#trop liveblog

[violetaeons]

Charles and Charlie, the duo that you are. Their scenes this episode have been so good

[celebrimbor-apologist]

Rings of Power Liveblog 2x06

Spoilers you guys

I’m not ready you guys fucking hell

At least the promo picture is not Tyelpe losing it this time haha

Okay let’s go. Im scared. 

Hey at least we are still at rating 12 years hahahaha

Why do I always watch the recap I already know what happened but…

I just realised that Durin doesn’t even doubt Celebrimbor, just Annatar. And Tyelpe’s face. Oh my dearest silverfist I want to kidnap you from Eregion. PleASE. Gotta re-read that fanfic my friend wrote after this 

Hey Arondir is running that’s okay, for a second I was worried they made Elrond run EVEN MORE. I love Arondir in action. I love Arondir. I don’t care much about the southlands sadly but I do care Arondir. 

Oh. MAP. Wait. 

OH TOWER.

Monologue <3

Oh Tyelpe no. HOLY CRAP. WHAT. Ohohohoh 

OH FUCK FUCK NO. 

HE IS NEVER MEAN TO--

HE FORGOT HER NAME HE FORGOT MIRDANIA’S NAME IM NOT OKAY IM NOT OKAY IM NOT OKAY NONONONONONoo 

whatdoyoumean he can Shout stop it stop it

oh he remembers when HE comes in 

oh no i hate this i hate this please please stop. 

OH. NO. 

ANNATAR. NO. GO AWAY. 

“I am well” No you are not. The fucking ring theme coming in. 

Oh no. Oh NO. I just skipped back ten seconds and he- the shards and the mess is all gone. Annatar what have you done please please please

ANNATAR YOU FUCKING BASTARD DIE IN A HOLE TYELPE SAID NO SUCH THING 

And now Celebrimbor is alone in the forge and everyone else thinks it’s good. 

“and pray” BITCH. “pray that he finishes his work before it finishes him” I am unwell I am unwell I am unwell.

Oh Mirdania 

OH FUCK OFF SAURON LEAVE HER BE. 

Mirdania I love you. Run away. Take Tyelpe. 

Yes Annatar, gather your skirties and walk up the stairs 

Omg the smile. 

Ah, yes, Galadriel and Adae at dinner. Must be nice. 

Oh Adar you GET it. 

He promised you what. Adar. Uh. Yeah moving on-

OH THE CROWN

Morgoth’s Crown 

omg this dramatic bitch. He wears what could kill him, huh? 

omg Adar KNOWS it. Is he kneeling??? “the fate of that city now rests on your ability to put aside your pride” and he already has. He already put it aside. And kneels. Fuck 

Oh Sam Hazeldine you GENIUS 

NÚMENOR 

Pharazon die in a fckign ditch and take Sa-

ELENDIL ELENDIL NOOOO 

Fucking Kevin with his arm in a sling. 

“I do” 

“I do not” 

Oh Elendil i love you you insane- Oh I love him. 

Oh, Pharazon is pissed at his son huh 

Eärien listen girlie i didn’t much care for you and then I understood your grief and how alone you felt but you could really, really back out now. Please? 

Oh hi Stranger. 

TOM TO THE RESCUE

Oh hi Nori! Harfoots travel every month? 

Gundabale I love you. 

Oh Nori, still looking for that destiny 

Merimac and Poppy huh? That was a fast burn, but I am not mad about it. She’s been lonely enough. 

“I say we fight for it” Oh I love him 

TOM (yes, this will forever be my reaction) 

ASDFGHJKL Tom is like “Let him find his stick in that mess”

“you must choose” I am Unwell. 

Gandalf having to choose between his friend and his destiny? I…AnD TOM IS GONE HAHAHAHA

Khazad Dum Theme my lovely 

Wait, it sounds different, it sounds… less. 

Is that just what they do now? Make gold treasure? I see now why people say the Arkenstone was a silmaril. Mithril is the light of a silmaril, isn’t it? 

OH FUCK. 

ANNATAR FUCK OFF

Timber, huh? 

“precious” huh 

Annatar getting rejected and not liking it meanwhile Sideeye by Durin. I love it. This is a man who has never been told no. 

King Durin losing it to Greed. 

“You belong to it” Oh Durin you have such a good heart I can barely cope. HOLY SHIT 

Durin are you okay?? No I don’t think so. 

Disa the amount of love I have for you? 

Durin crying <3 Oh love. 

Oh sea trial here we go. Funky horns. 

Eärien hellooo girl you are teenage rebellion gone too far but I love you. I get both sides and they are both breaking my heart. she is getting manipulated left and right and- 

Míriel???? MÌRIEL??? 

MÌRIELLLLL I LOVE YOU SO MUCH I MISSED YOU MY LOVE I MISSED YOU 

Eärien you are forgiven now get another dad hug. 

“What of my heart” OW

“What if it isn’t”. DOUBLE OW

“the sea is always right” 

Oh my heart. My heart is breaking apart to shatters. Oh my loves

DISA HI MY QUEEN

Narvi just try moving her if you want to lose, uh- 

SHE IS JUST SCREAMING AT THEM. 

OMG DISAAAAAAAA  

I AM CELEBRATING IN MY SEATTTTTT

“I LOVE YOU”

“Love me later.” 

THEMMMMMM 

Númenor is so beautiful

Oh the theme in the background. The theme. 

Omg they devised a plan huh??? 

Namarie. Namarie. They said Namarie. Bury me now. 

Oh I’m so not fine. He is crying. Nononono. I am sobbing please Ulmo, please-

Míriellllll

I am rooting for her 

QUEEN OF THE SEA 

QUEEN OF THE SEA 

Pharazon has Palantir+ Huh

Galadriel scheming I love you 

ELROND MENTION (I miss him) 

My ring huh 

“What then for the Uruk” yeah he SEES it. 

HOOOO BOY 

HOOOOOOOOOOOOO BOYYYYYYYY 

Yeah, Adar is going to die. 

Galadriel tastes some of Elrond’s medicine now, huh? 

THE SIEGE BEGINS HUH 

And they all see it. 

Malendol is the commander’s name, huh? You are now officially adopted. There’s this elf named Vorohil who I’d like to introduce you to. 

And he just watches. Annatar just watches. 

Art therapy Celebrimbor <3

And he can’t leave the forge huh 

what 

YES GET HIS ASS TYELPE

when I tell you I screamed

AGAINST THE WALL 

The quote it is the quote the quote

nononono

Oh no. 

OH DEAR No

I can’t

So this is the scene

Ow ow ow ow ow 

Am I weeping? Well let me tell you I’m not revelling in this diner tonight

all is fine outside and this hurts 

I cannot forge more rings 

be at ease 

no do not be at ease. 

The ring song theme. 

I give up 

“precious” 

THE FUCKING HAMMER 

I KNEW IT WOULD BE THE SCENE BEST FEANOR NONONONONONONNNKKJNKJN GUDIjlwneköjbvühfbi

One last time. 

Oh I hate this I hate this I hate this please please please.

I knew it. And he is just walking around there. 

The siege begins. 

find me in the garden where I shall be buried because I am dead 

I screamed less than last episode I feel

Fuck I knew this was gonna happen but I love Eregion so much 

I miss Elrond. 

[reactions-and-lattes]

Rings of Power Season 2, Episode 7

"Go back to your hill and be buried!" is the closest thing to 'fuck you' that we get in this series and you know what? I'm loving it.

And Gil-Galad's spear fighting is just

[normallyiminsane]

Please, babies, can you be friends again? I don't think I can stand another episode of this friendship breakup.

[lonesomedreamer]

The Rings of Power Liveblog: “Shadow of the Past” (Episode 1)

Two years late, curiosity got the better of me, and I decided I had to see this thing for myself ahead of the second season premiere…spoiler: I didn’t hate it.

I’m not going to gripe about these children looking decidedly human (or at least not Elvish), because I understand the limitations of using, you know—actual human children as actors. But I will question the notion of Elvish children being smug bullies.

But baby Galadriel definitely looks the part.

“It’s not going to float, it’s going to sail.” Not off to a strong start with the dialogue…

Oh, the Elf children are…throwing rocks at her paper boat? All of them? Why?? I know the behavior of Elves in the First and Second Ages tended to be less detached/noble and whatnot, but little Galadriel is literally about to punch this Elf boy…

I have so many questions about this hairstyle choice.

“We have no word for death.” Somehow, I doubt that. This is the Second Age, right? Elves had definitely already experienced death.

Why does this seem like a slightly retooled Minas Tirith design? Is this supposed to be VALINOR??? (Actually, this would be a decent Amber design…)

A very underwhelming depiction of the destruction of the Two Trees…this is what Amazon spent amlost a billion dollars on? I know they can’t accurately depict what happened because, you know, no rights to The Silmarillion, but it still underwhelmed me.

This sequence is just all so obviously CGI. While I’m no fan of the original Jackson films (sorry, I know—boo, hiss), a lot of it looks real.

“See, it’s just like that Game of Thrones spinoff you like, but with terrible CG!”

It would be so helpful if Galadriel’s voiceover told viewers that Orcs were created as a mockery of the Elves, or hinted at why Morgoth created them/why he hated the Elves. Unfortunately, this is what happens when you try to adapt a work to which you don’t have all the rights.

She is very, very pretty.

“What devilry is this?” Is that a word in Middle-earth?

Lots of Galadriel confidently assuming she knows things she can’t possibly know (for the sake of hurrying the story/journey along, I guess)…if only the streaming services didn’t limit themselves to eight or ten episodes and gave their stories room to breathe!

Anyone watching who’s never read The Silmarillion (or even the trilogy): who the fuck is Morgoth? What are the Trees?? What year is it??? What’s going on here??!? Again, the huge problem of adapting a larger story/universe when you only have partial rights…

Insert obligatory video game-esque troll battle that’s also a callback to the Moria scenes of the FOTR film. You can use the bathroom here and miss nothing.

Some proto-Hobbits, because why not? I did like the “hidden village” reveal thing, though!

I kind of love them?

There’s a lot to be said for the charm and appeal of the Shire from an audience perspective, the comfort of it (which is why the Scourging of the Shire is so thematically important and excising it was an irredeemable sin…but I digress), so I actually 100% understand why they included these guys. TTT is by far the bleakest book of the trilogy, my least-favorite, and the lack of the Shire is a huge reason why.

23 years later and I’m still not over the utter miscasting of Hugo Weaving. Visually, this Elrond isn’t really better. Why is Elrond so damn hard to get right??? And his hair is described as black!

The best costumes a billion-dollar budget could buy?

“Elf-lords only.” Such a dignified, Elvish thing to say…

Yes, Elves could be haughty and unkind; just ask Bilbo! But Elrond is an Elf-lord. Hmm.

Also…Elrond and Galadriel appear to be approximately the same age. It doesn’t matter that Galadriel is actually much older (and his eventual mother-in-law!), because TV is such a visual medium.

This is actually a larger overall problem. Because most of The Lord of the Rings takes place over the course of one year, an adaptation doesn’t need to hold the audience’s hand regarding the passage of time. But in this case, as Galadriel’s narration too-briefly mentions, events are taking place across hundreds and even thousands of years. Elves like Galadriel are significantly older than others, like Elrond, but unless you tell the audience that, they won’t know, and the story loses something as a result.

Even though this design is clearly based on Rivendell in the Jackson films, it is quite lovely.

Pretty!!!

How do Galadriel and Elrond know each other? They seem close. Inquiring minds want to know!

The content and context of this scene is meaningless, but I don’t care—it’s just so pretty!

Even though I know they get worse, for now I don’t really mind the proto-Hobbits. They’re obviously not Tolkien, but they’re an homage, and they’re fun/visually appealing.

The casting director gets a D+ for the male Elves. (Then again, they were poorly-cast in the Jackson films too.)

“And as a reward, you will all be exiled!” lmfao. Being shipped off to Valinor doesn’t seem like much of a punishment, though. Where do I volunteer?

Still, it makes sense that Galadriel, who (correctly!) believes Sauron to still be alive and a threat and who wishes to avenge her brother, would be upset about this. They’ve changed her backstory/motivations—which I hate—but her attitude does track with those changes.

Nuns??

This set design is magical, no notes.

Luthien??

She really is perfectly cast.

Elrond, one of the wisest and kindest of all the Elves, is being written as some smug royal enforcer. Just like the Jackson films wrote him as a grumpy, condescending overprotective dad. Sigh.

“[Evil] waits. And at the moment of our complacency, it blinds us.” I mean…yeah, that’s basically how it goes down in Middle-earth. Repeatedly.

Not Elrond mansplaining about Valinor to someone who was literally born there…

None of these people look like Elves.

“I’m going with you!” But why?!? This lady is a healer with a youngish son still dependent on her at home!!!

I really hate them saying “mum” instead of “ma” or “mama” or something similar. (I’d also hate it if they were saying “mom,” to be clear. It’s just so modern-sounding and breaks any immersion they’ve built so far.)

Wow, the hilt of a broken sword with Sauron’s symbol on it… Generic “halfling” characters I can enjoy as a homage. This is lazy writing. And see? I knew her son needed adult supervision. (It’s also a ripoff of Pippin and the Palantir.)

(muttering) None of these people look—oh, forget it.

Elves don’t age as Men do (or age extremely slowly/imperceptibly), so what’s going on with this dude?

Gorgeous, all.

Ents???

Galadriel jumping off of the ship and just…floating there in the middle of the sea is as silly as the naysayers said it would be. However, I thought the scene leading up to it was fairly well-executed, though I wish they’d done a better job animating the rain of silver glass that leads into Valinor…that image has always resonated with me.

The Good:

Many absolutely stunning visuals thanks to great set design (with Valinor of all places somehow being the least-impressive!) and, apart from some cheap/underwhelming looks, costume design that varies from good to great

A solid score that seems to be trying a little bit too hard to mimic Howard Shore’s from the films

Morfydd Clark, in her entirety; the writing for Galadriel might be awful in upcoming episodes, but her casting was inspired

I find the Harfoots whimsically charming, at least so far, especially Nori.

The use of Tolkienesque maps to indicate location changes

An attempt was clearly made, in this episode if nowhere else, to pay homage to the source material, even the source material they don’t have the rights to use outright (the Two Trees, Morgoth, perhaps Luthien)…it’s better than nothing.

The Bad

Every single male Elf is miscast; yes, I said every single one, from Galadriel’s brother to Elrond to the OC Arondir. Gil-galad and Celebrimbor look like they’re in their late 40s/50s, at best, and idk…there’s nothing “Elvish” or “ageless” about any of the male actors playing Elves. (Full disclosure: I don’t remember being impressed by the male Elves in the Jackson films, either.) I also saw someone say that Gil-galad looks like Liam Neeson in a mullet, and now I can’t unsee that.

Some really clunky dialogue

Lack of adequate backstory/exposition…but exposition in an adaptation like this is hard, because most of it is contained in The Silmarillion, for which they don’t own the rights.

Building on that theme, I appreciate the idea of “showing not telling,” however…did they ever tell us Galadriel’s brother name (Finrod)? Or that “the king” is Gil-galad? Or even suggest that there are a variety of different Elves in Middle-earth? A lot of people know these things, because we know Tolkien. But I’ve got to assume that a lot of others don’t. Heck, it took them until almost the end of the episode to name one of their OCs (Bronwyn).

Some worthless scenes, like Galadriel’s company fighting the “ice troll” in the mountains. Actually, the entire sequence in the mountain lair was badly-written.

I don’t care about the “forbidden romance” subplot between the OCs Arondir and Bronwyn…if they’d spent longer than a few minutes in the first episode establishing their relationship/characters, maybe I’d be more invested. (See my earlier complaint about unnecessarily short seasons—some stories need room to grow!)

Even though my criticism outweighs my praise, even though I’m a self-identified Tolkien purist, I thought this was…fine. It’s an absolute feast for the eyes, truly gorgeous to watch (even with all those woefully miscast male Elves)—visually, apart from a few moments of obvious CGI, it’s what I would expect/want from a Tolkien adaptation! My expectations aren’t high for the rest of the series. There are upcoming plot points that I know will disappoint, infuriate, and disgust me. But considering that I went into this episode expecting to loathe it, I was pleasantly surprised.

Besides, I’m going to keep watching no matter what to see more of Nori and Morfydd’s face. This also makes me want to finish The Silmarillion, which I have been starting and then “saving for later” since I was a small child.

[lokinas]

We're all crying in Baghera's chat because IRIS IS SO CUTE!! SHE PLAYED THE FLUTE!! AAAAAAAH WE MISS THE EGGS SO MUCH!!!

[ahalliance]

SOIRÉE SQUEEZIE LOUP-GAROU SUR MC ?

[katurdayss]

Rings of Power live-blogging, LETS GO! (below the cut to avoid spoilers)

Just finished watching Ep1. There were some interesting parts, but it was… a little rushed? The writing had solutions just magically appear. I don’t know why 8 episodes seems to be the episode count for streaming seasons now but I dearly miss the days of 22 episode seasons. Tolkien is so damn long because his writing took breathing room ( sometimes too much). Wish the showrunners would keep that in mind.

Just as an aside, in the days of streaming do we really need this long of a recap? You know, the old adage of show rather than exposition. Just saying.

Think it could have been cool to do a cold open on Sauron/Halbrand’s face and then have a cut/ morph into other Sauron’s face. Would hype up his shapeshifting abilities from the get go.

Well that was brutal. Sauron is not great at campaigning obviously.

Also why does Sauron need to be crowned by Adar/the orcs. He’s a dark lord, the second to Morgoth. Just go in and BE A DARK LORD. Take that crown and slaughter anyone who says differently. Don’t gotta campaign for it, it’s not a democracy.

Et tu Brute? Real Caesar vibes.

Well that’s kinda revolting. The black squiggly thing not the bug eating.

Guess they needed a bigger boat.

Hot damn. Horse chase.

Oh. Damn. Really Galadriel? Also they’re like children fighting in front of dad.

OBVIOUS call back to Elronds mother there and interestingly casting Galadriel in the role that the Feanorians played.

Really hope the stranger is a blue wizard. It would be really lazy writing to make him Gandalf.

Why would you wear a METAL MASK IN THE DESERT?

ANOTHER obvious call back to Sam and Frodo. lazy writing.

There’s a good dogo. Bad good dogo? Good bad dogo?

Looks like a Nordic fishing village

BEN DANIELS

Check every warehouse, farmhouse, henhouse, outhouse, and doghouse! (Tommy Lee jones? The fugitive? No? I’ll see myself out)

Elrond operating from a whole bunch of family trauma right now.

Lazy writing. Well more like clumsy writing.

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD CAN WE GET SOME PROPER LIGHTING FOR NIGHT SCENES. can’t see shit.

Well something wanted Cirdan to change his mind.

I know they don’t know this but probs best to NOT antagonize Sauron.

Can Elrond just leave? Like isn’t he under arrest?

Oh Celebrimbor. Sigh.

[flashbic]

Update sur la traduction d'épisodes: beaucoup de passages marrants dans cet épisode, mais mention spéciale aux multiples fois où cet assassin est 100% prêt à tuer Cartouche et se prend inévitablement une branche ou une porte ou Fleur d'Épine en pleine gueule par accident.

[pigeonneaux]

Ok le moment le plus drôle c'est le truc avec le prince au masque de bambou

[jules-and-company]

bon allez hop le liveblog très en retard du documentaire sur les liaisons dangereuses avec les deux pétasses en chef merteuil-elsa lepoivre et valmont-génovèse

- ouais alors là les gars it’s called breaking character ça se voit beaucoup trop que vous êtes en copinage

- he. he is on this bed kicking his feet like a schoolgirl (tout en lisant une lettre putesque au possible)

- grmrmmrmrmbr le FACE À FACE

- éric tu stoppes de suite avec ce regard j’ai des réminiscences d’aschenbach là

- GRMRMGMRLMRMRR EUX

- éric passion être en travers de la porte de manière dramatique

- jfjfjdjdjdjdjdjs CHUT. ferme mieux ta gueule. LACLOS POURQUOI PAS L’AVOIR MISE CELLE-LÀ

[violetaeons]

the troll theme music is kinda catchy

[celebrimbor-apologist]

I transcribed Celebrimbor's parting words if anyone wants them as much as I did:

But perhaps the elves need only remember that it is not strength that overcomes darkness, but light. Armies may rise. Hearts may fail. Yet still, light endures, and is mightier than strength. For in its presence, all darkness must flee.

[reactions-and-lattes]

Rings of Power, Season 2 Episode 6

I love Tom Bombadil more every time he appears, what an absolute delight!

also galadriel reacting to adar's plan

[normallyiminsane]

oh no, they're cute

[lonesomedreamer]

The Rings of Power Liveblog: Adrift (Episode 2)

In between watching the first and second halves of this episode, I was looking back through the Appendices and realized that the events this series covers, from the reemergence of Sauron in Middle-earth to the eventual forging of the various Rings, span 1200 years! So it’s kind of absurd to think of them somehow adapting those events “accurately” (which makes you wonder why they made some of the narrative choices they did…).

The idea of Galadriel swimming back across the sea to Middle-earth is laughable, but tbh what else can she attempt to do in this situation?

The fire around the Stranger isn’t hot because…magic, I guess?

Nori’s a darling.

Arondir is being all self-sacrificing and stupid noble by going to explore the scary tunnels alone…good thing he probably has plot armor.

People who haven’t read The Silmarillion: Who the fuck is Fëanor? What are the Silmarils?!?

Helpfully, Elrond tells us that they were “the jewels that contain the very light of Valinor.” Oversimplified, sure, but that’s the kind of exposition the first episode needed: Tolkien 101 for people who know nothing about Tolkien (beyond, probably, some movies)!

As someone who can’t roll their Rs, the aggressively exaggerated pronunciation of “Sauron,” “Morgoth,” and now “Silmaril” makes me feel…kind of inept.

That said, a) do they even have the rights to tell this Morgoth story? and b) exposition between two characters who already know it (and I guarantee that Elrond knows the story Celebrimbor is telling rn…) is mildly annoying.

Elrond Half-elven, “as noble and fair as an elf-lord, as strong as a warrior, as wise as a wizard, as venerable as a king of dwarves, and as kind as summer” a Kiss-ass

Good set design! Tbh, I wish Rivendell had been portrayed more like this in the PJ movies: a little richer, with more wood and warm golden light.

Why is Celebrimbor in such an arbitrary hurry to build this forge? A few months is nothing to an Elf!

“How far outside [our own race]?” Well, I just don’t know, Celebrimbor, who else in Middle-earth is renowned for their metallurgy? Which race has yet to be portrayed in this—oh, right.

Please book me a trip to Middle-earth.

“Their prince, Durin, is an old and dear friend.” And yet Elrond, one of the wisest people in Middle-earth, doesn’t know what “Durin’s Day” is when it comes up in The Hobbit. If he had a near-fraternal bond with a Dwarf prince, wouldn’t he be aware of significant Dwarven holidays?

I know this Elrond is just supposed to be younger and less experienced, but he’s coming across as kind of dumb.

Khazad-dûm looks incredible.

So the Dwarves have Scottish accents, the Harfoots Irish, and the Elves English? But the Men also have English accents, just less refined? Hmm. Choices were made.

I would die for her nbd. ♥

Gee, I wonder why everyone is speculating about Gandalf.

“Looks can be deceiving.” Given that I know who this character turns out to be, this dialogue is a little…heavy-handed.

The whole water dragon (?) sequence was so silly. Just like the “ice troll”.

It’s almost like “Elrond is besties with this Dwarf prince” subplot was a bad idea cooked up only to create some pointless, petty interpersonal conflict. It also makes it painfully obvious that there’s no reason Celebrimbor, an Elf, would be in a big hurry to build anything.

“Gamli” is the really best name they could come up with for Durin’s son? Pretty sure Durin’s son was also named Durin. I cross-checked the Appendices and could not find a “Gamli” anywhere…

Do Durin and Disa, the crown prince and princess of Khazad-dûm, have no servants? They’re just welcoming a guest into their house, fussing with their children, and serving dinner like regular folk. Where is a single one of the dozens of extras that we just saw in a previous scene??

What is it with the tendency of Tolkien adaptations to show the Dwarves as less than dignified? (i.e., Durin belching loudly at the dinner table.) Gimli was reduced to comic relief, and the Dwarves in the Hobbit films who aren’t meant to be seen as goofy—Thorin, Fili and Kili—are much more like Men than the other Dwarves. Tolkien felt VERY strongly about Dwarves being a proud and noble race! Respect that!!!

“Aulë’s beard!” I love this. (People who haven’t read the Silmarillion: Who’s Aulë?!)

“I am simply wondering what manner of man would so readily abandon his companions to death.” Big Elizabeth Swann energy.

There are so many problems with making this character a hot human dude. I’m glad I already know the truth about his identity, though—I don’t have to come around to “Halbrand” or (even worse) start shipping him with Galadriel. I can just be indignant.

Based on what we know about the duplicitous behavior as [redacted], you’d think Halbrand would be a little bit more…suave? Charming? Anything but this blunt, confrontational asshole.

People sure can cover ground quickly in Middle-earth. Unbelievably fast travel for the sake of moving the story along is a problem in almost all fantasy TV shows, mind you. If they only budgeted for 10 episodes instead of 8…or even (gasp) 13…

Why do Orcs look like straight-up horror movie villains now?

Also it’s so convenient that this Orc appeared beneath Bronwyn’s house on the same day she tried to convince her fellow villagers about the Orc tunnel threat.

Their pathetic little raft wouldn’t survive this, lol.

WHY does Halbrand save Galadriel? Repeatedly?? Did they think about this at all? There is nothing human, selfless, or compassionate about [redacted], lmfao.

As magical as this looks, Nori and Poppy’s “firefly” lanterns aren’t flickering, and anyone who’s ever seen fireflies knows that their glow isn’t consistent. They blink individually.

Same, Poppy. I also get freaked out when I see a firefly die.

The Appendices tell us that the Dwarves came to the military aid of the Elves and that they were as closely allied with Celebrimbor/Eregion as at any time in their shared history. So why are they making King Durin such a bullheaded, racist prick? (I know: for drama.)

Is the narrative implying that the shining object in King Durin’s chest is…what, a Silmaril? Because it sure as fuck shouldn’t be.

No, little emo kid, don’t take the broken Sauron sword that will surely attract evil to your people as they flee their village!

Bronwyn’s entire village is pretty easy to scare despite their generally gruff attitudes, aren’t they? At least they’re not completely stupid/have some sense of self-preservation.

The Good:

There’s still some stunning imagery to be had in this one, namely Khazad-dûm and the surrounding mountains

Likewise, some really nice set design in Eregion and especially Khazad-dûm

Nori!!!

A little exposition for non-readers (though maybe still not enough)

The Bad:

Most of the acting was weaker than in first episode, not that the writers gave anyone much to work with

Weak writing throughout: the dialogue’s not great. The characters’ motivations/choices don’t make much sense. Most of the scenarios they find themselves in vary from illogical (Elrond, Arondir) to unbelievable (Galadriel).

Why is the Stranger—Gandalf or Radagast or whoever he is—mute? And why does Nori keep assuming that she can understand/communicate with him??

No respect for the Dwarves, as usual

Too much stuff is convenient or coincidental, i.e., the perfectly-timed Orc appearance in Bronwyn’s house and the improbable survival of Halbrand’s raft

Meaning no disrespect to gamers, there were more “video game” type scenes—specifically, the water “dragon” and the Orc in Bronwyn’s house—which added nothing to the story and told us anything about the characters.

Halbrand. Yes, I am biased by knowing the twist.

I didn’t feel like this episode was that much worse than the first while I was watching it, but after reading over this, it’s obvious that it was quite a step down in quality. The first one felt, in most places, like a heartfelt homage to Tolkien’s world in ways this one just didn’t. But I love Nori to bits, and the visuals are still amazing, so I will persevere.