Thoughts on Rings of Power Season One

In which I talk about what I liked and didn't like about the new Rings of Power show.

[@ohthreefiftyone]

If you’re ever discouraged by your first attempt at something, remember that Aragorn was originally a hobbit named Trotter.

[@garrett1202]

I watched this stream live; although I don't always agree with Matt's takes, his ability to articulate his views & criticism of art/media have always been extremely insightful and thought provoking. I feel like, through all the times he's discussed his take on this show or that show, this book or that book, he sort of forces me to think about media differently and in a way that allows me to be understanding & critical of my own opinion. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

[@themonkey0255]

I couldn't agree more. His streams give me a level of intellectual stimulation that I've rarely experienced since late nights in the college art building cramming to get a project done for class the next day alongside friends and classmates. I often find myself disagreeing with his takes, but I understand and respect his logic and reasoning. It's so important to me to listen to people you don't agree with and gain insight to new perspectives.

[@totlyepic]

Over the years I've been tuning into the live streams, I've found that it's actually pretty rare that I agree with more than half of what he says on a topic, but it always has the novelty of being a well-articulated perspective that I'm not used to hearing, and I think there will (almost) always be value in that. We live in a culture that centers reproducing signifiers. Maybe his are just more obscure, but that's as good as being unique.

[@jchunick]

I couldn't have said it better. These are my sentiments, *exactly*. Thanks for expressing them.

[@beardalaxy]

I have a huge problem with characters doing weird stuff for the sake of the plot. Even if the plot is good, when characters make decisions that don't make sense for them to make it really prevents me from suspending my disbelief. It's one of my biggest pet peeves with any media. The characters should be interesting enough to make the plot what it is, not the plot trying to force itself onto the characters.

[@robbuck5783]

33:30 fun fact: After Richard Harris Died, WB wanted Ian McKellen to take over as Dumbledor, but as he knew that Richard hated his acting, he refused the part out of respect.

[@Darth_Insidious]

Good, we don't need the same guy playing every mainstream old wizard character.

[@HMJ66]

@@Darth_Insidious Yeah as much as I love IM and Gandalf, Gandalf is not Dumbledore and Dumbledore is not Gandalf. Just because they're old men with beards and magic powers doesn't mean they're the same character. But on the flip side that's not at all surprising that the first pick for a movie studio is "person who played a similar character in ".

[@AmarothEng]

I can really respect that. We also have way too many jokes about Elrond coming back to Middle Earth from Matrix as it is, this would add yet another similar one to the pile.

[@mcolville]

An HOUR and TWENTY MINUTES? Jesus how can anyone talk this long about that show....

[@pokemon1895]

If there's a lot to say, you gotta say it.

[@MrSilvUr]

I suspect the data will show that much of the conversation was about other things (as well).

[@jackothelantern]

*laughs in EFAP* Just an hour?

[@sixmonthgaze135]

I know right

[@broce8126]

I think I’ll know exactly how in about 80 minutes from now

[@Emunseelie]

I cannot understand how the hobbits count as "good" if they just abandon anyone with an infirmity. That's basic, very basic foundation of goodness, the capacity to care for one another.

[@sudonickx]

I am a frequent lurker in the live streams and it's always a good time listening to uncle matt talk about nerd stuff.

[@SonofSethoitae]

I dunno if I agree having the Ruin of Numenor, the forging of the Rings, and the fall of Khazad-Dum all happen at the same time is cooler than having them all happen at different times because it makes the world feel kinda small. Edit: also, Gil-Galad was killed by the heat of Sauron's hands, which is metal as fuck: "The Ring misseth, maybe, the heat of Sauron's hand, which was black and yet burned like fire, and so Gil-galad was destroyed"

[@daveschrumpf8261]

It is interesting to note your perception of film vs TV shows and the latter being more "disposable." 20 years ago, I think that was basically correct. TV shows were more like short stories, and films were more like novels, especially as concerned the prestige attached to each. Now, however, I think the opposite is true. Prestige TV, as offered by streaming services, I think are now more akin to novels, with more complex storylines and character development, whereas film is largely a medium for shorter stories.

[@TankDerek]

Yeah, I definitely think there's a generational shift here. I wouldn't go so far as to call the blockbusters of today "junk" but they're not much more than an entertaining way to pass a couple of hours. You don't go to Jurassic World, or The Avengers, or Mission Impossible, or Star Wars for much more than spectacle. They might be really well executed spectacles, but there's not much depth or even much creativity on display. There are still a few directors out there making really great films of course, but their films rarely get a really wide release or even a much in the way of cultural attention.

[@fang_xianfu]

Even modern prestige TV is a bit too self-indulgent, I think. Especially since they realised they don't need 44 minute episodes; the 2h30m final episode of Stranger Things is proof enough of that. There's often still an incredible amount of fat on those scripts that could be trimmed. I think we do live in the golden age of that type of television, and it keeps getting better and better, but it still has a lot to improve before it hits its peak, I think. It's part of why it's an exciting medium, warts and all.

[@kingcrow15]

Yup, I don't think it's right to say that an 8 episode show is written under that same 10 days per episode constraint that an old school 30-ish episodes per season shows were made under.

[@charliericker274]

No there was good TV 20 years ago and even before that matt doesn't like TV he explained the reasons that he has. Wholeheartedly disagree I think there is junk TV yes but there are also junk movies and there is good TV and there are good movies and I don't watch TV to veg out and look at pretty colors and honestly it's a little insulting the way that he describes people who watch TV but it's okay because I love Matt and all his work so.

[@manatillia]

+

[@seanvalentinus]

I remember the first time I watched the Peter Jackson LotR, when I didn't know the plot. The *moment* I heard Saruman I thought "Oh, 'Sauron's man'. Well he's going to betray them pretty quick." And I didn't understand why they would lampshade that twist so heavily. Took a while for me to figure out that that's just what Tolkein thought the fella should be called, and the fact that he was then the one to betray seems to just be a coincidence.

[@WisdomThumbs]

Same! That really helped my parents follow the story on the first few viewings.

[@Antenox]

I mean, he was being played by Christopher Lee, so being a bad guy was also pretty heavily suggested by casting, lol

[@Lordgrayson]

@@Antenox Its why we say Boromir and knew "Oh... That character is gonna die heroically"

[@3nertia]

For me, the scene where Durin gives Elrond the Mithril felt natural BUT they painted Elrond as a highly logical person and Durin asked him to keep the Mithril a secret, so, in my mind, Elrond would've [diplomatically] refused the gift on the basis that keeping a secret is far more difficult if you're literally carrying that secret around with you 24/7 ...

[@Detson404]

With respect, the Peter Jackson movies looked better with the exception of some landscape shots, and even that is a near thing. The costume design for the Jackson films was worlds better than in RoP.

[@FodderMoosie]

This idea is less than half-formed in my brain - I'm somewhat improvising it right now as I type this - but I think there's more value in hearing thoughtful critiques that you disagree with than in hearing your own opinions repeated by someone. And that's what I got a good amount of from this, so thank you. You've got me reconsidering things I found unassailable, and your perspective comes from a worker in the craft, not just one of us many consumers of media who haven't ever had to put our money where our mouth is. Thank you! I'm definitely rewatching the last episode, and might redo the whole season. Or at least some standout moments.

[@Illianor123]

You don't learn or grow from being in an echo chamber.

[@FodderMoosie]

@@Illianor123 I agree wholeheartedly with this statement! And there's nothing ironic about that! ;)

[@moriims]

My problem with Halbrand was I clocked it almost immediately. I think it was the second or third episode where Galadriel and Halbrand are separated and we find out that the mark thing that Galadriel is chasing after refers to where Mordor is going to be, and we find out that Halbrand is a smith and he wants to hang out in Numenor. Then after that, I was in this weird limbo where I was unable to get invested into either Halbrand or Sauron because I was entangled with the question of what Sauron's plan was but the show wasn't engaging with that question at all. It wasn't until after the finale that I realized they were doing parallel storylines with Sauron/Galadriel and Gandalf/Nori and that Halbrand's motivations were supposed to be genuine.

[@valentine9363]

just watched the seventh seal, and thinking about the distinction matt draws between theater and film actors, i think max von sydow's antonius block demonstrates that really well. he's doing very little capital-a Acting, very little strong displays of emotion, but you absolutely believe that he is that man, suffering immense psychological torment and at a complete loss for where to find meaning in his life

[@nickcoulson4968]

I loved the "I was awake before the breaking of the first silence" because it reminds me intensely of Mephistopheles in Faust: "I am part of the part which at the first was all." This thing of absolute evil has experienced ultimate good and know more about it that you ever will, has experienced it and through that experience claims to be it, or even a shadow of good; and uses that connection to rationalize and justify anything.

[@CitanulsPumpkin]

Brendan Fraiser is a fantastic actor. Had he not been targeted, harassed, and black listed by shitty studio execs he would have gone on to star in a dozen more movies that would have been easy picks for top fifty movies of all times lists. Ian McKellen is also a great movie actor. His scenes with Patrick Stewart are the best scenes in the X-Men movies outside of the McAvoy Fassbender scenes in first class. McKellen's performance is the only good thing in X3.

[@robertegblack]

When Galadriel went in to join them in forging the rings after her conversation with Halbrand, I thought I’d missed something and rewound.

[@chalor182]

Moria in its heyday is a concept I have always been slightly obsessed with ever since childhood and I'm sad they didn't make it more grand and wondrous.

[@eoinmccormack1940]

I will say I strongly disagree with the statement that RoP just flat out looks better than the PJ trilogy. I think the armour/clothing and world building is much weaker and feels less authentic. I also do strongly dislike the casting/characterisation of galadriel but if others like it then good for them.

[@KalonOrdona2]

Only the widest of shots look good. I almost liked the wide shot of Numenor until I realized the harbor they have is way too small. A lot of the towers they have are nice, when they're not being held together by rope. But the costuming is halloween-bad with a few exceptions. Everything looks superficial, or fake materials.

[@Illianor123]

@@KalonOrdona2 Plastic armour doesn't compete with leather and metal aunthenticity.

[@DanteShadowfall]

I called Halbrand super early. He talked to her about taking what people fear and using it. Of binding things to him. He was a fanatic smith. In the first episode they said Galadriel would give power to the thing she was trying to destroy and the entire show she was helping him. He even told her he took the symbol off a dead man. I was just sitting there going "yeaaaaaaah...."

[@verdantmistral442]

When I compare adaptations to the book... I don't think it should adhere to the book 100% but at the same time there are certain things you expect to be played within a certain tolerance. I do not mind departing from the story if it fits the tone of a scene/story or the character of a character. That said, somethings need to be done a certain way. The Hobbit movies are a primary example to me. There are some scenes in the first movie that hit the book's tone and feel perfectly (the dwarves' song about the dragon), some scenes that improve on the original (Gollum in the riddles in the dark scene merging in his portrayal from the LotR movies), and others the seem fitting to add, and other that mess up the moment. For example, I loved the Thorin moment where he tells Gandalf that he will not protect Bilbo. Not from the book, but 100% in line for the character. But they ruin this scene during the encounter with the Trolls. Thorin throws down his sword to save Bilbo. Why? Not from the book, inconsistent with the character, and worse even inconsistent with the movie itself. I liked the inclusion of Radagast. I disliked the bunny sledding scene with the orcs during the daylight. It missed the tone, it showed a lack of understanding of the world, and was an action scene for the sake of action. The first Hobbit movie was a roller coaster of great and terrible moments. Ultimately, I forgave the bulk of its missed moments since the great moments were so good. But the second one soured the problems further. It really felt inconsistent with itself and the source material.

[@KalonOrdona2]

Very well put

[@ArcNeoMasato]

I can honestly say, I'm starting to go into the non-TV camp myself, mostly because it's just getting obvious how much modern TV relies on filler to pad stories out, especially shows like RoP that have a specific, overarching plot to be told. As for RoP itself, aside from pacing issues, my biggest issue with it isn't so much "not what I expected", but too many direct contradictions to Tolken's writings, and how they went about it in marketing. Like.... make changes and adapt things to the different medium for sure, that's needed for all adaptations, but the way they went about hiring "Tolken experts", who made videos saying "well, he never said ____ one way or the other", when he blatantly DID say one way or the other on that topic, it just feels.... slimy in a way. Like, if you're gonna make a lot of changes, just do that, but when you try to act like you're filling in blanks that were never explained, when they WERE explained, and therefor, weren't blanks to begin with..... I just really hate that form of marketing. It's part the same issue I have with the recent He-Man series. I actually DID like the show, but I'm still irritated with how the director reacted when people were saying "This show will likely be about Teela more than He-Man", declaring that wasn't the case......when it totally was. Like, just leave it at no comment, don't go out and lie about it.

[@thesuntitan]

Yeah, I agree with everything, my personal gripe with RoP is how insincere everything felt. I would be happy to give the showrunners leeway since the whole thing is a production nightmare... if they actually gave me some sign that they cared about putting out a decent, well-written product.

[@anthonyayers9405]

Man, this is incredibly inspiring, Matthew. For real, it makes me want to drag old unfinished stories out of the closet and revisit them. Thank you for sharing this.

[@williampounds5191]

Highlight of the video: "Why do you have wagons if they can't carry sick people?!"

[@ryanb3254]

I'm hoping the Stranger is one of the blue wizards and not Gandalf, because all we really know about the blue wizards is they went East. Also, Tolkien wrote precious little on the blue wizards so there is a lot more space to work with

[@matthewconstantine5015]

I had in my head that maybe Sauron had been broken into pieces, and that the Stranger and Halbrand were going to be pieces of him, one cast into the ocean, and one cast onto the land. I was probably reaching.

[@JacobHuber]

I also had this thought and was thinking that the main cultist was part Sauron at one point.

[@csantoro7738]

At around 49:50 you mentioned "Halbarad" instead of "Halbrand". This gave me a chuckle because Halbarad is actually a really cool character from LoTR, as I'm sure you were alluding to! He's one of the Rangers in the Grey Company, and he unfurls the banner of Gondor + the standard of Elendil at the battle of the Pelennor Fields. Cool little (accidental?) reference.

[@mcolville]

Yeah I kept calling him Halbarad.

[@csantoro7738]

Don't worry, I still got what you were saying. As a side note, I especially agreed with your take on the power of the scene where Sauron and Galadriel have a sort of "battle-of-wills". An interesting piece of information about Sauron's motivations comes from some of the supplementary novels, I believe from the Silmarillion. Sauron was originally a Maiar of Aulë, hence his love of smithery. However, what Melkor did to him was plant a seed of great ambition. Melkor initially was like a more powerful, more cruel and deeply evil version of Sauron. He manipulated Maiar (think the Balrogs, among others) to serve him by presenting his grand vision for Middle-Earth. Sauron does a similar thing in LoTR, however it is noted that Sauron's vision following Melkor's (Morgoth's) permanent imprisonment became one of order: he wanted to control the will of others above all (think the forging of the rings, the Nazgûl, his creation of a cult on Númenor/changing their ways to be more warlike and oppressive). He wanted to make Middle-Earth bend to his will, because he believed that he was the rightful ruler of it, as Morgoth did. The difference was in how they attempted to accomplish that (at least in some ways, Orcs are always a constant). I've always found the pursuit of order - and the ambition/pride a leader might have to motivate them - to be an interesting take for fantasy villains. Sauron believed that he could right the wrongs of Middle-Earth by uniting the world under his banner. However, Morgoth poisoned him like he did many others and, in exposing Sauron to darker magics, thus changed Sauron's methods into the cruel ones we are familiar with. Sauron still believes that he is doing the right thing, and when you mentioned that his motivations are, in some ways, convincing, I did a little jump for joy. As you exclaimed, it's so powerful because Sauron promises to heal the deep wounds in Middle-Earth, and that resonates with Galadriel. She denied him because his idea of healing and order has been corrupted by evil, or in other words, greed and ambition. Is ambition inherently bad? No. But in Tolkien's works a theme common to several races (ESPECIALLY Aulë's creations - the dwarves) is the potential for an abundance of ambition to become a corrupting form of greed. Sauron has copious amounts of that ambition, and here's where it got him.

[@mikeb.1705]

Bingo and Trotter... I think those names would have changed the whole tone of the books toward one of humor >.> "Why do they call him Trotter?" "It ain't cuz of his long legs. He has a fondness for green apples." ... "So you're saying you need someone to take the Ring to Mount Doom and chuck it in?" "Bingo!" "Yes?" "Sorry. I meant: yes, that is exactly what we need."

[@artano2582]

my thoughts on the Appendices - I appreciate them far more now that I do my own world building. growing up, they were never entertaining, but now, I see them as world building. more akin to a setting book. setting books don't make good TV or movies. they make good worlds that good stories can be told in I haven't seen the Rings of Power yet, but one of the major criticisms I have heard from my fellow LOTR nerds was that it changes the source material. I don't really understand the "just film the book" argument. the source material is a source book, not a story. Its a sandbox. and I am interested in seeing the stories that come from it

[@MrocnyZbik]

Silmarillion, book I had to read 3 or 5 times to get who is who apart from Melkor and Sauron and other bad guys. But yeah, liked it very much. Also Melkor ends really sad, he got 7 wounds after Noldor King that will never heal and always hurt, king of eagles left a scar through his face that will always hurt, his hands are burnt by Silmarills that always hurt, he wears an iron crown that gives him the father of all migraines and he limps because of the same elven king.

[@keithjones5568]

This is going to sound really out of left field I think, but I really wish I could've been a fly on the wall when Matt first saw Red Death's "lesson" monologue on the Venture Bros. Because it's a master class in real villainy, and frankly I can't imagine anyone seeing that for the first time and staying quietly in their seat. It's just too good.

[@Revenante_of_Asylum]

To be fair, Galadriel thought she was forging a magic item to *fight* Sauron with, and her input was strictly to potentially counteract his influence. After all, if Sauron gets one, and the elves get two, they got him outnumbered... ...or so they think.

[@Bog_Dog]

yeah on the Irish traveller hobbits, I don't understand how they got away with it, a lot was made of it in Ireland but nobody else seems to care, I cringe all the way through those parts. but any mention of it online I get dumped on, usually by Americans who declare the harfoots the best part of the show so..

[@AlleyFang]

"the only reason to watch this is because you are bored and care about my personnal and idiosyncratic opinion..." ...thats like, the whole reason I ever subscribed go on :)

[@bradpirochta9293]

Always good to hear your insight. I'm also a 80s kid, d&d, etc... for the record, I am not a Tolkien worshiper. I too, love the hobbit, but can't make it through The Lord of the Rings on AUDIBLE! How sad is that? But, I am in awe of the level of detail of Tolkien's universe. Just the breadth of information of a world that doesn't exist is just astounding. All that being said... I couldn't make it through the first episode of the Rings of Power. To be fair, I am extremely fickle. If something doesn't grab me in the first episode, heck, even the first 15 minutes, I'll be like "Nope. Moving on." I smelt a Mary Sue and was like... boooooring.

[@nordicnugz]

I know you don't really like to post long form content like this on your youtube channel anymore. But listening to you talk about shows and movies like this; and talk about the good, the bad and the ugly is so incredibly insightful to me. I don't really read much at all, so getting your input on stuff like this helps me out so much when I'm thinking about my D&D games. I think I came up with several ideas for my current game just watching this video. Thanks for the great insight and taking the time to post stuff like this!

[@treymclemore3418]

Thanks for making this a video! I got my buddy to start watching this live stream halfway through and he really enjoyed your take. Now I can just link the video! P.s. Looking forward to Count Von Glauer

[@wanderinghistorian]

I freaking love "12 Angry Men." One of my favorite films of all time.

[@Anthem1018]

To your Brendan Frasier point... A League of Their Own - Rosie O'Donnell tells a story of how Geena Davis seemed to be not acting as far as Rosie and Madonna could tell, then they went to the opening and immediately understood the difference between them and a movie star. Great story!

[@thisguy6466]

"Unearned" is probably best descriptor for the entire show. Many characters acted in unwarranted ways, received unwarranted responses, and then proceeded to achieve anyway. I felt an immense amount of narrative dissonance in the early episodes especially because Galadriel is driven to prove her point about Sauron to the extent that she disregards the life of fellow elves, her station, etc. and instead of focusing on it, it kind of gets brushed aside without the social implications I feel it should have had. The social implications of her actions were huge, but the reactions to them were ignored because the show was written to be enjoyed in a vegetative state. It's lazy writing and i'm not surprised given how Amazon brutally misunderstood and botched Wheel of TIme.

[@kevinz8554]

What are you talking about? It doesn't get brushed aside - she got sent back to Valinor. I agree that there are plenty of good examples, but this isn't one of them.

[@spagbol3104]

@@kevinz8554 I thought Gil Galad doesn't have the power to just send people back?

[@dillonwyatt8144]

Regarding the final episode and its reveal. I knew from the lore that Sauron aided in the creation. So I was looking out for that but it didn't really strike me that it would be the man. So this plot twist was, in general, good as it made sense for him to be there and to be involved once he understood what was going on. What bothered me was that the show wanted this reveal in season 1 and wanted Galadriel to know it. Had they continued with the mystery and let us ( and Galadriel ) see Halbrand do some actual GOOD; the temptation would be stronger and the tragedy of him becoming the dark lord all the more compelling. As it stands, Galadriel mysteriously become suspicious of Halbrand for no discernable reason I saw and forced the scene. I normally expect shows to start strong, wane, then build up at the end. This show generally stayed flat and tanked at the end. I am not looking forward to season 2 and may likely stop watching unless there is a good pickup in quality.

[@nevoyu]

Matt really makes me want to just sit down and write a story sometimes. His discussion of Tokiens writing process is amazing.

[@Arkanjil]

Took a long while to get to the point of the title, but the point was well elucidated and thoughtfully laid out. Thank you for this.

[@bradleyhurley6755]

I'm okay with wondering Hobbits. I thought it was a cool way to show that we are experiencing the world a long time before LotR. Would be nice if at a future date we see them settle down.

[@ernesto906]

i stopped watching the show after 3rd episode, main reason: 1. Galadriel obnoxious character, the character is entitled, arrogant, and a violent physicopat. minor reasons: 1. The non-hobbits hobbits sings about leave non behind until they do if they are a minor inconvenience. 2. Overall boring episodes with nothing happening most of the time. 3. The elf and woman romance that you have just to believe, just because the script say so. 4. How the orcs build super wide trench, clearing quite big part of forests and no one notice it? For what I have heard there are more illogical and inconsistent stuff in later episodes and I'm not up to that.

[@GGLumberjack]

It's like Matt knows when we need a new video. An hour and a half of gold, thank you.

[@moriims]

One thing that really stuck out to me while watching was the dialogue scene between Galadriel and Theo. It felt like they forgot to drop some info about Galadriel and had to squeeze it in somewhere and they just picked "while being pursued by orcs after a volcanic eruption" for Galadriel to open up about her life before war and about her husband to a total stranger. THEN it feels like they wanted to do something with Theo since, y'know, he's here and they can't just have him be a rubber duck for Galadriel to monologue to. So they have Galadriel hand him her sword and say "we'll make a soldier out of you yet" and the score swells with triumph as Theo smiles at her and at this point alarm bells are ringing in my brain because I don't think I can imagine a more antithetical thing for a LOTR protagonist to do than arm a child soldier and frame it as anything other than a tragedy. I hated it in the Helm's Deep scene of the Jackson movies, and I hate it here, but at least Jackson framed it as being a result of the heroes' desperate circumstances. Rings of Power started out writing an anti-war scene and somehow ended up using film language to suggest that an enthusiasm for violence is an aspirational rite of passage. I dunno, maybe I'm reading too much into it, but that scene has been bugging me for a while and to me shows they didn't really understand the themes of what they're adapting.

[@AmarothEng]

Got the same thoughts and it can be universally applied throughout many parts of the show. The writers of the script clearly were in rush and weren't really taking time to take a more critical look at their work orto double-check the previous scenes to make sure it makes sense and connects. There is a lot of scenes which lack any prior setup. There is a lot of scenes which contradict what was set up before. And there is a lot of scenes which actually make no sense if you spend even a little bit time thinking about them. The amount of plot holes is simply glaring. It shows blatant rush and/or lack of care. It's like the first draft, before one actually reads it after they wrote it.

[@inspectorpenguin4474]

She’s comforting a kid who just had his world blown up. She’s opening up because she’s also been situations where she felt her world fell apart and she’s trying to establish a connection. She brings up being a soldier because Theo wasn’t responding to anything else she was saying. It feels like you just can’t follow simple logic. Were you watching the show while looking at your phone? This isn’t terribly complex, at all you should have been able to follow along.

[@davidsooley6548]

I think it’s really interesting what you said about good and bad writing. Where conflict arises out of motivations and worldviews instead of contrived because it needs to happen. It feels like the show is falling into the same pitfalls as game of thrones did, where they went from having to trim things down from volumes of source material to fit a run time, and prioritized pacing, to having to read things in to connect bullet points of sparse source material. The writers had a famous high profile example of what not to do and still made some of the same mistakes. Despite this, there’s an absolute abundance of fertile ground to draw organic conflict from, and I think what bugs me the most about it is that so much of it was put there by the writers and it went under-utilized. Maybe these scripts and outlines need more time for review, so the writers can refine their own work, see what’s really good and lean into that, and follow up on their own opportunities.

[@monosito59]

"or ONE unfinished STAR CITIZEN" lmao Goddamn that hit like a surprise orbital strike.

[@chaotickreg7024]

I don't like having to look for the next video so 80 minutes of consistent content is awesome, thank you for releasing this without shortening it.

[@johnstuckert3292]

24:51-"500 Million dollars, or one unfinished star citizen" - That was just perfect. I am gonna have to use that

[@ImrazorZodd]

I am still hoping that it's not actually gandalf, but one of the blue wizards. Unfortunately there were so many hints that it has to be him. Unless they try to one up the stuff thus far with a triple bluff. Would really be cool if it was good Saruman.

[@Bellbebell]

Amazon only has access to LOTR and its appendices, so unless the Blue Wizards are in those specific appendices, we won’t be seeing Blue Wizards due to the particulars of the rights agreement. Would be cool to finally see those guys on screen though

[@jaxrobinson3890]

500 million, or, 1 unfinished Star Citizen.... That one cut me deep, man. I laughed, and then I had to sit down because of the pain. Nice one.

[@FerreusDeus]

TV is junk, but series on streaming services don't play by the same rules as TV. There's a lot of streaming series that do advance the plot or character arcs with every scene. Stranger Things and Daredevil are excellent examples of cinematic quality in a series (though I hear Disney is talking about going back and altering the latter series). My point is I expect high quality from series now.

[@nswmeeuwes89]

The show had too many problems with leaps in logic and characters making weird decisions. Halbrand trying to get Galadriel to join him could have worked, but it was undermined by the rest of the show. They didn't have the experiences together, had not created a strong enough bond, for that scene to land properly. But yeah, the only way you can enjoy this show is by not paying much attention to what is happening. I am disappointed, but at least House of the Dragon is good. ^^

[@SoloSynth]

My man Brendan Fraser getting a big shout out from Sir Ian there ❤️

[@edwardg8912]

I'm actually considering writing my thesis for my Master's of English Literature on Tolkien and his parody of Austen/the Victorian Novel. The classicism is an acknowledgment of the history of England, and how ingrained it has become in England of Tolkien's day and the century before (The Shire, Bree, etc) compared to Rohan (Anglo-Saxon, honor distinguishes, etc). So, just to say that the classicism in LotR is not necessarily Tolkien's real thoughts (see his Catholic faith, which explicitly forbids it), but is observational.

[@IKnowVlasic]

@56:40 Moths are a direct visual callback to Gandalf in Jackson's LOTR. He speaks to one atop Orthanc to call Gwaihir.

[@rolandcooke]

Interested in whether @mattcolville considers that the big budget chapterized stories being told on HBO Max / Amazon Prime etc are a new format sitting between movies and old school episodic TV. Clearly there's massive difference between Rings Of Power and (original) Star Trek in terms of budget and provided writing time.

[@Campfire_Bandit]

Matt! I appreciate your view on the medium and I have to say I agree with a lot of what you are critical of. Recently I watched Seasons 1-4 of Castlevania on Netflix and I actually felt like it defied a lot of the expectations you would have for a show. I would love a format like this video talking about the clever and maybe not as clever things that they did on that show.

[@soren9780]

Daredevil (originally on netflix) was also an incredible show. I think the ability to have more time allows for depth of character and a longer character arc. I definitely understand Matt's opinions, and I think probably 95% of shows made are not well written but the 5% can do some incredible work. But I'd love a x show, the good and the bad series haha

[@Ikaruwa]

The comment about Tolkien rewriting the trilogy from zero over and over every time he solves his dead ends is crazy. The only thing I can think of that is anywhere near that exhausting to think of is how Phil Fish described making the game Fez; he said he had to teach himself pixel art and music and level design and etc., and as he'd make the game he'd have an epiphany about some better way to do a thing and then go throw away EVERYTHING he had made and start over from scratch with the new improved development process.

[@markus_k]

A very insightful review so far. I love that it is so different in its tone while addressing issues.

[@AlbeitAbsolute]

“Vancian bullshit.” I fucking knew it.

[@charliepepper333]

The estranged grandson Simon Tolkien, wants you to hate The Lord of The Rings in an act of revenge upon his family’s legacy.

[@nathangreenberg3683]

Thanks for making this. I think a lot of the people that watch DND content are the same that can benefit from hearing this

[@buckhunt6832]

YES!!! MATT!!! I am telling you, please post longer videos! I know you can't keep everyone happy, but please consider more longer videos. I will listen to every word/ thought/ opinion you have to share

[@jakobjoelsson6414]

Check out his twitch! Thats where this comes from.

[@buckhunt6832]

@@jakobjoelsson6414 yes, but I'm a KZbin guy :/ I'll will consider your message

[@Soupdude338]

@@buckhunt6832 Twitch saves vods for a month or more or something allowing you to watch any recent thought or idea he has had in multi hour long videos at your own speed. It will even show you his other videos. For how I use twitch, its just youtube.

[@NoInfoAvail]

It's hard for me to ignore how the elves said they needed mithril or they would die. Then after getting said mithril we never learn what they needed it for, because that mithril is then used for one or more of the three rings. Cel didn't know how to make rings when they knew they needed it. Where they gonna grind it up and sprinkle it on each other or something?

[@doomedwit1010]

Agree on getting old and consuming media. I don't know how many times I have seen a reviewer praise some movie as novel or creative and I'm like "this book did that better, this book did that better, and this book covered this idea... and I read those 10 years ago. But not everyone reads 20-50 sci fi novels in a year.

[@Catlord98765]

I havnt watched this full video yet, but I intend to soon. I think I mostly liked the show. My favourite parts was definatly the early Orcs V. Humans storyline, although that was not without its flaws as well. The dwarves were cool but it felt like they didnt matter much. Like how the story just completly forgot about the forge. The halflings were fun at times but at other times they seemed mean and un-caring. I guess my reaction to this show is "I liked some of it, but..."

[@adamwhite2641]

A detail I saw in the Sauron vs Galadriel is that Sauron was gone when Galadriel woke up. I don't believe she was truly complicit because she suggested to make 3 instead of 2 and undermined Sauron's original plan.

[@KalonOrdona2]

"We don't know what happened to Galadriel or Gil-galad" ?! I feel like we super do, though. Galadriel and Celeborn hung out with Gil-galad in Lindon, then founded Eregion (by this time their daughter is already grown and with them), and then they went over the mountains and founded Lorien. Meanwhile Gil-galad (Galadriel's grand-nephew) is taking over for Turgon after the fall of Gondolin, he senses a servant of Morgoth coming from a thousand years away and starts setting up all over the place & coordinating with Numenor, notices right away that Annatar is bad juju and broadcasts this information to everyone immediately. This is the problem with collapsing thousands of years into all at the same time. They could have easily done a time-skip per season and not worried about running out of money because they already set aside enough for 5 seasons.

[@bigklu4756]

I agree with you that TV is "basically junk". How much of that, do you think, was a legacy from its predecessor, radio?

[@WisdomThumbs]

The cultist-wraiths and their death by moth was 200% Gandalf visual nod. But “I’m GOOD.” That line threw me.

[@Southpaw_Blue]

Always love your takes Matt.

[@atreides213]

I actually thought the Stranger’s “I’m good” line was kind of sweet, because it heartens back to what Nori said to him a few episodes back. He’s affirming that her trust in his innate goodness was correct.

[@seanmurphy7011]

14:44 There is never an excuse for a scene where "nothing happens" even in television.

[@sgt.peterson5814]

Hey Matt thanks for putting this up It was great Would love to see more

[@MightyGachiman]

This show was not a retelling of the legendarium because they don't have the rights for those

[@trioofone8911]

I think the best TV THESE DAYS is made much better than what you are talking about. The bar has been set much higher in all the writing senses: plot, dialogue, setting, character development, etc. TV shows are bot what they were in the olden times. 😆

[@cdfreester]

When you mentioned 12 Angry Men and who gave the most understated, internal performance (less is more), I thought of E.G. Marshall as Juror #4. Take another look at when he puts Juror 10 down for being a bigot and I think you'll see what I mean.

[@EliasMheart]

I have recently thought that Legolas-Fighting is actually not that bad, since he is several thousand years old. If he trained an hour every months, he'd have trained for what, 42k hours? make it two hours, and he trained for an entire worklife, without getting weaker, older, with teachers who have fought in the war against Morgoth. It looks silly, but as a way of showing "this person is really effective at what they are doing", I think it makes sense. Would be interested in your opinions ;)

[@dvklaveren]

Have you seen Arcane, Matt? It feels like the perfect story for you, because it is really using the worldbuilding to the fullest. The writing is so perfected and well observed, I'll revise this comment to say that I think of the idea that Arcane will inform the next 40 decades of screenwriting as a cold, hard fact.

[@Siowen_art]

Best writing I have seen in anything for years.

[@lynx655]

As I recall, Matt couldn’t get over the face animations, because it gave him the impression of being overdone instead of having good writing, so he didn’t finish watching it. Take this with the understanding that I am not Matt, and might have gotten the wrong impression, but I am 100% sure he is aware of Arcane, so if he doesn’t address it, he just doesn’t want to needlessly stir emotions about something he doesn’t care much about, but apparently many people enjoy.

[@dvklaveren]

@@lynx655 That strikes me as odd, in the way only humans can be odd. Given what he does and what kind of products he interfaces with, the facial animations being overdone seems like a less than credible characterization. And yet I believe you. That is tragic. I firmly believe that Arcane has the single most important screenwriting for the past two decades. It's observations are going to inform the next four decades of movie writing and I don't say this to exaggerate, I say it as cold as a fact as I can observe it. With his passion for writing, I hope Matt finishes it, because I wouldn't want him to miss that train.

[@ItsShatter]

I know in the past you've said you don't like game of thrones (and probably House of the Dragon by extension) but both of those shows are masterclasses in drama/believable motivation and development for characters.

[@Esanssi10]

Eh. Partially, maybe. But again, we have to remember that these are shows that are years and years long. In those years, characters in the original GoT made plenty of dumb, unmotivated choices for the sake of Plot Progression. Again, as per Matt's thesis here, that's not necessarily a bad thing. But people should really be better able to recognize those things. And House of the Dragon is just.... Well. I don't want to make the comment section here too negative, but let's just say I am utterly stunned at how well received that show is for the utter lack of quality in all departments it is displaying from week to week.

[@ItsShatter]

@@Esanssi10 I guess that’s your opinion to have. I only watched through the original GoT recently (all 8 seasons about 2 months ago) and that was my take on it (at least up to the last few episodes when it sort of fell apart). There was a pretty stupid scene at the end of episode 9 for House of the Dragon so hopefully that was a one-off in nonsensicalness. I find myself much more engaged with House of the Dragon compared to Rings of Power though.

[@goblinpunter1893]

I thought the same about Galadriel at the end of the episode. I was a bit confused about her hiding the truth from Elrond and Celebrimbor and wanting to forge ahead with the rings. When I thought about it for a second though, I think it makes some basic sense. The forging of the rings in the show is shown as a way for the elves to extend the meager amount of mithril they were able to mine, with the purpose of postponing their forced exodus to the West. I think her desire to see the rings forged is another manifestation of her obsession with ending Sauron - she is still refusing to give up the fight and is throwing everyone's lot in with the her and the elves'. The alternative is for her to be forced West, and she cannot accept that.

[@The3rdCraigRobinson]

The VOD clip was the perfect length for me to clean my office and (mostly) rearrange my mini painting desk while listening last night. Which made it a far more enjoyable endeavor.

[@imissnewspapers]

I LOVE Uncle Matt and all he has done to bring new DMs & Gamers to the fold. I actually worked at Decipher but left prior to him coming aboard. My only little regret from this particular steam was he brushed off & dismissive Matt was of how Stephen Colbert is also a huge fan of Lord of the Rings as we are.

[@vedrengrabelox3231]

There is a large area between "film every sentence" and Jodorowsky's Dune.

[@ElrohirGuitar]

Thank you for giving a review that is nuanced and honest.

[@Bradoslav]

The way Matt describes Tolkien's writing style just reminds me of those people who speed run the Dark Souls trilogy doing no hit runs. That level of frustration management is next level.

[@simorote]

I haven't watched a single episode. I haven't even watched the review, I'll watch your today 🙂

[@thehauntedhat5519]

When the stranger landed, I got pretty invested into the idea that he might be Sauron (even though I didn't seriously think the show would take it there.) It would have been such an interesting take on Sauron's fair form; hijacking the image of Gandalf to get the audience to perceive him as wise, divine, and trustworthy. It could have helped us be right there with Celembrimbor, emotionally, when he trusted in Sauron's plans.

[@JacobHuber]

When I heard that theory I was confused where Sauron would've flown in from lol

[@thehauntedhat5519]

@@JacobHuber Yep, and that's one of the reasons why it was obviously not the case.

[@LongSurreal]

I love watching these, i dont really have to time to catch them live anymore but would love you to upload more streams even if its to the second channel

[@TheBriguy1998]

While I understand your reasoning, Matt, on TV largely being not worth your time, but the same thing could be said about movies, or books, or any type of entertainment. Some stories are just meant to give you something fun or exciting to idly spend your time on; the vast majority of shows, movies and books fall under this category. Others, though, seek to be more than that, to be true works of art, and just like movies or books, TV shows can do this too. A season of a show takes longer to watch than a movie, sure, but if its well made, it will use that time to deliver a more deep, intricate and expansive story than you possibly could in just one film. Yeah, TV is mostly junk, but most of everything is junk; in this regard, I don't see how TV shows are any different from films, fundamentally. Both can be soulless corporate products not worth your time, and both can be works of passionate that are worth experiencing.

[@danvocals123]

The stuff you said about how tolkien wrote his books was super interesting. Matt has the best anecdotes. I feel very lucky to be apart of this channel.

[@gustavagust9281]

In truth what I was hoping from the Rings of Power was to be more digestible than the Silmarillion. Of course creative liberties would have to be taken, however I felt the show did not show or work upon the best parts of Tolkien’s work. The world should feel full of wonder especially considering the time it takes place in and the characters should be likeable (or deliver the wanted emotions). I felt that the characters weren’t as well developed, even their intros felt off. I feel that if a company wants to base their product on another it should improve upon what was already their (in this case a more digestible form), yet the series couldn’t quite deliver on this and instead felt closer to a fan-fiction version over being based on the actual thing. Anyway that’s my two cents I actually wanted to like the series and I do hope if they were to make another season to learn from the seemingly overwhelming negative reviews to make something great.

[@Paimon001]

When I heard the theory that Halbrand was Sauron, I more than half believed it, but I didn't want it to be true. I'd have been happier if the reveal with the three cultists was a real reveal. I definitely agree with your points about Saruman needing to be someone we like though.

[@MatsJPB]

I'm glad you uploaded this to youtube! I avoied the VODs on twitch, but I figured you probably wouldn't put in on youtube if it was just one and a half hours of "I didn't like this". A lot of interesting commentary in this one!

[@metumortis6323]

Honestly what I most would like out of a lord of the rings show is not an adaptation. i want to see someone tell the stories that were not told. I want blue wizards on their quests. I want the origim of the hobbits or orcs. I want to learn how why the Easterlings and Harridrim joined sauron. I already have the books but not these stories.

[@justinwatson16]

Did Star Trek fully overcome your general dislike of TV as a medium? I've kind of followed Ron Moore from project to project after his TNG and DS9 days because, while he has some real misses as a writer/showrunner, I find he almost always has an excellent grasp on character and drama.