Rings of Power Season 2, Episode 5 BREAKDOWN

After the low-point of the season (for me) last episode, we return to Annatar & Celebrimbor, Númenor, and Khazad-dûm! We've got some interesting references and the first appearance of the epic Doors of Durin!
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Hunting - steamey
Doors of Durin - J.R.R. Tolkien
Durin at mirrormere - Matej Cadil
The Two Trees of Valinor - Šárka Škorpíková
Telperion the White Tree - Kluiszu
Eärendil Searches Tirion - Ted Nasmith
Moria Gate- Ted Nasmith
Celebrimbor and Narvi - Ralph Damiani
Gandalf at the Doors of Durin moria - Dzmitry Yakhouski
Sauron Surrenders to the Numenoreans - Alan Lee
Men of Dunland - Turner Mohan
Tol himling - Felix Englund
Earendil - Jenny Dolfen
Earendil and Elwing - steamey
Ulmo Appears before Tuor- Ted Nasmith
Idril, Earendil, Tuor - Šárka Škorpíková
Tuor at Vinyamar - Ted Nasmith
Beren - Jenny Dolfen
Beren and Luthien in Tol Galen - Sara M. Morello
Beren a Luthien - Šárka Škorpíková
Beren and Luthien - Turner Mohan
Arwen and aragorn - Sara Morello
andunie navire eressea - david greset
Welcome to valinor - nahar
Armenelos - Alan Lee
Ar Pharazaons ships - John Howe
Eldalonde - david greset
numenor - david greset
Numenor Atlantis - Pete Amachree
andunie, numenor, aldarion - david greset
Manwe - steamey
Numenor - Šárka Škorpíková
Fall of Numenor cover - alan lee
Seaside tower - Felix Englund
palantir of elostirion - matej cadil
armenelos - ralphdamiani
Elros Tar-Minyatur - Ralph Damiani
Tar Elendil Relinquishes the Scepter - Ralph Damiani
Ar pharazon - steamey
Ar pharazon - dracarysdrekkar
Aule and the Seven Fathers - Ted Nasmith
Aule the Destroyer - Ted Nasmith
The Watcher in the Water - Olanda Fong-Surdenas
The Watcher - Anke Eissmann
Galadriel in Moria - Alan Lee
Desert city sunset - Felix Englund
The Dwarf Lords - Ralph Damiani
Galadriel - Marya Filatova
Nienna - Jenny Dolfen
Gandalf - Jenny Dolfen
Nienna - Janka Latečková
Ar-Pharazon - Turner Mohan
A royal wedding in numenor - Matej Cadil
Umbar - Turner Mohan
The Eagles and the Army - Alan Lee
Galadriel - YidanYuan
Artanis and Feanor - Tolman Cotton
#ringsofpower #theringsofpower #lordoftherings

[@NerdoftheRings]

Personally, I found this to be an overall stronger episode! (A very welcome change from last week.) Celebrimbor & Annatar continues to shine and I find myself wanting to see more Númenor. What say you?

[@dctrwhbySH]

Good episode! I also hate Kemen! 😫

[@Vibhu680]

Appears pale before the trilogy

[@Sandovian]

@NerdoftheRings excellent episode. The show is fun, they just don't handle multiple storylines well. The harfoots, in particular, seem to be way lower in importance than anything else going on. If Stranger is Gandalf, though, it fits that they want to introduce a ringbearer in Rings of Power..... Show isn't without flaws, but it's certainly not bad and the hating grifters online are obnoxious af

[@alexanderberyozkin]

Yes I agree it is one of the best episodes of this season. rings of power work as a good metaphor for destructive addiction. And it reminds me of some sorrowful moments from my life experience when I observed how people became addicted and delusional, losing their connection with reality 😕. It is very interesting to watch the spirituality of Numenorians, prayers, and grief practices. And it seems to me that a son of Pharazon could be a good fit for Nazgûl :((

[@jj48]

I enjoyed it, though I was a little disappointed that we didn't see anything of the Stranger or Harfoots. I guess we can't have everything in every episode, though.

[@DougWIngate]

Elrond: Sauron is the architect behind all of this! Gil-Galad: Silence, I'm thinking. Now listen... Sauron is the architect behind all of this...

[@wonkywaddlingwaterwingedwriter]

On brand for elves lol

[@InventiveHarvest]

I have a theory: Sauron is going to make a ring to rule all of the other rings of power.

[@ionimusprime5210]

Good theory, let's see if you're correct

[@pirate4460]

Would that make him some kind of Lord?

[@aons5481]

@@pirate4460 or perhaps, the Lord of the Rings? we never know

[@Casual_Gamer_Channel]

Don't be crazy. Next you'll be expecting them to show elves eating cats.....

[@InventiveHarvest]

@@Casual_Gamer_Channel looks like meat is back on the menu, boys.

[@scwebb]

I think the idea with the door of Durin “table” is that they’re actually still working on it. The reason it was engraved but not glowing earlier is the ithildin hasn’t yet been applied. I think that’s what’s being done here, as you can see a patch “filled in”. Can’t help feeling there was probably more to this but that it got cut.

[@RationalCatholic]

As someone who has done wood and epoxy work, I would have to agree with you. looks like there is a pouring device and what looks like a small patch that hadn't been "sanded" or whatever the Elvish equivalent would be lol.

[@XF3693]

I said the same thing. Looks like at 17:17 they are starting the mithril inlaying process

[@travellerinthedark]

Interesting that the shots chosen for this video all illustrate the in-progress aspect of it, but it didn't click for him.

[@cjstevens6405]

Yes, just deleted my own reply saying exactly the same thing when I saw yours.

[@Mahershalahazbaz]

Great observation.

[@izabelamsztuka7297]

I feel like Disa's sadness about the rise of the ring isn't just about the resonators becoming obsolete. It's more about their deep, natural symbiotic connection with the mountain, which is being disrupted. The ring symbolizes a forceful and coercive shift towards extraction, in contrast to the dwarves' more harmonious relationship with their environment before. Considering later scene with cave it's rather ominous "I've got a bad feeling about this" scene.

[@jj48]

I was just thinking about how Durin III stresses the difference between the stone singers hearing the mountain, while he can SEE it. Singing and listening is two-way communication. The singers sing, and the mountain responds. Simply seeing where to dig is far less personal. Seeing doesn't require a response from those seen, nor do they even have to be aware that they're being observed. It's far more distant and disconnected, even though it seems to accomplish the same end goal. This also makes me think of Episode 4, where Tom chastises the Stranger for trying to take the branch without asking for it. In the past, the Dwarves have asked the mountain before reaping its bounty. Now, Durin III wants to simply take without permission.

[@AngeleiaKenobi]

@@jj48 that thought - that they asked for the mountains bounty vs taking as they wished - makes me think about the Balrog. It's been there, since before the dwarves (or very near, my brain isn't working well right now)... and if the stone singers "asked" before taking, the mountain would have protected them from the Balrog. By diverting them away from where it slept, ways to access other veins of ore/other ores entirely.

[@dutchkel]

Had the same thoughts. Living in harmony with their environment vs taking from their environment in a way that isn't sustainable

[@bensenzo]

I don't want Disa and The Disettes to be disbanded 😅😅

[@RachelAllcock]

The stone singers are seduction, persuading the mountain to give up its secrets and its valuables. The ring is r^pe.

[@varshithbvst463]

The biggest mystery with this episode is around the teleportation device the dwarves invented, and why they're gatekeeping it, as poor Elrond seems to be stuck on the road the last two episodes while the dwarves went back and forth to Eregion like 15 times

[@hamsterquickcz]

3:40 you can see they are direct neighbours... But the time travel of Elrond group and Adar army is quite unintuitive :(

[@MetaxasMusic]

Hahahhahaha

[@Jhgffdy-rd9rj]

Galadriel being shiped in an amazon package🤣

[@МаксимЯромич]

with a horse😅

[@PatriickIre]

The early days of prime shipping lol

[@PURPLEHUMAN-sr8io]

from china

[@yesman-lb8co]

lmao best comment so far 😂

[@andrewharvey149]

And the packaging is recyclable!

[@agentspaniel4428]

Apparently Sauron has a thing for blondes

[@SirBoggins]

Elves in particular.

[@djmanx1012]

Same

[@МаксимЯромич]

I'd say Mirdania is hotter than the horse lady😅

[@Tallacus]

Like King Kong?

[@Ivan_against_Cuisine]

It's very amusing that a key part of Sauron's Middle-Earth conquest is to hit on every cute blonde he encounters😚

[@LetsTalkHerps]

As an American, the willingness of the Nunenorians to turn so quickly feels plenty real lol

[@jj48]

I'm surprised it took them so long, personally.

[@NikolisKitchen]

Yeah, I don't get the criticism that it feels rushed, and I feel like that is coming from a diehard book fan (Matt) who wants to see the thousands of years of Numenorian politics play out. I feel like a LOT of this show feels rushed (or that there's too much material being condensed into too short a timeframe), but, I feel like Numenor being where it is makes perfect sense. These seeds were all planted in season one, but you get the feeling that Miriel and Tar-Palantir were able to keep some kind of relative calm while something definitely percolated beneath the surface. Now with Pharazon in control, the shitheads are making their presence known.

[@LetsTalkHerps]

@@NikolisKitchen agree!

[@liferealgood]

Pharazon probably said the queen threatened to take away their swords.

[@jendizzlerz]

I saw an interesting meme about Pharazon and his son (and followers) being quite MAGA and it felt right to me 😂

[@bolchinsky]

It's so refreshing to see a well educated Tolkien fan to analize the show without trashing it from the getgo! I believe that it is possible to enjoy the show knowing the differences! Thanks for existing XD

[@NerdoftheRings]

Thanks so much for your kind words! 🙏

[@bolchinsky]

@@NerdoftheRings Thanks to you!! Greetings from the southlands of Argentina XD

[@theblackflame4002]

Yeah, I'm sick and tired of these people squealing not my Tolkien when their knowledge of it comes from the Jackson movies and reading the books back when they were kids. Even worse is their low IQ fan bases who cackle like hyenas and never watch it, just go along with whatever their toxic creep of choice is.

[@Belishaur]

Just because he is getting amazone money

[@Draugoth]

@@Belishaur You hit the nail on the head. Most of these LotR channels were bought a while ago by Amazon. They are basically the Nazgul doing Bezos' bidding. I trust none of them, I'll make up my own damn mind.

[@JosB1991]

I genuinely felt something when Valandil was killed. Shows they have made me care about that character without me even knowing.

[@wutangforeverrr]

Both of Isildurs friends were killed off. Poor guy

[@Bluelotus8-i3s]

Agreed. It was pretty sudden and felt like we were just coming to love this character. Super sad they killed him off!

[@DeepfriedBaby]

There's too many characters to have a regular soldier backstory. I'm fine with it.

[@random_starburst]

I knew he was probably going to die since Isildur names one of his sons after him, but I was hoping to see him do more awesome stuff, and perhaps reunite with Isildur, before his end. I was a bit disappointed he got offed so early.

[@noahchain817]

Same. I was surprised how much this one got me.

[@RK-dc2es]

Honestly really loved the way they capture the way toxic, manipulative relationships develop re: Annatar and Celebrimbor. First Sauron lovebombs the hell out of Celebrimbor, just hyping him up as a unique creative genius, then slowly turns more cold towards him so Celebrimbor's left confused & wondering what he could've done to make their dynamic shift. When he tries setting boundaries, Sauron disregards them & coerces him to drop said boundaries. When Celebrimbor starts feeling justifiably suspicious, Sauron guilt trips him, gaslights him, and deflects blame onto him, leading to Celebrimbor's mounting instability. And, of course, Sauron takes said emotional instability HE'S created in Celebrimbor and uses it to turn his own workers against him. It's the abuser playbook.

[@MJZMD]

I was hoping they'd portray it in this manner. Celebrimbors ecstacy in the beginning at the Three's success, Annatar claiming to be an envoy from the West, and then this slow burn (albeit not as slow as I would have liked) into mounting self-doubt and instability is so absolutely tragic and brilliant

[@smookypooch]

**standing ovation**

[@hundredfireify]

That's an actually great analysis of this relationship. It's so real, you can't help but think that this is a self-insert from one of the writers

[@MrJjg123ish]

As soon as I was watching this I was thinking hey there's my ex on the TV!

[@boycie18]

So well said

[@giulioaprati338]

The suggestion Annatar makes to Celebrimbor telling him to go to Gil Galad to seek forgivness is the same ultimatum Sauron was given at the end of the 1st age by Eonwe, as he was told to go to Valinor and repent in front of the Valar, and but he didn't

[@luiousy7329]

“Hey look if this elf can’t be bothered to repent why should i?”

[@timbothejedi4146]

​​@@luiousy7329this context it would be "I didn't go, let's see if he does" 🤔?

[@pmcswain358]

No sauron knows his pride is his weakness so he won't go to gilgalad.

[@giulioaprati338]

@@pmcswain358 that is After all the all deal for the elves in middle earth, after the war of wrath they are given the chance to return to Valinor, to live in peace yet submitted to the autority of the Valar. In their pride most of the (including Galadriel) refuse the pardon of the Valar and choose to stay in Middle Earth where, despite the peril, the war, the suffering they can have and rule realms of their own as they please. And the Rings of Power Will give the bearers the power to make their realm in the likeness of Valinor, Immortal, unchanged, undimmed unlike the rest of middle Earth, wich Is a mortal Land for mortal peoples, not for the elves

[@davidkrentz5397]

Disa's years of painstaking work, talent and dedication to learning an art were replaced by crappy AI and no one cared.

[@familygonzcartwright]

Wow. Brilliant take!

[@zStC1]

Great episode.. also there was 0 screen time of Nori so that certainly was a plus 😂

[@Mark70775]

Always happy with maximum annatar screen time

[@MaullerTwin]

She's really hot in real life, totally wasted as a gross gypsie hobbit but yeah that story line does not need them at all.

[@hmu05366]

Haha agreed

[@Utaeru]

What's wrong with Nori ?? One of the most pleasant characters in the show

[@lukephilipp6777]

@@Utaeruthe whole harfoot storyline is completely disconnected from the main story lines. Could be completely deleted from the show and no one would notice story wise

[@Pseedholm]

Sauron telling celebrimbor that “he doesn’t always listen and he’s headstrong” is def some gaslighting behavior.

[@stroiaioana14]

Imagine the guy you are crushing on coming at you and tell you you remind him of his crush he couldn't land on🤣🤣🤣🤣 I'd die inside right there

[@ultronemperor3525]

But Galadriel is considered the most beautiful She-Elf of Middle Earth, so that (at least for her) was a great compliment

[@luchi850]

It's more like a guy you are crushing on coming at you and telling you you remind him of Angelina Jolie. Galadriel is considered the famous celebrity beauty of the Elven Kingdom. I think most women would find it a compliment to be compared.

[@ReeseCraven]

And then he turns out to be Sauron. 💀 Double oof.

[@coyotedelamancha]

@@stroiaioana14 Yeah, wasn't Sauron supposed to be super smooth? 😆

[@stroiaioana14]

@@coyotedelamancha nah, youbare very much right

[@lukebradshaw4378]

I’m gonna be honest, the show is so much better without the Gandalf and Hobbit Storyline

[@Seahorsefilmsinc9]

Was literally thinking how nice it was to get a break from that story line! 😂and it annoys me so much that's it's season 2 and "The Stranger" still doesn't even have a real name.... Do you think it's Gandalf or a blue wizard?

[@chigeh]

It's not Gandalf it's a blue wizard

[@a_kazakis]

@@chigeh That's HUGE copium.

[@IvanPopovArt]

And the Southlands / Isildur / Arondir storyline

[@derda3209]

@@Seahorsefilmsinc9 Gandalf meaning wand elf and all the trying to give him a name strongly suggests it is gandalf. I hope it's ruse, but I doubt it

[@Sauronthedeciever_]

Best episode of the series so far.

[@stephenclark6263]

Just behind the series 2 opener for me, but overall really good and so much better than last week.

[@Gunnar001]

The best garbage is still garbage.

[@Sauronthedeciever_]

@@Gunnar001 this episode wasn’t garbage in my opinion. If every episode was like this, the show would be 6/10 instead of 3/10

[@jack.1.]

THIS WAS THE WORST SO FAR, it was so unbearably stupid, I thought the previous episodes were better. The episode made no progress, had stupid scenes like a fat lady chasing a rolling ball, had stupid decision making (dropping sword to a psycho??), and weird illogical motives all over the place.

[@sallmandar1027]

​@@jack.1. do you watch any other series? They aren't movies, episodes usually dont come so packed with epic fight scenes like a movie

[@Fitchy-ke3wz]

Loved this episode. I'm quite happy with how this season is going in all honesty. Is it inaccurate? YES. But is it entertaining? Also, yes. The annatar and celebrimbor stuff is also amazing. So manipulative, toxic and sneaky. It's very well written.

[@nikosmanarolis9962]

"Impaled by a spike and used as a banner " I see what you did there !!

[@Millsy383]

Poor Celebrimbor

[@Kurisu112]

You misunderstood the "using the door as a table" if you look closer you can see them working on filling the chiselled sections with the mithril magic glow liquid. Would explain why they didn't show it glow via moonlight at the earlier point in the episode.

[@arielbarrera1365]

yeah... I thought the same when I saw that ... that way the mithril would "merge" with the stone and be invisible without moonlight

[@katraapplesauce1203]

Yep this

[@WilliamCranston-rx7hq]

What doesn’t make sense is the doors keep sauron from getting into Kazadun. But they have him present at the making of the door so he should have a good idea what the password is. Unless it’s just Sauron didn’t have the forces to invade Kazadun.

[@giano3715]

Strong episode, arguably their strongest. goes to show when there are no harfoots and mystery wizard this show moves its story really well.

[@SaintFort]

Perhaps the story about the Stranger and the Harfoots should have been its own mini-series.

[@Otterable8]

@@SaintFort Yeah I don't totally mind the harfoots if it was an isolated mini series. My main issue is that it's taking screentime away from Eregion, Numenor, and the dwarves. Whenever those plotlines start to feel rushed my thought is always that they'd have more time if Rhun wasn't demanding a huge chunk of it.

[@abovethecutgaming7436]

Don’t forget about the baby orcs!

[@anni.68]

@@Otterable8 The storyline around the Stranger will get more and more important the closer we get to the Battle of the Last Alliance.

[@realdeal9643]

Honestly, I didn't like the show that much. There were good bits but I kept the hope alive. But this episode was just amazing. It honestly brought back the feeling of watching the original trilogy.

[@MemeDadu]

I like that Elendil lives upto his moniker "Elendil the Tall"

[@random_starburst]

I paused the show when they showed Elendil next to her daughter and shot it in a way that he towered over her and excitedly explained to my husband that he is Elendil the Tall!

[@TheSilverOrn]

Except its more because the Numenorians are short than he is tall.. I guess in an island of super soldiers that are all 5'0" the 6'1" guy is tall...

[@refl3ktor]

He's name actually means "tall" and he went about 8 foot. I am glad he finally smacked the c*** out of someone, rather than getting tangled up in his skirt. He's supposed to be the greatest warrior of Men in all the legendarium. He defeats Sauron afterall, so the writers better get going and make him impressive! Gil-Galad too

[@miharain1712]

I love your channel because you’re one of the few that doesn’t just completely bash the show for literally everything and you just explain things and then state your opinion which is cool. I’ve been really enjoying this season so far and your channel is one of the few I watch about the episodes.

[@refl3ktor]

Agreed, and he's deeply lore literate, which is a requirement for any Tolkien-critique content

[@TheSycotik]

I think hes too much forgiving. So much blshit on this show, that someone with his knowledge on the subject would normally be furious.

[@miharain1712]

@@refl3ktor 10000%

[@TobyOft]

“Maybe a sign to switch to formula ….” Best line 😂😂😂 11:46

[@jj48]

During the reveal of the Doors of Durin, the carvings don't seem to have any ithildin in them. Later, when they're flat, like a table, there's some reflective metal filling in some of the gaps. I don't think they are using it as a table; I think they're finishing it up by adding the ithildin. Why they didn't do that before their grand reveal, I don't know, but it seems to be what's happening.

[@XF3693]

I said the same thing. Looks like at 17:17 they are starting the mithril inlaying process

[@DJSockmonkeyMusic]

Also what I thought was going on.

[@deadlyeye666]

seems that was lost in the cutting process ot this episode. i'd guess the reveal was for the finished dwarfen part, while the elvish paintjob stil has to be done :) for me, thats one of the sacrifices when you pack so much story in so few/short episodes. not my decision, but from the series aspect i'd prefer one set of rings per season, with more storytelling of what the rings managed to do and the overall story arc. even if thats not exactly lore. but thumbs up for the recaps, when i watch them afterwards there is allways something i missed

[@JDNization]

I don't think it's the 'grand reveal' necessarily. We might see them being installed.

[@jj48]

@@JDNization We might. That could be where they set the password, helping to explain why Sauron doesn't know it.

[@niallgaffney2475]

Ring “No, no, dig up stupid!” Dwarves: 🤯

[@laemmeelagi]

The ring is the equivalent of the guy giving up just before finding diamonds meme

[@sallmandar1027]

​@@laemmeelagithe Ring comes with an X-Ray texture pack thats why the old man feels so sure of himself

[@laemmeelagi]

@@sallmandar1027 wall hacks

[@Ivan_against_Cuisine]

The absence of the hobbits storyline made this episode better by default. Speedrunning of book events hurts, but I'm glad to see how the chemistry between actors elevates most scenes. All scenes with two Charlies are a blast to watch. The biggest concern I got is a tease of Gil Galad turning into a "doubting skeptic" cliche and sending the elven army to some random Mordor location instead of Eregion despite suspicious Celebrimbor letters and news he got from Elrond.

[@lordbarco8337]

The Hobbits are good actors, but this age isn’t theirs… fans need more episodes like this… I was like you as they rushed the creation of the Dwarven rings and the Doors of Durin… we need more time on the cannonical work… I do not mind having the Harfoots, but the screen time needs to be prioritized… and Numenor, oh! That was also a blast… sad to see that we only have 3 episodes left and the story of the Stranger needs to unravel, so more Hobbit’s time!

[@ASu-yw3tf]

When he said he feared Numenor, my brother said “ Indoor plumbing, my weakness!”

[@davyjones6670]

Guys Elrond finally arrived back to Lindon on fooooot 🎉 He was running without rest like crazy! I think show runners hate poor Elrond :(

[@laemmeelagi]

Despite that, they made him this show's runner

[@davyjones6670]

@@laemmeelagi hahah truuuuue

[@davidbeer5015]

That removal of the cloak mid sprint was smooth.

[@politicallyincorrect2564]

That was probably the worst I have seen of this series 😂😂. How comes Celebrimbor's news reached the high king faster while Elrond and Gayladriel had already started their way on foot😅

[@davidbeer5015]

@politicallyincorrect2564 I’m not sure I understand the issue? Celebrimbor sent the letter before Elrond and Galadriel left for Eregion. He wrote it up in episode 3, they didn’t leave until episode 4. So like…assuming they were traveling at similar speeds…yeah, the message would reach the king first? Elrond on his way back was clearly running a marathon (probably slower moments of Elvish rest to keep moving given the distance).

[@JurassicTheory]

Is it just me, or is Sauron's Annatar trying to rizz up Mirdania in Celebrimbor's forge? 😭

[@ct6852]

Love bombing. Middle Earth's messiest narcissist.

[@aarondemiri486]

Yeah, and its sorta working too.

[@МаксимЯромич]

Hope they won't include the hot scene on the anvil😅

[@ct6852]

@@МаксимЯромич Seriously? That happens in the books?

[@МаксимЯромич]

@@ct6852 fortunately no😅 I believe this Mirdania character isn't even mentioned.

[@LionHrodgari]

Man I wish we could use all this time we spent on the harfoot plot, on the celebrimbor and numenor storyline and give them a little bit more context. This episode made it really obvious how good it could be if it weren't for the harfoot plot.

[@Lord-Emperor-Vader]

This is easily the best episode so far it had all of the best elements with Sauron and his manipulations, just simply the Dwarves and the Númenor story has been made extremely interesting. My predictions is that this season will end with Sauron being captured by Númenor who will work with the Elves to be able to take over Middle Earth. Next season will focus on the fall of Númenor, season 4 will focus on the Rise of Gondor and Arnor, and season 5 will be the story of the War of the Last Alliance.

[@jeffo4817]

How do you know this?

[@Lord-Emperor-Vader]

It is my predictions based on the lore and the fact they signed a 5 season contract.

[@ultronemperor3525]

I think next season will be focused on Sauron creating the One Ring and the Nazgul

[@pedror7992]

This show will wrap up in 4 seasons. Probably a two-part release. You can clearly see Amazon told show runners to wrap things up faster. Marketing budget for this season was cut back dramatically, and you can see production cost cuts everywhere from stages to CGI. Viewership for the show's cost and what Amazon needed (another GoT) to justify the cost are so misaligned that it's just how things stand right now. Also, nobody signed a "5 year contract", that's not how these things work. Amazon offers a contract option that, if they decide to exercise (viz do 5 seasons), all costs and contract parameters are locked in - for instance, key actors can't just say "I'm not showing up". But Amazon can unilaterally decide to exercise the option or not.

[@jeffo4817]

@@pedror7992 from everything I’ve read, they spent more this season than last.

[@OC3707]

Some things that don't make any sense to me: 1. Why is Mirdonia creeping around while invisible and throwing things around? 2. Why did the forge explode? 3. Why did the anvil drop? Did Mirdonia untie it? If so, why? 4. Why does she seem to attack Celebrembor with a hammer?

[@littlemixerx365]

I didn't understand any of that also...

[@lambertenserink9724]

I keep thinking Halbrand could have stolen a palantir from Numenor. If so, he could have begun manipulating Earion and planted the idea to sell out her family. Now he could be working on Pharazon planting ideas to make him jealous of the immortals. Very happy immortality has been brought in as a point of contention.

[@majkus]

Incidentally (or not), in Tolkien's world, the friendship between Narvi and Celebrimbor (and more generally between the Noldor of Eregion and the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm) is based on their shared love of craftsmanship, of the making of things, of 'technology' in the broad sense. Have we seen the Rings of Power Dwarves do anything besides mining and general rock-breaking before the making of the West-gate doors?

[@jj48]

They have a pretty impressively engineered lighting system.

[@TorzGirlSweelaHeart]

Also the weight based elevator system that even impressed Elrond in season 1.

[@WolvesbaneNetwork]

Big fan of this one. I think charlie vickors has proven himself the best pick for sauron.

[@monicad99]

although it’s hard to understand how, despite any hybris, the elves are fooled by his manoeuvres. he is so heavy handed and suspicious.

[@WolvesbaneNetwork]

@@monicad99 I don't find it hard to understand. He's only suspicious from an outside perspective.

[@Kanig94]

​@@monicad99you know he is the best deceiver to ever exist right? Manipulation, deception and illusion are his strongest and most perfected traits, as a Maiar

[@monicad99]

@@Kanig94 he may be, but he’s yet to prove it. but maybe he should just tell celebrimbor that he’s the greatest deceiver of all and then he’ll be deceived. i think he stayed with the elves i don’t know how many hundreds of years precisely so that he can exert his influence slowly but surely. here, everything is too one after the other. at this point, mi don’t know why he’s not sending word to lindon for help, as kicking him out would probably be ineffectual, as he’s already started to work on the others, around celebrimbor. although again, touching that elf’s hair, hitting on her like he’s a 20 year old dude and she a highschooler? …..😮‍💨

[@danielhenderson3753]

​@@monicad99 well, they are written by the same screenwriters...

[@maddiejung974]

I think you misinterpreted the scene where they're trying to make the rings for men, Sauron was baiting celebrimbor to tell them how they should make them, that's why he purposely made all the commotion.

[@AmyBrueckman]

This episode made me SO FURIOUS because... it showed just how great this show would be if it actually stuck to the plotlines that matter the whole time instead of wasting time on pretty much everything that happened in episode 4. Could you imagine how it would be if we just stuck to Numenor, Eregion, and Khazad-Dum for the entire season? There'd be a whole lot less people crying about how blasphemous it is to Tolkien, that's for sure.

[@JM-jj3eg]

No, we need lighter stories to balance out the heavy and epic stuff. Just like LOTR has it's Hobbit antics - pipeweed and stuff. Only problem in RoP is the Hobbit story is not integrated with the rest.

[@Adam.Langton]

No there wouldn't. Nerds are going to whine no matter what. They'll watch every episode, and complain online about how much they hate it, which is endlessly amusing.

[@politicallyincorrect2564]

I guess you like it 😂😂 you like to watch rubbish just because they support your ideologies. ​@@Adam.Langton

[@Adam.Langton]

@@politicallyincorrect2564 lol, I don't base my "ideologies" on shows about magical elves and dragons bud. I watch to be entertained, and the show is entertaining. Maybe you should try taking books and TV less seriously. Go outside and touch some grass.

[@OliverLodgeMusic]

@@AmyBrueckman This should've/could've been the mid point lull episode of an amazing series but instead it's the best of the whole show

[@SongBird3411]

I don't mind the Dwarf Ring stories too much. I'm fine with the Rings making the Dwarves greedy. As you say, though, it would have been nice if King Durin had already showed some of this. The showrunners seem to think we need that giant contrast in order to understand the Rings are bad. They need to trust the audience a bit more. The bigger problem is the tax on the other Dwarves, which causes story issues with how the Rings are passed down, as you say.

[@SWEbear021]

maybe the ring effect King Durin more becouse he is kinda of a dick and that turns him even worse becouse the ring amplify his behavior much faster then other dwarfs

[@kingsathe310]

I'm glad the focus was on Numenor and Eregion this episode. and no harfoots, thank goodness

[@rohilnagar6991]

True

[@jj48]

I was a little disappointed, personally. The Harfoots and the Stranger have been my favorite storyline so far, so I missed them. Still, the episode was good overall.

[@kingsathe310]

@@jj48 I'm not hating or anything but I felt them unnecessary to the 2nd Age. I don't know much about the ancestors of hobbits but I feel like they want to cling to that hobbit feel of the trilogies. If they want to introduce wizards, could have done so without hobbits (harfoots in this case). Just my idea. The focus should be on Celebrimbor and Annatar

[@jj48]

@@kingsathe310 I guess for me, I've already read about the forging of the Rings. It's an important event, and needs to be depicted, of course (and watching Annatar's manipulation of everyone around him is fun), but I've always been fascinated by Rhun, so seeing new stories exploring it is exactly what I'm drawn to. Still, I'm glad that there are enough storylines that most people should be able to find at least one they like!

[@kingsathe310]

@@jj48 I see your point, I'm hoping we'll see more of Rhun and the Blue Wizards specifically, since they introduced it, if that is the direction they're going for, just confused what harfoots are there for exactly, though I've seen theories Amazon is planning for them to eventually go to Eriador and establish the Shire, just not sure myself on how exactly hobbits came to end up at the Shire.

[@youcancallmeL24]

Adding stuff like maps and things from the books in general is what makes these videos your breakdown and not just a breakdown.Keep up the good work !

[@bensenzo]

I don't want Disa and The Disettes to be disbanded 😅😅

[@victorcederholm5336]

Easilly the best episode so far. It focuses on Sauron and on Numenor as it should

[@felisenpai9625]

I think the reason King Durin reacted to Ring, amplifying his greed is because of imbalance. We know that when all seven are worn by dwarves then their power is not enough to manipulate them. From Hobbit movies we know that Thorin's family was being corrupted by the ring before it was taken by Sauron from Thorin's Father, and I willing to bet that this is the gimmick the show is going for. If not all 7 dwarven rings are worn, Sauron treachery is amplified.

[@deductedcoma]

they may be going for that. however without the master ring there really shouldn't be any manipulation going on yet, which makes older durins corruption seem really weird.

[@dougirey]

Sauron made the one ring to rule over all the other rings. They weren't corrupted until he forged it.

[@felisenpai9625]

​@@dougirey that's literally not true to both the show and the books, Sauron was present at creation and corrupted every ring made by Celebrimbor. Sure thing in the show the rings are purpose made instead of being all for elves like in the book. I think the premise of the show is very interesting, we finally learn how Garadiel went from beautiful noldor warrior into "elf-witch" according to Gimli

[@dougirey]

@@felisenpai9625 no

[@DunderArn]

i see it as the rings amplify them, such as their way to sense the gold and jewels in the mountains but also amplify their greedy nature

[@henryenyokwa]

“Dwayne The Rock Valindir” Why?!😂😂😂

[@MetalCharlo]

IF YOU SMELL

[@kyleganse4978]

I thought the dwarven rings look fantastic! That deep blue was beautiful. I did like this episode a lot and the dynamics at play. Kemen is becoming top hated character.

[@iamrubenmes]

I felt this was the best episode of the entire show so far. And yet, I still feel the writing and plot devices are unimaginative, and I imagine that the writers consider themselves pretty smug with what they consider 'very deep psychological games'. In truth, the evil and magic of Sauron should probably be much more impactful and subtle, not only through verbal persuasion. In this, the way they portray the influence of Sauron seems very shallow.

[@UnofficialButTrue]

The way Celebrimbor appears tortured at the end of the episode shows that Annatar's influence is not just verbal persuasion. Annatar's words are just the tip of the iceberg : his presence is by itself a form of black magic, a metaphysical influence by which he seduces, bewitches and deceives. Could it have been better and more subtle? Absolutely. But this story arc is quite decent, especially when compared to that of Theo, Isildur and the hobbits...

[@jared9127]

I think a lot of the pieces are there but everything is just way too fast. Like every segment should have been its own episode. Very GoT season 8 vibes.

[@UnofficialButTrue]

@@jared9127 The interesting stuff is rushed while there is way too much time wasted on additional, insignificant and poorly written plots.

[@pranavrai99]

I might be wrong here, but I thought that the Doors of Durin they showed earlier in the episode were just the stony part or the "frame" (for the lack of a better word). And around 17:08 (where you say they are using the doors as a table), they are actually forging the ithilien parts of the door.

[@briansproule9472]

I get just as excited for the recaps as for the actual episodes!

[@AsiniusNaso]

The way the king hacked through those rocks it seems like Khazad Dum is made of cardboard and tofu 😅

[@samihamoude6527]

From what i know dwarves are very strong at digging or they won't turn a whole ass mountain into a kingdom.

[@reiferdranzer3752]

This😂​@@samihamoude6527

[@ct6852]

He did look kinda old for that.

[@CFFVidde]

Wait till u see the the great hall of moria... U think they dig out small grains?

[@laemmeelagi]

​@@samihamoude6527 yeah but the CGI and sound design were disappointing. Even the practical mine tunnel set felt fake

[@marlonvillanueva9917]

Bro, I'm a huge fan and really appreciate the context you add to the episodes. A couple of comments about your analysis of the Doors of Durin. First, reason you can see the carvings is because they are just that - carvings. Once the carvings are filled in with Ithildin they won't be visible. Second, they weren't using the door as table, they were in the process of filling.

[@attornyobanderas]

Making the dwarves susceptible to the rings is necessary to maintain the tension of the story. It’s analogous to Faramir being tempted by the ring and bringing the Hobbits to Osgiliath in the films.

[@James-nl5kn]

Just finished the episode and immediately came to your channel to find this video haha

[@n8spL8]

it's like google, amazon, and youtube are in kahootz....crazy. too bad they dont stop at fantasy flics

[@michaelaschneider-wettstei5313]

I went back to the scene in which one of the gates of Moria lies flat and looks as if it was used as a table because I suspected that it was worked upon and not used as such. I think I am right because when you look closely, you‘ll find parts of the carvings already filled with ithilden and several sketches laid out.

[@Jeroen72]

​​"You're standing on seawater." Brilliant writing!

[@YORGS.ONERIZM]

“I am not your captain” “Aye captain!!!” 😂🗑️

[@divyamupadhyay3643]

The writing can be good or bad based on the perspective. Like it's said, if you hate something with all your heart, nothing can make you like it, even if it was perfect

[@ModernCowboy78]

This was the best episode by far and the score was amazing.

[@tamboltz6660]

I have two theories on durin’s ring getting passed down is that: 1. Disa would probably die making durin the fourth weary and after sometime he would wear this ring and pass it to his son. 2. Before the battle of last alliance durin the fourth would volunteer to help elrond, the other elves and the men. After the battle was finished durin the fourth would return to khazadum and would see that his father passed away and his father’s ring was secretly passed down to durin the fourth son.

[@elfdream2007]

I liked last week's episode, but I understand the Hartfoot storyline isn't for everyone. This episode was top tier.

[@JurassicTheory]

Matt Graf is making these LOTR Rings of Power breakdowns faster than Annatar is making the Nine Rings for the Men of Middle-earth 😭 Also, could you make a theory video based on one of my most intriguing questions, please, Matt?: Is it possible to wield two or more Rings of Power at once like how Thanos wielded the Infinity Stones? And if so, what is the limit to wielding that kind of power, and which species in Middle-earth is theoretically strong enough to embrace it? 🧐

[@griffinoliver693]

Nerd of the Rings touches on this topic in most of his ‘Tolkien Thoery’ videos. He gives examples of Galdadrial, Gandalf, Saruman, and Sauron wielding several rings of power at once if certain events went in other paths. Good videos, check them out.

[@michalbednar7955]

if i remember correctly gilgalad had two rings at the same moment. and sauron got hold on some of the rings of the Seven.

[@fosterzumwalt745]

@@michalbednar7955 Yep, I was so glad that Galadriel's ring came back to Gil-Galad in the show. i thought they were just going to skip that he had two rings at once.

[@MitchellEvertse]

I think Kemen is going to become the Mouth of Sauron

[@kryoboy3.0]

Yeah my Mrs and myself have been talking about this all day😂 It was the "your mother foretold you would come to a bad end" line of dialogue that got us thinking🤔 Elendils great grandson×500 Aragorn is gonna cut his head off 1 day

[@itsdoofen]

I really hope they'd make him the Mouth of Sauron

[@adamreinhardt9135]

He wouldn’t live long enough to be the mouth of Sauron, if the show even remotely follows the timeline. He will more likely become a Nazgûl

[@MitchellEvertse]

@@adamreinhardt9135But they also have Isildur, who survives till the end of the second age. Also, Nazgûl are around at the same time the mouth of Sauron is

[@MitchellEvertse]

@@adamreinhardt9135Also, we know the mouth of Sauron was once a numenorean. I don’t think any Numenoreans are going to become Nazgûl.

[@alicebereth93]

Me and my sister enjoys watching this show because we have agreed on having the mindset of this being more of a documentary. And that's exactly what it is. This show is like watching a documentary about WW2 with scenes of major events acted out.

[@eduardofranco8528]

It's amazing how the quality of the episode go up when there are no Stranger and Hobbits on it, this episode was so much better than the last one, night and day basicaly

[@usagi2988]

@29:05 "I'm expecting & hoping we get to see Celebrimbor put through the RINGer..." I see what you did there.

[@SWEbear021]

Charlie Vickers is so great as Sauron🔥

[@lioneye101]

I've seen your analysis before watching a couple of the episodes this season and a couple after. Honestly you are better and telling the story of the episode than the writers at Amazon.

[@gunnhildk6299]

I like every episode. Tom Bombadil with the Stranger and the Ents was a highlights for me in last episode. Also lovely to have found your channel with all your knowledge around Middle Earth.

[@bridgeth6746]

I feel like the foundations for this Númenor split were laid pretty crisply last season with the elf-hate and Elendil talking about the few who still held true to the old ways. I think that when the 9 are made, Celebrimbor will succeed in somehow calming the dwarf rings down I was annoyed that Celebrimbor couldn't see the elf either. but I liked Sauron seeing a feature he would want for his one ring out of this "mistake" in the 9 I hope Kemen's death is painful both physically and emotionally I missed my protohobbits enough for both of us 😭 the stranger better not be gandalf though. I agree

[@danielszabo7988]

Even though I don't care about most of the characters in the show, I was kinda sad about Valandil. And I really hope that later someone will avenge Valandil and kills Kemen, I cannot stand that irritating character.

[@ShiestyNagoo]

Good timing! I just finished the episode and went right here. 26 seconds after post haha

[@TheBookOfLebbs]

26 seconds is a long time!

[@mozammelhuqehridoy995]

This was the best episode from Rings of power,,,Sauron's scenes are the best

[@romanboerboelskennel7818]

The real fans , are not classified by critics, I’ll decide what is 😊, let them watch paint dry, maybe they will see something.lol

[@LunchThyme]

17:10 To be fair, the reason things are strewn on the door seems to be that Celebrimbor is working on the Ithildin, going by the silvery stuff in one of the central runes. Also explains why the runes are still visible outside of moonlight. I guess Narvi's been taking notes from AAA game devs, selling an unfinished product.

[@ralphdamiani1976]

I think Nerdwriter hit the bullseye here. The best moments of the show, when it mostly resembles good television, are the ones that also feel less Tolkienian. You could be just as well watching a watered down Game of Thrones. Whenever they push for epic, it is often flat as a good drama and begins to fall apart as too rushed or too slow, too shallow or too verbose. The writers are still guilty for tirelessly trying to repurpose lines from an unrelated story (this not an adaptation) and some baffling creative choices - but I remain unconvinced anything other than the Lord of the Rings translates well to modern entertainment.

[@sleepyrally04]

RoP are basically slightly better versions of seasons 6, 7 and 8 of Game of Thrones. Both shows are trying to write their own material and aren't that good at it. Im confused by your last sentence, you do or you don't think LOTR translates well to modern entertainment?

[@ralphdamiani1976]

@@sleepyrally04 I think LotR can be translated well into modern entertainment as Peter Jackson already proved. If that extraordinary feat is repeatable today, that is another matter entirely. If the Hobbit films are any clue, probably not. Now, the Silmarillion and Tolkien’s lesser known works, those that follow a less conventional format, perhaps they lend themselves better to a more operatic format. Perhaps an anthology or purely visual storytelling like Disney’s Fantasia. No corporation will ever experiment with unproven formulas, even though formulaic multimillion projects are flopping left and right. One thing is for sure though. You need a visionary filmmaker behind the project, which these guys clearly are not. They are obviously big nerds and fans and doing their best, but this is one big movie chopped up in seasons - or at least this is what people were expecting. So they are clearly unable to deliver on this.

[@SnowTroIl]

One of the best episodes so far. It's too bad that here hasn't been time to develop Númenor storyline earlier because of the hobbits+stranger part taking up so much screen time. If Númenor had been 'this' instead of the Southparkish "They took 'er jobs!" maybe S1 would've been better.

[@cjstevens6405]

Never understood why people fixated on that so much: to me it was all a set up planned by wise-not-merely-clever Pharazon, down to him probably telling the guild guy what kind of notions might best stir fear among the workers. What are those notions? Ones that risk bruising their pride in their own capacities. Then Pharazon comes in and flips that by flattering just that same pride. It's the deepest theme of the whole show so far: the corrupting nature of pride and cunning instrumentalization of it precisely because of that inherent nature.

[@Spobbles69420]

@@cjstevens6405because it has nothing to do with the story, it’s Amazon purposely injecting a real life political talking point because they can’t help themselves.

[@FredThePhoenix]

The story of *Numenor* is one that is nice, sure, but it could be so much better! 🤷‍♂ We see that Armenelos is a giant city but we are always ever on small sets with small crowds. It doesn't feel like, say, King's Landing in Game of Thrones. We also didn't see Anarion yet, which is incredibly weird to me. Same with the city of Andunie or the rare visits from the Elves of Eressea or even the Messangers of the Valar when Numenor was darkening. We also don't have much explained or the rivalry between the Faithful and the King's Men although the names are mentioned a few times and finally, we don't get the impression at all that Numenorean people are basically super human. Living hundreds of years, being fair, tall, intelligent etc. They just seem like normal people but living in a prosperous "Empire" like Rome etc. And finally, we should see a lot more of Elendil in this show. His importance is far greater than many characters.

[@FlyfishermanMike]

For all the money they've dumped into this we never see more than 30 people. Big wide cgi shots or small sound stages. Weird choices.

[@joshjohnson5494]

I just want you to know that you’re literally my FAVORITE channel. I’ve gotten my brother and my girlfriend into your videos because they also love LoTR and middle earth but don’t know much more than the movies. Thank you for what you do

[@mechengineer4life]

They clearly looked for someone who could play “punchable face” really well when they casted for Kemen. He is doing it well.

[@benthompson882]

Matt you said in your remarks about the Palantir that they are not about telling the future. Right on, I think a lot of people get confused between the mirror of Galadriel which does show Frodo and Sam events which have not yet taken place, and the Palantir, which are, as you say, devices for communication, such as when Aragorn shows himself to Sauron, or ways to see into other parts of middle earth, for example, when Denethor sees the amassed ranks of Sauron’s armies and concludes, that there can be no victory over the army he has assembled.

[@koen4069]

No harfoots screen time equals good episode

[@captainmcnugget606]

You give them too much credit... it's the Balrog. No way they gonna go for the watcher in the water.

[@Z3nk4t77t]

I find it fairly interesting that Durin and Gil-Galad both have blue stones in their rings.

[@Mooxz]

There are 19 rings in total, there will be overlaping colors

[@Z3nk4t77t]

@Mooxz well of course. Some believe, however, that nothing is mere chance

[@RyflyRN]

Lmao, they're not using it as a table. If you look closely they're still working on it. They're starting to add the materials that would enable it to glow by moonlight.

[@dapacreative]

I actually quite enjoyed last weeks episode. I want more of Tom and the Stranger.

[@shubhamnema8281]

I think Charles Edwards is shining as Celebrimbor and this is just a start, I wish the whole series was mostly focused on Charlie and Charles. Also, Charles Edwards could be a great Bilbo.

[@Vladolak]

I think that the bit with the door of durin "table" as you called it, was actually the elves adding in the glowing metal component. In that particular moment 17:10 a portion of the swirls has the inlay already

[@ezraa5985]

Episode 4 wasn’t bad, change my mind. (Although it wasn’t the best).

[@since2133]

It was okay but the least interesting episode imo.

[@Maleeha16378]

They are dragging each episode. Every scene is like toddlers throwing tantrums and fighting with eachother.

[@MithrandilPlays]

The montage with the line "slaves to the sun" overdubbed was SO FIRE

[@Abidjan-weekly]

Amazon should hire you as a set advisor from the book. Your understand of everything is unreal and will make the show better.

[@ericsmith9461]

It's funny that the episode that doesn't feature that much of Not Gandalf or any of the complete ridiculousness that is the Harfoots is the episode that most viewers have agreed that it's the most enjoyable of all the episodes lol. Get ready, though, because that means they're gonna double down for the next 2 episode. Gonna be loaded with Nori and Not Gandalf because they think it's what we want

[@AgentOrange88785]

He said it during his watch live stream. The hobbit storyline just makes everything come to an abrupt halt. It is the least interesting of the 4 storylines.

[@ericsmith9461]

@AgentOrange88785 Too bad they won't cut the scenes out and show more Celibrimbor/Annutar story. I mean, they don't even have to write that part of the story off. They wouldn't even have to explain the departure because we just don't care and wouldn't even question why lol

[@JesusARieraSanchezJesusRiera]

This weekly breakdown is much more entertaining and better in every way than the actual show. Thank you.

[@jneumy566]

I feel like this episode showcases the writers' lack of understanding of the world. First with the very strange and backwards way they're handling the rings and the powers they're giving the characters, and then just copying and pasting the line about a far green country because it's from the movies, even though that's specifically talking about Valinor, and the men of Numenor shouldn't know anything about what happens to the spirits of men after death, so why would the people mourning the fallen describe the place that they don't know the spirits go

[@jprowland]

Totally the Balrog, not the Watcher. The opening title animation transitions straight from Durin's Door to Durin's Bane. I've always gotten the impression that the Watcher was just some random creature that crawled in from far away long after Khazad-Dum was abandoned, although possibly driven out by the Balrog as well...

[@nomdeguerre8464]

Exactly. It was odd he didn't catch that in the opening. Plus, I don't think the Watcher could have the power to send back a warning like we saw. And all her warnings about it being an ancient evil, yadda yadda. Fits a balrog a lot better, IMO, which, in addition to the intro, we know is exactly what happened in Moria with Durin's Bane. We even see him wanting to dig ever deeper, for gold and jewels, ignoring even his old safeguards set in place. This is EXACTLY what we understand happens, and it's really weird he'd think it was a Watcher foreshadowing. This is JRRT-101 level stuff.

[@hubertdenise3100]

Except they cannot have the balrog awakening and coming into contact with the dwarves and killing the king, because the Balrog doesn’t awaken until the middle 3rd age when Saurons power is growing and the dwarves have dug so deep they finally manage to dig too deep, and this is the 2nd age and thus there should be no reason they should have reached the balrog, especially before the king got the ring and got greedy.

[@nomdeguerre8464]

@hubertdenise3100 so, 1. There's a balrog in the intro for absolutely no reason at all and 2. The dwarves are doing EXACTLY what you described (getting ever greedy and digging deeper than ever) in the EXACT location we know Bane is in, and 3. Disa perfectly warns an ancient evil buried deep. Yeah, OK. Newsflash: Netflix isn't exactly holding to timelines perfectly.

[@nomdeguerre8464]

@hubertdenise3100 and 4. We have a Durin digging something up he shouldn't. As the content creator points out- it's way too soon to have the rings for dwarves start to corrupt them, seeing as they are supposed to be passed down. The alternative, for Durin to do exactly (dig too deep, throw caution to the wind) what it takes to awaken Bane, in the same mountain, while Durin Jr is speaking a lot of how greedy he is all of a sudden, plus all the hints that they didn't dig deep for a reason, PLUS Disa's warning - essentially the exact scenario to create a... Bane if you will, of this... king Durin... Just to awaken a not-balrog is... well, beyond silly. And what is the point in the balrog in the intro then? Where does it come into play? That would be like HotD with dragons in the intro and no dragons in the show. Amazon wants their dragons. They even managed to shoehorn a balrog into S1, albeit a flashback.

[@ForiamStudios]

Was looking for this comment. Definitely referring to the Balrog.

[@goeppelmann]

Wow, just realized that I enjoy watching your breakdowns more than the actual TV show. 😮

[@ItzApeK]

They gon pull a game of thrones and the very last episode is gonna be a long ass trailer for season 3 😂

[@Linska495th]

How many people shouted "YES!" when the arm was broken 💪🏻 Great episode!!

[@stephenclark6263]

No flipping Harfoots, no tedious stranger. What's not to like about this episode?

[@МаксимЯромич]

But Khazad Dum wasn't called Moria back then, it seems like a plothole. I suppose it was called Moria only after the disaster.

[@Frankje01]

I believe so, Moria translates to "the black pit" IIRC

[@ct6852]

@@Frankje01 In the Jackson films did they ever explain what happened to the place? I just remember something about 'dwarves digging greedily' and that's it.

[@frederiquebraakman2934]

@@ct6852A Balrog happened

[@ct6852]

@@frederiquebraakman2934 Oh I thought there was a civil war or something first and than the orcs moved Balrog in. But then again Balrog didn't look like he a gave enough of a s-- about orcs or anyone to be moved anywhere.

[@jj48]

That's true, but it was a plothole in Tolkien's writings, as well.