Spoilers Rings of Power is back!

[Nikosandros]

The mithral thing is just too divergent from how the nature of the Children of Iluvatar are conceived for my tastes, no matter what they were trying to accomplish with it.

The Maiar were recruited as the Istari and sent to Middle-Earth 1000 years into the Age after the show takes place for the specific purpose of helping the people of Middle-Earth should Sauron ever return. If those particular Maiar were there earlier, they wouldn't be referred to as the Istari.

While the barrows themselves were there back in the Second Age, the wights were put there as evil spirits inhabiting the barrow corpses by the Witch-King, who does not yet exist.

Tom is not a mentor figure, for anyone. He cares only about his own space and not for the evils threatening Middle-Earth assuming he heven had any reason to be where the Stranger found him. He is excised from most adaptions because he serves very little narrative purpose.

As I previously said, I'm not a huge fan of the show, but I'm enjoying it (and I like season 2 better). However, I agree with you and Maxperson that it departs hugely from Tolkien. This, for me, is not a value judgement. I absolutely adore The Shining and Bladerunner and they are both movies that departs in major ways from the respective books, to the point of subverting some of the original themes.

 

[ART!]

The mithral thing is just too divergent from how the nature of the Children of Iluvatar are conceived for my tastes, no matter what they were trying to accomplish with it.

Can't argue with that. Conceptually it doesn't bother me, but I think the shows execution of the idea was clumsy.

The Maiar were recruited as the Istari and sent to Middle-Earth 1000 years into the Age after the show takes place for the specific purpose of helping the people of Middle-Earth should Sauron ever return. If those particular Maiar were there earlier, they wouldn't be referred to as the Istari.

This is niggling, but certain Maiar were recruited as the Istari (your phrasing makes it sound like all the Maiar were).

This timing doesn't bother me - it feels like a difference that makes no difference. But I get it.

While the barrows themselves were there back in the Second Age, the wights were put there as evil spirits inhabiting the barrow corpses by the Witch-King, who does not yet exist.

Does Tolkien mention that barrow wights can only be created by the Witch-King? I'm not trying to be contentious, I simply don't know.

Tom is not a mentor figure, for anyone. He cares only about his own space and not for the evils threatening Middle-Earth assuming he heven had any reason to be where the Stranger found him. He is excised from most adaptions because he serves very little narrative purpose.

I can see this - although Tom's declarative statements about The Stranger's purpose and need to choose between his destiny and his friends seem like tests of character for The Stranger rather than rules. I could argue that being Tom, he can take an interest when he wants, and not be involved when he doesn't want to be.

 

[Micah Sweet]

As I previously said, I'm not a huge fan of the show, but I'm enjoying it (and I like season 2 better). However, I agree with you and Maxperson that it departs hugely from Tolkien. This, for me, is not a value judgement. I absolutely adore The Shining and Bladerunner and they are both movies that departs in major ways from the respective books, to the point of subverting some of the original themes.

Agreed. Some changes I am more ok with than others, certainly, and I do think season 2 is an improvement.

 

[Alzrius]

I'm also certain that if I rewatched season 1, I'd come up with many more glaring errors that I can't remember just now.

I'll refer you to this article:

Collections: Why Rings of Power’s Middle Earth Feels Flat

This week we’re going to take a look at the worldbuilding of Amazon Studio’s Rings of Power from a historical realism perspective. I think it is no great secret that Rings of Power broa…

acoup.blog

And a few follow-ups about some comparatively minor issues:

Collections: The Nitpicks of Power, Part I: Exploding Forges

This week we’re going to return to Amazon’s Rings of Power, as promised in the first post there were a plethora of smaller believably and realism issues with in the show that I wanted t…

acoup.blog

Collections: The Nitpicks of Power, Part II: Falling Towers

This is the second part of a three part (I, II, III) look at the issue of of historical realism in Amazon’s Rings of Power, following on our more substantive discussion of the major worldbuil…

acoup.blog

Collections: The Nitpicks of Power, Part III: That Númenórean Charge

This is the third part of our three part (I, II, III) look at many of the smaller issues of historical realism in Amazon’s Rings of Power, following up our mode the major worldbuilding proble…

acoup.blog

 

[Micah Sweet]

I'll refer you to this article:

Collections: Why Rings of Power’s Middle Earth Feels Flat

This week we’re going to take a look at the worldbuilding of Amazon Studio’s Rings of Power from a historical realism perspective. I think it is no great secret that Rings of Power broa…

acoup.blog

And a few follow-ups about some comparatively minor issues:

Collections: The Nitpicks of Power, Part I: Exploding Forges

This week we’re going to return to Amazon’s Rings of Power, as promised in the first post there were a plethora of smaller believably and realism issues with in the show that I wanted t…

acoup.blog

Collections: The Nitpicks of Power, Part II: Falling Towers

This is the second part of a three part (I, II, III) look at the issue of of historical realism in Amazon’s Rings of Power, following on our more substantive discussion of the major worldbuil…

acoup.blog

Collections: The Nitpicks of Power, Part III: That Númenórean Charge

This is the third part of our three part (I, II, III) look at many of the smaller issues of historical realism in Amazon’s Rings of Power, following up our mode the major worldbuilding proble…

acoup.blog

Love this site! The writer really knows his stuff.

 

[TheSword]

The poor writing, bad casting, bad acting, embarrassing dialogue which isn't even sophomoric, lack of continuity, inconsistency of characterization, dark and indistinct cinematography, shameless insertion of memberberries/easter eggs from both the books and the Jackson movies, appropriation and repurposing of dialogue without context, lack of characters who evoke any kind of emotional investment, absence of any sense of the passage of time, excessive use of a stupid trilled "r," gaudy sets and lackluster costumes, and the over-reliance on pointless mystery boxes.

But, let's be honest - you're not going to be able to convince me that RoP possesses an iota of artistic or cinematic merit, and I'm not going to be able to convince you that the show is a steaming heap of garbage.

As to why I still watch it, despite my odium? A kind of morbid fascination, I suppose.

This is really helpful actually, because this level of hyperbole shows that your opinion is so different to there’s no point discussing things further. We’re on different planets when it comes to TV shows. Be well.

 

[ART!]

I'll refer you to this article:

Collections: Why Rings of Power’s Middle Earth Feels Flat

This week we’re going to take a look at the worldbuilding of Amazon Studio’s Rings of Power from a historical realism perspective. I think it is no great secret that Rings of Power broa…

acoup.blog

And a few follow-ups about some comparatively minor issues:

Collections: The Nitpicks of Power, Part I: Exploding Forges

This week we’re going to return to Amazon’s Rings of Power, as promised in the first post there were a plethora of smaller believably and realism issues with in the show that I wanted t…

acoup.blog

Collections: The Nitpicks of Power, Part II: Falling Towers

This is the second part of a three part (I, II, III) look at the issue of of historical realism in Amazon’s Rings of Power, following on our more substantive discussion of the major worldbuil…

acoup.blog

Collections: The Nitpicks of Power, Part III: That Númenórean Charge

This is the third part of our three part (I, II, III) look at many of the smaller issues of historical realism in Amazon’s Rings of Power, following up our mode the major worldbuilding proble…

acoup.blog

Mostly I'm just envious of the time this person seems to have on their hands.

 

[Maxperson]

As I previously said, I'm not a huge fan of the show, but I'm enjoying it (and I like season 2 better). However, I agree with you and Maxperson that it departs hugely from Tolkien. This, for me, is not a value judgement. I absolutely adore The Shining and Bladerunner and they are both movies that departs in major ways from the respective books, to the point of subverting some of the original themes.

I will agree that season 2 is much better than season 1.

 

[Sepulchrave II]

This is really helpful actually, because this level of hyperbole shows that your opinion is so different to there’s no point discussing things further. We’re on different planets when it comes to TV shows. Be well.

It's unfortunate that you feel the need to construe my comments as hyperbolic; they really aren't. They're quite heartfelt and authentic.

 

[TheSword]

1) Elendil is looking pretty good for someone who is -1519 years old.
2) The rings of power were forged over a 100 year period(SA 1500-1600), not a few months like the show is portraying.
3) Tar-Surion and Tar-Telperien were the kings of Numenor during that 100 year period, not Mirel/Pharazon who didn't take power until the year SA 3255.
4) Gil-Galad did not have the authority to order Galadriel to Valinor.
5) Galadriel not being Galadriel. She wasn't a bloodthirsty warrior. Like ever. The show is a massive misportrayal of her.
6) The Numenoreans are misportrayed as an ordinary, superstitious peoples, rather than the High Men that they were.
7) The Istari don't come to Middle Earth until around 1100 years into the third age. There are no wizards around to be in this show.
8) Elves don't need the rings of power to have the senses, visions and precognitions the series is putting forth.
9) The idiotic premise that elves need mithril to stay alive in Middle Earth.
10) They completely re-wrote Finrod's death in order to give Galadriel the need for revenge on Sauron. They didn't need to make that silly change in order for Galadriel to have a reason to oppose Annatar(Sauron).
11) Her magical powers have been stripped away from Galadriel for the series.
12) They made Galadriel a widow, except we know that she never was. She never lost her husband.
13) The turned Elrond into a beauracratic putz, rather than the accomplished, wizened leader/healer that he was at the ripe age of 1800 years.

The timeline is borked beyond repair. I'm also certain that if I rewatched season 1, I'd come up with many more glaring errors that I can't remember just now.

So these can be split into three main categories.

1. Timing issues. With the mythology spread over tens of thousands of years this was always going to need to be altered to work for a coherent story. I hope you can see that. What difference does it make if an event happened a few thousand years later when nothing relevant happens in the intervening period? I cannot see any benefit that slavishly sticking to precise timelines gives to the quality of a story? It’s lorebearding for the sake of lorebearding.

2. Character issues. You don’t like the stories they are telling because they don’t fit your image of those characters. That’s fine. But when we’re talking about characters living for thousands of years then is space for them to be more than just one thing. Tolkien’s notes and short stories are just that. Snapshots. They don’t attempt to fill a characters entire arc. The writers should be allowed to fill some gaps. Galadriel spending some time kicking ass in no way invalidates her later or earlier appearance. It’s highly remeniscint of the outrage when Arwen was given a more active role in the films. Nothing wrong with strong women.

3. Breaking the Rules. You say that Gil-Galad can’t order Galadriel to Valinor. Galadriel has to have clear magical powers. Numenoreans can’t be superstitious. Elves don’t need rings of power. Elves don’t need Mithral. The fact is these ‘rules’ are extrapolations and assumptions based again on notes, short stories or outlines that you and others have made. They’re not actual rules of the world in a logical sense. You have no idea the influence Gil-Galad could exert over Galadriel in those specific circumstances because you don’t have access to everything that has occurred in their relationship. Even where there are logical rules a big part of fiction is about the exceptions.

My biggest issue with your list though is that none of those things would make the story better. Not of those things would add greater drama, tension, narrative or satisfaction. What benefit to the story does having the rings being forged over 100 years? Or having Elendil looking decrepit? The items are useless factoids that add no value in and of themselves but are elevated to the level of dogma. As if every word Tolkein put to paper came straight from the lips of God and as if Tolkein never changed his mind.

I’m more than happy to assume that while a lot of Tolkien’s notes and scribbling make for fun myths they make for lousy stories and of course some artistic license has to be taken as it does with every story and as it had to with the film adaptions.

That said if you want to focus on the fact that your 13 points aren’t shoehorned into the plot then you’re only hurting yourself. Sometimes people have to give themselves permission to enjoy something for what it is.