Thoughts on Pharazôn's manipulation? Dwarves getting rings? What would you rate this episode and what do you think of the season so far compared to season 1?
@@ryanthunder3247 agreed! I can’t believe people dislike this guy for not hating on the Rings of Power. Is it a good tv show? No. But it’s nice to be a bit more positive about things, while still being critical of mistakes
Berek has his own forge where he's secretly making Horseshoes of Power. You thought Halbrannatauron was bad? Just wait until Berek Hammerhoof creates the One Shoe to Rule Them All! 😱
Or is this a reference to Berek Halfhand from the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, thus foreshadowing Amazon's next fantasy series to get the rights to and ruin.
@@Henez89 My thought was that Pharazon was wearing crimson -- different color as Tar Palantir wore -- so the Eagle recognized that as the color of the new Numenorean king?
I screwed up because I missed the part where they talk about the eagle showing up at coronation being a rare and significant occurrence. To me it was just like why the hell is this badass looking bird showing up? Is Elendil going to hop on him and write them right over to Eregion grab Sauron and then just fly him into Mount Doom. So then we never even have to ask why didn't they just fly the Eagles to Mordor when they just flew Sauron and dropped his ass right in
Thank you very much for your commentary on the series :) It's really great that you can see past the flaws of the show - while still pointing some of them out in a respectful and funny way - and the great liberty it takes in many ways and point out interesting and essential informations. Love your channel! :)
I feel so bad for the eagle. You know he appeared so hopeful that the Numenorians would support Miriel only to be spurned and flew away. Beautifully created eagle by the way.
Don't feel too bad for the eagle. If it had actually cared about what happened, it could have just said something. You know, to clarify what it was doing there. They can *speak,* so it would have to be a choice to not and just let everything go wrong.
@@danzafrir2900 Very true. My main complaint here is how petty these folk are in the royal audience room. The situation is very different yet both deserve dunking. I guess Ar-Pharazôn needs to get busy building more than just 3 ships.
I was hoping Theo died off screen. He's the worst character in the entire show. Now I hope he runs into an orc army by himself and meat goes back on the menu
She’s tough, she just has not had long to deal with the intrigue that happened in her absence leading a war and now she’s blind grieving her father and ally. That doesn’t make her a doormat; only that she is at a disadvantage. I took want to see her regain control but it’s gonna take time and only came when she is emotionally at her weakest. Elendil’s daughter is the WORST! Didn’t she convince him to go when his dad wanted him to stay? As he put it, all the Núms are morons.
This is like so tragic because she couldn't see eagle looking at her and choosing her because of the blindness so now Miriel believes that an eagle sided with Pharazon. I am shocked how many people didn't notice that and just called her confusion and stagnation a sloppy writing.
My friend and I discussed the episode this eve, and he said this about your breakdown: "TBF to the writers, Numenorians are canonically idiots. They built a Temple of Morgoth on the advice of Sauron for chrissakes. And he wasn't even pretending to be anyone else!" Fair point.
I love your breakdowns more than any other RUclipsr. You have a very respectful tone in regards to the story the show is representing. Giving lore facts and opinions based on the lore, not just "i can't believe this, this isn't right, not in the books" argument. For that, im excited to watch with you and the community here as after The Acolyte... ive been in much need for some good post show breakdowns.
Celebrimbor totally feels like the grandson of Fëanor in how they’re portraying him and how he’s being manipulated by Annatar. I completely agree, the relationship between them is actually working for me. Celebrimbor is blinded by his pride and arrogance in his own craftsmanship, which feels very Fëanorean, and lying to Gil-Galad to forge the rings in secret sorta resembles Fëanor hoarding the silmarils in his own vault and refusing to share them out of pettiness.
I expected an evil smirk from Annatar when Celebrimbor started writing his letter, but instead his face seemed to say "Whoah, this guy is SUPER obsessed, even for me!"
I was in New Zealand in January of this year. On my last day I went to the Weta Workshop in Wellington to buy the one ring. I was told that I'd missed you there by one hour. I wish I'd gotten there sooner to thank you for helping me rediscover my love for middle-earth while watching your videos in lockdown. I wouldn't have seen middle-earth without you
When Annatar drops the mithril into the molten gold, I definitely saw him whisper or maybe breathe some form of spell, followed by a quieter version of one of those "whoosh" sounds they use for magic spells in the show.
I didn't see Annatar's mouth move at all. The whispers came after the mithril was dropped in, likely to signify Sauron's influence in the process. I love how Annatar closes his eyes and pauses a moment with his arm outstretched before releasing the mithril. To me, it really felt like Sauron was putting his own will into the craft... something he did not do with the 3 elven rings. Those rings were for the elves alone "untouched by other hands".
The Durin father/son dynamic is one of my favorites. Disa's confrontation with Durin about the strength/stubborness dichotomy was some of the better writing in the episodes.
The dwarves are probably the best written atm. Just feels like we know so much more about the dwarves than we do of the elves of lindon. Just the fall of kazard dum is going to be event to see to watch the horror of a culture getting snuffed
When Isildur learns that he was *precious* to his mother, I thought it was an interesting nod to his further One Ring story. It also suggests that the same event can have both good and evil meanings, so that judging requires nuance and perspective. Which is better than yelling THE SEA IS ALWAYS RIGHT!
well, yes, who cares what his mother did and how this can contribute to the story? bla bla ba with no point. Crying shows velnerability and a soft Isildur. By the way the choice of Isildur actor for the story is so poor. I would like a more robust and hard character.
The dwarves are my favorite portion of the show so far. I just love all the characters and details in the sets. Very nicely done. The Eagle *clearly* was insulted by Pharazon stepping forward. Like "B*tch, I'm not here for you!" flaps wings indignantly.
Tolkien has once written a letter to a Mrs Munby that had stated in it.. “There must have been orc women” It’s also written in The Silmarillion that “Orcs also had life and multiplied after the manner of the Children of Illuvatar” And don’t Forget Bolg son of Azog from The Hobbit
As a group we should invade the toxic comment sections of morons like the Critical Drinker and the rest of the mindless haters who are acting like this is completely made up. People whose knowledge of the lore is Jackson's movies and reading the books thirty years ago, and by books I mean Hobbit and the trilogy, not anything this show is based on.
I took the scene with Durin 4 entering the throne room under the guise of the grain reserve request to Durin, not that he 'cut the line'. They likely figured Durin wouldn't allow his son to enter the room if he knew ahead of time he was there. Just my 2 cents.
Oo yes that would be cool and give weight to the breaking of oaths. I saved your sorry ass when youre petty teenager and you betray me now! A curse shall be laid down on you so even the halls of mandos are denied to you
I truly believe that this series can learn from mistakes of the past and continue to improve. It was hard to latch onto some of these characters in season 1 but now that they are established I can. Charlie Vickers is a great actor too I think I love his grin, very devious
More like shared their opinions. However, if you think someone disliking you favourites and you wanting them to shut up about it, you shouldn't worry about their "poison". You are the most poisonous of them all.
I really hoped the Eagle would contribute an important peace of dialogue. But he just screeched wildly. I guess he appeared at the ceremony to show Manwë’s approval of Miriël’s hanging on to the traditions (white colours), then became discontented with seeing her being denied, what made him start the screeching. Phârazon‘s followers being able to change the story/interpretation of that screeching to their favor wouldn’t have worked if the Eagle simply spoke his mind, I guess….
Some wonky things aside, these first 3 episodes have been so much more entertaining than season 1. The sets, the costumes, the acting, the dialogue.. it may not all be lore accurate but it's much better imo and I'm actually really looking forward to th rest of season 2
Hell, so far Galadriel actually seems humbled, actually seems to be improving as a character in the show now that she's not in a high position of command. I do look forward to this season, and hope they don't screw up future episodes, as so far every plotline is somehow interesting, even if some of the lines are a bit odd.
Ya, episode 1 was actually pretty great, didn't cringe once. Was really hoping for that to continue but 2 and 3 were clunky in parts. But still, to say I'm not highly entertained and not rooting for the rest of the season to catch it's stride would be disingenuous.
Pharazôn mopped the eagle’s approval from Míriel real fast 😆 (…especially given he’s against everything Valar, it’s pretty rich taking a Valar emissary as support for himself)
The show can't help falling for the lowest possible hanging fruit at every turn, soooo it's prob Gandalf and Saruman and not some more nuanced and cool choice of blue wizards
18:30 Agreed, my expectations were low coming out of season 1. It seems the writers actually listened to the complaints of Tolkien fans about S1. So far, they’re doing a much better job, but they could ruin it with the Sauruman/ Gandalf thing. Please be the blue wizards 🙏
Watching the harfoots get sucked away in the twister was satisfying and a LOL moment. Deep down I want to believe that was fan service. Maybe they just wanted to give us a break this episode.
I just finished episode 3 ill have to do a rewatch. I appreciate your breakdowns there are some channels that just use it as an excuse to be completely negative and trash everything i always appreciate your objectivity and being real 😎
@@Frankje01or for money or both most hardcore fans hate it but I think most big youtuber covering it trash it for views because they do infact make bank off of that
@@Frankje01 The logic is that most popular channels are making basically a clickbait. The show is unpopular between the majority that is not versed in Tolkienic lore and themes and they tap into it. Think of it, what would average youtube watching Joe do? Watch a factual video that would change his mind? Or watch a clickbait shitting on this show for fake reasons while laughing "hahaha, what a loser show?". It's fine to dislike the show, but most channels don't do that, because they don't even formulate the reasons for why they dislike that. They don't care about facts, objectivity or even subjective justification of one's opinions. They are the youtube version of cheap TV entertainment shows... only that the TV shows were usually hurting noone. Their videos are hurting the show and the people who worked on it.
@@BoroMirraCz You are just wrong on basically everything except that eys, they are using some sort of bait to get people to watch videos. But to say it is all based on getting views and it has nothing to do with the quality of the actual show is ridiculous. Why do we need to be objective? We literally have Tolkien's work as a benchmark? Of course we're not going to be objective. That's ridiculous. I am watching a multi part series by the creator Scriptmage. Very small and new content creator that perfectly describes what is wrong with the show. Check it out and it isnt "clickbaity at all. And she is a lot mroe thorough as a lot of ciritcs that are bigger but overall a lot of the same criticisms come up with the bigget one, of course, being...the shitty writing.
If Sauron can put his stank on the mithril going into the Dwarf Rings he can also put his stank onThe Knife he took from Galadriel which was somehow needed to get melted down INTO THE ELVISH RINGS. Ahh, jus sayin.
I wouldn't be surprised if Isildur actually works to found Gondor in this season. Given how the ships have left Pelargir, and how he seems to be taken charge a bit. Tho, if so, I hope he doesn't do much this early; as he plays a massive role back in Numenor proper in the books.
@@troyjanagujar3384 I wouldn't be surprised if it is Isildur who makes Pelargir, in the show, into the thriving city that is was in the books; comprising of a mixed population of refugees from the Southlands and those of the Faithful from Numenor who start fleeing away. I will admit though that I am very disappointed that they made the city into the Lotr version of Detroit in the show tho; given how it's just a rundown town when it's supposed to be a great city somewhat reminiscent of Alexandria.
I think that the fact that Celebrimbor decided to lie to Gil-Galad is meant to show how Sauron has started to corrupt him. He is using Celebrimbor’s pride and lust for praise to get his way and thereby corrupt him.
One connection I haven’t heard anyone talk about is the scene with Isildur and the girl, at 50:00, she says to him, “Because you were precious to her” and in Lore, he writes on a script, “it was precious to me”. Interesting take if Isildur loves the ring as if it’s his child, as he was to her. Not how I envisioned his personal connection with the ring, but I’ll play along. I’m intrigued.
I know the season has to last like 10 episodes or so, but gets to me how naive Celbrimbor and Adar are. Take Durin for example. Sure he can't tell Annatar is Sauron but he won't take his crap either.
It's 8 episodes and they've already compressed the timeline and lore so much from the outset. Padding is pretty inexcusable if you ask me. It does seem that naiveté is there to speed things along rather than slow them down, though.
He must have placed his taint upon a piece of mithril before the forging and placed it in his pocket, or up his sleeve. Then he switched them around and placed the taint-piece in the forge. He'll probably put his taint upon the other piece after everyone else leaves.
Bronwyn's death really came out of nowhere. They spent the last season building her relationship with the elf, saying elf-human relationship usually ends in tragedy, yet her death is just off screen? Makes it even more unimpactful
Your reviews of the episode are the best on the web. You know your stuff so the lore info is indispensable. But also your dry sense of humour makes it even more fun 👏🏻
Thanks for doing these breakdowns with a positive attitude. I follow other channels to see them "taking the piss." Although the "guess who's back" joke was top-tier 😅
For real! Its so refreshing to see someone not hate but just talk about it! (And jokes are a great way to deal with some minor frustration or something)
They are positive because he's paid by amazon. And i don't know how you can like this trash. The romans said " degustibus non disputandum est" but there's a limit to decency 😂
@@flvflv4712when do Nerdrotic or Critical Drinker ever say anything positive? At some point you've crossed the line into get off my lawn... You're quite likely too young to be this bitchy.
I appreciate this show being made by people who seem to enjoy the source material, makes for a better show. I'm not a Lord of the Rings purist so it's OK by me if things don't follow the books exactly, as long as it doesn't go to crazy town. Also, I do find the harfoots the most annoying part. And I did notice that it seemed like characters are moving to places really fast or they are skipping time. I also hope that the stranger isn't Gandalf, just seems so boring.
Whaddya mean as long as it doesnt go to crazy town??!?!? We are literally in crazy town! Shall I elaborate? Brace thyself... Gandalf (highest probability) in a meteor, Elves are immortal except they arent, mithril is infused with the light of the silmarils, theres a fourth silmaril, Mt Doom erupts from a Rube Goldberg machine, Celeborn is MIA, Galadriel and Sauron sittin in a tree, Elrond has relations with Dwarves, Durin 3 and 4 are relatives, Harfoots arent Hobbits, Numenor has a volunteer army, the Elven Rings were made with Sauron's knowledge, making a third ring was Galadriel's idea, Durin's Bane is already awoken, Istari in the Second Age, *pant pant*...I have to stop. lol
@@Draugoth I think you don't get what the guy you're replying to was saying. He's saying he isn't a LotR purist. Literally none of this is "crazy town", it's big deviations from the source material but it itsn't completely insane.
Thank you for being like this, tbh lol I'm a big fan of pretty much all Tolkiens creations and it kinda makes me sad when I see people comment things like "Amazon ruined this" or "The worst blah blah blah" cuz to me it feels so good to finally get to see some new LOTR stuff (even if its changed a bit), while having such great production and visuals
They are what i call bookistians. One must only follow the standards of Tolkien and what they think is right. Black ppl in a fantasy movie? Woke! More women? Woke! Writers adding their own ideas to the show? DEI!
Look...if you like RoP, fine, good on you, but lets be real. RoP has nothing to do with Tolkien, and not that I have the hubris to speak for the man, but I think it's a 99% certainty he would have been disgusted. I love LOTR too, but I cant love ANYTHING that has LOTR slapped on it. The more we do that, the studios will think they can treat his legendarium with the same lack of concern as Star Wars. LOTR will continue to be diluted into nothingness and become just generic fantasy. At the end of the day, I wont be winning this battle, RoP is a precursor of things to come, and they are coming. If you like that, great, but there will be a cost.
@@nikufied8942 That's a straw man if I ever saw one. People who love the books that much are more flexible than you think. We just don't want to see LOTR stuff be so brazenly abused. There's a certain respect that should be paid to Tolkien, and sure, we take the lore seriously. We're not going to take something like RoP lying down. Also, it has zero to do with woke stuff. Most people who don't like the show have positive opinions on Deesa, the black dwarf. So no, women and people of color are not the issue no matter how much you wanna tell yourself that.
Part of me was hoping when Isildur was at pelagir, he could have said that the old ruins reminded him of the less ornate architecture of numenor from a time when they were closer to the elves and how he always appreciated that style, maybe reminded him of adunie the home of the faithful - would be a cool Easter egg for Gondor
I think its Shelob. Bear Mccreary already released the soundtrack album and there is a track called shelob which was playing in this scene. And I don't think he Isildur gets trapped in a spider cave again
"Tuor, the grand father or Elron and Elros" it only makes me realize that Aragorn is a descendant of Fingolfin. How cool it would be that your grand grand grand grand etc, ... father fought against Morgoth
You mentioned the white vs red colors at the beginning of the episode for Miriel's color but Pharazon is wearing red during the coronation. The Numenorians are ridiculous for hating Elves so much but the situation was manufactured by him. He knew Miriel was unliked, he she would wear white, he knew the Palantir would show up. So if an eagle shows up he's going to shoot his shot.
Bro you are forever and always the best opinion on this stuff. Not a blind fan boy but not a needless hater. Thank you for these! I hated season 1 for the most part besides Durin and Elrond, but season 2 has started off much stronger. Celebrimbor and Annatar is great and much cooler to see Sauron’s machinations in real time to ooh over them instead of the silly guessing game when literally everyone knew. Am I actually excited for what comes next? The good news is I totally am which is already an improvement on last season.
@@RedWolfensteinI'm a huge Tolkien fan and I disagree with a lot of this show's decisions, but wth? I mean Tolkien surely took inspiration from many folklore stories and mythologies (not just from Europe btw), but his books are works of fiction, they are fantasy novels. An insult to Tolkien? maybe. But an insult to European folklore? get a grip my guy.
@@richtomchuk1584 The show stabs Tolkien in the back in everyway possible and presumes its audience is dumb and infantile. Peter Jackson did Tolkien right, this show is all about deracinating White people, promoting moral ambiguity, and insulting Tolkien. But whatever your wifes boyfriend tells you is cool is cool I guess.
@@ClaudiaGonzalez-mg4xf It absolutely is, have you not noticed what all the modern media landscape is these days? It's pure propaganda and lazy writing.
weirdly tying the dwarves in this way works since Dwarves Claim Celebrimbor gave them Durins ring personally but Elves claim it was Sauron. Had it both ways. My problem with season 1 is while I loved the harfoots and the stranger it had nothing to do with anything else going on, and Galadreal was unlikeable so I didnt really care about her, leaving basically elrond and durin.
I'm really liking it, in general I like seeing Sauron-Annatar and the story of Numenor. I don't mind if they make up something to better connect or tie the lore together. Thanks for the good work!!
Durin and Disa were a highlight of season 1 for me, and they're keeping that up in season 2. I wonder if we'll get to see conflict between them, which could be a nice source of tension for the plot (my impression from this episode was that Disa seems much more pro-rings than Durin). Looking forward to seeing more of Theo, Isildur, and Estrid, and the dynamics between them. It doesn't feel at risk of becoming disconnected from the other storylines, at least for me, because I'm curious to see how word that Isildur is alive will reach Numenor / his family, and in the meantime it feels like there are some interesting parallels between how his father and sister are handling his supposed death, and how he's dealing with being alive and also still stuck in Middle Earth. Chuckled at several points during this video and enjoyed learning more about the lore references. Thank you, Matt! I just subscribed to your channel and am looking forward to watching more of these breakdowns.
Nori states in one episode that they are looking for “a gand” for the stranger which all but confirms in my heart that they’ve taken the easy option with the wizards and gone for Gandalf! But in the words of Aragorn to Hama “there is always hope”
5:43 Can't help but imagine the wholesome exchange from a kid watching this video and genuinely running to his parents, "Mom, Dad! Nerd of the Rings told me to ask you how Elves and Men reproduce!"
Can someone explain the confusion to me. In S1, in the prologue, we see Sauron for a brief few seconds being cheered on by Orcs. That scene looked awesome. So why at the beginning of this season is he coming across as weak and political. Did not like that scene one bit.
I am also confused. But given this scene in S2 was shortly after Morgoths defeat, i can imagine the scene from S1 was during Melkors reign? Maybe Sauron as a commander, and the orcs were just chanting for him because they were placed under his orders. And after the defeat of Melkor, they prefered their "Father" as their leader and so they killed the guy who was trying to take over. Still - hard to justify. Could also be the one scene was just some "picture" Galadriel has of Sauron.
@Lachgummei Good observations. I probably need to watch the prologue again but i got the impression Sauron was shown after Morgoths death, as successor. I am confused!
Lots of people seem to believe the prologue in season 1 was how Galadriel visioned it to be. I however believe the show-writers completely forgot they made that scene in the season 1 prologue in the first place. Now they have basically screwed up that awesome scene of Sauron in evil form and instead portray him as a politician trying to get the orcs to vote for him in the upcoming election...
@@joachiml4714they didn't forget it, they show that very scene in the recap. I think the justification is you can't have even form Sauron get jumped by a bunch of orcs like that.
Annatar does close his eyes and appears to concentrate when he casts the mithril into the molten alloy, as if he is casting a silent spell linking the dwarves and human rings to him. I think this was well done.
Although it would have ruined the rest of the movie it would have beeen quite satisfying to see the Eagle grab Pharazon in its huge beak and toss him clean off the balcony. Maybe even the ignorant people present would have gotten that.
@@doobieters1234My head canon for that is they’re bred normally then chucked into the weird slop as infants to fend for themselves so they grow nasty and strong.
Agreed season 2 starts with a strong dynamic rhythm, we get to see a lot in only 3 episodes. Super happy about how the show is leveling up the storyline vs. Season 1, hope it keeps that way.
Three breakdowns for the Middle-earth RUclipsr under the sky. One watch party to rule them all! 😈 Also, could you make a theory video based on one of my most intriguing questions, please, Matt?: Is it possible to wield two or more Rings of Power at once like how Thanos wielded the Infinity Stones? And if so, what is the limit to wielding that kind of power, and which species in Middle-earth is theoretically strong enough to embrace it? 🧐
I love the fact that Miriel wore white, representing the past (the Faithful), while Pharazon wore crimson to represent the future (everyone else). I love symbolism...
I don’t get what is so terrible. It has precedence in the lore. Is it uncomfortable that the disposable baddies are given depth and positive qualities? Too much complexity for your good vs bad worldview?
@@drivingahead1796 maybe they meant what they said, but idk. excited to see orc babies and woman in a moment myself, as they have had to exist and i kept wondering recently how orcs' life cycle could be perverted even more by evil forces
I do like the stranger storyline, but only because wizards are cool. It does feel totally added on because people wouldn’t recognize it as LOTR without hobbits. I think Isildur could get up to some cool stuff during his side plot stuff too.
The dwarf plot went too fast for me. I mean, they're invited, Durin is suspicious. Okay. Still, he talks directly to his father. Okay. He expresses his mistrust. Cut. His father still does exactly what he warns against. Are they reconciled or not? Would a hug have been too much to ask? I would have liked at least a short scene explaining why the extremely suspicious king immediately decides to accept this dubious offer. A scene like in season 1, when he explains why they won't help Elrond. Yes, I like the dwarf plot and would have liked more of it. Because there is (was?) character development here. But it happened too quickly for me, also in terms of logic.
3:52 I was really hoping to see the ring of barahir in this scene. Still hoping it shows up at some point along with the sneak peak of Narsil from season 1
Honestly so far season 2 seems to be much better than season 1. We have less odd writing moments and it feels overall consistent. Now I personally am someone who doesn´t care much about lore accuracy, as long as the story that is told is well made. (caring about lore accuracy is still totally valid though, it´s just not my focus). And tbh as long as the evil Wizard isn´t Saruman, I´m completley sold. It makes me much more hopefull about the shows future
It is Shelob: Actor Baldry also told GamesRadar+ earlier this year what this sequence was like to film. "I think there was a lot of expectation about how Shelob would look like," he told us at San Diego Comic-Con. "From when we were filming, it was a rugby ball, two guys in morph suits and some sticks, and I was like, ‘Oh god how is this going to turn out?’ I think they’ve done such an amazing job with it. It’s just so intricate. I think they give Shelob a really strong personality."
@@lordvader1993gerthere was literally a bigger spider crawling over and behind all the hatchlings. That's one of her hatchlings attacking isildur it's so small its obviously not shelob 😂
I think if I had no knowledge of what Tolkien wrote before the third age, I would rate the show an 8.5 /10. sadly I know at least a few things witch bumps it down at least to 7.5, still excited for any Lotr content :)
Okay I did wonder that so Uruks do multiple like everyone else. Makes sense. I really enjoyed these first 3 episodes a lot. Got me excited for the remaining 5.
8/10 so far this season. As someone who loves the Silmarillion and was pretty torn last season between enjoying it and being angry about continuity issues, this season has been much better on both scales. Hopefully it maintains this for the rest of the season.
"...which lead me to the conclusion that Numenoreans are mostly idiots. Who invited these people to the ceremony ?". You made my day 😂 That said, note that in the books most of the Numenoreans follow Ar-Pharazon in his politic against the elves and the Valar, and convert to the cult of Morgoth (but it's after Sauron's coming to the isle, for this last point, if I remember well).
I think the story telling is much more focused this season. Last season was throwing too many stories into each episode, which was fine... But this season seems much more focused. It seems each episode has one main focus story with one or two small side stories. It's been a great start to season 2 IMO.
The dwarf citadel was tainted by the reawakening of the balrog at the end of season one, that's why the stone singers don't work and the rings will protect the mountain from the taint.
Thoughts on Pharazôn's manipulation? Dwarves getting rings? What would you rate this episode and what do you think of the season so far compared to season 1?
Last video chunk, still a 7.5/10 but each episode is keeping me excited for the next one 👌
It’s far better than season one. Is it good? Eh, I’ll wait until the season is done to give my final thoughts, but I am enjoying it so far.
Also I can't say this enough, your channel truly is that of Valinor ☺️
@@ryanthunder3247 agreed! I can’t believe people dislike this guy for not hating on the Rings of Power. Is it a good tv show? No. But it’s nice to be a bit more positive about things, while still being critical of mistakes
3... at this point the show is just a template to watch your much better-written videos
Berek has his own forge where he's secretly making Horseshoes of Power. You thought Halbrannatauron was bad? Just wait until Berek Hammerhoof creates the One Shoe to Rule Them All! 😱
“Halbrannatauron” 😂😂 brilliant
I would 100% watch this show!!!
Lovely clever quip, ChargingRhino
😂
Or is this a reference to Berek Halfhand from the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, thus foreshadowing Amazon's next fantasy series to get the rights to and ruin.
The eagle didn't look too happy about Pharazon usurping the throne.
Why did people assume it arrived to support him? I was so confused by that.
@@Henez89 PPL are dumb and opposition seized the oppurtinity. Eagle looked very upset.
@@Henez89 My thought was that Pharazon was wearing crimson -- different color as Tar Palantir wore -- so the Eagle recognized that as the color of the new Numenorean king?
@@Henez89 Say it with me: Sloppy f*cking writing.
I screwed up because I missed the part where they talk about the eagle showing up at coronation being a rare and significant occurrence. To me it was just like why the hell is this badass looking bird showing up? Is Elendil going to hop on him and write them right over to Eregion grab Sauron and then just fly him into Mount Doom. So then we never even have to ask why didn't they just fly the Eagles to Mordor when they just flew Sauron and dropped his ass right in
Berek is the lord of all horses, he deserves his own series
I thought that was Shadowfax
ShadowFax
No Shandowfax slander
He’ll guest star on an episode of Shadowfax n’ Friends
I keep wondering if he's a nod to the mearas.
Thank you very much for your commentary on the series :) It's really great that you can see past the flaws of the show - while still pointing some of them out in a respectful and funny way - and the great liberty it takes in many ways and point out interesting and essential informations. Love your channel! :)
I feel so bad for the eagle. You know he appeared so hopeful that the Numenorians would support Miriel only to be spurned and flew away. Beautifully created eagle by the way.
Its just a member berry nothing more.
Don't feel too bad for the eagle. If it had actually cared about what happened, it could have just said something. You know, to clarify what it was doing there. They can *speak,* so it would have to be a choice to not and just let everything go wrong.
"Who invited these people to the ceremony?!"
Pharazon, of course.
This version of Númenor deserves getting the big dunking by Eru Ilúvatar.
maga numenor is the worst numenor lol
@@datguySC2 MAGA Númenor is THE perfect term.
To be fair, the original Númenor definitely earned its dunking too
@@danzafrir2900 Very true. My main complaint here is how petty these folk are in the royal audience room. The situation is very different yet both deserve dunking. I guess Ar-Pharazôn needs to get busy building more than just 3 ships.
@@deanzaZZR oh, the show is doing a huge disservice to Numenor in every respect, I fully agree on that.
"Equine Rambo" is peak
I was hoping Theo died off screen. He's the worst character in the entire show.
Now I hope he runs into an orc army by himself and meat goes back on the menu
I just hope he doesn't end up being the witch king
He's going to be a nazgul for sure
Turn him into an orc.. they're meant to be tortured men and elves right?
He is very hateable probably why they're going to make him into a ring Wraith
He reminds me of olly from game of thrones both equally annoying.
I need Miriel to get herself together and start toughening up. She's letting everyone disrespect her left and right!
@SMAnthonyW - Unfortunately, that's pretty much lore-accurate.
She’s tough, she just has not had long to deal with the intrigue that happened in her absence leading a war and now she’s blind grieving her father and ally. That doesn’t make her a doormat; only that she is at a disadvantage.
I took want to see her regain control but it’s gonna take time and only came when she is emotionally at her weakest.
Elendil’s daughter is the WORST! Didn’t she convince him to go when his dad wanted him to stay? As he put it, all the Núms are morons.
@@nooneinparticular1491. Arr you bothered they practically showed her death to a sea creature in the trailer?
This is like so tragic because she couldn't see eagle looking at her and choosing her because of the blindness so now Miriel believes that an eagle sided with Pharazon. I am shocked how many people didn't notice that and just called her confusion and stagnation a sloppy writing.
@@felisenpai9625 Because it is
My friend and I discussed the episode this eve, and he said this about your breakdown: "TBF to the writers, Numenorians are canonically idiots. They built a Temple of Morgoth on the advice of Sauron for chrissakes. And he wasn't even pretending to be anyone else!" Fair point.
*SOME Numenorians are canonically idiots
I love your breakdowns more than any other RUclipsr. You have a very respectful tone in regards to the story the show is representing. Giving lore facts and opinions based on the lore, not just "i can't believe this, this isn't right, not in the books" argument.
For that, im excited to watch with you and the community here as after The Acolyte... ive been in much need for some good post show breakdowns.
Gen Tech did some good post show breakdowns from The Acolyte. That show was a tough one.
Sauron out there putting his taint on everything lol
I, personally, would like Sauron’s taint placed upon me.
I laughed as well.
You can bet Annatar taint is more nuanced than Halbrand taint
The fanfic writers on AO3 are gonna eat this UP
One Taint to rule them all.
I want a spin-off series about the murderous horse.
He was the ancestor of Mr. Ed.
Celebrimbor totally feels like the grandson of Fëanor in how they’re portraying him and how he’s being manipulated by Annatar. I completely agree, the relationship between them is actually working for me. Celebrimbor is blinded by his pride and arrogance in his own craftsmanship, which feels very Fëanorean, and lying to Gil-Galad to forge the rings in secret sorta resembles Fëanor hoarding the silmarils in his own vault and refusing to share them out of pettiness.
Celebrimbor looks like a fool though, in the first season it seems like he had never heard of what an alloy was.
The curse of feanor still rings true for the elves of noldor
I expected an evil smirk from Annatar when Celebrimbor started writing his letter, but instead his face seemed to say "Whoah, this guy is SUPER obsessed, even for me!"
I was in New Zealand in January of this year. On my last day I went to the Weta Workshop in Wellington to buy the one ring. I was told that I'd missed you there by one hour. I wish I'd gotten there sooner to thank you for helping me rediscover my love for middle-earth while watching your videos in lockdown. I wouldn't have seen middle-earth without you
When Annatar drops the mithril into the molten gold, I definitely saw him whisper or maybe breathe some form of spell, followed by a quieter version of one of those "whoosh" sounds they use for magic spells in the show.
Black Speech, like he did with the wolf, since he was once known as 'the Lord of Werewolves', etc.
I didn't see Annatar's mouth move at all. The whispers came after the mithril was dropped in, likely to signify Sauron's influence in the process. I love how Annatar closes his eyes and pauses a moment with his arm outstretched before releasing the mithril. To me, it really felt like Sauron was putting his own will into the craft... something he did not do with the 3 elven rings. Those rings were for the elves alone "untouched by other hands".
spiked it with a dark loogie
That's when he rubbed his taint on it.
@@liquididentity101 If you rewatch this scene with captions turned on, it will say he was uttering black speech in his thoughts.
The Durin father/son dynamic is one of my favorites. Disa's confrontation with Durin about the strength/stubborness dichotomy was some of the better writing in the episodes.
Agreed. Personally I've felt that the Dwarves/Elrond situation has been the best part of the show thus far.
The dwarves are probably the best written atm. Just feels like we know so much more about the dwarves than we do of the elves of lindon. Just the fall of kazard dum is going to be event to see to watch the horror of a culture getting snuffed
honestly that was the only good scene in this whole episode. Well acted, good dialogue. Durin carries the show
When Isildur learns that he was *precious* to his mother, I thought it was an interesting nod to his further One Ring story. It also suggests that the same event can have both good and evil meanings, so that judging requires nuance and perspective. Which is better than yelling THE SEA IS ALWAYS RIGHT!
well, yes, who cares what his mother did and how this can contribute to the story? bla bla ba with no point. Crying shows velnerability and a soft Isildur. By the way the choice of Isildur actor for the story is so poor. I would like a more robust and hard character.
Same!
Yeah, cause vulnerability equals weak... Greetings to your 18th century mindset@@georgiossaridakis5056
@@georgiossaridakis5056well they gave him an underdog story and who doesn’t like that…
The dwarves are my favorite portion of the show so far. I just love all the characters and details in the sets. Very nicely done.
The Eagle *clearly* was insulted by Pharazon stepping forward. Like "B*tch, I'm not here for you!" flaps wings indignantly.
Dísa is probably my favorite character!
Tolkien has once written a letter to a Mrs Munby that had stated in it.. “There must have been orc women”
It’s also written in The Silmarillion that “Orcs also had life and multiplied after the manner of the Children of Illuvatar”
And don’t Forget Bolg son of Azog from The Hobbit
As a group we should invade the toxic comment sections of morons like the Critical Drinker and the rest of the mindless haters who are acting like this is completely made up. People whose knowledge of the lore is Jackson's movies and reading the books thirty years ago, and by books I mean Hobbit and the trilogy, not anything this show is based on.
I took the scene with Durin 4 entering the throne room under the guise of the grain reserve request to Durin, not that he 'cut the line'. They likely figured Durin wouldn't allow his son to enter the room if he knew ahead of time he was there. Just my 2 cents.
I disagree, 3 had already told Disa to tell 4 to come so he wouldn't have refused to see him. He probably did cut the line to avoid being announced.
@@Re_RAM Disa never told that to 4 though. She just said go see the 3. I think 4 didn't want to chance of 3 refusing him
Really think they are setting up Theo to be the King of the Dead, which would be better and more tragic than just a Nazgûl
Oo yes that would be cool and give weight to the breaking of oaths. I saved your sorry ass when youre petty teenager and you betray me now! A curse shall be laid down on you so even the halls of mandos are denied to you
Good call! Yes! Theo the Oathbreaker! His budding friendship with Isildur makes perfect sense in that context.
I truly believe that this series can learn from mistakes of the past and continue to improve. It was hard to latch onto some of these characters in season 1 but now that they are established I can. Charlie Vickers is a great actor too I think I love his grin, very devious
I appreciate your fair takes on the the show and not joining the brigade of hate merchants that have poisoned discussion.
More like shared their opinions. However, if you think someone disliking you favourites and you wanting them to shut up about it, you shouldn't worry about their "poison". You are the most poisonous of them all.
@@artgatherer3477Fair criticism is one thing. Enjoyment is subjective. That said, the trolling that some do is quite another.
@@BAM5636 for example?
@@artgatherer3477people like you who refuse to let other people enjoy the show are the biggest poison
@@harryhan7276 how my or another person's opinion is affecting your enjoyment of the series?
I really hoped the Eagle would contribute an important peace of dialogue. But he just screeched wildly.
I guess he appeared at the ceremony to show Manwë’s approval of Miriël’s hanging on to the traditions (white colours), then became discontented with seeing her being denied, what made him start the screeching.
Phârazon‘s followers being able to change the story/interpretation of that screeching to their favor wouldn’t have worked if the Eagle simply spoke his mind, I guess….
The ceremony isn’t over
i was yelling "does he speak!?!?!" the entire time lmao
I was baffled as eagles are capable of speech.
@@ryankwon8785 Gandalf used to converse skillfully with Great Eagles like Gwaihir.
@@jeffo4817 But the Eagle flew back it seems to me. Probably to report back to Valinor about what’s going on.
Very nice to see a positive review, with the lore explored. Keep up the good work!
“Annatar rolls a one on diplomacy…” 😆😆😆
Pretty sure we see Shelob briefly coming out from behind a wall in the cave. Large spider with purple patches. My 20 years of torment continues 😂
I continued my LOTR shelob tradition...NOPE NOPE NOPE *fast forwards*
@@neonlazer9177so real lol
@@neonlazer9177Yeppp. 😂
Yes! Shelob was there but not one of the attacking spiders
Timing?
Some wonky things aside, these first 3 episodes have been so much more entertaining than season 1. The sets, the costumes, the acting, the dialogue.. it may not all be lore accurate but it's much better imo and I'm actually really looking forward to th rest of season 2
Yes.
Reason might be, that we dont see Galadriel that much.
Hell, so far Galadriel actually seems humbled, actually seems to be improving as a character in the show now that she's not in a high position of command. I do look forward to this season, and hope they don't screw up future episodes, as so far every plotline is somehow interesting, even if some of the lines are a bit odd.
Ya, episode 1 was actually pretty great, didn't cringe once. Was really hoping for that to continue but 2 and 3 were clunky in parts. But still, to say I'm not highly entertained and not rooting for the rest of the season to catch it's stride would be disingenuous.
So true.
I feel like the show is running on lot smoother than the first season thus far. Although the shot of Tirion in Valinor is still my favorite scene
Pharazôn mopped the eagle’s approval from Míriel real fast 😆
(…especially given he’s against everything Valar, it’s pretty rich taking a Valar emissary as support for himself)
He's just taking advantage of a bunch of superstitious people
Орлы -- это буквально Майар принявшие облик орлов.
Видимо, вопрос с эльфами-мигрантами решен с Валинором, нуменорским рабочим нечего бояться.
@@normis6620 Kinda like the Trump of MIddle Earth
Pharazôn is the One that Will fly, when the Eagle drops him from the sky 😀
2:04 It's definitely Shelob. The soundtrack that plays during that scene is literally called "Shelob".
The show can't help falling for the lowest possible hanging fruit at every turn, soooo it's prob Gandalf and Saruman and not some more nuanced and cool choice of blue wizards
The spider scene had me hiding under my covers. I CANNOT handle that many…….yes I’m afraid 😅
18:30 Agreed, my expectations were low coming out of season 1. It seems the writers actually listened to the complaints of Tolkien fans about S1. So far, they’re doing a much better job, but they could ruin it with the Sauruman/ Gandalf thing. Please be the blue wizards 🙏
See…no one outside of you nerds cares about to stuff. Literally no one except a few Tolkien neckbeards
With the camera angle, I fully expected the Eagle to just start tearing Pharazon to pieces lol
I was wishing that the eagle would grab him and throw him in the sea.
"Probably the most punchable person on the show" I'm so glad I'm not the only person who thinks this with everything I watch lol
Good thing he barely has any screen time then
That whole tavern scene is straight out of Hitler’s beer hall putsch playbook.
Watching the harfoots get sucked away in the twister was satisfying and a LOL moment. Deep down I want to believe that was fan service. Maybe they just wanted to give us a break this episode.
If they come back with all those hair products they have... LOL
Oh my god when poppy came back I was like: “f off I need you to leave and never come back” this episode was definitely fan service
I just finished episode 3 ill have to do a rewatch. I appreciate your breakdowns there are some channels that just use it as an excuse to be completely negative and trash everything i always appreciate your objectivity and being real 😎
so if somebody doesnt like the show it is only because the want to be "fake", what kind of logic is this?
@Frankje01 he's just saying alot of people bank off of saying it's trash without giving it a chance
@@Frankje01or for money or both most hardcore fans hate it but I think most big youtuber covering it trash it for views because they do infact make bank off of that
@@Frankje01 The logic is that most popular channels are making basically a clickbait. The show is unpopular between the majority that is not versed in Tolkienic lore and themes and they tap into it. Think of it, what would average youtube watching Joe do? Watch a factual video that would change his mind? Or watch a clickbait shitting on this show for fake reasons while laughing "hahaha, what a loser show?".
It's fine to dislike the show, but most channels don't do that, because they don't even formulate the reasons for why they dislike that. They don't care about facts, objectivity or even subjective justification of one's opinions. They are the youtube version of cheap TV entertainment shows... only that the TV shows were usually hurting noone. Their videos are hurting the show and the people who worked on it.
@@BoroMirraCz You are just wrong on basically everything except that eys, they are using some sort of bait to get people to watch videos. But to say it is all based on getting views and it has nothing to do with the quality of the actual show is ridiculous.
Why do we need to be objective? We literally have Tolkien's work as a benchmark? Of course we're not going to be objective. That's ridiculous.
I am watching a multi part series by the creator Scriptmage. Very small and new content creator that perfectly describes what is wrong with the show. Check it out and it isnt "clickbaity at all. And she is a lot mroe thorough as a lot of ciritcs that are bigger but overall a lot of the same criticisms come up with the bigget one, of course, being...the shitty writing.
If Sauron can put his stank on the mithril going into the Dwarf Rings he can also put his stank onThe Knife he took from Galadriel which was somehow needed to get melted down INTO THE ELVISH RINGS. Ahh, jus sayin.
Thank you for your awesome in-depth breakdowns. As a very casual non-book reader viewer, these are so helpful.
So glad you like them and they could be of help! Enjoy your journey diving deeper into Middle-earth!
Crazy that the fist fight scene of the season was a horse killing an Orc.
I guess orcs killing Sauron doesn't count??
Only just found your channel all your videos on lore are golden thanks a lot for the time and effort you clearly put into them
I would love to see Osgilliath
(Númenor having its brexit moment)
Lol
I wouldn't be surprised if Isildur actually works to found Gondor in this season. Given how the ships have left Pelargir, and how he seems to be taken charge a bit. Tho, if so, I hope he doesn't do much this early; as he plays a massive role back in Numenor proper in the books.
@@chazkorkosz1032 I guess he will return once he hears about al pharazon trouble, but for the mean time he will start building gondor
@@troyjanagujar3384 I wouldn't be surprised if it is Isildur who makes Pelargir, in the show, into the thriving city that is was in the books; comprising of a mixed population of refugees from the Southlands and those of the Faithful from Numenor who start fleeing away. I will admit though that I am very disappointed that they made the city into the Lotr version of Detroit in the show tho; given how it's just a rundown town when it's supposed to be a great city somewhat reminiscent of Alexandria.
I loved that line Durin gave about waiting till your children grow up
"Equine Rambo" is 100% quotable
I think that the fact that Celebrimbor decided to lie to Gil-Galad is meant to show how Sauron has started to corrupt him. He is using Celebrimbor’s pride and lust for praise to get his way and thereby corrupt him.
Sauron had lots of practise with the sons of feanor. That whole house is cursed only breaking with Aragon
Good review. You are the Lord of the Breakdowns 😎
Man your little bits of color commentary crack me up "guess who's back, back again, shady's back to report on the stranger" 😆 or "love at first stab"
One connection I haven’t heard anyone talk about is the scene with Isildur and the girl, at 50:00, she says to him, “Because you were precious to her” and in Lore, he writes on a script, “it was precious to me”. Interesting take if Isildur loves the ring as if it’s his child, as he was to her. Not how I envisioned his personal connection with the ring, but I’ll play along. I’m intrigued.
I think this is just very uninspiring writing, putting in easter eggs wherever they can to try and give the show some depth.
I know the season has to last like 10 episodes or so, but gets to me how naive Celbrimbor and Adar are. Take Durin for example. Sure he can't tell Annatar is Sauron but he won't take his crap either.
It's 8 episodes and they've already compressed the timeline and lore so much from the outset. Padding is pretty inexcusable if you ask me. It does seem that naiveté is there to speed things along rather than slow them down, though.
@@mokarokas-1727 yes it makes sense
Bc he's an elf 😂
The way Theo baits Arondir with the "did you know my dad" line was brutal!
"Places his taint upon them" 🤣
If was quick, no one in the room noticed.
Phrasing
RoP level writing indeed
He must have placed his taint upon a piece of mithril before the forging and placed it in his pocket, or up his sleeve. Then he switched them around and placed the taint-piece in the forge. He'll probably put his taint upon the other piece after everyone else leaves.
@@oviekpolugbo4227 it’s in reference to the ‘CHODE’ rYou know ‘PERINEUM’ ‘RUNWA’, ‘LAIR of the NEITHER HERE NOR THERE,’Oh Nevermind 🤦♂️
Bronwyn's death really came out of nowhere. They spent the last season building her relationship with the elf, saying elf-human relationship usually ends in tragedy, yet her death is just off screen? Makes it even more unimpactful
I think her actress wanted to drop out🧐
Just woke-up and realized there are already 3 break-down.
Your reviews of the episode are the best on the web. You know your stuff so the lore info is indispensable. But also your dry sense of humour makes it even more fun 👏🏻
Thanks for doing these breakdowns with a positive attitude.
I follow other channels to see them "taking the piss."
Although the "guess who's back" joke was top-tier 😅
For real! Its so refreshing to see someone not hate but just talk about it! (And jokes are a great way to deal with some minor frustration or something)
They are positive because he's paid by amazon.
And i don't know how you can like this trash. The romans said " degustibus non disputandum est" but there's a limit to decency 😂
@flvflv4712 I don't like the show.
@@flvflv4712dude don’t watch.
@@flvflv4712when do Nerdrotic or Critical Drinker ever say anything positive? At some point you've crossed the line into get off my lawn... You're quite likely too young to be this bitchy.
I appreciate this show being made by people who seem to enjoy the source material, makes for a better show. I'm not a Lord of the Rings purist so it's OK by me if things don't follow the books exactly, as long as it doesn't go to crazy town. Also, I do find the harfoots the most annoying part. And I did notice that it seemed like characters are moving to places really fast or they are skipping time. I also hope that the stranger isn't Gandalf, just seems so boring.
Whaddya mean as long as it doesnt go to crazy town??!?!? We are literally in crazy town! Shall I elaborate? Brace thyself...
Gandalf (highest probability) in a meteor, Elves are immortal except they arent, mithril is infused with the light of the silmarils, theres a fourth silmaril, Mt Doom erupts from a Rube Goldberg machine, Celeborn is MIA, Galadriel and Sauron sittin in a tree, Elrond has relations with Dwarves, Durin 3 and 4 are relatives, Harfoots arent Hobbits, Numenor has a volunteer army, the Elven Rings were made with Sauron's knowledge, making a third ring was Galadriel's idea, Durin's Bane is already awoken, Istari in the Second Age, *pant pant*...I have to stop. lol
@@Draugoth I think you don't get what the guy you're replying to was saying. He's saying he isn't a LotR purist. Literally none of this is "crazy town", it's big deviations from the source material but it itsn't completely insane.
Thank you for being like this, tbh lol I'm a big fan of pretty much all Tolkiens creations and it kinda makes me sad when I see people comment things like "Amazon ruined this" or "The worst blah blah blah" cuz to me it feels so good to finally get to see some new LOTR stuff (even if its changed a bit), while having such great production and visuals
They are what i call bookistians. One must only follow the standards of Tolkien and what they think is right. Black ppl in a fantasy movie? Woke! More women? Woke!
Writers adding their own ideas to the show? DEI!
Look...if you like RoP, fine, good on you, but lets be real. RoP has nothing to do with Tolkien, and not that I have the hubris to speak for the man, but I think it's a 99% certainty he would have been disgusted. I love LOTR too, but I cant love ANYTHING that has LOTR slapped on it. The more we do that, the studios will think they can treat his legendarium with the same lack of concern as Star Wars. LOTR will continue to be diluted into nothingness and become just generic fantasy. At the end of the day, I wont be winning this battle, RoP is a precursor of things to come, and they are coming. If you like that, great, but there will be a cost.
@@nikufied8942 That's a straw man if I ever saw one. People who love the books that much are more flexible than you think. We just don't want to see LOTR stuff be so brazenly abused. There's a certain respect that should be paid to Tolkien, and sure, we take the lore seriously. We're not going to take something like RoP lying down.
Also, it has zero to do with woke stuff. Most people who don't like the show have positive opinions on Deesa, the black dwarf. So no, women and people of color are not the issue no matter how much you wanna tell yourself that.
@@Draugothkeep crying, little one.
AnGrY TOLkiEN nErd aLErt
Part of me was hoping when Isildur was at pelagir, he could have said that the old ruins reminded him of the less ornate architecture of numenor from a time when they were closer to the elves and how he always appreciated that style, maybe reminded him of adunie the home of the faithful - would be a cool Easter egg for Gondor
I think its Shelob. Bear Mccreary already released the soundtrack album and there is a track called shelob which was playing in this scene. And I don't think he Isildur gets trapped in a spider cave again
It was kinda random. Or did we get a part how he got the specifcly in S1?
@@doobieters1234Yeah why was he captured by a spider haha. Can't remember but did we not last see him in the burned down house in s1?
"Tuor, the grand father or Elron and Elros" it only makes me realize that Aragorn is a descendant of Fingolfin. How cool it would be that your grand grand grand grand etc, ... father fought against Morgoth
You mentioned the white vs red colors at the beginning of the episode for Miriel's color but Pharazon is wearing red during the coronation. The Numenorians are ridiculous for hating Elves so much but the situation was manufactured by him. He knew Miriel was unliked, he she would wear white, he knew the Palantir would show up. So if an eagle shows up he's going to shoot his shot.
Bro you are forever and always the best opinion on this stuff. Not a blind fan boy but not a needless hater. Thank you for these! I hated season 1 for the most part besides Durin and Elrond, but season 2 has started off much stronger. Celebrimbor and Annatar is great and much cooler to see Sauron’s machinations in real time to ooh over them instead of the silly guessing game when literally everyone knew. Am I actually excited for what comes next? The good news is I totally am which is already an improvement on last season.
I enjoy your content and commend you for not going for the easy "oMG wOkE tRaSh!" rage bait engagement.
It is woke trash tho and an insult to European folklore.
@@RedWolfensteinI'm a huge Tolkien fan and I disagree with a lot of this show's decisions, but wth? I mean Tolkien surely took inspiration from many folklore stories and mythologies (not just from Europe btw), but his books are works of fiction, they are fantasy novels. An insult to Tolkien? maybe. But an insult to European folklore? get a grip my guy.
@@richtomchuk1584 If you watch Rings of Power and think its Tolkien you are not a fan you are just a slop fan.
@@richtomchuk1584 The show stabs Tolkien in the back in everyway possible and presumes its audience is dumb and infantile. Peter Jackson did Tolkien right, this show is all about deracinating White people, promoting moral ambiguity, and insulting Tolkien. But whatever your wifes boyfriend tells you is cool is cool I guess.
@@ClaudiaGonzalez-mg4xf It absolutely is, have you not noticed what all the modern media landscape is these days? It's pure propaganda and lazy writing.
Berek did everything a horse wouldn't. They're always the first to spot danger, he just walked straight into it. What a hero.
weirdly tying the dwarves in this way works since Dwarves Claim Celebrimbor gave them Durins ring personally but Elves claim it was Sauron. Had it both ways. My problem with season 1 is while I loved the harfoots and the stranger it had nothing to do with anything else going on, and Galadreal was unlikeable so I didnt really care about her, leaving basically elrond and durin.
Dido this season Galadriel has been tempered by her King and then her Friend, as she deserved, while still respecting her.
Yes i agree that the strange wizard is a bit weird. I get the feeling we will be following his story for a long while to come
I'm really liking it, in general I like seeing Sauron-Annatar and the story of Numenor. I don't mind if they make up something to better connect or tie the lore together. Thanks for the good work!!
Durin and Disa were a highlight of season 1 for me, and they're keeping that up in season 2. I wonder if we'll get to see conflict between them, which could be a nice source of tension for the plot (my impression from this episode was that Disa seems much more pro-rings than Durin).
Looking forward to seeing more of Theo, Isildur, and Estrid, and the dynamics between them. It doesn't feel at risk of becoming disconnected from the other storylines, at least for me, because I'm curious to see how word that Isildur is alive will reach Numenor / his family, and in the meantime it feels like there are some interesting parallels between how his father and sister are handling his supposed death, and how he's dealing with being alive and also still stuck in Middle Earth.
Chuckled at several points during this video and enjoyed learning more about the lore references. Thank you, Matt! I just subscribed to your channel and am looking forward to watching more of these breakdowns.
Nori states in one episode that they are looking for “a gand” for the stranger which all but confirms in my heart that they’ve taken the easy option with the wizards and gone for Gandalf! But in the words of Aragorn to Hama “there is always hope”
Cringe
It could just be a red herring though.
@@AesirUnlimited absolutely! They did it last season, teasing the stranger as Sauron, so I’m praying for that
You are the only fair channel giving constructive criticism in a sea of viritriolic fanboys feeding the rage bait algorithm for clicks and views.
Yeah , it’s all about rage online . What the internet has become . Or what we have become .
It's brutally bad. Nothing to do with rage. I'm a calm individual. It's a cringe beyond cringe overload.
@@joemadannathen don’t watch it, why waste you’re free time watching this recap/review video?
Hunt for Gollum will Show the world how Bad RoP is🎉
You are right but god damn your profile pic is comically at odds with your comment
5:43 Can't help but imagine the wholesome exchange from a kid watching this video and genuinely running to his parents, "Mom, Dad! Nerd of the Rings told me to ask you how Elves and Men reproduce!"
Can someone explain the confusion to me.
In S1, in the prologue, we see Sauron for a brief few seconds being cheered on by Orcs. That scene looked awesome.
So why at the beginning of this season is he coming across as weak and political.
Did not like that scene one bit.
I am also confused. But given this scene in S2 was shortly after Morgoths defeat, i can imagine the scene from S1 was during Melkors reign? Maybe Sauron as a commander, and the orcs were just chanting for him because they were placed under his orders. And after the defeat of Melkor, they prefered their "Father" as their leader and so they killed the guy who was trying to take over. Still - hard to justify. Could also be the one scene was just some "picture" Galadriel has of Sauron.
@Lachgummei Good observations. I probably need to watch the prologue again but i got the impression Sauron was shown after Morgoths death, as successor. I am confused!
Lots of people seem to believe the prologue in season 1 was how Galadriel visioned it to be. I however believe the show-writers completely forgot they made that scene in the season 1 prologue in the first place. Now they have basically screwed up that awesome scene of Sauron in evil form and instead portray him as a politician trying to get the orcs to vote for him in the upcoming election...
@@joachiml4714they didn't forget it, they show that very scene in the recap. I think the justification is you can't have even form Sauron get jumped by a bunch of orcs like that.
Annatar does close his eyes and appears to concentrate when he casts the mithril into the molten alloy, as if he is casting a silent spell linking the dwarves and human rings to him. I think this was well done.
Although it would have ruined the rest of the movie it would have beeen quite satisfying to see the Eagle grab Pharazon in its huge beak and toss him clean off the balcony. Maybe even the ignorant people present would have gotten that.
Annatar “places his taint upon them…” Phrasing, Matt!
Six movies from Peter Jackson didn’t clear up how Orcs reproduce. I thought they were pulled out from ground with some evil spell
I guess that is only for the Uruk Hai..
@@doobieters1234My head canon for that is they’re bred normally then chucked into the weird slop as infants to fend for themselves so they grow nasty and strong.
@@doobieters1234correct
No one cares how orcs reproduce
Well they are just corrupted elves and elves do the "nasty" to procreate, so it shouldn't be too much of a mystery
Agreed season 2 starts with a strong dynamic rhythm, we get to see a lot in only 3 episodes. Super happy about how the show is leveling up the storyline vs. Season 1, hope it keeps that way.
Berek is my favorite character.
Best acting too
@@danzafrir2900 I think the acting is top notch.
@@kestrel8787 agree to disagree!
I only discovered your channel the other week, so I am replaying your videos on Season 2 of the RoP.
Three breakdowns for the Middle-earth RUclipsr under the sky. One watch party to rule them all! 😈
Also, could you make a theory video based on one of my most intriguing questions, please, Matt?: Is it possible to wield two or more Rings of Power at once like how Thanos wielded the Infinity Stones? And if so, what is the limit to wielding that kind of power, and which species in Middle-earth is theoretically strong enough to embrace it? 🧐
I love the fact that Miriel wore white, representing the past (the Faithful), while Pharazon wore crimson to represent the future (everyone else). I love symbolism...
I seen a ork wife and child. I laughed and moved on. 10/10
Would you mind explaining what you mean?
10/10 as in that's a good thing?
I don’t get what is so terrible. It has precedence in the lore. Is it uncomfortable that the disposable baddies are given depth and positive qualities? Too much complexity for your good vs bad worldview?
@@drivingahead1796 maybe they meant what they said, but idk. excited to see orc babies and woman in a moment myself, as they have had to exist and i kept wondering recently how orcs' life cycle could be perverted even more by evil forces
@@drivingahead1796it's funny because "it looks like meat's back in the menu boys" exists
I do like the stranger storyline, but only because wizards are cool. It does feel totally added on because people wouldn’t recognize it as LOTR without hobbits.
I think Isildur could get up to some cool stuff during his side plot stuff too.
I like how Sauron giving a speech to the orcs to get their votes like a politician.
Vote Sauron 2024!!
I would've liked if he struggled with the human form.. like he is still learning, adapting and struggling how to behave like a real human..
@@doobieters1234 He should take on an "uber orc" form instead of human then maybe the orcs would respect him more.
"Vote Sauron 2024. Why settle for the lesser of 2 evils?" 😂
The dwarf plot went too fast for me. I mean, they're invited, Durin is suspicious. Okay. Still, he talks directly to his father. Okay. He expresses his mistrust. Cut. His father still does exactly what he warns against.
Are they reconciled or not? Would a hug have been too much to ask? I would have liked at least a short scene explaining why the extremely suspicious king immediately decides to accept this dubious offer. A scene like in season 1, when he explains why they won't help Elrond.
Yes, I like the dwarf plot and would have liked more of it. Because there is (was?) character development here. But it happened too quickly for me, also in terms of logic.
3:52 I was really hoping to see the ring of barahir in this scene. Still hoping it shows up at some point along with the sneak peak of Narsil from season 1
Honestly so far season 2 seems to be much better than season 1. We have less odd writing moments and it feels overall consistent. Now I personally am someone who doesn´t care much about lore accuracy, as long as the story that is told is well made. (caring about lore accuracy is still totally valid though, it´s just not my focus). And tbh as long as the evil Wizard isn´t Saruman, I´m completley sold. It makes me much more hopefull about the shows future
It is Shelob:
Actor Baldry also told GamesRadar+ earlier this year what this sequence was like to film. "I think there was a lot of expectation about how Shelob would look like," he told us at San Diego Comic-Con.
"From when we were filming, it was a rugby ball, two guys in morph suits and some sticks, and I was like, ‘Oh god how is this going to turn out?’ I think they’ve done such an amazing job with it. It’s just so intricate. I think they give Shelob a really strong personality."
Shelob wasn't the one attacking, but she was in the background (or at least a way bigger spider was).
@@mokarokas-1727 I did not see any bigger spider. And they say the one attacking Isildur was Shelob.
@@lordvader1993ger In that case she'd be kind of small, and she's already old by that point. I'll take a look again later.
@mokarokas-1727 it still could be shelves spawn and we have yet to see shelob officially. There is still 5 episodes to be released
@@lordvader1993gerthere was literally a bigger spider crawling over and behind all the hatchlings. That's one of her hatchlings attacking isildur it's so small its obviously not shelob 😂
I think if I had no knowledge of what Tolkien wrote before the third age, I would rate the show an 8.5 /10. sadly I know at least a few things witch bumps it down at least to 7.5, still excited for any Lotr content :)
Okay I did wonder that so Uruks do multiple like everyone else. Makes sense. I really enjoyed these first 3 episodes a lot. Got me excited for the remaining 5.
8/10 so far this season. As someone who loves the Silmarillion and was pretty torn last season between enjoying it and being angry about continuity issues, this season has been much better on both scales. Hopefully it maintains this for the rest of the season.
Is that your wife's boyfriends opinion
"...which lead me to the conclusion that Numenoreans are mostly idiots. Who invited these people to the ceremony ?".
You made my day 😂
That said, note that in the books most of the Numenoreans follow Ar-Pharazon in his politic against the elves and the Valar, and convert to the cult of Morgoth (but it's after Sauron's coming to the isle, for this last point, if I remember well).
Also, large gatherings of heated individuals are generally incredibly stupid. That's just humans and politics lol
I think the story telling is much more focused this season. Last season was throwing too many stories into each episode, which was fine... But this season seems much more focused. It seems each episode has one main focus story with one or two small side stories. It's been a great start to season 2 IMO.
“Its Love at first Stab”
Man its funny and also can be dirty at the same time 🤣
The dwarf citadel was tainted by the reawakening of the balrog at the end of season one, that's why the stone singers don't work and the rings will protect the mountain from the taint.
may need the seashells for the bathroom in the afterlife.
Right, though you only need three... But it's a royal burial ceremony, so it's extravagant. =)
Did Berek not know that the orc he impaled had a wife and a family waiting at home?