[+] The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power - SPOILERS ALLOWED

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Remember, folks, it's two episodes in of an eight-episode season that is, itself, the first of eight seasons. We haven't seen the full version of these characters yet, especially since they've had so many characters and places to introduce.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

‘Her pride was unwilling to return, a defeated suppliant for pardon; but now she burned with desire to follow Fëanor with her anger to whatever lands he might come, and to thwart him in all ways that she could.

Pride still moved her when, at the end of the Elder Days after the final overthrow of Morgoth, she refused the pardon of the Valar for all who had fought against him, and remained in Middle-earth. It was not until two long ages more had passed, when at last all that she had desired in her youth came to her hand, the Ring of Power and the dominion of Middle-earth of which she had dreamed, that her wisdom was full grown and she rejected it, and passing the last test departed from Middle-earth for ever.”

Sounds like a passionate person.

book fans who are insisting that the books that largely no one has read must be adhered to?

LOL wut.

One of the most widely read works of fiction ever, but largely no one has read it.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

The problem with Galadriel's character in this show isn't that she's depicted as a warrior. As has been noted, Tolkien's writings have many references to Galadriel directly taking part in armed conflicts, most notably that she defended the Teleri and their ships at the First Kinslaying.

That's because at the time writing the idea that a woman could be a warrior was radical and out there - when Tolkien was born women where considered the property of their male relative, and he was 26 before (some) women got the right to vote in the UK. Hence, Dernhelm is Eowyn and can kill the Witch King because she is no man is treated as a big surprise in the book, and was intended as a radical pro-feminist statement. For a modern audience this is obvious, and in the movie Peter Jackson doesn't try to conceal "Dernhelm's" identity.

Now, they could have gone with the "full caster" approach, but Galadriel killing the ice troll with Guiding Bolts would have made for a very different, much more high magic tone. Tolkien's view was magic is subtle. And subtle doesn't work well on TV and film. Which is why the scene in the Extended Edition were Saruman casts fireball is so bad.

So yes, they made changes in Galadriel, but they were necessary, given the different time and the different medium.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Nah, it’s as far from tedious as you can get without reading an action comic book.

The pacing of LotR is slow, but I would consider a strength, not a weakness. The characters do stop to smell the flowers, and in the process remind everyone why Middle Earth is worth saving.

But I can understand why it frustrates some readers who just want to get on with fighting orcs.

 

[Hussar]

I do wish that Amazon would take a Disney on this. Declare everything non-canon and go from there.

Of course the hue and cry would be doubly deafening but at least we wouldn’t have to listen to people talk about books no one has read or even slightly cares about.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Isildur isn't born for another 1500 years or so.

He's in the cast.

Slavish adherence to the source material does not make for good TV.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

This would be a new ability. Maia were spirits who could put on flesh bodies like clothing. It wasn't really shapechanging and they couldn't do objects.

Tolkien doesn't define "rules" for magic or explains how it works. That is why it's magic. So he never says "can't do objects". The only rule was that after the fall of Numenor Sauron could never again "take on fair form". But if it was as easy as changing clothes, Gandalf could have escaped from Orthanc by changing himself into an eagle.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I do wish that Amazon would take a Disney on this. Declare everything non-canon and go from there.

There is no such thing as "canon". There are the books, and then there are things based on the books. When you adapt something to a different medium you make changes. It used to be people understood this. No one is saying "this is the true version, and your version is wrong".

 

[Bagpuss]

LOL wut.

One of the most widely read works of fiction ever, but largely no one has read it.

LotR might be but I'm not sure how many people actually read the appendices, The Silmarillion (which they can't use but can't contradict?) or his other works. Or for that matter how many people just own a copy but never really read it.

The TV show also needs a much wider audience than people that the read books.

 

[reelo]

This would be a new ability. Maia were spirits who could put on flesh bodies like clothing. It wasn't really shapechanging and they couldn't do objects.

Actually, in the Lay of Beren and Lúthien, while Sauron rules over Tol-in-Gauroth where he has Beren and Finrod imprisoned, during the battle with Huan he shapechanges into a wolf and into a giant bat subsequently. Granted, those are not "objects", but still that's shapechanging nonetheless.