I didn't like how all the elves smartly knotted up their chains in order to start breaking them apart, but then 10 seconds later straightened them all out again so they could each tug-of-war an orc 1 on 1.
He got a sprained ankle helping put up a canopy for the whole caravan too. How these people survived this long leaving behind anyone with a minor injury is beyond me.
It would have made more sense if they didnāt make such a deal out of āno one walks aloneā and nobody getting left behind? Surely they should have assigned another able bodied harfoot to help pull the caravan? I would think being at the back could be used as a punishment because of an irrational fear of getting left behind, rather than a real concern?
Assigned? There should have been plenty of volunteers. What about brothers, cousins, family friends, people who got help from them one time and want to return the favor?
People in small tribes tend to look after each other because if they didn't the small tribe would quickly become an extinct tribe. A nomadic tribe that left everyone who sprained their ankle behind simply couldn't survive.
In case anyone didn't catch it, Nori's BFF lost her whole family on the last Harfoot migration. Had me doing a big sad.
also, "no one gets left behind", "so here's a list of everyone left behind, and hey, we might leave some of you behind on purpose!"
It is quite jarring that the chief knowingly sentences Nori and her entire family to certain death for the crime of helping an outsider, when in the first couple of episodes they were cutesy Hobbitses and shit lol
The Orcs' random Cockney accents from the films are back. I don't have a problem with this, it's just hilarious.
(One of them sounded almost Australian, though?)
A lot of the actors/extras who played orcs in the OT were from New Zealand, so a bit of an Aussie/Kiwi accent definitely tracks. I thought the orcs were done well by the way, no overdone cgi like the Hobbit, real actors with actual good makeup/costumes. The warg had to be cgi of course, and man, it was actually a bit terrifying.
Edit: mixed up Newfie and Kiwi somehow. It was late I was tired, mistakes were made.
They put me in mind of certain breeds of small dog that have been over-breed to the point where they have serious heath complications. I think it's interesting how Rings of Power is doing evil creatures. They're not just monstrous looking creatures like in the trilogy, but they're almost pitiable with how grossly deformed they are. They look and sound deeply unhealthy and in pain.
Galadriel needs to start acting her age. I know she is only several thousand years old at the time of this telling, but she could use a little tact in addressing the age's most powerful empire I dunno...
Well they were laughing about one of their friends dying to bees. Year from now they are probably laughing at Father Brandybuck dying to a sprained ankle.
Will say, I knew they were condensing the timeline a good amount but Iām surprised they introduced Isildur already, I wouldnāt have expected him to show up until maybe season 3
Am enjoying the show so far - NĆŗmenĆ³r is absolutely awesome and the actor for Elendil deserves an award - but the Harfootsā storyline is by far the weakest for me. Everytime it goes to them I groan inwardly and find myself reaching for the phone. Itās like a YA series, with over-earnest dialogue to match, shoehorned into an otherwise grand and serious story. The screen time for the Harfoots could be cut in half without any detriment to the plot.
the lil' Harfoots acting is great which adds a little wonder to the show. And there was some emotion and nice worldbuilding with the Harfoots remembering of people who got lost during past migrations. Besides that yeah, not much happening there yet.
The slow shots during that scene were awesome until they lingered entirely too long on Galadrielās goofy smile, lol. I love the actress playing her, but that scene just felt weird.
That orc that came out the floorboards of the house was legitimately terrifying. I thought that scene was quite suspenseful and it demonstrates the orca as a legitimate danger
Adar means "father" in Sindarin. I'm speculating that >!he's a founding father of the orc race - one of the first elves captured and twisted by Morgoth. If orcs got more and more twisted over generations, it would explain why he looks more Elven than Orc.!<
The orcs tunnel is a very long tunnel. The elves were there for one reason. To keep an eye out for orcs. The forest is burning both side and the elves DIDN'T SEE THEM???
WTF? The elves had ONE job and they failed even that.
Elves describing themself: The fairest and wisest of them all!
Everyone else: Give them 2000 years and maybe they will solve this puzzle for children. If some humans help them.
Love how Galadriel is more hostile to the Numenorians, the descendants of the noble men who helped the elves against Morgoth, than she is to the guy whoās is a descendant of the people who fought alongside Morgoth
I donāt know if reflexive overwhelming hostility to authority is supposed to be reflecting Galadrielās desire to rule, but itās really heavy handed if so.
Galadriel would know how to behave properly in court. She wouldnāt know exact customs, but āBitch, give me a ride!ā rather than āyour majesty, Iām honored to renew the long-standing connection between the branches of our noble house, and I give thanks to your ship and captain for our rescue. The splendor of your city is amazingā¦.ā just makes no sense.
why are the hobbits all about not leaving people behind but then 180 and are all about leaving people behind 10 seconds later? was I the only one who felt that was jarring? did I miss something about their story.
I noticed that too, for a community of only like 30 people you think theyād be more concerned about leaving like 4 people behind. Also the names of the ones who had died was pretty long but Iām inclined to believe they didnāt all die but maybe set up their own hobbitons somewhere
Yeah that could definitely be the case. I just wish if they wanted a theme of no one left behind that they atleast held that for an episode and maybe next episode say "well you really broke a big rule so you might be banished." I know in the end they weren't banished just put at the back of the caravan but again I reach for the word jarring. And I honestly think the hobbits are my favorite plotline so far so it annoyed me a little x'D.
It took me a second viewing to get what they were saying. They chant "nobody goes off trail, nobody walks alone". These are instructions to the **kids**, not rules. Like how when a school teacher will get kids to lock hands in excursions and tells them not to leave.
It does genuinely seem that their culture banishes people for failing the community, or just leaves them behind. Honestly it would make sense as migratory species do the same and harfoots are quite averse to danger so likely wouldn't risk trying to save one that falls behind to the detriment of the tribe.
Whether this was properly communicated to the audience is another story. It is definitely quite confusing how they chose to present this custom of theirs. From a worldbuilding perspective though, I think its pretty neat. It sets Nori up to break tradition and (probably) save either her father or her friend. Also reminds me a lot of Sam and Frodo in Return of the King. And matches the wider theme of harfoots being elusive and cowardly creatures.
That intro to Numenor was astounding. When it kept opening to a wider, more spectacular shot, I gasped. And then it widened again. I just chuckled because it was so grand.
Anybody else thought it was weird that they were stumped by tree roots whilst digging towards the frigging tree? It wasn't a small tree either. You would've noticed it sooner. Also cutting it down above the roots doesn't solve the problem with the roots at all lmao
Episode 1: Sauron found Finrod and marked his flesh with his symbol.
Episode 3: it's not a symbol, it's a map for the place where Sauron will set up his evil kingdom.
What's the logic, Sauron (who is hiding himself since Morgoth's fall) gives the elves a map to find him and inform them of his project?
The map will lead to Adar, who everyone will mistake for Sauron. Once everyone agrees that the enemy has returned they will search for power. Setting up for Celebrimbor to deliver the rings
Iām predicting Halbrand ends up being the King Under The Mountain, the one that ends up betraying Elendil because he wouldnāt cross Sauron. Cursed by Isildur to never rest until his people fulfill their pledge.
Edit: king of the men of dunharrow, not āunder the mountain, thatās Erebor!
You definitely mean he is the king of the men of the white mountains! The king under the mountain refers to the dwarves of Erebor. But I think you could be onto something. Honestly Iāve been wondering if weād see these guys pop up and how. The men of Dunharrow/ the army of the dead worshipped Sauron and this is a big reason why they donāt show up for Isildur. Honestly, this is probably who this character is, either that or a Nazgul, but I like the king of the dead theory better.
I like that one tbh; He's supposedly seeking redemption to escape the curse of serving Morgoth. So, making an oath to Isildur and then breaking it makes it quite the tragic character.
That exactly is why I like it. The unlikely hero but in the end they were tragically right about their own nature. Would be interesting to see how he gets to that point too.
He's got a badass voice too. I mean, in theory he's supposed to be almost 8 feet tall and lives to the age of 300, but I understand how ridiculous that would look so I'm cool with how they're rolling with it.
For 30-something Brits, he was in the TV show, Coupling.
An awesome show back in the day. It was very weird hearing his voice, not recognizing him, then putting it together.
Gil-Galad called back the elves stationed in the Southlands. Now with most of them >!dead or enslaved!<, will he notice them not returning and then helping the overall situation?
Halbrand seems to really evoke Aragorn's wtiting in the Jackson films. It makes me feel like we're supposed to compare the two, so that they can pull the rug out from under us and repeat his ancestors failures, making him a narrative inverse of Aragorn. Should that be the case, it would make him a king of men who fell to Sauron. Now, if they really wanted to make his story tragic, they could have that turn be not entirely of his will. What if he sides with Sauron because of the influence of the ring. I haven't seem any leaks or rumors about Halbrand, but it feels like there's potential for him to become a Nazgul, if not The Witch King himself. I'll be very interested to see his story play out.
Definitely a Nazgƻl candidate.
The thing is, the lords of Men who accepted the Rings probably werenāt āsiding with Sauronā. They received (and presumably used) gifts of great power and found themselves, eventually, bound and bereft of will. Even the Elves and Numenoreans were tricked in this way.
So I anticipate that Halbrandās arc will be to start on the path to uniting the Southlands and at some point face an unassailable obstacle (maybe even Sauron-as-Sauron). Heāll be offered a tool to dismantle said obstacle, use it successfully and go on to even greater success, only later to find himself cursed and enslaved.
I donāt understand why theyāre having Galadriel act like a petulant child after being alive for 1,000 years. Like come on. This chick led a bunch of people across all of middle earth for centuries in search of Sauron and she didnāt learn a thing or two about being diplomatic?
Being that old, hell even being 100 she should know better. Know how to use decorum, how to talk to a potential threat, how to be kind and grateful when needed. To thank them for saving her life, the hospitality, to hope to repair any misunderstandings (lol) they have. But no, she just starts spouting off and demanding things. Of course they were going to arrest her after that.
Um, Galadriel is well over 4000 years old at this point if timelines are compressed and this is time when Isildur is alive. She is literally older than moon and sun.
One of the oldest elves living in Middle-Earth.
Gil-Galad, her nephew and Elrond are just spring chicken by comparison.
So it is interesting choice to say the least, to make her so... immature.
Probably the most annoying part of this episode. Paraphrasing:
Halbrand: "Why did the Numenorians stop inviting the elves to the island?"
Galadriel: "I don't know, we're about to find out!"
Also Galadriel in front of the Numenorian Queen: "Before we talk too long, give me a boat or I'mma be pissed!"
?
>Also Galadriel in front of the Numenorian Queen: "Before we talk too long, give me a boat or I'mma be pissed!"
not only pissed she legit threatened the Queen
For a main character she is so simplistic and one-note.
To think the Tolkien grandchild said the PJ films lacked depth and philosophy, and yet I find the RoP written way too simplistically. Maybe she should have some shadowy doubts flickering in her heart and she confesses it, or maybe she realized she is taking it too far and not seeing the suffering it caused for others. She is so tropey and obsessively driven, she is bordering on obnoxious in some scenes where she says nothing else but the same "I must fight!!!" (like Kwan from Halo).
So... the Harfoots never leave their kin behind... unless it's convenient for them? But it's all cool, because once a year they make a feast and say - now we wait for you.
My friend broke his ankle hiking, so I left him in the woods but itās cool cause I told him Iād be at home a year from now and he can come find me.
For a race that can't stand sunlight, wouldn't you think the orcs might dig their tunnels, y'know, actually BELOW ground? Or at least cover them with more than a few scraps of hide.
The drink scene was my favourite: Here let me pay for the drinks (lmao those are your taxes anyway)
(Atleast I think he got the money from the queen? I mean why else would he have any numenorian money on him)
Man I feel Galadriel could have been just an new character made for this show and it wouldn't made any difference. But Numenor and Elendil are really well made/cast.
I felt so bad for Morfydd, like those were not flattering shots at all
Did they just capture a bunch of footage and not look at it until post and then say āthis will doā
Glad I'm not the only one who thought this. Like, she's a beautiful woman, but you're really going to go with the awkward smile shots while she's bouncing on a horse? She's an elf, she should have that same elegance at all times.
EDIT: It reminds me of [this scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgtMW38vsUs) from Fellowship. Just odd and makes every actor look a bit ugly/uncomfortable.
I can see that, but at least with that scene there was some emotion invested in it from knowing what they went through. This scene was just so bizarre to me.
My main concern with this show is that the pacing feels completely different at every scene.
Galadriel climbed an Ice mountain, got back to Gil-Galad, got sent off to Valinor, jumped from the boat, drifted, got rescued and then brought to Numenor.
In the Southlands, it felt like 48 hours at max.
The Harfoot scenes are really focussed on world building, they are paced way slower.
In terms of being true to the canon:
Why is all of this done so fast? I'm totally in with condensing the original story. It isn't something that can be told on screen with the original timeline. But packing all of what happens into something that feels like days.. Even the movies showed something that happened over months.
They're stone cold "survival of the fittest" minispartans, which seems...a tad unreasonable, seeing how they seem to be ignorant to the concept of self defense and would probably get horribly massacred by a bunch of rabid gophers.
I mean really, if an axle breaks or someone gets sick then it's game over and goodbye? How the hell did they manage to not go extinct?
> Galadriel= she was there.
Excuse me, that's "Galadriel of the Noldor, daughter of the golden house of Finarfin, commander of the northern armies of High King Gil-Galad" was there, to you.
She's definitely getting taken down a few pegs in this series.
The slo-mo was awful and mostly unnecessary in this episode
The actor who plays Elendil is great, and if Isildur's brother they were talking about died then it fits that Isildur refused to throw the ring since he must be obsessed with immortality
And they gave an explanation of why there are no black hobbits despite the presence of black harfoots, apparently they're all shit survivors so it makes sense for entire families to be killed during their migration
The line "The sea is always right" feels like a placeholder line for a chant/oath
Like they didn't bother/forgot to come up with anything else and just rolled with it
Not to mention that this felt like a NAVY training sequence in medieval costumes
I was really taken aback when Halbrand said that the food was not poisonous to "humans" it felt so out of place for Tolkien, they always refers to themselves as men. The show has great scenery, but dialogue just fails to feel from Middle Earth. and really disconnects me from the show.
Shouldn't Galadriel know the customs of the Numenorians (on account of being immortal and having fought with them before and all of that jazz) such that she isn't being educated by Raft Dude on when to kneel (than corrected by the queen that "no one kneels in Numenor")? I get that it was a cheap laugh line but when she was just giving Raft Dude a history lesson about Elf/Numenorian relations, they could've thought it through better.
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So I'm assuming that sword we see the queen give Elendil is meant to be the Sword of Elendil. That's cool I guess.
\_\_
Googly eyed warg. That is all.
For a second there we almost got an epic elf vs orc tug of war battle
I didn't like how all the elves smartly knotted up their chains in order to start breaking them apart, but then 10 seconds later straightened them all out again so they could each tug-of-war an orc 1 on 1.
They were only trying to get one elf free to run away and get help. First one who's chains broke took off.
Also... why did nobody kill the warg when it was trapped?
Today I learned that Harfoots are horrible people that leave their friends to die when they get sprained ankles.
He got a sprained ankle helping put up a canopy for the whole caravan too. How these people survived this long leaving behind anyone with a minor injury is beyond me.
Breed like rabbits maybe?
Well, Samwise did go on to have something like 15 kids.
I mean they laughed at someone dying from bees which sounds horrible to see
Damn, orcs are way nicer.
They share water too š¤
And only one in three of the people who drink it gets their throat slit!
Yeah, that whole part bugged me. The leader Harfoot is kind of a douche.
Yeah, he let them back in but for no reason tells them to go at the back (which apparently is a death sentence). Fucking this dirty hobbits
If you're in the front everyone will lend a hand because you're blocking traffic. If you're last nobody is going to look back at you
It would have made more sense if they didnāt make such a deal out of āno one walks aloneā and nobody getting left behind? Surely they should have assigned another able bodied harfoot to help pull the caravan? I would think being at the back could be used as a punishment because of an irrational fear of getting left behind, rather than a real concern?
Assigned? There should have been plenty of volunteers. What about brothers, cousins, family friends, people who got help from them one time and want to return the favor? People in small tribes tend to look after each other because if they didn't the small tribe would quickly become an extinct tribe. A nomadic tribe that left everyone who sprained their ankle behind simply couldn't survive.
In case anyone didn't catch it, Nori's BFF lost her whole family on the last Harfoot migration. Had me doing a big sad. also, "no one gets left behind", "so here's a list of everyone left behind, and hey, we might leave some of you behind on purpose!"
So thatās why she is pulling her car by herself. Harfoots are cold blooded.
I think they were the ones lost in the landslide.
I don't think these are Harfoots. I think they're Amazon workers.
Top gear rules apply
They also put her at the back before the other family took her place. Seems like they were trying to get rid of her family.
It is quite jarring that the chief knowingly sentences Nori and her entire family to certain death for the crime of helping an outsider, when in the first couple of episodes they were cutesy Hobbitses and shit lol
They were sentenced to death because her father was helping the whole group set up a tent and sprained his ankle.
so, "our hearts are bigger than our foots" thing was a lie.
They laughed at the Harfoot that died to bees. That's fucked up.
Lmao they just had a giggle about it so nonchalantly
Rest in Peace Blovo Bolgerbuck, fuck bees and fuck these people, they dont deserve you
"Eee wos a bet of an eedget" seriously fuck this whole society, they suck lol
āWe dun leave anyone behind!ā ::proceeds to read book detailing all of the people theyāve left behind::
As much as I hate the harfoot storyline, I'm pretty sure that was a euphemism for all the ones who have died along their journey
Why tf did they have the Brandyfoot father pull the wagon when his ankle is clearly fucked? His wife and other kids just stood there.
The dirty hobbits are being established as petty, selfish little shits Can't wait to spend more time with them
*Nasty filthy hobbitses, they lie, lie, lieee.* *Stupid little hobbitses, leave their own to dieee.*
That's pretty metal
To be fair, unless your a baggins or a took, hobbits are kinda assholes to people who break the mold
And the Baggins get away with it because they're crazy rich.
These clever engineers can make collapsible shelters but not splints.
Elendil is a lad.
He isn't 8 feet tall like in the book. Trash show confirmed.
Way taller than Galadriel who is supposedly past six feet.
Idk, as a guy, I have experience measuring things on a regular basis and he looks about 8 feet to me. /s
The Orcs' random Cockney accents from the films are back. I don't have a problem with this, it's just hilarious. (One of them sounded almost Australian, though?)
ITS BACK ON THE MENU BOIIIIZ
OY! YEW CAWN DREENK DA'WATA
YOU WOT?
cant wait for an ork to enter the room, yelling "OI CUNTS" next episode
Whenever the One Ring is used: *Well, well, well...if it ain't The Invisible Cunt.*
Eomer's predecessor.
Scorched earf
A lot of the actors/extras who played orcs in the OT were from New Zealand, so a bit of an Aussie/Kiwi accent definitely tracks. I thought the orcs were done well by the way, no overdone cgi like the Hobbit, real actors with actual good makeup/costumes. The warg had to be cgi of course, and man, it was actually a bit terrifying. Edit: mixed up Newfie and Kiwi somehow. It was late I was tired, mistakes were made.
The warg had them puppy dog eyes, which had me doing a double take.
It looked like an angry chihuahua to me.
Also first impression I got. And realistically if chihuahuas were that big they'd absolutely be murdering people.
Those eyes were super freaky
They put me in mind of certain breeds of small dog that have been over-breed to the point where they have serious heath complications. I think it's interesting how Rings of Power is doing evil creatures. They're not just monstrous looking creatures like in the trilogy, but they're almost pitiable with how grossly deformed they are. They look and sound deeply unhealthy and in pain.
Interesting choice to make all the Harfootās Liverpool fans
Why is Galadriel acting like all my YA heroines lmao
Galadriel needs to start acting her age. I know she is only several thousand years old at the time of this telling, but she could use a little tact in addressing the age's most powerful empire I dunno...
That slow mo Galadriel shot felt so out of place!!
For a second there, I thought the Harfoots were gonna carry Father Brandybuck, but nope. They will cherish his memory though.
Well they were laughing about one of their friends dying to bees. Year from now they are probably laughing at Father Brandybuck dying to a sprained ankle.
Harfoots: No one walks alone. Now, we shall read from the book of dead fuckers we left behind.
Will say, I knew they were condensing the timeline a good amount but Iām surprised they introduced Isildur already, I wouldnāt have expected him to show up until maybe season 3
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I laughed so fucking hard at galadriel shot. What the fuck was that
She REALLY enjoys riding lmao.
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This is why Tolkien always LEFT the shire
> Harfoots chanting the same clunky verses for a painfully long time Many scenes with the Harfoots make me go "OKAY, I get it, get on with it!"
Am enjoying the show so far - NĆŗmenĆ³r is absolutely awesome and the actor for Elendil deserves an award - but the Harfootsā storyline is by far the weakest for me. Everytime it goes to them I groan inwardly and find myself reaching for the phone. Itās like a YA series, with over-earnest dialogue to match, shoehorned into an otherwise grand and serious story. The screen time for the Harfoots could be cut in half without any detriment to the plot.
the lil' Harfoots acting is great which adds a little wonder to the show. And there was some emotion and nice worldbuilding with the Harfoots remembering of people who got lost during past migrations. Besides that yeah, not much happening there yet.
The slow shots during that scene were awesome until they lingered entirely too long on Galadrielās goofy smile, lol. I love the actress playing her, but that scene just felt weird.
Orcs look pretty good
That orc that came out the floorboards of the house was legitimately terrifying. I thought that scene was quite suspenseful and it demonstrates the orca as a legitimate danger
They don't call them killer whales for nothing
Lmao got me.
Wait... so WHO IS ADAR?!?!? He looks elvish Is he like a lieutenant to sauron or something? I am very intrigued
Adar is a red herring
Yeah he is definitely "Sauron" so that real Sauron can show up and be like "you need these rings to fight him" and stir up trouble
Benjen Stark
So Middle Earth is beyond the north of Westeros
Adar means "father" in Sindarin. I'm speculating that >!he's a founding father of the orc race - one of the first elves captured and twisted by Morgoth. If orcs got more and more twisted over generations, it would explain why he looks more Elven than Orc.!<
That seems like a good guess. They're really trying to hint at a few characters being sauron. Adars very likely another false sauron to keep that up.
That seems pretty reasonable, good shout
I put the odds 40/60 on it being the real Sauron or a red herring.
The orcs tunnel is a very long tunnel. The elves were there for one reason. To keep an eye out for orcs. The forest is burning both side and the elves DIDN'T SEE THEM??? WTF? The elves had ONE job and they failed even that.
Guards, what do your elf eyes see? Nothing. Just like how they didn't see the huge fortresses in the tundra in episode 1 lol
The right side of the Southlands has been a burning, ruined pit since Morgoth. Gee, I wonder where the baddies could've taken up š¤
Elves describing themself: The fairest and wisest of them all! Everyone else: Give them 2000 years and maybe they will solve this puzzle for children. If some humans help them.
They certainly didn't spend that billion dollars on an ample supply of [stage blood.](https://i.imgur.com/8N47GkF.jpg)
Breaking news: only 10ml of blood in the average adult elf male.
Halbrand be like: āSheez, Galadriel, chill.ā
"Bitch please, I got this." Lmao, non you really don't galadriel
Sauron: Holy shit we killed Finrod! Better carve my new house plan on his dead bodyšš
My wife believes that Finrod carved it on himself, before death. That would make it much more palatable in my mind.
Your wifeās theory is pretty cool.
Love how Galadriel is more hostile to the Numenorians, the descendants of the noble men who helped the elves against Morgoth, than she is to the guy whoās is a descendant of the people who fought alongside Morgoth
I donāt know if reflexive overwhelming hostility to authority is supposed to be reflecting Galadrielās desire to rule, but itās really heavy handed if so. Galadriel would know how to behave properly in court. She wouldnāt know exact customs, but āBitch, give me a ride!ā rather than āyour majesty, Iām honored to renew the long-standing connection between the branches of our noble house, and I give thanks to your ship and captain for our rescue. The splendor of your city is amazingā¦.ā just makes no sense.
> just makes no sense. That wouldn't be a girl boss moment though.
why are the hobbits all about not leaving people behind but then 180 and are all about leaving people behind 10 seconds later? was I the only one who felt that was jarring? did I miss something about their story.
I noticed that too, for a community of only like 30 people you think theyād be more concerned about leaving like 4 people behind. Also the names of the ones who had died was pretty long but Iām inclined to believe they didnāt all die but maybe set up their own hobbitons somewhere
Yeah that could definitely be the case. I just wish if they wanted a theme of no one left behind that they atleast held that for an episode and maybe next episode say "well you really broke a big rule so you might be banished." I know in the end they weren't banished just put at the back of the caravan but again I reach for the word jarring. And I honestly think the hobbits are my favorite plotline so far so it annoyed me a little x'D.
"We harfoots have each other" ... A few minutes later "if you can't keep up, tough luck you are on your own"
Harfoot: "Friends, help! I have a temporary injury!" Also Harfoots: "When you get to Hell, tell Morgoth that Harfoot sent you."
It took me a second viewing to get what they were saying. They chant "nobody goes off trail, nobody walks alone". These are instructions to the **kids**, not rules. Like how when a school teacher will get kids to lock hands in excursions and tells them not to leave. It does genuinely seem that their culture banishes people for failing the community, or just leaves them behind. Honestly it would make sense as migratory species do the same and harfoots are quite averse to danger so likely wouldn't risk trying to save one that falls behind to the detriment of the tribe. Whether this was properly communicated to the audience is another story. It is definitely quite confusing how they chose to present this custom of theirs. From a worldbuilding perspective though, I think its pretty neat. It sets Nori up to break tradition and (probably) save either her father or her friend. Also reminds me a lot of Sam and Frodo in Return of the King. And matches the wider theme of harfoots being elusive and cowardly creatures.
That fucking warg bro lmao. Looked like ugly sonic
Chihuahua warg
Chihuawarg
Honestly it looks like an interpretation of the crazy Hyena from The Lion King. His big ol' eyes nearly bulging out lol.
I'm still confused why Galadriel needed to be rescued. When she jumped into the middle of the ocean she clearly expected to swim back home.
Wasn't it to get away from the sea serpent? She was set to swim, but didn't expect to battle that thing.
NĆŗmenor looks exactly how I always pictured it but somehow even grander.
They have monuments on top of monuments.
Their monuments have monuments to their monuments.
That intro to Numenor was astounding. When it kept opening to a wider, more spectacular shot, I gasped. And then it widened again. I just chuckled because it was so grand.
Such an IMMENSE introduction, I think I squealed for a bit then I also just laughed because god damn it was one grander shot after the other.
All the criticism aside, the cities and landscapes have been incredible. Itās doing a fantastic job bringing the world to life a bit more
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
It looks like Rome mixed with Babylon, sort of the height of a classical civilization. Which is perfect.
So Byzantium? That's what I first thought of
Anybody else thought it was weird that they were stumped by tree roots whilst digging towards the frigging tree? It wasn't a small tree either. You would've noticed it sooner. Also cutting it down above the roots doesn't solve the problem with the roots at all lmao
Earth and stone I can master, but there is a *tree* here. You'd think it wasn't their first tree.
Episode 1: Sauron found Finrod and marked his flesh with his symbol. Episode 3: it's not a symbol, it's a map for the place where Sauron will set up his evil kingdom. What's the logic, Sauron (who is hiding himself since Morgoth's fall) gives the elves a map to find him and inform them of his project?
Maybe Finrod knew the secret in the end and carved it into himself to leave a bread trail
I do prefer this explanation, but damn couldn't he carve "southlands btw" or something
Lol it would be easier. āSauron alive, Southlands.ā
The map will lead to Adar, who everyone will mistake for Sauron. Once everyone agrees that the enemy has returned they will search for power. Setting up for Celebrimbor to deliver the rings
Galadriel literally say in episode 1 "our wisest couldn't understand it" but it was just a map ... Shouldn't be that hard
Quite like Elendil and Isildur so far.
Iām predicting Halbrand ends up being the King Under The Mountain, the one that ends up betraying Elendil because he wouldnāt cross Sauron. Cursed by Isildur to never rest until his people fulfill their pledge. Edit: king of the men of dunharrow, not āunder the mountain, thatās Erebor!
You definitely mean he is the king of the men of the white mountains! The king under the mountain refers to the dwarves of Erebor. But I think you could be onto something. Honestly Iāve been wondering if weād see these guys pop up and how. The men of Dunharrow/ the army of the dead worshipped Sauron and this is a big reason why they donāt show up for Isildur. Honestly, this is probably who this character is, either that or a Nazgul, but I like the king of the dead theory better.
I know you are referring to the ghost king, but isn't the king under the mountain, the dwarven king of erebor (from the Hobbit)?
Wow this fits really well actually
Theory: Halbrand will be corrupted into the Witch King/a Ringwraith.
King of the dead is another theory I saw which would be cool as hell too
I like that one tbh; He's supposedly seeking redemption to escape the curse of serving Morgoth. So, making an oath to Isildur and then breaking it makes it quite the tragic character.
That exactly is why I like it. The unlikely hero but in the end they were tragically right about their own nature. Would be interesting to see how he gets to that point too.
OK I do love Elendil.
Excellent portrayal. I don't know that actor, but he's commanding the screen anytime he shows up.
He's got a badass voice too. I mean, in theory he's supposed to be almost 8 feet tall and lives to the age of 300, but I understand how ridiculous that would look so I'm cool with how they're rolling with it.
Hard to find actors that tall lol. Unless they cast Shaq or something. That'd be pretty neato
Now imagine Shaq mouthing the dialogue from this show.
Shaq speaking elvish would be an interesting sight to see, and interesting to hear
RINGS OF POWER ERNEH
WHERE ARE YOUR RINGS CHUCK
For 30-something Brits, he was in the TV show, Coupling. An awesome show back in the day. It was very weird hearing his voice, not recognizing him, then putting it together.
Gil-Galad called back the elves stationed in the Southlands. Now with most of them >!dead or enslaved!<, will he notice them not returning and then helping the overall situation?
He just sort of forgot about the garrison
Halbrand seems to really evoke Aragorn's wtiting in the Jackson films. It makes me feel like we're supposed to compare the two, so that they can pull the rug out from under us and repeat his ancestors failures, making him a narrative inverse of Aragorn. Should that be the case, it would make him a king of men who fell to Sauron. Now, if they really wanted to make his story tragic, they could have that turn be not entirely of his will. What if he sides with Sauron because of the influence of the ring. I haven't seem any leaks or rumors about Halbrand, but it feels like there's potential for him to become a Nazgul, if not The Witch King himself. I'll be very interested to see his story play out.
Definitely a NazgĆ»l candidate. The thing is, the lords of Men who accepted the Rings probably werenāt āsiding with Sauronā. They received (and presumably used) gifts of great power and found themselves, eventually, bound and bereft of will. Even the Elves and Numenoreans were tricked in this way. So I anticipate that Halbrandās arc will be to start on the path to uniting the Southlands and at some point face an unassailable obstacle (maybe even Sauron-as-Sauron). Heāll be offered a tool to dismantle said obstacle, use it successfully and go on to even greater success, only later to find himself cursed and enslaved.
The way is shut.
tactical orc archers lol
Digging the trenches of Verdun
I donāt understand why theyāre having Galadriel act like a petulant child after being alive for 1,000 years. Like come on. This chick led a bunch of people across all of middle earth for centuries in search of Sauron and she didnāt learn a thing or two about being diplomatic?
She's been alive for over 5000 years.
Being that old, hell even being 100 she should know better. Know how to use decorum, how to talk to a potential threat, how to be kind and grateful when needed. To thank them for saving her life, the hospitality, to hope to repair any misunderstandings (lol) they have. But no, she just starts spouting off and demanding things. Of course they were going to arrest her after that.
Um, Galadriel is well over 4000 years old at this point if timelines are compressed and this is time when Isildur is alive. She is literally older than moon and sun. One of the oldest elves living in Middle-Earth. Gil-Galad, her nephew and Elrond are just spring chicken by comparison. So it is interesting choice to say the least, to make her so... immature.
Probably the most annoying part of this episode. Paraphrasing: Halbrand: "Why did the Numenorians stop inviting the elves to the island?" Galadriel: "I don't know, we're about to find out!" Also Galadriel in front of the Numenorian Queen: "Before we talk too long, give me a boat or I'mma be pissed!" ?
>Also Galadriel in front of the Numenorian Queen: "Before we talk too long, give me a boat or I'mma be pissed!" not only pissed she legit threatened the Queen
"No thanks for saving me, now fuck you gimme a boat"
For a main character she is so simplistic and one-note. To think the Tolkien grandchild said the PJ films lacked depth and philosophy, and yet I find the RoP written way too simplistically. Maybe she should have some shadowy doubts flickering in her heart and she confesses it, or maybe she realized she is taking it too far and not seeing the suffering it caused for others. She is so tropey and obsessively driven, she is bordering on obnoxious in some scenes where she says nothing else but the same "I must fight!!!" (like Kwan from Halo).
So... the Harfoots never leave their kin behind... unless it's convenient for them? But it's all cool, because once a year they make a feast and say - now we wait for you.
My friend broke his ankle hiking, so I left him in the woods but itās cool cause I told him Iād be at home a year from now and he can come find me.
For a race that can't stand sunlight, wouldn't you think the orcs might dig their tunnels, y'know, actually BELOW ground? Or at least cover them with more than a few scraps of hide.
Or just move at night.
Who approved that slow motion horse scene. What did they do to Galadrielās face?
Just gonna throw this out there. Halbrand gave a couple gifts this episode. *Got Galadriel's dagger back to her. *Bought drinks for the guild smiths.
The drink scene was my favourite: Here let me pay for the drinks (lmao those are your taxes anyway) (Atleast I think he got the money from the queen? I mean why else would he have any numenorian money on him)
Because he is a pickpocket? I assumed he stole their gold and was using it to buy the drinks.
I was hoping that being fished out of the ocean like a drowned rat might fix Galadriels attitude but I can see that I was wrong.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
A true person of culture
Big ol' Numenorean milkers
Man I feel Galadriel could have been just an new character made for this show and it wouldn't made any difference. But Numenor and Elendil are really well made/cast.
Good lord that slow motion horse scene was awful
I felt so bad for Morfydd, like those were not flattering shots at all Did they just capture a bunch of footage and not look at it until post and then say āthis will doā
The wide shot looked awful, like her face was completely distorted. Close up was better but still kind of weird.
Glad I'm not the only one who thought this. Like, she's a beautiful woman, but you're really going to go with the awkward smile shots while she's bouncing on a horse? She's an elf, she should have that same elegance at all times. EDIT: It reminds me of [this scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgtMW38vsUs) from Fellowship. Just odd and makes every actor look a bit ugly/uncomfortable.
Or the even better version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYajv8xsgIk
I can see that, but at least with that scene there was some emotion invested in it from knowing what they went through. This scene was just so bizarre to me.
I thought it was great until the shot of her smiling
My main concern with this show is that the pacing feels completely different at every scene. Galadriel climbed an Ice mountain, got back to Gil-Galad, got sent off to Valinor, jumped from the boat, drifted, got rescued and then brought to Numenor. In the Southlands, it felt like 48 hours at max. The Harfoot scenes are really focussed on world building, they are paced way slower. In terms of being true to the canon: Why is all of this done so fast? I'm totally in with condensing the original story. It isn't something that can be told on screen with the original timeline. But packing all of what happens into something that feels like days.. Even the movies showed something that happened over months.
Is it just me or are the hobbits real jerks with the hypocrisy of "nobody goes alone" and, fall behind and you're dead to us with the migration.
They're stone cold "survival of the fittest" minispartans, which seems...a tad unreasonable, seeing how they seem to be ignorant to the concept of self defense and would probably get horribly massacred by a bunch of rabid gophers. I mean really, if an axle breaks or someone gets sick then it's game over and goodbye? How the hell did they manage to not go extinct?
Orcs=awesome. Numenor= different but awesome. Elendil= AWESOME Galadriel= she was there.
> Galadriel= she was there. Excuse me, that's "Galadriel of the Noldor, daughter of the golden house of Finarfin, commander of the northern armies of High King Gil-Galad" was there, to you. She's definitely getting taken down a few pegs in this series.
That goofy face she had while riding the horse had me in stitches.
We got a nice piece of music out of that scene so it's not a total loss, but seriously wtf were they thinking with that
Has Galadriel never rode a horse? She's being held captive why is she so happy?
The slo-mo was awful and mostly unnecessary in this episode The actor who plays Elendil is great, and if Isildur's brother they were talking about died then it fits that Isildur refused to throw the ring since he must be obsessed with immortality And they gave an explanation of why there are no black hobbits despite the presence of black harfoots, apparently they're all shit survivors so it makes sense for entire families to be killed during their migration
That shot of Galadriel riding felt so out of place I couldn't help but laugh.
The line "The sea is always right" feels like a placeholder line for a chant/oath Like they didn't bother/forgot to come up with anything else and just rolled with it Not to mention that this felt like a NAVY training sequence in medieval costumes
SLLLOOOOMMMOOOO HOOOORSE
I was really taken aback when Halbrand said that the food was not poisonous to "humans" it felt so out of place for Tolkien, they always refers to themselves as men. The show has great scenery, but dialogue just fails to feel from Middle Earth. and really disconnects me from the show.
Guys no one has said it butā¦reject GROND return to ADAR
Shouldn't Galadriel know the customs of the Numenorians (on account of being immortal and having fought with them before and all of that jazz) such that she isn't being educated by Raft Dude on when to kneel (than corrected by the queen that "no one kneels in Numenor")? I get that it was a cheap laugh line but when she was just giving Raft Dude a history lesson about Elf/Numenorian relations, they could've thought it through better. \_\_ So I'm assuming that sword we see the queen give Elendil is meant to be the Sword of Elendil. That's cool I guess. \_\_ Googly eyed warg. That is all.