#Patrick McKay

[halbrannatar]

Good night Silvergifting fans. This is for you 👇

[hailturinturambar]

“For Sauron as a character at the beginning of season two, he still thinks he's the hero, right? He's like, I'm going to fix the whole world," McKay explains. "I have to make magic rings to do it and the way I do that is to trick this guy, right? That's my plan. But then to succeed, he has to double down and basically descend into the worst version of himself, where, by the end, he's the villain of this story, and he knows it.”

He added: “So in some ways, the first two seasons have been the origin of Sauron, the Dark Lord. Season one, he was the aspiring Dark Lord, by the end of season two, he's the newly conquering Dark Lord.”

Patrick McKay for Total Film

To me, one of the most interesting things about Sauron is that in his mind, he is an underdog hero.

Unlike Morgoth, who desires to destroy the world and is perfectly content to do evil, Sauron truly believes that he is capable of healing Middle-earth and achieving peace.

Even if to achieve this peace he has to become a tyrant, a conqueror. Sauron thinks that only with his methods of deception and manipulation will he be able to achieve his ultimate goal. And this is where the real tragedy lies, isn't it?

He corrupts everything around him, betrays everyone who is on his side, to achieve his long-awaited peace. The interesting thing about Sauron is that he doesn't think he's doing evil, he's just using all the necessary efforts to save everyone.

I believe that after murdering Adar and being defeated by Galadriel, the last people in Middle-earth who were close to him since the loss of Morgoth, Sauron then realizes, as McKay said, that he is the villain of the story, the evil that rots the ground.

He's too corrupt, he's done too much harm to turn back. I imagine that's when he gives up, looking at Celebrimbor's hammer. Does he realize that he's the villain everyone's facing? A crack in Sauron's truth, in what he believes is right, without a doubt.

Sauron finally accepts that he is The Dark Lord. He no longer wishes to become one, because he already is. There are no more masks, only the dirty truth.

[leotanaka]

i really liked patrick mckay's answer regarding how arondir survived getting stabbed. it was obviously a reference to arondir's comment in the first episode of the series about how elves heal themselves but it's good to have that actual confirmation and the answer really makes sense within the context of the scene and how it was clearly presented.

like, i get that people have this perception that being stabbed = mortally wounded and that 1v1 = fight to the death but it really doesn't and beyond the stab itself, the scene showcases that arondir was simply hurt. he's injured, that's all. he wasn't dying. hell, the scene quite literally ends with adar kicking arondir directly in the face in order to keep him down before walking off as arondir is shown crawling on the ground so, to me it was pretty clear that adar wasn't actually trying to kill him and that arondir would be alright.

also, i really like that both patrick and ismael (in a previous interview) put an emphasis on this arondir vs adar moment being primarily about arondir losing the fight. that's what this is about, that's what makes this momentous, it's not that he might have died, it's the fact that he actually lost the fight. that arondir, who is shown repeatedly to be an unstopped and unbeatable warrior lost. that adar beat him and that he was able to beat him because arondir became reckless, he wasn't fighting with a level head. for the first time, his emotions literally got the better of him and he lost and could've been killed because of it.

[dragon-ashes1485]

Morfydd, Charlie, JD and Patrick interview highlights:

Morfydd's evil grin when they're talking about her kicking Sauron in the face

Morfydd saying Sauron looks like he's waiting for his toast to pop up as he looks at Eregion falling

Morfydd finding "Durin will come" really sad

Charlie smirking every time they talk about Celebrimbor being bannered

Patrick calling Morfydd and Charlie buddies, even after a scene of nearly killing each other

And last, but not least, the showrunners talking about writing season 3

[apoloadonisandnarcissus]

I mean this is where it started; these two [Charlie Vickers and Morfydd Clark] were auditioning […] and these two were doing chem[istry] tests and, like you know, little reads for months and months together before, you know, before anyone else was in the cast. This is kind of where we built the whole thing. Source

Not Patrick McKay confirming they built the entire “Rings of Power” series around Sauron and Galadriel dynamic, how that's the core of the show, and how important it was for them to find the right actors for this duo.

[liveinfarbe]

The show runners about Adar…

Bringing the hurt that was this statement here

Great that from a viewer perspective the show runners felt the devastation of his loss, because they loved the character, they loved what he had with Galadriel built over two seasons, they loved the performances - but killed him off nonetheless.

It’s interesting what I think happened here: they had a character that started off on an intriguing premise coupled with a mesmerizing performance. Then as his expiration date neared there were decisions made to keep him longer in the narrative which means there were rewrites of the story. Simon Tolkien being a voice of reason here. And as they were doing so they delved deeper into his potential, and I’d argue they did that rather well, and suddenly this character became the magnetic focus of the narrative, hardly a supporting arc but front and center. There wasn’t enough time to let him breathe or kill him off satisfyingly (if that is possible). And surely Amazon had a word in that as well. They tried to make a clean sweep to get rid of the potential derailment of their vision. I suppose Adar’s demise was always meant to create a blank slate and put the Orc problem back into the box. Yet at the end of this season it felt extra egregious, because he had far outgrown his intended scope, from a viewer’s perspective.

Thing is, Adar was the best in a line of great original characters. He was soaring as a Tolkenian character and appealing to modern sensibilities. He felt relevant. And yet again coupled with an outstanding performance, where character and actor and make-up work created the most mesmerizing synergy. Adar was alive even when he was just sitting there chewing grumpily.

If it was not intentional by the show runners, it still feels like a failure, and frankly cowardly to not own up to it. But what can be done but grieve his loss now. The show is poorer for it.

[helenvader]

Messy dude who lives for drama, I can't.

Not that I don't agree.

Source: Patrick McKay quote from the IGN article.

[fatcatlittlebox]

Not gonna lie. Its a little weird and gratifying hearing Patrick McKay say the thing you just wrote. Can’t say that he read it but it just goes to show, and I repeat, we (film and lit nerds) all read the same stuff, studied it and wrote about it. So there you go, HC and meta writing is always valid and we’re not delulu when we draw from the same well.

[rey-jake-therapist]

JDP: [T]hat was the very crown with which Sauron himself was once killed. So taking ownership of it and using it as a weapon comes full circle. The victim who had been killed by the crown in episode one is now the aggressor able to use it for his own ends. We also know it's a powerful artifact that had the ability to…banish for hundreds of years a Maiar as powerful as Sauron. Being able to use it as a weapon that could penetrate Galadriel's collarbone, we knew that it would do some serious damage. PM: Spiritual damage in addition to physical damage. JDP: If I'm playing Dungeons & Dragons, I don't even want to know the damage potential of an artifact like Morgoth's Crown.

--Patrick McKay, J.D. Payne - The Rings of Power Season Two Finale Explained (Vanity Fair)

(Presentation 'stolen' from @fluffycakesistainted's post, only to avoid hacking it, I hope you can forgive me :) )

So I got curious following this line about Dungeons & Dragons... Why did JD Payne bring it up? I know absolutely nothing about Dungeons & Dragons, but I made a little research out of curiosity....

In D&D,

An artifact is a rare and powerful magic item in Dungeons & Dragons. The means to create artifacts are either unavailable to mortal ken, or else long forgotten. Artifacts are often unique or finite in number, and cannot be destroyed except by specific means.

Sounds like Morgoth's Crown could indeed belong there. For fun, I looked for the list of artifacts that are available in D&D, and oh oh, what did I find?

The Crown of Horn

Now doesn't it remind you a bit of our Crown...

The history of this Crown of Horns is very interesting:

The Crown of Horns was an evil, intelligentartifact of great power.[4] While its origins were murky, the Crown was believed to have been forged either in ancient Netheril,[2] or by Myrkul, the former god of Death.[6][3] The artifact carried with it a long history of corruption, mayhem, and tragedy.

Myrkul, Melkor, Morgoth... God of death, Dark Lord....

Right under this description of the crown, there's a quote from a female character named Laeral Silverhand. It gets more and more interesting:

"We found an artifact, the Crown of Horns, and I in my pride decided that my powers of will and magic were sufficient to counter the evil I sensed within it. I wore the Crown, and it claimed me as its own. Years went by, terrible years during which I lost Laeral and became the Wild Woman, the Witch of the North. I remember little of those years, which in many ways is a blessing." — Laeral Silverhand, in a letter to her nephew Danilo Thann, Ches 3, 1368 DR.[8]

I'll go back to Laeral Silverhand later on. Before, here's what they say about the powers of the Crown of Horns:

It is unknown what powers the artifact had before it was possessed by Myrkul other than its sentience and its capability to interfere with the minds of its wearers. After its possession however, the Crown imbued the wearer with several considerable necromantic powers.[10] They were granted an aura of undeath similar to those that surrounded liches, became immune to necromantic spells[4] and all manner of death magic.[3] Following the god's destruction, the vestiges of Myrkul could strongly influence the actions of whomever wore the Crown of Horns, making suggestions within their consciousness, possessing them outright, and even altering their moral and ethical outlook to more closely resemble his own.[4] No individual could remove their crown unless Myrkul's essence wished for his artifact to find a new host.[3][5][10] Over time, anyone wearing the crown became increasingly paranoid, specifically about their possession of the Crown itself. Eventually, they succumbed to the call of madness and undeath, and became a lich themself.[3][4][5][10]

The description keeps going on, I won't copy/paste it all, but basically, it sounds like this crown has powers of control and fascination similar to the One Ring.

Now about Laeral Silverhand:

Laeral Silverhand (pronounced: /ˈlɛərɔːl/ LAIR-awl[15]), born Anamanué Silverhand and formerly known as the Witch-Queen of the North[3] and later the Lady Mage of Waterdeep, was one of the Seven Sisters, a Chosen of Mystra,[14] and the Open Lord of Waterdeep during the late 15th century DR.[3] Together with her partner Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun, they led the Moonstars, a dissident faction of the Harpers, which sought to guide the cities and countries of the North toward a shared destiny.[

She had a fascinating life, not very different from Galadriel's actually, who may have been an inspiration? They're both witches with a lot of powers in their hands, for a start. I don't know, but here's what's said about her connection with the Crown of Horns:

Under an assumed name, Laeral eventually established herself as a hard-drinking and fearless adventurer, coming to lead an adventuring band known as the Nine. In the Year of the Wandering Maiden, 1337 DR, Laeral and the Nine discovered the ancient Nethereseartifact known as the Crown of Horns in Yûlash. The Crown was actually planted for her to find by the Netherese lichAumvor The Undying, who wished to use the Crown to influence her to marry him. The plot failed when Laeral donned the headpiece and the Crown's powers conflicted with Laeral's spellfire and drove her into madness.[30]

(The Nine... they seem to be very different characters from Sauron's Nine, but it's nevertheless a funny coincidence).

"The Crown was actually planted for her to find by the Netherese lichAumvor The Undying, who wished to use the Crown to influence her to marry him.".... Well well well, Inchresting....

It's also said that the Crown's powers "drove her into madness" and "claimed her at its own".... I wonder if something similar could happen to Galadriel, because of the wound left by Morgoth's Crown? But it would be Sauron who would claim her, perhaps?

It is also said that "Laeral ceased her prolific creation of magical items after she was freed from the Crown of Horns", which isn't without reminding me of Galadriel who said "I will diminish, and go into the West, and remain Galadriel."

To be clear, there's no mention of stabbing using the Crown of Horns as a weapon. But the fact that JD Payne mentioned Dungeons & Dragons and what an artefact like Morgoth's Crown could do in this context give me pause, especially considering the similarities between these two crowns, and Galadriel and Laeral...

[halbrannatar]

Charlie Vickers is BORN to play SAURON. 👑

The way he answered Patrick's question about why did Sauron cry after killed Celebrimbor and he was hiding himself as Annatar from Morfydd. He's not playing Sauron anymore he IS Sauron. 🙂‍↕️

[hailturinturambar]

Thoughts on J.D and Patrick's interview

Loving the new interviews and I hope we get more content. It will be a while before season 3 is released, so anything we get is very important. And since an interview with J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay came out, I decided to share my opinions again.

I'm biased, because I have a visceral obsession with Jack Lowden, but I agree with Patrick and J.D. Jack as Sauron/Mairon rescued the beauty of the Elder Days and the delicacy of the Maiar and Elves of the First Age.

When we look at Jack Lowden's Sauron, we glimpse what Tolkien described in his books. As Patrick and J.D. say, aneglical, cherub. And this is how I imagine Sauron when he was in the service of Morgoth.

It is interesting the changes that Sauron undergoes physically when his new form is destroyed. And not only in appearance, but we have a change in his characteristics. Jack and Charlie are Sauron and the similarities are obvious, but we still notice that each one represents a phase of Sauron.

As for the time in Númenor, I admit I'm worried they'll change the actor, but considering Charlie remained as Annatar, I don't see why it would be any different. After all, he's now known in Númenor as Sauron in his Halbrand form. Charlie mentioned in an interview (I don't remember which one) that he's looking forward to the Sauron armor. So I assume he'll remain as the main form.

In my opinion, one of the biggest hits of the second season was Sauron's prologue. In the first season, we have Galadriel's prologue and she is narrating her story and the Elder Days.

This point of view, let's say, is the point of view of the heroes. Of the Elves who knew the beauty of Valinor and witnessed the evils caused by Morgoth and Sauron in Arda. This changes abruptly in the second season.

It's like one book told by the hero and the other by the villain. It's Sauron who is now telling his story. We get a more detailed introduction to Adar and his sons, how they were in Sauron's service and why they betrayed him.

What interests me most about the prologue is that we get an explanation for how Sauron came to be the mortal man Halbrand. We have a Sauron who is without a master and has to make his own way in Middle-earth, and then we see a broken Sauron struggling to survive. Until we finally meet Halbrand.

And indeed, Sauron's past explains much about his hatred of Elves and Orcs, and how he sees himself and the goals that will guide Sauron to Celebrimbor's path in Eregion.

When Tom's first episode came out, I saw a lot of negative comments about the character's portrayal. I like almost all of Trop's decisions in how the characters are presented, so I can't be impartial at times, but I still don't understand the criticism.

When we think about Tom Bombadil, we can't base ourselves on all previous sources. PJ fans often criticize the choices made by TROP, but Tom was an interesting addition. Is he different from the LOTR period? Of course he is! We are too far removed from Frodo to use such a comparison. LOTR Tom is not TROP Tom. He still has a long way to go.

Saruman was a general assumption, I would say. But I wouldn't want it to be Saruman. That character, in my opinion, can wait. I don't see a need for him in the plot right now. And I would like to know who this new character is in TROP. I like the characters created in the show, so I'm curious.

My opinion on this point may be a bit controversial. The mystery of who Sauron is in the first season was intriguing, I think for all of us. Even though we suspected Halbrand, we thought that many characters could be Sauron or that perhaps Sauron would not be introduced at all.

And I particularly enjoyed the reveal of Sauron at the end of season 1. This new form with new traits and deceptions was different from the Sauron in the books and I enjoyed how they set up the Halbrand/Sauron storyline.

As for Gandalf/The Stranger, well, I found it a bit tiresome in the second season. It was generally obvious in the first season and I was following the revelation closely. But I don't think it needed to be dragged out until the second season. Anyway, it wasn't that bad and maybe I'm being harsh.

I don't see how this could have worked and I don't like it one bit. I'm glad they changed it.

Sauron in Adar's camp doesn't make sense to me. Sauron was in Eregion forging the rings, why go to Adar's camp? We already had Halbrand meeting Adar at the beginning of the season. Galadriel and Adar meeting again didn't need Sauron's intervention or influence. It was time for us to glimpse the reunion of these two.

I can't think of Sauron in Adar's camp as anything other than an attempt to maintain the idea of ​​Sauron and Galadriel's romance. Other than that, it wouldn't add anything to the story. And I liked how they did it better.

I love SW, so I think this was the ideal reunion. Two opposing forces of Light and Darkness dueling, each trying to resist the temptation of the other, while being influenced by them.

I never thought of Elendil and Míriel as a couple when I read the books that featured the tales of Númenor. But as soon as I laid eyes on them in the series, oh my!

The chemistry was right there, being rubbed in my face. And if we think about Míriel and Elendil's future after the arrival of Sauron and the Fall of Númenor, that's what attracts everyone the most, isn't it? All the anguish and the impossibility of being together. I'll pick up my crumbs!

I was so infuriated by the comments on the internet when the Orc family was introduced. In short, I think it proves how ignorant people are of Tolkien's work if they didn't understand what was being represented there.

Everything in TROP talks about the tragedy that befalls all beings in Middle-earth. Why would it be any different with the Orcs? We know about all the evils caused by the Orcs, but in a war, evil comes from all sides, right? Comments about "TROP humanizing the Orcs" make no sense and are only said to harm the audience's view of the series.

TROP simply presents the point of view of all the characters and how they see themselves. Feeling sympathy or not for each one is not forced, it is just presented. And I like this dynamic.

The most important thing in Tolkien is the duality of the characters. Even though in the Third Age the line between black and white is more defined, in the first stories it is not. And TROP explores this well.

Because for Adar, they are not Orcs, they are children, and that is how they also see themselves. Because they are like the Elves, they have lives and families and live like all beings. But it is their choices that separate them from Men and Elves and that is where we enter the tragedy.

They are seen as monsters, so they do not fight for a different vision, because they would never be able to be seen any other way. Even though Adar's actions are wrong, like Sauron's, with both Adar and Sauron, we end up becoming attached to these damaged characters and we feel sorry for them.

No, don't be mean and tell me about season 3!

J.D. and Patrick's love for the history of Middle-earth is truly infectious. It's remarkable that they put their souls into the show and are committed to telling a beautiful story that honors Tolkien.

Don't judge me if you like the movies (I like LOTR, but not more than the series) but I feel that in TROP we really travel to Middle-earth, in a way that connects different people from different places and different ages.

I first watched the LOTR Trilogy (I hated The Hobbit movies, don't judge me) when I was a child or almost a teenager, I don't remember well. And although I liked it, I didn't feel completely connected.

But that's how I feel about TROP. When I watch an episode, I feel the same way I do when I'm reading one of Tolkien's countless books. And that feeling is so good.

TROP makes me feel at home, living the story. TROP means comfort to me and I hope the series lasts a long time.

[love-and-doom]

"If ever there was a show that first needed to walk in order to fly (you fools), it was "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power." Though far more enjoyable than the internet would have you believe, the debut season of the mega-budget Prime Video series struggled too often to define its approach to J.R.R. Tolkien's idiosyncratic lore. The same can't be said for the much-improved season 2, a darker and more villain-centric adventure that took the foundation laid by its previous eight episodes and carved out its own identity altogether. More so than any fantasy series this year (yes, even "House of the Dragon"), "The Rings of Power" truly came into its own.

For those willing to follow a modern twist on Tolkien canon, creators/showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay crafted a particularly thrilling — if radical — reinterpretation of the Second Age of Middle-earth. What if our greatest heroes in Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) and Elrond (Robert Aramayo) showed a more human side over how to deal with the temptation of the rings? How about the centuries-long rivalry between Charlie Vickers' deceptive Sauron and Sam Hazeldine's fallen Elf Adar culminating in a three-episode siege on Eregion? And, through it all, that shapeshifting diva Annatar captured the hearts and minds of unsuspecting characters and viewers alike. I'm not condoning his season-long gaslighting of poor Celebrimbor (Charlie Edwards) ... but I get it"

Nice as hell to see the show being praised 🤗

[valar-did-me-wrong]

them about us the fandom lol

Part: 120/?

[partfae]

“We are writing season three” (x) I LOVE THIS SONGGGG

[conundrumoftime]

Thank you to Rotem Rusak from Nerdist who did ask them this & let me know! Alas McPayne dodged it in favour of their standard line on Celeborn but ah well.

Channeling s1 Galadriel: “Why, Elrond. You really have become a politician.”

But look at this as an answer to the question about the Uruk and Tolkien’s orc issues:

I am so intrigued! The show’s treatment of the orcs touching on Tolkien’s moral dilemma was one of my favourite things about s1, and then s2 did more with it but seemed to end potentially on a “never mind they’re all irrevocably evil now” note which was disappointing. (And learning that the s1 rumours about Adar’s role originally being planned as a shorter one were true AND that it was Simon Tolkien who suggested they might want to do more with him?!)

I have not seen any of the video interviews this time round because life is not very conducive to it now and also because I really dislike a) video as an interview format and b) watching interviews with actors about a role they’re currently in, so I’ve been so thankful to my fandom pals pulling out quotes and clips. love you all!

But I have been trying to keep up with the printed ones, so finally here’s a bit I loved from an interview with Morfydd about Galadriel also from yesterday:

Links:

Nerdist interview with Patrick McKay and J D Payne

Nerdist interview with Morfydd Clark

[ssdartvader]

Celeborn

According to this article, Dan Stevens could be a potential Celeborn. In his favor is the fact that he has already starred with Morfydd Clark in The Man Who Invented Christmas. https://screenrant.com/the-rings-of-power-celeborn-actors-casting-galadriel-husband/ Dan Stevens and Morfydd Clark