Summary: The Stranger is confronted by the three mysterious people who address him as Sauron. The Harfoots arrive to save him but they are found out and Sadoc takes a mortal wound. The Stranger is revealed to be an Istari and reverts the trio to wraith forms. Sadoc dies. Nori leaves the Harfoots with The Stranger and they head towards Rhun. Galadriel brings Halbrand to Eregion where he is healed. Halbrand helps Celebrimbor with his forging, giving him the idea of using the mithril as an alloy. Gil Galad sends the elves back to Valinor, but allows Elrond and Celebrimbor to stay an extra two months to come up with a solution. With Halbrand's help, they decide to use the mithril to create two rings. Galadriel looks into Halbrand's past and finds that the line of Southlands kings was broken and Halbrand is a fake. Halbrand is revealed to be Sauron and he tries to win Galadriel to his side, but she refuses. Halbrand leaves and returns to Mordor. Galadriel, Elrond, and Celebrimbor ultimately make three rings successfully. Miriel returns to Numenor and finds that the king has died.
The Good: This episode had its heart in the right place. The Sauron reveal made sense and there was some definite power in forcing Galadriel to realize that the man she had grown to trust was the person she has been hunting for all this time. The confrontation between Galadriel and Sauron in her mind is effective, and it is a good moment for Galadriel. I'm glad that the forging of the rings was treated as an important moment, because it doubtless will become more and more significant as the show goes on. The Harfoot story concludes in a reasonable way, and I'm intrigued to move on from it and see what's in the future for The Stranger and Nori. The Bad: Despite having its heart in the right place, this episode was a chore and was overall unsatisfying. The central storyline was a complete bore. It went on for ages with nothing particularly substantial happening. I praised the show for treating the forging of the rings as a huge moment, but the lengthy montages of the forging had no emotional value to them and the scenes bored me. It was hard to invest in this scene, especially since we knew that the rings would be forged eventually (it's the name of the show after all). Watching an uninteresting, pre-determined event finally happen as the climax of the whole season is uninspired and uninteresting storytelling. Halbrand being Sauron ended up being extremely predictable, and the show frustrates by relying too much on the shock value of this twist. A better show would have revealed Sauron's identity early, relying on the drama created by Sauron's presence to create an intense and exciting finale. Instead, this show relies completely on surprise and shock value, and much of this episode is dedicated to teasing the fans on who Sauron really is, which is insulting since we figured out the twists of this show many episodes ago. The show failed to be smart enough to surprise us, and outside of surprise, there was nothing going for this story. The writing remains poor. The ride from The Southlands to Eregion apparently only took six days, which is absurd since Frodo and Sam's journey to Mordor took nearly a year. The timeline doesn't add up. Furthermore, the fact that Halbrand miraculously survived this should have raised many questions about who he really is. I was annoyed that Galadriel started to distrust Halbrand for seemingly no reason at all. The development did not feel earned, and it feels like it only happened to set up a dramatic reveal. I was frustrated by Galadriel's refusal to tell anyone that Sauron was present, an absurd secret to keep considering who he is. Surely she would want to go after him and tell people about him. Additionally, I couldn't help but laugh at the idea that Sauron had to tell Celebrimbor, the master forger, about making an alloy to utilize the mithril, which is a basic concept that Celebrimbor should have immediately thought of. There are many more examples of poor writing, but I can't be bothered to list all of the examples from this 73 minute episode. The Harfoot story has been boring all season and it has a boring end. The three wraiths are boring villains that offer very little to the story, so I didn't care to see them face off with the Harfoots. If they knew the Harfoots were there, why did they come up with this elaborate disguise scheme instead of just killing them? This is typical badly written drama that prioritizes spectacle over simple logic. Sadoc's death had no emotional impact, and it was absurd how he took a mortal wound and proceeded to fight like he was completely fine until he died at the end of the episode. Whatever. The Stranger being revealed to be Gandalf is another predictable moment that had little to no emotional impact to me. I didn't feel anything with the conclusion to this story, which is indicative of how uninspired and poorly written it has been. All of the scenes in Numenor did nothing for me. Earien had been a non-character so far, so I have no investment in her uncovering a palantir. Also it's quite convenient that she was allowed to be alone with the king with nobody guarding the door. The writing is bad in quite literally every scene. Elendil and Miriel failed to compel me this season, and now that they are alone without any other more interesting characters around them, their limitations are fully displayed. The Unknown: The Stranger is all but confirmed to be Gandalf now. What role will Gandalf play in this show? What about the other Istari? Why did the wraiths think that Gandalf was Sauron? What are the wraiths anyways? Why are they after Sauron? Who are they? What will Nori and The Stranger find in Rhun? What did Earien do with the palantir? Where is this character going? So why was Sauron on a raft in the middle of the ocean? Was he really "killed" by Adar? Did this change his mindset somehow? Why did Sauron allow Galadriel to live? Why did he try to make the rings anyways? Did he have a plan in place to make the one ring? Or did he just see an opportunity for power and take it? Why didn't Galadriel tell anyone about Halbrand's true identity? What is Sauron's next move? Best Moment: Sauron entering Galadriel's mind. Character of the Episode: Halbrand/Sauron. Conclusion: What a disappointment. This final episode totally failed to give this sloppy first season a satisfying ending, and I was disinterested throughout almost the entire episode. Much like the rest of the show, this was a slog, and now by the end of the season, I've run out of patience. So much of this season felt stagnant, like the story was stalling for a big pay-off at the end of the season. Now the end of the season has come and gone, and I can confirm that the first season was a boring, messy disappointment which had glimpses of potential and realized none of it. The writing was full of holes, the characters unoriginal and boring, the acting was flat, the dialogue was cartoonish, the pacing was a total slog, and the visual effects weren't as good as you would expect from the most expensive TV show on television. It's quite incredible how practically everything in this season disappointed me, and I have next to no motivation to want to watch a second season. As a huge "Lord of the Rings" fan, I couldn't be more disappointed by what this show was. Score: 46
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Summary: In the aftermath of the eruption, Galadriel escapes with Theo and they go to meet up at the Numenorean camp. Ontamo is dead and Isildur seemingly dies in a burning house trying to save others. Miriel and Elendil escape and Elendil discovers that she is now blind. Everyone arrives at the camp. Theo is reunited with Arondir and Bronwyn who are fine. Galadriel speaks with Miriel who affirms that Numenor will return to finish the war. Elendil is distraught, blaming Galadriel for Isildur's death. Halbrand has also survived but is badly injured. Galadriel decides to take him to Lindon. Meanwhile, the Harfoots arrive at their grove only to find it destroyed by the eruption. The Stranger tries to fix it but fails, and is sent away by Sadoc. The next day, the grove has regrown. That night, the white-cloaked trio arrives, tracking down The Stranger. Nori tries to send them in the wrong direction, and they burn down the caravans and leave. The Harfoots collectively decide to help the Stranger. Nori, Poppy, Marigold, and Sadoc set out. Durin fails to convince his fatehr to help Elrond. After speaking with Disa, Durin decides to help Elrond anyways and they mine for mithril, finding an enormous cavern. However, King Durin finds out, sends Elrond out, and strips Durin of being his heir. King Durin covers the mithril deposit, where a balrog resides.
The Good: Credit where credit is due, the aftermath of the volcanic eruption at least looked good. I have my major issues with how this eruption was handled (see: The Bad), but the effects and camera work were excellent, and the production was certainly impressive. I was happy to see that this major event had consequences with Miriel going blind and some named characters dying, or at least appearing to die. I like that this event had a big effect on the story, actively affecting character arcs and character relationships. Elrond and Durin's story is by far the best thing about this show, and that continued to be the case in this episode. Where other storylines are cheesy and poorly written, this one story somehow manages to be emotionally effective, engaging, and interesting. Fittingly, it feels like finding a jewel after struggling to get through tons and tons of plain rock. I'm impressed with how the writers manage to give Elrond and Durin compelling interactions in every episode. These two feel like two real friends as it is clear what they like about each other as they help each other solve problems, poke fun at each other, and also show a genuine appreciation for the other's culture and lifestyle. For all of my problems with this show, this one relationship has been spectacular to watch in every episode. I really enjoyed Elrond trying to convince Durin that he let him win, and I liked them both commenting on their similarities. King Durin's involvement in this episode was also great. I enjoyed his conflict with his son (see: Best Moment), and it raised the stakes to have Durin act directly against his father's wishes to help Elrond. Lastly, I'll show some appreciation for Disa who has been great thus far in the show. She seems to be a Lady MacBeth of sorts as she always backs Durin to follow his instincts and take power for himself, proving herself to be a more cunning and ambitious woman compared to the fun-loving, respectful, and comparatively docile Durin. I enjoy their dynamic. The Bad: The fallout of the eruption is totally unsatisfying and filled with inconsistencies. It's frustrating how long this episode tries to tease us with the idea of characters dying or being dead, only to reveal them to be alive later. It's blatantly obvious that these characters are alive, and it feels like the writers have grossly underestimated the intelligence of the audience by doing these tricks repeatedly. Bronwyn's death was only just teased last episode, and here they tease her death again. Maybe it would have worked if she was an interesting character, but she isn't. Galadriel and Theo have a brief adventure together, and I like the idea of building a connection between them. But this should never have happened. When Galadriel found Theo, it was in the midst of a village with dozens of lives in danger. Instead of helping or finding others, she simply runs into the woods and abandons everyone else, a disgusting and laughably absurd decision. Furthermore, why did she go through the woods instead of taking the direct route which is where she would have a chance of finding more survivors? It makes no sense, and it makes Galadriel seem stupid. Furthermore, her story about her husband was perplexing to me. For someone who constantly preached about avenging her brother, it's absurd to think that she's been quiet about a potentially dead husband for all this time. The dialogue is also poorly written in this sequence (it often is), and there is a weak attempt at suspense by having an orc sniff out Theo and Galadriel. This had no suspense though because Galadriel could certainly kill the orcs with ease, and it felt cheap to have this orc conveniently sniff around when he doesn't even smell anything. Elendil ended the previous episode running from his son to find the Queen. In this episode we catch up to him and he has apparently left the village, leaving his son and Queen behind. What!? Not only is this inconsistent, but it's totally out of character for Elendil to run away, and it undersells his love for his son significantly that he would leave without searching to see if he survived. I wish we got to see more of Isildur in this episode, but instead he's given another fake-out death. I expect that his horse will return with him alive in the following episode, and it will fall flat. Speaking of deaths, Ontamo is the only named character to actually die here, and unfortunately I did not care about him enough to have any sort of reaction to this. Where the Elrond/Durin story has me consistently excited, the Harfoot storyline has me wholly uninterested. It's so hard to care about this storyline when it is so disconnected from everything else. The mysterious white-cloaked trio are not engaging villains, and I am not particularly interested in learning more about them. The Stranger is almost certainly Gandalf, and I am not interested in finding out what he is trying to do. The Harfoots are bland characters, with Nori and Poppy's relationship feeling like a blatant rip-off of Frodo and Sam, only worse. I hate the inconsistency within the beliefs of the characters and the society as a whole. Nori's father suggests that the Harfoot way is to keep on moving on and surviving without losing sight of their friends and family, which is pretty rich coming from a community that literally keeps a book of the people they have left for dead in the past. If they are so quick to leave their own community members for dead, why would they care about helping The Stranger? It's inconsistent. I got a huge laugh out of Malva guilting Sadoc into joining Nori and Poppy on their suicide mission when a couple episodes ago she was suggesting to leave Nori for dead. This inconsistency bothers me and it prevents the Harfoots from being endearing in the way that the show wants them to be. Instead of being uplifted by them choosing to help The Stranger, I'm too busy questioning the dynamics of the characters and the society. When the writing flaws are detracting from the story being told, that's when you know that something has gone badly wrong. The Unknown: Obviously the elves are not going to die off, so how will they get access to mithril. Will Durin manage to convince his father to help them, or will he end up acting on his own. Will Durin's actions cause the waking of the balrog and the destruction of Khazad-Dum? Who is this magical trio? Why did they burn down the Harfoots' caravans? Why are they after The Stranger? Will the Harfoots really be able to stop them and help The Stranger? Will Numenor actually return to help the elves? I suspect that it will be difficult to convince the Numenoreans to go back, even if Miriel herself wishes to return. What happened to Isildur? Obviously he isn't dead. This is the problem with having so many characters from the "Lord of the Rings" triology; there is no suspense because we know they can't die. Speaking of characters whose fates are known, Celeborn is most certainly going to return at some point in this series. He's in "Lord of the Rings" and yet Galadriel says that he has disappeared and is likely dead. This is evidently not true, so how will he re-emerge? Where has he been all this time? What is Durin's real name? Will Halbrand survive his wound? I am suspicious that he may be Sauron, if so it is plausible that he will survive. Best Moment: Durin arguing with his father was excellent stuff. Both had valid points to defend themselves, and it made sense that Durin would be steely enough in his defense of Elrond that he offends his father, causing the argument that results in Durin losing his status as a royal dwarf. It's sad stuff, well-acted and effective at showing us Durin's frustrations and the fundamental disagreement in the ruling style of the father and the son. Character of the Episode: Durin. Conclusion: This episode was more of the same. Flat, uninteresting storytelling with some exhaustively poor moments of writing. Elrond and Durin's storyline saves the episode again, but everything else was disappointing. Score: 50 Summary: Adar's army arrive at the tower but it is a trap and Arondir collapses the tower on them. The villagers return to their village and prepare to defend it. The remaining orc force arrives and the villagers win. However, this army was revealed to be of the village men who turned, the real army rains arrows and many villagers die. Bronwyn is badly injured and almost dies. The orcs break into the tavern where everyone is hiding and Adar threatens to murder everyone unless Arondir gives him the key. Arondir refuses, but Theo knows where it is and gives it up. The Numenoreans arrive and defeat the army. Galadriel chases down Adar and captures him. The key is recovered. Halbrand and Galadriel question Adar and learn that he is an Uruk, one of the first orcs. Arondir gives the key to Theo but Theo realizes it is a fake. Waldreg stole the real one and activates it, causing Mount Doom to erupt, levelling the nearby area.
The Good: This was a more conventional and focused episode that was centered around a big battle. Because of that, this was easily the best episode of the show yet. The central focus made this event feel massively important, which is a big deal considering how unimportant and slow-paced the rest of this show has been. Finally it felt like I was watching something that was worth my time, and that added level of engagement made for a more fulfilling experience. The battle was a spectacle and was quite fun to watch. I especially liked the first part of the battle where there was a melee in the village. The action was very well choreographed, and I was especially thrilled by Arondir's fight against the huge orc, which was intense, gruesome, and thoroughly entertaining as an action setpiece. The highlight for me was definitely the moment when we learn that the "orcs" who the villagers thought they were fighting were actually their former allies and friends. The real army was still out there waiting to wreak havoc on everyone. This twist worked really well because of how it took the emotions from elation to despair in a matter of moments, and hope was snuffed out in the blink of an eye. Bronwyn taking such a terrible wound raised the stakes significantly, and the special effects were phenomenal, making the wound look really bad and making you feel like she has a good chance of succumbing to her wounds. The follow-up to the battle was also quite good. Adar in captivity is your typical imprisoned villain arc, but at least we have a better idea of who he is through this process. He managed to get under the skin of both Galadriel and Halbrand, creating more personal stakes between him and these characters, which you want to see between antagonists and protagonists. There is also some good mystery added in with Halbrand (see: The Unknown), which I'm excited to see more of. The ensuing eruption of Mount Doom was a visual spectacle and it looked terrific. I presume that this will be the creation of Mordor, which is bound to have enormous consequences on the story. The Bad: The writing in this show remains poor, and even a battle can not overcome this issue. I had a lot of writing-related problems with this episode, and that drags down my enjoyment of it significantly. Let's start with the battle itself and its logistics. There is an early twist where the orcs arrive in the tower fort only to find it abandoned, and Arondir springs a trap to collapse the building on the army. That's a cool idea, but logistically it does not make sense. First, how would everyone evacuate from this location without being noticed by the incoming army, an army that we could see closing in on the tower in the previous episode? That is a bit tough to believe. Even harder to believe is the decision to return to the village to fight there? In what world was that smart? These people had a fortified tower which increases their odds significantly, and instead they decide to set up to fight in a village that can easily be attacked from all sides? That's a terrible idea, and it's no wonder that they lost. The Numenoreans saving the Southlanders was a disappointing development. It took Frodo and Sam almost a year to make the trek from The Shire to Mordor, and yet we are expected to believe that Numenor took all of five days to get to the Southlands? That's ridiculous. Furthermore, their last minute save is a deus ex machina that I predicted early in the episode, and it had no impact when it happened. The deus ex machina was okay in "Lord of the Rings" because moments like the ride of the Rohirrim were so gripping and emotionally satisfying that they overcame the cliche. We get no such moment in this episode, so the last minute save falls flat and feels convenient. Furthermore, I'm highly confused about Waldreg's role. Where was he in this battle? If all the other men were forced to fight, why was Waldreg selected to do a special task for Adar? This doesn't make sense. It's also ridiculous that he somehow managed to find the key and replace it with a hatchet without anyone noticing. Did nobody think to check and make sure that the clothed item was actually the key? And did nobody notice that the key felt mysteriously like a hatchet underneath the cloth? This is absurd. Additionally, I was extremely unhappy with Arondir's decision to give "the key" to Theo to dispose of. Surely he wouldn't take such a big risk with such a significant item. Furthermore, I really hope that we learn more about the key's creation and why it was needed, because otherwise it is an enormous plot device. More small things that severely detracted from the episode include the time magically changing from the middle of night to early day after what must have only been 10-20 minutes when Adar entered the tavern. The time change made absolutely no sense. Further, it's hard to understand how Numenor knew where to go to fight this battle. How did they know to go to this one specific village? A lot of moments were written sloppily and fell flat as a result. Arondir and Bronwyn's kiss was uninspired and generic. Isildur being permitted to go into battle was an overdramatic, made-for-TV moment that would never happen in real life. There are many more moments like this throughout the episode, but I will not waste my time by listing them all. Oh, and I haven't even had a chance to address the poor dialogue which continues to be present in this show. Little things don't usually bother me in isolation, but when they add up like this, it breaks my immersion completely. The Unknown: Isildur's mother drowned. How? Why is this significant? Did Adar actually kill Sauron or is he lying about that? I suspect that he might believe that he killed Sauron when in reality he didn't. Unless Adar actually is Sauron and he is being metaphorical. I can't rule out any possibilities! What did Adar do the Halbrand? Why doesn't Adar remember him? Is this another hint that Halbrand might actually be Sauron? Was that a romantic moment between Galadriel and Halbrand? I was unsure if I read that scene properly so I'm putting it in this section and not "The Bad". If I am right and there is a romance starting here, then I have to roll my eyes because that is the least creative direction to take their story. The eruption at the end must have been Mount Doom. Is this how Mordor was created? This does go against Tolkien's lore, and I'm confused by how a volcanic eruption can make such a dark and toxic location like Mordor. Did Mount Doom have some magical properties to it? Why did the orcs do this anyways? Who created the key? Who set this up in such a convoluted way? Best Moment: The archers raining hell on the villagers was a fantastic moment. The twist that the "orcs" were not actually orcs was hugely effective, and seeing all of these brave soldiers falling one after the other was horrifying, especially with our main characters also caught in the crossfire. A really intense moment that made perfect use of slow-mo to help us perceive the way that the world seems to slow down in these life and death situations. Character of the Episode: Arondir. Conclusion: This was an intense, exciting episode, yet it can only rise so high because bad writing, choppy acting, and poor dialogue continue to plague this show. Score: 60 Summary: The Harfoot migration continues. Nori stumbles upon some wolves and The Stranger saves her. The Stranger becomes loved by the Harfoots, but scares Nori after he accidentally hurts her while practicing magic. In Lindon, Elrond learns that Gil-Galad and Celembrimbor sent him to find mithril from the dwarves. The elves are going to die since their tree is poisoned and they need the mithril to stop it. Elrond shares this information with Durin who agrees to help him. In Numenor, the community readies to ride for war. Kemen tries to convince Pharazon to shut down the war, but Pharazon refuses, seeing opportunity to profit. kemen tries to burn the ships instead but finds Isildur who is trying to stow away since he has not been selected. The ship burns but Isildur saves Kemen and is allowed to join the fight. Galadriel opens up to Halbrand and he decides that he will live up to his name and help out in the war. Half of the men at Ostirith leave and bow down to Adar. The remaining group starts losing hope.
The Good: Durin and Elrond are my favourite part of this show. Amongst some pretty bland writing, the show has created an easy to enjoy relationship between these two characters, one that has been earned through character exploration in these first five episodes. We have a good sense of who Elrond and Durin are, and a good sense of what they like about each other. This makes their relationship by far the most effective aspect of this show. I was beginning to get concerned that this show was going to use the typical trope of miscommunication to make Durin and Elrond's relationship fall apart, but I was thrilled to find out that this wasn't the case. Elrond thankfully told the truth to his friend instead of hiding it from him, and Durin thankfully understood that Elrond had simply intended to meet him as a friend and was unaware of the larger plan at work. Having both of these characters be truthful and honest with each other makes you truly believe that these are two friends, and I'm glad that the show allowed them to act like this instead of opting for melodrama by having them keep secrets and fight with one another. This was excellent stuff, and both characters were handled brilliantly. Elrond having to deal with choosing loyalty to a friend and the fate of his race was a brutal choice, and I'm pleased with his decision to inform Durin about his dilemma. Meanwhile, Durin remains a lot of fun as he speaks bluntly to the elves and offers to help Elrond, all the while reveling in the fact that he has total power over the Elvish race. The latter was easily one of the highlights of the episode, both comedically and as a beautiful moment of connection between Elrond and Durin. The Numenor story has its moments. Halbrand and Galadriel being honest with each other was a needed moment to make the connection between these two characters feel more realistic. We needed to have them open up to each other, and it does help inform us more about each character's individual struggles. Galadriel struggles with how her desire for vengeance has taken over her entire being, while Halbrand struggles with making peace with his own mistakes. It's nice to see them both help each other in this moment. Pharazon gets a very good scene too when we understand that the only reason he is cooperating is because he sees an opportunity for Numenor to profit by making an alliance with the Southlands. This is the exact sort of selfish motive that a man in Pharazon's position would abide by, and I'm pleased that he isn't just a wet blanket and instead has an underlying goal that he is trying to achieve. The ending of the episode is nice because it shows the plot finally moving as Numenor has officially left to join the war in the Southlands. Hopefully this takes the show in an engaging direction. The singing montage while the Harfoots migrated was a fun moment, evocative of an animated Disney film. It is a bit out of character to be sure, but it's a fun injection of energy and creative film-making into the otherwise bland Harfoot storyline. I smiled while I watched it. The Bad: As I just said, the Harfoot storyline is not doing anything for me. It has less plot progression than all of the other storylines, and has very little relevance over all. The Stranger was interesting when he first appeared, but as episodes have gone by and other storylines have emerged, I find myself caring less and less about him. His relationship with Nori is quite perplexing to me. I'm confused by the fact that he seems to be learning to speak from her, which is all the more unbelievable because she is not speaking to him in a way that would help him grasp a language. I'm confused why Nori trusted him so much this entire time, especially after he killed those fireflies. Surely she should be at least a little scared. This makes her final scene of the episode all the more infuriating when The Stranger accidentally hurts and scares her, and she runs away from him. Either have her be totally accepting that he accidentally hurts others, or have her be afraid of him for it, you can't have it both ways. The story does not make much sense with the way it has been written. The Ostirith storyline is building up to a battle and I really could not care less about it. These characters are beyond bland, and I'm not invested in the upcoming conflict at all. Bronwyn in particular has become an irritating character who embodies the predictable strong woman stereotype that is all over Hollywood TV shows these days. I find it hard to believe that she managed to make herself the leader when multiple villages gathered in Ostirith, and I find it even harder to believe that people would listen to her. This is still a medieval world where women are looked at as inferior to men, so why does this not play a factor in the story here? This inclusion of modern rules in historical times is immersion-breaking and stupid. Furthermore, I despise how this show is portraying crowds. An important character can say a single sentence and sway the opinion of an entire crowd, which is ridiculous and unrealistic. Crowds develop mob mentality, and one line from a leader is never going to be enough to completely sway the opinion of a mob. Yet that is what "The Rings of Power" depicts every time characters interact with a crowd. I've seen a lot of Isildur's story now, and I can safely say that it is completely stupid. The problems start with last episode where Isildur was inexplicably dismissed from the Sea Guard because he made a mistake. The claim that it was intentional was laughable, and throwing out his friends alongside him was equally absurd. The rules of this society seem like they are built to allow for plot conveniences. Anyways, Isildur ends up regretting his dismissal because now he needs to have a strong position to be selected to go to war. So Isildur spends the rest of the episode trying to manipulate his friends into giving him a position, which is disingenuous and selfish. Am I supposed to connect with this character? The height of stupidity happens afterwards when Kemen burns down one of the ships and the guards find Isildur with him in the water. Instead of suspecting both of them for burning down the ship like any sane person would, they take his story at face value and allow him to join the soldiers because of his heroism. What???? What an unsatisfying ending to this character arc because Isildur has quite literally done nothing to earn his place, and this feels completely undeserved. Galadriel training the soldiers ended up being a poor scene. Not because it's badly written or unrealistic that she would train the soldiers. But because the elf-hating Numenor is now suddenly gathering around to enjoy the spectacle of an elf inaction. Are these guys with or against the elves? Let's have some consistency please. Furthermore, Galadriel showing off how awesome she is feels like blatant fanservice and is ultimately unnecessary. Perhaps I missed something, but how did Halbrand get a guild's crest? He says that he sold out Galadriel for a crest, but I have no clue when this happened. Perhaps this is my fault, but I don't think the show ever showed this happen on screen. There's no way that Halbrand should be able to get out of imprisonment for murder (or at least attempted murder) just through a simple trade. This has been in previous episodes too, but since the show only directly mentioned it now, I've saved my criticism until this episode. But the show has completely changed Tolkien's world by making it that orcs are hurt by the sunlight. This is an absurd change. Orcs are not vampires, they don't burn in the sunlight. They simply do not like it, and so they avoid it. The idea that they get burned by the sun is laughable, and begs the question of why they don't just use umbrellas and armour to travel in daylight. The Unknown: Who are the guys that found the crater left by The Stranger? Is this Sauron and his men? What is the decay on the Elvish tree? What is causing it? Why would the Silmarils fix it? What exactly was in Halbrand's dark past? Did he ally with the orcs in the past? Is he still allied with them? What is Theo's sword supposed to unlock? Apparently it is a key. To what? Can this power be used by people other than orcs? Did Waldreg kill to join up with Adar? It seems like he did. Is Adar not acting under Sauron's will? He took a lot of offense to Waldreg calling him Sauron. Gil-Galad has seen Elrond make peace with Durin. Will he take issue with this? What is he going to do? Will Durin be able to convince his father to help the elves? Best Moment: Durin and Elrond steal the show again. I'll give this to the scene where Durin decides he will help Elrond save the elves. A sweet moment between two friends, and you get the sense that things are about to go horribly wrong. Character of the Episode: Durin. Conclusion: This episode moved the show in the right direction, yet it still fell for the same trappings that hurt the first four episodes. The writing just is not up to the standard that it needs to be. Another disappointing effort. Score: 54 Summary: Miriel has a dream that Numenor is destroyed. Galadriel asks Miriel to join her in war against Sauron but she refuses. Later, she changes her mind and announces to Numenor that they will be joining the fight against Sauron. Isildur is kicked off of the cadets and volunteers to fight. Arondir meets Adar who sends him back with a message. Bronwyn's village arrive at the Elven tower Ostirith. Theo goes for a food run and gets found by an orc. When he pulls out his sword, the orcs hunt him down. He is saved by Arondir and manages to get back to Ostirith. Arondir gives the message that they will all be allowed to live if they swear fealty to Adar. Elrond figures out that Durin is hiding something, and discovers him in the old mines after investigating. Durin tells him that the dwarves have discovered mithril, but that his father doesn't want to mine it. After an argument with his father, Durin is upset but Elrond comforts him. Durin reconciles with his father and tells him that he's been invited to Lindon by Elrond.
The Good: Elrond's storyline returning was a definite plus. His relationship with Durin and Disa remains engaging to watch because we get to see why they enjoy each other's company so much. It's an unlikely relationship, but we are given backstory on how they met, we understand their dynamic, and their banter is fun to see. Of all of the relationships in the show, this one is by far the best. The scenes with these characters are quite good. It's engaging to see Disa lying to Elrond, who knows that something is amiss. It's endearing to see Durin realize that Elrond does not have malicious intent and share his secret discovery with him. And it's sweet to see Elrond share a personal story to help Durin mend fences with his father. Theo's mission back to the village is decently tense. There is a thrilling sequence as he fights an orc, and a very suspenseful sequence as he escapes from the orcs at night, shot as a brilliant oner. I enjoyed the action and suspense, and we got the important reveal that Theo's sword is what the orcs have been looking for. I also quite liked the twist that Waldreg is an open Sauron supporter. It's easy to forget that these men were loyal to Morgoth, and I think it's exciting to think that not all of the men inside the walls are going to be willing to fight against the orcs. I suspect that most of these men might be willing to swear fealty to Adar, and it should be interesting to see this unfold and how the likes of Arondir and Bronwyn will react. The Bad: This show is still flat, and I'm really perturbed by the amount of TV tropes and cliches that are present in this show. Any sense of surprise is sucked away because of the use of typical TV moments that hurt my immersion. I'll give some examples to make it clearer how this is affecting my enjoyment of the show. Take Theo's escape from the orcs. As it was happening, it was a tense sequence where Theo tries to stay out of sight. But then in such a predictable manner, Theo, while still in a dangerous position, lets his guard down only for a random orc to jumpscare and attack him. You can see it coming from a mile away since Theo inexplicably does not look behind the wall he's hiding behind, and it's such a manufactured moment of drama. Even worse is that Arondir arrives as a convenient deus ex machina to save Theo and help him get away. I predicted it all moments before it happened, and it is shot in a way that it doesn't even attempt to subvert my expectations. This is not just one isolated moment. So many scenes in this show falter because they align with easily predictable tropes which lessen the quality of the show. These repeated moments frequently break my immersion when watching the show. I continue to have big problems with Numenor as a community. We finally learn that the people of Numenor are the ones who do not like the elves, and that's why the previous king was deposed. This answers questions, but it still is not written well. Why? Well we don't know why the men of Numenor turned on the elves to begin with! It's inexplicable, and especially problematic considering how quick the men are to protest the castle when they wonder if Miriel has become an elf-friend. We need to know why these men hate the elves so much. The worst part about this however, is that this angry mob is so easily influenced by people in power, which is shockingly unrealistic. One short speech from Pharazon and the protesting mob is suddenly cheering for their rulers. What??? That is unbelievable. Even worse is when Miriel declares that Numenor will fight alognside the elves against Sauron. Surely this should cause an uproar amongst all of the men who will have it confirmed that the Miriel is an elf-friend. But instead they go alogn with it for no reason and I was stunned. The inconsistent writing of this community and the way it functions has destroyed any sense of immersion in believing that Numenor is a real place. It's disappointing to see this kingdom written so poorly. It seems that Numenor is doomed to be destroyed, but I don't care currently because the kingdom has been so poorly written that I don't buy into it as a real location to care about. Galadriel remains a poor main character. She is annoying, immature, and consistently stupid in most scenes. She should be quite old and intelligent by this point, but she continually has to be told simple things by Halbrand, and it makes her come off as needlessly stupid. Galadriel is also still able to get around Numenor easily without anyone catching her, which I find to be wholly unrealistic. The show conveniently chooses not to show us how she evades the guards, which makes it all the more unrealistic. Our other main characters remain uninteresting. Halbrand doesn't do much this episode, and is inexplicably released into the public despite his crimes. Elendil and Isildur are very uninteresting in this episode, and I have a hard time connecting to them as characters. Adar ended up being a generic villain with very little that interested me about him. It seems that he's an elf, but that isn't enough of a hook to make him an exciting villain. Having him release Arondir is super convenient, and inexplicable from the villain's point of view. This is the one guy who was skilled enough to survive, and you let him go free? A shocking decision. Furthermore, sending a messenger with terms for a surrender is another one of those predictable tropes that I was talking about earlier. The meeting with Adar went exactly how I expected it would, with nothing that gripped me. It is stupid of Durin to give mithril to Elrond when he wants to keep it secret. All it takes is for one elf to find it wherever Elrond keeps it, and the secret is out. The Unknown: How did Numenor get a palantir? Is this one of the palantirs that we see in "Lord of the Rings"? Why does it have a vision of Numenor's destruction? How will Numenor fall? When will this happen? What's going on with Earien and Kemen? It's an uninterestin side story so far, but I imagine that it's going somewhere. Adar is as elf. Why is he helping the orcs? Did he get corrupted by Sauron? Why is he looking for Theo's sword? Why did Celebrimbor forget what Elrond's father said to him? Is that part of his powers of foresight? How is Elrond going to play a key role in Celebrimbor's future? Is there more to the old king than what Miriel let Galadriel know? I wouldn't be surprised if it was all a ruse by her to hide the actual truth. Why has Elrond invited Durin to Lindon? What else are the elves planning to do with the dwarves? Best Moment: The nice moment in the caves between Elrond and Durin. Character of the Episode: Elrond. Conclusion: This was another slow and unsatisfying episode. Writing problems are popping up more and more and the show is still struggling to engage me. It's not bad television yet, but the show is starting to test me. Score: 54 Summary: Arondir is captured by orcs and made to dig in the Southlands. He and some others try to escape but fail. Arondir is the only one to survive and he is confronted by an orc chief, Adar. Galadriel and Halbrand arrive in Numenor where they are permitted to stay. The captain who saved them, Elendil, is tasked with watching Galadriel. He takes her to the Hall of Lore where Galadriel realizes that the symbol she has seen is not a sigil - it's a plan to transform the Southlands into an evil realm. Halbrand gets himself arrested trying to create a new life for himself. Galadriel meets him and uncovers that he is the heir to the Southlands running away from his life. Nori finds the constellation for The Stranger in Sadoc's books, but The Stranger accidentally reveals himself to everyone that night. Nori's family is banished to the back of the caravan and seem to be doomed to be left behind. But The Stranger arrives and helps them migrate.
The Good: The introduction of Numenor is lovely. As a casual fan of Tolkien, I am excited to see that Numenor will be a major location in this show, and without spoiling anything, I am interested to see how this TV show depicts the events that occur in Numenor around this time period. The location was a beautifully realized paradise and it was fittingly grandiose and impressive, as befits a kingdom created by the gods for the men who fought on the right side. Galadriel and Halbrand were enjoyable in the first half of the episode. Galadriel was brash, reckless, and prideful, unwilling to work with the Numenoreans and simply wishing to leave. Meanwhile, Halbrand was cunning and clever, attempting to soothe things over with the Numenoreans in order to hopefully carve out a new life for himself. I enjoyed this dynamic, though it does not remain consistent throughout the episode (see: The Bad). The Numenor story also had a few big reveals which I liked. Introducing Elendil and Isildur was a surprise, and I hope that this show has a compelling story to tell with these characters which can better inform who they were when they were mentioned in the history of "The Lord of the Rings". I'm happy that we finally got some plot movement through the reveal of Sauron's sigil being a symbol of his plan to transform the Southlands into Mordor in the event of Morgoth's defeat. This scene was exciting and was a rare moment in this series where the show stepped on the gas to move things along. Finally this show has given me a hook, which I have been begging for in the last two episodes. Lastly, I like the reveal of Halbrand's identity. You always got the sense that he was somebody important, and the reveal that he is the lost king of the Southlands is pretty good. We know that he is doomed to lose his seat, but it should be interesting to see where his story goes. The Bad: I have my problems with Numenor, and with the entire story as a whole. One big factor that has been missing in this series is the sense of wonder within Middle-Earth. In the Peter Jackson trilogies, the settings and locations would take your breath away, and this was amplified when the characters themselves would react in awe to what they were seeing. Some examples include that spectacular reveal of Dwarrowdelf in "The Fellowship of the Ring", and Aragorn appreciating the beauty of the Argonath in the same movie. In this episode, Galadriel and Halbrand arrive in Numenor, perhaps the most beautiful paradise in all of Middle-Earth and... nothing. We get hardly a reaction out of them, and that severely undersells how much of a worldly beauty Numenor is. This show already operates at a slow pace, so it is unacceptable that we do not get to see the characters appreciating the beauty of their own world. If the characters do not think that this place is a magnificent, unique beauty, then why should we? Galadriel had more of a reaction to riding a horse than walking the glorious paths of Numenor, which is laughable. Another problem comes from this show's attempts to shove in more diverse actors wherever possible. The show has received a lot of backlash on this, and I do not think that it is entirely undeserved. Now to be clear, I'm not at all bothered by having greater diversity in the show; in fact I always appreciate efforts to have a more diverse cast. It only becomes a problem when the diversity breaks my immersion when I'm watching the TV show. A prime example is Arondir being a coloured elf with a contemporary haircut being completely against what elves should look like in this story, and against what they have looked like in the Peter Jackson films. Likewise, I was bothered by the fact that Numenor is portrayed to be multicultural with a person of colour as their ruler. This goes against the grain of what anyone would have expected Numenor to be like, and yet the show treats it as if it is completely normal. Multiculturalism only recently emerged in our world, so how can this show expect us to believe that this medieval fantasy world has a multicultural realm without any explanation? What bugs me is that an easy explanation could have been made where Numenor was a kingdom of combined races who all fought against Morgoth, meaning that the kingdom is the only multicultural area in Middle-Earth with people from all parts of the world meeting here. But if that's the case, surely the characters would be fascinated (or in Halbrand's case, confused) at the fact that different cultures are living together in this kingdom. But nobody brings up that this is the case and the show treats it as normal. That's a good message about all races being equal and all that, but it's completely unrealistic within the established world and it breaks my immersion to see that nobody is addressing the fact that this community contains different kinds of people. This is my problem with diversifying the cast. It's obviously better to have a more diverse cast, but that diversity needs to be explained in-universe for it to be accepted. Had this show taken the effort to do that, I'm sure that there would have been less backlash. I do think that fans have been overreacting with the review-bombing; the show is not unwatchable because of its diversification. But I do have sympathy because of the lack of an in-universe explanation for why people of colour are popping up in places where they should not exist in this world. Anyways, I will not harp on this for too long, and I doubt I'll repeat this sentiment in future reviews, but I stand by the fact that the diversification of the show should have been handled much better. As for the actual story, this is still very flawed. The Numenor story started off as promising and it quickly fell off into absurdity once the characters started to split off. First we have Galadriel. The ruler of the kingdom informed her that she is not to leave the palace, and yet somehow she is able to go around the whole island freely without any issues. No guards notice her absence, it seems that nobody is even watching her, and to make things even worse, Elendil inexplicably manages to take her outside of the city on horseback without a single soul wondering where they went. How incompetent are these people? It's so unrealistic that any of this could happen in a functional kingdom, and I'm baffled that Elendil did not face serious consequences for doing this. The Queen was suspicious that he was still an elf-friend, so surely a trip to the Hall of Lore would be really bad for Elendil. Halbrand is even worse. The episode's beginning painted him as clever, cunning, and opportunistic. He follows this up by making some of the most bone-headed decisions imaginable. First, he steals a weapon from Elendil to give to Galadriel. Why? I have no idea at all, this seems like a needless risk for him to take. Even more stupid is the fact that Elendil does not even notice that this happened, and neither does anyone else even though Halbrand does this in full view of literally everybody. What's Halbrand's follow-up? He wants to forge a new life in Numenor by becoming a smith, but he learns that he needs to get a Guild Crest to forge steel. His solution? Steal it from someone and hope that nobody notices. Seriously, what the hell!? Even if nobody notices what he did, in what world would the smith accept him back, knowing full well that this guy stole the Guild Crest since there's no way that he earned one in a day. Then Halbrand gets in a fight, and things get even more absurd. It seems that the victim he stole from was going to let him off with just a punch, but then Halbrand goes crazy, breaks arms, and attempts to murder these people. Again, what the hell man!? This is completely against what the character initially seemed like, and I went from liking him to hating him because he's a reckless, prideful idiot that managed to go from being a guest of honour to being an imprisoned murderer in 20 minutes. Am I supposed to like this character? He would be a horrible king, no wonder he left. Furthermore, the man running away from his position as king because he's scared of the weakness within his blood is a literal copy/paste of Aragorn's story. Let's see something more original please. I've hardly mentioned Arondir and Nori's stories much and I don't intend to talk much about them because they are dull. Arondir working for the orcs is pretty uninteresting, and there are a lot of bland scenes where the episode squeezes in some gory action, which has never been a necessary aspect of "The Lord of the Rings", but we get it here anyways. I dislike how this story portrays the elves. Arondir looks to be the only capable elf, and all of the others are just men with pointy ears instead of the legendary warriors that elves should be. Isn't it great when the main character is inexplicably way better than everyone else? All of the elves dying was portrayed and shot as a devastating moment for Arondir, but I did not care at all. Nori's story is starting to frustrate me. It's so disconnected from everything else, and it kills the pacing of the episode whenever we cut to her. The Harfoots have quickly gone from a fun nod to hobbits to irritating. Hobbits were a well-rounded culture where they had no taste for adventure because they had so much fun with their farming, eating, drinking, smoking, and partying. Even though they were gossips that frowned upon those who did not fit in with everyone else, there was enough upside to make them loveable. The Harfoots ham up all of the bad aspects of hobbits with none of the good. I find myself massively irritated by them and their culture, which is clearly being hammed up so that Nori can get more "empowering" moments where she stands up to the society. The Harfoot society doesn't feel realistic, and I struggle to connect with the story being told because of this. I was also perplexed that nobody was doing anything about The Stranger. Where was he staying? How did Nori ensure that he did not leave? What were the Harfoots planning to do with him when he revealed himself? We have no answers to these questions. The Unknown: Who is Adar? What are the orcs digging for? Are they creating a safe world for themselves, or are they actually looking for something of significance? Could it be connected with what the dwarves have found? Could it be Theo's sword? Why did the Numenoreans break the alliance with the elves? Who is the old king that has been imprisoned? Is it the current queen's father? What is their relationship like? How does rulership of this kingdom work? Including Elendil and Isildur in this story is a curious choice, especially considering how this breaks the timeline. Surely there is a reason that these specific characters were brought in. What story will be told with these characters? Is the South Lands going to become Mordor? How will the orcs manage to turn these lands into a barren wasteland? Will the Harfoots allows The Stranger to stay with them? What will they do with him after they migrate? Best Moment: Galadriel finally uncovering Sauron's plan. It felt like the story finally got underway with this moment. Character of the Episode: Halbrand. Conclusion: This was more of the same: slow-paced storytelling with many problems, but a few redeeming qualities that make me hope that this show can maybe become stronger as it goes on. There could be a promising future, but so far, this has been underwhelming and unsatisfying. Score: 53 Summary: Galadriel is hunting for Sauron following his defeat in a war that claimed the life of her brother. Her group abandons her since she is defying orders. When she returns to the Elvish capital Lindon, she meets with Elrond who convinces her to accept Gil Galad's reward for her: to return to Valinor. Galadriel ultimately leaves but jumps out of the boat, choosing to stay in Middle-Earth. Gil Galad introduces Elrond to Celebrimbor. Meanwhile, Elanor is a Harfoot hobbit who lives in the forest in a small community. They spot travelers and take it as an omen. A meteor lands from the sky and Elanor sees a man lying in its crater. Elsewhere, Arondir is an elf watching over Tirharad, a town of men who supported Morgoth in the war. He is in love with Bronwyn, a woman who works as a healer. When it's time for the elves to leave, Arondir goes to say goodbye and he sees a cow that is badly sick with some sort of evil. Arondir goes to investigate at a town called Hordern along with Bronwyn and it is burning.
The Good: For a show that's been hyped up as the most expensive show ever made, this absolutely lived up to that expectation. The show looks gorgeous, at times having the same presentation as a movie. The locations, costumes, and cinematography was all excellent. It's exciting to see all of these new locations in Middle-Earth, and they are realized with the same beauty as "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" trilogies. It does not have the same atmosphere and feel as the Peter Jackson movies, but seeing how long ago this story takes place, it makes sense that the world will look and feel quite different. I was pleased to see that Harfoot hobbits will play a role in this series. It would be easy for the show to get lost in the grandiose acts of the Elves in Middle-Earth's history, but the show would have lost its relatable human element by doing that. So I'm very pleased to see a storyline involving a different community of hobbits, who carry that same sense of whimsical adventure that you feel while following the likes of Frodo and Bilbo. Despite being a prequel, this show does a good job of incorporating world-building in an intriguing and exciting way. I did enjoy most of Galadriel's story. Her revenge story is simple enough to connect with, and I liked seeing how reckless she was due to her determination to accomplish her mission. The character was written consistently well in this first episode, and I think that there is plenty of reasons for us to connect with her and Elrond with how they were presented and how different they felt from the characters that they will become thousands of years in the future. The Bad: The show is effective at making us connect with Elrond and Galadriel on a shallow level, but it does not accomplish more than that. This is a big problem because Galadriel and Elrond are part of just one of the three storylines that are introduced in this episode. The other major characters Elanor, Arondir, and Bronwyn are not compelling at all because they feel too familiar. We have yet another inter-race love story with Arondir and Bronwyn, which is familiar territory. Both characters are also completely uninspiring so far. Elanor is more likeable, but she feels too familiar to Frodo and Bilbo, who were also adventurous hobbits that didn't fit in with everyone else. I'm not interested in either of these storylines right now because the characters are uninteresting. Another reason that those two storylines failed to inspire in this first episode is how stagnant they were. Nothing happened in these stories. No exciting inciting incident, no plot development, and nothing of any note at all. It was a simple introduction that was missing a hook. I know some names and locations now, but I've been given no reason to keep watching. I liked Galadriel overall, but she had some significant problems in this episode. The first, and biggest, is that she feels too powerful to be an effective main character. The way she effortlessly dispatched of an ice troll made it crystal clear that she can solve pretty much any problem without any concern, making any problem presented to her in the course of this series much less interesting. I was interested to see how the ice troll would challenge these elves, but Galadriel killed it so easily, robbing us of any character drama or thrills. It's a moment that feels like it is written to be "empowering", which robs the story of its suspense and drama. I was not happy with that scene. I also did not like Galadriel's decision to stay in Middle-Earth. To be clear, I definitely buy that she would stay. But for her to do so in the middle of the ocean is laughably stupid, and it again makes the character feel too infallible when you consider that she will be able to swim all the way back to Middle Earth without any issue. I'm disappointed that Sauron is going to be the villain again. We've had two trilogies with him already and it's time to move on to somebody more interesting and exciting. Morgoth as a main villain could have shaken things up, but he is only mentioned in passing in this episode, which is a shame. I know a lot of people are going to be angry that the modern world's attempts for diversity will ruin the image of the world Tolkien created. I am not as bothered by this as most people, but I will admit that having a brown-skinned elf with a contemporary hair style was distracting and took me out of the experience of this episode. If there are going to be racially diverse castings, I would like for them to be explained within the world, or else it will break immersion. The Unknown: Where has Sauron gone? Was he in Forodwaith at that old fortress recently, or long ago? What was being done on the dead orcs there? What happened to the cow? What is that black substance? What is going on in the East? Why is Hordern burning? Who burned it down? Was it an attack? What's going on with Sauron's sword that Theo had? How did it get there? What will it do? Who is the guy that crashed from the sky? How will the Harfoots deal with him? Best Moment: Elrond forcing Galadriel to accept her return to Valinor was a great scene, the only emotionally effective moment in the episode. We can understand the perspectives of both characters: Galadriel wants to stay for vengeance, while Elrond is looking at the bigger picture for her sake. Their conflict was well acted and well written. Character of the Episode: Elrond probably. Conclusion: At best, this was an average pilot episode. This introduced things well enough, but it was slow and there was no hook that made me want to keep watching. I am all for slow television, but we needed more excitement in this episode for it to function as an effective pilot. Score: 56 |
Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
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