The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power on Prime

Last ep was good would love to see more but will it get another season ?

Also watched it on my quest 3 was a. Big screen

The other thing that vexed me was that they finally said the G-word.

So, what was the thinking here. Were they not allowed to use it in the first season, and have only just negotiated its use? That would at least make sense. Or at least more sense than being able to use the name from the start, then going "hey we're going to spend the majority of two seasons teasing this thing that is plainly obvious for anyone who has half a brain".

And the way he worded it was weird too, "people will call me Gandalf". Was that written by lawyers? Like this guy may or may not actually be Gandalf, but people will call him that, and this is a loophole that will stop the Tolkien estate from suing?

Either way it's strange cap to that storyline.

Dwarves always turn up late to battles. 

So have you guys finished season 2 now? How did it compare to season 1 overall? Better, worse, or more of the same?

I thought the first season was a bit of a mess. It had some good individual moments, but it didn't really hang together and so I got bored half way through, and only went back and finished it a few months later. Every time it seemed to be getting good it undercut itself with a dumb own-goal. Didn't hate it, but didn't love it. 

I was hoping the second season would be a big step up, as it seemed to have potential. If the second season is more of the same then that's disappointing.

Yeah, the politics of that island nation are very weird to me. They're meant to be this powerful, advanced nation, but everything looked like it was based entirely on superstition, and a credulous populace barely smarter than the angry mobs on The Simpsons or South Park.

The queen's in power, but people see a giant bird, so that means transparently evil Jack Black* gets a shot! Ohhhh, but then she's tested by the giant fish thing and survives that, so everyone is back on her side again. But it was a trick, her and the fish were in cahoots! So Jack Black is back in the driver's seat!

Which isn't necessarily unrealistic or anything; plenty of dysfunctional states exist in the real world. But it happens in such quick succession, over such a short time, that I've nfi how anyone in this place ever gets anything done.

* I know it's not Jack Black, but I can't remember his real name, and he looks like Jack Black

Boy. He really wants to see Galadriel’s ring.

From this season the start of the final episode had probably the best shot so far in full slow motion glory. The Hobbits seemed overly wiggy this time around and the alliances seem all over the place. Elf King Neil Oliver had something to do this time other than moan about the tree and give out quests and dark elf Ross Noble marched through the forest a ton.

I think my problem with it is there’s no real sense of menace. Sauron flips back and forth so much it feels like one of Those relationships and everyone goes from mates to enemies to mates so much it’s daft.

Here's where I am at.. I appreciate Tolkien for laying the groundwork of the kind of fantasy I enjoy. I think Peter Jackson did a great job of bringing that to mainstream blockbuster effort (old enough to remember screen fantasy before LoTR movies). But I don't take this too seriously. They can do what they like with the adaptation as long as the result is entertaining and gives us more material to explore.

So I enjoyed S2 more than 1 and thought they did more of what I like and less of what I don't. Culture of the Dwarfs & Orcs were interesting, the elves continue to be boring and men flip flop. Sauron's schemes are the highlight and seeing how the rings are central to his manipulation. Production value is great even if it may be not be good value for money.  

What fails for me is the writing and not the authenticity of it but the mistakes that any TV show shouldn't be making regardless of source. Ideas that just don't hold up Scenes that appear to fill a a quota with shallow mystery and drama. Dialogue that needs a second pass and delivery of those lines that may need workshopping if the actors can't do anything with it. This all seems to be some of the cheapest stuff to fix pen and paper being what they are. 

It's getting better and I hope they get the chance to improve before the end. Someone needs to get in there at storyboarding stage and say this doesn't hold up. I don't want to go into to detail on every story but they all have some sort of false drama or out of character betrayal. All the while you have a manipulative demi-god in the centre who could be pulling all these strings but the show doesn't give enough credit too.

Maybe its just not clever enough and if you watch it quick and don't think about it, its a fun ride and I like fun expensive fantasy rides. I'm not sure the rest of internet does.     

Like most I feel S2 was an improvement but it's still got the scale all wrong!

Wide panning shot of Numenor, oooooh it's impressive, cut to the market/temple/throne room and it feels like a set of Hercules or Xena.

Fishing/Logging village with that boy who had the sword key. Six huts and a wharf.

Flee elves flee from the mighty realm of Eregion! Population 76.

That's alongside all the weird issues such as getting a sword through the chest = flesh wound, Dwarves that can't leave because....? A Balrog that is thwarted by a rock slide? Sauron being unable to climb down a ledge. A dark wizard confrontation that made zero sense.

With three seasons to go, I wonder if Sauron's three main defeats of the the second age comprise the climax of each season:

3) Corruption of human kings by the nine rings. Eventually Sauron's almost successful conquest of Middle Earth is brought to a crashing halt by the arrival of the mightiest fleet Numenor has ever created. Sauron taken in chains back to Numenor.

4) Sauron's corruption of Numenor turns them fully against the Valar. Big Atlantis moments and Sauron loses his 'fair' form forever in the cataclysm. I wonder if they bring in third age shenanigans with the Witch lord (leader of the ring wraiths) causing trouble in Middle Earth, so as to keep that part of the world relevant.

5) Sauron creates his ring and prepares Mordor for war now Numenor is out of the picture.This results in the final alliance of Elves and Men against the resurgent might of Sauron and all the other stuff that leads directly into the Lord of the Rings films.

Looking forward to seeing how wrong I probably am!

Agreed, best story line was Celebrimbor and Annatar. In S1 or S2 they should have shown Numenor as friend of the Elves and explorers to the east, so set up the gradual corruption, skipping straight to the end doesn't show the decline. Build up by showing impact on each race per season with the series ending up the final battle where Isuldir cuts the ring from Sauron's finger

They've kind of undermined that by setting Numenor up as not very pure or special from the beginning.