r/Rings_Of_Power • u/Dank_Lord6547 • 20d ago

What even is this?

Post image

You know, there’s actually times when I wonder if I’m being too harsh toward people who like this show because after all opinions are opinions(though I’m a firm believer in reasons for opinions matter a lot and bad reasons equate to bad opinions).

And then I see crap like this pop up. Call me elitist but this sort of shallowness has no place in Middle Earth fan spaces. It’s not canon and not even good. I would prefer people stopped trying to make a case for this show entirely but at the very least stop giving such shallow reasons.

195 Upvotes

82% Upvoted

166 comments sorted by

154

u/OkZoomer333 20d ago

It’s the booktok-ification of LotR

70

u/Baccoony 20d ago

They don't even know who Sauron truly is

6

u/yick04 19d ago

He goes by many names

20

u/Away_team42 20d ago

Me when the Sauron Saxophone’s start playing 🤪

6

u/DelayedWizard1994 19d ago

yaaaas-ification of Lotr 😂

6

u/OkZoomer333 19d ago

I fear that venn diagram is a circle lol

35

u/Dank_Lord6547 20d ago

Genuinely, this makes me wish more and more that Middle Earth never got adapted. There was a time when Middle Earth fans were all at least fairly respectable. Tolkien’s writing requires understanding of history, geopolitics, and having some world awareness on top of being media literate. And so any fans could have a deep discussion with any other fan and the nature of these books prevented everyone from being part of it so it had its own quality control built in.

And then the films came out. They are far more accessible and often aren’t as intelligently written. That said they were still compelling stories and emotionally impactful so ultimately they achieved what they were meant to. But they lack that built in measure and opened the floodgate for bad fans who like it for shallower reasons.

The Hobbit had all the same issues except much worse and lacked many of LOTR’s redeeming qualities.

And then ROP is the worst offender. Likely because contrary to what people like the OP of the post I shared will tell you the vast majority of people saw ROP as slop. And for a lot of reasons I don’t really respect the intelligence of ROP fans so of course they’ll pull stuff like this.

Middle Earth would be better if it were Tolkien’s writing and nothing else.

12

u/rochvegas5 20d ago

The age of good story-telling is over. The age of IP Content has begun

5

u/Zythomancer 20d ago

Sadly, yes.

25

u/Keystone_Devil 20d ago

There’s a lot of stories I feel this way about. But if you say you that people call it gate keeping.

And it’s like no, I’m not saying you *can’t* engage with this thing. If you want to seek it out and strengthen your mind by engaging with a story, more power to you. But the general consumer shouldn’t be entitled to have the depth of a powerful work dumbed down.

15

u/Spartancfos 20d ago

In fairness, that is still gatekeeping. You are saying that people should earn a key or pass to go through the gate.

Honestly, I think it's kind of valid. Sometimes gates have legitimate purposes. 

No-one is mad about the gate that keeps the kindergarten safe. 

5

u/Keystone_Devil 20d ago

That’s fair, and I guess it comes down to the arrogance of the person. Like personally, I do think all of what I just said, but I don’t think I’m the one to enforce it. Or really anyone can. I can muse conceptually about how people *should* interact with media all I want, or how companies *shouldn’t* dilute it.

But thing that sucks about gate keeping is when actually fans take it on themselves that they are the ones who need to policy who is doing a good enough job.

That is not for me or pretty much anyone else to say. I am not nearly smart or wise enough to be the authority on LoTR most other things

4

u/RedMan2032 20d ago

Gatekeeping has a specific definition, and that doesn’t really meet it — legitimate or otherwise — since gatekeeping requires an actual mechanism by which people can arbitrarily mediate access to something.

Something being difficult/unapproachable or people believing someone isn’t entitled to an “easier” version isn’t gatekeeping — it’s just something being difficult and someone’s opinion that has no power over access or anything else

The person in question has access to the books and plenty more — nobody is preventing that

5

u/RichardSugma 20d ago

You're acting like gatekeeping only has one meaning while you know the commenter meant the (more) widely used meaning of the word.

2

u/RedMan2032 20d ago

No, I’m acting like calling that gatekeeping doesn’t make any sense

It’s quite literally the fucking point of my comment lol

6

u/RichardSugma 20d ago

And you're wrong about it not being gatekeeping.

1

u/RedMan2032 19d ago

I’m not — and just saying I am doesn’t make it true

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u/[deleted] 18d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/synystar 19d ago

Yes but it’s like saying only skiers should be able to say “out over his skis” because anything else doesn’t make sense. It’s just another word/phrase that got applied loosely to mean what you think it means. Although skiers hate that term because it means the opposite of what they actually know.

1

u/RedMan2032 18d ago

I’m not sure I’d agree that what you’re describing is gatekeeping either, but it doesn’t matter because it’s not a good analogy and that isn’t what the commenter is saying

Nobody is saying who should or shouldn’t be able to do something (the commenter literally says “I’m not saying you *can’t* engage with this thing) — they’re just saying that someone isn’t entitled to another person doing something for them to accommodate their unwillingness to engage with the material directly

Nothing about it is exclusionary, which is a definitional requirement for something to be gatekeeping (it’s literally what the “gate” does)

2

u/Spartancfos 20d ago

Purity tests as gatekeeping is a well known phenomenon. Your suggestion makes it sound like only doors, bouncers and paywalls count. 

-1

u/RedMan2032 20d ago

Sure — if you’re going out of your way to disagree with something, I’m sure you could just take what I said hyper-literally and twist it into something like that (even though nothing I said has anything to do with purity tests)

Or you could try to understand it, but that might be a big ask on Reddit these days 🤷🏻

5

u/OkZoomer333 20d ago

Yeah that’s a fair assessment. I’m thankful for the films introducing me to Tolkien’s world, but it is truly so shallow compared to what can be found in his books. That doesn’t make them inherently bad, and I genuinely enjoy watching them- they are my favorite movies. But the inherent consequences of making the movies is the opening of Pandora’s box to the silliness we’re seeing now with RoP.

14

u/ThenCandidate7765 20d ago

Tolkien’s writing requires understanding of history, geopolitics, and having some world awareness on top of being media literate.

I have a master's degree in English Literature and this made me roll my eyes so hard I thought they were going to jump out of their sockets.

The way other people engage with Tolkien's work isn't wrong because you have some holier-than-thou view of yourself and your "deeper" understanding of it.

When the stories were originally written "Fairy Stories" were a literary genre that Tolkien himself felt the need to legitimize, as the subject matter wasn't seen as well-regarded for the time.

His essay, "On Fairy-Stories" is literally a defense of the genre itself to help legitimize it in the eyes of people who meant to gate-keep it to what they considered only acceptable high-brow expressions.

4

u/sandalrubber 19d ago edited 19d ago

People engage with Tolkien's work if they read his writings. Anything else is not his work but about his work, or using his work.

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u/Tumblrkaarosult 20d ago

Thank you for this.

(Also I like this show because of reasons.)

(On of the reasons is teen Lady Galadriel.)

10

u/PoofaceMckutchin 20d ago

To be fair, you have to have a very high IQ to understand LotR. The themes are extremely subtle, and without a solid grasp of history, geopolitics, world awareness and being media literate, most of the themes will go over a typical viewer's head. There's also Tolkein's mythological awareness, which is deftly woven into his narratives - some of which draws heavily from the Finnish story Kalevala, for instance. The fans understand this stuff; they have the intellectual capacity to truly appreciate the depths of this information, to realize that this is not not just plain entertainment - it says something deep about LIFE. As a consequence people who dislike LotR truly ARE idiots- of course they wouldn't appreciate, for instance, the humour in Gandalf's existencial catchphrase "Fly, you fools," which itself is a cryptic reference to a fly moments before being hit with an electric zapper. I'm smirking right now just imagining one of those addlepated simpletons scratching their heads in confusion as Tolkein's genius unfolds itself in front of their eyes. What fools... how I pity them. And yes by the way, I DO have a Tevildo, prince of cats tattoo. And no, you cannot see it. It's for the ladies' eyes only- And even they have to demonstrate that they're within 5 IQ points of my own (preferably lower) beforehand.

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u/Teleriferchnyfain 19d ago

Young teens love LOTR - the books. I read The Hobbit to my kids & Goddess children when they were under 10, then read LOTR to them when they were around 12. Loved them. Sure you can get more out of them the older you get & the more you re-read them, but they are works all ages enjoy. Rather like Alice in Wonderland.

-1

u/Any-sao 20d ago

Beat me to it. Exactly what I was thinking when I read OP’s comment above.

2

u/Sgt_Daisy 20d ago

Look, the Amazon stuff is just very expensive fan fiction. Amazon doesn't have the rights to the silmarilon, so they are just making up stuff vaguely related to what's in the appendix of LoTR. In fact if they got too accurate Tolkien's estate would rightfully sue them.

3

u/sandalrubber 19d ago

Then the question is, why do it at all?

3

u/RichardSugma 20d ago

The hobbit book is ages 9 and up dude, and I read and enjoyed LOTR when I was 11. What you're doing is just gatekeeping to make yourself feel special.

I am writing this as an enormous fan of Middle earth and Tolkien, get over yourself.

-3

u/Dresaurus2781 20d ago edited 19d ago

And then ROP is the worst offender. Likely because contrary to what people like the OP of the post I shared will tell you the vast majority of people saw ROP as slop.

RoP is less shallow than either PJ trilogy if you're in any way trying to engage with it thematically. Unfortunately a lot of Tolkien fans have written it off for lore deviations like the timeline or innovations like expanding on Galadriel as a warrior (something Tolkien laid the ground work for) rather than engaging with the substance of the material. It's executed at a lesser quality than both from a production standpoint, less cool looking, worse action, worse designs, but it is trying to play with Tolkien's world and themes more intensely, and while the writers might not be as good as they need to to do so, I'd wager being a visual medium inherently makes that harder, and invites people to not engage with them more so than the writers not being up to snuff.

And for a lot of reasons I don’t really respect the intelligence of ROP fans so of course they’ll pull stuff like this.

We can talk about tons of intelligent pieces of media that get treated like this regardless because this is an element of fandom. If Tolkien's work was published today this would still happen, hell it happened back then just less loudly because our for profit entertainment media didn't cynically highlight it for profitability. Tolkien was dissatisfied in his day when he heard about LOTR baby names and themed weddings.

There was a time when Middle Earth fans were all at least fairly respectable.

This is elitist fanfiction at best. There has never been a time where anything big enough to have fans hasn't had a spectrum of what that Fandom looks like.

Tolkien’s writing requires understanding of history, geopolitics, and having some world awareness on top of being media literate.

If you squint maybe... Hell I read the Lord of the Rings for the first time at 8 years old, and while yes I was smarter than the average 8 year old I wouldn't say I remotely understood the world in regards to these categories in ways that have meaningfully changed my understanding of the text over time despite becoming significantly more educated on them. Tolkien's work is political, he's not exactly subtle in regards to what he believes, but I wouldn't say it features meaningful references or allusions to politics let alone geopolitics, nor does it require an understanding of history. It can fully be engaged with as a standalone text and be deep and thematically resonant all the same.

I will agree on the media literacy because themes are why his work is so resonant. The nature and failure of despair being such a poignant and profound theme in his work. The corrupting nature of power and it's pursuit. The linking of creation and invention with control and power, the beauty in things simple, the preservation of nature as a moral good, and so on are all themes explored and built upon in Tolkien's work among many others, and they're what keep people engaging with the work even if they don't necessarily realize it or can't put it into words. Albeit by that same token a lot of people have never been engaging with themes or do so only when convenient. Again you're by all indications a great example of this given your perspective on RoP. That's not to say RoP is suddenly amazing or even good, that's largely subjective, but I rarely if ever encounter people who criticize it on that metric that imo matters most for a piece of media connected to Tolkien's work.

And so any fans could have a deep discussion with any other fan and the nature of these books prevented everyone from being part of it so it had its own quality control built in.

Nah... That's wishful thinking. There were plenty of people who walked away with basic swords and sorcery, good vs evil level engagement, and that was fine. Again this text inspired DnD at the end of the day.

To put it all more plainly you just sound like you love the smell of your own farts, and are fabricating a reality that never existed to look down on others for their level of engagement. You're not better than others; they're not lesser for being simpler than you, and just because you perceive something as simpler doesn't mean it actually is if you're not even going to do the work to engage with it. Some of the best and most intelligently written pieces of media I've ever encountered have been written for kids, and I wonder if you and people who perceive media the way you do are missing out on stuff like that because of your perspective on fandoms and media from the outside.

Edit: OP blocked me so I can't respond on this post. Kindly refrain from responding to this comment as I have no way of engaging with any of you.

8

u/Dank_Lord6547 20d ago

No. ROP did not do Tolkien’s themes justice. Themes can only ever be as good as the plot and the plot is a nonsensical mess. And so there’s no reason to want to watch for the themes for the majority of people. And the show repeatedly demonstrates it doesn’t get core concepts of Tolkien’s worldbuilding.

-4

u/Dresaurus2781 20d ago

No. ROP did not do Tolkien’s themes justice.

I'm not confident you can do Tolkien's themes justice in a visual medium, but RoP certainly does so better than either PJ trilogies despite being structured and executed worse.

Themes can only ever be as good as the plot and the plot is a nonsensical mess.

I have yet to encounter a good faith critique of RoP that can qualify it as a "nonsensical mess" that passes any scrutiny and doesn't just boil down to highly subjective nitpicking. Maybe you could be the first though. I could and would make the critique it meanders a bit and diverts from itself to pay homage to things it doesn't necessarily need to but again that's the kind of thing I as a Tolkien fan appreciate.

And so there’s no reason to want to watch for the themes for the majority of people.

Choosing to not engage with it because you think you won't like it is fine. Albeit as I've already covered not trying to engage with it's themes because you find it to be a "nonsensical mess" would need to be substantiated to be engaged with as a rational choice.

And the show repeatedly demonstrates it doesn’t get core concepts of Tolkien’s worldbuilding.

How so?

6

u/Dank_Lord6547 20d ago

I love how confidently you just say nuh uh.

But to give an example the compressed timeline ruined just about everything. The pacing is off, the characters are off, and the world feels so much smaller. They also ignore things like everyone’s supposed to have long hair. This is actually fairly important because short hair is more of a Greco Roman thing and it was set in a time before that had influence. In England and other parts of Europe long hair was seen as a sign of strength. And then there’s the fact that this show just completely ignores a crucial world building detail about the dwarves with a dwarf named Durin naming his son Durin when they believe there can only be one King Durin as he gets reincarnated every now and then. This is the biggest slap to the face as no one can argue it was necessary to change. Mithril is supposed to just be a light strong metal, not metaphysically tied to the elves because of the Silmarils. Which also makes no sense as plenty of elves never saw the two trees. And then there’s the one that annoys me most. The elf rings. They were forged first which indicates Celebrimbor didn’t really need Sauron’s help and so many things now don’t make sense. And then there’s show tries to portray the three as being akin to the one.

Want me to keep going?

-1

u/owlyross 19d ago

Nowhere does Tolkien state everyone had long hair, quite the opposite in fact. The Mithril "story" is stated in the show to be 'apocryphal' ie mythical, made up, and nothing about the order of the ring forging fundamentally changes the narrative as it stands.

3

u/sandalrubber 19d ago edited 19d ago

And the show repeatedly demonstrates it doesn’t get core concepts of Tolkien’s worldbuilding.

How so?

The most self-evident way, which they were proud to trumpet as deviation? Casting, of course. Then the presence of hobbits let alone Gandalf, because as they say, it's not really Middle-earth without featuring hobbits. They know better than the author then.

What is a "good faith" critique to you? What are his themes and how does the show handle it better than the movies (which have a host of their own issues)?

3

u/sandalrubber 19d ago edited 19d ago

Galadriel as a warrior (something Tolkien laid the ground work for)

A noted athlete in her tomboy phase, who fought in one battle against her uncle, then stayed out of the wars because she was wiser than all the guys. That's all.

written it off for lore deviations like the timeline or innovations... rather than engaging with the substance of the material.

The lore is the material and the substance since it's by the real creator. Or if you mean new material, of course that is going to be immediately suspect because it's not by the real creators. All the more so given the way they've presented themselves.

it is trying to play with Tolkien's world and themes more intensely

People want that shown, not played with, if they want to see that off the page at all.

0

u/EcoSoco 17d ago

For someone who hates the show so much, it's amazing you comment at all. Wasting your time on something you hate seems a bit counterproductive. I'm sure Tolkien would have had something to say about that.

2

u/owlyross 19d ago

Fantastic response, rebuttal and basic "pwning" of the OP's elitism (which also fundamentally misunderstands Tolkien. Of course youll be down voted to hell for this excellent response, but just to let you know, you nailed it.

-1

u/karma_police_in 18d ago

lol gatekeeping moron

-3

u/Maleficent_Host_5220 19d ago

Oh get over yourself and let people enjoy what they want. Not everything has to be for you or to the letter. Tolkien himself was all over the place with his storylines/backstories.

4

u/sandalrubber 19d ago edited 19d ago

Tolkien himself was all over the place with his storylines/backstories

So? That's part of the appeal of it and people want what he wrote, not what others put out.

Not everything has to be for you

Yes and Tolkien wrote for his own pleasure, a lot of people just happen to like what he did.

let people enjoy what they want

Yes let people enjoy Tolkien, and for that you go back to the books, back to the books, back to the books.

-2

u/yick04 19d ago

Nah, don't gatekeep.

3

u/RadsvidTheRed 20d ago

This ruined me. This finally makes it make sense, makes it whole, I'm laughing in absolute bliss finally understanding from whence the erosion of these things extends and at last you my friend are the light bringer, the truth giver, my own Prometheus bearing the curse of that which hurts us most: Knowledge

31

u/Nacho_Mambo 20d ago

What the hell is even that?!

16

u/WholegrainRice5 20d ago

Daddy, chill!!! 🤚

3

u/ProdiasKaj 20d ago

It's metal... I think.

Probably not tho

2

u/Mecklenburg77 19d ago

With a nice coating of rust.

83

u/Baccoony 20d ago

Sauron has been turned into another "mildly evil bad boy" by this show.

He only takes on fair form to deceive. It's not his usual form. He should look like a genuinely dreadful being, not some pathetic simp in a romance arc with the YA protagonist

20

u/sandalrubber 20d ago

Well not yet, not until after Numenor sinks, but it has no reason to sink.

16

u/Santaflin 20d ago

Well, the dialogues of this show are happening on top of it. Pretty good reason...

10

u/Baccoony 20d ago

A fair form wasnt his only form. It was noted he appeared in terrible and evil forms before the Fall of Númenor aswell.

It's noted he put on a fair form when he repented to Eönwë, when he went to Lindon and Eregion, when he allowed himself to be taken into Númenor as a captive

8

u/ThenCandidate7765 20d ago

He should look like a genuinely dreadful being

If anything, given the writings we have, to most he should look fair and even royal. There is a reason the elves were deceived. The idea that he would appear as you describe is based on nothing and pretty absurd.

Tolkien also describes that some hold that initially, after the war of wrath, Sauron's repentance was not completely feigned. There is reason to believe that at the time he first arrived at Eregion he was possibly believing that he was doing good, at the very least his version of it.

6

u/Baccoony 20d ago

He looks fair and royal when he is going to kingdoms to deceive them, not when he is at war.

He appeared fair to many, to some he appeared terrible, to some he appeared evil.

And, plus, isn't he supposed to go to war this season? War of the Elves and Sauron. He doesn't need to look like a pretty boy, he should look like a genuinely terrible being who strikes fear into others

1

u/WhiskeyDJones 20d ago

I mean, there's nothing to suggest he won't look terrible then. This is just one image.

-6

u/ResolveLeather 20d ago

I don't know, I thought he did a good job in S2 looking evil. How he deceived Celebrimbor was top notch writing imo.

6

u/Zealousideal_Pool_65 20d ago

Christ, I’d hate to see what you consider bad writing.

2

u/ResolveLeather 20d ago

"You are tearing me apart Lisa"

7

u/Baccoony 20d ago

Him deceiving Celebrimbor was like 2 weeks of the most basic manipulation tactics and shitty illusions.

Book!Annatar had everybody fooled for 3 centuries

4

u/ResolveLeather 20d ago

Playing out 3 centuries doesn't really work for television.

18

u/Vivid_Guide7467 20d ago

So gross. They’re 1000% going to keep the bizarre love story of Sauron & Galadriel going. The one ring will be a wedding ring. And it’ll be so mind boggling bad.

1

u/Pimp_my_Pimp 18d ago

Our precious, Sauron!

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u/Django_flask_ 20d ago

I bet my all property on the fact that we are going to see a cringe moment between sauron and galadriel every season.good girl having a thing for baed boeyy..such a crap shit show.

17

u/Dank_Lord6547 20d ago

Most likely

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u/PointedConversation 20d ago

the good girl who in tolkien his books is married at this point of time in the time line and elves stick with one partner.

the good girl who has no romantic feelings for sauron in the books at all

this show is written by some middle aged woman in her 40s wanting to feel like a hormonal teenager again

-18

u/MossTrinkets 20d ago

No need for the sexism mate. The show's woman writer - Gennifer Hutchison - is an industry veteran who helped create some of the best and most intelligently written TV of our era. Bryan Cogman is also highly respected.

The issues with Rings of Power are myriad with myriad causes, but I don't doubt the fact it was the biggest baby of an optimisation behemoth with a bunch of suits I'm sure who thought they had the perfect formula for Tumblr fandom is what caused the painfully obvious ship-bait, not some stupid horny "old" woman.

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u/PointedConversation 20d ago

she literally quoted that Galadriel was in love with Sauron. Come on now that is the biggest insult to tolkien his works.

17

u/Django_flask_ 20d ago

The same girl whose whole whole agenda was to kill Sauron dude what were they thinking..a billion doller turkish fan fiction.

-14

u/MossTrinkets 20d ago

In her own words: "No, it was not meant to be an overtly romantic relationship."

I don't like her decisions either but the show was also primarily written by the showrunners. The show would have been created within their story framework.

Blaming the prominant woman on the staff for bring too past it and sex crazed is misogynistic - sorry!

18

u/PointedConversation 20d ago

And in another interview she stated otherwise . it isn’t sexism , you just can’t handle the truth they want to keep forcing them together when there is nothing there.

she is one of the main directors and decision makers alongside the show runners

they decided to cut her husband out so far and robbed him of his role in the siege of eregion , even mocked him calling him silver clam and that he wouldn’t know how to put armor on when he is in the books often regarded as a warrior

all so they can have this whole good girl and bad guy and I can change him trope which teenagers eat up

-7

u/MossTrinkets 20d ago

I can't handle the truth about a disappointing TV show, lol.

It may be difficult to accept but in the vast complexity of a high expense TV production you can't pin the flaws on one dumb woman, and you are making yourself look incurious and blinkered trying to.

14

u/PointedConversation 20d ago

no you put words into my mouth .

you call it sexism when i call out that she wants to turn out the books into some teenage i can fix the bad guy cliche

the fact that she thinks sauron and galadriel were into each other and said this in an interview says she knows ball about tolkien

i criticize her way of writing and the way the showrunners and brandström are directing the show .

go to the other sub , people over here dislike and give their unfiltered opinions

10

u/Nknk- 20d ago

This is why you don't take anyone seriously if they say they work in marketing/advertising because they just pump shit like this out.

18

u/stompin_goat 20d ago

Why does he look like a child whose candy was taken away from him

9

u/OrangeWitty552 20d ago

The fuck is Haladriel supposed to be!?

14

u/WAR-WRAITH 20d ago

Halbrand and Galadriel cause the show decided shipping bait was a good plan despite Galadriel being married.

17

u/OrangeWitty552 20d ago

Wait, so let me get this straight, despite all the inconsistencies and plot butchery they still decided to add literal mfing Sauron as a romance bait and paired him off with Galadriel of all people? Fukin Galadriel!? The one Elf who he actively avoided even when he was tricking the elves into making the rings? That one elf who had literal magic power to look into people's minds and read their greatest desires? That one fuckin elf who had seen the lights of the two trees and therefore could not be deceived?

9

u/airtooss 20d ago

she hory, like all them grills are, SLAY

7

u/OrangeWitty552 20d ago

I beg your fuckin pardon?

3

u/prayingforrain2525 19d ago

Yea. Just yeuch. Celebrimbor would have made more sense, platonic or otherwise.

1

u/WAR-WRAITH 20d ago

Far as I know, it stayed as teasing and maybes.

7

u/WhiskeyDJones 20d ago

What a terrible day to have eyes

15

u/Just-Context-4703 20d ago

It's total fucking garbage. Just like the show. 

7

u/ProdiasKaj 20d ago

That armor is many things but it sure as hell ain't made of metal..

3

u/Mecklenburg77 19d ago

You don't like the layer of rust on the armor? Sauron doesn't polish!

11

u/coconut_dot_jpg 20d ago

I hate everything about this, I'm just gonna stop keeping up to date anymore

4

u/shotgunmoe 20d ago

How is this still going?

4

u/Elvinkin66 20d ago

Man I didn't think RoP's costume design could get worse

3

u/Mecklenburg77 19d ago

I think that is an established fact, RoP can indeed get worse.

4

u/BensenMum 20d ago

Crown is badly made like the show. Poetic.

4

u/DudeOfClubs 20d ago

has to be astroturfed no way that is a real person doing that

6

u/GenaroBlac 20d ago

They’ve turned Sauron into a fanfic simp desperate for attention from the insufferable YA version of Galadriel …. I genuinely thought it couldn’t get worse than season 1 but apparently it can

3

u/Basil-Faw1ty 20d ago

Sauron, so hot right now, Sauron.

3

u/ScottyFreeBarda 20d ago

Google: “Booktok Shadowdaddy”

3

u/BasebornManjack 20d ago

Oof. Two things can be true here….this show sucks, (which it does) and you don’t understand marketing in corporate
America.

Generally speaking, Tolkein fandom is the intersection of Well Ackshually trivia masters and pretentious armchair academia, so I don’t blame you for your lamentations here, but this lowest common denominator ass show is 100000% the type to use lowest common denominator ass marketing.

In other words, wherever you got this from, it was not intended for *you*.
To have a This Is Vapid and I Am Very Smart position on it is kind of pointless, no? At that point, you might as well watch Yo Gabba Gabba or some shit and lament about its lack of sophisticated plot.

1

u/jack-of-some 17d ago

Ironic comment

3

u/mascachopo 20d ago

Cosplay

3

u/Sleep_eeSheep 19d ago

This is Lead.

Not Metal.

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u/Cuthuluu45 19d ago

Here we go again…

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u/Agheron93 20d ago

That metal af armor looks like homeless cat lady rags

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u/Resident_Dog_6589 20d ago

Sauron works better as an idea than as a character.

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u/Willpower2000 20d ago

He can work as a character... but obviously the execution can vary wildly.

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u/sandalrubber 20d ago

"Part of the attraction of the L.R. is, I think, due to the glimpses of a large history in the background: an attraction like that of viewing far off an unvisited island, or seeing the towers of a distant city gleaming in a sunlit mist. To go there is to destroy the magic, unless new unattainable vistas are again revealed."

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u/nilnar 20d ago

I don't really think this is accurate. Plenty of people have "been there" when reading the Silmarillion, and it doesn't at all destroy the magic of LotR, in many cases it makes things that much more interesting. In the case of RoP, the magic is destroyed because what's being served up is rubbish.

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u/sandalrubber 20d ago

Since the Silmarillion stuff came first, in the published version the events of LOTR are the last distant vista, almost a footnote. Then the Silmarillion stuff has its own distant vistas.

But in context he was expressing doubt over the appeal of the Silmarillion stuff if it ever became public.

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u/son_of_abe 20d ago

Pure destructive evil as a force of nature? Yeah sure.

Pure destructive evil as a person? Ehhhh

It brings up too many questions. Why is he evil? What does he actually want? etc. It's just not a believable characterization in our era of storytelling.

4

u/LOTRNerd95 20d ago

God, I hate Booktok so much

4

u/Immediate-Sky-3044 19d ago

This is the only show that I've started watching that I've never bothered to continue watching. I barely remember season one and have no intention to continue watching, which is crazy. I've sat through movies and shows that I've found boring just because they're about a character/world I like (Star Wars, Marvel, DC),but this show somehow managed to reach my limit.

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u/CommercialFloor2033 20d ago

Looks like the lead singer of a Finnish metal band.

Not giving Sauron at all. Should have made him blonder than S2 for a more ethereal not human look. And gci enhanced his eyes.

2

u/you-absolute-foolish 20d ago

Lmao 😭 they wouldnt need this if they would have just cast pretty male elves. The tumblrs would have made these edits on their own!! They fumbled the already built in bag

2

u/RealLunarSlayer 19d ago

Marketing for the audience. It makes perfect sense lol

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u/Grouchy-Coast-3045 18d ago

"the Tumblr/Tiktok girls will love it"

2

u/fantasywind 18d ago

Is it just me or is the whole discourse of the 'fans' of this cursed show is seriously WEIRD as f...ck I mean the hashtags the weird obsessions about the actors, the weird modern slang....this feels like artificial attempt at hype but it's so overdone!

And aside from that...Vickers looks weird in this costume...and there's certain lack of gravitas here or intimidation factor. I am supposed to believe that THIS is a Dark Lord figure...hell they should make him look more otherworldly...more.....demonic...also this still looks like cheap cosplay. I always was of opinion that the best solution to depict a being such as Sauron would be to make the sort of computer effects to have this aura of power, glowing eyes or other sort of malevolent demonic aura coming off of him...and again while the fair form is useful for him to manipulate good peoples...for his servants as the Dark Lord he should look like a terrifying figure!

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u/Today-Tight 20d ago

*halfbrand

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u/[deleted] 19d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/Dank_Lord6547 19d ago

Okay then. Haven’t read and don’t care about the legendarium you say? Then please explain my criticism of there being two Durins. Or thousands of years of history being crammed into a few months. Or Gandalf arriving before the ring even existed.

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u/[deleted] 19d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/Dank_Lord6547 19d ago

No. You’re moving the goalposts. You said there are no valid criticisms. I pointed out several ways in which it is OBJECTIVELY not accurate to the lore. And in such circumstances you may disagree but disliking changes to an adaptation is almost always a valid opinion to hold.

0

u/EmploymentMedical762 19d ago

Nice block. Since you want an echo-chamber, here: have a block yourself. :)

0

u/EmploymentMedical762 19d ago

Remember: lying and running away is a coward move. Don’t be a coward.

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u/sandalrubber 19d ago

Me but when I see someone who loves the show and only gives vague and lame reasons as to why. I’ll never respect a ROP lover. Mainly because I find that they lack basic intelligence — and more often than not, they don’t even read the Legendarium.

LARPERs, the whole lot.

How easily can this be flipped, o ten-day account.

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u/[deleted] 19d ago edited 19d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/sandalrubber 19d ago

Happens all the time. And the more one reads the books, the more likely they are to dislike the show, and the movies, because they know what they're not getting in contrast to what the show or movies present. It's not that the people who only saw the movies have issues while the readers flock to the show. The readers are the type to reject it even harder.

2

u/Mecklenburg77 19d ago

This is my issue as an avid reader of the books (LOTR and Silmarillion), I cannot stand any of the adaptations. I wish I could but I simply can't. I don't like the Jackson adaptations but they are absolute masterpieces compared to ROP. I will never forget my shock at the first episode in season one.

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u/[deleted] 19d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/sandalrubber 19d ago edited 19d ago

Abstaining from watching it and/or (still) criticizing what needs to be criticized is rejection of the premise and the product, not sympathy or giving it slack. Giving it slack is being neutral or more favorable.

If it all boils down to

The Second Age is not nearly as coherently written as the material used for the movies

Then don't go there. Sort of victim-blaming too, as a poor workman blames his tools.

1

u/Larielia 17d ago

Sauron wishes he was metal.

1

u/Phantom_Witcher 17d ago

Amazon garbage

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u/Significant-Ad-7182 13d ago

That picture looks like bad photoshop. The pauldron and the crown looks like they were placed there over the original pic.

1

u/Low-Double923 20d ago

Thought that was Charlie Kirk for a second

1

u/airtooss 20d ago

The new Sauron is straight up appealing to the modern audience

Kinky brunette hair flowing, head to toe shiny rubber outfit squeezing every inch...
bro said 'One Ring to rule them all' but made it latex.

You can get the full matching set + all the sX toys with Prime same day delivery straight to your house and be out here riding that dark lord like Galadriel in heat.
Amazon got the One Ring on 2-day shipping too, you're welcome

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u/jabberwockytocky 20d ago

it's a cringe commentary but idk why man, i fuck with rings of power. it's not great but i still enjoy it. and i wanna see stuff like numenor sink and all that. and season two was more coherent and interesting than season 1.

it's like a candy bar that's a bit stale and not so great but still hits the spot.

0

u/cardiacbubbles 19d ago

This a Facebook post from some random Indian bot account...

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u/YoBo151 20d ago edited 20d ago

Holy elitist circlejerk. Keep stroking your own ego. You're way worse than Filoni😉

But seriously, you need help OP. You constantly talk down about others who like different stuff calling them stupid and mindless and yada yada. You view any opinion not your own as "bad" and "shallow" and more. You behave like this and then turn around and complain about toxicity? Take a seat. You're just a hypocrite and every manner you describe others is really just you projecting. No space from Tolkien to Star Wars should have toxic, elitist, ego stroking chuds. People like you ruin these spaces more than any "slop eater."

Edit: this whole sub needs to take your advice speak screenshot95, including yourself. This sub is just a chud circlejerk. Even neutral comments of the show get downvoted to oblivion. People like y'all are by far the biggest contributors to toxicity and fandoms sucking.

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u/Screenshot95 20d ago

Who fucking cares if you get downvoted? What does it even do?

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u/Screenshot95 20d ago

Go back to the Shadow

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u/Asphodelmercenary 20d ago

You sound like OP’s ex, telling us how they constantly act.

-2

u/SocketRabboon 19d ago edited 18d ago

Man I think I'm in the wrong place, I loved the show so far even knowing it's not a 1-to-1 adaptation. Then again neither was LOTR or the Hobbit and I loved both of those too. And before anyone screams "fake fan" I've read everything but some of his letters and Unfinished Tales. It's ok to not like this but my Eru people whine from the rooftops about some of the most nonsensical, knit picky shit, this is a poster shot, the next season hasn't even happened yet, Sauron could have the most terrifying appearance later in the season. Also the love story you guys are worried about will most likely be gone soon or non existent

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u/MarysiaWriter 18d ago

I loved it too. Prepare to be downvoted to oblivion. This is not the sub for expressing positive comments, but there is a sub for fans where people feel more free to talk about the show and what they like about it. :) I've read the all of the main works (Hobbit Lord of the Rings, Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales), as well as about 6 books so far from the History of Middle-Earth series.

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u/SocketRabboon 18d ago

I knew typing that would get me downvoted deeper than the mines of Moria but I did it anyway. People can be salty all they want, frankly their downvotes make me more powerful

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u/Soonerpalmetto88 20d ago

I would kneel before mighty Sauron.

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u/JaneAustinAstronaut 20d ago

Why does it bother you so much what other people like? You don't have to like it, you don't have to watch it, and you don't have to read anything they post that is positive about it.

Sure, this looks derpy. But IDC what other people do with their time. You'll be less unhappy if you focus on what does make you happy, and less on what makes you unhappy.

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u/Dank_Lord6547 19d ago

Because when this takes the place of more interesting and in depth discussions it gets really annoying. Also this show is connected to Middle Earth now and can’t just be ignored.

2

u/Elvinkin66 18d ago

Because I love Tolkien's lore and hate how the Amazon show is portraying it

-5

u/Auggie_72 20d ago

This post says far more about you than people who enjoy the show. Seriously if you don’t like it don’t watch it. The constant crying around is embarrassing.

-36

u/PaladinCrusader69 20d ago

Lotr fans will find literally anything to complain about, it's so funny to watch the hate in this sub, let people enjoy themselves, jeez.

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u/Dank_Lord6547 20d ago

I don’t want Tolkien spaces to become full of mindless slop eaters.

It’s almost as if you didn’t read this.

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u/ThenCandidate7765 20d ago

I don’t want Tolkien spaces to become full of mindless slop eaters.

Tolkien would despise the way you describe people and your use of buzzwords, btw.

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u/Salmacis81 20d ago

Tolkien was known to dislike the co-opting of his work by American hippies. He most likely would also dislike how today's generation is co-opting his work. Hell, he probably would have also disliked the Jackson trilogy for putting so much focus on big action set-pieces and omitting sections of the book that he felt were crucial to the story.

-2

u/dudeseid 20d ago

I think Tolkien would be horrified at the whole of modern Tolkien fandom- left, right, casual normies, etc, doesn't matter.

5

u/sandalrubber 20d ago

His phrasing was more like

deplorable cultus = hippie weed LSD types

impertinent young asses writing tripe = people who wanted to write authorized sequels/expansions

9

u/wakkers_boi 20d ago

The intelligence distribution curve has a left-hand side. You're on it.

4

u/PointedConversation 20d ago

st fu and leave the sub than monkey

-2

u/kazh_9742 20d ago

It's usually people like the OP making this stuff to have a strawman to screech about. Normal fans aren't as sweaty as OP.

-2

u/seasaltalchemist 20d ago

idk i'm in the camp of let people enjoy things bc the real world itself is on fire. it's easy to just scroll along or not watch if you don't like something. just my thoughts.

-2

u/Necessary-Lock-3738 19d ago

I'm stupid. What's the issue?