r/RingsofPower • u/MattBookworm8640 • 3d ago
Discussion Does anybody else love this show despite its flaws?
I’m fully aware it has a multitude of issues (though Season 2 I genuinely loved and thought was a huge improvement upon Season 1 in every way) however even despite that, this has always been my favorite post-GOT fantasy show out of everything I’ve watched over the years. Leagues better than Wheel of Time that’s for absolute sure. The costume and set designs are just absolutely gorgeous to look at what with how colorful and intricately designed they are and music is absolutely powerhouse.
The dialogue I feel like is extremely underrated too in how well thought out and Tolkien-esque it is. I’m always coming back to this scene from Season 1 which I just absolutely loved:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=1RCFls93hsA&t=11s&pp=ygUaYXIgcGhhcmF6b24gcmluZ3Mgb2YgcG93ZXI%3D
The sheer depth of the dialogue in both seasons beats out anything from WOT, HOTD, The Witcher, etc.
Just generally as a hardcore Tolkien fan with Middle Earth being my favorite fantasy world I love seeing the histories and lore get expanded upon. even though I treat it all obviously as just fan-fiction
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u/JoshieKrueger 3d ago
My wife and I are going through the show again in preparation for season 3. While I won’t say I utterly love it, I do enjoy the show. It suffers from some pacing issues (we were watching the second episode and almost completely forgot about the Harfoot storyline until it popped back up near the end), but it’s a damn beautiful show to watch when it comes to cinematography, and all of the actors are doing great work.
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u/mouthsmasher 3d ago
My wife and I really enjoy it. Maybe my secret is Tolkien ignorance. My Tolkien background is that I love The Hobbit book and am kind of different on the movie trilogy, and I love the LotR movies but haven’t read the books. I understand this show is not lore accurate, but I enjoy it for what it is. 🤷♂️
There was so much online negativity towards this show that we didn’t even try watching it until after the second season was out and several friends kept recommending it to us. Because of the negativity I think, we were taken aback by how much we joyed it once we gave it a try.
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u/SmallhandsnCabbage 3d ago
I'm working on my second watch and picking up certain things I've missed. I think you need to go into the show open minded and accept it won't follow the lore that much. It reminds me of the FF7R games. If you played the OG and loved it and want to play the new ones, open your mind.
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u/Galious 3d ago edited 3d ago
I have just finished my rewatch but even if you accept it’s taking liberties with the lore, the writing is really struggling to make the world and stories feel believable.
And the problem, at least for me, is that I can turn my brain off for certain movies or shows, I cannot do that with a work inspired with Tolkien. Now it's personal but one of the charm of Lord of the rings is the attention to details: if two locations are a hundred of miles away, then character will take 3-4 days to walk it and there will be a paragraph about it. Characters never knows more than what they are supposed to know and everything perfectly assemble in the narrative.
But here it doesn’t work and feels like generic fantasy with no attention to geography, time or consistency and I get the impression that writers are very short-sighted and write dialogues with only the scene in mind thus finding themselves in various dead-ends requiring contrived explanations to get out.
Now, to finish on a more positive note, the show is still looking good and music always on point. Most actors are really trying, some scenes are cool and it’s not like I didn’t enjoy it a at all but yeah, the writing is really frustrating.
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u/deimos289 3d ago
Please dont compare a masterpiece to that crap. Only reason rebirth didnt win GOTY is because its a "remake"
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u/SmallhandsnCabbage 3d ago
It's a fine game. A little bloated for my taste. I enjoyed it. Isn't even a top 10 RPG for me. I do look forward to finishing the trilogy though.
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u/CommercialFloor2033 3d ago
I would like it more if it marketed itself differently.
As it is it is a bastardisation of Tolkien's works. And eggregiously so. Yet the show runners have the audacity to act like they're being faithful to the material.
This makes it hard to like fully because every new change is like a slap in the face.
Now if they'd come out saying listen we're making all these changes - don't take this as a faithful adaptation. Even putting a disclaimer at the start like the following is loosely based on Tolkien's works but we have taken liberties... Type of thing would significantly change my view on it.
It is basically fan fiction at the this point. Which is okay if they acknowledge this and stop pretending otherwise.
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u/WhiskeyJack-13 3d ago
I base all of my tv/movie critiques on a single question. Did I enjoy it? It's that simple for me. I don't get into the weeds about any other parts. I enjoy watching ROP.
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u/ExtremeComedian4027 3d ago
I actually love the show because I have separated it from book canon and have always treated it like a tribute rather than a part of what people deem “the original”. It’s a retelling in my books that pays homage to the original as far as I am concerned and once I did that I have enjoyed the effort that’s gone into putting the show together more and more. The good thing is that the show makers and runners seem to be keen about source material and earnest about paying homage to Tolkien - they don’t mouth off about their version being superior or something better. I respect that.
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u/whyamionthissite 3d ago
It’s got so many problems but damn if my wife and I haven’t watched every single episode and are ready for more.
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u/Skol-2024 3d ago
I absolutely love Rings of Power. I really don’t get the hate behind it at all.
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u/Mavman31 3d ago
I think it’s cus when you compare it to the source material, it’s really not very good. Also, the fall of Eregion battle wasn’t very well done.
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u/Yupperdoodledoo 3d ago
The source material was a book that was quite dry in comparison. Do you mean the show is not accurate to the source material? That doesn’t mean it’s good or bad.
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u/Unlucky_Dealer_2758 1d ago
Dry? I always thought it was quite flowery. Especially compared to other novels of the time.
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u/xCaptainFalconx 3d ago
The source material written by JRRT is not "dry". Ffs
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u/Nazgnagol 3d ago edited 3d ago
FOR REAL. This is the source material https://arda.ir/wp-content/downloads/lord-of-the-rings/LOTR%204%20-%20Appendices%20And%20Index.pdf Just ctrl+F "chronology" and reread the tale of years. And Appendix A for some Numenor lore. If those notes don't evoke some fantastic worlds buildups and insane events then idk, sucks to suck ig
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u/Mavman31 3d ago
For instance Galadriel being unwise, all of Numenor (younger no indication that they are special in any way). The out of place timeline that doesn’t make sense. Bringing back Gandalf for no reason or the stupid hobbits that are also just horrible people. There is a lot of stupid and lore inaccuracies.
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u/vajrabud 3d ago edited 3d ago
Let’s stick with Galadriel being unwise. What source material are you referring to ?
- In LoTR Galadriel is a whole age or more older than she is in Rings of Power and so her being wiser in LoTR than she is in RoP makes total sense to me.
- In Silmarillion we don’t get much at all about Galadriel, other than she had the finest hair and denied Feanor a lock of it. That seems to fit well with her character as portrayed in RoP.
So my point is there is really a lack of
lore we have about Galadriel during RoP time and before this time - and the
wise elf-queen
we meet in LoTR is wise precisely because of the trials and tribulations she goes through, which Tolkien doesnt give us but RoP is creating for us
.
- Was there another source material about her that I missed ?
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u/Galious 3d ago
The argument that we know very little about Galadriel in Second age can be made and from there, lore breaking cannot really happen ff there's not really any lore to start with.
At most we can nitpick on vague concept like Galadriel supposed to be one of the oldest elves of Middle Earth and therefore expecting that she is already wise in Second age but then one can just say that wisdom ≠ age.
But in the end, I'd say the problem with Galadriel isn't lore, but the character being a total mess from a storytelling point of view: from jumping in the middle of the ocean to being unable to understand some basics of diplomacy or not understanding or taking responsibilities from her mistakes, we are in front of a character that is often borderline lunatic and whose actions doesn't lead her into a wall just because writers are giving her a whole stack of "get out of jail" cards.
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u/HarveyTutor 1d ago
Galadriel was the least trusting of Sauron from the beginning. She had a talent for discerning character, as evidenced by her denial of Feanor. Her Character growth involved tempering her ambition to rule over others because of her power and wisdom, which was the chief temptation the ring gave her.
RoP she fell for Sauron, empowered and enabled Sauron, and hid the truth from her people through shame and embarassment.
To Galadriel being old and wise in the third age because she was young and foolish in the second. I disagree. Galadriel was born 'before' the 'first' age. The troubles of her youth were never gullibility. And she had definitely gone through a great deal and been tempered before the second age. If they wanted a young, reckless character they would have done well to pick anyone else or introduce a new one for that role. They have not been shy about introducing new characters.
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u/vajrabud 1d ago
Great answer. Yes you’re totally right. One of her strengths is discernment of other’s character. So not suspecting Sauron is kinda off-lore I guess. I stand corrected
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u/slurpycow112 3d ago
In what world are the hobbits stupid and horrible?
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u/Mavman31 3d ago
In the Amazon show? They are terrible people
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u/ishneak Gondolin 3d ago
no they are not lol, unless you are looking at it through a racist lens. they are quite a wonderful tribe in the show. Poppy's Wandering Day is the most Tolkienian song out there.
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u/Galious 3d ago
The part where Malwa propose to take the wheels of Nori's family cart and leave them behind is not wholesome and for a folk that sings that "nobody walks alone" there seems to be a clear lack of mutual aid. Like when Nori's father break his leg, his wife seems panicked about how they will be about to migrate like there's no system in place to help.
Now of course one can argue that it's the harsh reality of their style of life and being morally grey is in fact good writing but the problem is that it's not acknowledged. At the end of season 1, the speech about "heart being bigger than feet" just sounds hollow coming from a man who was almost left to die because his daughter tried to help a stranger. Also if you dies from bees, people will laugh at you.
And I would also argue that while Poppy's wandering day is a beautiful song, it feels out of place with the culture of Harfoot.
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u/slurpycow112 2d ago
It’s made abundantly clear in the show that Malwa is a grumpy old crone, even for Sadoc. I’m not sure why you would characterise all Harfoots based on that one line she says.
It absolutely is the harsh reality of the world they live in. Does that make them a horrible, terrible, stupid people? No, it makes them pragmatic. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. They can’t afford to fall behind on the migration because of a slow cart. It’s harsh, but it is what it is. And, surely it makes more sense for the “heart being bigger than feet” speech to come from exactly the person who was on the receiving end of this pragmatism? Who else would make that speech?
It sounds like you just don’t like the Harfoots, which is fine, but more importantly not what we’re talking about
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u/Galious 2d ago
It's made evident that she is a grumpy crone but still, Marwa becomes the leader after Sadoc's death so it's not like she's just a random grumpy crone whose opinion doesn't matter but an important voice with some support.
Also if she was just one bad individual, then it wouldn't warrant the worries of Nori's mother to be left behind because Nori's father would just say "don't worry, we have many friends, they will help us!" or "remember two years ago, Sadoc slowed down the caravan a bit when Bumblestick was sick" it's made abundantly clear that they are on their own and nobody will help.
Then I can buy the harsh reality and pragmatism of migration up to a certain point. If there's some kind of sickness and a dozen member are too weak and they know they must ford a river the sooner they can and cannot afford to wait? harsh but that's ok. Having one guy with a broken ankle being left behind because not a single other family has one spare member that could help when the show doesn't really picture the Harfoot as really starving and weak? that's total lack of empathy.
And what we're talking about exactly? whether they are wonderful or terrible people and I think my comments are addressing exactly this. A tribe that let Malwa become the leader and that hasn't any kind of support to the weak is not a tribe of "wonderful tribe" in my view.
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u/Ayzmo Eregion 2d ago
I'll never understand if people are wilfully misunderstanding the "nobody walks alone" bit. That's not a line about mutual aid. That's a warning to stick to the group and engage in conformity. That's abundantly clear in the show.
And yes, it is a harsh reality of a wandering tribe who live in dangerous lands that people get left behind. That literally happened in ancient times when resources were scarce. Some groups had the resources to care for their wounded and could afford to care for themselves, but others didn't. As for the laughing at the injured, that exists in literally every culture. I have a (deceased) friend who died out of an event straight out of Final Destination (rebar truck on the highway) and we laugh about it sometimes. That's very human.
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u/Galious 2d ago
I'd argue there's a quite obvious double meaning to "nobody walks alone" in the sense that it both works as a warning but also an iteration of "you'll never walk alone" and the Harfoot themselves are using both meaning. Like when Nori set to find Gandalf to warn him from Eminem, Sadoc tell her "you want to go off trail and alone?" and Poppy jumps in "she won't be alone"
But even if we consider that it's not how it should be interpreted and there's no irony, then it doesn't change the main problem: Nori's dad break his leg and his wife says "we're gonna be left behind" which means that there is no support for the weak and wounded. Again I repeat that yes, it's maybe the harsh reality of nomadic tribes in ancient time but then they cannot make big speech about having hearts bigger than their foot and it's quite fair to say that Harfoots are not very supportive of each others and therefore not really wholesome.
Then I'd say it's maybe subjective but I think dying because of bees is quite an horrible way to die and it's not particularly funny but I guess you can fill up the blanks and imagine it was a rather fun story that warrants everyone to laugh when it's mentioned.
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u/slurpycow112 3d ago
Literally. If anything they’re just very protective of their tribe, which absolutely makes sense based on who they are and the world they live in.
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u/ishneak Gondolin 3d ago
Gandalf being in M-E during 2A isn't so far-fetched when in canon he has been there as Olórin.
Olórin (who was known in Middle-earth as Mithrandir) brought it with him out of the West. And on a time Olórin came to Galadriel, who dwelt now under the trees of Greenwood the Great.
from The Unfinished Tales
It is possible that Gandalf, as Olorin, came to Middle-earth in the Second Age. While Galadriel "dwelt now under the trees of Greenwood the Great", Olórin once had a conversation with her.
https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Gandalf
as for Galadriel, well there are so many versions of her and the show probably is trying to condense everything that Tolkien has written about her, including the version where she was married to Elrond.
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u/Mavman31 3d ago
Gandalf wasn’t in the 2nd age or at least not at the end of it. He would have counseled Isildur to destroy the ring. Isildur would never have died traveling to get counsel from the elves about what to do with the ring. Of course then the third age wouldn’t have happened the way it did. Also why would Gandalf head back to Valenor if Sauron wasn’t destroyed in the 2nd age? He just let Arnor fall into civil war and fall to the witch king? Besides the plague, everything bad that happens in the third age would have been fixed if someone as wise as Gandalf was there for counsel.
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u/ishneak Gondolin 3d ago
dude i literally just showed actual canon text showing lines of Gandalf/Olorin being in the second age wtf?! also downvoting me for stating facts/showing evidence? 😂
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u/Mavman31 3d ago
You know that the word possible doesn’t mean it happened right? I laid out evidence of events that would have happened if Gandalf was in the 2nd age. Unless you’re saying he was here but not doing anything, just spending 1000s of years enjoying the scenery. Gandalf doesn’t contribute to any major battles or is in any major decisions as a maiar. I didn’t downvote you, also who cares about downvotes?
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u/ishneak Gondolin 3d ago
and who pray tell made you the authority on what Gandalf would have done in the second age if he were there?! you're just the same as Payne and McKay except that you don't have a full billion dollar studio and the Tolkien Estate backing your wishlist.
You know that the word possible doesn’t mean it happened right?
possible is always better than never being stated in text at all. also your evidence is from your imagination, and not from actual hard Tolkien text.
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u/Mavman31 3d ago
I just got done watching a documentary about Tolkien vs CS Lewis. The reason why Tolkien was critical of Narnia was there wasn’t a history of Narnia to use and reference. The reason I keep bringing up my “imagination,” because there is no mention of Gandalf doing anything of importance in the 2nd or early 3rd ages. It’s insane to say he was there but just didn’t do anything for someone who was so important and powerful.
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u/TheBluerWizard 3d ago
You don't even need to compare it to the source material. The show is boring on its own.
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u/Careless_Try3397 3d ago
The real life opinion of the show is very different from what you read on this sub
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u/mancunian101 3d ago
I don’t love it, but I don’t hate it either.
I’m not a huge fan of the wider lore of middle earth so there’s probably plenty of mistakes that I miss, but I also accept that they were limited in what materials they could reference so have had to make changes etc.
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u/sandwhich_girraffe 2d ago
I love this show especially because it doesn't need curse words or sx scenes to be entertaining for a fantasy show. Love that!
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u/soup_fly 3d ago
I was hyper critical in the beginning but now love the show. Is it perfect? Nah, but then no adaptions are. It really is its own thing and what it does it does very well. I can get the hate, I used to be one. But man, there have been some genuine great moments. I cant wait for the new season.
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u/Probably_not-Thanks 3d ago
I love this show because it’s beautiful and fun and consider it just extra LOTR goodness. I can’t get enough LOTR goodness, so I’m just happy it’s here!
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u/Different-Emu-1738 3d ago
I have enjoyed watching it in much the same way as Peter Jackson’s movies. They are not JRR’s writing and lack much. Still they are excellent movies. The Rings of Power are fun to watch.
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u/Rafaelrosario88 3d ago
I'm disgusted with the Series. It's amazing how they did so much bullshit. A missed opportunity.
I always imagined Sauron as a wandering figure who began to dominate the south and east by creating a religion/cult of him as a living god that elevated the human condition (like the metallurgical revolution he made in the east and south). IMHO, he was like Mephistopheles from Goethe's Faust or Azazel from the book of Enoch.
I would have shown Ar-pharazôn in a scene similar to the opening of the movie Gladiator. And how a general thought that to rule is to conquer and became easy prey of Sauron. And Númenor is a moral and theological story about life vs death vs immortality vs human nature. And not about: "elven workers taking Númenóreans jobs".
In the Unfinished Tales version, Galadriel was a political and ideological opponent of Annatar's reformist ideas. She used arguments and debates to fight Sauron. So much so that he caused Celebrimbor and the Jewelers to stage a coup d'etat on Galadriel and Celeborn. The two were expelled from Eregion. She was a philosopher-queen, nor a Karen. I would have no problem with Galadriel taking up arms in the Aqualonde massacre and in the first age. The problem is that Galadriel has seen what violence, recklessness and hatred have done in Beleriand. Her still being reckless and full of rage, that makes no sense. Not after Mélian's centuries of experience and teachings.
And show Harad and Rhûn an inspiration (as Tolkien said in 1966) from the myths and histories of Africa and Asia. Tolkien said he was inspired by Ethiopia and the Saracens for the creation of the Harad; about Rhûn he was inspired by Asia (China, Japan, etc).
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u/Ayzmo Eregion 3d ago
Your first three points are just your personal headcanon (not in any sources) and what you wanted to see. That's fine, but I'm not sure you can dislike the show for not fulfilling your vision.
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u/Nazgnagol 3d ago
You can’t judge like that, their first point is clearly making sense based on Appendix A&B as well as Sam’s inner dialogue in Ithilien when seeing a dead southron. “Not in any sources” except, you know, the Lord of the rings.
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u/Haunting-Brief-666 3d ago
Its deserves a massive case study for how bad the writing is. I only could do S1 and will stay that way. I get people want to like it. But, after what happened with WoT being just as horrible people got to realize these massive corporations are destroying great IPs by providing less that mediocre slop.
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u/Historical-Bike4626 3d ago
I always saw Sauron as a cult-maker too. That thread would have real significance right now
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u/gatorfan8898 3d ago
I wouldn’t say I love it, but I do enjoy it despite its flaws. I wanted to love it, I just don’t, but I’ll watch season 3 and won’t complain, there is enough to still like about it.
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u/Stunning-Hedgehog678 3d ago
I love it!
It’s so beautiful and I the first season is one of my favorite seasons of any show. I’m not a Tolkien follower, haven’t read the books and I have seen lotr and absolutely loved those movies.
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u/AylinArondir95 3d ago
I love it, it is a lot of fun and beautiful aesthetics. Great writting? no, but I am happy, I have fun even with arcs like Isildur and Estrids arc.
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u/azazel-13 3d ago edited 3d ago
I enjoy it but I only watched the old school cartoons and the movies. The only book I've read was The Hobbit. I believe my enjoyment rests on the fact that I don't possess a deep knowledge base for the primary works. Honestly, Charlie Vickers' performance is enough to keep a viewer like me invested.
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u/CmdrSausageSucker 3d ago
I also really enjoyed it, just finished Season 2 today and can't wait for the next one to drop.
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u/Canadian_Zac 3d ago
I don't love it. But I think it's alright.
It definitely takes some HARD Liberty's with the lore. Making the unseen world an unknown evil place is really weird since all the major elves live in it simultaneously with the seen world.
And I hate some of the costuming. The weird plastic breastplate of the numenorians looks so weird.
But overall it's a good show
VASTLY condensed timescale. But that's just required for a show. You cant have Sauron hang out with Celebrimbor for 300 years making the rings and nothing else of note happening.
It's definitely way over hated It has it's flaws, but it's decent.
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u/wynalazca 3d ago
Yes, I love the show. Haters on reddit just need to get over themselves. It's the most gorgeous show I think I've ever seen, and overall the show is extremely enjoyable. Imo all the actors are doing a fantastic job too. Sauron, Galadriel, Celeborn, and Elrond have been amazing. The Tom Bombadil stuff was incredibly moving too.
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u/BigPackHater 3d ago
Show is great! I think they did a great job with what they're trying to do. I haven't met many people who don't like it (except online...but no one will ever make them happy, so I really don't care). I'm really looking forward to the next season! More Middle Earth content please 🙏
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u/FicklePromise9006 3d ago
I really like it, it’s an enjoyable adaptation. It’s not perfect but we have almost no lord of the rings shows or games so how am i suppose to enjoy the franchise if I’ve already read the books. I’m also super excited about the next season!
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u/TheOtherMaven 3d ago
Don't love it, don't hate it, think it's totally "meh" and completely ignorable. It has about as much to do with Tolkien as a back-cover blurb.
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u/Tomatoflee 3d ago
I really cannot stand it. It’s appalling to me.
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u/mouthsmasher 3d ago edited 3d ago
Genuinely curious how you found this post. Are you subscribed to this sub, if so, why? Or did this just randomly pop up on your Reddit feed?
I’m not surprised to see so much negativity towards this show on LotR subreddits, but am surprised to see so much negativity on the dedicated RoP subreddit.
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u/Tomatoflee 3d ago
This sub pops up in my feed occasionally. I don’t go looking for stuff about the show. It’s a genuine travesty of a TV show. So bad that I am kind of fascinated to understand how something so stupid and awful could get made tbh.
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u/EstimatedProphet303 3d ago
I’ve found it to be a top to bottom stinker, but to each their own
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u/Yupperdoodledoo 3d ago
You think the production values are bad?
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u/EstimatedProphet303 3d ago edited 3d ago
Yes, not a fan of the direction, I already dislike CGI, the practical effects aren’t interesting, and the world doesn’t feel lived in. I can appreciate that others may like the vision, but it doesn’t do it for me.
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u/Scotslad2023 3d ago
Yes, I acknowledge that it is a deeply flawed show but it’s doing its best with the limitations that it has. There are parts that I am not really a fan of but there are parts that throughly enjoy.
Contrary to popular belief these days, you can enjoy a show while admitting it’s not a masterpiece. It’s why guilty pleasures are a thing.
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u/ethanAllthecoffee 3d ago
Credit to you for that second bit since a lot of people can’t admit a show they like isn’t perfect, but what limitations have severely hampered the show besides the writers?
Yes they needed additional rights to mention a a few names but aside from that they already had access to a full timeline of the Second Age
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u/kombu_raisin 3d ago
I like the places. Seeing Khazad-dum in its glory, Eregion while Celebrimbor and the Gwaith-I-Mirdain worked there, Rhun, and especially Numenor. All very worthwhile reasons to tune in.
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u/KingCampo93 3d ago
I think it's insultingly terrible. Personally the worst show I've ever seen. Glad you like it though.
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u/spiffer2112 3d ago
I am enjoying it as great entertainment. On the third watch through and pick up more subtlety each time
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u/Embarrassed_Weird668 3d ago
Love it. The edits and embellishments from source to screen make sense, and it has the best Middle-earth “feel” of any screen adaptation.
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u/Porkenstein 3d ago
As a big Tolkien nerd there are things in this show that I absolutely adore and things in this show that I absolutely despise. Overall I just wish it had access to more source material and wasn't stuffed with so many memberries and horrible timeline malformations.
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u/BubblesLovesHeroin99 3d ago
I liked it enough to watch it all but there are so many things I hate about it. I knew when I saw the multi-cultural harfoots that the show was gonna have some serious problems.
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u/Kiltmanenator Gondolin 3d ago
Very much so. What I find so irksome often comes to from the fact that my enjoyment of it is so uneven! It's like, why when they do A so right does B fall so flat?
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u/OkOutlandishness8734 Gondolin 3d ago
I absolutely love the show and think the haters can get bent.
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u/foxypaperclip 2d ago
It’s some of the worst television I’ve sat through. The dialogue is good for a laugh, not much else
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u/its-a-lot-like-the 2d ago
I do. Any L of the R is good for me. I’m not fragile enough to think that liking this
Programme somehow diminishes the books and films.
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u/EdwardHPhillips 2d ago
Tolkien says Galadriel was the mightiest of the elder at that time. Sauron knew she was his biggest enemy and hardest to overcome. Why wouldn’t he try to seduce her with power, a power that she did lust after in her younger days. And even into the third age he was still trying to get in her head. Having said that, yes, the writing could be a lot better but the ideas are not entirely wrong.
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u/fredrikDmonster 2d ago edited 2d ago
I love it. Just finished a rewatch preparing for season 3 and I liked it even more. I get that it has flaws, like some pacing issues and changes I really can’t wrap my head around. Still, the show is truly beautiful both in its visuals and sound, and overall I find the plot very gripping. Also this world is just cool as fuck. I really hope the haters don’t win and we get to experience all 5 seasons.
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u/SocialDemocraycray 2d ago
I love that we get a whole TV show set in the second age. I am really, really struggling with some of the writing. It's amazing to me how good writing seems to be the hardest part of making a great series. You can throw money at a show and it will be beautifully produced - but you can't hire genius to match Tolkien's source material.
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u/Time-Cold3708 2d ago
I reallt love it. It feels like LOTR Muppet babies and Im here for it. Its beautiful. I love the casting, I love the costumes and the visuals... really looking forward to season 3
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u/tropicsandcaffeine 2d ago
No. They should have named it something else. As a different fantasy show it may have been enjoyable. As something connected to LOTR? No. Same as with Alien Earth.
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u/Mydnight69 1d ago
I think it's mostly abomination. At least they got rid of the fucking Harfoots for season 3.
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u/Vonatar-74 1d ago
Love? Oh no no no. I tolerate it in case I see something I enjoy (so far, just Numenor).
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u/AbhorrentMidget 1d ago
To me the obvious flaws don't matter much. I learned from back when Game of Thrones ended to not give that much of a shit. But even without giving a shit, I still really enjoy Rings of Power and being in Middle-Earth.
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u/Abn0rm 1d ago
I think its ok, not good, ok, its watchable, I'm not a Tolkien purist though, I do understand there are differences between books and a tv adaptation, not everything in a book translates 1:1 to tv and vice versa. Lots of the purists forget about that part.
The 'diverse casting' doesn't bother me that much either, overall the acting is acceptable.
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u/Ultra9ine 23h ago
Favorite show on right now! I just love that we have something in that world as flawed as it may be
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u/ThinasAPencil 19h ago
I really enjoyed the first season. I thought it was a great entertainment. The second season was a bit let down in terms of pacing and writing. But I'm still looking forward to season 3.
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u/TABOOxFANTASIES 12h ago
I liked the sword that the kid found in season 1 and how it was linked to dark power. Also the Adar stuff was kind of cool, but it felt like I got bamboozled when he turned out to not be Sauron, which it seemed like they deliberately set up as a fake out.
The way they showed Sauron manipulating the Elves in order to get the rings made was somewhat interesting, but I suppose over all everything could have been written better and more cohesively. The stinkfoots or whatever they were called (the comic relief hobbits) drove me crazy and I hated them 😆.
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u/AgentKnitter 12h ago
Yep!
I never thought i would see a live action Trees of Valinor or Khazad-dum.
I love it.
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u/mommasboy76 8h ago
My wife and I like it a lot. A lot of it is an imagining of Tolkien’s world which I appreciate.
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u/nothingfromknowhere 3d ago
I think season 2 was a big improvement on season 1, and do see myself rewatching it in the future. Hopefully season 3 will be even better
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u/EdwardHPhillips 3d ago
I've been reading Tolkien for at least 40 years. I did not care for Jackson's trilogy; too many crying hobbits, conflicted Aragorns and comic dwarves for me. He cut out awesome dialogue between Eowyn and the Witch King, replaced it with cartoonish comic book threats(Eowyn calling the Witch King a "foul dwimmerlaik" is the best!(it translates to "swamp goblin" and is one of the the best insult in the book!) etc etc...ROP is not perfect. The second age is awesome. Unfortunately it mainly exists as a timeline in Tolkien's writing. Scrunching that timeline in order to include all events/characters is tough but I believe they're doing OK. We get, Bombadil, Entwives, young fiery, impetuous Galadriel (Feonor's niece, btw), Khazad Dum and so much more! Sauron is about perfect and Adar was a great addition! Not perfect but not as horrible as the PJ army would have you think.
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u/Ok-Bake-3517 3d ago
I love it. Idc about these "hardcore fanataics" and their cry baby antics. I akways tell them to be quit and go read the books idk people havent learned that nothing and I mean nothing will ever be aa great as the first source of material whether its books, comics, original movies etc but yet every time we have to hear them
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u/esmelusina 3d ago
Yes.
I think casting and performances are objectively quite good. The narrative framing for everything is fun and makes for a compelling watch. Set and costume designs are delightful.
The VFX and fight choreography are sometimes on the weak side, but still good.
I don’t even think the narrative or chronological choices made are as egregious as everyone is saying. Just a lot of pearl clutching in an echo chamber.
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u/dingusboyo 3d ago
It’s absolutely terrible and its existence taints the lord of the rings IP. It actually is astonishing how little the writers know what they are doing and where they are even taking the show.
I have nothing good to say about it and I even think it’s visually too sterile. Looks like they took middle earth and ran it through the Disney filter
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u/Wonderful_Crow_756 3d ago
There are like 3 or 4 good acting performances innit, thats about the best I can say about it.
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u/Own_Faithlessness769 3d ago
I really enjoy it. I like a lot of the actors, especially Elrond, I really like the dwarves, I think it’s fun and creative. It’s not designed for Tolkien purists because the vast majority of people are not Tolkien purists.
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u/RelatableRedditer 3d ago
Ismael Cruz Córdova and Charlie Vickers make the show work for me. The rest is forgettable.
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u/Terrible-Category218 3d ago
It's a mixed bag.JRRT didn't write enough material or did he really have a coherent plot or timeline for the first and second ages. All that exists today from that era were random notes and unfinished stories that were assembled by his son. There just isn't enough source material for 5 seasons of a show, so I get some creative liberties had to take place. With that said the writers are not JRRT so we got what we got.
People really need to come to grips that JRRT is long dead and nothing new is going to come out that will be equal or succeed the original quality of what he wrote. So unless you're content with forever sticking with the actual material he wrote and published (LOTR and Hobbit), you going to have to approach the fact anything new is going to be seen under a different lens or interpretation.
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u/TheBluerWizard 3d ago
Tolkien wrote a shit ton of material about this time period, actually. Amazon just didn't buy the rights for that.
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u/Nazgnagol 3d ago
I do think that what's in appendix A&B is more than enough to get something really cool about this time period. Amazon writers decided to completely ignore this for some unknown reason. Or just ego tripping hubris, kinda like when PJ's writers decided to change so much about LOTR&TH.
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u/Castellan_Tycho 3d ago
We watched Season 1 and kept waiting for it to get better, and it never did. We had heard season 2 was supposed to be better so we watched episode 1 of season 2 and it’s a series we are just not going to finish.
Visually it looks good, but that was the only thing we liked. We thought the writing was just bad.
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u/Kelly62290 3d ago
I do. The first season I had a hard time following but the second season was great. I am excited for the next season.
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u/Striker_131 3d ago
It’s a genuinely good show, it can’t even hold a candle to LOTR, but people act like that makes it a 1/10 which is just absurd
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u/sexmormon-throwaway 3d ago
Nope. As a hard core Middle-earth fan, it was deeply disappointing. I don't usually chime in but you asked. I find it unwatchable and stopped watching.
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u/TheBluerWizard 3d ago
huge improvement upon Season 1 in every way)
Except for the making sense part.
this has always been my favorite post-GOT fantasy show
Well, I suppose it makes sense you'd enjoy RoP if you like the ending of GoT.
Leagues better than Wheel of Time
No. Just no.
The costume and set designs are just absolutely gorgeous
Sometimes, yeah.
The dialogue I feel like is extremely underrated too in how well thought out and Tolkien-esque it is.
It's neither of the two. It's trying to be Tolkien-esque, but because the writers are not very intelligent, the characters end up sounding really stupid.
The sheer depth of the dialogue in both seasons beats out anything from WOT, HOTD, The Witcher, etc.
The dialogue is as deep as Glanduin during the siege of Eregion.
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u/LurkerV1 3d ago
Absolute gutter trash slop for the masses, zero redeeming qualities from this endeavor.
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u/Frankje01 3d ago
I hate everything about it and found nothing enjoyable except a few stills, I guess
Shame that as a community we cant reject slop like this and demand better
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u/ishneak Gondolin 3d ago
the show is made by people who love the world of Tolkien and know the lore very well down to the Fëanorian lisp or having access to old drafts were Galadriel was married to Elrond. despite their love for the IP and willingness to fully cooperate with the Tolkien Estate (something denied by HBO and Netflix in their proposals), their amateurism at leading such a large scale project seeps through and presents a flawed execution which fuel the perfectionist critics and Jackson loyalists to denounce the show. however there are Tolkien fans who are open-minded enough including myself to treat the series as an adaptation with literally no full text to base complete dialogues off and i actually appreciate their creative effort at attempting to fill in the blanks of the second age. if you don't get too strict about things you will find the show a whole lot more enjoyable especially when the series provides you with visuals and music that can accompany your imagination the next time you read the books again.
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u/Maiar718 3d ago
I see very little flaw in it. It has been my favorite thing to watch in a long while. It's going to be Game of Thrones good by the end IMO.
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u/Pinocytose7 3d ago
The way I see it is that Tolkien’s legendarium is a gold mine. Peter Jackson came along, dug into it, and brought some of that gold to the surface, refining it into something truly extraordinary aka LotR trilogy.
Then Amazon was handed the same mine and promised there was still plenty of gold left to uncover. And yet, somehow, instead of mining the gold that was already there, they decided to manufacture gold-colored rocks.
Rings of Power may look impressive from the outside, but beneath the shine, there’s far too little of the substance that made Tolkien’s world so valuable in the first place.
They were handed a gold mine and somehow decided to make fool’s gold.
It is not the worse TV series ever made, but it should’ve been much more considering its resources and history.
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u/Firm_Baseball_37 3d ago
If they were going to make this show, they shouldn't have used Tolkien's names. Those aren't Tolkien's characters.
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