Tom Bombadil, "Gandalf" and more - Answering YOUR Rings of Power Season 2 Questions!

[@EllieisaBanana]

I love that you guys aren’t just trashing the show like most creators. I feel like people forgot just how many restrictions the writers/creators have on them for the show. Keeping that in mind, I’m really happy with how this show is going. I’m an avid re-reader of these books as well, so it’s wonderful to see the care that goes into the show. (And of course there are issues in it as well, but still)

[@Fedaygin]

Yes indeed. Aesthetics in LOTR: Rings of Power are stunning & wardrobe not bad at all. S02 is very nice with many ways 🙂 Sooo waiting to relax with S02E05 via Prime Video ✅ That 5x seasons plan sounds perfect. Enjoy adventures into Middle-Earth with this Telly Show 👍

[@sheevinopalpatino4782]

Maybe don't make a show you can't actually make. This is just Amazon trying to squeeze money out of Lord of the Rings, franchising it. Disgusting behaviour.

[@Marky556]

@@sheevinopalpatino4782 Here we go...hater!!

[@x511100x]

People trash shows when they're trash. Putting people on a pedestal for simply saying that trash is good is really silly

[@latexgeneration]

I enjoy that they’re spending a little time on the plot lines they’re showcasing in each episode. I feel more attached to the characters with their extended scenes.😊

[@xpgaines]

I’m enjoying S2. Feels darker and more fantasy.

[@808rocker808]

Thank you! I've been waiting to see you cover this on The Breakroom.

[@gamingmoney]

Love the cricket in the background, feels like we’re sitting outside geeking out

[@boiledodenproductions]

I had a great time during the Livestream, thanks fellas. Keep them coming

[@bigdabz7105]

I liked how they dropped 3 at first because I personally like to binge a few at first like 2-3 then week to week

[@dakotajones674]

I love the actor they got for tom he is really good.

[@anneefreres3299]

Same!

[@whitajeman]

It was rough not getting a midnight release time which last season resulted in us on the Westcoast getting to watch at 9pm. But then finding out we got 3 eps upfront for me at least was awesome. I enjoyed watching them over a few days and then still having time to rewatch before ep 4 dropped (on my bday!) Love the show and honestly just love being able to spend more time in Middle Earth and to get to experience watching these with my son who loves all the LOTR as much as me

[@RyanHaney55]

This is a good format.

[@alexisbk9576]

Thank you, Erik and Evan!

[@erikadixon8341]

I am IN TEARS laughing at that eagle impression 😂😂😂😂😂 32:07

[@Killingglorie]

I don’t like the show personally, but I like hearing Erik’s opinion

[@matthewwest6039]

I think it checks out that they’re humanizing the orcs this season because the orcs are under Adar, who appears to care for them much more than Sauron, even calling them his children, whereas Sauron would kill one to make a point and say many would die to get what he wants (opening scene).

[@anneefreres3299]

They are technically all his children since he's one of the original 13

[@red_hobbit3323]

I wish they would include some kind of timeline since the 2nd age lasted around 3,400 years. It would give some context to how long Sauron was a puddle.

[@danieldesmond9202]

Doing the Lord’s work here

[@teebee6102]

Rorys father Roy was a much loved British actor too

[@comicsauniversalalliance8669]

Orcs were never hatched from mud. It was the Uru'Kai that were born from the mud.

[@Punslinger1005]

13:38 Tom also decreased the “ danger” of the ring as he can handle it and it means nothing to him

[@bensenzo]

I think the stranger is one of the blue wizards who's friend with Gandalf. It would explain why he knows Gandalfs lines. And I think when he goes back and meets Gandalf again he would tell Gandalf about the halflings and that will explain why Gandalf has a soft spot for halflings I think the dark wizard is also a blue wizard and is not evil at all. He wants the stranger so as to remind him who he is and what his purpose was for being brought to middle earth I think it is a misdirect by the show to make us think it's Gandalf and sauron

[@Fedaygin]

Excellent 🙂 Tom Bombadil actor's giggidy at end is perfect. Of course he had to ask Bond way to introduce Tom because he's been in a Bond Movie 🙂 Thank you for this good LOTR: Rings of Power talk 🙂 I look forward to wind-down late this evening in a dark room when stream S02E05 via Prime Video. "65 4K Telly & 5.1 🎧 🍵🥪🥝 Good Friday & weekend o/

[@Sadie3233]

Before James Bond, Rory Kinnear was Frankenstein’s Creature in Penny Dreadful! Dude is perfect for Tom Bombadil.

[@cmswerner]

I think it was Ulmo that shifted the boat with the wave. Cirdan has a special relationship with the Valar and I don't think he would have been so sure about using them. He would not be easily deceived. If it isn't Ulmo than it is a huge red herring. Plus, it wouldn't be the first time Ulmo has spoken to or inspired Cirdan.

[@Sadie3233]

About the canon discussion - there is no need for strict canon with LOTR or Marvel per se as there is original written source material. Everything is open to interpretation. Star Wars canon shows/movies on the other hand *are* the original source material and the books/comics are secondary. I think the books/comics can be drawn from like in the Acolyte, but I think in general it makes sense to have a consistent universe for the SW movies/shows. I do not think anyone needs to be the canon police though.

[@BillyBeenFishing]

Part 2 please!

[@6inch_galaxy]

Your own head canon is the best!

[@chrisevans212]

Man, perfectly said by Erik - "Do we need to know whether something's canon to care about a story? …A show should draw you in that much that all you care about is the show you're watching in this moment."

[@anneefreres3299]

Amen!!! I look at it like excellent fan fic

[@M32Mirach]

Call him "Young Dalf"

[@MyUnsecretIdentity]

41:10 you're forgetting Pharazon, I think his whole thing trying to gain power in Numenor is definitely leading to him being one of the Nine, plus it's speculated that at least some of the Nazgul were Numenoreans so I'm thinking maybe Isildur's father may end up getting a ring as well as maybe a couple of other characters in Numenor

[@anneefreres3299]

Maybe 2 of them but I doubt more

[@anni.68]

Pharazon led the attack against Valinor and is burried on the coast of Aman in the Caves of the Forgotten. His fleet was pulled into the chasm that opened between the Valinor and Numenor. Legend says that they will arise again in the Last Battle, the Dagor Dagorath, between the Valar and Morgoth, and that then they have to decide on whose side they will fight.

[@anneefreres3299]

@@anni.68 ok... I still think only 2 rings would go to Neumenor

[@thelodownshow313]

I heard the guy fairizon was talking to earlier lives near the eagles nest

[@MelRicanDePonce]

I haven’t read the books, and I am enjoying this new to me adaptation of Tolkien. I can rewatch the Peter Jackson extended editions again and again. I remember watching the original animation movies when I was a kid in the late seventies. People need to stop being so critical.

[@x511100x]

"It's clearly being crafted by people who love Tolkien." Unbelievable amounts of cope detected

[@leighmacbane5256]

The dark wizard, the witch king of Angmar??!!

[@evansaldana9008]

Dude no😂😂you gotta do some research on the lore😭

[@bensenzo]

​@@evansaldana9008then who is he according to the law?

[@Punslinger1005]

I am treating this as a totally separate entity from the movies and as someone else’s retelling of a story/legend. The retelling is never accurate. It can still be enjoyable

[@Pearls_Have_Eyes]

if the wizards arent the blue wizards I will be confused and angry but dragging out the reveal is even worse

[@Tac0maAr0ma]

Is the black Horse Boy tee gonna be available?

[@TheSteveSchulz]

Why would the eagle even know what is going on at court? Is some dude going out there to let them know who to support?

[@victoriac1139]

But does it make sense that it would be Gandolf?

[@CJAmara]

The fact that you guys can muster anything positive to say about this show is so interesting to me. I’m very impressed as this show has possibly the worst dialogue/writing and so many characters behaving in a contrived and in-world non-sensical way. Anyways, God speed.

[@skittles7306]

I think the stranger in Sauruman. He was there first, right? 🤔

[@anneefreres3299]

Oooooo that would be cool and make sense cause he started off good.

[@solarisdevorak]

Lol not gandalf but love the episode

[@juniper_btw]

I think, as it relates to orcs reproducing, it was only the Uruk-Hai that were hatching from pods, right? To show them as “better” orcs since they could move through daylight and etc.

[@anneefreres3299]

That was my understanding.

[@daveonwheeler7412]

I think eagles from south can talk right from lord of the rings war in the north

[@chrisfoye1574]

The Stranger is 1000% Saruman. Laid it on way to think to just be Gandalf. Season 3 fakeout. OMG 😱

[@zerokool2575]

I think it’s awesome that Bezos doesn’t give a shit about the haters cause the show is beautiful.

[@mndrew1]

Amusing how you guys are obsessed with misidentifying Radagast as Gandalf. Very Mephisto vibes. :)

[@M32Mirach]

Pacing?! Remember when story arcs were played out over the course of 25 or 26 episodes in a season? AND you were waiting for it to drop every week, maybe including extra delays for special broadcasts that preempt the regular schedule of shows. Fun. Much better than today. We are all so warped by the internet.

[@chasechaney3055]

Yo! Where Brandon at? Does he not like Lord of the rings?

[@AndyofCT]

They should have dropped all episodes at once. The episode pacing is fucked, but as a whole season, it could feel better. It looks beautiful though.

[@word90]

He should be one of the two blue wizards..but of course he wont be

[@Donovanlefferts]

On the contrary, I like a theory I saw posing him as Gandalf the Blue in this time.

[@word90]

@Donovanlefferts no, gandalf wasnt a blue. There was 2 blues that went east and failed , sarumon(who ppl didnt suspect of being evil till the bartle of the ring) radaghast the brown, and then gandalf the grey. I think evil wizard will end up a ringwaith

[@word90]

Although i do honestly think they are going to make him gandalf

[@Donovanlefferts]

@@word90 I am aware, I’m talking about a theory for the show, which has proven to take artistic liberties at times, and quite frankly, I’d be okay with this interpretation. Gandalf “wasn’t around at this time” as fans love to point out, but it would be an interesting take to make him one of the mysterious blues that was. And yes, the original description of the Witch King was a “dark sorcerer,” so that is also part of the theory. We don’t know the end to the Blues, so technically it’s not breaking any canon there. It is a belief that they both fell to Sauron, starting a cult which one already has, and as soon as the Stranger is brought up, he is assumed to be or be connected to the Dark Wizard, a preconceived assumption that he too is evil.

[@Donovanlefferts]

Give the Rings and Realms episode breakdown a watch/listen. He can explain it much better than I and they know the material as well if not better than most anybody.

[@cariad4297]

Seems a strange choice to discuss Tolkien with someone who has clearly never read a word he wrote.

[@richshaffer963]

It would make more sense for him to be Saruman. Gandalf the White says that he is Saruman as he should have been.

[@Punslinger1005]

Jack Black would have been my Bombadil. He can overdo parts, but Tom is very extra

[@anneefreres3299]

Absolutely not.

[@Punslinger1005]

@@anneefreres3299 no … it’s true. He would have been. I checked, with my own brain 😂 Who would your bombadil have been?

[@MoxieWidow]

No way. JB doesn't have the ability to get fully into the character and ends up needing to be his 'whacky' self. Tom's character deserves more respect.

[@emiltiwaz1022]

@@MoxieWidow Brian Blessed is Tom Bombadil.

[@notzachmccarthy]

As much as I’m enjoying this show. I’m still trying to figure out how this got a second season, but Willow didn’t

[@anneefreres3299]

I am sad Willow didn't and I bet it would've really hit it's stride

[@erickim3891]

First???

[@wonkywaddlingwaterwingedwriter]

Thank god no Maude this series. I'd hate for y'all to have to reexplain every scene to her again.

[@anneefreres3299]

Hey! I like her.

[@SethRGray]

I just...the movie was 100 percent correct to cut Bombadil, imho, I don't know that I needed him on screen. Also, I'm still slightly disappointed with Galadriel's reliance on physical fighting. Even before the ring she was trained in magic--by a Vala, if I recall.

[@bensenzo]

Tolkien said it himself that galadriel took part in fighting. I don't know why people have an issue with this🤦🏻‍♂️

[@SethRGray]

@@bensenzo I know, that's not my problem. I said I don't like her RELIANCE of fighting. There have been times where racing across the clearing to block a sword was for more work than a blast of magic would have been.

[@bigboxofstuff]

you are obviously not Tolken fans as this barley based on anything he wrote. Galadriel is the second oldest elf in this show and looks like she is the youngest. Sure it's pretty but the lore is all backwards. None of this is right.

[@anni.68]

Most of it is right. Only minor changes so far. Most of them irrelevant.

[@bigboxofstuff]

@@anni.68 in the very vaguest of senses they are right, like this guy was there and rings were made but ages are wrong order of the rings being made are wrong, some of the characters are just made up (which is actually fine as he didn't talk much about the second age) and Sauron would not have been introduced as a human that was just like "oh cool forge, can I help the master smith figure out alloys?" no there is nothing right about this show. I actually get made when something gets close to right because it pulls me back into Tolkien's universe from whatever weird Amazonian universe this is. If you want details watch The Broken Sword or Nerd of the Rings or In Deep Geek. Any real good LotR channel will break down all the BS this show is throwing at us just for views. I watch it because I have a morbid curiosity but I get no joy from it.

[@anni.68]

​@@bigboxofstuff The compression of the timeline has been discussed to death. It was made for practical reasons, because it's not nice when most of the characters in a show die after just a few episodes. As long as Isildur does not meet Celebrimbor, there is no damage done to the timeline anyway. The order of the forging of the Rings of Power is irrelevant. It does not change any character or any of the following events. Important is not when they were created, but why they were created. That Sauron would not chose a human form to infiltrate Eregion before he comes back as Annatar is just your personal opinion. It is not a change, it's an addition. I liked it, because it was a great introduction to the motives and schemings of Sauron the deceiver. Celebrimbor does of course know what alloys are. But he has an almost religious respect for Mithril. He treats it like an idol and _that's_ the real problem. Tolkien writes that the Elves never came so close to falling to "magic and machinery" as at this time, when they made the Rings of Power (J.R.R. Tolkien, The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter 131 to Milton Waldman). I do not need to watch Tolkien channels to know what the show does "right" or "wrong", because a) I know Tolkien's books pretty well myself and b) part of the criticism is just personal taste and has nothing to do with the books. I do not mind at all if people do not like the show. I e.g. do not like GoT. That's simply a matter of taste and that's ok. But in many videos the show has been criticized for "changes" that are actually no changes at all. Most people who criticize the show have absolutely no idea what they are talking about. That being said, Nerd of the Rings and In Deep Geek are very good Tolkien channels, and I like to watch them, which does not mean that I always have to agree with Matt. Part of his reviews are clearly his personal taste, which is fine, because he is a very open-minded guy and always tries to be fair. IMO the absolutely best, most in depth and most knowledgeable reviews of Rings of Power are Corey Olsen's "Rings and Realms".

[@georgefranklin8513]

Didn't that hobbit chick call him Grand Elf? That's was the sign for me

[@anneefreres3299]

No she said he needs a gand or a wand cause he's told her about his staff dreams

[@weago666]

I use a different ring of power. 😉😅😘

[@weago666]

Algorithm food!

[@anitawilliams-macleod7400]

Clearly you need to be reminded of what Yavanna said in the Silmarillion....she created the Guardians of the Trees, e.g. Bombadil and the Ents.

[@tjk3430]

If I'm a Tolkien fan I'm eating & puking up this garbage.

[@bensenzo]

Just don't watch it No one is forcing you Why is that simple concept difficult for you people to grasp🤦🏻‍♂️

[@tjk3430]

@@bensenzo because I love Tolkien and those responsible for this travesty deserve to be dragged through the mud. This is IP exploitation & should not be encouraged.

[@bensenzo]

@@tjk3430 you mean you're a Tolkien fanboy? And exactly who are you to decide that? Again, don't watch it. What's so difficult about that?

[@jamesdean3495]

​@@bensenzowhy would it upset you that he is trying to enjoy what turned out to be a terrible show based off the lore of his fav author ? Its weird you care that much, and its weird that it bothers you. That isnt a healthy reaction.

[@bensenzo]

@@jamesdean3495 if he thinks it's garbage he should just not watch it. What's so difficult to understand about that?

[@Nicho213007]

if the stranger turns out to be Gandalf this show will lose me completely just have him be a blue wizard already it's just so boring and uninspired if he turns out to be Gandalf🥱🥱

[@bensenzo]

I think the stranger is one of the blue wizards who's friend with Gandalf. It would explain why he knows Gandalfs lines. And I think when he goes back and meets Gandalf again he would tell Gandalf about the halflings and that will explain why Gandalf has a soft spot for halflings I think the dark wizard is also a blue wizard and is not evil at all. He wants the stranger so as to remind him who he is and what his purpose was for being brought to middle earth I think it is a misdirect by the show to make us think it's Gandalf and sauron