The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power - Episode 5 "Partings" - Review

[@kidpeligro7878]

I have already dropped the series after episode 4, so it's really great to have these kinds of reviews. Thank you for watching it so we don't have to. 👍

[@takanara7]

I'm only watching it so I can watch other people bitch about it, which I find entertaining. It doesn't make me mad so much as just bore the hell out of me. All the contrived drama with people like isildor and his family is SOOOO dull.

[@laughablelarry9243]

It just looks boring to me.

[@ray.b.75]

I second this, it pains me to say, “No thanks!” When I can put on any of the original LOTR on anytime be happy to spend 2-4 hours reliving in Tolkien’s world.

[@shananika]

I would love to be watching Rings of Power and be excited about it, but I can’t even go there. I have a very good idea that it will just piss me off so I’m staying away. But I enjoy watching the reviews. I decided to give House of the Dragon a shot and I’m loving that show. They’re staying pretty close to the books. It gets better each week and I’m left eagerly anticipating the next episode.

[@NovRen19]

Join us for our counter ROP series, we must stop watching this even for negative publicity because it feeds the amazon rating system, Mae G'ovannen! Now the evidence is clear, and none can deny that "ROP" is not of Tolkien. Take heart and join us for our just released third installment of EXSURGE TOLKIEN that makes robustly clear the heresy of "ignorance" of Tolkien's Canon displayed out of the showrunner's mouths and hearts. They probably know nothing of Tolkien's masterpiece, as evident from their interview in the Vanity Fair Article. For "they who proclaim to loveth Tolkien, yet understandeth, not his world view can neither hope to create a new film, show, or series of his secondary world." "Auta i lóme!" and" Aurë entuluva!"

[@cubablue602]

The Galadriel training scene was shockingly bad. Separate Tolkien from this mess James. It's better that way. This episode was awful any way you want to slice it.

[@teresacook8433]

I had to turn it off at this point, awful 😞

[@wardkerr2456]

These are the Numenoreans, a force so powerful that when they invade the West even the Valar fear their coming. There is no force short of the hand of the creator that can stop them, but they need sword lessons. Brilliant! A masterpiece! A billion well spent!

[@Thedeepseanomad]

@@wardkerr2456 Although a mighty force indeed, the Valar did not fear them, but they did no doubt worry about the damage their arrogance could inflict upon Arda and its inhabitants ( including the Numenoreans themselves).

[@cain7925]

its super unnecessary

[@mytrashguypa]

@@wardkerr2456 right. Soooo. Giv me an army to stop evil, but they suck and cant fight. Sooooo maybe these aren't the right people for the job. "I will serve!" No, we're good.

[@futureboy314]

The Elves of Lothlorien at Helm’s Deep is an excellent example to bring up when comparing adaptations, actually: because of course that didn’t happen in the books, but they made that story choice for the movies, and it works. It’s dramatic, it’s visually exciting, etc etc. I really appreciate you watching this show James, so that I don’t have to. I’ve been worried that you’d bail on it like with Picard, because I know (and respect) that you like to keep a positive tone.

[@spacejunk2186]

Too bad it is never brought up again.

[@NeedSomeNuance]

Elendil, rather the actor who they casted, is literally the only thing I genuinely like about the show. Not even his writing or how they do him as a character, literally just the actor.

[@FightCollective]

He would have been better in Game of Thrones with his look... he's to good for this show.

[@NeedSomeNuance]

@@FightCollective Totally agree

[@vorhese]

Mithril is now midichlorians. The best thing about this show is knowing House of the Dragon will be on in 3 days.

[@Gharon]

Halbrand will turn out to be Sauron, who just wanted to forge stuff in peace and leave his dark evil past behind. But Karen-Galadriel's incessant meddling drives him over the edge and turns him back to the dark side. Now he hates all life and just wants to see the world burn. And i'm only half joking... i actually think that's more or less the route they will take.

[@SimonCoulton]

Your cynical view of what is going to happen to the stranger is pretty on point. It’s been a trend of prequels over the last 5-10 years to go back and rewrite history in order to diminish the characters you loved.

[@morghoulmutilera2996]

i know galadriel in this show is an abomination but...i really like Kelebrimbor...this old dude makes me laugh every time he's on screen ...pure comedy talent...He's a dude who was originaly goin to play in a parody of Lotr and got comfused and ended up in amazon studios...pure gold

[@hoffy1955]

Tolkien devoted a large portion of his life to developing the mythical world of Middle Earth. He drew inspiration from his real life experiences of fighting in WWI, the close friendships he maintained through his love of literature even the love of his life, his wife Edith inspired the stories of Beren and Luthien and Aragorn and Arwen. During the making of the Lord of the Rings trilogy there were always copies of the books on set to be used as reference for the director and the actors, even to the last day of filming. Peter Jackson and almost everyone in a high level position had read the books, loved them and were very respectful of the canon and lore. The writing and dialogue in TROP is not anywhere near as interesting and at times is as they say, cringeworthy. There will always be an audience for bad television/cinema. Not everyone is able to appreciate a masterpiece. Many prefer a simple story with lots of violence and gratuitous sex and Hollywood is more than happy to oblige. TROP is bad storytelling with bad writing, way too much CGI, and way too little love of the lore. That a couple of 40 something producers would fail to understand the importance of canon and lore versus pc and wokeness doesn't surprise me at all, being offensive while feigning being offended is a characteristic of their generation. I had really hoped they would produce a show that, given the obscene budget, would have approached the quality of the books and the Peter Jackson trilogy. A lifetime to write the stories and a singularly epic success of turning them into cinema. That is why people who CAN appreciate a masterpiece love the books and trilogy and do not love TROP. We are not racists we are lovers of the lore. Have diversity in the casting, I'm fine with that. What I'm not fine with are people who resemble Romans with pointed ears....with Elven warriors wearing slightly modified football helmets....with "Our hearts are bigger than our feet!" hardly quote-worthy....Ugh! I don't believe I can bear 5 more episodes so I'm cutting my losses and skipping the rest. I sincerely hope that someone in the future, who does love Middle Earth, will try again. These are stories that need to be seen as well as heard because they are singularly epic mythology!

[@glibglob8755]

What chapter you on?

[@ozymandiascakehole3586]

There's the part where isildur asks his father to go to middle earth, his father is taking inventory, by crossing over crosses that have already be crossed with a pen with no ink, and they show a closeup of it. I know it's nitpicky but there's loads of stuff like that in there that take me out of it.

[@NeedSomeNuance]

Lol yet another thing that just feels like community theater in this show

[@lockekappa500]

Like why go out of your way to have a closeup on that, when it would have looked fine from afar.

[@mcox8616]

Balanced and well articulated criticism! You are a rare find on the Internet. Subscribed.

[@TheStacanova]

Think about this, after episode 5, we are 342 minutes into the Rings of Power. The Peter Jackson Fellowship of the Ring & Two Towers theatrical versions clocked in at a COMBINED 357 minutes. So, 15 minutes into the next Rings of Power episode, is where the the theatrical Two Towers ends. Think of everything that happened over those first two films & how well you knew & cared for all of the characters. Now, think of Rings of Power, what has happened in the time? Does anyone legitimately like or care about any of the characters? The contrast of competence in storytelling is striking! I honestly had more compassion & sympathy and was far more interested in Gollum, than in any character from the Rings of Power.

[@DrDetfink]

Holy Moley! It took 5 hrs worth of episodes (only 3 left) to get Galadriel and Halbrand leave Numenor for Middle Earth, Elrond & Duren to tell each other the truth, Harfoots have a wizard, & Southlands have to fight the Orcs, Goblins, etc.

[@Patrick-sheen]

You’re totally right about the `Americanisation’ that is happening. I love your country but often the nuances, or what makes the original so unique and loved, are completely lost when you go down that road. It’s a fkn travesty the entire thing tbh. Really what is missing from it all is Tolkien. There are no wonderful Tolkien dialogues, turns of phrases, speeches, poems, songs. It’s lacking entirely in his artistry.

[@johnglue1744]

The story about the tree being struck by lightning was hilarious. I expected Kung Fury to pop up.

[@coolcat8b]

You're not the only one. I distinctly heard "Fight" when they showed them on each side of the tree.

[@mike415able]

That orc stood out to me as well, he looked soo bad. The galadriel training sword scene was also bad and too long. She moved so slow

[@vorhese]

Reminded me of a Gamorrean Guard from Jedi.

[@robert7984]

Why Did Amazon Delete THOUSANDS Of Bad Rings Of Power Reviews???

[@Velly2g]

Because review bombing is dead. Nerd shit

[@CorePathway]

TO MAKE ROOM FOR MORE!

[@EastofVictoriaPark]

I can't help but think of Zoolander when Galadriel speaks.

[@mcox8616]

That's because she was educated at 'The Payne and McKay Center for Kids Who Can't Write Good'.

[@majkus]

Tolkien did not develop the Elvish languages to support the stories; as he said in "A Secret Vice", "The converse indeed is true, your language construction will _breed_ a mythology." He (sort of) created the elves to be the people who would say things like 'a star shines on the hour of our meeting' (in Quenya). And indeed, one of the many things they are doing wrong with respect to Tolkien's creation is to have Arondir speaking Quenya, whose role was 'Elf-latin', not even used by the Noldor of Middle-earth in ordinary conversation (Frodo was sort of showing off to Gildor with that greeting). Which is almost inexplicable, since the same language consultant who can create the Quenya dialogue surely could tell them that Sindarin, and not Quenya, would be the language used. Simultaneously deft and clumsy, like the bit in Bakshi's LotR where Gandalf pronounces the word 'mellon' with a perfect Welsh 'll' sound. But of course, 'll' does not represent that sound in Sindarin.

[@willb1405]

RoP in a nutshell: stuff happens and none of it matters

[@NeedSomeNuance]

I watched the first 15 min of this episode and found myself just skipping through shit I knew would be dumb/boring, then realized it was all gonna be dumb/boring and I think I’m just entirely done. I side with Tolkien not whatever this show is

[@SEAKPhotog]

Damn, I enjoy your no holds barred reviews. Thank you! Also, thanks for the Name of the Wind recommendation. Good luck with your new D&D players!

[@alvarocornejo6771]

100% AGREE... you might ve pulled a few punches, and yeah the harfoots are insufferable

[@salomaonplanetsaturn6038]

The dialogue with king and Mariel: - what awaits you is .. darkness ! My god ))) I wrote shit like that in school. Sword hilt as a key - also school grade writing, my god they fucked it up 😁 Agree about our elf (can spell his name , sorry, don't want to check) - I like him.

[@viggopaulman]

This episode triggered me the most so far. I really wanted to punch the screen. So now a Silmaril was hidden in a tree and a lightning struck it and mithril came from a Silmaril? And elves's souls are "fading" and they need Mithril to not disappear? What a load of bull crap is this? This is NOT Tolkien, this is a fanfiction! NONE of this happened in Tolkien's writings. Who are they fooling, us or themselves? I seriously don't know how some people praise this show. This is a bitch slaps Tolkien in his grave.

[@markusbisma5015]

For me this is the funniest episode so far. I LOL at some of the dialogues. But I do like Adar, he is by far the most interesting character. Cool looking villain.

[@takanara7]

I just found it boring as hell. Only watching so I can watch other youtube videos of people getting mad about it.

[@Thedeepseanomad]

Adar is certainly one of the stronger aspect of this show so far.

[@indomiepanggang4258]

Elendil is good

[@Thedeepseanomad]

@@indomiepanggang4258 Agreed.

[@jaygallardo6842]

5 episodes in and the major storyline is still going nowhere. It's mystery box after mystery box and no clear answers. It's utterly meandering. After the Harfoot's tribute to the fallen, they are considering removing the wheels of the Brandyfoot's cart. What were the writers thinking? I was half expecting Galadriel to utter “She done already done had herses!” just for the lulz.

[@lockekappa500]

I dunno if anime is your thing (it's also not mine) but the new Netflix anime Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is an incredible experience. I know you're a fan of D & D, and this show has its roots in Mike Pondsmith's RPG classic world. 10 short, sharp episodes full of sex, violence and mayhem perfectly capture this world. I'd recommend the english dubbed version of it also, as it picks up on the diverse slang that this world has to offer, and gives it its edge. Give it a shot!

[@ScottyKirk1]

Your Gandalf prediction reminds me of how Michael Burnham in Discovery takes credit for making Spock and Kirk lifelong friends. Suuuure ya did...

[@coolcat8b]

I can confirm: The Name of The Wind is superb writing. Patrick, please finish the 3rd book! As to RoP, the writers don't think audiences are too stupid to notice when they are being lazy. Even worse, they believe that since it's fantasy (the genre), they don't have to pay attention to details, because it doesn't have to make sense, only look magical. So an island nation has only 5 boats to its name, and from what I've seen, they're going back to assault Sauron's forces with 30 people top. As to Weird Tall Guy and Nori, I guess he's passed on his magical screaming powers to Nori via an arm freeze. He'll now be free to play with fireflies all day while she'll be the one jumping on Shadowfax and rallying the troops. I mean, anything goes in this show, and she's a strong independent harfoot too! I liked your review: to the point with some heart; balanced, as all things should be! So I subscribed. I want to hear more, please keep them coming. We'll keep each other's company while Middle Earth burns.

[@vladdraco1322]

So Sauron (Halbrand) tricks Galadrial and Numenor to raise an army to depose an evil rival, Adar. Adar wants broken sword thingy to unlock and control Balrog. Silly mystery box writing.

[@JW-jd6sn]

How much mushrooms are you eating, how would a broken sword control a balrog, why would sauron fear a random elf? Why would the orcs obey a elf over sauron. Think before you write nonsensical

[@wardkerr2456]

Tolkien told a beautiful story with deep roots. He had been writing about his ideas for decades, and what he put into his tail was the work of a lifetime. Hundreds of millions have read his work, and a great many have an enduring love for its artful proses, its gentle and compelling themes, and the meticulously crafted world of his fancy. This show is, as you put it so well, a missed opportunity. It has none of the elements I mentioned, Their is no Tolkien in their adaptation of Tolkien.

[@birdofevil7970]

The makers of this show are gender-confused Marxist Liberals who hate Tolkien & Tolkien fans, and who regard Tolkien & Tolkien fans as evil white racists.

[@NovRen19]

Heresy eventually perishes after it's lies are made naked and clear upon the sight of those it hopes to blind! Exsurge Tolkien and counter thus rings of power heresy with our series.

[@coolcat8b]

I agree. The showrunners are the equivalent of someone putting lots of bling on and thinking it makes them elegant. Not only they don't understand Tolkien, I think they don't CARE about his creation. After the 2nd episode, I had abandoned all hope of a coherent story and was simply happy to see Numenor. After watching the 5th episode, even the decor and CGI can't make me smile. All this money spent on stupid bling.

[@D1210]

I don't think "I wanted to fucking vomit" will make it into the posters😅

[@jcwoodman5285]

Is 'name of the wind' the 1st volume?

[@thenightowldude]

I checked out after 2 episodes. Nice to see my decision was justified.

[@angelfieseler5358]

I come here so I don’t have to watch, I could not even get past the first episode so thanks James I’ll come here to listen to the misery

[@canucklehead28]

Sure. But I'm thoroughly enjoying it.

[@AcheliusDecimus]

I have literally fallen asleep while watching the last 2 episodes. It does not engage the mind, and when it is done, my mind is wide awake again.

[@nigeljames5622]

Is there a point in reading those books though as the 3rd installment is not published and its been something like 7 or 8 years since the sequel was released

[@daleandrade8140]

Great review. More importantly, good luck introducing your new players to D&D!

[@andreasesser4641]

I imagine the creation of this show something like this. We need some Aragorn "refusal of the call" type hero. Ok, this Halbrand dude will do. We need the Hobbitses: These Harfootses will do. We need some epic Helm's deep moment: Pick random tower in the Southlands. We need Legolas: Tuvok's son will do. We need a bit more material: Nah, we'll just keep people guessing who Sauron is. That'll keep them watching. Done. "Fan" theory: The stranger is going to be amnesiac Sauron, and because the Harfootses were kind of nice to him, he is going to give them a pass, and retcon that as the reason the Harfootshobbitses can handle the One Ring better than the rest.

[@chippewaguy4193]

I’m the only one in my household that hasn’t given up on it. I’ll at least finish the season l.

[@rini6]

I haven’t seen the fifth episode yet. I looked at the thumbnail and I just sighed. 😟

[@travisspazz1624]

Found your channel through The Expanse and even though we have differing opinions on the last season of that show, I've respected your takes. But damn, did this video make me feel like an idiot for liking this show! Haha

[@StreetFreak9000]

If you keep watching, the viewing figures will stay constant. So you’re supporting it & keeping it going.

[@connorgates119]

"I wanted to fucking vomit". I could not agree more!!!!

[@JayTeeGR]

This show is made by amateurs, that's the problem...

[@pinkpyjamas4090]

Yup!

[@ray.b.75]

As much as I hate D&D for bungling up the last season of GOT, at least they showed a lot of love in the first four seasons of GOT. This show is just incredibly dumb shit.

[@JayTeeGR]

@@ray.b.75 D&D are just as talentless, the difference is that they had an amazing and experienced crew behind them plus HBO/Warner.

[@CandidateNr182]

The stranger (if he is one of the wizards) is probably being punished for not using magic through a staff. The wizards were supposed to be somewhat incognito when they were sent by the Valar, so showing off that he instead of a 'magical' staff can do magic wasn't looked kindly on.

[@tadlambert1493]

I tried. I made it thru 5 bad episodes. I’m giving up.

[@pse2020]

I liked episode 1 and 2... But after that, total boardom... And just rewatched peter jackssons movies, i cant even describe how it is much more suprior then this series... Even the environments looks grander and more real and epic.

[@au-contraire]

'Partings' is when this show and I part ways. I can't get the memory of epic characters from the original LOTR soiled anymore. You shall not pass, you mediocre written show! And thank you so much for promoting women over men in each and every way possible. This is the only thing you can rely on with this shameful debacle. I think I'm going to start watching movies from the 30s to the 2000s again because somehow, in real life, I cannot find any women who are truly attracted to weak men. However, I do see more and more women who are like G. here, selfish, bull-headed, ignorant and loathsome. Cold and scary, devoid of emotional warmth or a sense of responsibility and care for others and only suitable for coupling with their own kind (kinda like orcs, really, just with much prettier faces). Well done, Bazos. Congrats on your last divorce. Here's to many more to come! Five episodes and I don't think I have even noticed a single romantic relationship. There is not a single spark between the couple in the tower. Romance is dead, elves are a joke, the plot is stupid, trivial and pretentious, the Middle Earth has become the earth of mediocrity and cluelessness and Tolkien is spinning in his grave...

[@mothraw1]

What is the true origin of Mithril? Cant seem to find it online

[@morghoulmutilera2996]

You can change all those known names and locations , they ve taken from Talkien's work and replace them with random generic names from fantasy colture and it will make no diference. All those characters are not who they claim to be ...its a bad taste random fantasy film that happens to have the LOTR on its tittle

[@brunoferreira4429]

I think the show is great and I cant wait for next episode.

[@AndréVilaFranca]

Also since you love fantasy, I'd like to recommend you the game Blasphemous. If you like dark medieval metroidvanias with amazing worldbuilding and lore I think you're gonna love it.

[@davidsimon5088]

Thanks James. I know it's been about 30 years since I read the Silmarillion but I didn't remember any of that about how Mithril was made or elves needing it to stay in middle earth. At the time of watching I was thinking this part is total bullshit isn't it?

[@louisberry4403]

This had it moments but i do hope they get going with the story and action. Owain And Elrond are the best part of it so far and hope to get Sauron revealed as Slim Shady, May The Real Sauron Please Stand Up, Please Stand Up, Please Stand Up.

[@jvlp2046]

As much as I like the Movie LOTR Trilogy of Tolkien, I also want to protect my fellow Christians and those (10-20%) people who like to watch the TV Series ROP peacefully from those "Hateful Negativity and Divisive Mockeries" of Rhetorical Reviews/Comments coming from those Fanatics and who Idolized to much the works and legacy of the author of the Book, JRR Tolkien's LOTR...

[@shaytal100]

Well said! I agree with all your criticism. But I would add this show is dull and boring! I switched off my Tolkien knowledge when I started watching the series, pretending this has nothing to do with Tolkien. But it did not help! After 6h I don't care about a single character! There is no one I root for and there is no one I wish something bad. Only exception are the Harfoots. I was rooting for these wolf-boars to eat them! You are curious who the stranger is? Well the show won't tell you for a long time! The writing is done by Bad Robot writers! That is what they do. Creating mysteries that only end in disappointment, after they teased with the mystery for a very long time!

[@heartshinemusic]

Be careful James, before you know it Bezos is going to "make you disappear" or cancel you by sending an army of orcs... uh, I mean trolls. But very brave to tell the truth! Already saw some good (legit) articles online dismantling this show. Yes, the visuals are great, but that's all. Everything else is problematic, even if it wasn't a LOTR show... like pacing, storytelling, dialogue, acting etc.

[@user-aymanzone]

awful show, 100% agree

[@iamrubenmes]

Amen

[@Persephone_Personified]

The blonde “man” you thought might be Sauron? Oh that was a woman. All the “priestesses “ were bald women.

[@boyfromoz7]

I'm a little disappointed but I'm stomaching this show better than most. I'm not that well versed in Tolkien only reading LotR and The Hobbit back in the late 80's earlier nineties. Seen the movies a bunch of time but know nothing of the second age so I'm not getting too upset that "it's wrong". Its just slow and as you said... a missed opportunity to be rally f'ing good. I also too loved Name of the Wind (could be my favorite fantasy series?) and the sequel 2 it (we'll never get the third book :-( ) and am also playing D&D this weekend. Hope you games fun and your RPG virgins get a kick out of it.

[@everythingisawesome76]

Aside from this mess of a show, I was curious about your thoughts on the upcoming Willow series. I'm actually kinda looking forward to watching it.

[@Unitos_]

It's fun, so I'm enjoying it. I'm allowing it to use the lore loosely.

[@NovRen19]

Well done with thy review, tragic and "Auta i lóme!" and" Aurë entuluva!" On September 3rd, the Tolkien phandom awoke and found half of the Tolkien-verse under the dominion of the corporate machine theyocracy. Thus we bring "council in these dark times,": EXSURGE TOLKIEN, our current channel's counter series. It is now beyond a doubt that The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power" is independent of Tolkien and his world's Orthodoxy. ROP is the second of four heresies: a schism that will leave a forever rift between the phandom and wrought confusion for years to come.

[@kyleg.8132]

Did Galadriel give an orc surprise s3x to make adar as revenge ? Only thing that makes sense... she was always chillin with them. Hogger of the Northern armies, a new breed of women.

[@dartinbout5672]

Thank you for the opening splash screen. Gun to head is warning enough for me to continue to skip it.

[@btprange]

Agreed

[@thomashazlewood4658]

As a soldier, it offends me that none of these men or elves seem capable of being warriors. Actual soldiers, as a rule, have thicker necks because they exercise those muscles. Mythical soldiers would have long experience bearing heavy helms and armor. These men could blend in at a wine tasting, but never a battle. They would never swing swords in a deadly duel and Galadriel, that tiny woman, is a farce as a battle queen. Have you seen Emily Blunt in 'Edge of Tomorrow'? THAT is what a fighting woman would look like. Not this puny waif who always seems to wear a nightgown.

[@AdrianMendoza23]

I'm sorry to hear about your luggage. I have yet to see the show but it does not sound great. Another channel said that they have to put something that qualifies as an action or battle scene soon before they lose the viewers.

[@davidsimon5088]

This show is frustrating. It still had it's cringe production moments like basically zero choreography and having to keep cutting away to try to sell it that Galadriel or Morffyd Clark can use a sword, still looks like a CW show but with 30X the budget God knows why. Overall I thought production value was an improvement over past episodes, but then they have to create their own lore concerning Mithril and the waning of the elves.

[@LotionNinja]

Missed opportunities is exactly right

[@SeanRCope]

I like it.

[@mattgilbert7347]

TLOTR: I Just Can't Believe This Fuckin' Bullshit Episode 5: I Just Wanted To Fuckin' Vomit

[@v1e1r1g1e1]

You never know... a miracle might happen.. like the producers pull the plug on the entire heap of cattle dung at the end of Season 1 and we can all put it down to a bad experience.

[@tjk3430]

This is all very frustrating. I too will continue watching but I know Amazon plans to toy with us for 5 seasons. At least we got to see Nori cry in pain if nothing else.

[@m.nielsen9050]

Armour they wore at end! Where did it come from?!! They were found on a freakin raft with nothing! So stupid she has her armor back and he had some too.

[@writereducator]

I think the fundamental problem is the writers are amateurs. They are not A-list Hollywood, so no actual conflict.

[@matt00794]

I’m not loving this show but I liked this episode. While lore is being mixed around I feel like hopefully we are now at the point stuff will actually happen so far it seems to be setting up something that is no where in sight.

[@timmy1071]

Yeah, it's better than episode 4. Because there was a little less galadriel this episode it made it even more obvious she is one of weakest parts. A lot what they're doing doesnt seem to be offering any pay-off. They could of concentrated on annatar working with the elves this season and finished with sauron going to war against the elves to get all the rings back

[@majkus]

Among the many problems, I have also noticed that the writers do not know what the word 'enact' means. They actually use it as if it means 'to carry out [a plan]', more than once. That's simply incorrect. They could have paid a script editor $100K to give them an 'out-of-house' reading to fix bad grammar like, "Your people have no king, for you are him," and tone-deaf lines like 'Because it took me over 200 years to develop the bravery that's keeping me standing here tonight.' ("develop bravery"?? How about 'to find the courage that keeps me here'?). I also blame the actors to some degree: they should have some sense of their characters' diction and call out to the director when it's wrong. Some of these things are _easy_ to fix, including the portrayal of matters of time and distance, which any middle-school D&D player knows how to manage. But these writers seem singularly unaware of their own limitations.

[@mattgilbert7347]

They need to limit the development of their weaknesses for 200 years ... and enact some shit and stuff also and as well.

[@Lone_Star86]

I'm going to be blunt. This series is a complete Trainwreck! Im seriously surprised Tolkien fans haven't started WW3 after this massacre of their beloved characters and lore. Now im not a Tolkien superfan but I feel like it's personal.

[@christopherwillson]

The stranger is the ony thing I like about the show because he can't talk properly so there's no chance he'll make me hate him like the others.

[@ShellBella1012]

That sword training scene is god awful. I literally turned it off because I couldn’t take anymore.

[@billybubba8344]

The show is so over the top, it is unbelievable.

[@h-deck]

It lacks…. It lacks the LOVE for Tolkien’s world and knowledge of his books. Without the love and True knowledge of Tolkiens books and world, they get the DISASTER that is Ring of Power.

[@sabineb.5616]

I agree, that the writers are especially inept to portrait the elves! They all are terrible! They don't look right, they talk drivel, and they don't seems to be good for anything! But the writers also don't know how to construct sound plotlines which keep the viewers interested over a whole season.

[@usererrer7493]

You didn't like the mithrilchlorians?

[@djripsmusic]

On the upside, Bezos is going to be pissed when this gets cancelled after just one season. 😏

[@XPhobic76]

Dude everybody already knows that discount Aragon is Sauron- it’s obvious and it’s been leaked.

[@elisacasasnovas2173]

I am totaling not understanding what is happening with this show. I did not read the books and I have no idea WTFudge is going on.

[@thezeppo1138]

Awesome review 🤘

[@TacoGrande007]

A black elf? Ohh thats right. This movie must be based on the Lord of the "Bling" books by Tyrone DaQuan.

[@novichader]

They tend to cut from interesting scenes to random and often boring things like those musical hobbits. I don't care for that, at all. Breaking momentum is one way to never build tension; keeping up with the hobbits 😒🙄

[@edwardforsythe1427]

Halbrand is Sauron. It’s plain as day now

[@skyemoviesF89]

$1 billion spent and this is what we get? There’s so much to unpack about what’s wrong with this show. I’m no hardcore Tolkien nerd but I know enough to know that they just haven’t got a clue what they’re doing with these characters and this story. It’s pretty shambolic. Don’t worry about being down on these episodes with your reviews James, there are plenty of KZbinrs making a wage from slamming stuff like this. At least you do it from the point of someone who knows the lore inside and out which gives these vids much more validity than other’s.

[@tjp4342]

You need a mic screen to avoid the POP of your voice coming across in the video.

[@yahoobe1000]

The biggest problem I suffer from in this disappointing series is the heroine of the story (Morfydd Clark) who chose her for this series! Her acting abilities are modest if I don't say that there are basically no acting abilities! What a face that does not have any expressions! What is this sound that does not change and is on one tune in all scenes!! This level of mediocre acting is so sad

[@DenkyManner]

There has a been a weird trend of treating the entire season like the 3 acts of a movie so everything takes far too long to happen. Assuming this show will even end up with 3 acts. It's like taking a 2 minute 30 pop song and slowing it down to last 35 minutes and thinking that's the album.

[@FJalltheway]

I'm only watching the show because of the LOTR association. It's frustrating this show will not win a new generation of LOTR fans. Only characters that are of any interest: Elrond, Elendil, the dwarves, Arondir. Everything/one else is completely disappointing. Show writers need a huge shakeup.