Loved the Episode. Would just like to point out however that when the stranger is dreaming about the staff and he reaches out for it, just before we see the different images, there is maybe one or two frames where the staff is Gandalf’s staff from FOTR.
Gollum: Do you know the Pipeweed Man? Saurquad: The Pipeweed Man? Gollum: The Pipeweed Man. Sarquad: Yes, I know the Pipeweed Man, who lives on Lampwright's Street?
Notice when Sauron's blood first drips into puddle in the cave, there is like one stalagmite. After screen fades to black and comes back to cave, there is more and they are larger, showing a significant passage of time.
@Edmon_Oilers he absolutely did, his new form was named Augustus. Master of proscription lists and slaughtering families because he needed cash to kill more Romans in his civil wars 😊
To be fair, olives can't be eaten directly off the tree. They need to be soaked in brine for a long time beforehand. They are incredibly bitter if they aren't cured first.
My new favorite thing is that we watch with the subtitles on because children and when Gil-Galad goes “Urrrgh!” at Galadriel, the subtitle was [exclaims in Sindarin]
My favorite scene is Sauron with the "Warg" looking creature (i thought it was a wolf at first). To me, it was like a little nod to Sauron being the lord of werewolves and his manipulation of it to kill Waldreg was brilliant.
I very much got the impression that Nenya falling at Galadriel's feet implied the rings have wills of their own, to coin the phrase, and intentionally moved upon their desired bearers.
Given that the One Ring has similar behavior tendencies, this would make sense. The One Ring was Sauron's master Ring. You could argue that the others he made were both with intent and a sort of test if what he was after could be done for his Master Ring. It is almost fitting that they have some similar traits.
Also, in a way, they kind of each get the opposite element to who they are. Cirdan-the ship right- gets fire. Galadriel- firey warrior- gets water. Gil Galad- high king of the elves LANDS and keeper of the Tree of Lindon- gets air.
Sauron did take a significant time to regain form. this was shown thru the length of (limestone) stalagmites in one scene. i assume that's how they presented the period of time that has passed
@@Tyler_Pifer92 Okay. After surviving getting stabbed a thousand times and then getting killed by an Elf, who is somehow evil, with a spiky crown. Makes sense.
As far as Adar being offered wine by Sauron, I figured it was a metaphor for Saruon's manipulations. He was stranded and thirsty and Sauron gave him exactly what he wanted so he'd start marching to Sauron's tune.
Not to mention, later in episode 2 the evil Istari mentioned he "gave blood" to the wight-witch that hunted the Stranger in season 1. I am curious if this is Maiar means of altering life.
I don't know why but it would have been cool if Adar offered sauron wine or some sort of other beverage when he had him chained up, just to show the audience that the tables have turned for those two characters.
This really reminds me of an upside-down version of Christ's story. In that narrative, wine represents sacrifice and connection-something meaningful meant to bring people together. But here, when Sauron offers wine to Adar, it feels more like a manipulation. Instead of a gesture of love, it’s a way to trap him and make him dance to Sauron’s tune. It’s like Sauron is taking advantage of Adar’s desperation, offering him exactly what he craves but with a dark twist. While Christ's offering is about upliftment and unity, Sauron’s is all about control. This really highlights how a seemingly kind act can hide sinister motives, showing how power can twist even the most basic connections into something harmful.
I loved how Sauron pledged allegiance to "the Lord of Mordor" and not Adar since Tolkien emphasized the power of oaths. Very lore friendly to keep Sauron compelled cleverly to continue serving himself 😂
@@FragLord Elves DO age. That's one of the main points of the entire lore. They are immortal in the fact they do not succumb to the passage of time - but their souls get more weary and weak the longer they remain in Middle Earth. That's why Elves yearn to head back to Valinor, and why the Elven Rings helped stay the weariness that they would succumb too. Cirdan has remained in Middle Earth the longest of any Elf in existence. He is as 'old' as they come.
Thought the same thing. But that would really make zero sense, because it is clear in the movies that Saruman was good until a while ago. I am starting to think they are actually going to make the evil wizard and the stranger into the blue wizards. Which would be closer to the source material.
@@JinKazama92 I think he might be one of the blue wizards. Now that I watched the episode. Tolkien does talk about them becoming corrupted and starting their own magic cults in the East. They did arrive on Middle Earth before Gandalf and everything seems to be pointing to our unnamed wizard friends being Gandalf.
It's worth noting that the Season One prologue is in Galadriel's words and she is not a) a reliable narrator or b) aware of the Adar-led uprising that supplants Sauron - she has a very fixed perspective on what happened
Fair. But it also takes away all of the threat of Sauron. They imply he was killed before he could command any armies under his own name. So why did the elves come to fear him so much?
@@Don9872 well The Red Book of Westmarch is a thing, and Hobbits have their own reputation for drinking - so maybe everything we know about the Legendarium is acquired through an intoxicated haze.
@@undisclosed_branding9714 Yes, I agree that this opening coronation did seem at odds with this idea of Sauron as a great danger beyond the end of Morgoth. Not just to the elves but to the orcs he was supposed to be experimenting on to harness the powers of the unseen world. It was a bit like they just wanted to do a cool murder with a crown.
Just discovered your videos and they are just fantastic. Frankly, I found the Silmarillion less than compelling as story, for obvious reasons. I like the attempt to reorganize the pieces into something that has better narrative arcs. The brutal honesty of Sauron in season 1 I found masterful. The liar who never lies, and longs to get away from the abuse he suffered under Morgoth. Nice work there. However, there are so many weaknesses with this series, I feel the bile rising again and again, especially at the end of season 2. I really appreciate how you break it down.
Sauron: Some of you may die, but it is a sacrifice I am willing to make. I will admit I like the idea of Sauron pitching his leadership to the orcs. Because of the size of Morgoth's legions it can make sense some of them wouldnt bow immediately to him especially after a crushing defeat. It can also explain why not all orc factions are bound to him just yet in the third age.
I just can't wrap my head around why if they did that for Cirdan, they couldn't have done something similar for Galadriel when she jumped into the middle of the sea to die, with no apparent plan at all. Like just something visual, some clouds moving, a churning of waves, to contextualise her decision as an act of faith, rather than an act of stupidity.
@@Blisterdude123 in the context of the show... Gal jumping in the water was part of the universe's plan. She was protected tho😅 Just like Ulmo only showed himself when it was needed, in the silmarillion he mostly communicated to Turgon because he knew gondolin was part of a larger plan.
@@Charmedsas1 I get all that, but I'm playing devil's advocate for an audience who 'might' not know that. To people who don't know about that, Galadriel just sat on a boat out into the middle of the sea, and then jumped in apparently with no plan but to swim thousands of miles across an ocean and probably drown. Would it have been hard to just show a flash of 'something', and to show Galadriel register it, and then to suggest, visually, that her decision to jump therefore was not an act of desperation, but faith? A conscious choice? Do you see what I'm getting at? Like they did with Cirdan, and the wave, right as he was about to toss the rings away?
Círdan is one fineeee older gentleman. Love the deep dive from the books- I needed it. I missed the Adar actor as his face had a stunning uniqueness, but I agree both actors are up to the task.
I know this show isn't perfect and alot of people has alot of hate for this show, but it's good to see this community saying positive things, I'm a huge lotr fan and I'm really happy and appreciate the work you put into this channel. Thanks so much sir!
The channel deserves the praise... the show is Mediocre. Unfortunately that's more the rule then the outlier with a lot past stories (IPs) people have loved. They're just being drug out again and again for a few more $s.
@revianneth What a rather insulting comment. I may not be as old Cirdan, however, I have been a fan of Tolkien for 45+ years and have read his books many times over. And I STILL am enjoying The Rings of Power. No, it's not perfect but it gets far more right than it gets wrong. I think you might want to pay a little more attention to the conversation between Elrond and Cirdan. Stop making perfect the enemy of good. And gatekeeping just hurts all fans.
@darrenpierrot323 Gatekeeping is a necessary function of preservation, which is why J.R.R Tolkien and Christopher Tolkien were gatekeepers themselves. Middle-Earth matters to me, not just as a story, but also as a cultural representation via the intentions of Tolkien to construct a myth for the English people. Like Tolkien, I am a Conservative, a Christian, a Traditionalist, and an Englishman. I am not happy that foreign corporations seem to think that this story is merely just a franchise to be easily bastardised and distorted, all to make an allegorical statement or a quick buck to milk from 'brand' recognition. I strongly disagree that this show does far more right than it does wrong, I would go as far as to say that this is a generic fantasy wearing Middle-Earth as a skinsuit which belongs in the bin with the likes of The Acolyte. If you enjoy it, fine, I, however, find it insulting.
It's not perfect, but it's a huge improvement. They've accomplished more in 1 episode than in half of the season 1. I also loved the actor they chose to play Cirdan. His charming and playful attitude stands out in a show filled with moody characters. Villains are one of the show's biggest highlights: Adar remains an intriguing character and Charlie Wickers nails the charming deceptive persona of Sauron. Looks promising so far.
20:54 Sauron offering Adar wine is just showing his mastery of manipulation and having people willungly follow him. He offered Adar salvation in that moment & despite his better judgment Adar still took it and "drank the whole thing" thus placing him as Saurons right hand until we see the opening scene and see Adar cares more for the orcs than the grand vision Sauron gas for Middle Earth. Honestly the dialoge between them is fantastic & wish we got more in the first 3
It could be possible that was something never recognized. Perhaps Morgoth in his vanity never officially named Sauron his actual successor and heir apparent. Sure he may have been so militarily, but once the one who gave that order was gone, there was no reason to follow it especially after a crushing defeat.
@@austypebbles i’m treating as fanfic, and actually, it’s not so bad once you detach it from the source material. just treat it as it is. expensive fanfic.
I found Círdan's description of the chasm where he planned to drop the rings on a little strange, to the point I thought it had been created in the War of the Powers, not the War of Wrath. He said "in a war long ago" but to Elrond. He could have continued "you know the one, that one that your father helped by bringing the hosts of Valinor over"
I have only seen this first episode so far of the second series. I liked it. Better story-telling and dialogue than the first series and it still looks gorgeous. The actors were given more to do and showed their talent. An excellent start to the second series. The only downside was the harfoot/stranger plot that still proceeds at a glacial pace.
@@hannibalb8276 But it's boring, slow and predictable. The oxygen gets sucked out of the show for me whenever the Harfoots and the Stranger are on screen, but I am enjoying the rest this time around.
Great breakdown, i really need this as an added layer of depth to the regular series. To be honest, the dialogue in the show is below par, i can't take it seriously. The fact that Sauron is giving a speech to convince orcs to join his side, it kinda breaks me a little. In the show he comes across as a petulant teenager, but the guy is ancient, he existed before anything on middle earth. Surely he doesnt get beat up by a bunch of orcs, after giving a rather impotent speech about how they need him. Anyway, with that being said, i enjoy the positivity you bring when reviewing the episodes! Especially since it's so incredibly controversial, cant imagine the amount of hate you must receive from the die hard fans. I will keep watching the show, but im definitely coming back here after every episode! Thanks for all the effort you put in writing these, quality content for sure!
That was terrible. He was one of the strongest, fearest being in the Middle-earth. Orcs knew him way before and he shouldn't have to beg them to serve him.
I just pretend it has nothing to do with Tolkien's books and it's a fun watch. Sauron comes off almost like one of Anne Rice's Vampires. Aloof, charming, relatable when he so chooses, and as ruthless as one might imagine an immortal, resentful, "aristocratic rebel" would be, especially when recovering from defeat. That scene where he fed off the small, underground animals (rats, scorpions etc) really did remind me of how Lestat survived his own assassination attempt, draining small swamp creatures. Then "feeding" off the first human to pass by? Very vampiric.
@@mattgilbert7347 I wouldn't mind some changes if it was at least logical. But the plot of this story and dialogues are irrational, naive. For me it is a lazy writing.
I genuinely liked these first 3 episodes so much more than all of last season. It feels like a totally new show, the production just feels higher to me. Nothings ever perfect of course there’s still some issues but these 3 did so well for me that I’m not thinking about the negatives at all. What an intro for this season hope it keeps up!
@@FortniteBlaster2the stupid "who is Sauron" mystery is done with. Galadriel's behaviour is called out. Annatar has turned up. I hated season one, I still have issues but even I admit it's better. Still some stupid bits. Cirdan is a positive.
@@parmavee The beginning was decent, but the acting and even the music is just terribly done. And the CGI for the orc getting pinned against the wall was horrible.
I love the fact that Galadriel isn't instantly forgiven and even her BFF Elrond is still pissed with her by episode 3s end. He's angry at her and he's 100% right to be pissed. It's really entertaining seeing this side of Elrond. I still think he's the "kind as summer" elf we all know and love but he's not letting himself be walked on by her again. He was betrayed and he's showing Galadriel that her actions have a cost and that cost may actually be their friendship. Galadriel having to deal with the consequences of her choices is very much needed. Personally I think he'll forgive her eventually but it'll probably take some huge life changing event or a few centuries for that to happen. Either way, I really like this dynamic change.
Yes! I think there is a difference between being over the top angry and being upset and resisting being walked over. I think this nuance we see in Elrond in S2 was something lacking with Galadriel in similar circumstances in S1.
@@NerdoftheRings I also like that Elrond expresses this anger through sarcasm and sass rather than hate. He's disappointed, frustrated and angry with her, yes but he never gets outright mean to her. I think that's a very good decision on the show's part.
@@alejandrofrade325not like he’s talking wonders of the show..any old follower knows Matt’s ways to mock the series in a non basic toxic way just calling it “cancer” or “Tolkien’s works bastardizing” lmao
it is better but not by much. i think you got influenced by the anti-woke dei crying. if all you read about the first season is that its woke and dei garbage that is all you will see on the screen. to me it was a good season setting up things. you know the anti-woke dei crowd hatred was so bad that they ratings bombed the show. you could not have gotten a second season if hollywood and the actors caved in to their hatred.
@@bakotako less than half the people who started watching the first season finished it. Not because of internet hate but because it was utterly lacking in writing quality.
I liked this episode. I love Cirdan! I'm so glad to finally see him on screen. Sauron is the master of manipulation--that's for sure. I love how he pledged to the Lord of Mordor and not to Adar. Great review!
So you don't like professor Tolkien or the actual Lord of the rings. this show is an abomination. It's senseless and the acting is maybe average at best.
The scene that shows Galadriel chasing Elrond to grey heaven for me was like siblings fighting for a candy, and elrond didn't want to share, and he was going to tell daddy about, then gets mad and will talk to grandpa.
I really appreciate you and everyone else being positive about this show and enjoying it for the gift it is. Eventually the Silmarillion will be allowed to be adapted and this will live as the extra bonus non canon bits of the great adventures we’ve enjoyed.
I don't believe the appearance of Sauron in the backstory is a retcon. My take is that Sauron looking big bad and evil is how Galadriel portrays Sauron when she describes him in Season 1. But in Season 2 we see that Sauron is not the obvious looking evil dark lord, but someone who takes the form of who you want to see so that he can play you like a fiddle.
It wasn't the most stupid thing he had done so far 🤣 I am still not sure why he was so keen to go back to southlands / Mordor after they had destroyed him once? Did he miss being a black slime? The only reliable alliance he made while hanging there was with that dog
@@DarksideGmss0513 Sauron was far more than Morgoth in Tolkiens work though. Morgoth was definitely more of a "raw power" let the world burn kind of evil. Sauron was always a long-play tactician.
I think there's a touch of the Gollum backstory "cold opening" of Jackson's RotK in this opening sequence for S2. I think that's part of why it really hit the spot for me.
You know that Sauron never has power over the Elven rings having had no hand in their manufacture. The Elves take off the rings once they sense the One Ring because they know it means Sauron can sense the Elven rings and their location because his craft was used in making them. Sauron shows up and destroys Eregion exactly because he senses the rings there and demands them as they were made using his craft. The elves do not use the rings again until the One Ring is lost and doing so would not reveal the hidden lands of Rivendell and Lothlorien. The elven rings are no in way corrupting.
while Sauron was not directly involved, even in the books they were made using his techniques. Plus, power can have a corrupting effect even if he isn’t involved and the rings themselves should be questioned because their power of staving off the passage of time is acting in defiance of the way Illuvatar meant things to be (after all, isn’t his “gift to Men” that they die?) and the Valar, since it led to Elves staying in a land meant to be inherited by Men in the end, iirc.
The rings themselves are not corruptive beyond being powerful. However, they’re still bound to the one ring and can be controlled by it, which is why they have to be careful. For now they’re safe until the one ring is forged.
The black slime is a reference to Gandalf's description of Durin's Bane. "Long time I fell,’ he said at last, slowly, as if thinking back with difficulty. ‘Long I fell, and he fell with me. His fire was about me. I was burned. Then we plunged into the deep water and all was dark. Cold it was as the tide of death: almost it froze my heart.....Thither I came at last, to the uttermost foundations of stone. He was with me still. His fire was quenched, but now he was a thing of slime, stronger than a strangling snake." (Gandalf, The Two Towers). The Balrog and Sauron are both Maiar.
Gandalf is also a Maia. As are all the other Itsari, possibly Unglianth, and for a while in JRR's mind the eagles were as well. Will we see them depicted as black slime?
@@MiguelParajon-m7v I think black slime is a privilege for fallen Maiar. You first have to prove that you are evil before you are permitted to turn into black slime :)
Really loved the shot of Sauron at Adar's feet. It really highlighted the eye of Sauron and the composition of the nose bridge and eye brow really reminded me of "Sauron's mark"
I took Adar's story literally. He was chained on a dark mountain by Morgoth, perhaps to break down his Elvish strength, then Sauron brought him "wine" that completed his transformation into an Orc. Torment followed by corruption.
I really liked your thoughts about the two wizards, I think it would be really cool having characters not seen before on screen. I also thought that the stranger could have had many of the characteristics of Gandalf: way of speaking, gestures, etc. But he really doesn't, he seems kind of a clean slate, which makes me think they might not follow this as him being Gandalf.
Maybe I was the only one who caught this but Sauron did have an opportunity to taint the Three because as Halbrand he had possession of her blade from Valinor then somehow they "needed" Gold only from Valinor. I do not claim to know the method that may have been used or even that his evil power is in the Three, only pointing out the opportunity was there because he had the knife that was melted down into the cast. And it is no secret that Sauron has power of suggestion into other's minds.
I had to laugh about how Galadriel acquired Nenya in the ROP depiction. She picked it up off the ground after Gil-Galad happened to drop it down the stone stairs after Elrond distracted him. They made it seem entirely accidental. As I recall from the literature, Celebrimbor specifically gave the 3 rings to the highest ranking elves in Middle Earth at the time - Gil-Galad, Galadriel and Círdan. Galadriel was actually older than Gil-Galad and she witnessed the 2-trees in Valinor. In the series so far she's depicted as a hot-headed young adult, which she certainly wasn't by the 2nd Age. Just sayin...
@@Minimmalmythicist Its when the different way breaks from reason and common sense and is ultimately worse than the original telling. Why tell a worse story when the better one already exists?
@@ryansaintz2575 I can enjoy them both, I don´t like ROP as much as the original, but I don´t think it´s as terrible as many Tolkien fans make it out to be.
@@Minimmalmythicist I'm glad you can. Maybe i'm just annoying, but it frustrates me when stories I really love are changed so dramatically for film, in my eyes I don't even see a point then. Why not just make a new story separate from LOTR if you won't abide by the material? I'm just a bit of a lore elitist I suppose.
@@ryansaintz2575 Tbf, Rings of Power isn´t the loosest adaption I´ve seen of something. Like Blade Runner is a way looser adaptation of "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep". The way I kind of see it, is a bit like with the Gospels. I.e the Gospels are set in the same location, more or less the same characters, but each has a different take on the story with a different message. I.e Jesus in Mark is quite different to Jesus in Matthew and Luke. There were plenty of alternative versions of Greek, Roman and Norse myth too. Indeed, Tolkien himself changed people´s genealogies, changed elements of the Story a lot during his writing.
For any WWE fan. Matt saying that Sauron isn't feeling Ucey made my day. 🤣🤣🤣 (I know he didn't actually say Ucey but it sounded like it and made me laugh knowing the Ucey segment)
I imagine Ulmo, Ossë, or Uinen jolted Cirdan's boat when he was about to drop the Rings into the sea. They all directly helped Cirdan in the First Age and still cared about the children of Iluvatar. This was a nudge toward the right decision.
Where the eff is Celeborn? Galadriel out here having romances with sauron, not sure he'd be too happy... sure was convenient that cirdan decided to wear only the fire ring for some reason, and give the other two over, was sure convenient that nenya fell at galadriels feet after elrond shouting NO! haha, really they couldn't think of any idea other than the rings dropping next to her and her deciding it was for her to put on without anyone saying so xD
the spell did work there’s no water in the land to bring the tree back to life to sprout it so the tree blew up and gave them bugs unlimited 😊 nourishing
I think that wave that hit Cirdan's boat when he was about to throw the 3 rings overboard into the chasm was the work of Ulmo. He stopped cirdan from throwing the rings over. He knew they needed them.
Sauron offering Adar wine while he's chained to the mountain is a reference back to Christianity. Jesus is offered wine twice while he's on the cross, in the process of dying. Both wine offerings are theorized to have deliberate opposite intentions, which makes this move by a duplicitous and ambiguous Sauron quite a well-written choice. The first time it was intended to ease Jesus's pain, thus Sauron could be offering it as a token of peace. The second time Jesus was offered it was sour, almost rancid wine that had almost certainly turned to vinegar. It was a drink Roman soldiers for numerous purposes, including supposed medicinal effects or to be invigorating. It is believed that offering of wine was a way to prologue Jesus's suffering.
@@DJVOutdoors ??? He was trying to steal one of the Numenoreans work permits so he could do some smithing. He beat the snot out of them all a scene later.
“Some of you may die, but that is a sacrifice I am willing to make” Some of you are going to die, Martyrs of course to freedom that I will provide "The Knife" ~Genesis
First few minutes were interesting, in particular Sauron's presentation for becoming the new Dark Lord. I can buy into this narrative, but then it quickly fell off the cliff the minute we got into the Galadriel and Elrond narrative. Nothing really changed for Galadriel, she's still as insufferable as season 1, while Elrond is everything but the Elrond we know from the books, or even the films. It feels like I am watching the "teenage years of Galadriel and Elrond", despite the fact they have been alive for more than a thousand years. The Nori and Stranger scene is just mehhh, needless IMO, especially once Nori's girlfriend shows up. To that end, the show is fanfic, having very little to do with lore specific elements from the book. I am trying to watch this show as a "What if" series reminiscent of Marvel's what-if animation series. Adar and Sauron have raised more questions than answers as the episode progressed, just very poor writing IMO.
They might be moving more towards the source material with the stranger though I think. I believe he will turn out to be a blue wizard now, with the evil wizard being the other. Mixing the idea of them starting evil cults later on in the third age after being good a d helpful in the east in the second. Just instead one will be good and one evil. But would be way closer to the source material and lore than him being Gandalf though. It certainly is rather fanfictiony still of course, and with that in mind it is more enjoyable, and I too have been trying to approach it like that from the start myself. Sometimes they make it a bit hard though.
I can't grasp how sauron would bow to orcs who are usually not more than slaves and filth to him. It doesn't look right. I mean I would have imagined that his sole aura and existence would command submission for orcs
And I can't grasp why Adar exists. Probably because they had no time to show Sauron gathering his army after spending soo much time on useless stuff. So, they will make Adar hand him over an army.
He kinda swore alliance to the "Lord of Mordor" but didn't specify who. So in my mind he kinda swore it to himself and this can kinda be true because he smiles after he says it
UNFORTUNATELY the inconsistencies are too many for me guys and I will explain. I am not talking about the differences between book and series but merely from season 1 to 2 and I start. First of all orcs never followed Sauron? Adar said in season 1 that he killed Sauron BECAUSE he was killing orcs (to find power ets) but now nothing like that (or that prologue you mentioned) happened. 2) Sauron meets with people (who are next to the great sea and wants to go to valinor while they are men) and we see great fires but at the beginning of season 1 (which is earlier than that) elves abounded their outposts in the far east of the south lands (not next to the sea) because everything seamed ok 3) Sauron tells to grandpa to grab something moments before he dies but in 2 seconds chamges his mind left him to die and steals some necklace… 4) ADAR SAYS “we defeated the elves and the men beyond the sea” WTF ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT DUDE, you killed 2-3 villages then captured 4 elves (one of them was a commander of the outpost but no one seemed to care to look for them like gil galad or any elven lord) and then 200 numenorians (really ewe saw from a city of at least a million people just 200 soldiers) killed almost every orc they found, the only reason you are there is because the volcano erupted and they left. 5) in the end of season 1 seems like numenorians won (that’s why they were celebrating) so they killed most of the orcs but in season 2 the orcs seemed to be multiple times more than before despite losing 6) you mentioned it in the video people here travel around the world in 5 minutes but they show travels that normally taking weeks happening like it was the next afternoon. 7) I have to say this here: WHATS THE PROBLEM OF THE DWARVES SERIES??? Like really now they digged an entire HUGE MOUNTAIN and they suddenly cannot dig a few metres to make some windows???? If they can’t (for some reason you never portrayed) HOW THE HELL DID THEY GOT OUT OF THE MOUNTAIN? Their doors are ok but their windows are not????? 8)I could start with next episode but this text is already too big and I still have many small things about this one so…
It's useless to ask anything about this series on this channel )), everything here is budgeted by Amazon ))) I think that people at Amazon seriously think that they can "buy" an assessment of their series, and that generations and generations of other Tolkien fans will not give an adequate assessment of this "screen adaptation"
Literally THIS. Everything you said. And everyone keeps saying it took ages for Sauron to reform, but Waldreg the human is still alive and well when Halbrand shows up!
@@player10341no you don’t get what I said, or what you saw. Listen we saw a flashback that contradicts everything we are told about Sauron and the torture of the orcs and that he was killing them in experiments and that orcs followed him for very long before Adar killed him etc
1. Sauron killing orcs was him getting them killed in fighting not for the heck of it. And Adar cares for orcs and their lives so sauron's not caring for and sacrifice of orc life made him upset. 2. The men weren't trying to go to Valanor they were just fleeing their destroyed town and said they were looking for somewhere new and safe. 3. Sauron was playing good until he didn't need to. Cuz he's a manipulator. 4. They are talking about when elendil and isildur and all those troops showed up. Those are the men beyond the sea that definitely lost to the orcs and mount doom blowing up. Miriel is blind, elendil wept cuz he thinks his son died in the battle, ect. 5. They didn't win the men were literally retreating in s1. And the mount doom smoke now covers the land from the sun so the rest of the orcs showed up. 6. That's usually how shows work. Montage shots for travel cuz no show actually shows weeks of travel. 7. I have no clue what your talking about with dwarf windows on episode 1 Dwarves aren't even in this episode. 🤨 Everything you said is you misunderstanding context.
I doubt any "animal lover" will be heartened by the fact that a horse survived in the story when they literally caused the death of real horse during the filming of the show.
I found the idea of Sauron pitching himself to the orcs as opposed to just dominating their minds right away as he is a malevolent spirit who seeks dominance and they are already creatures of shadow a little odd. But I wasn't aware of that tidbit of orc bands laughing at sauron. I just figured he was essentially dark lord - God king to them and so powerful he'd just dominate them, like the warg
He isn't completely malevolent, that was his Master Morgoth. Although at this point he is very much corrupted. But he kinda joined Morgoth in the beginning because he is obsessed with creating order in the world, and Morgoth is a better chance for that then the Valar, which are very free spirited hippies really in that regard. He even contemplates going back to Valinor after Morgoths defeat, but he was informed he would have to apologize and atone before the Valar for that, and he was too prideful for that, so he stayed in Middle-Earth. And this scene with the orks would have been shortly after. He is also kinda glad Morgoth is gone, and while claiming to rule in his stead until he eventually returns, he does NOT actually want Morgoth to return. He certainly goes for full on rule through dominance and fear though ones he has his ring.
As someone who didn't read the books but watch breakdowns of the Lore I didn't really understand Sauron before he was the figure of Darkness we originally know him as from the movies. Glad you clarified for me that Orcs didn't all respect Sauron. Also it makes sense he could be killed by them. He's still on the tier of Gandalf & other Wizards who even if it will be a hard task can still be felled. Also with Morgoth Gone it makes sense infighting would happen. Thanks for the reviews💯
![The History of Morgoth [COMPILATION] | Tolkien Explained](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ktet64d9O-c/mqdefault.jpg)
What did you think of this ep? Círdan? Sauron's flashback? What do you give the episode 1-10?
I enjoyed the episodes. Feels like a stronger start than the first season. 7.5/10 for me personally and looking forward to more
Loved the Episode. Would just like to point out however that when the stranger is dreaming about the staff and he reaches out for it, just before we see the different images, there is maybe one or two frames where the staff is Gandalf’s staff from FOTR.
It kinda surprised me. For the good.
Episode 1... 5 maybe 4 it got better with each episode!
Sadly, I thought the new season got off to a pretty lame and confused start. I'll watch anyway, but I hoped for a better start for season two.
“Some of you may die, but that is a sacrifice I am willing to make”
-Lord Faraquad Sauron
Literally thought this when I heard his line 😂😂
Lord Sarquad 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Gollum: Do you know the Pipeweed Man?
Saurquad: The Pipeweed Man?
Gollum: The Pipeweed Man.
Sarquad: Yes, I know the Pipeweed Man, who lives on Lampwright's Street?
@@ElGuaje007 Lord Fauron🤣🤣🤣
I literally said this outloud during that scene 😂
Notice when Sauron's blood first drips into puddle in the cave, there is like one stalagmite. After screen fades to black and comes back to cave, there is more and they are larger, showing a significant passage of time.
So Adar is.....immortal then? Make it make sense.
@@andycook7220 Well, he's a corrupted elf, according to in show lore, so that does actually make sense
@@andycook7220Adar is an elf.
@@andycook7220elves have long life, 1000 years or more
@@Seygem Yeah ok - i thought he was some first proto-uruk or ork. that makes the adar part make more sense for sure
watching Sauron slain in a manner like this reminds of a certain salad
You guessed it, Caesar
😂
Et tu, Brute?
caesar didn’t come back in a way that will give children nightmares
@Edmon_Oilers he absolutely did, his new form was named Augustus. Master of proscription lists and slaughtering families because he needed cash to kill more Romans in his civil wars 😊
And ceasar himself plays the dark wizard of the east.
Matt is questioning when Sauron would have found time to go to the East, but uploads multiple videos during a livestream
Touche!
😂😂😂 i was shocked when i got the notification of all 3 episodes breakdowns..i love his content but damn🤣 Matt’s on point🔥
@@NerdoftheRingshow did you do it?🤨
@@Highonskoomahe obviously used a ring of power for this sorcery…
@@Jan_ne I thought I was gonna have to wait maybe a day or 2 but my boy had them ready to go 🫡
I do love the Cirdan actor he looks the part, and he acts like an ancient Elf somewhat detached from the world
He’s the general from foundation, really good actor
@@pearshaped9116he was also recently in season 2 of Interview with the vampire! He’s amazing in it
so so handsome 😍
“We don’t have food” …. Wearing a crown of olives.
Haha!! I said this in my ep 2 breakdown! I was like...pretty sure those are edible!
@@NerdoftheRingsI haven’t gotten that far yet!! 😂
But seriously, they look pretty appealing especially given the choice of insects or not eating.
To be fair, olives can't be eaten directly off the tree. They need to be soaked in brine for a long time beforehand. They are incredibly bitter if they aren't cured first.
Looked like acorns
They are green acorns
Matt Graf is the kind of guy to upload a breakdown right after finishing a watch party in the same night! Dude’s in his Annatar arc fr 🤣
My new favorite thing is that we watch with the subtitles on because children and when Gil-Galad goes “Urrrgh!” at Galadriel, the subtitle was [exclaims in Sindarin]
My wife and I watch everything with subtitles, helps so much actually understanding what people say sometimes
More like Klingon. Never thought I’d hear an Elf make that sound.
According to the BtS interviews he says "Grach"
My favorite scene is Sauron with the "Warg" looking creature (i thought it was a wolf at first). To me, it was like a little nod to Sauron being the lord of werewolves and his manipulation of it to kill Waldreg was brilliant.
Yea! Thought I was the only one who appreciated that. Wasn’t he also called the hound of Morgoth?
I mean, Wargs are literally just referred to as big wolves for most of The Hobbit (book).
Fingers crossed for a sauron-werewolf fight scene!
@@shanexhallwould love to see it
dont tell me u liked an other scenes besides that one
I very much got the impression that Nenya falling at Galadriel's feet implied the rings have wills of their own, to coin the phrase, and intentionally moved upon their desired bearers.
Given that the One Ring has similar behavior tendencies, this would make sense. The One Ring was Sauron's master Ring. You could argue that the others he made were both with intent and a sort of test if what he was after could be done for his Master Ring. It is almost fitting that they have some similar traits.
@@mythicproductions9154it wouldn't, as One Ring has piece of Sauron inside it, while the 3 do not
Also, in a way, they kind of each get the opposite element to who they are. Cirdan-the ship right- gets fire.
Galadriel- firey warrior- gets water.
Gil Galad- high king of the elves LANDS and keeper of the Tree of Lindon- gets air.
@@absabs129Well not true, Gil Galad got both fire and air in the beginning. So not sure what you are talking about.😂
No, that’s BS. One ring has part of Sauron’s soul, Elven 3 don’t.
Sauron did take a significant time to regain form. this was shown thru the length of (limestone) stalagmites in one scene. i assume that's how they presented the period of time that has passed
After getting killed by an Elf, who is somehow evil, with some spikes? Makes sense.
@@Donut-fr7isDid you miss the part where the orcs stabbed him a thousand times?
@@Tyler_Pifer92 Okay. After surviving getting stabbed a thousand times and then getting killed by an Elf, who is somehow evil, with a spiky crown. Makes sense.
@@Donut-fr7is He stabbed him with the crown before the orcs went to town on him.
@@Donut-fr7is makes more sense than vanishing spontaneously from a finger wound
As far as Adar being offered wine by Sauron, I figured it was a metaphor for Saruon's manipulations. He was stranded and thirsty and Sauron gave him exactly what he wanted so he'd start marching to Sauron's tune.
tbh i assumed it was a metaphor for melkor first taking and corrupting the elves into orcs. adar being like a “1st edition” or something
Not to mention, later in episode 2 the evil Istari mentioned he "gave blood" to the wight-witch that hunted the Stranger in season 1. I am curious if this is Maiar means of altering life.
Yeah when I watched the show I thought he said that he had given Adar blood as well to corrupt him and turn him into the half orc.
I don't know why but it would have been cool if Adar offered sauron wine or some sort of other beverage when he had him chained up, just to show the audience that the tables have turned for those two characters.
This really reminds me of an upside-down version of Christ's story. In that narrative, wine represents sacrifice and connection-something meaningful meant to bring people together. But here, when Sauron offers wine to Adar, it feels more like a manipulation. Instead of a gesture of love, it’s a way to trap him and make him dance to Sauron’s tune.
It’s like Sauron is taking advantage of Adar’s desperation, offering him exactly what he craves but with a dark twist. While Christ's offering is about upliftment and unity, Sauron’s is all about control. This really highlights how a seemingly kind act can hide sinister motives, showing how power can twist even the most basic connections into something harmful.
I loved how Sauron pledged allegiance to "the Lord of Mordor" and not Adar since Tolkien emphasized the power of oaths. Very lore friendly to keep Sauron compelled cleverly to continue serving himself 😂
and very dumb of Adar to let that go
Lore friendly? What lore?
you guys dont hate the whole dynamic there? sauron acting like he needs to play adars betch
@@vellronSauron’s thing was that he was a deceiver. It’s well within his character to swear an oath (to himself) to misdirect Adar.
This little detail has been well done.
I have to say that the casting for Cirdan was excellent. I believe that he’s a very old, knowing and wise elf in Ben’s performance.
You can make someone sound old and wise without them having grey hair. Gray hair makes no sense for elves
@@Cremlindor he's described as grey in the books.
@@FragLord Elves DO age. That's one of the main points of the entire lore. They are immortal in the fact they do not succumb to the passage of time - but their souls get more weary and weak the longer they remain in Middle Earth. That's why Elves yearn to head back to Valinor, and why the Elven Rings helped stay the weariness that they would succumb too.
Cirdan has remained in Middle Earth the longest of any Elf in existence. He is as 'old' as they come.
@@Cremlindorfrom ROTK: “Very tall he was, and his beard was long, and he was grey and old”
@@FragLordcirdan is described as old. gray and bearded
The other wizard sure looks a lot like a younger version of Saruman.
Thought the same thing. But that would really make zero sense, because it is clear in the movies that Saruman was good until a while ago.
I am starting to think they are actually going to make the evil wizard and the stranger into the blue wizards. Which would be closer to the source material.
Saruman was Asian? lol
@@JinKazama92 I think he might be one of the blue wizards. Now that I watched the episode. Tolkien does talk about them becoming corrupted and starting their own magic cults in the East. They did arrive on Middle Earth before Gandalf and everything seems to be pointing to our unnamed wizard friends being Gandalf.
Maybe the witch king ?
@@CesarLeonThe rings aren’t made yet bro 😬 I would love to see any of the ring wraiths before they turned into wraiths though
Gil-Galad: This decision is above your pay grade. Also Gil-Galad: Gets advice for every decision from Elrond and Galadriel.
It’s so tremendously stupid
20:06 I'd like to think here that it was Ulmo changing Cirdan's mind
YES! 🤘 I was about to write this myself, but wanted to see if anybody did so before me. Really surprised that Matt hasn't mentioned it 🤔
That was my interpretation as well.
For sure
It has to be, right? That wave was very convenient, and the fact that they name-dropped Manwë, to me, hints to Valar intervention
They've been name dropping the valar since since season one. Its not anything new. @@tydli
It's worth noting that the Season One prologue is in Galadriel's words and she is not a) a reliable narrator or b) aware of the Adar-led uprising that supplants Sauron - she has a very fixed perspective on what happened
I agree it was just her imagination of the place
Fair. But it also takes away all of the threat of Sauron. They imply he was killed before he could command any armies under his own name. So why did the elves come to fear him so much?
@@quirkyjoeAnimated Perhaps this whole series is Galadriel in the third age on too much elven wine recounting the events completely wrong?
@@Don9872 well The Red Book of Westmarch is a thing, and Hobbits have their own reputation for drinking - so maybe everything we know about the Legendarium is acquired through an intoxicated haze.
@@undisclosed_branding9714 Yes, I agree that this opening coronation did seem at odds with this idea of Sauron as a great danger beyond the end of Morgoth. Not just to the elves but to the orcs he was supposed to be experimenting on to harness the powers of the unseen world. It was a bit like they just wanted to do a cool murder with a crown.
Just discovered your videos and they are just fantastic. Frankly, I found the Silmarillion less than compelling as story, for obvious reasons. I like the attempt to reorganize the pieces into something that has better narrative arcs. The brutal honesty of Sauron in season 1 I found masterful. The liar who never lies, and longs to get away from the abuse he suffered under Morgoth. Nice work there. However, there are so many weaknesses with this series, I feel the bile rising again and again, especially at the end of season 2. I really appreciate how you break it down.
Sauron: Some of you may die, but it is a sacrifice I am willing to make.
I will admit I like the idea of Sauron pitching his leadership to the orcs. Because of the size of Morgoth's legions it can make sense some of them wouldnt bow immediately to him especially after a crushing defeat. It can also explain why not all orc factions are bound to him just yet in the third age.
doesn’t adar have the same thing, though?
@@monicad99 Adar treats the orcs with actual respect and "love"
@@ultronemperor3525 “love,” indeed.
But Sauron is one of Morgoth's highest ranking lieutenants, no? I can't see him pitching anything to orcs. They're fodder.
He appeared as someone truly incompetent and indolent, I liked it
This channel could write a review of the journey of the Titanic in amazing detail without ever mentioning the ship sinking.
There’s a word for that: Disingenuous
And this particular ship is definitely sinking.
Was I wrong or did Ulmo's influence appeared briefly when Cirdan was about to drop the rings in the sea 🤔🤔
I swear I saw the water move magically 🤨🤨
Not sure how else to interpret that.
@@cacogenicist I only said that because NoR didn't mention it, that's all 🤷🏾♀️
I just can't wrap my head around why if they did that for Cirdan, they couldn't have done something similar for Galadriel when she jumped into the middle of the sea to die, with no apparent plan at all. Like just something visual, some clouds moving, a churning of waves, to contextualise her decision as an act of faith, rather than an act of stupidity.
@@Blisterdude123 in the context of the show... Gal jumping in the water was part of the universe's plan. She was protected tho😅
Just like Ulmo only showed himself when it was needed, in the silmarillion he mostly communicated to Turgon because he knew gondolin was part of a larger plan.
@@Charmedsas1 I get all that, but I'm playing devil's advocate for an audience who 'might' not know that. To people who don't know about that, Galadriel just sat on a boat out into the middle of the sea, and then jumped in apparently with no plan but to swim thousands of miles across an ocean and probably drown.
Would it have been hard to just show a flash of 'something', and to show Galadriel register it, and then to suggest, visually, that her decision to jump therefore was not an act of desperation, but faith? A conscious choice? Do you see what I'm getting at? Like they did with Cirdan, and the wave, right as he was about to toss the rings away?
Círdan is one fineeee older gentleman.
Love the deep dive from the books- I needed it.
I missed the Adar actor as his face had a stunning uniqueness, but I agree both actors are up to the task.
I know this show isn't perfect and alot of people has alot of hate for this show, but it's good to see this community saying positive things, I'm a huge lotr fan and I'm really happy and appreciate the work you put into this channel. Thanks so much sir!
The channel deserves the praise... the show is Mediocre. Unfortunately that's more the rule then the outlier with a lot past stories (IPs) people have loved. They're just being drug out again and again for a few more $s.
@Shoelessjoe78 Mediocre is too kind. I would say that this show is downright insulting, and should only ever be met with scorn and spit.
You’re a huge fan of Lord of the rings and like this show? Clearly you’ve seen the movies, and not read the books.
@revianneth
What a rather insulting comment. I may not be as old Cirdan, however, I have been a fan of Tolkien for 45+ years and have read his books many times over. And I STILL am enjoying The Rings of Power. No, it's not perfect but it gets far more right than it gets wrong. I think you might want to pay a little more attention to the conversation between Elrond and Cirdan. Stop making perfect the enemy of good. And gatekeeping just hurts all fans.
@darrenpierrot323 Gatekeeping is a necessary function of preservation, which is why J.R.R Tolkien and Christopher Tolkien were gatekeepers themselves. Middle-Earth matters to me, not just as a story, but also as a cultural representation via the intentions of Tolkien to construct a myth for the English people. Like Tolkien, I am a Conservative, a Christian, a Traditionalist, and an Englishman.
I am not happy that foreign corporations seem to think that this story is merely just a franchise to be easily bastardised and distorted, all to make an allegorical statement or a quick buck to milk from 'brand' recognition. I strongly disagree that this show does far more right than it does wrong, I would go as far as to say that this is a generic fantasy wearing Middle-Earth as a skinsuit which belongs in the bin with the likes of The Acolyte.
If you enjoy it, fine, I, however, find it insulting.
It's not perfect, but it's a huge improvement. They've accomplished more in 1 episode than in half of the season 1. I also loved the actor they chose to play Cirdan. His charming and playful attitude stands out in a show filled with moody characters. Villains are one of the show's biggest highlights: Adar remains an intriguing character and Charlie Wickers nails the charming deceptive persona of Sauron. Looks promising so far.
20:54 Sauron offering Adar wine is just showing his mastery of manipulation and having people willungly follow him. He offered Adar salvation in that moment & despite his better judgment Adar still took it and "drank the whole thing" thus placing him as Saurons right hand until we see the opening scene and see Adar cares more for the orcs than the grand vision Sauron gas for Middle Earth. Honestly the dialoge between them is fantastic & wish we got more in the first 3
Idk, but imo they fumbled Gil-galad so hard.
In my head cannon he is noble, very kind and not so arrogant and cold.
True thank Eru they didn’t fumble Galadriel
Yes!
Would the orcs not have already known Sauron? He was Morgoths main lieutenant for centuries.
It could be possible that was something never recognized. Perhaps Morgoth in his vanity never officially named Sauron his actual successor and heir apparent. Sure he may have been so militarily, but once the one who gave that order was gone, there was no reason to follow it especially after a crushing defeat.
@derikc24 orcs know him. Sauron was the one that bolstered Melkor's armies while he was imprisoned in Mandos.
shut up, women power! diversity is our strength! Making sense is toxic masculinity
The orcs already know him he was morgoth right hand this show is pure fanfiction
@@austypebbles i’m treating as fanfic, and actually, it’s not so bad once you detach it from the source material. just treat it as it is. expensive fanfic.
I found Círdan's description of the chasm where he planned to drop the rings on a little strange, to the point I thought it had been created in the War of the Powers, not the War of Wrath. He said "in a war long ago" but to Elrond. He could have continued "you know the one, that one that your father helped by bringing the hosts of Valinor over"
I also think it refers to the War of the Powers.
I may be in minority but season 2 so far is wayyyyyy better than 1
I suspect you are not in the minority.
How could that be the minority?
@@trilobite2500 take a look at some of the subreddits.
At least episode 1 was mostly great.
@@cacogenicistno.. he definetly is
I liked the wave hitting the boat. I’d like to think that was Ulmo’s influence.
The arrival of Annatar/Sauron in the furnace was EPIC! Amazing scene!!
I have only seen this first episode so far of the second series. I liked it. Better story-telling and dialogue than the first series and it still looks gorgeous. The actors were given more to do and showed their talent. An excellent start to the second series.
The only downside was the harfoot/stranger plot that still proceeds at a glacial pace.
The stranger plot finally gets going by the end of episode 3
@@hannibalb8276 But it's boring, slow and predictable. The oxygen gets sucked out of the show for me whenever the Harfoots and the Stranger are on screen, but I am enjoying the rest this time around.
Great breakdown, i really need this as an added layer of depth to the regular series. To be honest, the dialogue in the show is below par, i can't take it seriously. The fact that Sauron is giving a speech to convince orcs to join his side, it kinda breaks me a little. In the show he comes across as a petulant teenager, but the guy is ancient, he existed before anything on middle earth. Surely he doesnt get beat up by a bunch of orcs, after giving a rather impotent speech about how they need him.
Anyway, with that being said, i enjoy the positivity you bring when reviewing the episodes! Especially since it's so incredibly controversial, cant imagine the amount of hate you must receive from the die hard fans. I will keep watching the show, but im definitely coming back here after every episode! Thanks for all the effort you put in writing these, quality content for sure!
Certainly seems more promising than last season.
I also like Ben Daniels' Cirdan. Chill dude.
I’m blown away by Benjamin’s Walkers performance of Gil-Galad’s song, majestic and ethereal! 10/10
“I always enjoy a nice tree”. Spoken like a true a Tolkien scholar. Very “Hobbit” on you, kind sir.
It _is_ an exceptionally nice tree.
I wish the entire show would stay with Sauron/Halbrand…that whole plot is so interesting, the opening scene of the season was great.
He's the protagonist of this season
That was terrible. He was one of the strongest, fearest being in the Middle-earth. Orcs knew him way before and he shouldn't have to beg them to serve him.
I just pretend it has nothing to do with Tolkien's books and it's a fun watch.
Sauron comes off almost like one of Anne Rice's Vampires. Aloof, charming, relatable when he so chooses, and as ruthless as one might imagine an immortal, resentful, "aristocratic rebel" would be, especially when recovering from defeat.
That scene where he fed off the small, underground animals (rats, scorpions etc) really did remind me of how Lestat survived his own assassination attempt, draining small swamp creatures.
Then "feeding" off the first human to pass by? Very vampiric.
@@mattgilbert7347 I wouldn't mind some changes if it was at least logical. But the plot of this story and dialogues are irrational, naive. For me it is a lazy writing.
@@mattgilbert7347 and Sauron created vampires, so it's a nice touch
After every ep i come and watch your review just too make sure im understanding things correctly 💯
This episode is already better then half of the season one episodes
I genuinely liked these first 3 episodes so much more than all of last season. It feels like a totally new show, the production just feels higher to me. Nothings ever perfect of course there’s still some issues but these 3 did so well for me that I’m not thinking about the negatives at all. What an intro for this season hope it keeps up!
Name one thing that's different
Yeah, this season is actually watchable, unlike season 1
@@FortniteBlaster2the stupid "who is Sauron" mystery is done with. Galadriel's behaviour is called out. Annatar has turned up.
I hated season one, I still have issues but even I admit it's better. Still some stupid bits. Cirdan is a positive.
@@parmavee The beginning was decent, but the acting and even the music is just terribly done. And the CGI for the orc getting pinned against the wall was horrible.
@@parmavee"annatar has turned up" after the creation of the elven rings... With a wig.. Not recognisable to people who knew him before.
Pledging allegiance to the “lord of Mordor” at Adar’s boot was a nice touch. 👌
I love the fact that Galadriel isn't instantly forgiven and even her BFF Elrond is still pissed with her by episode 3s end. He's angry at her and he's 100% right to be pissed. It's really entertaining seeing this side of Elrond. I still think he's the "kind as summer" elf we all know and love but he's not letting himself be walked on by her again. He was betrayed and he's showing Galadriel that her actions have a cost and that cost may actually be their friendship. Galadriel having to deal with the consequences of her choices is very much needed. Personally I think he'll forgive her eventually but it'll probably take some huge life changing event or a few centuries for that to happen. Either way, I really like this dynamic change.
Yes! I think there is a difference between being over the top angry and being upset and resisting being walked over. I think this nuance we see in Elrond in S2 was something lacking with Galadriel in similar circumstances in S1.
@@NerdoftheRings I also like that Elrond expresses this anger through sarcasm and sass rather than hate. He's disappointed, frustrated and angry with her, yes but he never gets outright mean to her. I think that's a very good decision on the show's part.
I wonder what her husband thinks about the whole ordeal.
@@MaxSoininenwell he's missing somewhere 😅
Not even a few hours after the stream and bro already pumped out a whole ass break down, dam that was fast
Yeah, I wonder how he did that...not like Amazon would send him anything
@@alejandrofrade325 bingo!
@@alejandrofrade325
you people are so weird
@@alejandrofrade325not like he’s talking wonders of the show..any old follower knows Matt’s ways to mock the series in a non basic toxic way just calling it “cancer” or “Tolkien’s works bastardizing” lmao
So far: MASSIVE improvement compared to season 1. I really enjoyed these three episodes.
it is better but not by much. i think you got influenced by the anti-woke dei crying. if all you read about the first season is that its woke and dei garbage that is all you will see on the screen. to me it was a good season setting up things. you know the anti-woke dei crowd hatred was so bad that they ratings bombed the show. you could not have gotten a second season if hollywood and the actors caved in to their hatred.
@@bakotako less than half the people who started watching the first season finished it. Not because of internet hate but because it was utterly lacking in writing quality.
@@Don9872 how do you know that? naw they finished it so they can keep hate posting to reaffirm their anti-woke dei views
@@bakotakoWhy are you assuming that it's hatred?
@@TurinTurambar98 humour me
I liked this episode. I love Cirdan! I'm so glad to finally see him on screen. Sauron is the master of manipulation--that's for sure. I love how he pledged to the Lord of Mordor and not to Adar. Great review!
So you don't like professor Tolkien or the actual Lord of the rings. this show is an abomination. It's senseless and the acting is maybe average at best.
@@WayneBraackdude stop it. Its possible to like it as a whole. Its not either or.
@@WayneBraackyou are so sad
@@WayneBraack Nonsense and I bet I am more a Tolkien purist than you will ever be.
@@WayneBraackI stopped expecting it to be wholly accurate to Tolkien after the last season. Makes it far more enjoyable.
The scene that shows Galadriel chasing Elrond to grey heaven for me was like siblings fighting for a candy, and elrond didn't want to share, and he was going to tell daddy about, then gets mad and will talk to grandpa.
Elrond jumping off the waterfall showed his commitment to his morals. It also foreshadows Isildurs failure all those years later.
I said it for the whole scene: He´s gonna do a Fugitive
I really appreciate you and everyone else being positive about this show and enjoying it for the gift it is. Eventually the Silmarillion will be allowed to be adapted and this will live as the extra bonus non canon bits of the great adventures we’ve enjoyed.
This episode felt like a step in the right direction after a weak first season. Cirdan was certainly a highlight.
I don't believe the appearance of Sauron in the backstory is a retcon. My take is that Sauron looking big bad and evil is how Galadriel portrays Sauron when she describes him in Season 1. But in Season 2 we see that Sauron is not the obvious looking evil dark lord, but someone who takes the form of who you want to see so that he can play you like a fiddle.
Agreed, the season 2 intro is more from saurons perspective and season 1 was from galadriels perspective
I mean he just like Morgoth was a deceiver. So it would make sense
Then he was stupid for choosing a fair form for the orcs
It wasn't the most stupid thing he had done so far 🤣 I am still not sure why he was so keen to go back to southlands / Mordor after they had destroyed him once? Did he miss being a black slime? The only reliable alliance he made while hanging there was with that dog
@@DarksideGmss0513 Sauron was far more than Morgoth in Tolkiens work though. Morgoth was definitely more of a "raw power" let the world burn kind of evil. Sauron was always a long-play tactician.
I think there's a touch of the Gollum backstory "cold opening" of Jackson's RotK in this opening sequence for S2. I think that's part of why it really hit the spot for me.
The Sauron prologue / transition from slime to human pacing and audio felt very 'There will be blood'. Loved it.
Yeah it was also my fav thing about the first three episodes
Seeing Cirdan is so so ancient just imagine a being who was created in cuivienen it just blows your mind…
You know that Sauron never has power over the Elven rings having had no hand in their manufacture. The Elves take off the rings once they sense the One Ring because they know it means Sauron can sense the Elven rings and their location because his craft was used in making them. Sauron shows up and destroys Eregion exactly because he senses the rings there and demands them as they were made using his craft. The elves do not use the rings again until the One Ring is lost and doing so would not reveal the hidden lands of Rivendell and Lothlorien. The elven rings are no in way corrupting.
while Sauron was not directly involved, even in the books they were made using his techniques.
Plus, power can have a corrupting effect even if he isn’t involved and the rings themselves should be questioned because their power of staving off the passage of time is acting in defiance of the way Illuvatar meant things to be (after all, isn’t his “gift to Men” that they die?) and the Valar, since it led to Elves staying in a land meant to be inherited by Men in the end, iirc.
The rings themselves are not corruptive beyond being powerful. However, they’re still bound to the one ring and can be controlled by it, which is why they have to be careful. For now they’re safe until the one ring is forged.
The black slime is a reference to Gandalf's description of Durin's Bane. "Long time I fell,’ he said at last, slowly, as if thinking back with difficulty. ‘Long I fell, and he fell with me. His fire was about me. I was burned. Then we plunged into the deep water and all was dark. Cold it was as the tide of death: almost it froze my heart.....Thither I came at last, to the uttermost foundations of stone. He was with me still. His fire was quenched, but now he was a thing of slime, stronger than a strangling snake." (Gandalf, The Two Towers). The Balrog and Sauron are both Maiar.
Gandalf is also a Maia. As are all the other Itsari, possibly Unglianth, and for a while in JRR's mind the eagles were as well. Will we see them depicted as black slime?
I feel like you're giving the showrunners too much credit. They probably just watched Venom and decided that black slime is cool.
Google black goo phenomenon. Many biblical undertones in LOTR
@@MiguelParajon-m7v Who is Unglianth? Never heard of them before
@@MiguelParajon-m7v I think black slime is a privilege for fallen Maiar. You first have to prove that you are evil before you are permitted to turn into black slime :)
Galadriel looks like the teenager of the group when she is the noblest of the elves and the sister of the greatest lord of the noldor..
I liked the singings.
I too enjoyed the singingings;)
Really loved the shot of Sauron at Adar's feet. It really highlighted the eye of Sauron and the composition of the nose bridge and eye brow really reminded me of "Sauron's mark"
I took Adar's story literally. He was chained on a dark mountain by Morgoth, perhaps to break down his Elvish strength, then Sauron brought him "wine" that completed his transformation into an Orc. Torment followed by corruption.
After watching the first 3 episodes, I just wanna say Charlie Vicker does such an amazing job playing a pure evil manipulator!
I really liked your thoughts about the two wizards, I think it would be really cool having characters not seen before on screen. I also thought that the stranger could have had many of the characteristics of Gandalf: way of speaking, gestures, etc. But he really doesn't, he seems kind of a clean slate, which makes me think they might not follow this as him being Gandalf.
Charlie Vickers' Sauron is astonishing.
He's honestly doing such a good job.. the manipulation at work is 🔥
You’re the only channel I’ll be listening to for breakdowns. I’m expecting firm but fair 👍
Maybe I was the only one who caught this but Sauron did have an opportunity to taint the Three because as Halbrand he had possession of her blade from Valinor then somehow they "needed" Gold only from Valinor.
I do not claim to know the method that may have been used or even that his evil power is in the Three, only pointing out the opportunity was there because he had the knife that was melted down into the cast.
And it is no secret that Sauron has power of suggestion into other's minds.
Whatever happened to Galadriel being the only one that isn't deceived by Sauron? Lame
I had to laugh about how Galadriel acquired Nenya in the ROP depiction. She picked it up off the ground after Gil-Galad happened to drop it down the stone stairs after Elrond distracted him. They made it seem entirely accidental. As I recall from the literature, Celebrimbor specifically gave the 3 rings to the highest ranking elves in Middle Earth at the time - Gil-Galad, Galadriel and Círdan. Galadriel was actually older than Gil-Galad and she witnessed the 2-trees in Valinor. In the series so far she's depicted as a hot-headed young adult, which she certainly wasn't by the 2nd Age. Just sayin...
You know both are stories. It gets ridiculous when people whinge "oh someone told the story in a different way".
@@Minimmalmythicist Its when the different way breaks from reason and common sense and is ultimately worse than the original telling. Why tell a worse story when the better one already exists?
@@ryansaintz2575 I can enjoy them both, I don´t like ROP as much as the original, but I don´t think it´s as terrible as many Tolkien fans make it out to be.
@@Minimmalmythicist I'm glad you can. Maybe i'm just annoying, but it frustrates me when stories I really love are changed so dramatically for film, in my eyes I don't even see a point then. Why not just make a new story separate from LOTR if you won't abide by the material? I'm just a bit of a lore elitist I suppose.
@@ryansaintz2575 Tbf, Rings of Power isn´t the loosest adaption I´ve seen of something.
Like Blade Runner is a way looser adaptation of "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep".
The way I kind of see it, is a bit like with the Gospels. I.e the Gospels are set in the same location, more or less the same characters, but each has a different take on the story with a different message. I.e Jesus in Mark is quite different to Jesus in Matthew and Luke.
There were plenty of alternative versions of Greek, Roman and Norse myth too. Indeed, Tolkien himself changed people´s genealogies, changed elements of the Story a lot during his writing.
For any WWE fan.
Matt saying that Sauron isn't feeling Ucey made my day. 🤣🤣🤣
(I know he didn't actually say Ucey but it sounded like it and made me laugh knowing the Ucey segment)
Sami Zayn would be a super fun Dwarf!
@@MAORISMURF20 lolol. Zayn Ironfoot.
Usi 😂
@@fingersTitanor Oghren from Dragonage origins, he had some funny dialogs, but Alastair's when he slaughts darkspawn, he say "stay down" 🤣🤣🤣
USO means brother in our language of Samoa 🇼🇸
Fantastic review! The best recap + commentary of RoP I’ve found online👍👍thanks!
I'm only two episodes in but already really enjoying the tone and writing and just everything really... I'm hooked now
also there is no account of Sauron for the first 500 years of SA, so it is open to interpretation
lol sauron looks like young Simon Pegg
I thought this too! 😂
And Elrond is a knockoff Neil Patrick Harris.
I imagine Ulmo, Ossë, or Uinen jolted Cirdan's boat when he was about to drop the Rings into the sea. They all directly helped Cirdan in the First Age and still cared about the children of Iluvatar. This was a nudge toward the right decision.
"Admittedly, I am not a High King" 😂. You are to me, Matt!
Where the eff is Celeborn? Galadriel out here having romances with sauron, not sure he'd be too happy... sure was convenient that cirdan decided to wear only the fire ring for some reason, and give the other two over, was sure convenient that nenya fell at galadriels feet after elrond shouting NO! haha, really they couldn't think of any idea other than the rings dropping next to her and her deciding it was for her to put on without anyone saying so xD
The way Sauron snatched and ditched the old man and let him drown was pure evil. Like wtf dude... The man has been nothing but nice to you
Sauron IS pure evil.
Yeah, it was great 😁
But didnt he warn him right before?
@@klausdappersjen950 He basically said grab something solid and when the dude got crushed he was like thanks for the necklace pouch dude. Toodles
Evil people going to evil.
the spell did work there’s no water in the land to bring the tree back to life to sprout it so the tree blew up and gave them bugs unlimited 😊 nourishing
I think that wave that hit Cirdan's boat when he was about to throw the 3 rings overboard into the chasm was the work of Ulmo. He stopped cirdan from throwing the rings over. He knew they needed them.
I love the dichotomy of the language you use to call out the bad writing vs a channel that just reviews media in general.
Sauron offering Adar wine while he's chained to the mountain is a reference back to Christianity. Jesus is offered wine twice while he's on the cross, in the process of dying. Both wine offerings are theorized to have deliberate opposite intentions, which makes this move by a duplicitous and ambiguous Sauron quite a well-written choice.
The first time it was intended to ease Jesus's pain, thus Sauron could be offering it as a token of peace.
The second time Jesus was offered it was sour, almost rancid wine that had almost certainly turned to vinegar. It was a drink Roman soldiers for numerous purposes, including supposed medicinal effects or to be invigorating. It is believed that offering of wine was a way to prologue Jesus's suffering.
@@jimstell92 wasn't it vinegar?
@@LordBalin The second offering is sometimes recounted as vinegar, sometimes recounted as soured wine. Soe.times recounted as both.
So far, season 2 is much better than season 1, imo.
No, its much worse, which is quite the feat
@@criticalfocuschannel Liar.
I knew when halbrand had those beers in season 1 with those dudes that it was Sauron trying to be everyone’s buddy.
@@DJVOutdoors ??? He was trying to steal one of the Numenoreans work permits so he could do some smithing. He beat the snot out of them all a scene later.
I loved this season. I can’t wait for season 3 rings of power!
So pleased it is back. Much rather have this than nothing at all. 1st episode was great.
Bravo for getting this out so quick
“Some of you may die, but that is a sacrifice I am willing to make”
Some of you are going to die, Martyrs of course to freedom that I will provide
"The Knife" ~Genesis
Sauron is coming across far more menacing and manipulative which is good
Love your insight and breakdowns. No blind hate only honest critique. Thank you!
I really enjoy your content, your fair reviews and your love of the lore. One of my favorite channels is yours, rock on!
Thank you so much! Looking forward to many more great conversations about Tolkien to come!
Pretty cool seing sauron 'work for it' and getting a bit fucked up, very cool
First few minutes were interesting, in particular Sauron's presentation for becoming the new Dark Lord. I can buy into this narrative, but then it quickly fell off the cliff the minute we got into the Galadriel and Elrond narrative. Nothing really changed for Galadriel, she's still as insufferable as season 1, while Elrond is everything but the Elrond we know from the books, or even the films. It feels like I am watching the "teenage years of Galadriel and Elrond", despite the fact they have been alive for more than a thousand years.
The Nori and Stranger scene is just mehhh, needless IMO, especially once Nori's girlfriend shows up. To that end, the show is fanfic, having very little to do with lore specific elements from the book. I am trying to watch this show as a "What if" series reminiscent of Marvel's what-if animation series.
Adar and Sauron have raised more questions than answers as the episode progressed, just very poor writing IMO.
They might be moving more towards the source material with the stranger though I think. I believe he will turn out to be a blue wizard now, with the evil wizard being the other. Mixing the idea of them starting evil cults later on in the third age after being good a d helpful in the east in the second. Just instead one will be good and one evil. But would be way closer to the source material and lore than him being Gandalf though.
It certainly is rather fanfictiony still of course, and with that in mind it is more enjoyable, and I too have been trying to approach it like that from the start myself. Sometimes they make it a bit hard though.
I can't grasp how sauron would bow to orcs who are usually not more than slaves and filth to him. It doesn't look right. I mean I would have imagined that his sole aura and existence would command submission for orcs
And I can't grasp why Adar exists. Probably because they had no time to show Sauron gathering his army after spending soo much time on useless stuff. So, they will make Adar hand him over an army.
@@Donut-fr7is well it can make sense to show a commander of orcs but yes I think he just serves as a filler how Sauron finally gains control over them
It’s all manipulation, a means to an end
He kinda swore alliance to the "Lord of Mordor" but didn't specify who. So in my mind he kinda swore it to himself and this can kinda be true because he smiles after he says it
@Hearto6636 I had the same thought
Dude I'm grateful you're making these vids, just wanted to say thanks
I enjoy watching the "moral compass" spinning in all directions. Thanks for sharing.
UNFORTUNATELY the inconsistencies are too many for me guys and I will explain. I am not talking about the differences between book and series but merely from season 1 to 2 and I start. First of all orcs never followed Sauron? Adar said in season 1 that he killed Sauron BECAUSE he was killing orcs (to find power ets) but now nothing like that (or that prologue you mentioned) happened.
2) Sauron meets with people (who are next to the great sea and wants to go to valinor while they are men) and we see great fires but at the beginning of season 1 (which is earlier than that) elves abounded their outposts in the far east of the south lands (not next to the sea) because everything seamed ok
3) Sauron tells to grandpa to grab something moments before he dies but in 2 seconds chamges his mind left him to die and steals some necklace…
4) ADAR SAYS “we defeated the elves and the men beyond the sea” WTF ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT DUDE, you killed 2-3 villages then captured 4 elves (one of them was a commander of the outpost but no one seemed to care to look for them like gil galad or any elven lord) and then 200 numenorians (really ewe saw from a city of at least a million people just 200 soldiers) killed almost every orc they found, the only reason you are there is because the volcano erupted and they left.
5) in the end of season 1 seems like numenorians won (that’s why they were celebrating) so they killed most of the orcs but in season 2 the orcs seemed to be multiple times more than before despite losing
6) you mentioned it in the video people here travel around the world in 5 minutes but they show travels that normally taking weeks happening like it was the next afternoon.
7) I have to say this here: WHATS THE PROBLEM OF THE DWARVES SERIES??? Like really now they digged an entire HUGE MOUNTAIN and they suddenly cannot dig a few metres to make some windows???? If they can’t (for some reason you never portrayed) HOW THE HELL DID THEY GOT OUT OF THE MOUNTAIN? Their doors are ok but their windows are not?????
8)I could start with next episode but this text is already too big and I still have many small things about this one so…
It's useless to ask anything about this series on this channel )), everything here is budgeted by Amazon ))) I think that people at Amazon seriously think that they can "buy" an assessment of their series, and that generations and generations of other Tolkien fans will not give an adequate assessment of this "screen adaptation"
Literally THIS. Everything you said. And everyone keeps saying it took ages for Sauron to reform, but Waldreg the human is still alive and well when Halbrand shows up!
@@freeguy7628 The reform happened before season 1 in second age. So I guess you just didn't catch on that it was a flashback
@@player10341no you don’t get what I said, or what you saw. Listen we saw a flashback that contradicts everything we are told about Sauron and the torture of the orcs and that he was killing them in experiments and that orcs followed him for very long before Adar killed him etc
1. Sauron killing orcs was him getting them killed in fighting not for the heck of it. And Adar cares for orcs and their lives so sauron's not caring for and sacrifice of orc life made him upset.
2. The men weren't trying to go to Valanor they were just fleeing their destroyed town and said they were looking for somewhere new and safe.
3. Sauron was playing good until he didn't need to. Cuz he's a manipulator.
4. They are talking about when elendil and isildur and all those troops showed up. Those are the men beyond the sea that definitely lost to the orcs and mount doom blowing up. Miriel is blind, elendil wept cuz he thinks his son died in the battle, ect.
5. They didn't win the men were literally retreating in s1. And the mount doom smoke now covers the land from the sun so the rest of the orcs showed up.
6. That's usually how shows work. Montage shots for travel cuz no show actually shows weeks of travel.
7. I have no clue what your talking about with dwarf windows on episode 1 Dwarves aren't even in this episode. 🤨
Everything you said is you misunderstanding context.
I doubt any "animal lover" will be heartened by the fact that a horse survived in the story when they literally caused the death of real horse during the filming of the show.
I found the idea of Sauron pitching himself to the orcs as opposed to just dominating their minds right away as he is a malevolent spirit who seeks dominance and they are already creatures of shadow a little odd. But I wasn't aware of that tidbit of orc bands laughing at sauron. I just figured he was essentially dark lord - God king to them and so powerful he'd just dominate them, like the warg
He isn't completely malevolent, that was his Master Morgoth. Although at this point he is very much corrupted. But he kinda joined Morgoth in the beginning because he is obsessed with creating order in the world, and Morgoth is a better chance for that then the Valar, which are very free spirited hippies really in that regard. He even contemplates going back to Valinor after Morgoths defeat, but he was informed he would have to apologize and atone before the Valar for that, and he was too prideful for that, so he stayed in Middle-Earth. And this scene with the orks would have been shortly after. He is also kinda glad Morgoth is gone, and while claiming to rule in his stead until he eventually returns, he does NOT actually want Morgoth to return. He certainly goes for full on rule through dominance and fear though ones he has his ring.
I know what you mean - but I think this is a conscious decision to provide for depth in an otherwise too omnipotent character
As someone who didn't read the books but watch breakdowns of the Lore I didn't really understand Sauron before he was the figure of Darkness we originally know him as from the movies. Glad you clarified for me that Orcs didn't all respect Sauron. Also it makes sense he could be killed by them. He's still on the tier of Gandalf & other Wizards who even if it will be a hard task can still be felled. Also with Morgoth Gone it makes sense infighting would happen. Thanks for the reviews💯
11:48: I gotta say: I didn't even realize they switched actors for Adar. Great job!