For my Spanish speaking friends, this breakdown is now live over on Nerd of the Rings Español: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-J3cqizL3Tis.html
Just except this is a bad fanfiction instead of tip toeing around. Most fans are claiming that these channels about Middle Earth are either afraid to criticize the series because they're shills or trying to gain more subscribers by glossing it over. At least Men of the West saying it is trash.
Editado. ¿Tras la forja de los 3, Sauron con forma seductora hará recelar y envidiar a los enanos y humanos de los anillos élficos para que acepten los 7 y 9, manipularlos y enfrentarlos así a los elfos, tanto numenor como los enanos en parte odian a los elfos? ¿Ar-Pharazôn será el Rey Brujo, muriendo antes en cuerpo en Valinor siendo un espíritu condenado a vagar y luego a la nada del vacio sin ser parte del todo con Eru por siempre, de hay la relación en Angmar con los numenoreanos negros... antes controlado por Sauron en parte por uno de los 9 y el único, junto a sus mentiras y falsas promesas de poder, grandeza e inmortalidad? ¿el Istar/Maiar ya sea Gandalf y/o mago azul en el este dará lugar a la aparición de 4 de las familias enanas y sus reyes, así como otros elfos y reinos humanos?¿También aparecerán las entwives y entchilds en el este?¿Veremos a valar y maiar, Tom Bombadil y Baya de Oro... o será Eru?
Halbrand being killed in the eruption and then being taken over by Sauron sounds cool, but I think that the bloodlust when confronted with "Addar" and the line: " Do you remember what you did to me" shortly after Addar states he killed Sauron shows that he already is Sauron at this point in time.
Agreed. Also doesn't make sense that a legit human Halbrand would have been claiming to be the heir of the Southlands throne before the eruption if the last king died without an heir 1,000 years ago. In hindsight there are some things that don't make a lot sense in terms of how Halbrand/Sauron has acted up to this point (e.g. being stuck on a raft in the ocean with random humans, saving Galadriel and Elendil, etc.) but nevertheless I think we have to assume he was Sauron the entire time.
Especially since Adar, of course, has no clue who he is - since he didn't have that face at the time. Neither Adar nor Sauron *actually* lie at any point.
@14:18 when Halbrand suggests coaxing the metals together it made think of Soldering copper pipes together with 95/5 tin and antimony! As a Plumbing Apprentice, this scene really spoke to me!! ❤
@@Maoreomi and not one of Celebrimbor's assistants, let alone Galadriel and Elrond, noticed and found highly suspicious that the greatest elven smith ever suddenly became dumb and clueless ?
I know there are a lot of mixed feelings about the Stranger being heavily implied to be Gandalf, but I wanna say I think the casting was perfect. So many of his mannerisms, the kindness in his eyes, even line delivery(especially in this last ep where he was saying actual sentences lmao) had a very Ian McKellen feel to it. Really made me smile
Definitely mixed feelings but the actor did a wonderful job with not at all much dialogue! His mannerisms and the emotions in his eyes alone conveys so much! I hope we see more of him and Nori.
I actually really like this origin for Gandalf, though I'm hoping they explain why he rode a comet to Middle-Earth. (Perhaps an argument in Valinor of some kind?) He could still end up at the Grey Havens after Saruman... just by sailing from the East instead. (Since the world would be round by that point.) And since he would have only met the Hobbits in MIddle-Earth, it would seem like accurate history so far as the Silmarillion is concerned.
Interesting tidbit: Tolkien's magnum opus was started by writing and experimentation, but when he decides the attempt to complete it, he builds a map. He builds a map to get all the journeys travel and episodes into a context that made sense. Now when we talk about stars that indicate a location (Meteor Man's stars we find are in the East, in Rhun), it doesn't make sense in our terms on a round planet. Stars in the East of our world would eventually be in another part (West or East) of the planet as it rotates and the axis changes, like Scorpio and Orion, do in my neck of the woods. But if the world was flat, as we are led to believe before Numenor tries to take the lands of Valinor, it makes perfect sense. I don't know if the writers of the Rings of Power are that smart, but "hmmmmmm." :)
Celebrimbor almost gave me chills when he was staring "into nothing", talking about will and flesh and power of the unseen world. He seemed almost like being taken by a spell, a spell that the One Ring used to have in Peter Jackson's movies. I thought that was really cool!
I assume what that was really about is something to be revisited in season 2. They left it open how Celebrimbor got his grand forge idea and how Halbrand ended up on that raft. These two will probably be parts of the same story that will also tie to the conflict between Sauron and Adar.
So what would Halbrand/Sauron's plan have been if Galadriel left him in Numenor? He said he wanted to stay there and work as a smith, but was that part of his original plan? Or did he know that would push Galadriel to get him to leave even more? Or would he just have worked as a smith and live low simple life?
My thought was that he'd stay and work on manipulating the people, edging himself into a position of trust at his own pace and eventually convincing then to help him take back the southlands. I think Galadrial pushing him to do it just sped up that plan a bit and (until proven otherwise) my own headcanon is that he was reluctant to do so without building that foundation of trust first. But hey, when an elf gives you lemons
The show does nothing. It basically went like "playing fill in the blanks with audience". Just assume anything bcs we are bad at writing but we won't admit.
A full review of the season would be a good follow up. This was by far the best episode of season one. Too bad they could not have paced the other seven episodes better so they would have had time to actually do many of the things we all wanted to see.
Just want to thank you for ur channel ive never been good at reading I struggle with autisim but ive always been super intrested about the early ages. your channel has helped me understand everything and for that im super thankful! The show has been fun to watch its wild seeing how differnt it is but still enjoyable
What parts of the show were fun to watch? I couldn’t make it through the 3rd episode and it doesn’t seem to have improved at all since then. edit: IN MY OWN PERSONAL OPINION. Since apparently that wasn't obvious to the lovely people replying below.
If you want to learn more about Tolkien's early ages/the Silmarillion then I highly suggest Voice of Geekdom, who is creating a chapter by chapter summary of Tolkien's work.
6:27 “the key that unlocked the dam” might also be a callback to the events in episode 6 that created mount doom. Also a foreshadowing for Halbrand being Sauron.
The first thing Halbrand says is “Looks can be deceiving” and they just hammer it down the whole season. By the time he’s “revealed” it is so obvious. Galadriel is the Dark Lord in this show. She makes Sauron.
I’ve never read the books either. The show writers blatantly foreshadow this throughout the season. That deep fake in the beginning of the final episode was laughable. Those women should have known that the Stanger wasn’t Sauron. If the show knew the history, that they wrote themselves in this series, those women would have known that that wasn’t Sauron.
@Cyril Lyric compared to the likes of acting in LOTR yes, but when compared to the acting of ROP, halbrands acting was pretty good, not only that but only he amongst few other characters actually feel like they belong to middle earth. i think while his character obviously wasnt perfectly written, that he did a good job with what he had. the rest of the acting besides elronds, durins, and elendils can screw itself, utter horseshit. (especially the harfoots)
Season 2 would benefit from a few flashbacks of "Annatar" visiting Eregion prior to the events of the first season, where Sauron laid the groundwork for the creation of the 16.
I don't think they were created prior to the Three. The idea of forging rings instead of crown or other insignia was pitched in this episode. This is also too important for the show itself to just omit creation of the rings
@@Morcorco That's a good point about the change from a crown to rings. It's just puzzling why they decided to flip the order of creation, and a shame if it was purely for the big Halbrand reveal. The writers have dug themselves into a hole trying to figure out where and who creates th 9 and 7, and if Sauron has to steal them from the elves. Maybe they just skip all that, have Sauron make them, and gift them in season 2.
@@MorcorcoWell, in Tolkien, the lesser rings were created before the Three greater rings. That made logical sense. In this show, their story frequently doesn't make sense.
@@mikem9001 Yeah, that was the thought behind my original comment. It's all a mess. Love the tone and look of the show overall, but they have work to do on the story.
I agreed. I finished watching the entire season and I’m quiet disappointed they did and several change. At this point they should call this Games of Thrones The Ring of Power
Galadriel's reflection in the water with Sauron looks like she's wearing the same armor from the Fellowship movie when she was tempted by the ring (and repeats the lines Sauron says to her)
@@marcrolle4601 she was wearing a breastplate in Frodo's vision of her during the whole "all shall love me and despair" monologue ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-WeQDTj1UllA.html
@@deceiver444 partly because a lot of the elements in the trilogy are from the source material, partly because the show can't stand on its own without referencing the trilogy
When meteor man sent the sorceresses back to the shadows, they literally turned into moths. The kind Gandalf has a habit of whispering to. How can it not be Gandalf. His affinity with fire, his relationship with hobbits, his grey appearance, all the quotes, etc. The whole journey is for one, adventure is with friends quote can literally be a reference to all the adventures with groups he's been in throughout both LOTR and The Hobbit trilogy. Like, oh I don't know, the FELLOWSHIP of the ring? Edit: Grammar
See for me, the cloak he wears, his hair, his beard, the actor in character resembles Ian McKellen, he even copies some of Ian McKellen's speech patterns and mannerisms tells me he's Gandalf... that's before all the obvious hints in the show, the moths, the callbacks in his dialogue, his relationship with the Harfoots pretty much explaining his fondness for Hobbits...I mean he's just so obviously Gandalf 🤣
It is gandalf but they don't have rights to him hence why noones named him anything yet, there's no way it isn't gandalf with the references about smells, the moths, etc, but you never know with this show..probs end up being saruman lol
@@Stonecrow99 They have the rights for Gandalf. Amazon bought the rights for the Trilogy and the hobbit. They then decided to do a 2nd age story ( something they don't own the rights for) 😂
The workshop/forging of the rings was my favorite part. The set piece, jewels and the actual forge were perfection. I could’ve watched that for an entire episode or at least in place of the longest goodbye in the history of middle earth.
am i seeing this correctly that sauron knew the secret exchange of galadriel and her brother regarding the touching of the darkness by invading her mind but galadriel then tries to validate elrond by asking him about a shared memory?
Unless I'm misremembering, she had told Sauron at least some of what her brother told her while trying to encourage "Halbrand", so that's how he knew, not by reading her mind. All he could do was regurgitate memories he knew something about already. The thing she asks Elrond, though, was something she hadn't shared with Sauron.
@@captainfrank5962 told him when? This is sauron entering her mind and playing them tricks....why would galadriel tell a stranger such personal things?
Yes, it was a few episodes earlier. I don't recall the context now, but she was encouraging Halbrand to get his act together after he said he had done evil in the past.
Just dawned on me that the mystics said the stranger was the “other” Maybe the stranger is one of the blue wizards, and the mystics have already run into the other blue wizard, who also ended up heading east
You’re overthinking it. They ain’t doing the blue wizards. They’re sticking to stuff viewers will know and connect to. The Gandalf thing is really beautiful to watch so far. It would lose all of its emotional depth if it turned out to be some random other wizard.
1. Can you cover Khamul the Easterling since he is the ruler of Rhun. The Istari and Nori are heading to Rhun. It is likely Khamul sent to the Mystics to bring Sauron to Rhun. 2. Sauron's War in Eregion and Lindon is pretty crazy as the Elves of Lindon, Elves of Eregion, Khazadum Dwarves, and Numenoreans fight Sauron there. 3. Can you also cover Sauron's control over Numenor through his puppet Pharazon and what life was like in Numenor under Sauron's influence? 4. Can you also cover the history of Gondor as it appears the Southlanders and Faithful Numenoreans will build the foundations of Numenor starting with Pelagir.
There's just nothing to learn about the mortal lives of Nazgul. They were (or became) powerful people - sorcerers, kings, lords, and the like - three were Numenorean, and they had all become Nazgul by The Late Second Age. While Khamul being an Easterling who was king in Rhun is certainly possible, it is not canon. Even the epithet "The Black Easterling" is from an unnamed Nazgul in an earlier draft. Although Khamul's epithet "The Shadow of the East" does suggest a possible eastern origin it could equally refer to his station in Dol Guldur.
Re your question 4, if you want to learn the history of Numenor and Gondor, then you have to throw out everything you have seen in ROP - they hopelessly mix it up. Numenor was founded at the beginning of the Second Age, as an island refuge for those tribes of men who had fought Morgoth with the elves. Here are the main points: 600 S.A., the first Numenorean explorers reached Middle Earth. 1000 S.A. Numenoreans founded Tharbad. 1600 S.A. the Rings of Power were forged, 1700 S.A. Sauron attacked Eregion, sacked it and took the lesser rings. A few years later, a Numenorean army arrived at Tharbad, linked up with Gil-Galad's forces and wiped out Sauron's armies. He fled back to Mordor. 2280 S.A. Umbar was founded 2350 S.A. Pelargir was founded . 3120 S.A. Elendil, Miriel and Ar-Pharazon are all born within a few years of each other. 3262 S.A. Ar-Pharazon sails his fleets and armies to Middle Earth and attack Mordor. Sauron's armies run away. Sauron is taken as captive back to Numenor, He soon becomes a trusted adviser to the king, persuades Numenoreans to hate elves, and to want to seize eternal life from the Valar. 3319 S.A. Ar Pharazon sails his fleets and armies westward to attack the Undying lands. They are buried under the earth. Numenor sinks into the sea. Miriel drowns. Sauron's earthly body is destroyed. The faithful including Elendil and his sons Anarion and Isildur escape to Middle Earth and found Gondor and Arnor. Beginning of the Third Age.
1. Why do you think that Khamul even exists in this show lore? And IF: is he even alive by that point? 2. that is probably the big thing they hope to show in the coming seasons OR they move that war from Eriador to Mordor 3. doesn't he have a video already covering that?
I loved the finale so much! I was nervous...there have been choices I didn't love along the way, but overall it has been thrilling to watch this series. I didn't want Sauron to be pretending to be Halbrand, but I was open to it if it was executed well. And for me it was - the actors did a FANTASTIC job. Well done and I am excited for S2!
I totally agree. I really loved the conversation/dream thing between Galadriel and Sauron/Halbrand. It was really cool to see the deceiving side of Sauron. I realized today that I think this show has made me hate Sauron more than the original movies just because we actually get to see how deceptive and evil he is. Thought this episode was absolutely the Pinnacle of this season
@@sneakyninja2773 Absolutely, I felt the same way. When Sauron/Halbrand was trying to get Galadriel to be his ally he was so incredibly convincing in the creepiest, most evil and manipulative way possible. I thought of Gandalf's quote from the lotr trilogy when he was speaking to Saruman: "There can be only one Lord of the Rings, only one who can bend them to his will. And he does not share power!"
How did the Numenoreans moved their horses to the feed of the Orodruin in two days, when the Rohirrim even needed six days and nights from Edoras to Minas-Tirith? And I'm talking about when they landed their ships at the coast of the Southlands for sure. ;) And how they survived the volcanic erruption, if the rain of ashes and carbone dioxide they breathed in for days is about 1000°C?
How did Frodo and Sam survive at the end of ROTK for that matter. I think the mistake we make is that thinking Mount Doom is a regular earth style volcano, it is not. It was created by magic for one purpose: to allow Sauron to make the one ring. You have to remember he had human, mortal form when he was using mount doom to forge his ring, so he had to be able to survive being in the heart of that mountain while he was doing his work. Also, distances in middle earth. It seems to me that even in the books the main characters get around rapidly from one area to another. Even when they are on foot. And the Rohirrim did not leave from Edoras, they gathered in a staging area that was closer. But even Gandolf tells Pippen, it’s three days ride to Minas Tirith from Edoras, “As the Nazgûl flies, and you better hope that one of those is not on our tail”. I don’t remember if this corresponds with whatever it says in the books as far as how long it takes to get from one place to another. And of course Gandolf can just summon up a moth to summon Gwaihir, to use as a nifty taxi for escaping from Saruman or wargs.
Halbrand may more likely have been referring to Aulë the Smith as "the master he apprenticed to" since, as Mairon, he was his student, and Celebrimbor was born before YT 1495. Sauron also initially kept his allegiance to Melkor secret while still serving the Valar, so there could have been plenty of time for Aulë to have noticed Celebrimbor.
Seems much more likely that he was simply lying to gain favor. He’s the master of lies, it makes so much more sense that he was just saying whatever he thought would make Celebrimbor like him, rather than Aule actually caring about any elf’s craft (except Feanor).
16:39 I find it funny how you included an image of Kylo Ren when he was giving his speech to Rey. When I watched this this scene kinda reminded me of that scene from Star Wars.
I have a feeling they're going to flashback every season so now, knowing what we know about Halbrand, could be that we get a flashback in S2 about how he landed on that raft! Lol. They were a little heavy handed throughout the season with the reveal though. Particularly the numenor smiths event. I just sighed heavily when that showed up. Galadriels costumes in this episode though. 👀👀
I think they should flash back to moments of Sauron’s deceit. We will probably hear what he told Al-Pharazon as well! And how he’s begun to corrupt Numenor from within. It will be interesting also to see if he had any sort of hand in the Adar/Orc moments when he was with the Numenoreans. Still interested to see how all that “I killed Sauron” will play out with Adar. Because Sauron/Halbrand was obviously still very salty about it haha
Because not everyone is as brain-dead as you If the guy who lives and breathes Tolkien can appreciate the show, maybe you need to ask yourself if you're the on out of touch and wether the people you usually watch are maybe just grifters who profit off your gullibility to be easily ragebaited.
i just don’t understand how you could, in your right mind, hire two showrunners with zero experience ( not to mention a fragment of a show pitch )to tackle one of the most beloved IP’s in human history.
They didn’t get the job on merit or talent they got the job because their former boss JJ Abrams put in a good word for them and that’s how we got this.
I think that was a Great episode. I agree, I hope he is one of the Blue Wizards. Always wished there was more story to them. Enjoy your break downs. Really enjoy watching your history of Middle earth videos. I get it is not all Canon but I am so very happy to just be back in Middle Earth . I love it, and hope we all encourage the continued production.
Think he’s definitely Gandalf, the “whenever in doubt go with your nose” comment gives it away. I was hoping he was one of the 2 blue wizzards as well.
@@CrawfordPrime Lead into darkness? You really have no idea what the character of Sauron is like do you? In the unfinished tales Tolkien wrote him as being Morgoth's right hand for the whole of the first age and the uncounted ages before it, he was above the lord of the balrogs in terms of power and rank simply because of his ability to deceive and shapeshift, and his extraordinary skills with dark sorcery. He may have given himself the terrible title of the lord of the rings, but he had a far more fear inspiring title well before then, the lord of the werewolves, now tell me, who would you be afraid of more, a dark lord who calls himself the lord of the rings, or the guy who created werewolves and was the biggest baddest motherfuckin werewolf to ever exist? Sauron has always been evil, since before the world was made by Eru, and till his last panicked breaths while existing as a physical entity in Arda.
@@CrawfordPrime He didn't start good. At the end of the War of Wrath, he was given the opportunity to turn from his evil and return to Valinor, but he refused to do that. Instead he went and hid in the east of Middle Earth. The next anyone heard of him was in 1200 when "Annatar", apparently a high-elf, came to Eregion offering knowledge of how to make artefacts. Only Galadriel suspected him. Celebrimbor and others were deceived and used his knowledge and advice in the making of rings of power. But he betrayed them when he returned to Mordor and created the One Ring to rule over all the others.
@@samcochran8203 no I know the lore, how he was given a chance to return to Valinor and repent but fearing punishment remained in middle earth and fled east. Tolkien said in a letter Sauron did want to rebuild middle earth and bring about peace but in his own twisted way. I should have articulated better that Sauron was bad, but he didn’t start off evil, and his desire to repair middle earth can be read as good intentions like Tolkien says but he relapses back into evil and becomes the new dark lord. I get that sense that’s where they’re taking his character in the show too, where by having Galadriel by his side he would be better than a dark lord, but his methods will become more and more extreme until he goes past possible redemption. Even Sauron sought a chance to do better but his ways are evil because of his warped view
@@CrawfordPrime I think that's a good way of putting it. Sauron's actions (like Morgoth's) always feel justified from their own perspective. I like the line that he had in this episode, where Galadriel asked him whether he wanted to save Middle-Earth, or rule it. And he responded with "I don't see a difference."
I don't know what they were thinking making Halbrand Sauron. I think they wildly underestimated the audience's ability to put two and two together pretty much from the off so when the big "reveal" happened we were all like "yes, we know". Having watched much smarter shows, it made it hard to believe they'd go with such an obvious character. That said, I did enjoy the performance from Charlie Vickers. I hope they wise things up a bit in season 2 and for the love of God, make the stranger a blue wizard, it's an actual Tolkien character that's a blank slate, it's an open goal.
I agree, it was obvious, but I'm happy with the decision they made. When we first met him on the raft I had strong suspicions. Then when he glanced at the smithing forge in Numenor I was certain. I think Halbrand was the only logical choice to make Sauron. No one else would have been as satisfying for me and he's played the role of the deceiver well. And I completely agree that the stranger should be a blue wizard, I said that from the very first episode. It makes way more sense, especially because it's a clean slate. And let's be honest, he won't live up to Ian McKellen, no matter how good he is. But "if in doubt, always follow your nose" all but confirms he's Gandalf. Which is annoying.
Hi Matt. Although I think the scene with Earien was abrupt and frustrating I am curious what she will see. I wonder if she she’s Isildur and that he’s still alive. We have a long wait to find out. Thanks again for a great season of any sis & education. I’ve learned so much ✌️💚
This finale was where they totally lost me. Very hard to see this as an adaptation of Tolkien’s work anymore - it’s a rewrite. Tolkien gave us major plot points for this and the writers won’t even follow them. I understand the need for changes to adapt for film - but we’ve gone so far past that now. 😢 As with so much in big budget film these days, the outside looks great (great job Weta! And some good acting and great visuals!) but the inside built by the writers and show runners does not. That inside is just dead 😢.
I really hope that when the elves start using the rings we get to finally see them glow like in the LoTR movies, I know it might sound silly but it would give them that ethereal look that we all love so much
I definitely need a Season review! I feel both sad and justified because I've been saying this all season long: it was a huge mistake to turn Celebrimbor into a glorified guest. He should have been the heart of the show with Elrond being the other main character. The few short scenes we got of Celebrimbor and Halbrand really showcase that the actors could have totally pulled this. Yes, maybe we didn't need 8 episodes of Sauron cosplaying in Eregion, but 3 or 4 were totally doable imo. But they dropped the ball with this because they wanted to go for the low hanging fruit: Galadriel and Gandalf (two iconic characters), the Sauron mystery, and the Hobbits. Now, even though I didn't want Halbrand to be Sauron, I did like how they grounded the reasoning: Sauron did want to heal ME in his own perverted way (I still believe they're hinting at Morgoth's Ring here) and Galadriel's biggest weakness was wanting to be a Queen. So Sauron tempting Galadriel with a crown was a good decision because it hit where she hurts most. I know a lot of people hate show!Galadriel and I do acknowledge that the writers have not been helping the character to be easily sympathetic; however, the show has dared to go where Tolkien was reluctant to go, the fact that Galadriel (like all Elves) was not a perfect tall goddess of immaculate hairstyle, but the ambitious youngest daughter of a youngest son who was never satisfied with being just that. Even in the lore, Galadriel always feels restless and travels around because she simply can't stay under other people's rule. It is only after her daughter suffers a tragedy and that she actually becomes a leader that she settles down. (And omg, it's ridiculous how some so-called "fans" are suddenly clamoring for Celeborn when Celeborn has always been a footnote on Galadriel's story and the little we know of his character is not complimentary. Get real!) They need to hit a hard reset next season. Focus on two storylines: the political struggle in Numenor and the Eregion/ Khazad-dum story, show little hints of what's happening in Mordor without going into much detail, and walk back the soft Gandalf reveal. What they really need to understand is that the viewers can't care about the characters if they don't watch them have emotions. We empathize with others when they express their feelings. This is why the Khazad-dum story line worked best because both Elrond and Durin had emotional build ups and pay offs. Telling an epic story doesn't mean that the characters are there to simply do epic things without having any emotional developments. As for the good, this episode proves that the actors have done a great job with the little they've been given. The music and the visuals are superb. And for all it's worth, they have preserved Tolkien's family friendly tone, even though it would have been very easy to throw some gratuitous sex and violence in there and take the GOT route. I do believe the creators know and appreciate Tolkien's world, I'm just not sure if they feel compelled (or were ordered) to do certain things.
It does feel like they were a little ambitious in showing as many stories as possible. I think alternating between Numenor, Eregion/Lindon, and Rhun (like use 2 per episode) in season 2 is probably the way to go. I LOVE the idea of exploring Rhun and the corruption of the people of Rhun and those who are fighting against it
Listening to the Soundtrack again, there are elements of the final Rings of Power song in the True Creation Requires Sacrifice song, although in True Creation Requires Sacrifice it is less gloomy of course. The music is so masterfully done!
The only thing that I found confusing was the order the rings were crafted. IIRC, the elven rings were crafted after the others right? Perhaps Sauron will try again as Annatar(now that they associate him with Halbrand) or he will only forge the rings for men in Mt Doom.
The one ring was forged in Mordor. I think he needed the mythril maybe and took some with him to forge the ring. And he had added knowledge from celebrimbor
This series wont follow the lore exactly because it never had the right to Annatar. So it will be interesting to see who and how the 16 rings are forged for the dwarves and men, and then Sauron clearly makes the One on his own. Maybe the elves make them and Sauron seizes them, or Sauron makes them? We shall see.
I could be wrong, but my understanding was that the 19 rings of power were forged around the same time and all given to elves. Be made the one ring later. Once sauron realized they couldn't corrupt the elves, he went and attacked Eregion, killing Celebrimbor and recovering all but three of the rings, which are later worn by Galadriel, Gandalf, and Elrond. Only then did he give nine rings to men and seven to dwarves. The nine men over time became wraiths, and the dwarves went into hiding. Later on, Sauron kept trying to recover the rings given to the dwarves and successfully recovered three before being defeated in LOTR.
The scene where Galadriel attempts to stab Halbrand with the dagger - she might have learnt a trick or two from Arya Stark, and dropped the dagger to her other hand :))
i really really hope they show the making and descent of the nazgul and maybe even bring easterlings into the story. Those have always fascinated me the most. I want to see the pre story to khamul and the witch king
We probably will see it, don't worry. Gandalf and Nori are headed to Rhun, and Sauron is already in Mordor, so the corruption of the Easterlings will soon beguin and we will see it through their eyes.
@@dutchislax14 Honestly I was rooting for him to be one of the nine too, that or the king of the dead. However, I came arround to it because of the acting on Charlie Vickers part and the fact that it made a character I considered kind of a generic Aragorn copy have a reason as to why he was that way. Excited to see how it goes either way.
@@mortadelofilemon2086 I think Vickers did a nice job in the role that he was given, but I think that role was written poorly. I do see your point on how it subverted the old Aragorn trope, tho.
It is truly amazing that you are able to produce such an amazing video so quickly after this episode was released. Thank you for your work, thoughts and time. As an older guy now, who remembers distinctly reading the Lord of the Rings as a child in the 80s, this series is really amazing and your commentary throughout has been a welcome companion - but not like annoying one like Sam :) Cheers!
The moment you read any of Tolkien's other works, especially the Silmarillion and other writings that include the Second Age, you will see very clearly just how abysmally awful this series really is.
@@akasgsvirgil9503 I've read the Silmarillion and even listened to its audiobook. Some of us just decided to enjoy the only Tolkein screen content of today. We know the series breaks the Lore (as did all SIX movies). I know its not the best written or even directed. But at some point, can we all stop whining and accept it for what it is... Or simply stop watching. I'm beginning to think it's a political badge of honour to be seen as openly and vehemently against this series. 🤔
@@ikbarbershop Agree completely. If it's an 'objectively' bad show, as the detractors say, viewership will drop drastically and the series will be cancelled. If it's not, then a sizeable portion of viewers is enjoying. Why not accept that and ignore it if you hate it?
@@akasgsvirgil9503 ya I'm sorry, I really like the show, maybe it's because I read the books 30 years ago and I don't remember everything from it. But I love the immersion of the world, the quality of it, the realms in their former glory etc. It just takes me to a place I love every time I watch it.
I waited patiently for each of your episodes review. You planning to do one for the whole season 1? Where you can sum up your pet peeves, disappointments, where you were right, where you may had been wrong and what you expect for the next season?
“Evil cannot create anything new, they can only corrupt” - J.R.R. Tolkien e: "No, they eat and drink, Sam. *The Shadow that bred them can only mock, it cannot make: not real new things of its own.* I don't think it gave life to the orcs, it only ruined them and twisted them; and if they are to live at all, they have to live like other living creatures." - Tolkien if you cope hard enough maybe you will get a better show - me
@@samvalentine9243 "No, they eat and drink, Sam. The *Shadow that bred them can only mock, it cannot make: not real new things of its own.* I don't think it gave life to the orcs, it only ruined them and twisted them; and if they are to live at all, they have to live like other living creatures." - Tolkien You guys kinda didn't stop trying with this 'cope' huh? Its getting moore obvious lmao
@@sigy4ever it doesn't though because anyone who knows what the actual quote is from will just think you don't know. If you're claiming to actually know that this is from LOTR, then It's arguably worse. Tolkien made it very clear what he thought about allegory and yet you're using words spoken by one of his characters as some sort of commentary on real world events.
I've been keeping up with Ben Shapiro's recaps of the show, and he called it in episode 2 or 3 that Halbrand was actually Sauron. Especially in episode 3 where he's giving Galadriel a crash course on politics - he basically describes his plan for the rings of power. Later on, I thought Halbrand was eventually going to become the Witch King since he was being established as a king over men. But then when he descended into Celebrimbor's workshop and was making suggestions to Celebrimbor, that's when I knew for sure.
What was the first thing he does when he gets to Numenor? He tries to get a job forging swords etc. then he gets into that fight with those guild guys, at first they pound his face in. But then all of a sudden he is twisting their arms off… I knew something funny was up with that, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. For myself I figured it out about the same time Galadriel did, The moment she wants to look into the Southron archives, that was it. And even when she is doing that in secret, Halbrand new what she was doing, it’s like he knows everything that she does. Oh they left plenty of clues all through the season. Especially that Chance meeting in the water.
So far I enjoyed watching the show a lot, despite having some issues here and there. My main one is the tendency in the storytelling to favor action over suspense and atmosphere and therefore creating problems that are then easily solved or bringing in new ideas over and over to drive the plot constantly forward at a high momentum. I would like to have a show with a much slower pace, but I guess that is wishful thinking, because most viewers would find my desired tempo just boring. Really liked the pacing within the scene of the forging of the three rings though, because they gave the characters enough moments to react to all of this. And Galadriel gave away Finrod's dagger to make it happen. That was such a good moment for the story, for the character as a symbol of finally letting go of her dilemma "The oath of my brother is now mine". Great scene imho. Compared to other shows I have see in recent decades, this one has potential of becoming a great one. Two, maybe even three levels better then "The Wheel of Time". But I agree. They have work to do. But I think they have both the money, the will and the talent to so.
I give them props for hinting at Halbrand being Sauron, even if obvious, as a lot of movies these days will just drop the plot twist with no hinting at all. I'm curious if you feel like the scene between Sauron and Galadriel indicates that he only went evil because Galadriel rejected him. I've seen a lot of people review and say that's the impression they got, but I'm curious if that's how you felt.
The last episode felt like they were trying to conclude the season due to the possibility of not being green lighted for another season. Season one could have benefitted from another episode or two.
@@schmidthockey Not for me alas, it had so little to do with the actual tales of the second age and also, it was badly written and badly acted and structured. I hear it cost $30 mil for each ep. How???
@@davidstone-haigh4880 from what I’ve read, The second age doesn’t have enough original content to fill a multi season show coherently. It’s all notes and small stories.
@@davidstone-haigh4880 they are showing the black numinoreans, forging of the 3 elvin rings, introducing Elendil and Isildor, and many more themes. I think if you gave it a fair chance and had an open mind, many LOTR fans would enjoy this show.
I vote for the blue wizard too! I actually really like the part that Sauron revealed himself to Galadriel. It is completely different from Tolkien’s original story but it makes sense from the show’s perspectives - The Highest Kind did foresee that Galadriel would wake up the darkness that she had been wanting to fight with. I think this is a pivotal moment for Galadriel’s characteristics to grow - from her pride to wisdom & practice to reject her ambition
Just rewatched the scene of Celebrimbor meeting Halbrand and the moment when Halbrand/Sauron returns the mithril to Celebrimbor .. I just found it strange how slowly he would return it and how much attention this moment gets from the camera. Am I seeing things or could there be more to this scene?
I was thinking maybe he used some kind of magic at that moment to corrupt the mithril to his will so that, even if the 3 elven rings were forged without him knowing, he still holds SOME influence over them.
Amongst numerous problems, I just want to point out that when Galadriel asks Elrond to prove his identity by asking him a question only he could know the answer to, that just makes no sense. Not because it contradicts some obscure Tolkien lore. Not because it even contradicts something from an earlier episode. But because it contradicts something from just a few minutes earlier in the very same scene. When Sauron is pretending to be Finrod, he refers to the "touch the darkness" awful dialogue that we saw in episode 1. Sauron couldn't have known about that - or even the general memory of Finrod giving Galadriel a pep talk under the tree in Valinor. So we can only assume that he can read her mind and use her memories against her. Galadriel should realise that given her experience with fake Finrod. Yet she doesn't, as shown by when she asks Elrond how they first met. Dear writers of this mess, you just established Sauron can read her memories and know things only she and Finrod would know; now a few hundred seconds later you've forgotten that and Elrond can prove his identity by saying something only he and Galadriel would know? How can anyone write scenes like this?
Tolkien's work is Tomato, Jackson's work is a tomahto. This show is a suspension bridge. Payne n McKay lied, back to the book back to the book back to the book. Oh well, at least I learned all the evil in middle earth is galadriel and a little kids fault.
This show dismantled Celebrimbor. The second greatest Blacksmith of all. They turned him into an idiot. But like Celebrimbor himself I wont give up hope and will pray this series gets better in later seasons but I doubt it.
He’s got an arc to follow. He’ll redeem himself when Sauron comes to torture him for information. I am not looking forward to seeing that man’s body as a war trophy, but I know it’s coming. 😢
@@cassieo he sure does, what upsets me the most is that this show took away what made Celebrimbor so special. His creation of the rings. He made the 3 rings in secret and didnt need Galadriel or Sauron to create the rings for him to the extent that this show has made it out to be. I fear for how much more his story will suffer. But yes, sadly we all know where this is going. :(
I really don't know what to make of this show, the films and books are just so much better but I will admit I am invested in this show now if only to see more of Sauron (and the bros Elrond and Durin) and how he goes from Halbrand who feels more like a anti-villain than the dark lord we know from the films, also I defo think we aren't done with his and Galadriel relationship in the show.
you must think differently when dealing with shows. tv or films could not be like books that can just casually jumps through time. in the show the 5000 year old galadriel is different, because that would be boring. she is yet to develop which the show will portray her bits in this season and later. people need to understand that the book is basically a history text with plot points mentioned in a thousand years gap. the show could not do that and had to compromise or make liberties that FITS for the tv medium. edit: frailing to dealing idk the autocorrect man 😅
I really like that Sauron wasn't helping men, but instead he was using them to combat Adar. I always find it interesting when two villains are enemies. I think this should make for a really intriguing arc for Sauron. I also hope the stranger isn't Gandalf. I thought for a while that he might be Saruman since they kept making a point that he was good but after he healed the trees, I'm thinking he might be Radagast, which would be cool. I like the idea of him being a blue wizard best though.
The wizard is Gandalf. Its not Saruman or Radagast or the Blue Wizards. He's also 2,600 years early and should not be involved whatsoever in the events that are about to unfold.
show runners: "there are 19 rings?". i agree that screen time showing a creation of three rings was short. this will prove too much for them and will end up failure
The time compression point you raised is interesting. I was wondering how fake Elrond applied for 3 months leave from Gilgalad but gave Celebrimbor only 3 weeks. I thought the writers made a mistake ☺️🤣
Amazing video as usual, thanks for your hard work over the past 8 weeks! I totally agree that this show was quite enjoyable but many things left us confused. I was expecting a full story arc on Anatar fooling everyone and influencing his way into making the rings. We got to see only 3 of them jammed into 15mn. And Halbrand being Sauron was indeed a bit disappointing but somehow well done. I just hope it’s not the last conversation we see Sauron have with other characters. I’m not for a good guy Sauron story but it could be interesting for the show to highlight how Sauron, in his mind, is the good guy trying to improve Middle Earth. Please definitely do a full season review!
Sauron improving middle earth isn't that bad IMO, and I am hyper critical(like 1/5 review) of the show. Sauron's motivations are for order, thinking that his ruling fist will rid the world of petty problems. It's a twisted "good guy" approach, but I don't mind this interpretation.
@@KineticCode I wish it was more about order. I HATE the rhetoric of "healing" they have going for Sauron, it's just dumb and sounds moronic whenever any of them say it, same as the BS about recompense. Makes my eyes roll. It would have been much better if they had borrowed from real historical authoritarians, and focused on stability, order, and self-defense. The conflict between Durin and Durin which forced the elves into this position would even have been perfect ammunition for a "we must rule for the greater good", as would Gil-Galad's time limit.
@@KineticCode While he may be trying to improve middle earth, he has no care in the world about trying to rid it of petty problems. His view of a perfect world, an ordered world, is covered in machines, as it turns out, in industry, he just wants to rule the peoples of middle earth as a bonus really, but also to bring them into his order of things. In the unfinished tales Tolkien wrote him as being Morgoth's right hand for the whole of the first age and the uncounted ages before it, he was above the lord of the balrogs in terms of power and rank simply because of his ability to deceive and shapeshift, and his extraordinary skills with dark sorcery. He may have given himself the terrible title of the lord of the rings, but he had a far more fear inspiring title well before then, the lord of the werewolves, now tell me, who would you be afraid of more, a dark lord who calls himself the lord of the rings, or the guy who created werewolves and was the biggest baddest motherfuckin werewolf to ever exist? Sauron has always been evil, since before the world was made by Eru, and till his last panicked breaths while existing as a physical entity in Arda. He was never a good guy in the history of Arda, maybe once before, before Melkor spread the corruption of evil, once before when he used to loyally serve Aule the lord of smiths, but not anymore, and never again.
Want me to do a video on my thoughts on the entire season? This season was very much a mixed bag for me. Lots of lessons I hope this show learns going into Season 2...
@@KennyMcGavin right… not like the entire audience didn’t hear it and immediately clue in on halbrand because of it… lmfao keep thinking it was a great clue, in reality it was kinda lazy and ruined the Sauron reveal
@@Matt67012 I literally just called it "little bit of foreshadowing", nothing special or nothing great. I was mostly complimenting the man for remembering the line. But keep running around on the internet implying to people that they are stupid if it helps you sleep at night. What a trooper to our society!
@@KennyMcGavin dude, it was the most obvious reveal in the history of television, and that’s honestly not hyperbole. It really wasn’t as subtle a clue as the writers probably envisioned. It was amateurishly obvious..
It's incredible how they are literally taking inspiration from one of the biggests disasters in modern cinema, and then are still baffled when It backfires A SECOND TIME. Don't matter how much I try to let go of Star Wars, The Last Jedi keep following me wherever I go.
@@bigbangrafa8435 At least this was entertaining to watch. The Last Jedi left me with a bad taste in my mouth after the first viewing. It only got worse from there.
Galadriel: "Lord Celebrimbor, you made a fourth ring...?" Celebrimbor: "Yes. It's name is Nunya" Galadriel: "...what..." Celebrimbor: "NUNYA BUSINESS!" Galadriel: 😑 🤪
I feel like the melting down of the dagger could also be symbolic for Galadriel shedding her warrior self and begin evolving into the powerful and wise Galadriel that we know.
@@amandalogan89 She was never the warrior type, the only time she ever really fought with anyone was the first kinslaying, where she fought to protect her kin on her mother's side. She was always as powerful as we see her in the movies, and she never desired to fight at all.
The melting down of Finrod's dagger is her letting go of her grief finally or maybe symbolically sharing the burden with two other ring bearers instead of carrying her grief (dagger) alone. As for Galadriel shedding her warrior self.. she already did that when she gave her sword to Theo earlier. Though we still have 4 more seasons and we'll see if the show makers have the temptation to put her in warrior mode again.
I love how they reduced the slow, centuries long, brilliant, and methodical manipulation of the elves by Sauron into what feels like a shoehorned weekend getaway where Sauron says a few mumbo jumbo magic things and then the rings are suddenly done. 🤦♂🤦♂Seriously, what a missed opportunity in my opinion. The dramatic irony of his manipulation, and the intricate way it was pulled off, should have been the main focus of this show, instead of a 30-minute subplot in the season finale. But that's just my opinion. It's ok if you like the show BTW. My family loves it and I cheer them on! This just my own personal perspective and nobody has to agree with it. Opinions are just opinions. :)
I agree mate. It was just terrible! One awful, feebly structured badly written nonsense 'idea' after another. Could have been an epic, sweeping tale with finely drawn intricate characters-but no we got one of the most overblown, overrated, badly made 'audience friendly' weakly plotted series in TV history. It's like it was written by 12 year old boys for 12 year old girls. Even the episode titles-Alloyed for example. Dear God, it's so thinly drawn and naff and over simplistic. So disappointed and upsetting.
It's not just your opinion, it was factually of lower quality in writing, acting, costume design and casting than what we expected. The disregard for the lore and obsession with woke politics to the point of it taking presidence over the actual script is shocking and Tolkien fans deserved better. And even the underlying theme in Tolkiens work of good vs evil, with those two concepts being clearly defined the rop sought to make those concepts grey and hazy. I found the whole debacle actually quite offensive as someone who is a fan. It was a lazy attempt and a straight up cash grab I think. But what did we expect, Amazons main talent is parcel deliveries after all, not high quality entertainment, that's there side hustle. Some people may like it for sure, and I have no problem with that. But having read the books and watched PJ's trilogy the rop is impossible for me to enjoy. And honestly, even for those who haven't the dialogue and poor script writing with clear contradictions from one scene to another makes me wonder if this is made for an audience who are quite happy to switch off mentally when watching. And I don't say that to be rude to anyone, there are films and series's I have watched where I do the same, it's like junk food entertainment. But I never claim those pieces of entertainment to be anything other than what they are. Whereas some defender's of this show do just that. Some opinions hold more weight than others, they are not completely relative. And the opinion that this show is of far lower quality than what we were expecting is valid.
You're right for most of it, but I actually don't think it's okay to like this show. It is vandalism, it is objectively bad, it is brain rot, it is an assault on the very soul of western civilization, it is unforgivable nonsense and no developing mind should be exposed to it, and no person should support the corporation that spawned this mindless abortion. It is the weapon of the enemy, a glittering, empty trifle that will distort the mind and corrupt our expectations for quality and the legacy of Tolkien. It is no less than the worst thing that's ever happened to entertainment and mythology. But that's just my opinion.
You forgot to mention an important point: that Galadriel forces Elrond to silence, when he asks what happended between Galadriel and Halbrand, using his promise to trust her.
Charlie Wickers has said in a fresh interview that they will go back to what happened to his character before that raft in season 2. That possibly also goes back to him being in Eregion as someone else already before returning there as Halbrand.
