Goopy Sauron is giving me major flashbacks to the body horror elements of "Stranger Things" season 2, which at the time I HATED, so yeah, honestly feeling a bit mid about that. He is doing a great job of being extra terrifying as Fake-Annatar, though!!
Like some others in this comments section, I'm also finding the Stranger-Harfoots storyline a bit of a drag. I'm just so much more invested in what's going on with Elrond and Galadriel!
I thought these first 3 episodes were overall great and a significant improvement over season 1. I agree with you about the 8-episode constraint: I think the show's quality suffers because of it. The storylines are well done but they would be better fleshed out with more time. They would feel less disconnected. There's so much deep lore nuggets but it's easy to miss them because they don't have time to go beyond one or two lines.
I fully agree that the Numenor storyline is lacking this season. What we saw in episode 3 was lackluster and it ends without any resolution or clarity as to where they stand (and we don't go back to Numenor in episode 4!). I thought the eagle apparition was gimmicky and didn't bring anything interesting in a difficult-to-believe scene.
While I love the Harfoots and the Stranger as characters, it find the storyline uninteresting so far. It's too mysterious for no reason (as you said, tell us his name already) and it's completely disconnected from all the other storylines. I think the Harfoots are important because they're a link to the Hobbits and it's less dark/serious storyline but it needs more coherence.
Agreed the ending of Bronwyn was too abrupt but ultimately, I'm glad they didn't choose to have an elf-human relationship that's not one of the three in the lore.
I'm not sure I fully understand the dynamics between Sauron and Adar. Why did Sauron go back to Mordor as Halbrand? I don't get what he achieved, unless his goal was to lure Adar to attack Eregion? I do the storyline around the Orcs, showing nuance and how Orcs are not necessarily warmongers, that they also are manipulated and used by Sauron & Morgoth. It's a really interesting part of the show and it's fascination to see people reacting so badly against humanizing Orcs. A very illuminating parallel with what's going on in our world....
That being said, I really enjoyed the first three episodes and I'm so excited to see the rest of the season!
I followed your TikTok video here. I always enjoy your videos and thoughtful analysis of the books.
I’m curious what you thought about Blob-ron. I’ve seen some joking references to Marvel’s Venom, which were kind of funny, but I thought it was a little bit of an odd choice visually for the series to make. I admittedly don’t recall the lore well enough to know if it was based on a specific description or just the series taking artistic liberties.
I don't remember Sauron's form being described in detail when he's not in human form. I think it was the series' interpretation. It might not been my first choice, but I liked how it shows Sauron's process to come back to a incarnate form over a long time. It fit pretty well within the prologue about Sauron's path during the 2nd age before the show.
I want to thank you because you and some other Tolkien content creators have really opened my eyes for ROP and I have been looking at it with other eyes this time. I am really enjoying it. I struggle with my concentration and watching a movie or episodes of a series can take days but I have been watching the two first episodes without any problem and really enjoyed them.
I love how they depict Sauron/Annatar.
I agree that there seems to be too many story lines. I honesty could do without the stranger and the hobbits storyline.
I would also like to see how the coup in Numenor will be depicted. I really hope they get a season 3 because there is so much I hope will be depicted.
I recently subscribed so I am looking forward to reading LOTR together with you and others. I am trying to find recipes for Hobbitday. I would like to eat as a hobbit while reading the books that day.
I just love being back in Middle Earth so much that I'm willing to overlook a few things (though the how-Mithril-was-created is off the deep end for me).
I was SO SAD to hear Bronwyn's actress was not going to return to the show -- I absolutely loved her, I even dressed up as her for Halloween in 2022. But I'm glad they decided to not recast her.
I know they're needing to constrict the timeline, plus being limited to 40 episodes total for the entire story, but some of the timing feels off. If the hints are true that Eregion falls this season, then all the dwarf and men rings need to be made ASAP, and assuming Numenor falls in season 5... what will seasons 3 and 4 be about?
Ep 3 ended with the dwarves being promised rings that will heal their mountain, like the rings that healed the elven tree... but if mithril is what healed the tree, why do the dwarves need mithril rings? Their mountain is full of it! 🤔
Finally, the revealing of Annatar was weird for me. They could have done it without the clouds-Jesus-like shot. 🙄
Okay those are just a few picky complaints, overall I love the filming, the MUSIC, and [most of] the dialogue and story development. I'm re-reading The Fall of Numenor, and can already tell the season of autumn will be the season of Middle Earth for me forever. 🧡
“Blob-Ron” is a great nickname. I have been calling him “Goopy Sauron” myself. I don’t know if a movie or TV villain has ever been so repulsive. In a good way!
But here’s a question for you that may not have an answer (I hope it does): do orcs really have babies in Tolkien’s canon? I find that hard to swallow, haha
Yes, 'orc babies' are totally in line with what Tolkien wrote about orcs! At least in one version of their origins. Tolkien changed his mind often on things like that, but in The Silmarillion book it says, "For the Orcs had life and multiplied after the manner of the Children of Ilúvatar…” -The Silmarillion, Chapter: Of the Coming of the Elves and the Captivity of Melkor
'The Children of Ilúvatar' being the term for Elves and Humans specifically. So, Tolkien is saying orcs multiply in the same way we do. They have pregnancies, give birth and rear their young.
Overall, I liked the first 3 episodes this season and felt that they were a step up from last season in pretty much every way. Episode 3, though, felt like a step backwards and I didn't enjoy that one as much, which was extra disappointing, because Numenor is my favorite storyline and Elendil is the character that most needs more screen time in my mind! Elrond continues to be my favorite, but I also love Disa this season.
I, too, am over the Stranger being unknown... though some of that is probably that I really *don't* want him to be Gandalf, but if he isn't, they've thrown us a lot of clues that would seem odd.
I agree with all your other complaints, but I think the too many storylines may be what sinks the show for me. I'm still optimistic overall and it's Middle-earth, so I'll probably continue watching even if they don't get it together, but both last season and this one, it just feels like too much going on... and we know there's more to come with Tom Bombadil jumping in, too.
The other thing that is not working for me is the breach of canon when it comes to the order of making the rings and making them directly for men and dwarves. I don't understand why they mixed up the order last season, and now they're stuck with that. I think this season should be the last one it really matters for, though.
However, I am THRILLED with Cirdan, and what they are doing with Celebrimbor so far this season (even though I know the ending!).
I didn't like that they've been making the rings out of order either but one of my Tolkien friends pointed out that it appears the showrunners are making them in order of the Ring Poem:
"Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men, doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie..."
And that really helped me make peace with it. It's not a change I like but it still pays homage to the author in a way. And yes, let's hope they can pull all these amazing stories together in a satisfactory way!
Goopy Sauron is giving me major flashbacks to the body horror elements of "Stranger Things" season 2, which at the time I HATED, so yeah, honestly feeling a bit mid about that. He is doing a great job of being extra terrifying as Fake-Annatar, though!!
Like some others in this comments section, I'm also finding the Stranger-Harfoots storyline a bit of a drag. I'm just so much more invested in what's going on with Elrond and Galadriel!
I thought these first 3 episodes were overall great and a significant improvement over season 1. I agree with you about the 8-episode constraint: I think the show's quality suffers because of it. The storylines are well done but they would be better fleshed out with more time. They would feel less disconnected. There's so much deep lore nuggets but it's easy to miss them because they don't have time to go beyond one or two lines.
I fully agree that the Numenor storyline is lacking this season. What we saw in episode 3 was lackluster and it ends without any resolution or clarity as to where they stand (and we don't go back to Numenor in episode 4!). I thought the eagle apparition was gimmicky and didn't bring anything interesting in a difficult-to-believe scene.
While I love the Harfoots and the Stranger as characters, it find the storyline uninteresting so far. It's too mysterious for no reason (as you said, tell us his name already) and it's completely disconnected from all the other storylines. I think the Harfoots are important because they're a link to the Hobbits and it's less dark/serious storyline but it needs more coherence.
Agreed the ending of Bronwyn was too abrupt but ultimately, I'm glad they didn't choose to have an elf-human relationship that's not one of the three in the lore.
I'm not sure I fully understand the dynamics between Sauron and Adar. Why did Sauron go back to Mordor as Halbrand? I don't get what he achieved, unless his goal was to lure Adar to attack Eregion? I do the storyline around the Orcs, showing nuance and how Orcs are not necessarily warmongers, that they also are manipulated and used by Sauron & Morgoth. It's a really interesting part of the show and it's fascination to see people reacting so badly against humanizing Orcs. A very illuminating parallel with what's going on in our world....
That being said, I really enjoyed the first three episodes and I'm so excited to see the rest of the season!
I followed your TikTok video here. I always enjoy your videos and thoughtful analysis of the books.
I’m curious what you thought about Blob-ron. I’ve seen some joking references to Marvel’s Venom, which were kind of funny, but I thought it was a little bit of an odd choice visually for the series to make. I admittedly don’t recall the lore well enough to know if it was based on a specific description or just the series taking artistic liberties.
I don't remember Sauron's form being described in detail when he's not in human form. I think it was the series' interpretation. It might not been my first choice, but I liked how it shows Sauron's process to come back to a incarnate form over a long time. It fit pretty well within the prologue about Sauron's path during the 2nd age before the show.
I want to thank you because you and some other Tolkien content creators have really opened my eyes for ROP and I have been looking at it with other eyes this time. I am really enjoying it. I struggle with my concentration and watching a movie or episodes of a series can take days but I have been watching the two first episodes without any problem and really enjoyed them.
I love how they depict Sauron/Annatar.
I agree that there seems to be too many story lines. I honesty could do without the stranger and the hobbits storyline.
I would also like to see how the coup in Numenor will be depicted. I really hope they get a season 3 because there is so much I hope will be depicted.
I recently subscribed so I am looking forward to reading LOTR together with you and others. I am trying to find recipes for Hobbitday. I would like to eat as a hobbit while reading the books that day.
I can’t believe we waited so long for season two only to get 8 episodes tho🥲
I just love being back in Middle Earth so much that I'm willing to overlook a few things (though the how-Mithril-was-created is off the deep end for me).
I was SO SAD to hear Bronwyn's actress was not going to return to the show -- I absolutely loved her, I even dressed up as her for Halloween in 2022. But I'm glad they decided to not recast her.
I know they're needing to constrict the timeline, plus being limited to 40 episodes total for the entire story, but some of the timing feels off. If the hints are true that Eregion falls this season, then all the dwarf and men rings need to be made ASAP, and assuming Numenor falls in season 5... what will seasons 3 and 4 be about?
Ep 3 ended with the dwarves being promised rings that will heal their mountain, like the rings that healed the elven tree... but if mithril is what healed the tree, why do the dwarves need mithril rings? Their mountain is full of it! 🤔
Finally, the revealing of Annatar was weird for me. They could have done it without the clouds-Jesus-like shot. 🙄
Okay those are just a few picky complaints, overall I love the filming, the MUSIC, and [most of] the dialogue and story development. I'm re-reading The Fall of Numenor, and can already tell the season of autumn will be the season of Middle Earth for me forever. 🧡
“Blob-Ron” is a great nickname. I have been calling him “Goopy Sauron” myself. I don’t know if a movie or TV villain has ever been so repulsive. In a good way!
But here’s a question for you that may not have an answer (I hope it does): do orcs really have babies in Tolkien’s canon? I find that hard to swallow, haha
Yes, 'orc babies' are totally in line with what Tolkien wrote about orcs! At least in one version of their origins. Tolkien changed his mind often on things like that, but in The Silmarillion book it says, "For the Orcs had life and multiplied after the manner of the Children of Ilúvatar…” -The Silmarillion, Chapter: Of the Coming of the Elves and the Captivity of Melkor
'The Children of Ilúvatar' being the term for Elves and Humans specifically. So, Tolkien is saying orcs multiply in the same way we do. They have pregnancies, give birth and rear their young.
Interesting! That’s a detail I’ve forgotten… one fun thing about RoP is that it inspires one to dig into the canon more!
I bet orc moms are very scary. 😂
Overall, I liked the first 3 episodes this season and felt that they were a step up from last season in pretty much every way. Episode 3, though, felt like a step backwards and I didn't enjoy that one as much, which was extra disappointing, because Numenor is my favorite storyline and Elendil is the character that most needs more screen time in my mind! Elrond continues to be my favorite, but I also love Disa this season.
I, too, am over the Stranger being unknown... though some of that is probably that I really *don't* want him to be Gandalf, but if he isn't, they've thrown us a lot of clues that would seem odd.
I agree with all your other complaints, but I think the too many storylines may be what sinks the show for me. I'm still optimistic overall and it's Middle-earth, so I'll probably continue watching even if they don't get it together, but both last season and this one, it just feels like too much going on... and we know there's more to come with Tom Bombadil jumping in, too.
The other thing that is not working for me is the breach of canon when it comes to the order of making the rings and making them directly for men and dwarves. I don't understand why they mixed up the order last season, and now they're stuck with that. I think this season should be the last one it really matters for, though.
However, I am THRILLED with Cirdan, and what they are doing with Celebrimbor so far this season (even though I know the ending!).
I didn't like that they've been making the rings out of order either but one of my Tolkien friends pointed out that it appears the showrunners are making them in order of the Ring Poem:
"Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men, doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie..."
And that really helped me make peace with it. It's not a change I like but it still pays homage to the author in a way. And yes, let's hope they can pull all these amazing stories together in a satisfactory way!