THIS Is The Show We Wanted!!! | Rings Of Power Episode 2 Reaction and Review | Amazon Prime

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[@TheCalenestel]

On the topic of Galadriel as a warrior princess... Her amilessë (mother-name) is Nerwen: "man-maiden" due to her height, physical strength and pride. Making her a warrior just... works for me.

[@estarguarstia4317]

The first episode was very much needed for many of that haven’t read the books and are not familiar with the lore. Maybe for thsoe that do know the lore it wasn’t but this show is catering to new audiences as well. It gave us a lot of exposition and introductions. If we would have started from just the 2nd episode, I would have been so confused. Also, character growths and arcs are not just going to happen in one episode, especially the first one 😅

[@zerekanthony2203]

I agree I got a lot of value from the pilot and had a much different reaction than they did and I only know the previous movies.

[@suddenimpulse030]

The pilot has good and bad aspects to it. My family (5 others) who have not read any of the books were completely lost for a large part of it, particularly the elven stuff, so I'm not sure how well it completed that goal. It showed a lot of what it needed to, but it did not explain a lot of it, and assumed the viewer already knew the lore. Usually showing is better than telling, but it was not showing or telling enough for alot of people to figure out what they needed to know.

[@Saphthings]

To be honest too the first episode isn't the pilot. They released two episodes for a reason. It's essentially a part 1 and part 2. It's very common in many shows to do this. I dunno why they thought they'd watch one episode and get the experience they planned when they literally even heard that every screening showed both episodes.

[@markusbisma5015]

The problem is it kill interest to keep watching for some casual audiences. Because it commits the worst possible crime of any tv show : boring and confusing.

[@titoyumanista9832]

Yes, 2nd episode is better that the 1st but the 1st is not horrible. I don't understand the dislike in the 1st episode. There's a lot of being covered there, being setup for the season, and I don't understand why they said there's no character development in the first episode when there are plenty: Elrond and Galadriel, Poppy and Nori, Arondir and Bronwyn.

[@furizz284]

You feel like you don't need the first episode but someone like me who doesn't have any idea about this world...that pilot was very necessary I hope you get to understand that

[@soumyajoypal9359]

I have watched the lotr movies but still i felt the need of ep 1

[@alanchen7421]

Same

[@ryanward202]

I actually really loved the pilot as well. I thought it set up the story, themes, and characters well and introduced me to a lot of the lore elements without confusing me

[@sarcasmxkate]

Exactly. It did what a pilot was supposed to do. The pilot is always the most exposition heavy because it has to set everything up. I thought it was great for what it's purpose was. And absolutely stunning, visually.

[@richardbrown3055]

I also loved the pilot, I think some of the elements that people struggle with are the fact that it is heavily elf-centric, so there is a stoic reserve to a lot of the interactions. Another big element is actually in the writing, in the pilot we are brought into the prologue of a story where the majority of characters believe they are in the epilogue of a different story, they’re going about trying to wrap things up, and only a few characters, Galadriel in particular, recognize that this is just the start, but no one is listening to them. It’s actually a beautifully crafted plot device.

[@zerekanthony2203]

Most people seemed to love the pilot from the reactions I've watched and the comments on social media these two applied their opinions to the world and we rejected that as it was a cool pilot for a lot of us.

[@ShaunRansom]

As someones whos only knowledge of the movies and games, my lore is pretty bad, so yes the pilot worked well for me also.

[@belaswhicker2033]

I’m new to LOTR. I know very little about it. The pilot intrigued me! I liked it.

[@menukjau]

Please keep in mind that none of this is actually Tolkien's LOTR. It's an inspiration only not an adaptation of his work. In the books none of this stuff happened. It's just good entertainment, not Tolkien.

[@belaswhicker2033]

@@menukjau yes, I know, and it doesn’t matter to me at all. I just love this show so far. Watching Rings has inspired me to watch the movies and read the books. The Wheel of Time show also inspired me to read all 15 books of the series.

[@menukjau]

@@belaswhicker2033 It doesn't matter, what's wrong with this generation, you must be a Millenial? Well, start reading Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales etc etc. And you'll discover the real story. That is far more spectacular than what Amazon is going to show you in their completely modified version, the 2022 Southern Californian take on Tolkien.

[@belaswhicker2033]

@@menukjau I’m 63 years old.

[@belaswhicker2033]

@@menukjau I can love the show and books equally. It doesn’t matter. I love The Wheel of Time books, but I also love the show. What you think about my personal likes is irrelevant. And I don’t care if you hate the show. I don’t care one whit.

[@alexkramerblogs]

Now that Durin and Elrond are on their way to being close friends again (even with the slight distrust kind of simmering that will probably make it look like they won't be friends ever again), I think by the end of the series there will be a full reconciliation and Durin has the doorway crafted with magic and tells Elrond, "You are always welcome, all you must do is speak 'friend' "

[@menukjau]

It was Celebrimbor that created the door with Narvi (dwarven smith of Khaza-dum). The door was designed for Celebrimbor to enter, not Elrond. Anyway, it doesn't matter anymore, we can just believe this version.

[@vinnicinhus44]

@@menukjau you know that 90% of the people watching the show do not give a single flying f*** about the books, right?

[@Ragdefender]

@@menukjau I can still see that happening since Elrond is working with Celebrimdor.

[@menukjau]

@@vinnicinhus44 sadly, Yes I'm aware..

[@menukjau]

@@Ragdefender I don't understand why Amazon has completely changed the narrative when there is a perfectly good story written. Why can't they show Celebrimbor introducing Elrond to Durin? That's sort of lore accurate. Elrond lived in Lindon and hardly had contact with the Dwarves at this time, he was Gil Galad's commander and second in charge Khaza-dum is close to Eragion, Cebrimbor's stronghold. Celebrimbor was the one who was obsessed about learning craft from others, habit he inherited from his grandfather. Anyway, doesn't matter really, who cares right?

[@physo88]

I'm assuming that the dwarves don't have a Silmaril (Eärendil has one as he sails across the skies, one was thrown into a pit of fire, the third into the sea), but that they have discovered mithril for the first time.

[@gorgonzolastan]

I don't know the 1'st and 2'nd age history very well, but I thought that the dwarf king was afraid that the elves would discover that they had dug too deep and run into the balrog. But maybe that's way later. The glowy stuff in the box might very well be mithril, but why would it be bad for the elves to know that? - they would probably want to make stuff with it, but it doesn't seem in elf-character to just march into the mountain and seize their metal.

[@DocEonChannel]

Yes, the mithril is most obviously the secret they're hiding.

[@menukjau]

Dwarves never got to keep a Silmaril, they stole the Nauglamir after killing Thingol in Doriath. However, Beren finds them and kill them, the Silmaril comes back to Mortal Luthien. She had it till their death, and then passed it on to Dior (their son). That silmaril Maedhros takes after killing Dior, then he killed himself by jumping into a chasm. This is the finding of Mithril. The mistake of Durin's house, they are going to unleash the sleeping Balrog one day. BTW, the real interaction happened with Celebrimbor not Elrond. Celebrimbor designs the famous western door to Khaza-dum, he's the one that the door opened to by "speak friend and enter".

[@gorgonzolastan]

@@menukjau so why do the dwarves not want the elves to know they found mithril? Is it because the elves know they're risking waking the balrog? Or they are afraid the elves will take the mithril for themselves? I'm still not clear on the need for secrecy.

[@menukjau]

@@gorgonzolastanGood question and forgive me for the long answer... it all goes back to their interactions in the first age, since the awakening of the 2 races. Elves are the Elder children of Illuvatar (creator) and men were the younger children of Illuvatar. Dwarves were never meant to exist according to the creator. They were made by Aule (the Valar of crafts) without the permission of Eru (his boss basically). Eru finds out and he wasn't happy, Aule tries to destroy the Dwarves he created but Eru forgives him. Eru tell him to put the seven fathers of Dwarves back to sleep, and make sure that they don't wake before the awakening of the Elves under the stars. After the awakening of the Elves in the east of Middle Earth, they start to migrate to Valinor (the undying lands), that's where they suppose to live, with the gods (Valar). The March is long and took decades/centuries to happen. However, during this great march some Elves get trapped (Morgoth in secret turn some to Orcs, creation of that race), lost or some don't desire to leave Middle Earth at all. Majority sails to the west (Vanyar, Noldor and Teleri), and some remain in Beleriand under the command of King Thingol of Doriath. After the awakening of the dwarf lords in Beleriand and in Middle Earth, they start building their grand dwellings underground. They love mining and looking for valuable minerals, remember they were made by the God of crafts, Aule. Then the Noldor flees Valinor (thousands of yrs later) after Morgoth kills the High king of Noldor, steals the Silmarils from Feanor, and destroys the two trees. Noldor arrived in Beleriand to banish Morgoth (1st age story, Silmarillion). Well during this time, the relations between Dwarves and Elves turns a bit sour. There were instances that they worked together, but most of the time weren't friends. Especially after the killing of Thingol and stealing the Nauglamir containing a Silmaril, the relationship goes further south. Basically, Dwarves never trusted Elves and vice versa. In the beginning of the 2nd age, they kind a lived their separate lives until Celebrimbor, Galadriel and Celeborn came to Eregion and started a relationship with the dwarves of Khaza-dum. Took a while to establish that trust again. Celebrimbor builds the beuatiful west door of Khazadum with a famous dwarf smith in mithril and "speak friend and enter" was for Celebrimbor.

[@richardbrown3055]

To clarify on the whole nudity in the series topic, from what I understand, the scenes in question…..you’ve just watched them. It was an attempt to spark controversy over “wet t-shirt Galadriel”, which as we have all now seen, was done with an appropriate sense of modesty.

[@indoctrinationtheory1468]

IIRC the whole nudity thing was just a wild, unsubstantiated rumour that span into place after it was revealed the show had hired an "Intimacy Co-ordinator". Certain KZbinrs who shall remain nameless span this into a "Amazon wants to turn Tolkien into Game of Thrones" thing.

[@marshwalker8322]

The best answer as to "whats in the box" that I've found has been Mithril, that's why Elrond is so suprised at how much Khazad Dum has advanced and thrived.

[@JoshTruff]

Wow I didn't think of that, I was thinking that maybe they have trolls or orcs doing slavework. I guess that would be a bit too dark.

[@indoctrinationtheory1468]

It's either mithril or the soul of Marcellus Wallace 😂

[@Saphthings]

The first two episodes are really 1 pilot. It's like when people react to avatar the last airbender and after the "first" episode they're like, "eh...".

[@TheJunmengo]

They should have cut a 1h30 first episode would feel much better

[@Saphthings]

@@TheJunmengo It's sort of like lord of the rings vs lord of the rings extended edition. Yeah, there's a bunch of extra stuff, but I'd rather get the extra stuff for worldbuilding than a cut edited edition with less. But I understand not everyone agrees.

[@jesseeli5295]

You need the first episode to briefly explain, how they could with what licenses they were given, the history of the first age. That was the point of the prologue. So others who don't understand the basic version of the lore could grasp some of what happened.

[@titoyumanista9832]

Yes. I disagree with them too. I don't understand the dislike in the 1st episode. There's a lot of being covered there, being setup for the season, and I don't understand why they said there's no character development in the first episode when there are plenty: Elrond and Galadriel, Poppy and Nori, Arondir and Bronwyn. However I agree that 2nd episode is better than the 1st. But 1st episode is not horrible.

[@joe.banana]

funny how the movies were able to do it in the first 20 minutes of fellowship and didn't need an hour of ABSOLUTELY NOTHING HAPPENING to do that. Hell both GoT pilots were able to introduce us everything important faster and in a more entertaining way in merely 40 minutes and they didn't have amazon budget for that...

[@titoyumanista9832]

@@joe.banana "funny how the movies were able to do it in the first 20 minutes of fellowship" Considering the Fellowship of the Ring is 3 hrs and 20 minutes to set it up is still pretty long. "and didn't need an hour of ABSOLUTELY NOTHING HAPPENING to do that" Yeah. This is false and an exaggeration. I disagree. "Hell both GoT pilots were able to introduce us everything important faster and in a more entertaining way in merely 40 minutes and they didn't have amazon budget for that..." I haven't seen GoT to confirm this but, knowing how you overly exaggerate give me a huge reason to doubt your statement here.

[@laizackmdahila6799]

@@joe.banana the pilot of Game of Thrones was ok and it’s introduction of it’s characters based on the families. We had Stark, Lanisters and Targeryans. In this Series they are a lot of different and many characters to understand. It’s the same as HOTD also the same

[@menukjau]

I hate to say, this stranger look more and more like Olorin the Maiar (Gandalf). I don't think Amazon cares anymore that he arrived in the 3rd age, so many changes to the storyline and characters, it doesn't matter anymore. The fireflies scene kind a gives it away: creating the stars (something he learned from Varda, Queen of the Valar) and communicating with creatures (an ability he acquired from Manwe Sulimo, the king of the Valar). He was also in service to Eru Illuvater (the creator) and his "secret fire".

[@humandisaster18]

If that is the way it's going, I was thinking maybe it's a situation where yes, the wizards as a group don't come to Middle Earth with the purpose of uniting the people and helping their struggle against Sauron until the third age, but I could see the Valar sending a Maiar earlier on to scout things out and see what's going on in Middle Earth. Might not be perfectly canonical, but it could be the route they're going for this adaptation.

[@menukjau]

@@humandisaster18 I sincerely do hope that this is not Gandalf, but his actions is very much like Gandalf we know. The Valar did send two wizards in the 2nd age, they were known as the Blue wizards (Morinehtar and Rómestámo). They sailed into Middle Earth around 1600 SA with Glorfindel (powerful elf of Gondolin (1st age) that died in killing a Balrog, but reincarnated by the Valar, he later saves Frodo by riding him to Rivendell after being stabbed by the Nazgul and also a major figure in the council of Elrond). This was about 2500 yrs before the arrival of the 3 famous wizards in the 3rd age. Gil Galad suspected the return of evil around 800 SA and Sauron established Mordor in secret around 1000 SA. He corrupts Celebrimbor around 1200 SA to make the rings, master ring made in Mordor around 1400 SA and around 1650 SA he declares war on the Elves destroying Eregion and Celebrimbor and steals the 7+9 rings. Hence, the Blue wizards arrived just before Sauron declared war on Eregion, they did not have much interaction with many races. They travelled to the uttermost East of Middle Earth to control men from joining the evil forces of Sauron. They were successful in preventing the forces of the East and South (Sauron's) from outnumbering those of the free peoples in the West. However, they were known to live somewhere around Mordor and then after "The Last Alliance" both disappeared forever, nobody knows what happened to them, did Sauron destroy them? Or did they turn evil? No tale tells.

[@wr5488]

I think thats the coolest depiction of a basic regular fantasy goblin ive seen ever

[@marls5459]

Tbh I loved the first episode I feel like you can’t have an episode this tight without setting up the locations and viewpoints first, and honestly I wanted to just see elves at their peak just elving The meteor falling was a signal that everything was going to get moving immediately, and that’s exactly what it did

[@PedroHenrique-mz3we]

-I love how warm and passionate Disa and Durin are, cutest couple in the show now. -Totally confused about who the meteor man is, i'm for a blue wizard but his powers have really sinister effects - Orcs look pretty terrifying so far, not simply cannon fodder CGI mess

[@thoso1973]

Tolkien actually wrote that the wizards/Istari were somewhat confused and aloof when they first arrived in Middle-Earth; they had to initially learn very basic things. I think that's exactly what we are seeing with the stranger.

[@522abet]

Love how the orcs are looking in this. Practical is so much better then CGI for closeup shots. That’s one of the big things that ruined the Hobbit trilogy for me.

[@VerbumAngeli]

Someone correct me if I am wrong. Just an observation. When the elves were in the caves the torches gave off no heat because of the place being evil. Is the fire from the meteor not giving off heat because the person in the middle is evil?

[@bozimsaho5590]

I also liked them showing Orcs are very scary and really dangerous when not up against actual warriors

[@indoctrinationtheory1468]

Yeah, they should be terrifying for the common folk. And the practical effects look AMAZING

[@aaronbourque5494]

If you've never seen it, for entertainment and academic purposes watch the first season of Spartacus: Blood and Sand. It has one of the worst first episodes of a show I've ever seen... but based on word of mouth, I stuck with it. The improvement between the first episode and the finale is unlike anything I'd ever seen before, it was like a different show by the end.

[@avdude8]

I have no idea if you noticed in the first episode but when the show the map of the southlands, it's a square mountain range which is what Mordor looks like. And the orcs destroying and possibly poisoning the land... it feels like they are preparing it for Sauron

[@paulsiskin7140]

There was a map in this episode. They show the map every time when they first go to a new location

[@daveemerson6549]

The graphics of the intro remind me of nothing so much as pieces of sediment or powder being vibrated by sound waves (plenty of videos illustrating the concept here on KZbin). I think the changing shapes in the intro is a representation of the music of the Maiar, with the black sediment moving through the gold in a couple shots being Morgoth's discordant note in the music.

[@ISavant]

It's definitely soundwaves, not magnetic fields

[@cliveklg7739]

That is a good interpretation.

[@emberise6613]

Nerdy's face when Feanor's hammer appeared. Beautiful. Perfect. No notes.

[@NecropsY1]

my fav part is when gandolf and souron kiss, truly emotional tears to my eyes

[@indoctrinationtheory1468]

Re. The Silmarils - one (the one Beren cut from Morgoth's crown) ended up in the sky as the Star of Earendil. The other two ended up cast into the depths of the sea and into the fires of the Earth after the War of Wrath

[@MylezNevison]

Clarus: "Where's her knife?" Nerdy: "You don't want to know." Clarus: 😳 Me: 😂😂😂😂😂

[@theashrook6129]

I wonder if Amazon purposely extended this show to 10 episodes (since their standard is 8) so that they could get the “boring” origins out of the way and now the 8 episodes left can be all the good stuff. I love the dwarves!!!

[@SkymeX100]

It didn't? The show has 8 episodes.

[@lacki7548]

I’m convinced the sky fallen character will be the material of which the one ring is made. Sauron seemingly is experimenting in forging using living beings as seen in the ice forge in epi 1. And this character has all the properties of the ring. Cold even in fire, a mind of its own, affinity and less reaction in connection to the hobbit race, full of chaos. Also has similar background whispers as the ring of the trilogy. I bet soon enough we will se Nori and him needing to hide and he make them go invisible. 🧐 just my guess

[@Heretic451]

"This episode is everything I wanted this show to be." Same. Same.

[@Arezoo298195]

The jump scare got Nerdy! So funny 😂

[@desertrose0027]

I agree that the 2nd episode was much better. I loved everything in Kazad-Dum, especially Durin and his wife. I also started suspecting that the meteor guy is a maiar of some sort. Maybe a wizard. But then he killed the fireflies at the end and I wasn't sure if he was supposed to be on the side of good. It does feel like they are trying to trick us into thinking that he's evil, though. There's also a Dunedain ranger named Halbarad and so "Halbrand" is really throwing me off there. Not really sure if related or just similar name.

[@noneofyourbeeswax01]

I rarely put too much credence in first episodes, as I know they are usually pretty slow because they need to introduce new characters, places, situations and context. Having said that, it seems apparent that episodes one and two were released together for the purpose of being watched as one extended opener

[@blowaraspberry380]

In the first episode of game of thrones there was a massive cliffhanger, and primary conflict of the next few seasons was set up. This shows opening 2 episodes do none of that and are already packed with filler content

[@noneofyourbeeswax01]

@@blowaraspberry380 In the 1st episode of GoT we saw The Wall, Beyond the Wall, Winterfell and Pentos, had twincest, adultery, conspiracy to commit regicide, a murder mystery, a maternity mystery. we saw the Stark, Baratheons, Lannisters and Targaryans stirring it up and we saw White Walkers. In House of The Dragons we have one family drama, we almost never get out of King's Landing and nothing in the overarching story (which they have confirmed is about the succession) can come as a surprise, any more than a film about WW2 could surprise us with who won. But apparently that gets a pass and only The Rings of Power can be compared. The fact is that episodes 1&2 are one extended intro to the series and should be viewed as such - thats the reason they were released simultaneously. The 2nd part was far from boring and to assert it was suggests to me that you are simply another person with an agenda.

[@blowaraspberry380]

@@noneofyourbeeswax01 I'm not sure how this addresses my comment. Did you mean to post this in reply to someone else?

[@MTStingray]

28:58 The Arkenstone was discovered while mining below Erebor/The Lonely Mountain, hundreds or thousands of years after the timeframe we're in. This is Khazad-dûm in the Misty Mountains. 29:14 One Silmaril was taken by Eärendil, Elrond's father, to the Valar in Valinor to beg forgiveness for the sins of Elves and for the Valar's aid against Morgoth (this is what made the Valar travel to Middle-Earth to defeat Morgoth for the final time). After the War of Wrath, the Valar placed this Silmaril in the sky as a star known as the Star of Eärendil. The other two were removed from Morgoth upon his defeat, but were stolen by two Elves, Maedhros and Maglor, both sons of Fëanor (who created the Silmarils). The jewels burned them in disapproval of their possession, driving Maedhros (in agony) to cast himself and his Silmaril into a fiery pit (probably a volcanic rift), and Maglor threw his into the sea.

[@tkinsey3]

I'm not quite as critical of Ep 1 as you guys were, but I ABSOLUTELY agree that Ep 2 is significantly better. Potential viewers for sure need to at least be patient enough to get to Khazad Dum.

[@tkinsey3]

I also think Elrond is easily the best character in the series so far. Just so complex and wonderful.

[@EmanueleCorsi]

I don't wanna check out anything on the internet but, from what I recall, somewhere in Tolkien's works it is written that the Istari came from the stars, sent from the Valar. So my guess is that the Stranger is Olorin, that is Gandalf. I'm probably wrong, don't hate me for confusing things, my memory is so bad. He's definitely grey, though 😁

[@tracydale154]

Your video titles for eps 1 and 2 show exactly why they decided to release both eps the first week. Enjoying it so far (ep 2 more than 1) and curious to see what the rest of the season brings.

[@hollywoodguy70]

Internalize this: The pilot was released theatrically. The Pilot is 2 hours and split into 2 parts. This used to be more common back in the day. There have been dozens of shows that originally aired as 1 chunk and then later split into 2 episodes. I'm at a bit of a loss why Amazon split it in streaming, since most people binge watch anyway.

[@NerdyNightly]

I would have cut half the first episode and released it as a 90 minute pilot, but there are a lot of repeated beats between the two

[@mgrsdgfsdafsdgrsdgfsdg6980]

I love when siblings review stuff! Love to hear if family members thing alike! Cant wait for your next episode!

[@simply_the_dev7588]

they could have done flashbacks while she was in the water falling to the bottom and brought it all back when they arise together...

[@CritterPaladin]

We saw hints of the potential artistry of Galadriel in the first episode with the paper swan boat. Then we are seeing Galadriel as a veteran of a war that lasted centuries, who is obsessed with fulfilling her brother's task. I think being a little one note is in character. And the brief interaction with Elrond and wavering enough to set out on the ship to the West, shows that there is a little more to her.

[@michaelanderson6236]

I'm still on the fence. I get that they had to basically make up their own story, because they don't have the rights to any of the actual Silmarillion, but, having read and loved The Silmarillion, I have a hard time turning off the part of my brain that keeps going "well that doesn't match with the lore." My biggest peeve is with the characterization of Galadriel. Making her a warrior? Fine, I guess. But making her seem so young and lower in stature than Gil-Galad bothers me. She's like 3000 years older than him, and, depending on which version of ancestry you go by, his aunt. At this point, she's one of the oldest, wisest, and most powerful elves left in Middle Earth. What they've created doesn't appear to bear any relationship to Tolkien's Galadriel. I think it would have been better if they had created a whole new character to fill this role (or even shoehorned a version of Glorfindel into it), and left Galadriel where she should be at this point in the Middle Earth timeline - setting up her and Celeborn's reign in Lothlorien.

[@thoso1973]

Tolkien straight up stated that Galadriel was 'Amazonian' in her youth. So, it's in the source, just not specified in detail. As for wisdom, Galadriel is shown to be the one who 'knows better' with regards to Sauron and the war.

[@smaug1234]

My biggest nitpick as well, the actor is great, and if she had another name besides Galadriel it would work far better for me.

[@michaelanderson6236]

@@thoso1973 Yeah, Galadriel was in the vanguard of the Noldor during the Flight. My issue is that she seems to be depicted as just some young warrior elf, when she is the eldest member of the House of Finwe in Middle Earth. They should have created a new character for this role, but they wanted a name people knew.

[@sionat29]

Glad the show captured you better in the 2nd episode. I enjoyed the first episode establishing the world, setting, characters and rough timeline. It was slow and didn't have the intrigue, suspense and action that the 2nd episode had as a premiere pilot, but I felt the slow build of darkness coming back into the world again and that is what I enjoyed the most. Add in all the false trails and the first 2 hit the spot for me. My favorite aspect is the different perspectives of mortality and passage of time. The differences in how the elves feel time's passage vs. the humans and dwarves. It really sets up how Sauron is able to slide into those differences and pry the races apart and against each other and the Valar. I'm looking forward to the future of this show.

[@ryankwon8785]

The meteor man is likely a Blue Wizard. He has a hard time controlling his abilities and understanding his surroundings (The Istari had to learn from scrap during their arrival to Middle Earth).

[@mjdaniel8710]

I was fine with the first one and this is even better, I am going to enjoy watching the rest of the season

[@vut9197]

Completely agree with your reaction. I couldn't believe how boring ep 1 was and still have big questions about what happened. The whole of the first season of the Witcher was the same to be fair

[@marshwalker8322]

Yess... I was iffy about the first episode aswell, this one got me though.

[@JimONeil]

I like the alternate pilot script you guys are breaking down 26:57

[@LuxLoser]

My takes on the show: - Galadriel is not likable. The show can’t seem to settle on if her quest for vengeance is a bad thing or if she’s totally right. Also where is her magic? She’s supposed to be a sorcerer, not a paladin. - Nori (why not Nora? It’s a nickname afterall, why copy a dwarf’s name?) seems interesting but her story feels a little aimless currently. - Arondir and his boo are what interest me the lost, especially since her son has the sword of Sauron. But the back and forth between Arondir and the woman is a little tiring. - Elrond has my favorite plot, not the least because I know how things go for Durin… Yet I’m more excited for where his story is GOING rather than where it currently is.

[@NerdyNightly]

I feel like this is a very fair assessment of where the show is for me as well. I don’t find Galadriel not like able, but I will say she feels so accomplished as a protagonist that I don’t see anywhere for her to go but down and not up

[@LuxLoser]

@@NerdyNightly That’s a great way to put it. She’s very sure of herself and made to be such a badass that her growth is going to require a downward spiral. If they do that, it’d be great! I just can’t quite tell if that’s what the show is going to do.

[@humandisaster18]

It's interesting because watching this I feel like she's already in her downward spiral and has been for some time. I feel like the first episode establishd that regardless of how headstrong she is, she is struggling to deal with the trauma she has endured over the centuries. She may seem like she's accomplished a lot, but she's so far from what we know she'll be thousands of years later in the Hobbit and LotR. She hasn't received her Ring yet. I don't know where her husband is in all this right now, or her daughter. There's so much room for development and growth for her character. I'm looking forward to seeing what they do with her. ☺

[@LuxLoser]

@@humandisaster18 That's part of what concerns me. They're condensing 2,000 years of lore into only a few decades at most, if not just a handful of years, which means the elves are going to have to see some whiplash levels of development to actually become the person they're supposed to be 2,000 years from now.

[@timothymcnerney3352]

You guys nailed it, if this was the pilot and we learn about Galadriel through flashbacks in the sea…well done

[@hopestar2000]

They should make a show just about the dwarves.

[@aisarikka]

I now can't wait for them to bring in Narvi next season to make those magic doors with Celebrimbor

[@indoctrinationtheory1468]

Great reaction, and interesting to see how your reaction to the two episodes differed so greatly. Agreed the second episode was better all around (the Dwarves are AMAZING), personally I felt the first episode was essentially world building, and the second they story actually began. Definitely glad they both aired together.

[@alfonsorodriguez4277]

Yessir I agree witchu bro

[@TheJordanK]

I’ve been wanting to see dwarves portrayed like that for so long. My favorite part by far.

[@anastatina8717]

They actually show couple of times exactly where the dagger is fixed on her) with some fabric knot or something I think

[@bromanvt]

So these OG orcs are like, closer to the Elf derived even OGer orcs from the past

[@liferiot]

The first ep had A LOT of stuff to cover to get to the second one.

[@altonf62]

I am glad that I have not read any of the books. Like they said episode 1 was meh, but episode 2 was better. After this I watch this complete season I will decide to watch a season 2 if there is one.

[@pasqualesorrentino5780]

To clarify one point, the "nudity thing" is not present YET in the show ! It's maybe a futur spoil so be careful if you read my post, so, the nudity in the show will happen ONLY when we will see the elves was being tortured by Melkor and transformed into Orcs !!! Adar is coming ! Good reactions by the way, and also the Sandman videos reacts were great !!

[@ISavant]

The NZ equivalent of a lake monster would be a Taniwha which is a generic nature spirit/monster.

[@matslarsson6919]

I expected to have a hard time warming up to the invented characters, so the fact that Disa was the only character I really liked says a lot about how I feel after watching the first two episodes.

[@zerekanthony2203]

Disa rules!! From the trailer I thought she would be my least fave but yeah she's great hope to see her more-- just more dwarfs in general!! The dwarves are my favorite species of character and they are never the focus just background so I hope they get used and shown more than normal

[@CumberlandPlain]

Maybe the 2 eps are so disjointed due to the show runners writing the first ep and Geniffer Hutchinson wrote the second ( who wrote some better Call Saul)

[@DnD_Guru]

It feels like episode 1 was mostly prologue with the last 15 minutes being the beginning of the story.

[@dimitris470]

The dwarves almost fixed the show for me

[@dancedj2k2]

The first episode sucked. There is no other way to say it. I gave up it was so bad. But then I saw a reviews on another channel about episode 2 and they said it was much better. So, I gave episode 2 a chance. Episode 2 is how you start a series, it was excellent. I am really excited for the rest of the series because of episode 2.

[@kpsting]

They wouldn't have made the scenes with hobbit in the pit so comedic if the guy in the pit was Sauron or some other evil, imo

[@edwindrood2816]

I loved episode 1. Been reading the books since forever ago, and enjoyed it a lot. Patience. Let the story breathe.

[@DnD_Guru]

I believe the Meteor Man is going to be the the man in the moon, don't remember his name. Hobbits have a song about him falling from the sky like a meteor.

[@georgechapman9688]

But he didn't get to drink his fill? Maybe in the finale?

[@andscifi]

There are some rights issues that I think leads to some confusion for people who have read the books. As I understand it they don't have the rights to the Silmarillion, but they do have the rights to things in the appendices of Lord of the Rings which covers some of the same things. That's probably why they didn't explain why the elves went to middle earth that well. Or perhaps they're just doing something different.

[@avipinckney]

I think the point of releasing two episodes at once is because they new the premiere should be 2 episodes. The show is already green lit so technically not a pilot.

[@richstabenow8958]

Hair styles do change over thousands of years...

[@emberise6613]

Again, I mostly agree with you. Episode 1 had too much info dumping that didn't need to happen upfront. I know that the history of middle earth is really deep and intricate, but I think they needed to trust the audience more to pick up things as they went along. They could have had like a map-sweep voice over section introducing the world/races if they wanted to, just to give a political overview so we know that there were humans who sided with Morgoth and the elves are patrolling the lands and want to go home. I also think that they needed to keep the scene with the cow etc from episode 1 to set up the relationship between the elf and the human. They could have introduced Galadriel and Elrond's friendship by focusing on Elrond being saddened by her absence - but still happy that she's going home - when he's introduced to Celebrimbor (to take his mind off things) and then cut from him saying something about how he is glad she will see the undying lands again straight to her in the water or something like that. Really feels like they could have cut these two episodes into an hour and half long pilot and cut out the info dumping. You're definitely right in saying the only questions the pilot really raised until literally the very end of the episode were regarding lore, not plot.

[@cliveklg7739]

I liked the actor for Elrond from the start, but the second episode sealed that. His whole interaction at Prince Durin IV's home was fantastic. Edit: Durin was fantastic as well. And the Elanor character is so adorable and delightful. The only part of this episode that didn't work for me was the whole 'adrift' thing with Galadriel being drawn out for so long. That was pure filler and didn't really contribute to the story. They could have cut that down a lot. I'm reserving judgement on who fell from the sky until they reveal who it really is. It seemed like he was drawing runes there, and they were the runes of each of the wizards maybe? It would be interesting if it was one of the Blue Wizards. Because that part of the story is wide open to what happened to them. I wouldn't mind if the series came up with its own story for one of them and why he's never heard from again. The Silmarils are all lost, and would glow a lot more. That is probably Mithril is my thought.

[@topher6410]

I enjoyed episode two a lot, but I also enjoyed the pilot… the first episodes of fantasy stories with complicated lore are almost always a bit clunky…

[@SDavid3388]

The comparison between Galadriel and Durin is really unfair. I mean Durin lived his life in peace but Galadriel was in war basically for hundreds of years. That's a LOT of trauma and you want her to be a Disney princess? Why? She knows what's going on with Sauron and nobody believes her of course she's not nice to everyone. She was only nice with Elrond and her brother. The reason were told in the first episode btw you just missed it because you wanted everyting in the 1st episode what you saw in the 2nd. I mean it's not like the first hour of the first movie was any different. PS: I think you read the books a long time ago because the books are slow as hell! I almost throw them in the fire.

[@easyislander]

I'm one of those having a difficult time understanding why Galadriel is a woman warrior. While the original trilogy she was a powerful sorceress that uses light and magic. They ruined Galadriel by casting her as a vengeful woman warrior who was fighting to take revenge for her brother. Galadriel was never like that.

[@SDavid3388]

@@easyislander first: Galadriel in the books was a warrior too she fought in many wars in the first and second ages too, I'm not sure about the second though. But she was a fighter that's for sure. Many said she's just as strong as any male warrior and everyone said she's the wisest Elven ever. Don't forget, the Galadriel we saw in the movies was thousands of years old, in this show she's just a couple hundreds of years old. second: It's not just a simple revenge, it's more because she's the only one who knows that Sauron is still alive. so either she's not gonna do anything or she has to fight alone.

[@samfisher6606]

I know someone who went to a screening and they said there was about 5 minutes in between the two episodes. And I heard the opposite about the nudity. I didn't mind episode 1but episode 2 qas better. Episode 1 was slow but not any slower than the LOTR books. And my god are those things a slog until the Prancing Pony. The highlight for me was indeed Elrond and Durin. There was so much of Legolas and Gimli there. I dont think its mythril in the box because why would the Dwarves think that the Elves would covet it. Maybe the Silmarils. The weakest part for me was Galadriel. It seems she is our main character But the “only soldier who believes the enemy is still alive” trope has been done so many times these episodes didnt really do anything to make her standout & differentiate her from the others soldier in that trope but I do like that she said she had PTSD by saying “being in a peaceful place will not quite the peace in me”. I really liked the Harfoots. And they were able to toe the line to where you can see where Hobbits get there behaviors but the Harfoots are different. And I like that Nori (not the Dwarf) has an adventurers spirit like Frodo and Bilbo. I think The Stranger is Gandalf but after the thing with the fireflies maybe its Radagast. But its probably a wizard b/c isnt Sauron on earth already? I think The Stranger is Gandalf but after the thing with the fireflies maybe its Radagast. But its probably a wizard b/c isnt Sauron on earth already?

[@easyislander]

I think its Gandalf because he was able to talk to the fireflies. Gandalf was able to a moth during his time on top of the tower of Isengard.

[@johnbiles419]

For me, a big Tolkien head, the first episode was pretty clear. But it throws a lot of information at the wall, so I can see how it would confuse people. (Tolkien''s backstory for Galadriel is that she basically grew up with three brothers and was more or less raised as boy #4, learning hunting, fighting, etc. She becomes sorceress woman down the road.)

[@easyislander]

I totally agree. After episode 2 I find the show has a much more different meaning. I love the Elrond and the Elves. I wish they would have spent more time going around Khazak Doom. I totally loved Disa. The Dwarves and Disa saved the show for me, with or without the beard. I nearly gave up watching just the 1st episode. I still not sold on the Harfoots. Maybe they have parts in there just not that interesting. Lastly, I'm still not buying Galadriel as a woman warrior. Her role is the most boring part of this show. I wish they would have made her out to be powerful sorceress just like what she was in LotR. I can't seem to accept elves as troubled and vengeful beings like humans. This is what the show is misses the most. The elves are too human-like. In the trilogy they were well organized, graceful and elegant and had a magical presence. I don't see that in the Rings of Power.

[@jadeprincepk]

Then you haven’t read about Feanor’s sons. Not all elves are like those from the trilogy

[@gryfinryder]

Personally, they should have mashed episodes 1 & 2 as a 2 hour pilot episode. Overall that would have worked better. Releasing both at once was a smart move. I am still skeptical of the show but they have 6 more episodes to get me

[@robinirie98]

In two episodes this show has done more to develop the characters that WoT did for eight episodes with the Emond Field 5

[@jaytrean1]

I didn't mind the 1st episode it wasn't good but not bad either. But this one is great and definitely love all the dwarf stuff, can't wait till next week.

[@TorIverWilhelmsen]

The elven ranger getting grabbed was even in the trailer, though. Still a bit shocking I guess. :) And Episode 1 makes sense, if you just check the comments: You probably just tried to tie it too much to LotR instead of the 2nd Age which they are in now.

[@avneesh6299]

Waiting for the SheHulk episode 3 reaction!

[@suddenimpulse030]

I did enjoy Episode 2 more than 1, but I do still have some issues with it. Namely the writing quality doesn't seem very consistent. I think the pacing and how they cover some things could have been a bit better, but I understand the coverage is partially due to content restrictions they have legally. The music...im still not sure what to think. It's not bad by any means, in fact sometimes its excellent, but I've noticed it can be a bit distracting in an odd way at times, and I've seen others mention this. Its like..in some scenes the music does not quite fit the mood of the scene OR it does fit the mood/setting but the actual flow and tempo of it does not match the actuall actions, events and flow of the scene itself. I think the visuals are top notch. In a few instances it looked like there was set lighting, but overall it's great. The city of the dwarves was incredible looking. There are some very odd decisions/situations at times, and some clunky dialogue. Sometimes there are situations that don't make a lot or sense when you think about them a bit. However even the best shows can have these moments, especially in the early episodes, so I'm definitely reserving my overall judgement until the season in finished. I'm just glad fantasy is able to have these big production popular shows. It used to be, years ago, that fantasy was rare, especially as TV series, with low budgets and low viewership. Fantasy fans are eating pretty good these days, although I have serious misgivings about the Witcher tv series, it still exists and has a triple A actor as the lead which when I was younger would be unheard of. I hope one day scifi can have a similar renaissance in film and television as it suffers the same issue fantasy used to.

[@christopherstanfield1558]

I thought the first episode was brilliant, like the second, but that’s the fun thing about art. Seeing how differently people can see the same things.

[@DocEonChannel]

39:00 Tolkien wrote in an older tradition, in fairy-tales as he called his genre characters don't really change, they are the same all the way through the story. So what's written about Galadriel is mostly consistent with how she is in LotR, except that she starts out a little more power-hungry and after X thousand years she gets over that. But in modern scriptwriting it's a dictum that characters have to have an arc - they have to be changed by the events of the story. So obviously the writers on this show are thinking that she's gonna start out hotheaded and learn patience.

[@NerdyNightly]

I hope so, in terms of starting her journey on this show I feel like they’ve given themselves a tough job with her character. Mostly cause her one goal, killing Sauron, is something she cannot do, or even come close to doing, but we will see

[@fai-pe7oq]

@@NerdyNightly feel like what’s gonna happen is she’s gonna eventually learn to abandon her vengeance and free herself from it, which will lead her to become the Galadriel we know

[@alighalibb]

@@NerdyNightly "Sauron perceived at once that Galadriel would be his chief adversary and obstacle, and he endeavored therefore to placate her, bearing her scorn with outward patience and courtesy." "Galadriel was the greatest of the Noldor, except Feanor maybe, though she was wiser than he, and her wisdom increased with the long years." Unfinished Tales page 296. How can you even say that Galadriel cannot come close to killing Sauron. She's very POWERFUL.

[@mattciller4651]

@@alighalibb i leked this comment however it was meant like an obstacle in terms of deceiving. 1 vs. 1 Sauron was matched only by Maiar (Middle-Earth angeos).. so no she could not kill him but she was able to resist his will.

[@jud555]

@@NerdyNightly Luthien was only half Elf half Maia and she put Morgoth to sleep, the most powerful Valar. Morgoth fell from his throne to the ground.. So who's to say that Galadriel who's very powerful couldn't have killed Sauron or at least wounded him. She also became the most powerful Elf in the third age.

[@jayallanbennett8483]

I like episode 1. It sets up a world that feels more epic and lived in than the Wheel of time show. Plus it felt like I was reading the Silmarillion in episode 1 and I really enjoy the Silmarillion.

[@thehunter7422]

23:50 the horror/thriller like vibes they added in this , so freakin well done. Whoever story boarded or choreographed this scene is a genius. So cool to finally see true horror perspective of facing powerful orcs from villagers who aren't trained to fight etc. The action was insane. Lot more graphic scenes than I thought there would be and I love and want more of it lol. Not to mention if I decided to binge this show before watching the movies , the fact this would be our first Orc encounter ( minus flashbacks) I'd count this as a terrifying awesome way to get introduced to them . Cause it really feels like we don't get a good proper introduction to them in the movies. They just jump straight into action scenes and hero's kicking there butt lol I'm really hoping the episodes are like this from here on in cause this episode was amazing. The Dwarves and Celebrimbor scenes I was giddy like a kid lol loved those scenes too. New subscriber to here to watch this journey with y'all as well. Had no idea you're Canadian too . From Ontario 🤟

[@JBWinter]

I love that orcs are as intimidating as they're supposed to be in the books. They're basically the evil version of elves, with immortality and all. They only fall like paper people in LotR because we're watching some of the greatest fighters the world has ever seen

[@thehunter7422]

@@JBWinter facts and true. I'm hoping this is the time where true Mordor orcs can shine in there horrifying glory lol i know this probably wasn't on purpose but I like to think as a theory as time goes on , just like men , orcs become weaker and less smarter every few hundred years or so of new generations. I feel like for orcs of this time to go up to against mighty Elf and Man kings like Elendil, Gil Galad and with people like Elrond and Isildur and Anarion in one fight and I believe Cirdan as well and of course just the way mightier ahead of their time Men soldiers from Numenor and elves from Lindon and beyond , I feel like these were the mightier times for all them ( besides the First Age and past that lol ) I feel like we get a vibe that orcs have just kinda lost their way compared to back then . They still had something in em , with especially the way Gondor was in return of the king etc compared to when we see Numenor, there was just a splendor back then I'd like to think is just somewhat gone in the Third Age. The spark in an army. Instead it's a slow decay

[@lacki7548]

I don’t know if it’s lore or not. But the “say friend and enter” password being in elvish now makes sense to me, and i like it 🧝🏻

[@alexkramerblogs]

Yes! I think it will be that version of the door that is crafted once Elrond and Durin become close friends again.

[@Nicobi001]

Must be Mithril the dwarves found.

[@DocEonChannel]

OK but why is the caption for Eregion over a city that looks like it's by a lake or even the sea? There are no big lakes in Eregion...

[@CULeeisMe]

I think the mistake was not making it a 2-hour pilot. You needed about 30 minutes of the first for the second episode to make sense.

[@mndrew1]

How many friggin hit points did that orc have? Talk about a tank!

[@davewhitmore1958]

I don't know anyone who just watched the first episode and not the second. Pilots aren't usually broadcast; they're meant as an example to get a show made. Neither the 1st or 2nd episodes of this are pilots. Game of Thrones had a pilot with a different Daenerys . . . You guys are pretty, but a bit dense

[@NerdyNightly]

Almost every show you’ve ever watched published it’s pilot, the second pilot of Game Of Thrones was also a pilot. Don’t call people dense if you aren’t an expert, it’s a bad look.

[@davewhitmore1958]

@@NerdyNightly Hmm, must be a Canadian thing . . .

[@davewhitmore1958]

"Standalone" en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_pilot

[@bobc538]

All three Silmarills are out of reach for any one mortal. One is with Earendil in his ship which flies across the sky. The other two were thrown away. One in fire and one in water

[@vinsanity40k]

galadriel's story is the least interesting part for me right now. and that's a shame since i think she's the one who's supposed to carry the show or have the "a" storyline.

[@lix1916]

Maybe is Tom Bombadil lol

[@pandorya1014]

Love the dwarves and harfoots. This episode was definitely better, and I’m super excited for the next one!!

[@barssen3427]

I think first episode is like glossary in the wot books. It says this is galadriel and that place is southernlands etc 😬

[@gorgonzolastan]

do y'all think the little kid with the broken sword is going to grow up to be the Witch King?

[@josephmuso7195]

i think i liked the first episode, i like slow paced shows

[@dimitrisnikoloulis4071]

I like when Disa is above Durin -'' He's stayin' for dinner '' - '' He's leavin ' '' - '' He's stayin'' - '' He's leavin' '' - '' He's stayinnn' !'' Poor Durin ! What kind of dwarf female is that ? Adored Disa ! The dwarf Galandriel ! Badass future queen ! Like Eowyn! My most beloved character of the trilogy ! I am in love with Eowyn!! Morfydd as badass Galadriel and Aramayo 's Elrond , my favourites until now ! I teared up with the complaint of Durin to Elrond. I really adored Gimli , son of Gloin and now Durin IV is my beloved dwarf ! So Disa ! What a future Queen ! Sashy and feministic ! Woah ! Elanor '' Nori '' shines too . ! Script keeps imformation from the appendieces , like the Meteor - Man and the Fishdragon Keeper. is this enough? Let's see!

[@skullknight4579]

The old man is definitely a maya, perhaps the keeper of the secret fire…