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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dire Bare" data-source="post: 9475239" data-attributes="member: 18182">Okay. Shrug.Seems a bit strong to label him as a "shameless shill", just because you disagree with his approach. This is what bothers me about fandom at times, seemingly incessant, toxic negativity. It's not enough to simply disagree or dislike, but some feel the need to denigrate the work and personality of others. It's tiresome.I am not familiar with Olsen's podcast and have no opinion on how much of a Tolkien expert he is or on how he approaches adapting Tolkien's works. But this specific idea, that there is no Middle-Earth canon, I agree with. It's not unique to Olsen by any stretch. On an aside . . . I'm prepping for a LotR 5E game right now and I'm reading through the core book, which addresses this exact issue and comes down on the "there isn't really canon" side of that argument. Not that this should change your mind, but I found it interesting.For me . . . when someone is adapting a beloved property to a new medium, like Rings of Power is adapting Tolkien's legendarium, rigidly adhering to "canon" or "lore" isn't important to me. Again, it's an adaptation. It is important to capture the spirit and tone of the original work, which can be difficult, but not the details of canon. Especially when that canon is inconsistent, was constantly revised by the author, and which Tolkien never actually meant to publish. Everything past "The Hobbit" and "Lord of the Rings" is Tolkien's son publishing his father's (rather extensive) notes.The showrunners of Rings of Power not only have a license, they are working with representatives of Tolkien's estate to try and do just that, produce an adaptation. They can't get JRR's blessing, since he's dead. They can't get his son Christopher's blessing, he's dead too. But they are working with members of the family.How well are they succeeding at adapting Tolkien's notes on Middle-Earth? That's subjective of course, many are enjoying the hell out of the show, others are not. It doesn't bother me if some fans don't care for the show and have specific things they would have done differently. But I just can't take seriously the complaint that the show is straying to far from "canon" or "lore".Personally, while I do find the first two seasons weak in a few areas, overall I'm really enjoying the series and can't wait for seasons 3-5. But . . . I'm also really enjoying Amazon's "Wheel of Time" adaptation, another show with cranky fans complaining about adherence to canon . . . .</blockquote>

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