The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power - Episode 7 "The Eye" - Review

[@AngryJoeShow]

This was amazingly said! What a fantastic review and put my exact thoughts into words so well! This is exactly how I feel! Thanks for this man!

[@colonelsanders1774]

@@piggyeternal5724 The generator is losing power

[@salomaonplanetsaturn6038]

I thought it was some kind of a bot for a second, but - no. It's original, legitimate and real - Angry Joe. PS. James H is a great youtuber, with smart, balanced opinions about movies/shows 🐧

[@valeskacanas9187]

"The Balrog is just awake hanging out down there screaming at leaves" 🤣😂

[@daisyblossomflowerchild9702]

To be fair, leaves are pretty annoying. 🤣

[@belegur8108]

@@daisyblossomflowerchild9702 if ever a truth was spoken, its that... learned from anybody with a garden with trees in autumn 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@valeskacanas9187]

@@daisyblossomflowerchild9702 😂😆🤣👍🏽

[@Jon-bb8nm]

@@daisyblossomflowerchild9702 Just wait till the balrog discovers leafblowers. Maybe that's why it goes into a rampage.

[@johnglue1744]

Maybe he had just cleaned his floors.

[@ntgrg08]

Rich for Galadriel to give Theo a lesson about something she ironically seemed to display towards to Adar. 🤦‍♂️

[@k-matsu]

New theory: Theo = Sauron

[@Ma55ey]

@@k-matsu nah Saurnon isnt mancunian....

[@travisspazz1624]

You must've missed the regret displayed before that scene then.

[@lianai.9795]

I call it ' unintentional schizophrenic character writing' because of the amateur writing of the script.

[@ntgrg08]

@@travisspazz1624 she shouldn’t be displaying that mentality to begin with. She’s an elf not a human.

[@BoandDebbieMulder]

Things I learned from Episode 7: 1. Mithril heals black rot. 2. Leaves awaken Balrogs. 3. Pyroclastic flow (clouds of fire and red hot ash) doesn't always kill. 4. "Celeborn was his name" so he's dead, so Arwen won't be born

[@k-matsu]

Celeborn isnt dead. He just took a "long weekend" because he needed a break from someone who is always so "right". Theyll find him in a few hundred years, smoking poppies out on the fields of Celebdil, and after a stint in rehab he'll be just fine in time for the Jackson movies. Also ... the balrog will go back to sleep. They just needed him to appear in the trailers, and serve as a massive troll to people like you and I

[@sebastianwittmeier1274]

To fulfill the lore (and have Arwen born) Celebrian will be the love child of Halbrand/Sauron and Galadriel. Or alternatively of Elrond and Galadriel. Let's see, which direction the showrunners go.

[@belegur8108]

@@k-matsu guess he just has a tiny bladder, woke up and went for a loo, when he witnessed Durin III littering in the home of the Balrog. Guess he will remember that when being awakened in a few thousand years by Durin VI.

[@k-matsu]

@@sebastianwittmeier1274 Of course she will be Halbrand's. Didnt you hear Galadriel say that what Hal really needs is to be branded with Elvish healing? When I get that feeling I want Elvish healing Get up get up get up get up

[@travisspazz1624]

That's what you got from it? Leaves? And she thinks he's dead, amazon x-ray kinda spoils the truth. Frodo and Sam were literally inside Mt Doom and they were fine.

[@camilo07al]

Queen Miriel tells Elendil that she does not want them to know that she is blind so as not to show weakness but then appears with a blindfold on her way to Numenor hahahahah man is pure comedy

[@Ornithologe]

Took me far too long😂

[@magnemodi1599]

I appreciate all of the reaction channels who have braved these episodes and saved me from wondering if I gave up too early on Rings of Power. I watched 15-20 minutes of the first episode and chose not to invest any more time. Clearly I was right.

[@isaacm2374]

But you're still invested in commenting on review of episode 7. Why waste your time on episode 7 review of you stopped watching and not clearly invested? Sounds irrational.

[@michelibarra191]

​@@isaacm2374 it is irrational. And I honestly don't believe he hasn't watched more.

[@magnemodi1599]

@@isaacm2374 I guess it's like watching a news cast follow-up on a story which doesn't directly involve you. Call me a rubber-Necker or ghoul driving by an accident and looking with curiosity at the wreckage.

[@JackJonesFOFF]

Good for you sir. I spent 90 mins that I'll never get back. Maybe I should sue Amazon.

[@joeterzio7175]

They are just so very brave making videos on a topic that stirs the incels. You can't tell when you're on the receiving end of a grift, can you? I've watched every episode and have liked the show very much. Good for you that you're wasting time watching some dude watching and reviewing a show that he and you both claim to dislike. That's so productive.

[@deanzaZZR]

The Balrog wandering around and sees a leaf and gets angry. 😆🤣🤣😆Sad, but true.

[@jayderek18]

Sounds like me in the autumn when I had a larger lawn 😁

[@tdistel]

Halbrand is Sauron. That's why he's going to the elves.

[@KODstyles23]

Yeah.And his injury was made by himself. The volcano didn't cut him

[@mikestanmore2614]

The writers' disregard for the history of the Dwarves is probably only as bad as their destruction of everything else. But it has led to to rename the RoP dwarven kings just to keep things straight in my head. Urine IV came from the loins of Urine III. I don't know if you've watch any of the older Dr Who episodes, but Theo is beginning to remind me of Adric.

[@Tina93_]

Always love your reviews. Concise and straight to the point.

[@cubablue602]

It was already named Mordor before Sauron even settled there. Sindarin for dark land or shadow. It was named after the influence of Morgoth when he created Mt Doom (or awakened it). So Mt Doom has been erupting since the First Age or maybe even earlier. Christopher Tolkien confirmed it.

[@Ma55ey]

i dont mind Mordor being depicted as a green and verdant land in this show, i know it contradicts everything.. but thats par for the course at this point... the awakening of mount doom waas a bit of an insult though.... nope, no dark magic or sacrifice.... just tip a load of water in and boom, just dont get it.... On the plus side i thought it had killed this version of galadathrial and she was going to be re born as cate blanchett.....

[@lemuelcubase]

At this point I just keep an eye on this channel to bear witness to James’ lustful hatred of this show 😂

[@melaniephillips4238]

I totally agree with your assessment of the superficiality of Amazon's entire concept of Middle Earth. It is what has bothered me so much about this entire silly mess of a series. As you said, Tolkien was an extraordinary world-builder with exquisite attention to detail. The books give a sense of the weight of years and history that goes before the major events of LOTR, and PJ's films so perfectly gave us a vast visual expression of that, from the details of armor to the varying vistas of Hobbiton, or Rivendell, or Minas Tirith. And so much of it he doesn't bother telling us, he shows us. In the Amazon dumpster fire, we are told most things and shown little. Much of the action, such as the great forge tower Celebrimbor is building, is off screen and we see what looks like a matt painting and we're expected to marvel at it. We're shown a few glimpses of one area of Khazad- Dum, and afterwards we only see the pretty quarters of Durin and Disa and one mine where it seems that only Durin is working. We don't get the glimpses of the "great dwarven kingdom of the Dwarrowdelf." The whole of the Southlands -- which we're told is actually a whole kingdom of villages -- boils down to one measly little settlement with about 50 people that could be some generic medieval hamlet, with nothing culturally distinctive about it, and we never see more. No ruins of a vanished greater age, no indication of other villages, with other people gathering to flee the Orcs. And those 50 people should by rights be dead now between the attacks of the Orcs, the flood and, oh yeah, a freaking pyroclastic flow. Numenor is at least a little better realized, but we see a few sets and a harbor and little else. For a billion-dollar investment, I would have expected casts of thousands, exquisite costume and weapon design, an expansive palette of places and people that GOT and even The Wheel of Time did brilliantly. The story, the characterizations, the plot and motivations are all just superficially strung together, and bear little relationship to the events that have gone before -- and certainly nothing that Tolkien wrote. It feels like a soap opera set in a bad fantasy world, with about the same production values. Lazy writing, terrible plotlines, unlikeable, inconsistent characters, and no attention to depth or detail. It's a total trashing of the lifework of Tolkien.

[@RogerThat902]

I completely agree. I really think a big problem is Tolkien has a lot of material and they are trying to do too much. It's a show that somehow is boring and rushed. Like we are jumping around WAY too much. I don't feel any connection to any character as a result. They would have been far better off doing what Game of Thrones did (when it was good) and just sitting in one setting, developing that story and characters while teasing something else going on out there. We are just getting way too many things that they feel are supposed to be super dramatic but just aren't because we don't care enough OR they didn't do enough to establish why it's supposed to be important.

[@stewarttafiti1889]

I mean Durin and his dad’s moral complex with the mithriel is really interesting character development I feel. Elrond and durins relationship was established really well setting up Durins motivation to use mithril to save the elves. The introduction of the balrog now further muddies the water between the two. one positive I noticed I guess

[@belegur8108]

Things i learned from episode 7: don't count on episode 8 to improve in quality in any way. Pelegir is actually shown on the maps the show uses for the Numenoreans, its the city on the left side of the river anduin at the delta. but colonies where never mentioned and those coming up with "Strength for the King!" are the same chanting in every possible occasion "U S A" ... jup, thats also very annoying to every non-american on this planet.

[@joaopedrorosa6198]

My predictions for next episode: 1 - Halbrand is Sauron. And now in Lindon he will start the talk about rings since they couldnt get mithril from the dwarves. 2 - Balrog will kill Durin the king. 3 - Numenorians go back to their land, the queen start talking about a full scale war. Al Pharazon will use this to start his power scaling. 4 - Harfoots save Not Gandalf from Eminem and they learn about what the stars is. Something about Mithrandir.

[@DJdext]

This show has the magical ability to cause me to sleep. When I half heard Guy-ladriel talking about her dead husband I woke and immediately felt the urge to punch my tv. Like wtf?!!!! The emotion of the scene of crying about isildur was lost because yes we know he isn't dead. So dumb. Question: This show is called rings of power but no forging of a ring or not even a mention of a ring in season 1?

[@belegur8108]

my guess for the cliffhanger to S2, Halbrand forging rings in Ost-in-Edhel with a demonic gleam in his eyes

[@NovRen19]

The power of the Rings is fading with each passing episode, as we all hear Treebeard's cry fused into the corporate machine theyocracy and their subordinates, "a wizard should know better." If you have lost heart or grown frustrated, join us for EXSURGE TOLKIEN as we continue to defend the counter perspective to this ROP heresy series with another installment, "Contempt the third Heresy." It is overwhelming that the showrunner's rather than desiring to respect Tolkien's Tales, yearned to be the 'lord and god' of their own "private sub-creation." Now is the hour for all phans to realize that this show does not glitter and is not gold, and return to the Valar, to the truth. "Auta i lóme!" and" Aurë entuluva."

[@ks2884]

How Numenor knew there is a battle in that specific little village? How did they know they have to go specifically there?

[@camilo07al]

everything about the mithril is stupid, if it were true that the mitrhil helps the elves to preserve their life (which is not true) because it was made with the light of the simarill then everything makes even less sense: the simarills had inside part of the light of the trees of valinor, the sun and the moon were directly made with the remnants of the trees that means that if what the series says is true, then the light of the sun and the moon would be enough for them to live.not to mention that at night they also have the light of the simarill of Eärendil

[@JayTeeGR]

It's impossible that this is a billion dollar show, my impression is that everything is cheap af, from the show runners to the writers, the film crew, the costumes and the cast... So much money and not ONE star actor? Also the cgi is not something monumental. Everything looks small scale, the main action scene of the series was in a village with five small houses, which featured a titanic battle between 50 orcs and 10 villagers? (rofl) The quality of the show is laughable! Did they actually lie about the budget? I'm not so much into economics but i'm sure other people will dive deeper into this... It's as you said...This has become the laughing stock of fantasy! Imo it has surpassed the Wheel of Time in mediocrity and it's also made by the same studio. I just hope some other studio buys the full rights for a Tolkien tv series (thankfully Amazon has bought only a very small portion).

[@josie_the_valkyrie]

Could be money laundering.

[@advanceaustralia4861]

Story rights were $250m. Five seasons. 8 episodes per season. $750m/40 episodes is ~$19m each. Half that is probably marketing. So maybe they spent $10m each making the first episodes. Which is still way too much given the quality of what they produced so far.

[@amrrahmy123]

Thank you for the honest reviews.

[@salomaonplanetsaturn6038]

First, I want to mention good parts - I genuinely smiled and felt some positive emotions when Theo hugged Arondir. That's it! And the Oscar for most childish, uncreative and cringe story point goes to ROP for introduction of word Mordor. I couldn't believe they did it like that. Southland's name disappeares AND tuduuum Mordor appears. This moment is so lame, I can't even describe my feelings. Extra dumb! PS. I think horse going to find Isildur. Husband of Galadriel - Celeborn, most important person and companion in her life is dead. Or is he ? I got a feeling, they plan to introduce him in future seasons. There is a possibility, that they removed him completely, because STRONG lady Galadriel doesn't need help from a man/husband.

[@calvinjohnstone2664]

Nah, she was just going off to slay some orcs and he remembered something he forgot in Valinor so just popped out to go and get it. Because guyladriel

[@theonlyroadforward4512]

Galadriel tells theo not to assume things he cant know and then in the next scene she tells theo that she assumes celeborn is dead

[@ntgrg08]

You can’t make this shit up 🤣🤣🤣 the contradictions are endless

[@AlanDantes76]

I appreciate so much your frankness. Agree with all your points. I had anticipated this show would be bad, just because of all the red flags in the months leading up to it, but honestly I'm shocked at how bad it is.

[@mattgilbert7347]

To be fair, that Balrog had just finished raking his front lawn. Damn leaves!

[@ngails]

The Queen regent said they are coming back in force. She rightly understood the threat is greater than their little excursion party can deal with. She assured Gabriella she will return.

[@sethcarnius3548]

I believe the most stupidest move by the showrunner, was to create a backstory on mithryl and its healing abilities. I always thought the dwarf greed made them dig so deep in search of mithryl and it doomed them in person of the balrog. Now it's like... well we wanted to help the elves and that's what we got for it...

[@kidpeligro7878]

I kind of feel bad how James started off his reviews of the show from managed expectations turning to disappointment turning to anger and finally to rage

[@NovRen19]

The forest of Professor Tolkien is being burned before our eyes in the fires of corporations as our 6th installment defines: The power of the Rings is fading with each passing episode, as we all hear Treebeard's cry fused into the corporate machine theyocracy and their subordinates, "a wizard should know better." If you have lost heart or grown frustrated, join us for EXSURGE TOLKIEN as we continue to defend the counter perspective to this ROP heresy series. It is overwhelming that the showrunner's rather than desiring to respect Tolkien's Tales, yearned to be the 'lord and god' of their own "private sub-creation." Now is the hour for all phans to realize that this show does not glitter and is not gold, and return to the Valar, to the truth. "Auta i lóme!" and "Aurë entuluva."

[@majkus]

Old Nokes bakes a cake: "His chief notion was that it should be very sweet and rich; and he decided that it should be entirely covered in sugar-icing (at which Prentice had a clever hand). "That will make it pretty and fairylike," he thought. Fairies and sweets were two of the very few notions he had about the tastes of children. Fairies he thought one grew out of; but of sweets he remained very fond. "Ah! fairylike," he said, "that gives me an idea"; and so it came into his head that he would stick a little doll on a pinnacle in the middle of the Cake, dressed all in white, with a little wand in her hand ending in a tinsel star, and Fairy Queen, written in pink icing round her feet." - 'Smith of Wootton Major', J.R.R. Tolkien [read it!!] There is no silver star in this cake. It will transport no one to Faery. Only a counterfeit.

[@Ti-up3dv]

i deliberately do mot watch the show as I don’t want to give Amazon my money, so I piece it together from watching reactions and reviews. I have to say, among the many baffling, bewildering decisions the writers and showruiners made, the bafflingest, bewildering east of this episode has to be choosing to have your big Balrog reveal happen IN FULL VIEW OF NO ONE. Compare this to one of the best bits of dramatic tension in the film trilogy (what is this new devilry? While all you can hear is that torch burning… and then that weird shuddering sound and then minutes of terror until it actually takes shape)… instead you have the Balrog screaming - as you said - at leaves in the dark. And that’s his big reveal. Such a waste for something that could have literally anchored an entire episode as “the big thing that happened in the show this week”. And interestingly, the Balrog looks very much like a computer game knock-off of the PJ Balrog from ten years ago. I think I can see some Houdini fire effects straight out of the box.

[@andrewchron]

There is a 1 week free trial you know in amazon prime.

[@stephenholbrook4391]

You hit the nail on the head with “plain, generic and routine”. A separate point- why do they have Orcs use torches so much for visibility? I can see Orcs using fire for destruction, but Orcs live in the dark and had night vision…

[@Firenutz]

Only truth spoken, sir. Let one who calls you an a-hole stand and defend this wretched filth. You have kept your honor!

[@daleandrade8140]

@jameshancock forget the show. What 1st Ed d&d adventures do you recommend?

[@richardjohnston-bell476]

I love the line you said "they just want to give you dessert". Sums it up perfectly,

[@RebornVengeancex]

This isn't dessert it's more like rotten milk

[@belegur8108]

@@RebornVengeancex its more like desert... and i hold it with Anakin here... i don't like sand!

[@RebornVengeancex]

@@belegur8108 I don't know what kind of dessert you're eating but I think you reconsider what you put in your stomach

[@belegur8108]

@@RebornVengeancex well i thought, i can stomach thios show so far without dying... barely... so i can stomach anything

[@matslarsson6919]

Hated this show after two episodes. Happy I didn’t continue watching.

[@Persephone_Personified]

So we all agree Halbrand is Sauron. . So... The WAY Sauron makes his way to meet and corrupt the elves is... To fake an injury in a glamoured human form named Halbrand and need “elven medicine” so Galadriel takes him to meet her elven brothers. . .. oh. dear. god. no. 😫

[@chriscaragiannis6783]

Best reason to watch this show is to point out what NOT to do when taking on a great literary work.

[@creepyoldlady2995]

The reason I am tempted to think Halbrand is Sauron is that he gives Galadriel a piece of advice about how to persuade the queen/regent/whatever of Numenor which is almost word for word a statement made about him in one of the Lost Tales: He says that in order to influence someone in your favor, find out what they fear and then protect them from it. With anyone other than the Rings of Power scriptwriting committee making the decisions I'd be positive, because it's something only a serious fan (or someone like me who just heard the Lost Tale a few weeks ago and the next day saw the clip in a review) would remember, and it's the serious fans you want to please the most, right? But with these jokers, who either have no interest in the fans or are such poor writers that they can't please anybody, or -- my own opinion -- both, there's no telling. These people admit to putting together what they say were ten movies that should have been made because they were "perfect." And yet this is the first thing they have ever done that made it to the screen. So we know that they don't think anyone knows anything that they don't know better, and that they can't admit they might have made a single mistake. We already know they can't write well enough to pass an introductory creative writing course. (I bet they both have dozens of stories that include the sentence, "My English Teacher Was Wrong.") If Amazon doesn't fire these yahoos, they must be funding this turkey in order to get tax write-offs every season. And the folks at the Tolkien Estate can't stop laughing every time they drive by the bank in which that $250 million was deposited. They know J.R.R. is bulletproof.

[@roseguard9952]

Can't imagine my life without having read Tolkien, yet many of the criticisms of the PG-13 Rings of Power are actually complaints that many critics have raised about Tolkien: lack of character development, static characters without a true psychology only a conflict between an evil and a good choice, Elves proclaiming things in a high faux medieval portentous style, very underdone to missing female characters. Despite this LOTR has considerable power and The Hobbit is charming. The creators of this TV show can't both utterly change, but also remain utterly faithful to Tolkien content. Impossible task and the shows are reflecting some of the actual fault lines in Tolkien's style, no matter how much we love him. GRRM wrote a different sort of fantasy story with actual characters and that is why it makes better TV.

[@mikeschlau4501]

20:52 what a BS. they all would be burned like grilled chicken. so the show is bad comedy now, I guess.... 🤔

[@bboyandi82]

so they tried hard to get emotional in Ep 7 and wasted one hour about the aftermath where almost no progress was made. - Still no news about not-Gandalf - No news about Halbrand - Galadriel still preaches about things she fails to do herself - Harfoots still preach about sticking together is their greatest virtue yet admit to leaving their own behind + ok I learnt that the Durin's wife is gready for power

[@dabakrada5077]

Thanks for another review!

[@nemomarc7841]

I just finished episode 7 incredible but there is a lot to say There are implausibilities of the first scene the awakening of Galadriel. We are approaching the end of the season, The Land of the South is no more MORDOR and BALROG is awake 🔥

[@christinebainbridge8774]

The show implies that there are already colonies in Rhun; Pharazon implies that (possibly due to elven occupation) Numenor hasn't previously been able to make inroads into Halbrand's lands.

[@potita24]

It was said many times 1) thecserirs will shortern the time line of Middle Earth, and that YES that androgynous character IS a Woman; Her name is Birdie Sissons!

[@realest_shirts]

Being a LoTR fan, for some reason I, against better judgement, don't completely hate this show. There are many things that bother me...for instance, once you watch anything about Pompeii, this episode becomes extremely ludicrous. That part alone I found very angering, as it was so absolutely ridiculous. Basically those people were walking around in what would have been equal in temperature to a clay oven. Did none of the show writers ever read or watch anything about volcanoes? Jesus. Also, I don't really care much for the Harfoots, and they take up a large amount of screen time. The logic and the pacing of this show overall is highly dubious. I guess it's just that I missed Middle Earth so much, I'm willing to take a version of it that was written by my crazy ex-gf, that someone gave a billion dollars to. It's a form of Stockholm Syndrome, I guess. 4/10.

[@vMaxHeadroom]

I just want to know where the money went as it certainly did NOT go into the shows...if the average per episode is $80 to $90 million where in the hell did the money go? You have the Two Towers costing $98 million and yet we have this show that looks so utterly cheap compared to the LOTR! This is so tragic as it just destroys one of the greatest stories ever told...Why was this series given to people who have no track record, no idea how to craft a story with subtext as everything and I mean everything is so on the nose?

[@advanceaustralia4861]

$1billion budget. Story rights were $250m Five seasons at $150m each. Eight episodes per season at ~$19m each. A lot of that is marketing costs. So I would think that maybe they spent ten million on making each episode. Still way too much given the quality they produced.

[@thekububeach]

They really need new showrunners. For an insane budget like that, they could have much better writers. I agree that a lot of idiotic lines in the show.

[@mikevalenzuela3974]

If a show has been shit for 7 episodes i don't think it will get better on it's last one.

[@davidsimon5088]

This show should be an Amazing smash. Instead it's Amazon trash.

[@danbal4185]

"Strenght to the King". King...of what??? Perfectly said. No coherent conception of time and space in regard to geography, locations and travel. When instead the very (long and detailed) journey of the protagonists through the endless wonders of middle-earth was the basis for the narrative of both LOTR and The Hobbit. Very poor use of the lore with all its history, legends, mythos in connection with the storylines of the characters (and their development). And, worst of all, the show seems to be directly written by Amazon's diversity, equity and inclusion office (with the supervision of the local women's studies department).

[@Lioneldehetre]

Halbrand is Sauron, you'll find out next episode and the contrite reason why hy he needs "elf magic" because it bings him to Lindon. I gave up on this show awhile ago because season 2 won't be any better I only hope Amazon kills it after they see how badly it's being received.

[@calvinjohnstone2664]

' there is a Tempest in me. ' didn't just rock your world with its depth and empowerment?😦 They roused the Balrog with a leaf? They couldn't have had someone knock a bucket down onto it?

[@Kausan1]

Time to let it go. I stopped at end of 5. It's just too frustrating. It's a kids show. And a poorly written one at that. Love your passion James.

[@fadams32]

i think sauron is calenbrimbor or however you spell his name, the elven smith

[@joemercuri6242]

Amazon gets the rights to the appendices of Tolkien's books and try to re-write the entire story with were essentially anecdotes.

[@lesliebailey1]

I’d love to see that durin’s wife disa turns out to be suoran . She was giving major evil vibes when she was talking about over throwing his father.

[@obadiahplainman8897]

Halbrand is going to be revealed as Sauron. Not like it matters…

[@jonathanmeisel]

While I agree on most of your reasoning, I do still enjoy the show, at least when I’m not watching Harfoots. But I love you completely ripping apart and sawing each episode to shreds 😂

[@THEmobius77]

I've stopped watching it. Being Irish I fined the Halffoots accents too grating on my nerves to be able to continue. but thanks for the review. I know now I'm not missing anything.

[@S1ipperyJim]

One of your harshest reviews yet! Don't disagree though!

[@fadams32]

i agree about the balrog, there’s no need to show uninformed viewers what’s coming. make a few comments about it, or even the dialogue with his wife is gold bc it tells you their greed is gonna doom them. they had no need to show what the doom is

[@everythingisawesome76]

Hey James, is there a fantasy series you're reading right now that you can't put down? Sorry if you already answered this.

[@thomassmart4088]

Spartacus is Sauron!

[@mikeschlau4501]

I am Spartacus!

[@jamesupton4996]

I am Sauron. No, I am Sauron. I am Brian. No I am Spartacus. We are the People's Popular Front of Judaea. No we are the Judaean PEople's Popular Front. Oh f it - this isn't Tolkien. What are we going to do now...? What are we going to do now...?

[@bartoszjedlinski6808]

I think Snape is Sauron

[@SunnyHomeVideos]

Adar is my favorite! I was literally rooting for him in the end when The Southlands became Mordor :)

[@belegur8108]

problem is, Mordor is known to be the name of this area OUTSIDE of it... Elves named it that, not the uruks

[@justinstoll4955]

Almost every scene in every episode of RoP displays the writers ineptitude in every facet of writing. They lack the knowledge (or a willingness to acknowledge) Tolkien's lore or how to use it, and completely suck at writing characters, dialogue, how to properly pace, introduce set ups, etc., basically everything to do with writing.

[@ghostwolf1435]

This is the Readers Digest version of Tolkien and its really just empty calories It's like a Beautiful Car without an engine

[@DrDetfink]

The good news is that the first season is almost over. Thank you so much for trying your best to review the show as fairly as possible. The best way I can interpret Rings of Power is a nice collection of Hot Toys Action Figures. They're expensive and beautiful to look at but they're not really doing anything meaningful to advance the story. Amazon has nothing but money to throw around.

[@Eggplantman21]

Any chance you'll be covering Season 2 of Gangs of London?

[@lorddryp]

I agree with almost everything you have said :D

[@charlesstanford1310]

At this point Arda is still flat, so there would be no way for stars to change from north to south, let alone from east to west. If Adar decided on the name "Mordor," then when and how did everyone else learn about the name? I expect that in future episodes characters who have not talked directly to Adar or his minions will suddenly just start using the name, because the writers are that incompetent.

[@MapleYum]

I was giving the show a lot of slack, but at this point an early cancellation would be a blessing. Maybe in a few years we can get something else from Tolkien’s world done right.

[@johnortiz1964]

Everything you said about this Amazon dumpster fire could be said about a number of IPs: Star Trek, Star Wars, Dr. Who, etc. There is a reason why all these franchises have lasted so many decades ! Who knows what will happen next. Ferris Bueller: "I weep for the future"

[@simonpapworth8974]

You aren't coming across as an a-hole. Moreover, an honest observer with a functioning brain. Great series of reviews. Hang in there!

[@elisacasasnovas2173]

I mourned over the leaf that was incinerated

[@doctoralzheimersacademiama]

I can wholeheartedly feel your pain

[@marna_li]

They want to dramatize an epic but totally fails. I have seen the reviews and short clips. That is enough for me.

[@doubleplusdanny]

I call it “Happy-Meal Tolkien” a poor substitute for something substantial.

[@stipe3124]

Mediocre, not bad that you can't watch it but not so good that you really want to watch it

[@elisacasasnovas2173]

What would really make me watch season 2 is if Jeff Bezos shows up as a dark elf or an evil Harfoot.

[@danrutherford7802]

Why is this episode named "The EYE" ?? What in the Show has anything to do with an EYE?

[@naefaust581]

James she’s going to sing another song. Don’t do it!!

[@christophermitchell7001]

I hate to disagree with you but I think you'll find that house of the dragon (from episode 1 onward )diverged greatly from the source material

[@josecanal7556]

Not at all dude.

[@christophermitchell7001]

@@josecanal7556 Time Line, character ages and relationships, Hell even environment details ( no heart tree in the Red Keep, for instance, and yes this is an important distinction) etc,... Yes they did. There is no debate. Objectively there are multiple details ( important details) in episode one that are not congruent with Fire and Blood.

[@joeyjeffrey5892]

I'm here to just see if I'm going to be bored watching the new ep or not.

[@havanatlc8792]

Your right about the Balrog. As it stands now the Dwaves know so little about Mithril. And the Balrog is already teased, so it would be pointless mining it. What a dumb show.

[@ardentdfender4116]

I never read any the books. But I did spend an entire Saturday last week watching Tokein world backstory mythology vids at Broken Sword and Nerd of the Rings as I never knew about all the backstory of the Tokein universe. I’m sorry for the fabs of the Tolkien work that have bitterness and hate for this Amazon show. All I can say I don’t have the same bitterness as I’m hearing about the show. Does it affect me the bitterness watching these reviews yes. Thus I limit just how much I watch these vids. I’m not as invested in having read the books and high expectations.

[@treasurecave431]

I still cannot believe there are people who defend this show without showing positive arguments other than diversity

[@ramonserna8089]

If anything you were kind in the review. This show is a mess.

[@basedlord88]

Show makes me feel like it is just robbing me of my time, the scenes drag on way passed their welcome, they focus on dumb things that are not interesting. Occasionally there will be a solid scene and it will get kinda interesting then it changes over to another story where it’s just people talking about what happened or what is going to happen, but not things actually happening

[@Thedeepseanomad]

Watch out! The Balrog is angry! 😂

[@JordanEvansMusic]

Incredible episode! Loving this show so much

[@odd4824]

This series is a contradiction of Tolkien’s world, period. Thank you and sorry you had to watch this crap!

[@arkasengupta1370]

Probably I’m not going to stick around for the next season. If anything is a precursor, this episode was it. Never a fan of fantasies, but I really liked the LOTR and trusted the show to evoke similar emotions at least on a random basis. But there are like 0.00000001% chances of that happening. You’re absolutely right about one thing - they should and must fire the scriptwriters Pronto! Sad… nevertheless… there’s Netflix and the documentaries.

[@PeloquinDavid]

You're overreacting to the Balrog, I think. I'm pretty skeptical of the quality of the writing too, but technically they (still) haven’t contradicted any essential feature (at least not to me) of the Second Age story sketched out by Tolkien. That said, there's an irritating dependency on pretty transparent/deliberately ambiguous misdirects in the show thus far. Even if every single one is resolved in ways that respects "the lore" (or at least some version of the sometimes contradictory sketches Tolkien left us), they still wouldn't be spinning us a good story...

[@potita24]

Gadriel muat he assuming that Celeborn was dead

[@potita24]

Although yes, the series are mediocre and feel like a low budget show. However, I have to say something on behalf of the show; it is youtubers assuming thi gs the show didn't say!

[@ingodwetrust.wearelions.474]

This Serie is an insult to film making, script making, acting, STORY TIMELINE, Tolkien work legacy genius and fans. Degrading in every senses

[@heartshinemusic]

I was each new episode now as a disaster tourist. Oh boy, it so bad and pathetic. A very expensive "film course" about how a beloved IP can be totally screwed up. BTW, I wonder what Peter Jackson is thinking while watching this show? I wish he'd do a livestream viewing party on You Tube, lol.

[@jimmy_x557]

LEAVES?! I HATE LEAVES!!! 🔥👹🔥

[@Broncos18]

Has anyone noticed how many scenes they have tried to rip off from the Peter Jackson Trilogy? Like episode 7 we have a horse scene letting the horse free like Aragorn did with the war horse. We have a terrible rip off of Helms Deep fight scene. Halbads wound is exactly like Frodos Morgal wound. That's only episode 7. Also this show has how many characters? I dont even know half of their names. How many storylines are there that we go back and forth from. I keep forgetting about some because we go back and forth from so many. As soon as we start to see Mordor oh let's show the Harfoots who are useless characters and just time wasters for the hour. It's so damn boring. This show should be about power and the conflict among these characters. They keep referencing Morgoth and don't explain anything about what happened with him and Sauron. I shouldn't have to watch 5 seasons to know what took place before this show. We are a season in now and it feels like this show hasn't even begun.