Lord of the Rings Series -- Amazon (1 Viewer)

[guidomerkinsrules]

I’ll admit that the previous 2 episodes had me worried and I wondered if this show was going to crater
But man this episode kicked butt

I do feel sorry for those who can’t see past their expectations and judge a show on its merits
Can’t imagine that’s any funn

 

[Taurus]

I’ll admit that the previous 2 episodes had me worried and I wondered if this show was going to crater
But man this episode kicked butt

I do feel sorry for those who can’t see past their expectations and judge a show on its merits
Can’t imagine that’s any funn

Some people liked Endgame. No accounting for taste.

 

[DCSaints_Fan]

So meteor man is an Istari. If he's Gandalf they are taking the easy way out , and as I mentioned before creates a huge plothole in LOTR (and arguably The Hobbit). Gandalf being around for the forging of the rings means he will appreciate what it is almost immediately when Frodo if not Bilbo acquires there would be no need to do research in the library of Minas Tirinth.

Unless he is Radagast I guess. But then I'm assuming that Gandalf could have simply asked him rather than dig through the library.

 

[DaveXA]

Some people liked Endgame. No accounting for taste.

The only thing I didn't like about Endgame was fat, drunk Thor.

 

[Crzycjunx76]

The only thing I didn't like about Endgame was fat, drunk Thor.

I didnt mind him having serious survivors guilt and ptsd... even his hiding and deflection, drowning himself in booze.

There was an opportunity there, he had grown so much over his arc... and then had it all torn down. This was something that is a very human reality... growth is not linear, we have setbacks and sometimes things can happen that tear us all the way down and take us back to square one... totally lost.
I think they took it too far and made him overly buffoonish to get laughs out of what was a great oppurtunity to show even the toughest hero, a god even, could suffer from the maladies that come from trauma, loss, and guilt.

After that they doubled down on insecure idiot, bro-Thor in Love & Thunder. Instead of showing some growth and facing of his demons... they gave the man-child, who had not properly coped with his issues...a child to raise. Like having a kid would magically make him more stable and responsible.

 

[DaveXA]

I didnt mind him having serious survivors guilt and ptsd... even his hiding and deflection, drowning himself in booze.

There was an opportunity there, he had grown so much over his arc... and then had it all torn down. This was something that is a very human reality... growth is not linear, we have setbacks and sometimes things can happen that tear us all the way down and take us back to square one... totally lost.
I think they took it too far and made him overly buffoonish to get laughs out of what was a great oppurtunity to show even the toughest hero, a god even, could suffer from the maladies that come from trauma, loss, and guilt.

After that they doubled down on insecure idiot, bro-Thor in Love & Thunder. Instead of showing some growth and facing of his demons... they gave the man-child, who had not properly coped with his issues...a child to raise. Like having a kid would magically make him more stable and responsible.

Yeah, they've really gone overboard with it. I was sort of ok with Thor in love and thunder. He at least looked the part. But yeah, we need a bad arse, kick butt Thor.

And yes, I agree he can have survivors guilt, ptsd or whatever, but the arc should have been brief imo. He's not human, and he processes things differently than we do.

 

[J-Donk]

So meteor man is an Istari. If he's Gandalf they are taking the easy way out , and as I mentioned before creates a huge plothole in LOTR (and arguably The Hobbit). Gandalf being around for the forging of the rings means he will appreciate what it is almost immediately when Frodo if not Bilbo acquires there would be no need to do research in the library of Minas Tirinth.

Unless he is Radagast I guess. But then I'm assuming that Gandalf could have simply asked him rather than dig through the library.

They are alluding to Gandalf pretty heavy. I don't think that's a plot hole. This wizard hasn't, and may never see the one ring.

 

[UncleTrvlingJim]

They are alluding to Gandalf pretty heavy. I don't think that's a plot hole. This wizard hasn't, and may never see the one ring.

Agreed - the follow your nose is a dead give away (or a stupid misdirection). And this is obviously not what was in Tolkien's writing where Gandalf didn't come until the 3rd age.. however, I don't think this means he's going to be involved in the rings. So, it won't necessarily contradict the LotR. We'll have to see.

Non-cannon complaints I have - I thought the pacing of the first 7 episodes was off. There was also this weird feeling that the world was both big and small -- obviously you have all of middle earth, but why the focus on one small village in the southlands? That didn't feel like a nation, but a small village. I thought they could have a done a better job with elven politics -- they are supposed to have a superiority complex, and they could have done a good job of exploring that -- but I felt it was kind of glossed over. Mainly a problem with only 8 episodes and 4 storylines. The elves also didn't seem ethereal enough -- they looked like humans with pointy ears.

Things I liked. I really liked the actors. I found them really compelling. Charlie Vickers was such a great mix of charming and then sinister. Morfydd Clark was really good as the Galadriel they wrote (not my understanding of Galadriel - I would have preferred this character be Galadriel's daughter Celebrian, I think it would have worked better). I also really liked the idea of Galadriel teetering on the edge of darkness, and the friendship with Sauron. It's an interesting idea that I think could have been played out longer if they had the time.

Stuff like this makes me want to be a show runner for adaptations of properties I care about. I'm sure it's more complicated than I realize, but I do find it interesting that you'd spend so much money on an IP like this, and then make choices that you know super nerds are not going to like, which then means you need to make a perfect show for it to succeed.

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

Agreed - the follow your nose is a dead give away (or a stupid misdirection). And this is obviously not what was in Tolkien's writing where Gandalf didn't come until the 3rd age.. however, I don't think this means he's going to be involved in the rings. So, it won't necessarily contradict the LotR. We'll have to see.

Non-cannon complaints I have - I thought the pacing of the first 7 episodes was off. There was also this weird feeling that the world was both big and small -- obviously you have all of middle earth, but why the focus on one small village in the southlands? That didn't feel like a nation, but a small village. I thought they could have a done a better job with elven politics -- they are supposed to have a superiority complex, and they could have done a good job of exploring that -- but I felt it was kind of glossed over. Mainly a problem with only 8 episodes and 4 storylines. The elves also didn't seem ethereal enough -- they looked like humans with pointy ears.

Things I liked. I really liked the actors. I found them really compelling. Charlie Vickers was such a great mix of charming and then sinister. Morfydd Clark was really good as the Galadriel they wrote (not my understanding of Galadriel - I would have preferred this character be Galadriel's daughter Celebrian, I think it would have worked better). I also really liked the idea of Galadriel teetering on the edge of darkness, and the friendship with Sauron. It's an interesting idea that I think could have been played out longer if they had the time.

Stuff like this makes me want to be a show runner for adaptations of properties I care about. I'm sure it's more complicated than I realize, but I do find it interesting that you'd spend so much money on an IP like this, and then make choices that you know super nerds are not going to like, which then means you need to make a perfect show for it to succeed.

For me I think it was the Numenor plot was just off - I get what you’re saying about Southlands, but at least there was dynamism about character interaction and key plot movement
But I still don’t know what purpose Numenor served (obviously there will be a payoff eventually, but this was season long table setting)
All other stuff I dug

 

[UncleTrvlingJim]

For me I think it was the Numenor plot was just off - I get what you’re saying about Southlands, but at least there was dynamism about character interaction and key plot movement
But I still don’t know what purpose Numenor served (obviously there will be a payoff eventually, but this was season long table setting)
All other stuff I dug

Yeah, I agee... maybe the only society I thought they did well was the Harfoots. I think they did personal interactions well, but societies and politics not as well.

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

Yeah, I agee... maybe the only society I thought they did well was the Harfoots. I think they did personal interactions well, but societies and politics not as well.

Oh I thought the Dwarf stuff was awesome (with Elrond)
I thought the elf stuff was ok - I mean, how do you depict angels in an interesting way? (Elf + not Elf is the best way to use elves)

 

[Scorpius the Allfather]

I just saw this and thought I'd share. It's about how people say that Gandalf did not show up until the third age. "In the book The History of Middle-earth, it is mentioned that a being named Olorin, Gandalf's actual name, became acquainted with elves and men before the events of the Third Age."

 

[Scorpius the Allfather]

Payne: “Season one opens with: Who is Galadriel? Where did she come from? What did she suffer? Why is she driven? We’re doing the same thing with Sauron in season two. We’ll fill in all the missing pieces.”
McKay: “Sauron can now just be Sauron. Like Tony Soprano or Walter White. He’s evil, but complexly evil. We felt like if we did that in season one, he’d overshadow everything else. So the first season is like Batman Begins, and the The Dark Knight is the next movie, with Sauron maneuvering out in the open. We’re really excited. Season two has a canonical story. There may well be viewers who are like, ‘This is the story we were hoping to get in season one!’ In season two, we’re giving it to them.”

 

[Scorpius the Allfather]

One of the places where we’re taking a real liberty is the time compression. What was important to the Tolkien estate was the principle of the narrative flow and the sequence of events, not the dates. The rings are made here, there’s a war between Sauron and the elves after that, a later Sauron is taken to Númenor, Númenor falls, Gondor is established, and you end up with the Battle of the Last Alliance. Does it matter if a hundred or 500 years passed between those events? No.

 

[Taurus]

Yeah, they've really gone overboard with it. I was sort of ok with Thor in love and thunder. He at least looked the part. But yeah, we need a bad arse, kick butt Thor.

And yes, I agree he can have survivors guilt, ptsd or whatever, but the arc should have been brief imo. He's not human, and he processes things differently than we do.

They set up a beautiful redemption arc for Thor but turned him into a joke instead.
Of all the Avengers, Thor lost the most because of Thanos. His people, his home, his family.
Fat or not, Thor should have given Thanos a Righteous Beatdown(tm). Even if some distraction or desperate ploy saves Thanos long enough to get snapped at the climax.