The Rings of Power: A Lesson in Failure

[@bvanb2011]

They've managed to write a series where if you don't know the books you find it baffling, whereas if you DO know the books you find it insulting.

[@GreatGreebo]

💯

[@AS-fu1kd]

My friend who knows nothing about Tolkien said its slow and he doesn't really know what's going on

[@tjroelsma]

That's because the "writers" are constantly using the Bad Reboot style of plot contrivance: Celebrimbor is said the best smith in the realm, until the plot needs him NOT to be. Just like in previous episodes when Galadriel "trained" the swordsmen: they're mentioned as being the best in the world, until the plot needs them not to be so Galadriel can "train" them. There's a phrase to describe this, it's called BS.

[@tjj1977tjj]

Well said

[@CurtisDofMontana]

Exactly thank you. 💯

[@captbuckyohare5585]

In Fellowship of the Ring, Sean Bean has about 25 minutes of screen time. In that time, Boromir is initially established as a dutiful servant of Gondor, a battle weary warrior fed up with the lords of the lands kept safe by his people, a doubter of Aragorn, and someone with honorable desires upon The Ring. He's dismissive, weathered, prickly, and even a bit defeatist when the scale of the task is laid before the group. He's then shown teaching Merri and Pippin to fight, through encouragement and light-hearted instruction. He's horrified when he accidentally hurts Pippin, because his intention is to teach not humiliate or discourage them. So he's absolutely joyous when the hobbits gang up, shrug it off, and tackle him in good humour. This tells us a lot about Boromir as a person without needing to lean on dialogue-heavy explanations. Heck, it isn't even the main focus of the scene, but it's there, happening nicely in the background, laying the groundwork for his and the hobbits' characters. It shows us, gently, that even though he's doubtful about their mission, he takes the initiative and recognises where his party needs to level them up, and does it without making them feel small. He builds bonds that he knows will make the group stronger. Bear this moment in mind when you consider Galadriel's scene in RoP, where she, as the superior swords person, is tasked with instructing the Numenorean recruits and what her actions tell us about her character. Anyway, Boromir falls deeper under the influence of the Ring, but the film also shows him standing his ground and being brave against the Moria hordes and at every turn when the group need him. When the Fellowship is fleeing the Balrog and the staircase is collapsing, he instinctively grabs Merri and Pippin and, without a word, he leaps them both to safety, again establishing his big brother relationship with them. It's such a small detail but it's so consistent as it quietly builds his bond with those hobbits in particular and it's especially interesting to see him do it after Legolas, and even Gandalf, have jumped alone. All shown to you through small details and interactions that involve very little dialogue. All action. All intent. All with purpose and meaning. After Gandalf falls, Boromir pleads with Aragorn for more time just to let the hobbits grieve. He's compassionate, emotional, and caring. He is miles away from the dismissive, prickly presence he was at the Council of Elrond. He's truly a part of this Fellowship now, and he has a bond with the hobbits that goes beyond duty. It shows Boromir, while a good leader, also maybe thinks with his heart when he should think with his head, whereas Aragorn is more pragmatic and, in a way, ruthless. Both display different sorts of strength, but the situation calls for one over the other. And while Boromir protests, he doesn't argue further once Aragorn has made his reasoning clear. THAT also tells us a lot about both men. Boromir is revealed to be an incredibly layered human being, one who is brave, loyal, caring, passionate and patriotic, but the burden of his father's failing rule and the pressure of protecting his people is crushing him. Haunting him. That is on full display at the Council, during his first temptation on the mountainside, and when he breaks down after Galadriel looks right into his soul and shakes him to his core. And it's that very thing, that incredibly noble desire to see darkness and ruin expelled from Gondor that is his undoing. That desire is the ring's way in. He finally falls to temptation and this one moment of weakness almost destroys him, but rather than wallow in his failings, he rallies. He does all he can do to repent, and rescues Merri and Pippin in a desperate attempt to regain who he was. And he is struck down. His first words to Aragorn while he lies dying are to alert him that the Uruks have Merri and Pippin. His second statement is his confession that he tried to take the ring. He is broken, dying, and guilt-ridden, but still trying to protect the hobbits and act with honor. Then before he dies, in his last breath, he accepts Aragorn as his king and makes sure Aragorn knows it. Because Boromir has only ever wanted one thing - the strength to defend his people. And now, he sees that strength might exist in Aragorn, and he knows saying the words will help make Aragorn a stronger leader going forward. He now has hope even in his darkest moment, when he began the story defeatist, bitter, and hopeless. Boromir does all he can until the end, despite his flaws and failures. He's no longer the dismissive and doubtful captain of Gondor, but a man who calls Aragorn his brother, his captain, and the king he trusts to bring glory back to his people. It's a breath-taking moment. Resonant. Earnest. Earned. They accomplish all that, that entire emotional journey, that rise, fall, and rise again for his character, in 25 minutes of screen time. Now look at RoP. Galadriel is exactly the same callous, single-minded, revenge-driven asshole at the end of the series as she was in ep1. Actually, no. She's worse. Because now, she has actually discovered who the enemy is and smoked out his intentions... and chooses to tell no one. All to protect her own reputation. All so she can maintain an air of authority and superiority over her peers, because if they knew the truth, her name would be mud, and she'd be nowhere near the decisions taken to forge the rings, how many there'd be, and who'd get to bear them. She shouldn't be like this. I don't think they meant for her to be like this. Her character writing feels shallow, rushed, and poorly thought out and now, there's a big disconnect between how the audiences feels about her and what the writers intended. She's not like Boromir. Not written like him. Not developed like him. Not treated with the same care, thought, and humanity his character was treated with. She's a statue, standing still in spiteful, vengeful self-righteous self-service. Just like she was at the beginning of the series.

[@kossas2]

Boromir has a completely different portrayal in the books , and it’s much easier to grow a character in 25 minutes of screen time than in 3 hours. You people have no idea about how a character should expand over the course of a movie/series but you still offer your opinions like you ve made 20 different sagas

[@eoingaskin]

@@kossas2 yeah, except when you give that character 3 hours of screen time, what's supposed to happen is change, change to their character as they adventure and explore the world, they meet new people, new ideas, philosophies, they grow. Galadriel has not grown at all, despite meeting new people, going to new lands, hearing new ideas, she has remained stagnant in her character the entire season, and her character is an insufferable, angry know it all who thinks she is right about everything and deserves everything. That is not a compelling character arc any main character should ever have, because it will make the audience hate them.

[@cyrussmith4744]

​@@kossas2 Change is the most basic element in a story, and 3 hours is much more than enough for a character to grow. You don't even need to be a writer to know this

[@petriew2018]

@@kossas2 'much easier to grow a character in less screen time' how the fuck could you even write such drivel? i mean wow, that's just embarrassing.... the only creativity in this show belongs to the people warping basic logic to defend it

[@captbuckyohare5585]

@@kossas2 Comparing character portrayal and development in a written medium vs a visual medium would be a bit unfair. So I compared an impactful and layered character with limited screen time from the films with the main character from the show. A character who hasn't changed or developed any nuance or emotional layers in over 3 hours of screen time. I did this to illustrate how, in the same visual medium and within the same world and genre, the film makes maximum usage of the minutes it gives to Boromir and none of that time is wasted or filled with fluff. Every second serves him (and the other players) and develops their characters. And that contrast shows, criminally, how little RoP has done with the time that it's been given to develop its characters. And btw, I'm a writer with three published novels. I know how characters, characterisations, and arcs are supposed to work. RoP ain't it.

[@ethankly12]

Audience mistakes Eminem for Sauron, Eminem mistakes discount Gandalf for Sauron, discount Aragorn becomes discount Sauron. What a brilliant tale.

[@katemaloney4296]

Better than anything they've written!

[@bjarneclaesen1801]

Next season: actually Galadriel was Sauron

[@skinnykruemel]

@@bjarneclaesen1801 actually actually, Sauron wasn't even in middle earth, he's just sitting somewhere eating popcorn watching the whole thing unfold

[@TheOrangeRoad]

Everything is on sale!

[@mblaydoe]

New rap group: Sllim Shady and the Nazgals.

[@NingaubleTube]

"You were too busy trying to look clever that you walked right into stupid." Brilliant :)

[@itmademesignup9508]

The critical drinker said it best when he said "Characters can only be as smart as their writers." Which explains this show perfectly.

[@JOhnDoe-nl4wj]

but it is just not true anyone doing writing would know there are so many techniques to write a character who is smarter or more proficient in an area than the writer it is honestly even worse than what you wrote it's not like you need to be smart to write a smart character but you do need to put in some effort and i do believe the writers do know about those writing techniques but chose to ignore them anyways which makes it even worse in my opinion

[@itmademesignup9508]

@@JOhnDoe-nl4wj Ha ha, nice joke.

[@christopherbaker8595]

This isn't true at all. Many authors have talked about writing characters smarter than them.

[@avidreader4140]

@@christopherbaker8595 research in both fanfic and writing can help anyone write anyone as smart as they need to be. Though if it's your own world depending on what general time period is at you can have some leeway just so long as it's your own universe not someone's else's universe. Example of the former is spy x family in a cold warish era but some of the tech is a bit better than what you expect but it's Endo's actual universe so having slightly better tech than what is in our cold war era.

[@Jartran72]

A ton of people said that before him, like that has been known for millenia. But it is true, ofcourse.

[@Warmommy]

Don't cry because it happened, smile because it's over. for now at least.

[@greenliongirl07]

They started filming season 2 already. I'm wondering if it will see the light of day.

[@voctur]

@@greenliongirl07 Probably will release it because they have nothing else they can do, and if they do probably will not be season 3. And maybe they will rush it so it ends in season 2. IDK

[@nlakeshnomisdai9051]

@@voctur They'll keep pushing this feted kack for 8 seasons

[@aarlavaan]

You win the internet today.

[@guyincognito1406]

8 seasons, probably plan on using 80% of the budget on social media in hopes of getting the next iteration of a ‘prequels generation’ to embrace the ignorance.

[@johns1625]

The ring forging scene almost killed me. They didn't even need to melt her dagger, and she gave it up immediately lmao. And they didn't even remove the steel blade! They could have just taken like 1 inch off the end of the butt and used that. They didn't need like 5 pounds of gold and silver to add a few grams of Mithril. And they just melted it all together, and somehow made 3 rings that are clearly made of different metals... They wasted like 99.98% of the total metal. And they call that forging. No songs of power, no spells, no chants, they literally just made rings and that's it. They didn't even consult a high school level jewelry shop teacher before making this....

[@doomsdaybooty1072]

I was imaging how I would attempt to depict the forging of rings of power. I imagined mirrors reflecting moon and star light, chanting and singing, metal from a meteor, a forge lit by a fire that has been burning for thousands of years.... just spitballing on how you convey magic into film. But no, amateurs figuring out alloys and and just making rings... that's good too

[@johns1625]

@@doomsdaybooty1072 And making shit up about how it has to be round so the "light of the Valar" can bend back around it's self. Lmao. So contrived and amateur. These writers are people who have no understanding of forging, arts, Tolkien, or even literature. Magoffin after magoffin common sense be damned! "The audience thought it was a red herring, but guess what, it wasn't! haha! Except it was all along! Consider your expectations subverted!" 😂😂🤮🤮

[@doomsdaybooty1072]

@@johns1625 this is what you get when people who hate western civilization adapt an origin story for western civilization

[@ziephel-6780]

ROP shills: shuddup! You're just jealous that u can't make pretty Wangs of unlimited powa! So judgemental where it is unneeded.....fuvkin' wacist!!!111!!!1 *I know that I'm exaggerating this, but this is how I see Twitter users.*

[@michaellane5381]

I mean, I don't think they consulted half their employees who could have likely helped with various specialties.

[@hellfire5108]

I love how the great smith never thought about mixing the mithril with some other material. True master.

[@Goodbutevilgenius]

To be fair, it's kinda typical of elves not to think about... mixing.

[@Atom-E.B.E.]

You ever heard of alloys? - Sauron

[@kwonj126]

does this mean Galadriel jumped off an unalloyed iron sword when she killed the troll? Amazing

[@bronzotatendang2850]

I kind of hope Guyladriel jump on the liquid metal and said: "one last chip to destroy.." while her head sink

[@rangerone8813]

Love how he tried to 'implode' the alloy together. What a disappointing depiction of the greatest elven smith since Feanor.

[@Marshmellow3971]

I’m actually impressed that they managed to make the hero so hatable that she became the antagonist, and the villain so relatable he became the protagonist. I don’t think that’s what they were going for, but it’s genuinely very impressive.

[@marisbury]

@@dezperado9365 Yeah and he's an Orc, who may think an Orc would be most likeable?

[@deen7530]

@@dezperado9365 Adar deserves better than this show.

[@malice9720]

If it was self aware and had no naming convention to tie it to LoTR I might've even liked that.

[@JustSomeGuy]

NOTE: Any messages stating that you won a prize are from scammers, not me. Please report them as soon as you see them and DO NOT send any of them money.

[@NostalgicGamerRickOShay]

I already got my message. Though it came from Kim Jon-Un. 😏

[@reallylionbastard]

I listened to you watching rings of power and slowly lose your sanity. I feel like I've won a prize 🤣 thank you for your service

[@florinnatu]

Yepp. Almost got scammed

[@anthonywoodroof2800]

All good.

[@kahekilimaui450]

Yes , I caught that first off but many could be taken in. Thanks JSG.

[@TheShaunReid]

The part where Galadriel said “I am no man”, but like, on repeat for every episode… so empowering.

[@galacticknight55544]

The kind of people who make this kind of show seem to equate "strong" woman with "violent/angry" woman. In doing so, they hurt their own cause.

[@Detroit_Vs._Everybody]

Chills...

[@unclecreepy3]

She already whips everyone's ass, what else ya want to show she is empowered.?

[@GeorgeOrwell-yz6zx]

I like the part where Guy-ladriel says 'I am no man but I can't define a man or a woman. I am not a biologist with a degree from an ivy league forest'

[@ziephel-6780]

So strong and brave.

[@8Dataman8]

I love how the witches lost a magic battle because one of them dropped her staff and forgot to pick it up again. Then, to make sure even the games journalists among the audience understand what's happening, Meteor Man says "I AM GOOD" I laughed, I cried, 10/10. I have never seen a show like this.

[@sigmacademy]

I loved the fact that for some reason, the witches have the ability to use fire to attack people, and yet, despite being SURROUNDED by fire (aka ammo), they went after the Harfoots who were using SMALL ROCKS, and not after the bigger threat in Gandalf which they both had a numerical advantage over, but also in him not yet able to tap into the majority of his power. Granted, it's a classic setup in stalling the villain, but ONE of the "witches" could have held off the Harfoots, while the other two tagged attacks on Gandalf, the one attacking with the other one defending them both. :/

[@8Dataman8]

@@sigmacademy That's right too. Also makes it seem like the wagon hobbits had no plan.

[@Grasslander]

It's on the level of the daily Spider-Man strip in newspapers. He'll lose his spider sense most of the time, he'll run head on into a strong but slow enemy when he could jump, etc. He'll get hit by Ant-Man or Iron Fist to establish them as cool when he's super fast and could easily avoid them.

[@mattcollins3591]

“It cost alot to look this cheap” - Dolly Parton

[@melrobertson2743]

Woooooo how much did they spend to look like a high school drama production again?? 100 mil?

[@CarnivoreYoghurt]

I must say that the more I read the interviews with the show creators, the more I am becoming convinced that they are a couple of narcissistic morons. There is no humility, the kind of "we did our best, we hope you like it, we hope you will find true at least to the spirit of the original". Instead they are talking about their own show, their own work like it is bound to be an instant masterpiece. The whole "you need to watch it for the second time to get it", like this is some work of art, is such a proof of them being full of themselves. Look, if a movie or a show is good, it simply doesn't need such vulgar self-promotion and self-aggrandizement. When Jackson's movies were being made, the whole cast and crew were simply expressing their unworthiness and respect to the original and were hoping that they won't botch it. The respect they earned was, well, earned. RoP creators are all talk and no real value.

[@sigmacademy]

That is why the show will NEVER improve under its current showrunners. Getting them out and someone in who ACTUALLY gets Tolkien should be the first order of business. Leaving them in there is just making sure Season 2 will be a repeat of Season 1. Also, the show will GREATLY benefit with the inclusion of a veteran writer, preferably someone with experience in fantasy - because not only will the writing become better, but the dialogue as well. :/

[@makani9004]

@@sigmacademy I think this show is a classic example of needing to get it right the first time. They've already fucked up so much that this is basically it's own universe, so I guess you could run with that, but there's no real way to recover it as a LotR adaptation. They're probably shooting the next season as we speak, I can't imagine what horrors await.

[@darth3911]

@@sigmacademyI agree with you but the shows beyond saving. The only way to even salvage the concept is for Amazon to sell the rights to a different company and allow that company to start from scratch. Otherwise the show is nothing more then rotting eggs in your mailbox reminding you just how badly it ruined the LOTR universe.

[@kongvinter33]

@@sigmacademy they have now fired all the male writers and hired an all female team. because women good. flawless logic.

[@ketugrahagraha3673]

Based on their body language, they know they screwed up. They look like they would rather crawl in a hole.

[@AH-bf4md]

What really stood out to me: you watched every episode TWICE?!!?? Give that man a medal and a bottle of good whiskey!

[@iepvienredstoneHuy007]

Call a psychiatrist too! I just watch the show from summary and analysis video and already I have the urge to off myself from the unbelievable deep dark dept of the showrunner's god awful writing.

[@jasminaganagic4744]

I really hope that Hollywood and streaming services realize it's not about race, ethnicity or any kind of identity. It is ALL about making the audience love a good character.

[@ziephel-6780]

I doubt their gonna change anytime soon, their going to keep doing this until Hollywood/other streaming services collapses and something better takes their place, or an even worse version of Hollywood.

[@gingeranagram2467]

My dude... they're well aware. You think they do this shit out of naivete?!

[@voctur]

They won't They will keep doing it until they go broke

[@nlakeshnomisdai9051]

@@gingeranagram2467 It was intentional, premeditated destruction!😠

[@hellfire5108]

I wouldn't bet on that horse.

[@zenocrate4040]

This line: "But no - you were so busy being clever you waltzed right into stupid." Brilliant.

[@PXCharon]

If making an alloy, you're melting two metals and mixing them like a Martini. If you're forge welding, you heat them to a temperature that makes them about as soft as clay, and hammer them together. (there's a bit more to it, but the details aren't that important right now) Dissimilar metals don't always like to forge weld. So, fair, if Celebrimbor was trying to forge weld and Mithril hates being told what to do without being given a treat first, okay, maybe workshop explosion. But forge welding would be the not right thing to do if you wanted to dilute a metal, because it's wasteful of material as the surface away from the weld oxidizes, burns, and gets broken off in flakes by the hammer blows. Welcome to people who won't do a shred of research before writing anything and sending it out to the public. A billion dollars....

[@emafex]

A forge weld had better not oxidize.. the flakes are called scale...and it better not do that either. .not as soft as clay...more like water for a sec.

[@kahekilimaui450]

@@emafex When ANYONE says ANYTHING about blending two different metals...we are then talking about total crucible smelted molten metal, NOT forge welding.

[@emafex]

@@kahekilimaui450 yes

[@maryeckel9682]

Those rings look like the stuff you used to get in foil covered boxes from Woolworths to give to your mom for Christmas when you were 7 years old. No Elvis elegance at all

[@kahekilimaui450]

@@moon-moth1 Exactly, but that's what kind of nonsense this entire show consists of. *Here's what Feanor used to forge the Silmarills* ?????REALLY????? Feanor an 8 pound sledge hammer...to make...CRYSTALS... How astoundingly stupid are these people 🙄

[@bhtey]

I feel you, brother, I have finished the Jackson LOTR trilogy as soon as the ROP trailers came out. I have finished the Hobbit trilogy and appreciated the efforts Jackson put into adapting the book and appendices despite some unnecessary creative liberties. I have reread the Hobbit and have started on Letters, Unfinished Tale, in preparation for the re-read of LOTR. This dumpster fire of a series has done one good thing - making more people discover or revisit their love for the original work by Tolkien.

[@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623]

I dare say this show does less damage to Tolkien then the Disney Sequels did to Star Wars, Kurtzman has done to Star Trek and Chinballs has done to Doctor Who. It has all the character assassination of the other attempts, and the fandom has been forewarned by what has happened to the other franchises, but this is so god damn awful not even the normiest of normies will go wow, this totally supplants Tolkien. It makes The Last Jedi look like Shakespeare.

[@catherinehiley3274]

Yeah good idea I think we all need to cleanse our souls asap

[@davidstone-haigh4880]

Considering the time and creative restrictions Jackson was under to make The Hobbit trilogy (I understand he only had six months) and the liberties taken, it still looked and felt like Middle-Earth. This is just so cheap and over simplistic, it a shadow of what could have been. Just goes to show, you can put a pig in a suit but it still says oink!

[@charchadonto]

@@davidstone-haigh4880 Notm to mention that jackson had to salavage the product after it was originally directed by someone else. And the far heavier studio/investor pressure this time pushing it for a trilogy instead of the original planned 2 movies. The hobbit can be forgiven for not being as good as the LoTR trilogy

[@spanglelime]

You're right about revisiting a love for Tolkien. I'm having weekly calls with my best friend just to talk lore now and how RoP got it so wrong. The Silmarillion is heavy and I have struggled with it, so I'm learning via YT and my friend. But opening my copy and realizing there was a whole segment called "The Rings of Power and the Third Age" was the biggest face-palm I've done in some time. I'm actually glad Amazon didn't get the rights to The Silmarillion, bc we've now seen what they'll do to Tolkien, so it would have been wasted. It's a shame, bc they have the budget to create some of the most magnificent epic scenes from the book.

[@sleepywonton]

So here’s what I’ll say for the show: if I’m being very, VERY generous, here’s what I think the showrunners were trying to do. (Be warned, this is a loooong shower thoughts/stressed insomnia rant, so I'll probably have to proof read this and edit later when I'm more sound of mind, and it's no longer 3 am) They wanted to build Galadriel up from being a flawed, angry person into a strong female lead. In the beginning when she was willing to let her subordinates freeze to death, I don’t think that was supposed to be seen in a positive light. They wanted to show that she lacked empathy and was too fixated on vengeance. This was so that they can set up character development (maybe in future seasons…?) so that she will mature into the wise Galadriel that we see in LoTR. To support that theory, i think character development was supposed to be shown with her displaying empathy with that kid with the sword in the aftermath of mount doom (can’t remember his name, can’t be bothered). Her talk with uh… Father of the orcs was supposed to be a moment when she’s supposed to realize she’s not nearly as heroic as she thought. And at the end of the season, that's when she realizes she’s to blame for Sauron accomplishing his goal. She thought she was so strong and powerful, able to control and manipulate everyone into doing what she wanted in Numenor, but Halbrand/Sauron was in control the whole time and basically got her do all the work for him (I’m going to call him Saurbrand from here on out). I think this is supposed to set up redemption/character development in future seasons, kind of like Zuko from AtLA. Honestly, they kinda feel similar, with her whole ‘I gotta find Sauron’ thing being very reminiscent of ‘I must capture the Avatar’. The problem I have with this is a couple things. First of all, Zuko is a 16(?) year old kid. He’s a dumb teenager trying to figure out his purpose in life. Galadriel is supposed to be 1000+ years old by now. How much ‘growing up’ does she need? Another problem is that Zuko’s “I must capture the Avatar” is followed by “to regain my honor”. His goal is motivated by a desire to prove himself to his family (keeping it spoiler free in case some people haven't seen AtLA. If you haven't seen AtLA, watch it because it's MUCH better than RoP. Just AtLA though, not Korra). Galadriel’s motivation is supposedly revenge, but everything she does also feels like she’s trying to prove herself. But it’s not even like there’s a true goal with proving herself, she’s just showing everyone around her that she’s right, that she has power and she’s in control. But why does she need to do that? The showrunners want her to seem that way because ‘FEMALE LEAD IS STRONG WAHMAN' but why does Galadriel need validation? The way she acts is just like every other female protagonist we’ve had in the past like… fiveish years. That brings me to what I think is the biggest problem with Galadriel’s character- she’s not an elf. Well, she is an elf, but she carries herself like a human. And maybe that’s why it was so obnoxious to hear her talking about a “tEMpest in ME” I’ll draw another comparison- look at the difference between Thranduil and Galadriel. By the way, I didn’t particularly enjoy The Hobbit (the films, not the book, the book was excellent. Ten year old me even gave it a 5/5!). Despite all the problems I had with the adaptation, I really appreciated the portrayal of Thranduil’s character. He had the grace and elegance of an ancient elf. There’s something so much more compelling about “Do not speak to me of dragon fire” than “yOU haVe nOT SeEN wAT I’Ve sEEn”. One speaks to actual experience, the other is reminiscent of ‘I’m not like the other girls’. Then look at how they handle being rejected- ‘a hundred years is a mere blink in the life of an elf. I can wait” vs “TEMPEST.” Thranduil’s threat is sophisticated. It's arrogant and cold. It's the embodiment of how an ancient immortal being would behave. There’s nothing about how Galadriel handles herself that makes her seem even slightly elf-like. She's about as threatening as a Karen sitting in the parkinglot of your local grocery, blasting kidsbop in her minivan. Another problem I have is with the things we 'have not seen.’ They are supposed to be so terrible, but somehow gets immediately overshadowed by the eruption of mount doom. My thoughts are similar to Mr. Guy's thoughts- why is this moment so important to Galadriel? Was the volcano erupting worse than what we haven’t seen? Honestly, there wasn’t much to see with mount doom, it was just cheeto dust. Does this mean that anyone who has witnessed any other event that resulted in more death and destruction can override her authority? Then can all these other characters who witnessed this event with her say ‘we HAVE seen what you’ve seen’ in an argument? (Especially that one queen lady, ‘cause that’s the last thing she ever got to see!) Or is this supposed to be an ’oh crap I messed up really bad’ moment? But even that doesn't make sense, because she doesn't know the outcome of this event. Has she never suffered any type of defeat before? Clearly she has, because of the terrible things we 'have not seen', so why does this moment force character development? It’s so baffling that she suddenly changes her attitude after this event. Did the volcano take out the tempest? Does it work like that? I’m kind of interpreting the scene during the forging of the rings, when she’s willing to give up the dagger, to mean that she’s willing to give up her quest for revenge, but that doesn’t make any sense. Saurbrand is RIGHT THERE. Why didn’t you fight him? Why are you hiding his identity from your allies? Is this a pride thing? Did the fact that he was able to hide his identity while they were chumming it up makes her feel embarrassed? Or is she… empathetic to his sob-backstory? When did that happen? Why did that happen? Is it because you got to know him and he’s more ‘human’ than you thought? But that just brings me to another problem in the story- everyone is so human. The elves are blonde human, except when they're not. The orcs are evil human, and homeless. The dwarves are short human, in a mine. Heck, the closest thing we have to non-human characters are the Harfoots, and those are just evil oompa loompas. It’s like the showrunners don’t know how to write anything other than weak human characters. Saurbrand is a maiar, why is he so weak in his backstory? Yeah, I know he served Morgoth, but he still had SOME power. Why couldn't they have made Saurbrand like Saruman in his backstory? Saruman was a threatening villain all on his own, even though he was serving Sauron. Why are dwarves talking about breaking tradition and change- since when were dwarves all about progress? Why does the plot literally strip away immortality from elves, thus making them even more human, and why are they called 'Fair folk' if they're not all fair? why are we trying to HUMANIZE orcs? I'm so confused and stressed out by this show...

[@bponist]

Well said and same. This show is indeed quite stressful lol

[@jasonwoods840]

Because it’s all about “the message.”

[@sleepywonton]

@@jasonwoods840 Mr. Drinker is that you?

[@AW-uv3cb]

excellent takedown.

[@kongvinter33]

how are there black dwarves? how does that work? doesnt dwarves live under the mountain? how or why would you develop melanin to take the heat of the Sun when the sunlight dont even reach you? this is not a racist rant...this is simple biology and anthropology....but thats the problem, as you said all characters are written as humans, dwarves are not humans.

[@AS-fu1kd]

Nazgul appearing before the rings are invented makes as much sense as Anakin becoming a sith before he even meets a Jedi

[@galacticknight55544]

It makes even less sense. Anakin could have theoretically been found and trained by a Sith before Obi Wan and Qui Gon found him, but the Nazgul simply could not have existed without the rings.

[@sigmacademy]

@@GreyhawkTheAngry Except these ones looked EXACTLY like the Ring-wraiths. The fact they turned into butterflies isn't really differentiating them in any way, because we know that Gandalf's powers (in the show) is largely nature based. Also, why would the staff disintegrate after being used? He flexed his magical muscles in a scene just before, and nothing happened to the staff. Did he use it as some kind of focus object, did he overload it with his power or did it have some power of its own that was exhausted (we never see it being used any differently than by the leader of the trio), and the staff merely existed JUST to have a fight with Gandalf that looked more or less like the Gandalf vs Saruman fight, even complete with the "wall slam"? Also, since the team on the show was also HUGELY into diversity of all kinds, it was probably just them wanting to make sure there was a "female version" of the Ring-wraiths, in order to subvert anything from LOTR, regardless of whether it was lore breaking or not. It's not like this show is ashamed to destroy lore in any way it possibly can with the justification "hey, chill people, it's an adaptation and we're allowed to change things because it was changed before". Also, I could be wrong, but wasn't almost ALL the rings given to males in each of the different races of Middle-Earth, and wasn't this "FemWraiths" not just another way to "subvert" that? :/

[@smithself411]

“Virtually every stupid idea in vogue today was thought of by somebody in the past … and has led to disaster, again and again.” - Thomas Sowell

[@toothgrinder2760]

Brilliant man. One of my favorite statements from terrible ideas of the past has to be… “True K0mmun!ism hasn’t been tried yet.”

[@nlakeshnomisdai9051]

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Santayana “All of this has happened before, and it will all happen again.” J.M. Barrie and #6 " It's just a ride. But we always kill those good guys who try and tell us that, you ever notice that? And let the demons run amok. But it doesn't matter, because it's just a ride. Bill Hicks

[@faervas1234]

@@nlakeshnomisdai9051 This is a pattern that happens over and over because the people who have no living memory of the past. The young people who are living now don't have living memory of why we did things. They read the past from a narrative that doesn't allow for the complex chaos of reality. We put order on our lives.

[@GeorgeOrwell-yz6zx]

Thomas Sowell is so underrated

[@doomsdaybooty1072]

Ma boyee Tommy Soul

[@rockencook]

How Galadriel treats her library books moved her rating from boring to enemy status

[@sigmacademy]

As an ex-librarian, the fact that the scroll was even able to be read anymore is pure BS. Even if the actual medium was still intact, the INK that was used on it would have been running down the page, completely destroying the record.

[@cobb556]

Galadriel with a snarl on her face is something I never envisioned reading Tolkien.

[@BiigiieCheeese]

When they forged the rings, looked into the camera, and said, “Now we are the Lord of the Rings©️” I felt shivers down my spine.

[@frstack3006]

When barney the dinosaur taught the kids how to brush their teeth and save on water throught the medium of song , chills.

[@jonksmodels]

@@frstack3006 Truly an iconic moment in film history Barney's command of charachtor should have earned an oscar by all rights. The showrunners of Rings of Power should have considered him for the role of Sauron.

[@chippyonline001]

If this was really in the show, I'd seriously consider watching it for the lulz maybe on my deathbed. I want this to be in the show now gosh darn.

[@bruderschweigen6889]

I don't know if you're joking or not that's the sad part I haven't seen the show I figured it would be terrible so I never bothered

[@DieselsVideos]

@@bruderschweigen6889 You lucky one!

[@tombombadil4028]

Your intro was better than anything we’ve seen in the show.

[@EaglePicking]

"Your"

[@dusk6159]

And the forgettable show is now over too.

[@BungieStudios]

👉👌𝕻𝖍𝖆𝖐𝖍𝖚𝖗 𝕬'𝖓𝖔𝖔𝖘 𝕿𝖎𝖑𝖋𝖚𝖑👍🍑

[@chrisdolan9579]

And that's no exaggeration!

[@joeterzio7175]

No it wasn't. Why kiss his ass?

[@denispiskla7323]

I couldnt believe it when Galadriel looked at batman and said "you complete me". 10/10

[@DEATH-THE-GOAT]

Diden't she say that to the Joker?

[@linus116]

@@DEATH-THE-GOAT I thought it was the Hulk

[@SatoruwaFeng]

I thought Batman said it to her

[@joeykonyha2414]

You had me at “Hobbits”

[@jakeapplegate6642]

When Sauron says “you had me at hello” to Galadriel, so stunning and brave!

[@Taterzz]

there is a tempest in me because my stone looks towards the sky and doesn't sink because the sea is always not wrong.

[@Romulu5]

Hahaha

[@ivanadaev1000]

And you have not seen what I have missed two inches from my face..

[@Bluestreakfire]

with Peter Jackson, you got the sense he is a true Tolkien fan, and it showed through in the movies. many times he would take lines directly from the book as it was needed for the scene, like the Dark Galadriel speech with Frodo and the Mirror. with rings of power, they took the same line, but it is a perversion when used here. also, the showrunners say they always go back to the books, but when Durin says to Elrond, Give me the meat and give it to me Raw i just lost it. Tolkien would never right that way

[@jeremymott]

Peter Jackson did try to tell the story in not physically accurate but spiritually accurate to what Tolkien wanted

[@Nemo-Nihil]

Into this ring he poured his cruelty, his malice, and HIS WILL TO DOMINATE ALL LIFE. One Ring to Rule them All. Yes, I could recite the opening with near verbatim perfection. I remember this moment because the cinematography was fucking epic. This is why I refuse to watch Rings of Power. The LOTR trilogy hit me at that age when I was figuring myself out. It hit me and introduced me to Tolkien's world. Encouraged me to craft my own with the aim of reaching his level - create my own Legendarium. Tolkien and Anne McCaffrey both have such strong influences on me as a writer.

[@DieselsVideos]

Maybe watching the show without audio is an option for you. The visuals are most time really stunning. yes sometimes you have dumb Moments and you should skip most haarfoot "meteor man" but the big problems are linked to dialogue.

[@pikppa]

“Evil is not capable of creating anything new, it can only distort and destroy what has been invented or made by the forces of good.” - J.R.R. Tolkien

[@AS-fu1kd]

That quote is more important now than it ever was

[@jaybee9269]

Yes, and you’re the umpteenth person to quote that…not that it isn’t apt.

[@therealinformalmusic]

Not a real quote. In Chapter 1 of Book VI of _The Lord of the Rings_ Sam asks Frodo, “Don’t orcs eat, and don’t they drink? Or do they just live on foul air and poison?” Frodo replies, “No, they eat and drink, Sam. The Shadow that bred them can only mock, it cannot make: not real new things of its own. I don’t think it gave life to the orcs, it only ruined them and twisted them; and if they are to live at all, they have to live like other living creatures. Foul waters and foul meats they’ll take, if they can get no better, but not poison. They’ve fed me, and so I’m better off than you. There must be food and water somewhere in this place.”

[@KalonOrdona2]

not a quote, a paraphrase, but if we're going to paraphrase, I like to just say "Evil cannot make, only mock." :)

[@Peterski]

"85% of quotes on the Internet are fake." - Abraham Lincoln

[@Abel_Unstable]

Galadriel when she stuck in the middle of the sea said "Don't call the Cops, better call Sauron." left me in tears. Sauron Evildude then show up and helped her on her Trial against Los Mordor Hermanos.

[@fuelhemi426]

When Galladriel stopped punching Sauron and she said “I’m vengeance”… sent chills to my spine.

[@phantom_xrd]

Can't wait to see her search for Spock and defeat Khan as she waps to Cardi B

[@ggforme1337]

When she looked up at the crowd and asked “are you not entertained!?.” So very russel crow esk

[@GrandAdmiralFart]

Can't wait for her to start floating in space and fire a green beam from her eyes that destroys Mordor and the whole Alderaan... I mean... Arda in the process.

[@wtIUpITp1E0wMsydV19c0FUmIXvCU]

Still I prefer her over Japanese Spiderman, she is literally the emissary from hell

[@xanderx3788]

The part where the harfoot jumped inside mount Doom and Celedildor got the idea of forging rings by watching the harfoot melt gave me literal chills. The chorus of Indonesian elves chanting in the background really added to the atmosphere too.

[@iamrandarklamb5335]

They didn't write the show Tolkien never wrote They wrote the show Tolkien would never have written

[@deceiver444]

They wrote the show Tolkien would never have thought about even for a fraction of a milisecond

[@Ashcroft1313]

She basically made "Souron" who he is lmao.. she's the true evil of this show.

[@billfred9411]

There is so much wrong with that. He went into hiding in middle earth for opposing God himself and joining Melkor. You don't just do all of that to try to live a peaceful life in hiding. We are supposed to believe the last person championing Melkor's corruption of the song of creation is just going to call it quits and live in peace? What absolute garbage writing.

[@WizardosBoz]

​@@anyhonywilliams6160 and ? you honestly think Sauron having a redemption arc is a good idea?

[@billfred9411]

@@anyhonywilliams6160 I have read the books and I don't remember anything about a spell. Melkor definitely had a corrupting influence but from what I remember Sauron joined Melkor because his obsession with order and became very loyal to Melkor. He was under threat of being turned into a balrog but I don't remember anything about him being under a spell. I'll admit it's been a while so maybe I just don't remember. Also, him fleeing and hiding in a world that he shouldn't even be in should tell you he was up to no good from day one.

[@funeralangelo]

@@anyhonywilliams6160 no he didn't.... What book did you read?

[@billfred9411]

@@anyhonywilliams6160 Ok you got me curios, so I did some digging. You really are just making shit up. Did you really think you wouldn't be corrected? You must not know this fanbase very well.

[@Twisted_Jay]

When the Dwarves shouted "Earth!", and then Sauron and the Orcs shouted all together "Fire!". Followed by the Elves shouting in unison "Wind!", then the Numenoreans "Water!", and finally the Harfoots shouted "Heart!". All them shouted to the sky together "GO PLANET!". Their powers combining to form a most powerful being who's voice echoed in the stars, "By your powers combined, I am CAPTAIN PLANET!". This was the part I applauded and cried, the greatest writing in television history.

[@kkellerk23]

😂🤣😂😂

[@sigmacademy]

Technically that would be the Balrog, yes? :P

[@coryhorton5837]

When Galadriel stammered, “you muh-muh-muh-make me happy,” simply magical.

[@Darrylizer1]

My eyes rained.

[@deen7530]

Wow a Tropic Thunder reference in the wild

[@gentlelion9262]

Let's not forget that our "gUrL GaLaDrIeL" pushed Numernore into conflict, during which Tar-Miriel lost her sight. That will lead to the taking over of the kingdom by Pharazon, which will lead to its destruction in the end. So our powerful woman is also partially responsible for destroying the most powerful (well, not sure about Numenore from the show) kingdom of men. XD

[@sigmacademy]

Well, they all have a justification. Galadriel was blocked by the Elf King, Queen Muriel was blinded by Orcs' efforts, the healer was shot by an Orc/nearly decapitated by toxic masculinity, I don't even know where to begin with the Harfoots (bringing Gandalf in almost led to the death of a child that came to close to the tree he was trying to heal, Nori for touching his frozen arm, etc). Oh, and the Orcs got a new home at the cost of climate catastrophe in Middle-Earth. I wish I was joking. :P

[@Tangarisu]

And for creating the Suaron we know.

[@Kat1kafka]

The part where galadriel charges in riding a twerking she hulk while shouting "wakanda forever" always gets to me.

[@BungieStudios]

Well, dumb idiot stupid fool me, was brushing up on Halo lore, and discovered something. The Ecumene is the Forerunner word for Forerunner. The Ecumene Crisis Council is now online and true. Attention. As of Radial 990 groove 0 the Hive has launched a staggering counterattack across the spinward frontier. Perimeter, militia, and shock fleets report total casualties. We anticipate total Ecumene disintegration/extinction within two hundred twenty years. VIGILANCE SPIKE EI-{}-~attend~ The Hive entity Oryx/Aurash is deploying a paracausal ontopathogenic weapon that infects and subverts Ecumene forces. The weapon operates on individual targets. Targets are abducted and returned as compliant Hive slaves with inexplicable and physically illegal abilities. All Ecumene clients should IMMEDIATELY devote all economic and cognitive resources to a countermeasure. Fight hard. We stop the Hive here, or see our galaxy devoured.Well, dumb idiot stupid fool me, was brushing up on Halo lore, and discovered something. The Ecumene is the Forerunner word for Forerunner. The Ecumene Crisis Council is now online and true. Attention. As of Radial 990 groove 0 the Hive has launched a staggering counterattack across the spinward frontier. Perimeter, militia, and shock fleets report total casualties. We anticipate total Ecumene disintegration/extinction within two hundred twenty years. VIGILANCE SPIKE EI-{}-~attend~ The Hive entity Oryx/Aurash is deploying a paracausal ontopathogenic weapon that infects and subverts Ecumene forces. The weapon operates on individual targets. Targets are abducted and returned as compliant Hive slaves with inexplicable and physically illegal abilities. All Ecumene clients should IMMEDIATELY devote all economic and cognitive resources to a countermeasure. Fight hard. We stop the Hive here, or see our galaxy devoured.

[@mehlessmidori602]

This joke format appeals to my simple sense of humor and makes me smile every time. Thank you. "riding a twerking she hulk". C'mon dude.

[@SydNixon]

"Slip her the old tube steak, baby. Razzle dazzle her!" (The unpublished original lyrics from Chicago.)

[@Dr.Cosmar]

Someone edit this NOW! TAKE MY MONEY! Commissioning for 1Billion dollhairs.

[@anabhousen7159]

this joke format is boring already

[@Tsathogguah]

I find the critiques of this show by Just Some Guy, Nerdrotic, and others to be the most compelling part of the whole thing.

[@AS-fu1kd]

Nerdrotic has been my Gandalf throughout this whole ordeal. A guiding force of light during times of darkness

[@langdalepaul]

Check out Council of the Rings. Also quite entertaining.

[@hyvakoira]

The One Ring takes were also very funny.

[@skeeterd5150]

I watched up until Galadriel is hanging off a cliff and I turned it off. These reviews are the only way I’ve kept up with it

[@skeeterd5150]

Liene’s library. European lore are great too

[@kulman4295]

It really broke me into tears when Galadriel gave Nori a ring of power and told her "and you don't stop, sure shot, go out to the parking lot, and you get in the car and you drive real far, and you drive all night and then you see a light, and it comes right down and lands on the ground, and out comes a man of Mars and you try to run but he has a gun and he shoots you dead an he eats your head"

[@DrCheeks]

I loved that bit too! I was enraptured😏

[@darthvictor6919]

I almost got choked up when Viserys walked to his throne and keep looking over at various people…the music, the way he struggled to walk was so powerful I almost feared up man…I love that actor!

[@Dasycottus]

HOTD did a fantastic job creating a robust, character-driven story. ROP did not :( It just makes me sad that they squandered this opportunity

[@michaeladu6120]

I was surprised when Halbrand seemed to know of Celebrimbor but way back in episode 2, he'd never even heard of Numenor, the greatest maritime power in the world.

[@villematiashaukia9633]

I decided to become "patently evil" and read all the books again from the beginning. Showrunners had two examples how to do and how not to do this. Lord of the Rings (try to respect source material as much as possible) and Hobbit (don't go bananas!) . RoP writing is so bad and perversion of characters is just crime.

[@AS-fu1kd]

Ring wraiths with no rings. Ring wraiths, and there's no fucking rings. This show is a sin

[@michaellane5381]

@@AS-fu1kd it's probably more than 1....

[@whitegoose2017]

@@AS-fu1kd When I saw Eminelf for the first time I immediately thought of Eminem.. Even the costumes are bad in this show. I can't believe that someone thought having a character like that is a good idea.

[@maxgrgf]

@@whitegoose2017 it's not an elf though

[@JohnnyZenith]

If it wasn't going to be Peter Jackson's universe exactly I wasn't going to be intererested. The moment I realised it wasn't and they didn't have the rights to the Silmarillion. Then the rest came. I was out before the first episode aired really.

[@alexandrejose8362]

You nailed it when you said that the show writers believe that peppering the script with mentions and allusions makes the show deeper instead of taking time to explore the concepts and situations.

[@xxraverxxonxtacy]

Gave me Chills when Sauron smirked at the end and said "It's Mordor Time!"

[@DEATH-THE-GOAT]

*Hammer time!*

[@septiantripangestu9406]

It's mordin time

[@ivanadaev1000]

@@septiantripangestu9406 don't do that. Mordin is one of the best written characters.

[@DEATH-THE-GOAT]

It's "Redrom" time!

[@doggedout]

"I'm good!" Yep, that's some Emmy quality writing.

[@jihost2589]

I think the showrunners read about Sauron repenting(and how he was possibly sincere) and figured "oh he had a good-guy period". But the ONLY reason he was possibly sincere was due to the massive power that the Valar have (i.e destroying his complete existence). So he was NEVER good in any way, he always craved domination and the only time he diverged was when he was afraid of his possible enemies.

[@bobo577]

That and even the Valar questioned the authenticity of Sauron’s repentance which is also a red flag. Sauron had much under Morgoth he didn’t want to throw away.

[@claytonmorris9040]

Season 1: f@ck canon material Season 2: We want to stay faithful to the source material as tolkien wrote. The fans: nah to late bitch.

[@ai_and_gaming]

Season 2: sauron will be like walter white

[@bottlethrower1544]

Season 2: This will be true to the lore, and Sauron will finally be able to channel is inner Walter White/Tony Saprano 🤪 Loathesome toads these showrunners

[@AlejandroRamirez-rx1py]

Typical Bad Reboot tactic. See Star Trek, Star Wars, and any other property they, and his disciples, use every time. It’s a way to try and beg people to come back and when they do they never deliver.

[@guyincognito1406]

The only way I’d accept season 2 is if it’s reset to season 1 and they take a mulligan.

[@AlejandroRamirez-rx1py]

@@guyincognito1406 only way ill accept it is if the showrunners apologize to the fans for all the gaslighting they’ve done. Yes, reset and reboot the entire series and characters. But, that’s a pipe dream

[@toothgrinder2760]

When Gandalf gave Frodo that inspirational speech in the Mines of Moria: “Don't you realize? The next time you see sky, it'll be over another town. The next time you take a test, it'll be in some other school. Our parents, they want the best of stuff for us. But right now, they got to do what's right for them. Because it's their time. Their time! Up there! Down here, it's our time. It's our time down here.”

[@NolaNerd]

Down Nola is one of the best records ever along with that smoking Jesus cover. Sauron has Eyes of the South

[@Ronbonbon7]

Why quoting Sam in earlier movies?

[@TheChadTI]

Based an Gooniepilled

[@kyotheman69]

more sounds like mix of Gandalf and gooney's

[@maineoutdoorsman677]

Goonies hay u guys

[@leipzigergnom]

Yeah, I'm rereading the books right now as well. It's great hearing Elrond tell the tale of Elendil and Gil-Galad in the "Many Meetings" chapter. I also read the part in the appendices where it recounts the history of Numenor. It's crazy how Galadriel and Elrond were born before Numenor was given to men, and they lived on long after its many generations of kings passed away. It reminded me of just how ancient, wise and venerable the elves in this show *should* have been

[@bottlethrower1544]

It is the most widely read and translated fantasy ever... so thank goodness the asshat showrunners finally made it "accessable" 🤪🤬

[@SauronThe3rd]

The Elves of Tolkeim always felt to me like great beings, whose wisdom and experience is an alien experience to a human. Their emotional states are steady and drawn, and when their emotions suddenly change it should be a terrible frightening experience, like a calm day turning to a tempestuous downpoor in seconds. And yet in this show they feel closer to a toddler than a typical functioning adult when it comes to wisdom and temperament.

[@royalnovember66]

The elves in RoP did not feel like ancient beings at all. In fact, one particular elf who got the spotlight as main character actually felt more like a petulant human child in an adult elvish body...

[@JorgeTorrespluspage]

This right here bothered me quite much. Elves are ancient and wise and collected, they're unlike us despite looking like us. And a cool way to circumvent the teleporting issue is having everyone but the Elves and other beings slowly getting older in the travels shown in the series. How cool would it be finding the Numenorians bearded and with slightly longer hair every time they reached some hundred miles and several months away location? In other words, use the lore creatively and respectfully.

[@jordanlr1577]

I actually just finished a re-read lol. I totally agree with you, LOTR has a magic about it because it references it's own past so much.

[@SSingh-nr8qz]

Clearly the best written work of all time. No other TV show or even book can come close to the brilliant poetic words used in this piece of art. Tolkien should be resurrected just so he can praise these writers on improving on his work to a level he could never dream of.

[@klhaldane]

I love rewatching all the extras on the DVDs. Hours of people pouring their love into what they do.

[@kunsagigyula8091]

Let’s be honest! This show is a real gem! The amount of great content it inspires on youtube is truly remarkable! Thank you Amazon for spending 1 billion to support talented content creators!

[@bottlethrower1544]

Proof that good can indeed come from great evil. It warms my cockles

[@Elgsdyr]

Well, KZbinrs criticizing the show surely has made a lot of money from it. :D

[@Syaniiti]

@@Elgsdyr Also reviewers who love the show, since they're straight up getting paid by Amazon.

[@kunsagigyula8091]

@@Syaniiti Are there any? 😳

[@Syaniiti]

@@kunsagigyula8091 Since Amazon offered money for reviews they approved of, any review that likes the show is paid for by Amazon. And yes, there are shills who say it's the bestest show evah!

[@inkblotCrisis]

The roast of this show has been more entertaining than the show itself. Veritable Barbeque TV with the shows we've been getting save for a select few.

[@jordansmith1541]

This roast is so much more epic then the show… Hats off

[@paulgiggs99]

Trying to make a character who fed Elves and Men to werewolves in his torture-filled dungeons really is an incredible under-taking

[@sigmacademy]

Adar even said he gave some of his children to Sauron for "experimentation". Which not only damns Adar as a "compassionate Father", but essentially makes Sauron irredeemable as a character. :/

[@大-g4b5]

Colbert was shilling for the series, too. Makes it even more hilarious.

[@davidcanty7903]

The worst part is non of this is possible without Galadriel's stupidity. There was no way for this to be an actual plan of Sauron.

[@asw654]

You missed the best part. "I'm good." ~Meteor Man It's quality dialog, folks.

[@jonnyboy7941]

You put more thought into this then the show's writers did.

[@ringbearer1420]

The writers, producers, directors and executives were putting more though into where to order out for lunch.

[@justkatebake]

Exactly! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@manoz6194]

Actually the writers put a lot of thought into how they can fuck it up

[@elvispelvis5891]

Times are indeed changing, and that's a good sign. When more and more people get together and state their honest opinion. It feels like the tides are truly turning. People are fed up and the schemers and ideologues start getting worried, so they will most likely cave because they are afraid of losing status and influence... as well as money. In this regard, this show might' ve been the best thing that has happend in this ongoing culture war for a long time. Who knows, it might as well be THE pivotal moment. If Tolkien only knew ...

[@sosterichhighjeweler]

I really appreciated when meteor man said “I am good” the allegorical and archetypal nature of Tolkien really shone in that moment.

[@phillkilgore6154]

I can hear a dozen folks tear down this trash, and when you do it I’m still impressed and hear something new. Thanks for your excellent work sir.

[@jdraze9321]

Bout time... I think this video is prolly more largely anticipated than the finale was

[@drinkdriveundertheinfluence]

Every time someone uses "prolly" in a sentence an angel dies of rectal cancer.

[@Syaniiti]

@@drinkdriveundertheinfluence that's prolly a good thing.

[@miller42]

Discount Dumb & Dumber thought that Sauron was a Sith Lord so they wrote him like Kylo Ren.

[@longtsun8286]

This is a shockingly accurate statement.

[@skyintatters]

A discount Sith himself.

[@esquilax5563]

He's not as much of a whiny loser as Darth Incel

[@Ergeniz]

? Sauron is pretty damn chill in this show. Wasn't Kylo Ren a raging manchild?

[@Anttimation]

Just like with the last seasons of Game of Thrones, I now find myself watching analyses of it to get at least some proper entertainment out of it. This was one of the best so far. Thanks for this.

[@doc_sav]

I really appreciate how you go deeper into the main story beats and how they vary from the existing written material.

[@Ghost-fv8gd]

What we should have gotten: The Music of the Ainur: There was Eru, the One, who in Arda is called Iluvatar... What we got: "My name is Guy'ladriel dark'ness dementia raven way..."

[@timsullivan3167]

“I’ve been looking forward to this.” - Count Dooku

[@boba6890]

Erik Kain of Forbes stated in a KZbin video that it was evident to him that some of episode 8 was reshot to try to fix all the problems with the show, but to no avail, so you're not alone in pointing this out. (It was plain to me when I watched it too). As Kain went on to write of the "Dreadful Mess" this show is He noted that Gandalf-ish "yelling “I’m GOOD!” made him "question everything I know about professional writing in Hollywood."

[@belegur8108]

Charlie Vickers said in a recent interview the scene with him reveiling himself as Sauron to Galadriel on the raft was shot 18 !!! Months after the first shot on the same raft for E2... guess that can be called re-shootings...

[@maryokeeffe3528]

I think it's very clear by now why Payne and McKay couldn't get a script made, in ten years of writing scripts. That interview did make me laugh: "everything was right yet somehow our script never got made - and this kept happening over ten years". Gosh, you think maybe it's because your scripts were trash? Even by Hollywood standards?

[@Puma5]

@@maryokeeffe3528 Classic narcissist. It must always be the others.

[@deathfalcon5023010]

Funny enough, I've never particularly been too into LOTR and I never intended to watch this show but now I actually feel a genuine desire to read the books.

[@berengustav7714]

They are a lot,try an audio book.

[@icewaterchrist]

@@berengustav7714 Dude. I read them in the 7th grade.

[@DieselsVideos]

Until the hobbits start their jurney it's really slow burning. A family friend gave me the LotR books in 6th grade. I never really startet until he said that the interesting part startet when they leave Hobbiton. So in holydays between 6th and 7th grade it took me more than a week with a few pages every evening to read the first... maybe 1 to 2% and 3 days for the whole rest. :D

[@darnunt]

That thumbnail makes it look like Guyladriel is morphing into an Orc. I love it.

[@bry8636]

‘An alloy? I never would of thought of that’ -said the one of the greatest smiths ever

[@bartonbella3131]

The New Forbes Article roasted this show....it was glorious and funnier than any attempt at humor in ROP...your Critique is great, I love that you know and explain the lore so well

[@km3455]

When Sauron said the rings are literal perfection & Galadriel said “They will be, when they fit a woman.” Brought tears to my eyes.

[@possummagic3571]

When I saw that scene, I evacuated my bowels in ecstasy.

[@crystaljackson3912]

I usually start re-reading the books in September, to coincide with Bilbo's and Frodo's birthday. I've been reading "The Hobbit" aloud to my oldest daughter, and reading "The Silmarillion" on my time. What I haven't done is watch any of this show aside from the trailers and clips on critical reviews.

[@hpph1744]

Don’t watch this show.

[@crystaljackson3912]

@@hpph1744 definitely not our plan. What I can't fathom is how many authors, particularly in the indie community, defend such a desecration of another author's work.

[@captbuckyohare5585]

The show is such a revelation. Such an amazing reinvention. The part where they canonically establish that Galadriel's scowling turnip face can tank a direct blast from the fires of Mount Doom was such an epic creative choice that I almost shit myself. Now, when Amazon eventually remake the LOTR trilogy, they have a brilliant new opportunity to subvert expectations by having Galadriel attend the Council of Elrond... "The Ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli, Son of Gloin, by any craft which we here possess... it was made in the fires of Mount Doom and only there can it be unmade." Galadriel shoves him aside, scowls the scowliest scowl that's ever been scowled and screams, "Fuck that shit! IT'S TEMPESTIN' TIME!" She then slams her face like a coked-up emu into the table with all the force of an exploding volcano. The Ring explodes into a million pieces along with Galadriel's skull. She falls down dead and the blood soaked Council cheers with relief. The End.

[@anteanzlovar6805]

Make that canon

[@ElGreco15]

How. Dare. You. In the thousands of years since the second age she CLEARLY learned how to face-tank Mount Doom itself. She would have survived just fine you cis-gendered-hetero-normative-colonizer-incel. Then the next 4 hours of the movies are just her berating the BOYS for being such weak losers. She'd also be played by Melissa McCarthy.

[@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623]

I would watch this. And then giggle uncontrollably for days.

[@killroy2014]

🤣🤣

[@racka4299]

Tempestin time 😂😂😂I'm dead

[@Ivbo]

The part where Galadriel looks at the camera and says *”Its Ladriel time!”* while making her angry little face really makes me hyped for season two.

[@JJahdiel]

Bruh... It had me on the edge of my seat, just like when she saved Asgard from the rampaging Category V Kaiju, then looked at Simba and said, "Aren't you 'Galad' I'm 'riel'?" Truly one of the moments in film history.

[@rgerber]

itchy mouth?

[@TYRANIDEATH]

She looks like the monkey kid from jumanji

[@NovRen19]

join us for EXSURGE TOLKIEN, And remember Join us for our counter ROP series. Mae G'ovannen! Now the evidence is clear, and none can deny that "ROP" is not of Tolkien. Take heart for our EXSURGE TOLKIEN that makes robustly clear the heresy 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!"

[@silo_fx3182]

When Sauron said "You can't handle the truth" & Galadriel said “Get out of my F'ing ship.” Brought tears to my eyes.

[@jacookie9707]

Okay these comments are cringe now

[@silo_fx3182]

@@jacookie9707 They sure are. But good luck stopping the Internet posting them! Besides, they are a great way to help the channel get comments for the KZbin algos. Who knows, maybe one day the Amazon writers might read all these and get inspiration!

[@thefarter6462]

@@silo_fx3182 why did you censor yourself? bro edit it, censoring is mad cringe

[@rrrmmmm5059]

Hi JSG. I'm so glad you mentioned something about those horrible looking rings. I heard someone say they looked like candy rings, and they do. They look gaudy compared to the other jewelry that I have seen the elves craft. I have purchased replica pieces from fantasy shows and I must say that these ridiculous imitations are the perfect example of why the show creators don't understand the basic story of LOTR. These rings should have been masterpieces. So much of this show has fallen short. Thanks for the video

[@aarlavaan]

Yeah... I also wondered why they didn't just use the same rings as the movies. It just seemed a really odd choice. Oh, and for all the bluster that went ori making them (not to mention that ridiculous contraption) they seemed rather crude.

[@deathsdoor07]

My first thought was class rings from high school.

[@maryokeeffe3528]

@@aarlavaan I think the trouble is that they are barred from using visuals from the movies, because of rights. But instead of doing something unique, they desperately want (because they need) to copy the movies, so they try and get as close to them as they can without quite crossing over into "this is exactly the same as the movie, you can't do that".

[@DreamingDarlin]

@@maryokeeffe3528 Even so they could have looked online for better images to emulate or at least get ideas from.

[@petriew2018]

@@DreamingDarlin for a couple thousand they could have simply commissioned a professional jeweler to hand make 3 rings for the close ups. For a couple grand more they could have gotten them from a classically trained jeweler who would know how to make something that looked suitably medieval. They probably paid more for the cheap costume instead because they went through the prop department because, i mean, why put any thought into something as disposable as the rings of power?

[@AdonanS]

That, "I'm good" line made Gandalf sound kind of special.

[@Ewiril]

May the original books and the Jackon trilogy be a light for us in these dark times, when all other lights have gone out...

[@brianmurphy6480]

Yet another question to add to the list: how do you get female Ringwraiths PRIOR to the forging of the Rings? 🤔 Edit: Also, I love how Pain and M'kay compared their screw-up with a bunch of movies better than any of their scripts that got turned down over the past 10 years, but NEVER ONCE mentioned anything Tolkien actually wrote. 🤷‍♂️

[@JamesBond-ux1it]

It began with the forging of the great films. Threads were given by Tolkien, wisest and fairest of them all. The rights were then given to Jackson, a great miner and craftsman of the mountain of lore. And nine, nine hours were gifted to the race of men, who above all else, desired quality But they were all of them deceived, for another show was made. In the land of Amazon, in the fires of Mount Prime, the Dark Lord Bezos forged in secret a master flop And into this show he poured his money, his greed and his will to dominate all film One show to ruin them all.

[@quito787]

This is awesome

[@knightr0685]

This is true

[@EvertfromNederland]

Well done.

[@RugbyMerlin]

Really like this. Nice one.

[@kieronazure]

Outstanding analogy! Something good out of this show

[@jeffagain7516]

I've been in a few situations where I've had to pinpoint to people (not friends) why this show is a travesty on so many levels. No more. In addition to being blessedly relieved that it's over, I'll just forward a link to your outstanding analysis for them to review at leisure. I picked up on a lot of the fruitless endeavours they hamfisted into 8 episodes but you nailed many others I missed JSG. Thanks so very much! Unlike this show's Celebrimbor, you are a Master of your chosen craft. Stay true my friend. :)

[@LaserPossum]

This is one man I fully consider a Tolkien expert. he reads the silmarillion every year and can school you about elven kingdoms and timelines. I kneel

[@kar102030]

The first 5 min is so spot on. Unbelieveable a 1 billion$ production cant see, what all others see so ez. Oh well, back to your review!! Keep up the good work.

[@countspankulots4024]

I last read LOTR 10 years ago while stuck on a horrible rehab farm in the middle of nowhere, so I may just not remember buuuut... As far as I can recall, the strange and magical power of mithril was that it was as light as a feather yet strong enough to protect the wearer against all the hate and anger aimed at the Rings of Power.

[@Ghostly_One1]

You do have to admit one thing though. After such a long BS fest, Sauron noping her stab attempt with one hand like its nothing was incredibly satisfying.

[@Puma5]

And to think she wanted to confront him since episode 1. Why didn’t she dissect him like that snow troll? Sad!

[@birgbirg111]

yeah it was so funny and she was so small

[@sirpercythrillington]

She's so tiny.

[@swagwolfgang]

When galadriel looks into the camera and says “its emasculatin time” and then proceeds to castrate every male character in the show i was shook

[@joelpenley9791]

Not only did you give us the meat, but you gave it to us raw! 😂😂😂

[@segxvia]

Pause

[@ghyslainabel]

I found that line good. It was totally out of place in a Tolkien-inspired story, of course.

[@markroberts928]

AND WRIGGLING

[@emptyhand777]

When the porn bass riff started I had to turn the thing off.

[@thebreadbringer]

LOOKS LIKE MEAT IS BACK ON THE MENU, BOYS!

[@dawall3732]

I remember when I was a child watching The Muppets. There was a time when Kermit was absolutely gripped with rage and fury and just crunched up his face and shook. I imagine just some guy stopping his narration of this video from time to time and doing the exact same thing just staring off into space shaking with rage and fury. Maybe while looking out of the window of an office and pulling one of the old school Batman brooding moments.

[@KeepExpanding]

I don't think I've ever had so much more fun watching reviews roasting a show rather than watching the actual show before. This massive backlash was the best thing about Rings of Power by a mile!

[@ToddHowardWithAGun]

Why are the rings made out of mithril? That's like making the Excalibur out of aluminum.

[@Strideo1]

For some reason these dumb writers heard that mithril was a big deal so they decided they needed to make it even more important and central to the plot than it ever needed to be.

[@LittleMezzoBird]

Actually, Nenya, the ring that Galadriel ended up bearing, was made of mithril. I believe Vilya was gold and Narya was silver (although I might have those two mixed up).

[@charalamboscharalambous165]

@@LittleMezzoBird You are correct when it comes to Neya and Vilya but there is no mention of what material Narya was made of.

[@cmdrvex]

If the three rings are made of single elements, why did they need to "alloy" them?

[@LittleMezzoBird]

@@charalamboscharalambous165 The internet claims gold, but I don't know if that's from the books or from this show, and I don't remember where in the books I saw what the other two were made from. Thanks for the clarification!

[@dragonzarecool6416]

I can explain the extremely fast travel in the series. Amazon spent most of that budget on the jetpacks used for the last 3 seasons of GoT since they are done with them now

[@who-ge1gu]

Perhaps the real rings of power were the friends we made along the way.

[@ziephel-6780]

So meaningful, so brave, so stunning.

[@Yolo_Swagins]

I was able to endure 2 episodes of this travesty. Then, only logical thing to do was cancel Prime TV subscription.

[@tusk70]

I´m german and sometimes it´s easier for me to switch on the subtitles when I´m listening. It´s so funny, everytime you say: "Celebrimbor" the subtitle shows: "Killer Bimbo" 🤣