LOTR - The Rings of Power [SPOILERS]

[Ollkiller]

Don't get the hate either for Gladriel. Latest episode not as good as episode 6 but still enjoyed it immensely. Hopefully the last episode is a cracker.

[John Kimble]

Yer wan Galadriel is gorgeous. Don't really have any issue with how the character is written.

So the final episode? Yeah, very good and the season definitely improved as it went on. I don't think I'd be in any rush to watch the first few episodes again though. Definitely looking forward to the next season. Thought the forging of the rings was a bit rushed though, considering how central it is to the whole story.

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

Bit of a rushed episode overall alright. I'm surprised they didn't make more of a spectacle of it and half a 90 or 120 minute ep for the finale, which would have allowed a more cinematic unfolding of where they wanted to get to by the end of S1. I think the run of episodes 6 through 8 will make for a decent epic watch though, some time over the next couple of weeks.

[Born of Fire]

Thought the forging of the rings was a bit rushed though, considering how central it is to the whole story.

Rushed yes but also completely nonsensical. The whole point of the rings was that Sauron thoroughly deceived everyone by helping Celebrimbor craft the 7 rings and the 9 rings. He then left and Celebrimbor crafted the 3 Elven rings. There were seen as great gifts.  Nobody knew of the grave peril of them until Sauron crafted the One Ring in Mount Doom and used it to exert his influence over the lesser rings.

Here Galadriel figures out it's Sauron while he's in the middle of helping to figure out how to craft the mithril rings and finally faced with the enemy she hunted for a millennium proceeds to do fuck all. Why would she allow the rings to be created after seeing that the enemy she views as the gravest threat of all was so keen on having them made?? Who's going to make the other 16 rings or will that be cheaply retconned in next season?

There's still plenty potential for a great show with the war against Sauron but I feel the writers dropped the ball big time here.

[Caomhaoin]

Head scratcher of an episode, mainly for the reasons described above.

'I am good'. Jaysus, the cringe.

[Carnage]

Indeed, changing the whole concept of the forging of the rings is a head scratcher and I'm surprised they did it, given how precious (!) the Tolkien estate are about the source material. As for Galadriel, her character's improved/grown on me as the series progressed, but yeah - oh, so you're my mortal enemy... well, I have a nice shiny ring now so off you go. Odd.

Still, enjoyable overall, the last three episodes have been well worth the wait/hype.

[Caomhaoin]

It's entertaining enough, I agree.

I've given up pointing out the Chinese hobbits to the Mrs and whinging, just drink the soma instead.

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

Nobody's asking for it, but I'm giving, since I watched 2nd half of final episode again last night as herself was fighting to stay awake first time round and wanted to get it all. As has happened before, enjoyed it more on second watch. So, at the end of this season, what I like most about Rings of Power is that it feels fantastical in the way fantasy felt as a child, including a little bit but not too silly here and there, just as The Hobbit and LOTR (books) were also silly from time to time (Tom Bombadil, all the festive songs...). Fans have gotten too serious about Tolkien, forgetting that in the works he decided were ready for the broad public (i.e. not The Silmarillion or Unfinished Tales or any of that more 'adult' stuff Christopher Tolkien ended up getting so 'precious' about), there was plenty of stuff aimed at audiences of all ages, absolutely including children (an audience Game of Thrones, for example, doesn't have to worry about). In that sense, you need at times to be able to watch with the eyes of a 10 or 12 year old, and clearly that is a capacity that gets crushed as cynicism increases. I think the Middle Earth universe they've created is properly, and as it should be, wonder-ful.

Beyond that, regarding breaches with canon, etc., I'm happy enough for there to be alternate versions, just as there are alternate narratives in all genuine mythologies, Greek, Roman, Norse, etc. Did the Greeks of 500BC give Aesclepius a hard time because his Prometheus wasn't like Hesiod's? The answer is, nobody today cares, because it's the fact we have both that fleshes out the full scope of the mythology. Tolkien was more than happy to have ambiguity in the mythology he was creating. In fact, in a letter, he explained that this was why he had serious doubts about publishing The Silmarillion (and, recall, he never did; Christopher Tolkien published it posthumously); he feared crystallizing myths hinted at in the LotR would, quote, "destroy the magic" of them. A lot of the online bickering over canon is the strongest possible witness of the notion that the magic has indeed been destroyed for many people by the fact that they have all this stuff they call "canon" to point to.

[Caomhaoin]

Yeah but the Chinese hobbits though.

[astfgyl]

Haven't watched the finale yet myself will probably do so tonight but I've been reading another scathing review of it (whole season, not last ep) this morning and while I find myself agreeing with the criticisms in the reviews in general, I still find myself enjoying it all the way. Regarding the whole canon thing, I couldn't remember 3/4 of The Silmarillion so all that goes over my head and I just get to enjoy it for what it is which to me is a decent fantasy adventure and I agree with the shepherd's take on the general tone of it and how it's aimed at younger folks as well as the likes of me. Hoping nothing too stupid is done with the finale but it'd have to be pretty awful to spoil the general good vibes I'm getting from the show so far. Also I think the way the aesthetic is similar to Peter Jackson's vision of that world was a clever choice in helping it to feel like LOTR from the off.

[Emphyrio]

Watched ep7 and 8 back to back. I like what they've done with the rings story, especially in the context of the mithril angle they've developed. I reckon they've put a bit of thought to how the rings are made and given out and it'll all come together in time.

Your man went from zero to Sauron way too quickly though. He should have spent a bit more time with the elves I think. Overall I think the simultaneous identity reveals was done really well. 

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

https://off-guardian.org/2022/09/20/review-the-rings-of-power/

Here's a fairly long and scathing review of the show so far that I've just read. Thankfully I didn't see it as this person did or I wouldn't have enjoyed it at all. Hard to disagree with some of the criticisms all the same. I also spotted some spelling errors in the review so marks are lost for that.

Tried to read this, now the season is over, couldn't make it to the end. Serious case of performative outrage wanking, his tiny wee rabid cock turgid from the smell of his own Tolkien knowledge farts. Nothing in the way of attention to his own word craft. Twitter is overflowing with better awful content than that 

[astfgyl]

https://off-guardian.org/2022/09/20/review-the-rings-of-power/

Here's a fairly long and scathing review of the show so far that I've just read. Thankfully I didn't see it as this person did or I wouldn't have enjoyed it at all. Hard to disagree with some of the criticisms all the same. I also spotted some spelling errors in the review so marks are lost for that.

Tried to read this, now the season is over, couldn't make it to the end. Serious case of performative outrage wanking, his tiny wee rabid cock turgid from the smell of his own Tolkien knowledge farts. Nothing in the way of attention to his own word craft. Twitter is overflowing with better awful content than that 

It's back to my last post really about how in spite of some seemingly valid criticisms, these bad reviews are just not working on me at all and I'm enjoying it immensely. I feel a lot of it is that it's so big that reviewers just want to knock it down. The other one I was reading made basically the same fist of it and equally doesn't really was with me. Actually just thinking I haven't read any of the good reviews either, might look at a couple if there are any

[Caomhaoin]

Some reviewers were going to give it a scalding no matter what. I hate the woke shite as much as the next fella but it's only window dressing to avoid the harpies shrieking in their ear holes.

It's grand.

[jobrok1]

It's just the current trend to knock the shit out of absolutely everything at the moment. Some of these people, especially on Youtube, are really fucking demented. They simply want clicks and views, end of story.

I know the show isn't perfect, but fuck it... So What!
As long as it's entertaining and somewhat decent, I'm OK with it.

I get as much entertainment out of the whingy moaning haters as I do from some shows, so it's a double win for me.