Who 's Fault Is The Great Wave?!? | Rings Of Power Episode 4 Reaction & Review | Amazon Prime

[@carolyncollins5367]

The secret passage password Elrond used was what the kids were saying in the Dwarf's home and why their mother, Disa, was telling them to stop. They were playing the "knocking" game.

[@reader2012]

I think Adar is the literal father of Orcs. I think he was a high elf, caught by Morgoth, and was the first elf experimented on to create the orcs. He looks like an elf that underwent torture, was corrupted, and perverted.

[@redcardinalist]

i would go along with that EXCEPT that he sayd he wan'ts to be god 9or words to that effect) adn that is surel Sauron? Who knows.

[@ace-of-teacups]

100%

[@hoon_sol]

I strongly doubt he is "the" singular father, but probably rather one of many; I doubt he is the first. Could be that they're going with that, though.

[@netflixandchinchilla]

Some are saying Adar is is the corrupted elf lord Maeglin and his burns would suggest this as he was thrown from the wall into flames in the battle of Gondolin. The only problem with that theory is that Maeglin died in Tolkien's writings, so the show writers would be making the assumption that he somehow survived if it is him.

[@PensandoRPG]

You are right. The actor that plays Adar is Uncle Benjen!

[@superboyprime515]

I was about to write that :)

[@Lucklaran]

59:25 The fact that this show makes you "kinda regret being honest" should be a huge red flag. You should never be ashamed or embarrassed by being honest, and I personally, applaud you for that. It shows you have actual courage and integrity. Anyone that actually watches your reactions, should see that. So yes, please, continue to be you. Your legitimate criticisms let me know that when you are praising parts of the show, it is "earned". You are not "shilling". Thank you for making these videos and spending the time to explain your feelings, both the good, and the bad.

[@Andres_Acosta]

Halbrands explanation to Galadriel alludes to him being Sauron, he wasn’t explaining diplomacy he was explaining control. Literally he described how Sauron gains control by giving the ring of powers to the lords playing into their fear/greed and then controlling them through the one ring.

[@skullknight4579]

u think he is powerless atm, or just pretending

[@Andres_Acosta]

@@skullknight4579 probably atoning, he stated he is trying to start anew, this coupled with the comment gil-galaad made in episode 1 about Galadriel fanning the flames more causing a catastrophe by chasing after sauron most likely indicates Galadriel’s obsessionis what will draw sauron out again.

[@WinterOnTheWeb]

Don't want to spoil stuff but this is a great comment! This kind of thinking is how I HOPE the writers are shaping the story...

[@thethessaliah]

@@skullknight4579 There was a period after Morgoth's defeat, Sauron was truly repentant but didn't last because he didn't want to submit to the judgment of the Valar. Now this is anyone's guess because the timeline is all tossed together and compressed.

[@CuddleBuddee]

I call BS on this comment. There is no unassuming person on Numenor with a silver tongue, charisma, smithy loving, deceptive, lies, thieving, shows any dark violent nature, or actively manipulates others with "advice" ... who has managed to fly low under the radar. Oh...wait. But no way it could him. He's already been shown to be the "One" "True King of the Southlands"! Oh...wait...🤣 lol

[@BossAttack]

I think it is very clear the show is setting up an arc for Galadriel to go from the super proud, "I'm always right, get out of my way" elf, into the Galadriel we will come to see in the LOTR. The issue is that her arc is taking a long while to move even a bit and we've essentially had 4 episodes now where she's basically just a bully while everyone tries to tell her to just chill and try a different tactic. And for some weird reason, she still hasn't learned that lesson in this episode. In fact, she got the Numenorean's support without having to switch tactics. So, she'll likely keep her bone headed tactic for a bit longer before learning that a concept called diplomacy exists.

[@Tony-hy1oy]

Why did she have to take up diplomacy if literally everyone didn't listen? When no one pays attention to you and you know that you are right, it is something desperate and of course you take a defensive and arrogant attitude precisely because no one tries to listen to you. In my opinion her character is right.

[@kano0794]

The little knock that Elrond does he overheard Durin’s kids playing earlier :)

[@vulamnguyen9453]

Nice catch!

[@Mavis-Tanya]

Hey! Love your videos ❤️ It's interesting to see her character as really arrogant, prideful and have a superiority complex (i.e. she's an elf lol). I get the vibes that she's out of touch with humans, as she's spent the last 1000 of years dealing with little to no Men (and Men no where near the Numenoreons epicness). I read this on Reddit today: Galadriel isn't acting like a teenager, she's acting like a grieving senior This perspective has really helped me appreciate Galadriel's characterization in RoP, so I thought I'd share it. She is capable of compassion and charisma, but after hundreds of years as a commander chasing Sauron she's simply gotten too used to pulling rank and seniority. She thinks her subordinates' concerns are petty and juvenile compared to hers in Forodwaith, but when she realizes one of her soldiers has collapsed she immediately goes back to help him out. She scolds the Numenoreans that their island was a gift of the Valar as if this generation of men cares as much as her about the past, yet as soon as Halbrand gives her advice she uses Miriel's fear of Numenor's future downfall to encourage her to take action. She changes her approach so quickly because she's not learning empathy, she's remembering it, occasionally breaking free from a bad habit of hiding her empathy behind grief and vengeance. I don't think her character arc will be about gaining an elder's wisdom. I think it will be about healing her grief, and thereby reclaiming the childlike wisdom of warmth and curiosity: The kind of warmth that we see in the horse riding scene and in her gift to Gimli; The kind of curiosity that allows her to understand Miriel's fears, and will later help her sense that "the world has changed" and that she must eventually leave it.

[@jinmiseru]

Yeah, the Elrond-Durin-Disa trio is definitely the best part of the show. They've got great chemistry, and their storyline is moving along well because of that dynamic. Something I'd like to say is that I'm grateful for the break from the Harfoot storyline, because as much as I love Nori, the pacing of that plot always grinds everything to a halt almost. I still don't understand why the fallen man/meteor man is so disoriented and unable to communicate. It's almost like he was sent to middle earth against his will. Why does he need to find those stars? Why does he seem so unprepared? The only thing I can come up with is that he was 'born' by falling. Meaning he existed in a totally different material state before his fall, and his new, mortal shell is the reason he's so vulnerable and dependant upon the harfoot's help at the moment. Which is why I think he's a wizard (though probably not Gandalf imo). Galadriel... I'm befuddled. The first time she was brought to the court she was defiant and bullheaded, thus failing to optain what she sought. When she was trying to steal a boat to escape and was caught by Elendil, she threatened to kill him, only relenting due to his astute negociating skills and empathetic use of quenya. And in this episode, after having already failed twice to make her case to those with the power to aid her, she chooses to double down by wrecklessly insulting Miriel's standing as regent. She's coming off as a bit of an entitled brat who's always used to getting her way. Before breaking into Tar-Palantir's chambers, at no point was she willing to compromise in order to to help her case. Her temper is always cranked to 10, and I don't understand why the writers have chosen this part for her. Luckily, she showed contrition after seeing just how feeble Tar Palantir is, which gave way to the first scene where she could finally reach Miriel with her words. This tells me she's capable of even-keeled communication with people who don't already like her. I hope her characterization can now move along without the constant antagonism she's been displaying so far. Anyway, apologies for the rant, love your discussion as always, keep up the good work!

[@reader2012]

The divide between Numenor and Elves that is the cause of the downfall is the question of mortality. Sauron plays on it, and manipulates them to think that if they worship Morgoth that he will grant them immortality. He eventually convices them to sail to Valinor to conront the Valar which is the reason for the sinking of Numenor. At least that is how it is in the book.

[@MrKaoslace]

Oranges! But seriously, I do appreciate your reactions and reviews for LOTRRoP and feel very similar to how you two do about this show. Pay no heed to the naysayers and just keep on being awesome!

[@JameZayer]

The "Western Shore" refers to the western branch of the island's "star". It's known as Anduine which is what Elendil and his family are referred to as, "Lords of Anduine" Of course, with certain names not available, they have to use Western Shore instead of Anduine.

[@JacopoBasanisi]

4:30 in the ancient times thay had only mild alcohol, and there weren't cars or other risks about being drunk, so drinking was mainly a pleasure and not an habit.So no "no drink for me please". And I gotta say, in most of the world people drink without the urge to become addicted.

[@YearRoundHibernater]

I think they gave Isildur a sister so she can be the one who designs the great human cities like Minas Tirith and Arnor and Helms Deep because they're all built by Numanorians after they sail to Middle Earth and all play important roles in the war but because Isildur is alive now that means they've compressed what was a few thousand years into a couple hundred at most because of the life span so I suspect we'll see them being built and they needed a builder and that will be the sister. I'm at this point not convinced it's a long enough period to build everything, and form new nations with new armies to form the alliances to fight Sauron it seems very compressed to not make sense from that point of view, but also too long a period that the non numanerian humans and the halffoots are still going to die off anyway because of their life spans so seems confusing since your still losing half your B-line. I don't know see where they take it I guess. Edit : Oranges

[@thethessaliah]

Her description is that she'll be at odds with her family. IMO, she'll build Morgoth's temple instead.

[@thebluesmurfdude]

My Narg shirt and WoT beanie arrived today!! Wore both while watching your reaction :). Also, as a side note. You recorded and sent a thank you video while at a Disney World gift shop!! You guys are nuts xD. Was a very unnecessary gesture, but warmed my heart. Been going through a few things recently and was a bit of kindness on a day when I really didn’t expect any; so thanks for that ❤ Moving forward, you’ll be one of two channels that I watch react to Rings of Power. I feel with both of you being in the entertainment industry professionally; you guys bring an insight to film making that I just don’t have. {edit - The reason I’m limiting my intake of reactions is because I believe I soured my Star Wars Sequel experience by being so heavily involved in the online communities trying to predict/over analyze every trailer. With the amount of hate the show has been receiving I feel it’ll just ruin my experience. You guys manage to give constructive criticism without sounding spiteful, which I appreciate :) } That being said, for me personally, I’m loving this show! I’m happy to be back in Middle Earth. The Hobbit was the first fantasy book I ever read. Before my Dad deployed back in 03 with the initial Iraq invasion we drove to a used book store as part of me learning how to drive. I picked up the Hobbit and the LotR. Haven’t looked back since. For me, the show is working great. I’m loving all the plots. And as someone who’s familiar with the lore, - (Lord, I’m about to be crucified in the comments) - I’m actually enjoying not being able to predict beat for beat what is happening. It has allowed me to get excited and make predictions about where the show could go. However, I do respect your opinions and don’t feel like either of you are coming off as haters. Maybe that has to do with me finding your channel about 2 weeks ago and binging all of your WoT book club videos. But you guys come off as your normal fun smart selves :) I can’t wait for my first live book club chat next week! I’ll probably stay silent in chat, as it’s been roughly a year since my last re-read of WoT and events that happen throughout the series get mushed together in where they take place xD Also. Oranges!

[@ijustwanttolikecomments4677]

welcome aboard! i found them during WoT tv reactions and have stayed since. theyre one of only 2-3 channels i regularly watch :)

[@danbee3288]

The reasons the Elves and the Numenoreans split is covered deeply in the lore and will be explained in the show. It's probably the main theme of the Show. The Elves and the Numenoreans are basically like two great friends, but friend A became jealous and bitter at the other. This jealousy and bitterness caused Friend A to hate Friend B. Friend B doesn't really understand. My advice for this show is ignore everything you remember from Peter Jackson's films. They weren't that faithful and that will confuse you. The problem the show has is the entire season is about setting up characters and plots. The issue is whether they can keep the general audience with them whilst they do that. I will say there are already a few incredible moments, which they have already perfectly set up and will hit emotionally.

[@markwood6056]

A couple things to remember while watching this show. Its using story techniques that GOT employed. In having multiple stories happening, with scenes shown not necessarily occurring at the time they are presented in relationship to each other. So some storylines can be happening over weeks and months and some are going to be presented over hours and days. One of the defining character traits of Galadriel has always been Pride. In LotR, most of the good guys start and end as good guys, with most conflict coming from the corruption of the ring. In Tolkiens larger lore there is a lot more character flaws in his characters including his heroes. With most of them having a character arc (though presented often in the most basic sense as most of his history is based not on fleshed out story, but told as myths, it brief passages by a narrator). Galadriel's has always had a self confidence that she is right, that she deserves a ruling position of her own, and her pride. Add that to the fact that at least in Tolkien's work she has had very little interaction with men. She has primarily had interactions with Elves, and to a much lesser degree Dwarves. She is used to having her word be at least listened to with serious consideration, and often her word considered to be something that should be obeyed. Even thousands of years later in Fellowship even being aware of the massive dangers of the one ring, a part of her had still wanted it (and thats not when in contact with it, and its corruption influencing her judgment). At this point in Tolkien's story she would be below the High King, and thats about it. A few others would be her equal for standing. But all most every others she had been around would have deferred to her words unless specifically given orders by Gil-Galad. Now imagine thats your frame of reference not for years, but for hundreds of years if not even an eon or so.... It would be like a the heir of a kingdom, suddenly without any training or experience being dropped off as a commoner in a land not connected to her own at all. After years of having your very whim obeyed by almost everyone you ever came in contact with to a position where no one would. That is something that for almost anyone would take a period to adjust your mindset on how to interact with others. Now magnify that human amount of time and put it into the life span of an elf, beings that are generally much slower then humans to change. And to be in the court of what was the most noble of human houses, founded by a very relative of her own, and with the situation of having a actual King that by the tellings of the people she is around supported the Elves, yeah she isn't going to be reasonable in her approach. She 's going to assume her position of perceived superiority over the lesser race, where her word should be at the very least differed to if not automatically obeyed. Remember she has been on this island what three days so far, thats not a long time to change century if not eons old habits.

[@markwood6056]

And know not all of them hate or distrust elves. There is a group that support the old ways called the Faithful, even mentioned last episode, and mentioned in her proclamation. She herself believes enough of the old ways, but is enough of a political animal that she knows she would also be overthrown if she openly supported the old ways. We she and Elendil turn to the ship was to signify that the queen was going to change her mind and give order for the ship not to depart. It was quite common for commands to be given in harbors through visual signals or audio signals. Horns, bells, whistles, fires, and flags are all common means used through history, During last weeks episode when the ship is entering the harbor we see a signal fire in a tower go off, so clearly they have some form of communication through the harbor.

[@WinterOnTheWeb]

The Galadriel character, for me, is one of the closest to Tolkien's intention. Most elves don't have character arcs. They persist and endure pretty much the same eternally until it becomes so monotonous for them that they fade away or go back to Valinor. Galadriel starts off as Noldor royalty, strong, wild and fierce (her Dad calls her "Man-Girl" or "Man-Woman"); she rebelled against the Valar and was one of the leaders of the flight to middle earth. She's a wild card and is "the mightiest and fairest of all the Elves that remained in Middle-earth" (J.R.R. Tolkien). Then later (no dpoilers) for some reason she seeks stability and preservation and to protect elven folk in Middle Earth... Thousands of years later she is one of the most stable, wise and stately beings alive (but she STILL thinks she might take the One Ring and fight and become A Power). This is a fantastic arc and can't exist without this as part of the early stages...

[@KevinDPomeroy]

My response to this and why I am so frustrated with the way Galadriel is portrayed in RoP is that she is supposed the best of the worst (the Nolder). She was not part of the quest to reclaim the Silmarils, she went because she wanted to take care of Middle-Earth. In the series in the first episode we have her swearing an oath much like Faenor and his sons, and I consider Galadriel the Nolder least tainted with Faenor's Sin, but she is the most like him in the show (along with Celebrimbor). Her narration about going to Middle-Earth in the opening was sometimes Galadriel would never say, she knew perfectly well the Nolder were not on a mercy mission to save Middle-Earth, the Nolder didn't give a shit about Middle-Earth (except her of course), they just wanted their shiny gems back. As was stated by ours Nerdy Nightly hosts, she is the oldest person in Middle-Earth, she shouldn't be this dumb, the only person that is close to her is Theo, and having a 5000 year old Elf sage being similar to a 15 year child is not a good look. I have no idea why they are making her the central protagonist. They are treating her like she is Anakin Skywalker when she is Yoda. When Elrond and everybody else screws up and everything goes bad, she's the one that they finally turn to. That's how I would have written it.

[@lulululu8045]

You have clearly not read anything about the actual events she took parr in the second age and are just bsing with that comment. Galadriel got named „Artanis“ which means noble woman and only because she is unusual strong and tall when growing up, her mother named her „Nerwen“ which means man maiden (not because she was an arrogant raging and sword swinging brat as she is portrayed in this trash show) but because of her golden hair she later got the name „Galadriel“. Her travels in the second age are known actually and well documented so everything we see with this Amazon series is as bs as your comment because there is ACTUAL LORE what Galadriel did in the second age and NOTHING comes close to Amazons fan fiction. So stop trying to convince people or yourself that this is an accurate representation of Galadriel.

[@KevinDPomeroy]

@@lulululu8045 I confess I haven't read the Simarillion in a while and was thinking about reading before watching the show. I'm sure I've gotten some minor details wrong, but I don't think I'm far off from the actual events. I'd be happy for you to correct what I got wrong.

[@lulululu8045]

@@KevinDPomeroy if you really want to know what Galadriel was up to and mite importantly how her character truely was then I recommend you watching this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/r3W7XmWoid14bLs&feature=share&si=ELPmzJkDCLju2KnD5oyZMQ It saves you a lot of time and sums up her story perfectly. But be careful you will notice (very very many) differences to the fan fiction show called rings of prime.. Edit: oh btw my comment above was not aimed at you lol, more so at the OP

[@adjoaocran]

The same thing that happened to Frodo in the lotr, happened to Isildur. He was planning on destroying the ring but it corrupted which is why in the movie the narration say but the hearts of men are easily corrupted. On the issue of prophecy, it's taken from a dream Faramir has about the Numenoreans. In the movies, it's given to Eowyn and she tells Aragorn about the dream. Again, not sure where the show is going with this but the reason for the breakdown of the relationship with the elves had nothing to do with a prophecy. Even though the Numenoreans live longer than other humans, over time, they began to resent the elves' immortality and as that resentment grew over time, the Numenoreans began to distance themselves from the Valar (they ignored messenges the Valar sent to them) and the elves (cut off communication). And that's what ultimately allows Sauron to corrupt them because he offers a chance to aquire immortality. But with what they seem to be doing with them being paranoid about being overrun by elves, I'm not sure where they are going with it. Also Galadriel was involved in the forging of the rings, she warns Celebrimbor and uses her political position to oppose Sauron until he sabotages her and she chooses to leave Eregion. The problem is that version of events is not in the books they have rights to so again not sure how they'll handle that.

[@redcardinalist]

>>they began to be resent the elves' immortality and as that resentment grew over time, the Numenoreans began to distance themselves from the Valar Isn't that exactly what is said last episode? >>but with what they seem to be doing with them being paranoid about being overrun by elves, That is literally one guy...

[@adjoaocran]

@@redcardinalist If I remember correctly the last episode, Galadriel just said they stopped engaging with the elves, and she implied the elves didn't really know why. And admittedly, this could be splitting hairs but I'd argue there's a difference between being worried about a group of people taking over your home and being resentful that your erstwhile allies and distant cousins get to live forward in a paradise while no one not even the gods of your world can tell you what happens when you die. And as to the issue of the Numenoreans being worried about being overrun with elves, Miriel says in the episode that when her father tried to reestablish communication with the elves, the people rebelled so I wouldn't say it's just one guy. Plus the crowd only calmed down when Ar-Pharazon assured them that Numenoreans would remain in human hands so there seems to be the idea that the elves would take over if given the chance. PS: My first comment wasn't meant to be a critique of the show just wanted to give Needy and Claroos some context from the Silmarillon and the Unfinished Tales since they are not very familiar with the content of those books.

[@joluoto]

omg, Galadriel is Captain Archer from Enterprise. The writers wrote Archer as "Archer is right" despite also writing him to basically be wrong all the time, but the show still treated him to be right (when it would have made for a better show if he was wrong and had to learn from his mistakes). They have written Galadriel as "Galadriel is right", despite her being wrong alot, the show still treats her as being right... when the better writing would be for her to actually be wrong and having to learn from it.

[@thomasolson1154]

The expedition gives the Queen Regent an opportunity to get some of her people off the island before the tsunami comes without starting a panic.

[@nothefabio]

I want a Elrond-Durin-Disa sitcom spin-off.

[@CuddleBuddee]

"It was then she realized, she f'd up!" - Oh my goodness you 2... just like Numenor, I was not prepared! hahahah🤣 Your critique of the dumbing down of Galadriel's ability to communicate and the lack of diplomatic nuance was tough to hear, but valid and fair. This was the first time I've heard a reactor point this out. Most bashing of the character is agenda driven, but this critique was nothing of the sort, and true. Hurts to admit. dangit😅That being said, it's still entertaining and I hope the show continues this "Wave" and builds off of the good things we've seen thus far(Elrond'n'Durin, Elendil, Arondir, etc.), despite this. ps. your prediction about Adar's origins kind of syncs with the place He and Arondir discussed, Beleriand, a very important and tragic Elven kingdom from the 1st age that Morgoth laid waste to ;)

[@__Oku__]

I think that the way Galadriel has been portrayed in the show is really justified. Yes, she might be thousands of years old, but we have to remember that she seems to have been fighting for most of her very long life against Morgoth, constantly at war. Most of her life so far was consistent non-stop war and systematically seeing her family and friends die one after the other, without even being given the time to grieve. There was literally no time nor need for her to learn any type of diplomacy, let alone with humans. This is the first time she even HAD to interact with people in a diplomatic and amicable way. Because remember, she was either a soldier, commander who gave orders or a person with only one friend, to the point where she literally doesn't know who she is when she isn't fighting (as explained in the first episode). So I might be alone on this, but as someone who hasn't read the books or seen the movies, I feel like the way Galadriel has been portrayed in this show so far makes a lot of sense and feels amusingly natural, especially for an Elf (older than the sun) who looks down on other races by nature. I would even go as far as to say that I am really enjoying the journey of her character the most (I said what I said 😤) and am really curious to see how she becomes the character everyone is familiar with.

[@cathakjordi]

Only she has not. She spent most of her time in Beleriand in the protection of Doriath, as an apprentice to Melian the Maiar and all you have seen is barely suggested by a badly portrayed background that contradicts everything we have about the character in the books. She barely fought, much less directed troops during her time in the first age. I mean, if you are going to give her some new background that basically pisses on Tolkien, you better do it better than this, just a pair of badly threaded lines and images, to make it believable. Even then it's grating that not her, but any scion of a noble house would behave in clear diplomatic situations as she does. She menaces and is rude with everyone she crosses path with. She is unlikeable and hateful. And I bet the 'character arc' will not even start before the season is over.

[@__Oku__]

@@cathakjordi I don't really care about the books. It makes sense for what the show told me. You guys have *got* to finally come to terms with the fact that the show is simply not like the books. Watching the show while not accepting that is just not good for your health.

[@cathakjordi]

@@__Oku__ It's clear you don't care about Tolkien and his works, true. Still, I would appreciate a fantasy show that has a good consistent story with appealing characters. Only, this fails also about doing that. What does GoT has to do with this? *confused*

[@redrum3405]

Galadriel is described as being able to read people and judging them with mercy from a young age.

[@__Oku__]

@@cathakjordi I said 'got', not Game of Thrones 😂

[@desertrose0027]

Oranges. 🍊 Honestly, I've had the same reaction to Galadriel. I'm having a hard time getting into her parts, although seeing the prophesy here was pretty cool.

[@markusbisma5015]

The elf taking our job is such lame line. I was expecting anyone to say Make Numenor Great Again.

[@Doctor2285]

This was my favorite episode so far!

[@Dave3Dman]

How can that possibly be??? Genuinely curious...

[@redcardinalist]

@@Dave3Dman because it was really good. if you didnt like it, says so and give your reasons. try not to be a troll.

[@Ash16180]

I looked at the timeline in the lords of the rings wiki, and I believe Galadriel is "only" 3,412 when the rings are forged. Elrond is 1,558. The lord of the rings saga is 4,959 later, so by then she is as old as you say. The criticism is still completely valid, just discussing the actual numbers.

[@joshuamininger7745]

Hey guys, totally enjoying your reactions, because they are about the same as my own, and it helps me to understand what I’m feeling about the show as well. Also, just to point this out, you now have a taste of what previous fans of the wheel of Time who read the books years ago struggled with when they watched the show.

[@Ragdefender]

I thought the episode explained very well why the Numenoreans hated the elves. Its envy and fear of their long lives. Also, on Halbrand's version of diplomacy, I'm starting to think he is Sauron now. He seems like the kind of man who will manipulate the fears of the Numenoreans to invade Valinor.

[@PebblesWhiskey]

Yup. Long story short, they got jealous of elves having immortality and being banned from sailing west to Valinor, etc so grows the resentment. And they also think very highly of themselves. Like how they claim Numenor wasn't a gift, but it is.

[@RevanBR]

Can't be different timelines, unless several different meteors went through the sky. Everyone reacted to it the night Galadriel left for Valinor.

[@ijustwanttolikecomments4677]

i actually had that same theory for about 30 seconds, then remembered the meteor :/

[@hoon_sol]

_«Going west to Isildur means going to Andustar, the westernmost kingdom of Numenor, not to Valinor. Elendil's ancestors were the Lords of Andunië and were descendants of Elros himself.»_

[@terimaakigaand5857]

Looks like Uncle Benjen joined the White Walkers instead of fighting them.

[@emberise6613]

Weirdly, and also sort of appropriately, some of the scenes in Numenor reminded me of the BBC Atlantis show, which I don't know what I feel about. I mean, Numenor is Atlantis, essentially, but still... I'm not sure that should be a connection I make. Disa's singing was the highlight for me. I love the lore they're building into the dwarves. It works really well. They're handling that far better than they're managing with the Elven lore. I was also confused about how much time has passed, because the tower that hadn't even been discussed two weeks ago is now half built?? But time doesn't seem to have passed so quickly in the other storylines? Do Dwarves really work that fast? The theory about it being Witcher-like with non-concurrent timelines is interesting. Also we have learnt the fact that Galadriel apparently just doesn't sit on boats. That's a thing for her it seems. Have we seen her sit down at all? Does she sit? Can she sit? Her feet must be so sore. also oranges

[@cliveklg7739]

Adar talks about time on the Sirion River, which if you read the Silmarillion Sauron spent time occupying a fortress of the Elves there as well, so Adar COULD be Sauron. And Sauron CAN shapechange. So his current appearance could be him just conserving power before his transformation. Buuut, they could throw a twist and this could be one of his servants from there preparing the way for Sauron. Numenor has yet to conquer the South lands and build Minas Tirith and Osgiliath, and Minas Ithil (Morgul). They are about to. Poor Elrond, a father out of reach. His twin Elros dead from old age after choosing the path of men and mortality. 😭 I think Galadriel's arrogance is spot on. A lot of those in the house of Finwe had that arrogance. And finally I want to start using dwarven oaths on people. That was awesome.

[@JBWinter]

Yeah, a lot of fans have this image of elves as very wise and perfect but the source material from elven perspectives shows that's the opposite of true. A lot of Silmarillion characters are either not good people or make some really dumb choices

[@Toofast4005]

Still not sold half way through this series. Aside from maybe the dwarves they haven’t given me any reason to care about the characters or story. Show looks beautiful. Just wish they’d spent this kind of money on the Wheel of Time.

[@bolojoe5492]

I think the show is trying to portray the elves other than humans with pointy ears. They do not interact with other races and many see them as lesser beings (except for a few individuals). They succeed showing this with the Elrond/During friendship - he is the only one to think of asking the dwarfs for help and is surprised by Durin's anger, it's only been 20 years. The Galadriel/Halbrand pairing is suppose to do the same but isn't quite as effective. Elves are not a diplomatic race and Galadriel showed this with her interaction with the Numenoreans. Her listening to Halbrand I think shows her changing view of humans.

[@manjiimortal]

This show has the Star Wars problem, where everything happens in a few days. It's also bloated as all hell, as they're setting up that Sauron establishing Mordor, building Barad-dûr, helping Celebrimbor forge the Rings of Power, forge the One Ring, kill Celebrimbor, corrupt nine human kings, surrender and corrupt the Númenorians, the establishment of Númenorian colonies in Middle Earth, the destruction of Númenor, Elendil and his sons establishing the Númenorian kingdoms of Arnor and Gondor in exile, the Balrog awakening in Khazad Dum and the loss of Moria, Elrond establishing Rivendell, and the war of the last alliance will all happen across a couple of years, best possible chance. I hated the prophecy bit in Númenor, as prophecies are a really cheap narrative device, when they could easily explain the break of relations between the Elves and Númenorians as a result of envy and jealousy due to the Elves' immortality. And the show is writing Galadriel as a wholly incompetent protagonist, who requires a complete Deus Ex Machina in order to get what she wants. She doesn't get what she wants by virtue of anything she does, but because the plot says so.

[@PensandoRPG]

I think now the Galadriel plot will clash with Arondir's plot, kind of like The Witcher season 1. They will get there to fight Adar. Because i do agre it was seeming like something to much in the future. Now i think she will get to where Arondir is at the right moment. And Durin and Elrond Holmes is great!

[@bestboy1986]

I think you forget that Galadriel has tried diplomacy by not speaking her mind to the elven king, and that led to her being shipped off. She’s now basically had confirmation that Sauron has returned, and given the horrors that she’s seen, she’s now desperate to get things done. Desperation will cloud your mindset and and leave you impatient - both things that’s aren’t good for diplomacy. Granted, she is thousands of years old and so should have learned a thing or two, however her life went from simple and harmonious to battle in a foreign land, so she’s effectively still learning as she’s been battling the entire time.

[@redcardinalist]

I realise what you're saying about Galadriel's character but (imo) you're thinking of her portrayal in Jackson's movie. That is NOT whatTolkien wrote abut her. Worth repeating, Jackson's movies are great but should not be take as an accurate represntation of Tolkien's work; they're his intepretation. You're conflating Jackson with Tolkien

[@blaublaubeere]

Claroos said it well, they can't relay on people filling the blanks with the lore when they aren't faithful to the lore. (and no adaptation really should do that anyways). For the most parts seems like the episodes are getting better, I really enjoyed Eregion plot and getting to know more of Dwarven culture, as well as Adar and Miriels characters. But what you said about the way they treats Galadriel character was on point. And that they seems to have too many slow plot lines going on at the same time, considering they have left either Eregion or harfoot plot put of an episode too.

[@CimmerianAssassin]

I definitely think this is just huge setup to a much more fast pace and greater plotlines down the road. After all, you probably have Durin's Bane popping up soon, Sauron is probably right around the corner, the making of Minas Tirith, etc. There's probably a lot going on that hopefully comes big into the second half of the season. After all, there are supposedly already guaranteed 5 seasons, there's probably A LOT of setup to be had in the future

[@netflixandchinchilla]

With how badly people are trashing this show I kind of doubt that a show that will cost $1 billion dollars in total will make it past the first 2 seasons. Which is unfortunate, because despite its flaws I am really enjoying it. But we will see. Supposedly this is a Jeff Bezos pet project, so he may see it until the end despite the hate.

[@DocEonChannel]

I mean, the time compression I understand. But it seems they're monkeying with geography as well, by moving Celebrimbor and his project from Eregion to Lindon. I don't see what the point of that is. Unless they think it's too confusing for the audience to have elves in two places? Oh, and.... oranges.

[@mariab7689]

I remember reading somewhere that the Númenorians hate Elves bevause they are jealous of their immortality. They are bitter of Elros' choice of mortality. Great vid!

[@athenacooper3130]

I still think the harfoot endpoint is (1) introducing The Stranger to Celebrimbor (2) introducing Smeagol ED: I haven't had oranges in years

[@laurazaetz9505]

But if the show ends with Isildur not throwing the ring into the fire and everything that ensues, they'd have to compressed it even more before the ring is found by Deagol and Smeagol.

[@alanfoxman5291]

It's like the writers forget that Galadriel is thousands of years old. They're writing her like she's the age that she appears. What would work better is if the characters treated her that way but then she claps back with the knowledge she should have gained over those thousands of years and reminded them that they are but infants compared to her. But then she has to act that way too.

[@__Oku__]

I don't think that the writers forgot. I feel like everyone is acting as if she spent thousands of years just chilling and reading books or something, whereas she has literally been at war this whole time and never stopped chasing Sauron even after Morgoth's defeat. The show made clear that not one day has gone by since she hasn't been in "war mode", which makes a lot of sense to me. She never even took time to grieve pretty much all of her family and friends. She is literally the most traumatized person in all of fiction, but is somehow supposed to be wise and diplomatic? Come on now... When would she have learned wisdom and diplomacy? While having tea with Morgoth?

[@hoon_sol]

The severity of the schism between the Númenóreans and the Eldar does seem a bit too exaggerated, since they were supposed to still be on quite good terms at this point in the story. Ultimately what drives the animosity is envy, both of the immortality of the Eldar and of their privileged status when it comes to sailing west to the Undying Lands, so it seems they've rather accelerated that a bit; they're still apparently able to be convinced to fight alongside the Eldar, but this way it shows more clearly that there is some bad blood brewing.

[@Johury]

My theory is that the dwarf helmet has a tongue operated switch to open the facemask

[@GhostBlade_888]

This show has the most dazed cast I have ever come across

[@anaw2579]

I was already really liking the show but this episode absolutely sealed the deal. Incredible! Ppl hating on it have lost all sense of proportion.

[@JoshTruff]

What do you like about it? Honestly curious, is it just that you are excited for what's to come?

[@vibhuti3640]

I thought the reason for Numenorians disliking the elves was plainly shown. The speech the man gave talked about how they felt that not having immortality made them inferior to elves, but they can't live with it. This will then later turn into worse stuff, but yeah, it's been made clear

[@kevinraposo348]

Isildur wanted to throw it in the fire I mean he walked all the way up ot mount doom but when he got up there the ring corrupted him just like it corrupted Frodo in the exact same spot, so Isildur is innocent. Up until that moment he was a good guy but, in this show, he is very young he's like 40 And the way she just shoves 5 heavily armed super humans into a jail cell with one hand is ridiculous 😂😂 And I'm looking forward to the next episode because 1 we will get to see some battles and the southland characters will meet the Numenoreans and Galadriel so the plot might get going. And the elf hate truth be told it accumulated over the millennia in numenor it wasn't 1 thing that set it off but 1 could say that they wanted to make their own road without elven influence and when they achieved supremacy that's when half the island started hating the elves because they saw themselves as inferior or the second race.

[@Makhiel]

Galadriel has spent the past few centuries (or even millenia) being the "Commander of the Northern Armies", I don't think it's an outlandish notion that she isn't a good diplomat if as far as she is probably concerned she can just commandeer stuff. And I don't think the notion that because she is thousands of years old she has to be wiser is necessarily applicable, for all we know that's just not how Elves work and she's stuck in a "First Age mentality" because that has worked for her so far. I don't know, I just don't have an issue with her portrayal (I'm still not 100% on board as to why she had to be involved with the Númenor storyline bu we'll see). Also donkeyballs, I mean oranges.

[@taters9722]

I feel it would have been much cooler if it was Elrond who went to Numenor. At least he has ties with the city. Her being in Numenor feels like it was done for no real reason. I think Elrond would have made a better "main" character. To be honest, I think there's a huge distinction b/n "being a good diplomant" and acting like a child who can only see whats directly in front of her. Anytime she had to talk with someone, it made me think less of her intelligence. She becomes less wrathful and on a mission, and more silly as it happens.

[@johnmacleod9507]

They are touching on issues that Lore guys like me esconced in her back story as Tolkien wrote it are just baffled by with her behavior. I am not talking about LOTR movies. I am talking about her origin tales in Tolkien;s writings. She is the last Leader of the Noldorin rebellion, she studied under the Angel Melian the Maia in the power of Middle Earth and how Melian protected Doriath from the Marring of Arda. The Fence of Lothlorien is a direct reflection of the Girdle of Melian which blocked Morgoth's power, Galadriel possess's this capability even now against Sauron. Morgoth dwarfed Sauron in power just as much as Melian was greater than Galadriel, Melian is the first Handmaid of Yavanna the second greatest Queen of the Valar. It is not that Galadriel is a warrior that bothers us, it's that she is an exceptionally dumb one. You would have to know that the High King Gil-Galad is actually her Grand-Nephew, and the idea that he would even think about giving Galadriel an order is just preposterous. She was under the Doom of Mandos, she could not return to Valinor, until she repented of her past actions. Which included her part in the first kinslaying where she killed other Elves in defense of her Mother's people the Teleri against her own people the Noldor at Alquolonde during the Rebellion of the Noldor. Called Nerwen by her mother(man-maiden). The peer of her brothers and cousins physically and mightier than all in spirit save crazy ass Uncle Feanor. Who she shared some characteristics with meaning the nice existence in Valinor bored her. She was wise and understanding and wanted to leave Valinor, because she thought the Valar were fucking up and not looking after the second children men. Feanor just felt restrained, he was selfish, she was not in her motivations. Though both saw themselves as best suited to rule. The mightiest of the Eldar born in Valinor were ever unfriends. That is Tolkien's line. Jacson got one thing about her she was larger than life physically when she talks to Aragorn they are eye to eye, Galadriel is 6'4" tall at the end of the third age(Numenorean Measures). So just how tall was she when she got there in the First Age 7000 years before. Elven bodies diminish in Middle Earth due to the Marring of Arda, diminish and fade. She is literally the tallest female ever born of Elves and Men. Thsi storyline is compressed but at this time she is between 5000 to 7400 years in Middle Earth when we see her in LOTR. In Dand D terms she is a 500 level multi class High Elf. Jackson got it right in the Hobbit when she rose in her wrath against Sauron (still reforming and weakened and without his ring) That is the Great of the House of Finwe in their anger. It is why 9 black riders fled from Glorfindel when he came at them with burning sticks. That is the spiritual strength lent to physical power, Elves can do that, that is Feanor fighting against multiple Balrogs, his son Maedhros would do the same, as would Fingon, a naked Finrod would kill a great Demonic Werewolf of Morgoth with his bare hands and teeth. Three sons of Feanor would be killed fighting Dior, the son of Luthien(if you think Galadriel is powerful, Luthien was the hold my beer girl). My son put it this way if they do this to Galadriel, what's next Luthien on a stripper pole. The lady in the video is right this should have been Celebrian, Galadriel's daughter. Galadriel is self willed and makes mistakes. When Finrod dies she travels over the Blue Mountains to rally and de-cult men to build the power that could hold Morgoth at bay. The Noldor were going to lose. She understood this. Beleriand was both saved and destroyed by the Valar when they sent their Army of the Vanyar and few Noldor that stayed with her father Finarfin.

[@MrNathansdad]

@@johnmacleod9507 Or maybe it's just not important that we have a nine foot tall Galadriel in this show. I can still pore over half finished scripts if it matters to me, or, I could disregard that and enjoy this story for what it is , or I could choose to do both (which I am doing)

[@squngy0]

Arondir is how I imagined Lan would be in live action

[@Dave3Dman]

Its was the Seanchan. They saw another nasty little child walking along the shores of Numenor and it made them angry again.

[@v1e1r1g1e1]

The greatest Ring Of Power I know is my own.... After a night of eating hot curries with my friends, when we thought the war, at last, was ended ... instead, I discovered that there was a tempest inside me. The evil did not sleep. Instead, it waited. In the morning, that which was inside me, looked down. That which floated, looked up. I knew that if left unchecked, the evil would rise and take us all, so I flushed for I knew the sea is always right. Now, I warn everyone: you have not seen what I have seen. You have not seen! The enemy is still out there. The question now - is where?

[@Lucklaran]

15:29 She's absolutely right, that's an insult to horses. 18:36 The hatred of the Elves is being spread by the dude at 4:10 . Now, who do we know poisoned the hearts of the Numenoreans against the Elves? As for 29:02 the scene with the boy and the old man, in my opinion, makes this clear. There are still some among the Southlanders loyal to Morgoth/Sauron. The message is to let them know that Sauron is gathering forces again. As for sending it via elf? Best chance of the message actually getting through. As for Galadriel, my personal opinion, they are intentionally destroying her character, so that her "arc" will be more dramatic. So that, when the show ends, we'll all say, "Wow, remember when Galadriel was a stupid, rash, impatient @ss that thought she was better than everyone? Just look at her now. So proud of how far she's come!" In the meantime, they get to make her the b@d@ss Amazonian Elf Princess. She gets what she wants, in spite of treating everyone she meets like sh!t. Swims half way across an ocean until a plot convenient raft shows up in the middle of nowhere. Then, gets found, again in the middle of an ocean, by a plot convenient ship that will take her to the place she needs to be to get a boat and an army to take back to the Southlands with her, so she can save Middle Earth from Sauron, avenge her brother's death, then settle down to the life of peaceful contemplation where her wisdom will grow without end. Just my opinion though. Oh, and for those that are likely going to use the bold new tactic of "Oooh, big strong man afraid of strong woman!", to discredit me? You'll never believe it, but I'd think this plot was sh!t with a male main protagonist too. Honestly, if they made this entire show about the dwarves, I'd be down for that. Only part of the show so far that is even moderately enjoyable. It's also a perfect place to create a show with an original story, given that so very little is written about the dwarves in the novels. Hard to "break lore", when there is so little of it to "break".

[@ratioetamor]

"So Galadriel is stupid, great." Same thought xD

[@pigskinpoetry]

All of your qualms about Galadriel's character as it's written can be summed up as thus: the writers are trying to start her as far from the character we know from LOTR in order to give her a larger arc. Simple as that (to a fault). I don't have as big an issue with it as you guys, but it's pretty clear that's the intention.

[@eouveluz]

I completely understand people who don't like Galadriel's personality, because yes, she is really annoying, and, in the words of Elendil, she is stuborn and runs blind. And, honestly, I think the actor who plays her (or maybe its the acting direction) is not doing a very good job in adding layers to her arc. That said, I like the idea of it. Elves aren't perfect and great heroes aren't born perfect, so she is really indeed blinded by this "tempest" on her, she is in grief for centuries and she is not a person who just drops her conflicts and wills. She is - as much as a lot of first age elves - arrogant. And this is exactly her character arc. I find it really interesting the idea of watching how she will progress to become the peaceful wise queen we already know. And as I said in the last video, I LIKE the pacing of the series because its fleshed out as a mystery drama. I feel people expected great adventures and action and moving fast through the plot, but I really like the path the showrunners chose: it's more a True Detective than a late Game of Thrones type of story. You go down slowly through the characters and how they are tangled in the great narrative. So that's it. A lot of people think nothing happens in this episode, but that's not true: eps 4 is a turning point in a lot of ways. The engines started to move. You have a little growth in Galadriel's arc, Numenor's plot is thicken (Miriel's decision at the end of the episode WILL have consequences for numenorian politics), we have the concrete promise of the main combat of the show and in Khazad Dum we have the confirmation that mithril is on the menu. And these all are resolutions for questions raised since episode one. So.... I completely disagree with people who says nothing is happening.

[@soulbro55]

The actor that plays Adar is Uncle Benjen.

[@devseddar2124]

Really good comment from Clarus: they changed the lore but simultaneously rely on that lore for viewers to fill in the gaps of what is going on which is not explained in the show. WoT had the exact same problem

[@DavidMacDowellBlue]

18:23 Numenoreans hate the fact that Elves are immortal, and they are not.

[@peterdavies4166]

you guys have really captured what i been thinking as you saying this stuff i am like yes thats why i am frustrated. There deff some good stuff in there but some frustrating stuff especially galadriel. Its little too slow going too right now

[@onlychaos8193]

everyone noticed how Narsil was hanging on the pedestal.... Still sharp from the first era

[@briefmortal11]

I understand your dilemma over Galadriel completely. I came into the show wanting her to be the stand-out character. But I am struggling so much to find any logic in how she has been written. Which is such a shame considering poor Morfydd Clark totally looks the part.

[@Shmurph]

I'm truly baffled at how many people I've seen be confused about Galadriel coming back? Really not trying to dog on Claroos here, I've just seen several people question this and I doooon't get it at all. She was, like, 200 feet away from the dock. She'd barely left. She was still in view when the petals started falling. Why is the concept of "The Queen called back the boat that departed 20 seconds ago" just somehow escaping so many people just because it didn't happen on screen lmao

[@malifex9922]

I'm personally okay with the plots feeling separated from each other early on. Having read plenty of thick fantasy (Wheel of Time included), it's often the case that plots have to develop in their own domains before getting intermixed. Game of Thrones did this often (Dany in the East, Jon in the north) and succeeded by building an outside goal/threat that we know will eventually lead things together. We knew that Dany would eventually travel west. We knew that Jon would eventually confront the White Walkers and travel south. I think that Rings of Power needs to ensure that their plots have the same inevitability. The thing we're still lacking is motivating forces for some groups. Galadriel has her mission, she's fine. The Southlands are under attack, they're fine. The Harfoots are adorable to watch, but they're just "there" right now. Hopefully the Starman can give them the motivation to get thrust into the overarching plot. Interviews prior to the show coming out specifically said that some of the stuff put into season 1 won't have payoffs right away. Some won't come until the final season. I'm okay with that. Clarus was right about Galadriel being called back offscreen being weird. That's bad storytelling. I felt the same way when Game of Thrones had Varys visiting Dorne in one scene and then at the fore of Dany's flagship in the next. I realize what both examples are going for, but that momentary confusion will pull viewers out of the suspension of disbelief long enough to irk the senses. Also, I'm pretty much of the opinion that we're going to see hundreds of years worth of lore happen in the show, compacted down to like 20 years time. The forging of the Rings, the Southland war, the capture of Sauron, the fall of Numenor, the corruption of Mordor, the battle against Sauron part 2, the waking of the Balrogs, the arrival of the Istari, the corruption of the Nazgul, etc.. It's all gonna happen by the end of the series, even if it should have been spread over a longer timeline.

[@flagrantmastrshake]

I'm not sure arguing that the storylines don't have anything to with each other is a fair criticism. We're only 4 episodes into a 50 hour series, I'm not expecting all the storylines to be connected with each other this early. In Game of Thrones, The Wall storyline had virtually nothing to do with the other storylines until probably the 4th season at the earliest. That said, even though yours was certainly a more critical review of the show, I did like the fact you give praise to it when you think it's warranted. Very fair and nuanced, well done.

[@Mu77ley]

Amusingly Adar *is* Benjen Stark (Joseph Mawle) ;)

[@wisemoon40]

Oranges. I actually really liked the slow-mo horse ride, it was gorgeous! But I do kind of agree with you. I like the show a lot but I don’t like how they are writing Galadriel’s character. The first couple of episodes I could attribute her rashness to an obsession born out of trauma and grief (forged into rage). But as it goes on it gets farther away from anything that makes sense. All the other stories are interesting to me, and I don’t really mind the time compression or deviation from canon. It’s just Galadriel. I feel bad for the actor, honestly, because this character being written so badly will attach to her even if some of the audience knows it’s the writing.

[@williambrown6921]

she's growing in experience and knowledge. the show is exhibiting her arrogance and patience. in the silmarillion she was banished from Valinor due to her part in the Kinslaying. So she has a long way to grow,, she is also obsessed with revenge for her brother.

[@stubbywankenobi1]

Tolkien himself described Galadriel as proud and power hungry. It works for me but I can see the disconnect for everyone. Also I think the king of numenor started sowing elven discontent secretly as soon as he became king when he got visions of the doom

[@joelk6611]

Tolkien never described Galadriel as being power hungry. Sure, she wanted to establish a realm of her own when she first left Valinor in the First Age. One could argue she is proud or confident for having that goal, but suggesting that justifies her characterization in this show is a leap. Galadriel spent most of the First Age in Doriath under the tutelage of Melian, who was agruably the most wise being in Beleriand. If you think it's reasonable that she wouldn't have learned temperance or diplomacy throughout that time, I don't know what to tell you. The writers ignored all of that context. They didn't need to have the rights to the Silmarrilion to see that it's absurd to portray Galadriel the way they have done in this show.

[@stubbywankenobi1]

Adar is Benjin Stark. Same actor

[@alachad]

I like the long discussion after the episode. It helps me process it too. And yes, there is too much slow-mo in the show. It's played out already. Oranges.

[@menukjau]

"Elves taking our jobs" was a classic, the most memorable part for me..

[@melderead]

oranges, I am grateful that you have genuine reactions to this series.

[@nothefabio]

Most of the issues I have with this show derives from the fact that the writting is trying to - but failing to - emphasize that elves are not humans. They are like aliens to us. They build ships that sail with almost no crew; they make gems of light with hammers; they don not die of natural causes, but sail to an unreachable land. Their social relations works differently than ours, their society works differently than ours, their minds works differently than ours.

[@Revellius21]

Perfect. If she was playing Celebion and not Galadriel, that would LITERALLY fix her character. Id totally buy a rebel Celebrion

[@NerdyNightly]

I wish she was Celebrian, Galadriels Daughter, it would solve timeline issues, allow for Elrond and her to have a romance, and allow a more faithful adaptation of Galadriel to be the character this characters attitude is a rebellion against.

[@davidabercrombie5427]

I am a big fan of Cate Blanchett's version of Galadriel.....but this show is making me really dislike the character. To me it seems as though they are trying to push her as the focus of the show but they are not really giving us a reason to be interested in her. if they cut her out of the show completely then I dont honestly know if I would miss her. I agree with Clarus that it sometimes feels like several shows edited together. I would watch a show all about the dwarves and Elrond or a show focussed on the Harfoots but Galadriel just isnt doing it for me. Also if the theory you mention about the different timelines is correct thats just gonna complicate things even more than it already is.

[@shamisotoole3165]

I think Galadriel's total lack of diplomacy at this point is because she's been fighting or hunting orcs and Sauron for like 95% of her life. She doesn't rule any realm or people, and her sole purpose is vengeance. I kind of get why Gil-Galad tried punting her to Valinor when "peacetime" arrived because she literally knew nothing but war since arriving in Middle-Earth.

[@beng7206]

Guys, Galadriel isn't dumb. She has thousands of years of festering undealt with trauma, immortal PTSD. That sounds horrific. I'm willing to cut her character some slack that I wouldn't cut a regular human character in almost any other franchise.

[@victorvillanueva124]

If this is the hot Sauron phase, then Halfbrand being Sauron checks out, just sayin’. As much as I like Galadriel, this is inevitably leading towards an embarrassing humbling moment for this character and I’m very hyped for it.

[@LuxLoser]

I can’t wait for when the season is over and someone makes supercuts of each storyline so I can see them uninterrupted and actually get sucked in and attached to them.

[@jimidando]

the fall of the stranger was seen by everybody but the dwarves. I truly love this show, but i also don't remember the movies very well...was more of a harry potter kid.

[@anton8694]

Oranges! Can't wait for your HOTD EP5 reaction!

[@IcefisherTenacity]

Mad when she’s powerful, mad when she’s flawed. oh boy

[@ShaunRansom]

I view Galadriel like this: How many years has she been fighting against evil? How much of her life has been war? She is a soldier, not a diplomat. Atleast at this point. Shes seen so much war and evil that being nice and dealing with pleasentries has just become beneath her, she just wants to skip that crap and get an answer she wants to hear. Atleast thats how I have come to view her. Just my opinion :)

[@Perry_Wolf]

I'm 100% with Nerdy on this one, I really don't like that I'm struggling with this show. I do disagree that the writing isn't the problem with this show. It's the writing that is making Galadriel unlikable. This episode just about broke me though with the whole "The Elves are going to take our jobs" scenario. One elf washes up on shore and suddenly they have a wholesale problem with elves? Not only that, but the episode then contradicts itself later when the Queen Regent decides to go with Galadriel to the Southlands, then suddenly the same mob that were almost rioting against the Elf takeover were all, "Yes, we'll go too!", with arms pumping enthusiasm! But that whole scene with the "The elves will not have our jobs" speech and suddenly "Drinks for all!" and now this random mob is suddenly a full catered event?!?! This is the kind of poor writing, even though it seems innocuous, not only dispels your immersion in the story, but full on punts you out! I think I counted you guys going, "Wait, what?! Huh?!" about 7 or 8 times this episode. That's utter ruination of the immersion we need in a story like this, and that's the writing.

[@blackshade1840]

its just terrible. this show is a total flop!

[@LukaFric]

Honestly I have a lot of issues storyline-wise with this episode... the weirdest thing was how at the end of ep 2 King Durin was not even nearly convinced to work with the Elves and we didn't see him agree to the collab on the tower. But then in ep 4 the tower in Eregion is half built? Like what did I miss? I am okay with compressed timeline but I can't have them skip important beats like that.

[@agisv1036]

I think that the elves were already building it, they just wanted it done by springs end or something, so they enlisted the help of Durin???

[@LukaFric]

@@agisv1036 If that’s the case then Elronds and Celebrimbors first scene together in Eregion should have taken place at the actual building site… but it’s all very confusing now. And that’s just one thing.

[@agisv1036]

@@LukaFric Yeah I guess you are right, maybe they compressed the storyline too much.

[@majkus]

And we are told by Waldreg that the meteor passed 'a few weeks back now'. When the meteor passed, we had just seen Gil-galad, Elrond, and Celebrimbor in Lindon. So, if these scenes are supposed to be happening at the same time, then Celebrimbor and Elrond got to Eregion (zip!), Elrond recruited the Dwarf workers (seemingly entirely offstage, a missed opportunity for a short scene of those craftsmen marching out of Moria), and the tower partly built, in 'a few weeks'. The writers are failing at _conveying_ time and distance, at least; and are probably failing at carefully determining these matters in the first place. Certainly a long way from Tolkien working to keep his moon phases straight (the synchronization issue is one reason he abandoned LotR for a year and took up The Notion Club Papers instead).

[@LukaFric]

@@majkus I am absolutely okay with a compressed timeline… if the new timeline makes sense and is clear.

[@cacheman]

27:48 I'm with Claroos, this scene felt super clunky. It wasn't unclear to me what happened, or what they were going for, just felt clunky. Oranges.

[@majkus]

I think the writers are misdirecting people with Halbrand as Sauron, just as I think they are with Meteor Man being Gandalf. Too many heavy-handed 'clues'. Driving the story on 'mystery boxes' does not improve the product.

[@seltor6094]

Númenorians envy the elf's imortality that is why they grew to dislike them

[@boydmonson3136]

I basically never comment, but needed to shout and say yes, Nerdy is right there is way to much slow mo in this show.

[@nikolavujcic7089]

Adar can be Meaglin son of Eöl(dark elf)

[@LukaFric]

So the best explanation I can think of why the writers are making Galadriel seem so "young" and "inexperienced" is because they want to contrast the 3rd age Galadriel and explain how she evolved to become her through time. I think the writers have consciously decided to do that with characters across the show. The same will be true if the Stranger turn out Gandalf. The writers are really fucking up with Galadriel though... the contrast they are going for is really too far and I agree that they literally want us to think she's inexperienced, but it goes as far as to portraying her dumb.

[@johnmacleod9507]

They had a character in the appendices that guys like me would have bought, Celebrian(well sort of) Galadriel this is heresy. Galadriel is actually weakening as time progresses she is not getting more powerful. She is born of Aman, she does not belong to Middle Earth.

[@ragingheat98]

I’m with you on all your points except the critique of multiple storylines or different kinds of storylines. Game of Thrones has been doing that for years. Jon Snow didn’t meet Danyerus until season 6. I really don’t think that’s a fair critique. TV shows have multiple different storylines all the time, some appear in one episode and not the next, this is very much not an unusual thing for shows, have you guys ever watched one before? I really don’t mean to sound condescending but it’s literally that common. You guys made that such a big point too, as if creating extra negative points to express your overall dismay with the Galadriel plot, I get it but damn all shows do that 😂. Btw the girl (idk your name I’m sorry 🙏🏽) really seems to dislike this show but is just being civil for camera I get it 😂😂😂

[@carolxs]

Is Adar played by the actor who does the Emperor from Foundation series? Love that character

[@Pilek01]

20:00 don't you think that the elf is the father? we never saw the boys ears, and he is a bit darker skin tone than his mother and more like the elf.