The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power | Amazon | September 2, 2022

[Kalo]

On 9/7/2022 at 12:05 PM, filmlover said:

Even the stars of the Peter Jackson trilogy have felt the need join in on combating the excessive online vitriol:

 

 

 

 

Can you buy those shirts? I like em and want one!

[4815162342]

The alarm bells are ringing in my head regarding Halbrand

[Porthos]

35 minutes ago, 4815162342 said:

The alarm bells are ringing in my head regarding Halbrand

 

I've seen that spec, but man, I dunno.  Doesn't seem to fit.  Not quite, at least.

 

Spoiler

Like, he doesn't seem to be someone pulling a con, but trying to repress a dark side.  But at the same time, not such a level of dark side as to what I presume you are implying.

 

I alluded to The Incredible Hulk (wouldn't like me when I'm angry), but I still don't think he's the Big S.

 

If that's not what you meant, then never mind. 👍

Edited September 9, 2022 by Porthos

[Inceptionzq]

I can understand those Halbrand theories after the second episode, but after the third episode I don’t think that’s what they’re going for.

Edited September 9, 2022 by Inceptionzq

[4815162342]

24 minutes ago, Porthos said:

 

I've seen that spec, but man, I dunno.  Doesn't seem to fit.  Not quite, at least.

 

  Hide contents

Like, he doesn't seem to be someone pulling a con, but trying to repress a dark side.  But at the same time, not such a level of dark side as to what I presume you are implying.

 

I alluded to The Incredible Hulk (wouldn't like me when I'm angry), but I still don't think he's the Big S.

 

If that's not what you meant, then never mind. 👍

 

Spoiler

At the minimum I think he's going to become a Nazgul. Being set up as an alleged savior king for the Southlands screams incoming subversion. 

 

[MikeQ]

What alarm bells / theories are we talking about here? Because I'm now thinking...

 

Spoiler

...that Halbrand could end up being the Witch King (or at least one of the Nazgûl). He can really turn on the charm, but capable of anger. Maybe he is motivated to bring his people together for good as King, but is tragically corrupted by one of the nine rings. This could actually be pretty compelling.

 

Peace,

Mike

[Porthos]

Just now, 4815162342 said:

 

  Hide contents

At the minimum I think he's going to become a Nazgul. Being set up as an alleged savior king for the Southlands screams incoming subversion. 

 

 

Spoiler

Okay, yeah.  Being corrupted, I can see.  

 

(though that kid becoming a Nazgul seems to be fairly foreshadowed)

 

My biggest objection, besides the way Halbrand is being portrayed, is the not exactly subtle implications that Sauron has been meddling in the affairs of Númenor for a while now.

 

Maybe they were already "going bad", and Sauron is here to capitalize/knock the finishing pieces down.  But just doesn't quite fit.  Not yet at least.

 

[4815162342]

17 minutes ago, Porthos said:

 

  Hide contents

Okay, yeah.  Being corrupted, I can see.  

 

(though that kid becoming a Nazgul seems to be fairly foreshadowed)

 

My biggest objection, besides the way Halbrand is being portrayed, is the not exactly subtle implications that Sauron has been meddling in the affairs of Númenor for a while now.

 

Maybe they were already "going bad", and Sauron is here to capitalize/knock the finishing pieces down.  But just doesn't quite fit.  Not yet at least.

 

 

When it comes to the title character

 

Spoiler

Whenever he shows if, if not already, has to be in a fair form with an appealing and charismatic disposition.

 

The Cultist Eminem knockoff shown in some promos is not that, that dude screams untrustworthy. It is also not The Stranger because I mean, come on, if it is not who it really clearly is, it certainly is not Sauron

 

So I would not be shocked if it turns out Halbrand is a form of Sauron playing a super long con, but I'm not there yet. But I definitely think the best case scenario is he ends up as one of the Nine, if not the Witch King himself.

 

[MikeQ]

45 minutes ago, Porthos said:

 

  Reveal hidden contents

Okay, yeah.  Being corrupted, I can see.  

 

(though that kid becoming a Nazgul seems to be fairly foreshadowed)

 

My biggest objection, besides the way Halbrand is being portrayed, is the not exactly subtle implications that Sauron has been meddling in the affairs of Númenor for a while now.

 

Maybe they were already "going bad", and Sauron is here to capitalize/knock the finishing pieces down.  But just doesn't quite fit.  Not yet at least.

 

 

Spoiler

Are you essentially saying that you feel Halbrand cannot be Sauron, because his presence is already in Númenor in some way?

 

I've double spoiler tagged this because you may not want to read further - as it contains info and speculation about the lore which may potentially spoil things you may wish not be spoiled:

Spoiler

If the lore is anything to go by - from what I remember and assuming the show sticks relatively close to it - Sauron doesn't appear in Númenor until after the rings are forged. So it wouldn't make sense for Halbrand to be Sauron, as you mention. Without getting into all of the details of what happens in between, what he ultimately does is allow himself to get taken back to Númenor as prisoner, and then accomplishes a great deal through his cunning and manipulation.

I just don't know exactly how the show will approach this. From what I understand, the show is condensing time considerably in order to work as a TV show narrative, so maybe they are playing with something here. Also, the show has been setting up the dynamic of the King's Men (the majority who have rejected the Valar and elves) vs the Faithful - and I can't remember how this plays out exactly in the lore. I definitely have some suspicions already from episode 3...

 

 

Peace,

Mike

Edited September 10, 2022 by MikeQ

[Inceptionzq]

Spoiler

Ah I was alluding to the Sauron theories. But I could definitely see Halbrand becoming a Nazgul

 

[Porthos]

4 minutes ago, MikeQ said:

 

  Hide contents

Are you essentially saying that you feel Halbrand cannot be Sauron, because his presence is already in Númenor in some way?

 

I've double spoiler tagged this because you may not want to read further - as it contains info and speculation about the lore which may potentially spoil things you may wish not be spoiled:

  Hide contents

If the lore is anything to go by - from what I remember and assuming the show sticks relatively close to it - Sauron doesn't appear in Númenor until after the rings are forged. So it wouldn't make sense for Halbrand to be Sauron, as you mention. Without getting into all of the details of what happens in between, what he ultimately does is allow himself to get taken back to Númenor as prisoner, and then accomplishes a great deal through his cunning and manipulation.

I just don't know exactly how the show will approach this. From what I understand, the show is condensing time considerably in order to work as a TV show narrative, so maybe they are playing with something here. Also, the show has been setting up the dynamic of the King's Men (the majority who have rejected the Valar and elves) vs the Faithful - and I can't remember how this plays out exactly in the lore. I definitely have some suspicions already from episode 3...

 

 

Peace,

Mike

 

Okay, fair enough on the double spoilered bit. As that sorta, actually fits.  

Spoiler

At least the "being a prisoner" bit

 

Just... I dunno.  Doesn't feel right, ya' know? 

 

(I know you agree w/ me on this, BTW — just stating that for everything else it just doesn't feel right)

((But I've been wrong on these things many a time before and will be again ))

[MikeQ]

19 minutes ago, Porthos said:

 

Okay, fair enough on the double spoilered bit. As that sorta, actually fits.  

  Reveal hidden contents

At least the "being a prisoner" bit

 

Just... I dunno.  Doesn't feel right, ya' know? 

 

(I know you agree w/ me on this, BTW — just stating that for everything else it just doesn't feel right)

((But I've been wrong on these things many a time before and will be again ))

Haha, me too! But - and I know you said it yourself - I most definitely do agree with you on this. It’s fun to speculate.  

 

Peace,

Mike

[Hatebox]

Watched the first two episodes in good faith. It’s not quite as atrocious as the Witcher but christ is it a slog. It really shows Jackson’s gift for engaging characters in the OT, because this has precisely none.

Looks nice though, I’ll give it that. If you’re a Tolkien nut just happy to be in that world again I can see why this does the job.

 

 

Edited September 10, 2022 by Hatebox

[Brainbug]

I really like it so far. This and House of the Dragon make a truly interesting watch for me, because both represent a totally different take on the Fantasy genre and while that obvious comparison between LotR and GoT always was out there ofc, having both these shows side-by-side releasing is like getting a tasty cake twice a week for me.

 

Galadriels actress is the showstealer for me so far.

[Kalo]

watched ep 3. while I like aspects of it. The character of Galadriel just seems to get worse and worse. She does not act like and elf and certainly not someone with a thousand years experience in the world, if she were a teenager or someone in their early 20s  maybe I could understand that. but she basically just insulted the Queen of  Númenor upon their first meeting and then asked for a ship at the same time, she is an elf and suppose to be a military leader and as such should have some sort of social skill and political skills. this was one of galadriel from the books main strengths and it's not really the actress fault she is doing an ok enough job, but I can blame the writers, directors and showrunners, for their sloppy and poor writing. they just made her look outright stupid, or at best incredibly naive.  

 

Anyways the city of Numenor looks incredible and Halbrand is one of the most intriguing characters so far. but I'm starting to have very mixed feelings about this show.

[cax16]

Another enjoyable episode 

[MikeQ]

Alright, here's some of my hastily written extended thoughts on episode 3:

 

A strength of the show so far is the excellent world building. Khazad-dûm (and the dwarves/Elrond-Durin relationship) were the highlight of episode 2, with Númenor being the highlight of episode 3. (Plus Queen-regent Miriel, Elendil, and Isildur (IS-IL-DUUHR! …my brain can’t help but say his name like Elrond does in the prologue to The Fellowship)).

 

We’re also learning more about the culture of the Harfoots - who continue to help ground the show in an important way by representing the innocent folks of Middle-Earth who will be impacted by the larger forces at play. I think without them the show would feel a little too free-floating in the drama of the immortal elves and the long-living, noble race of men, the Númenorians.

 

This episode also begins to establish the divisions in Númenor, between the King’s Men and the Faithful. For anyone familiar, this storyline is ripe for some really excellent stuff - we’ll see how the show deals with it. Elendil is a great character addition (great actor), and I strongly suspect that Miriel

Spoiler

is secretly one of the Faithful, like her father Tar-Palantil.

 

Númenor is stunning, and I really appreciate the intentional ways that the show has hearkened “back” to the same architecture and design as we saw in Minis Tirith (Gondor) in the LOTR trilogy (given that Gondor is later founded by the descendants of Númenor, the Dúnedain). Really the show is connecting “forward” to what we know to be Gondor from its representation in the trilogy.

 

Through the three episodes, the show has felt progressively more character-centred as the world is established. My hope going forward is that we will be able to spend more time with the central characters.

 

I do wish there was something to further ground Galadriel’s motivations/feelings (anger, resentment, drive to avenge her brother, etc) - e.g. some flashbacks to the relationship between Galadriel and her brother Finrod that would help situate the motivations arising from that relationship and her loss.

 

Some other thoughts:

• The escape attempt of the imprisoned elves in the orc camp was just awesome. Well-choreographed, and it was almost refreshing to see so many deaths occur; what we, as the audience, felt might be a successful escape ended only in bloodshed.
• Love the way the show continues to situate the world (Middle Earth and its various inhabitants, Númenor, and Valinor) through maps.
• The moment where the Harfoots remember who have been left behind was unexpectedly dark, and poignant. The nomadic vibes of the Harfoots is interesting - and distinguishable from Hobbits as we’ve known them before this.

Looking forward to episode 4. Hoping the show continues to draw me in - we’ll see if they can “stick the landing” (so to speak) in the later episodes. We need a satisfying conclusion to the first season - such that the first season sets the stage and we can indulge in this world and a deepening of characters for seasons to come. This is the potential that there is in a television show of Middle-earth.

 

Peace,

Mike

[cookieleeann]

I'm enjoying this season so far. Galadriel & Halbrand having some good chemistry took me by surprise.

 

Anyway Halbrand is sus af and if he is who I think he is then I actually like this little twist, especially for the more casual crowd.

[Liiviig 1998]

On 9/12/2022 at 4:10 AM, MikeQ said:

escape attempt of the imprisoned elves in the orc camp was just awesome. Well-choreographed, and it was almost refreshing to see so many deaths occur; what we, as the audience, felt might be a successful escape ended only in bloodshed.

Hmm .the whole scene lacked tension ,warg cgi was terrible and the chereography was equally bad imo . Biggest pet peeves is death scenes that try to Garner emotion when I know little of the character ,it can work at times but it was so poorly excuted here. That scene involving the elf getting sliced on the neck was really poor.

 

 

 

[Liiviig 1998]

On 9/12/2022 at 4:10 AM, MikeQ said:

escape attempt of the imprisoned elves in the orc camp was just awesome. Well-choreographed, and it was almost refreshing to see so many deaths occur; what we, as the audience, felt might be a successful escape ended only in bloodshed.

Hmm .the whole scene lacked tension ,warg cgi was terrible and the chereography was equally bad imo . Biggest pet peeves is death scenes that try to Garner emotion when I know little of the character ,it can work at times but it was so poorly excuted here. That scene involving the elf getting sliced on the neck was really poor.