The Rings of Power

So I managed to watch the first season of the Rings of Power - my thoughts. 

It’s fantasy tv, but it is not Tolkien. 

I did have high hopes when it was announced a few years ago - more Tolkien In the screen must be a good thing (the Children of Hurin would make a dark but amazing show) and some of the second age stories are great. I was a little concerned when I saw the trailer .. climbing ice cliffs with dagger …

But I have to say I was disappointed (although currently less so that the Hobbit movies, which make me sad …) … some of the characters weren’t true to the lore as I understand it. The pacing, timings and plot devices were strange to say the least. 

Some of visuals are spectacular to be fair. But the remake of Clash of the Titans had good visuals, but the story telling was nothing on the Ray Harryhausen classic - you have to have a good, well written story and characters to make people care.

So some of the things I don’t like are - 

Galadriel - she is so angry and just doesn’t make sense for a princess who spent most of the 1st age in Doriath with Melian the Maia. She would be directing others to act on her suspicions … She also wasn’t sent back to Valinor by Gil-Galad - but she wouldn’t be allowed in anyway as she is an evil being trying to commit genocide on the orcs - nice for the lady of light. Also the fight scene where Xena, sorry Galadriel takes on 4 or 5 numenorean volunteers just looked so poor and fake. I feel for the actress as she is only doing what is asked of her …

Gil-Galad - why is he such an idiot? We have to leave … in weeks. The elf who almost took down Sauron …

The dam breaking sword mechanism - WTF … really? Just break the dam … 

The amazing 3 Numenorean ships that can carry an extensive camp and some 300 armoured cavalry, who manage to arrive exact when needed to a battle they knew nothing about … that was a stroke of luck. 

The Southlands boy Theo - nothing against the actor but what’s he for … apart from being the weak link to give up the sword McMuffin to break the dam.

The fact that distances don’t matter - Mordor to Eregion in 6 days … took the fellowship to tad longer … obviously they didn’t spare the horses.

The magic mithril which apparently was formed after a fight between an elf hero (Glorfindel?) and a Balrog at the top of a mountain … but this mountain was on the way out of Gondolin which is in Beleriand - now under the sea - nowhere near the lonely mountain - I get the idea to reference the fight, but to move the location and give it the creation of mithril - why?

The forging of the 3 rings (before the forging of the 9 for men or 7 for dwarfs) and touched by Sauron with his suggestion of alloying Mithril with other metals. Now I am no expert in metal work, but I am guessing that a dagger has a iron/steel blade then a decorative silver/gold hilt (although could be iron), but we are talking about Galadriel’s dagger - so why do we melt the whole thing when we could just take the hilt off. But what do I know.  

The meteor man and the priestess following him - how can he be a Istari? As I understand  it they were sent to middle earth in the third age (about a 1000 years into it according to the Lord of the Rings appendix B), to help and prepare the free peoples against the returning darkness/Sauron. The priestess’ there was no explanation as to what they were about for about 3 episodes and they didn’t last long after we found out …

The “missing” Isildur and Celeborn - were is the risk - we know they survive and have to live. The call back to the movies with Isildur/Aragorn’s horse …

Things I’m not worried about - the Harfoots, who cares about them. Although I did find Nori rather annoying. I don’t mind Arondir, although the love story with Bronwyn is a bit naff and unnecessary (like Bronwyn to be honest).

Elf hair cuts and multi-ethnic casting, no big deal - although I would guess that historically populations would be more homogeneous in general - except in the cases of cities at the crossroads of the world (Byzantium etc.), otherwise multiculturalism would be thing now  

I did like the Uruk/Elf Adar - I like this character and idea. The fact he survived the war of wrath and was look after the orca had legs I think , what they do with it remains to be seen.

There is so much potential here but instead of having time jumps to show the fall of Numenor and the raise of Sauron, as they did in the House of the Dragon, they have condensed the time line to make no sense at all - surely changing the human actors as they get older but not changing the eleven ones would be a great way demostrate why the numenoreans become jealous of the elves and fall to darkness.

I have to say I have much prefer the Witcher and even the Wheel of Time - although I am told that this was a poor adaptation, I thought the story made more sense that the Rings of Power.

I summary they have the outline of a great story by Tolkien, but have failed to write characters or a story that people care about and they have broken the lore … 

Morts