s if they knew Sauron.

[@sandy-jn5rd]

ep1 cured the boggling coincidence in s1 meeting in the open sea. They waited a long time, it was annoying.

[@slicerneons3300]

The Rings of Powah is Altogether Evil!

[@syntychiahintsin-tee-shaks2256]

So did the ring make Cirdan want to shave and gossip about the drunken poet elves? He seemed like such a hippie, yet he proved to be an interesting character.

[@HassanAli-lf2ns]

I genuinely don't mind this season, they are doing a decent job fixing the mistakes from Season 1 and moving forward with it. I liked Saurons Deception, I like the improvements in pacing, i dont think this deserves that much hate...

[@leonsantiago8860]

remember when in lord of the rings half the story took place ANYWHERE near the destruction of the One?

[@seaelfx]

How and why did Sauron end up in Mordor again? If I recall correctly he was heading there on his own after Galadriel sent him away (there was a shot of him looking at mt doom?) Cant remember what was his motive though!

[@sandy-jn5rd]

on the surface, he went to free “his people” as their king in reality…. spoiler… he went there to manipulate Adar to attack Eregion, and use this to blackmail Celebrimbor to finish the Nine, in case he refuses. “I’ll spare your city if you finish the rings.” Adar unwittingly helped him for it.

[@The_commenteer]

Just remember, this is Bezos’s middle earth, NOT Tolkien’s. They paid enough for the damn thing😅😅 and the show itself looks beautiful. I swear they’re not paying me. I just enjoy it as much as the hobbit, it’s cool but no LotR. And there are baby orcs, they procreate just like men, the Tolkien foundation wrote this in an essay on orcs. Not sure if they would show love and affection tho 😅

[@karenhall4645]

I don't understand why the stranger and the Harfoots are even in this show. Never once have they connected with the rest of the characters and their story has no bearing on anything else happening. They seem to think you can't have Middle Earth without wizards and Hobbits. And why are they characterizing Galadriel as an inexperienced and emotional teenager. By this time she is thousands of years old and is SUPPOSED to be very wise. I can't see it.

[@dmitrizverev3142]

The majesty of the High-Elves was greatly diminished in this show thus far. There's no essence of majesty, awe and magnificence about them. The dialogue and presence is poor. I hope it gets better.

[@kellyl7688]

I thought Sauron was Venom, too? 😂😂😂

[@jonaustin262]

I am confused as the timeline jumps so much it is hard to see

[@Jaster_Mereel]

The costumes are awful. Sorry. Not good. The photography is NOT good. 3:19

[@Jakblade]

Gil galad’s song was pretty dope 😂😂😂