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Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut




 Jadenim wrote:

Spoiler:
With regards to the “fathers” speech by Elrond, I didn’t find it arrogant at all. Elrond is one of the few elves that actually understand mortality; his brother became a mortal and died and he lost his father to a heavenly quest. The death of a loved one is terrible, but the thought of that person being alive but removed from you for all eternity is even rougher.


Spoiler:
Keep in mind that Elrond survived the Fall of Gondolin as a child. The finality of life, even for an ostensibly immortal being, is something bound to his very core.

The scene isn't about him one-upping Durin, it's about his continuing to show to Durin that despite how monumentally different their worlds are they have striking similarities. It's a friend reaching out to another friend in a moment of crisis and doubt and giving earnest guidance and support. No matter the agendas and politicking and machinations that surround them, these are two people who genuinely care about each other. They just sometimes have to be reminded of that fact (it's a similar theme to Durin's care for the sapling in his home that tees up Disa smoothing their falling out).

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2022/09/19 12:42:35


 
   
Made in ca
Preacher of the Emperor






So when the show first dropped there were people speculating on exactly how much they would be able to draw from the Silmarillion or other works beyond just the appendices of Return of the King - that they'd be creating new lore whole cloth as part of the broader 'fanfic' criticism.

As each episode airs, it feels like they've anticipated this criticism, and have been inserting little references here and there to poke at it. Gil-Galad shows up in episode 1, Feanor gets name-dropped in episode 2. Galadriel points out (rightly) that she is of the Noldor in episode 3...

Spoiler:
and Adar talks about Beleriand in this latest one (which caught me off-guard because its completely absent from Galadriel's opening narration and the accompanying map in episode 1!)


I'm a little cooler on this episode than the others, if only because I feel kind of left on the hook for the hobbit stuff and I want to know what happens next!

Spoiler:
Numenor comes front and center here after establishing the basics about it in the B plot of the previous episode. I'm less interested in its plotline if only because I feel I know the most about it - they need to move the plot from point A to point B in order to get Numenor to the point where it's sending ships and colonizing Middle Earth and founding Gondor, etc. it's as well executed as the other plot threads in the show so that's fine.

I'd say Arondir's story comes in as the B plot this episode. We get payoff about Adar which I think really should have been incorporated into the previous episode somehow. He asks Arondir to do something and Arondir goes and does it, but along the way we get some running, some danger, orcs being nasty, etc. and that supplies most of the action this episode (no need to insert a street brawl into the other storylines this time). The only other interesting thing to come out of it is Theo getting confronted by Waldreg - confirming our suspicions about the sword and that some of the people here are loyal to the memory of Sauron.

And we get back to Elrond and Durin to see that some progress is being made on the tower/forge, the big secret from episode 2 is revealed to be mithril (not my guess, good on those who guessed right!) and Durin himself seems to waffle back and forth over whether he trusts Elrond implicitly or is stringing him along like his father wants him to? Their conversation about fathers is probably the most bizarre criticism of the show I've seen thus far: Elrond has some unique circumstances that prevent him from being able to settle things with his father, he says as much in this scene and it doesn't take more than the barest, most basic level of empathy to understand that Durin's going to feel just as torn up if he doesn't settle things with his own aging father.

Finally, Durin gives Elrond a piece of Mithril, which is the part that makes me wonder if he's proving he trusts Elrond more than he'll admit to his dad.


And... (bigger spoilers in a separate box)
Spoiler:
it's worth noting at this point that at least one of the elven rings of power (the one given to Galadriel, no less) is made from mithril.

   
Made in us
[DCM]
Savage Minotaur




Baltimore, Maryland

Couple thoughts :

Morfydd Clark (Galadriel) can do better. I've seen her in Saint Maud and a few other things where she's shown some acting chops. In this she seems so... wooden. She's also written to be unlikeable. Hopefully they can change course. Had it been an original character, I'd probably not be as bothered by her portrayal.

Actor that plays Elendil kind of took me by surprise. Dude seems to dominate any scene he's in.

Pacing is weirdly distracting and oft times pulls me out of the show. One less then kind reviewer called the show "A cure for insomnia".

Too many branching storylines. Very rarely does a show with so many dangling threads wrap them up nicely and with all of them paying off in a satisfying way.

Supposedly this show is $65 million per episode and I'm left wondering where all the money went.

"Sometimes the only victory possible is to keep your opponent from winning." - The Emperor, from The Outcast Dead.
"Tell your gods we are coming for them, and that their realms will burn as ours did." -Thostos Bladestorm
 
   
Made in gb
Mighty Vampire Count






UK

She was great in two of my fav period dramas - Love and Friendship and Pride and Predudice and Zombies.

I like young(er) angry Galadreil tbh but Elrond and the Dwarfs are current;y my favs - quite happy with the elf warrior as well.

I AM A MARINE PLAYER

"Unimaginably ancient xenos artefact somewhere on the planet, hive fleet poised above our heads, hidden 'stealer broods making an early start....and now a bloody Chaos cult crawling out of the woodwork just in case we were bored. Welcome to my world, Ciaphas."
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"I will admit that some Primachs like Russ or Horus could have a chance against an unarmed 12 year old novice but, a full Battle Sister??!! One to one? In close combat? Perhaps three Primarchs fighting together... but just one Primarch?" da001

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A Bloody Road - my Warhammer Fantasy Fiction 
   
Made in ca
Rampaging Carnifex





Toronto, Ontario

Took me 2 tries to get through E4, as I fell asleep the first time. This was easily my least favorite episode thus far. My biggest problem continues to be Galadriel. I honestly really dig the actress, I think she's doing as good a job as she can with the material she's given, it's just the script is terrible. I simply can't stomach how wildly undiplomatic this allegedly 3000 year old Elf is. I understand that the writers want her to come across as stubborn and hard headed, but they're just making her look like an idiot instead and I really don't think that's what they're trying to go for. The fact that after all of her idiotic attempts to provoke the Queen somehow still land her an escort back to Middle Earth is mind numbingly lazy. It's clear the writers are more interested in moving pieces on their board than they are telling a story.

I'm really hoping the next episode is a good one because I really do want to like the show. They seem to have gotten just about everything right except the writing.
   
Made in gb
Automated Rubric Marine of Tzeentch




dorset

like i said before: this isnt the calm, serene Galadriel that we know form Cate Blanchett's protrayal....but it ISthe part of that same being that Cate Blanchett's Galadriel was worried about when she was offered the One Ring, of the "dark queen" she speaks of to Frodo.

obviously, during the course of this series, I expect her to mature and become closer to the Lady of Lothlorien we see later in the timeline.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2022/09/19 19:18:23


To be a man in such times is to be one amongst untold billions. It is to live in the cruelest and most bloody regime imaginable. These are the tales of those times. Forget the power of technology and science, for so much has been forgotten, never to be relearned. Forget the promise of progress and understanding, for in the grim dark future there is only war. There is no peace amongst the stars, only an eternity of carnage and slaughter, and the laughter of thirsting gods.

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Made in ca
Rampaging Carnifex





Toronto, Ontario

xerxeskingofking wrote:
like i said before: this isnt the calm, serene Galadriel that we know form Cate Blanchett's protrayal....but it ISthe part of that same being that Cate Blanchett's Galadriel was worried about when she was offered the One Ring, of the "dark queen" she speaks of to Frodo.

obviously, during the course of this series, I expect her to mature and become closer to the Lady of Lothlorien we see later in the timeline.


Sorry, she's over 3,000 years old already. Galadriel should be more than mature enough to understand she's helpless on this island. It's daft and stupid. There are much better ways to show her dark queen side than what they've done.
   
Made in gb
Mighty Vampire Count






UK

One thing I don't get is should she not have some magical powers - well beyond being an elf - faster stronger, more agile than a human, immune to disease and age....etc

I AM A MARINE PLAYER

"Unimaginably ancient xenos artefact somewhere on the planet, hive fleet poised above our heads, hidden 'stealer broods making an early start....and now a bloody Chaos cult crawling out of the woodwork just in case we were bored. Welcome to my world, Ciaphas."
Inquisitor Amberley Vail, Ordo Xenos

"I will admit that some Primachs like Russ or Horus could have a chance against an unarmed 12 year old novice but, a full Battle Sister??!! One to one? In close combat? Perhaps three Primarchs fighting together... but just one Primarch?" da001

www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/528517.page

A Bloody Road - my Warhammer Fantasy Fiction 
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut




 Mr Morden wrote:
One thing I don't get is should she not have some magical powers - well beyond being an elf - faster stronger, more agile than a human, immune to disease and age....etc


Her powers were never flashy, generally involving communication, foresight, and concealment, and were quite often described as linked to or dependent on Nenya and her Mirror (neither of which she has at this point in the narrative). I don't think it can be stressed enough that both she and Elrond are a shadow of the powerhouses that they become in the later Second and into the Third Age, both from a maturity but also an ability standpoint.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2022/09/19 22:32:15


 
   
Made in ie
Longtime Dakkanaut




Ireland

Tolkein Elves with short hair... nope. Sorry that is just far too modern.

Also, what the hell was with that slow motion 'epic' horse ride on the beach... everything about it was set up to be this big epic piece. It just felt so forced, and far too early within the show to justify epic character moments like that.

Is there a reason the Orcs are all white? Thought Tolkien described Orcs as being sallow or black/dark skined? Is there something I am missing?

The objective of the game is to win. The point of the game is to have fun. The two should never be confused. 
   
Made in gb
Longtime Dakkanaut






A friend just sent me this and i have to share it. Billion dollar show..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiFg9G_Elf4
   
Made in us
Terrifying Doombull




 Inquisitor Gideon wrote:
A friend just sent me this and i have to share it. Billion dollar show..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiFg9G_Elf4

oh. no. everything. ruined.
The video maker is this obsessive, but somehow can't see that hinge on the door, and doesn't realize that type of stacked hinge (0:43 for a very clear shot) would _have to_ open both out and in?
Yeesh. People need to give things a rest.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2022/09/20 01:35:54


Efficiency is the highest virtue. 
   
Made in us
The Conquerer






Waiting for my shill money from Spiral Arm Studios

Sterling191 wrote:


Spoiler:
Keep in mind that Elrond survived the Fall of Gondolin as a child. The finality of life, even for an ostensibly immortal being, is something bound to his very core.

The scene isn't about him one-upping Durin, it's about his continuing to show to Durin that despite how monumentally different their worlds are they have striking similarities. It's a friend reaching out to another friend in a moment of crisis and doubt and giving earnest guidance and support. No matter the agendas and politicking and machinations that surround them, these are two people who genuinely care about each other. They just sometimes have to be reminded of that fact (it's a similar theme to Durin's care for the sapling in his home that tees up Disa smoothing their falling out).


Spoiler:
Actually, no. He didn't survive the fall of Gondolin. That was his infant father, Earendil.

He survived the 3rd Kinslaying at the havens of Sirion when the twins were captured, and their mother Elwing fled with the Silmaril. They were spared by Maglor who raised them as his own out of guilt for the murder of the twin sons of Dior, Elwing's brothers, during the 2nd Kinslaying the sack of Dorioth.

Essentially, the twins were raised by one of the last sons of Faenor and barely knew their father or mother, being only 6 when it happened.

Self-proclaimed evil Cat-person. Dues Ex Felines

Cato Sicarius, after force feeding Captain Ventris a copy of the Codex Astartes for having the audacity to play Deathwatch, chokes to death on his own D-baggery after finding Calgar assembling his new Eldar army.

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Made in de
Dakka Veteran





 stonehorse wrote:
Tolkein Elves with short hair... nope. Sorry that is just far too modern.

Also, what the hell was with that slow motion 'epic' horse ride on the beach... everything about it was set up to be this big epic piece. It just felt so forced, and far too early within the show to justify epic character moments like that.

Is there a reason the Orcs are all white? Thought Tolkien described Orcs as being sallow or black/dark skined? Is there something I am missing?


While I prefer Elves to generally have long hair I am not that fussed about it, especially over the course of thousands of years. I do not see short hair as explicitly modern. Roman fashion had short hair 2,000 years ago.

I seem to recall reading somewhere that the showrunners wanted the Orcs to be pale to help express their recent return to the surface as well as being more sensitive to light than how they are portrayed in Jackson's LOTR and Hobbit.

The writing in episode 4 was disappointing, again. Mrs. GG and I seem to be enjoying the show more than many other folks but the writing is still problematic at times. As is some of the camera work.

Spoiler:
The scene of Galadriel with the guards in the cells was… very disappointing. Painfully disappointing. And on top of that I do not mind Galadriel being arrogant or rash, but she is still supposed to be a General. A General. Not even a new Lieutenant or Captain by nepotism… a combat experienced General that has lead thousand year warriors in combat. Who has danced the complicated tapestry of an Elven Royal Court well enough to be made a General, a very political rank. She is not Achilles. I like the actor, she looks the part and can act but the writing is letting her down. The lecture on leadership and politics from a reluctant Royal…now that was awkward to me in a way that Elrond advising Durin on paternal relationships was not.

Rick, the Grumpy Gnome

https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/ 
   
Made in us
Haughty Harad Serpent Rider





Richmond, VA

 Grumpy Gnome wrote:

I seem to recall reading somewhere that the showrunners wanted the Orcs to be pale to help express their recent return to the surface as well as being more sensitive to light than how they are portrayed in Jackson's LOTR and Hobbit.


Indeed, much as the Weta designs for the LOTR Uruk-hai are meant to evoke charred black/red burns (the idea being that moving under daylight burns their skin, but they are so strong they can ignore the effects), the gross semi-translucency of the Weta RoP orcs (in this region) evoke the corruption of maggots and tunneling grubs (combining with their frankly brilliant costume designs of using things like snake-skins to shield themselves from sunlight and the long animal skulls basically being a "baseball cap" to provide shade against sun)

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Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut




 Grey Templar wrote:


Spoiler:
Actually, no. He didn't survive the fall of Gondolin. That was his infant father, Earendil.

He survived the 3rd Kinslaying at the havens of Sirion when the twins were captured, and their mother Elwing fled with the Silmaril. They were spared by Maglor who raised them as his own out of guilt for the murder of the twin sons of Dior, Elwing's brothers, during the 2nd Kinslaying the sack of Dorioth.

Essentially, the twins were raised by one of the last sons of Faenor and barely knew their father or mother, being only 6 when it happened.


That is not the first time I have conflated those two events when discussing the family history, so I appreciate the correction.
   
Made in us
[MOD]
Solahma






RVA

Would have been nice to learn a bit more about Adar in E4 after the blurry face cliffhanger in E3. Or what the Orcs are doing, more specifically than eventually somehow establishing Mordor as their realm. Or something more about the Morgul hilt Theo stole from Waldreg’s barn. Or the identity of the Stranger. My interest in any show really starts to strain under the weight of too many open-ended mysteries and E4 unfortunately just skirted along all of this stuff. The Numenorean sets continue to look great. I cannot get enough of Galadriel. Theo creeping through his village while the orcs searched for him was fun and the camera work there was extremely well done. The Durin/Elrond scenes are the clear stand-outs in E4.

   
Made in us
Boosting Space Marine Biker




Texas

Given some of the discussion on this thread so far, thought I would share the following. Great channel name BTW.




As for my opinion of the show itself, overall, I am struggling to stay engaged as the characters are not appealing or endearing as portrayed to date. Using the books or the LOTR film franchise as a basis, there is simply no character so far comparable to Bilbo, Gandalf, the fellowship, etc. So far I cannot stand Galadriel, and when your titular main protagonist is unlikeable as I think she is, that really spells trouble for the story and show as a whole. Also, the incongruities with Tolkien’s legendarium are really interfering with enjoying the story for what it is. On the positive side, the settings and cinematography for a “TV” show is great, though with a billion dollars combined with the development time spent on the show, it really is more of a serialized direct to streaming movie than a TV show IMHO.

Likely putting this on the back burner and maybe will try to return to it once the first season is done.

"Preach the gospel always, If necessary use words." ~ St. Francis of Assisi 
   
Made in ca
Preacher of the Emperor






 Manchu wrote:
Would have been nice to learn a bit more about Adar in E4 after the blurry face cliffhanger in E3. Or what the Orcs are doing, more specifically than eventually somehow establishing Mordor as their realm. Or something more about the Morgul hilt Theo stole from Waldreg’s barn. Or the identity of the Stranger.


These orcs specifically were digging their way from town to town searching for the sword (definitely not Stormbringer), hence the big moment where Theo lifts it up and the cloaked one is in awe, then goes chasing after him because he has it, right? Otherwise it looks like the villagers are...

Spoiler:
Preparing for some big confrontation with the orcs in the ruins of that tower, which may or may not be betrayed by Waldreg or some other members of the community...


I sure hope this isn't the arc they drop next episode.

Likewise, Meteor Man is still as mysterious this episode as he was last episode by virtue of his plot line never coming up.

   
Made in ie
Longtime Dakkanaut




Ireland

 Grumpy Gnome wrote:
 stonehorse wrote:
Tolkein Elves with short hair... nope. Sorry that is just far too modern.

Also, what the hell was with that slow motion 'epic' horse ride on the beach... everything about it was set up to be this big epic piece. It just felt so forced, and far too early within the show to justify epic character moments like that.

Is there a reason the Orcs are all white? Thought Tolkien described Orcs as being sallow or black/dark skined? Is there something I am missing?


While I prefer Elves to generally have long hair I am not that fussed about it, especially over the course of thousands of years. I do not see short hair as explicitly modern. Roman fashion had short hair 2,000 years ago.

I seem to recall reading somewhere that the showrunners wanted the Orcs to be pale to help express their recent return to the surface as well as being more sensitive to light than how they are portrayed in Jackson's LOTR and Hobbit.

The writing in episode 4 was disappointing, again. Mrs. GG and I seem to be enjoying the show more than many other folks but the writing is still problematic at times. As is some of the camera work.

Spoiler:
The scene of Galadriel with the guards in the cells was… very disappointing. Painfully disappointing. And on top of that I do not mind Galadriel being arrogant or rash, but she is still supposed to be a General. A General. Not even a new Lieutenant or Captain by nepotism… a combat experienced General that has lead thousand year warriors in combat. Who has danced the complicated tapestry of an Elven Royal Court well enough to be made a General, a very political rank. She is not Achilles. I like the actor, she looks the part and can act but the writing is letting her down. The lecture on leadership and politics from a reluctant Royal…now that was awkward to me in a way that Elrond advising Durin on paternal relationships was not.


While Human culture does change over the course of time. Iwas under the impression that Elves due, to being near enough immortal have a stagnant culture,or one that moves with the agency of a glacier.

I can see how that would make sense for the Orcs, just not sure how that is grounded in the lore. They have ended up looking like a primative version of Locusts from Gears of War. It is a great design, and makes sense that a subterranean race would all be pale.

Regarding the story, so far it has been rather bad. The scene where Galadriel decided to swim across a vast open ocean is quite possibly the dumbest thing I have seen.

The objective of the game is to win. The point of the game is to have fun. The two should never be confused. 
   
Made in de
Dakka Veteran





Galadriel's swimming would make more sense without her looking so beat when she gets on the raft… given in a later episode a Numenorean blacksmith complains about the fear of Elven workers who “ never tire, never sleep…” coming to take their jobs. And surely Galadriel could swim as well as Beowulf….

https://www.jstor.org/stable/1260546

However it is this kind of inconsistent writing that for me undermines the show most. It is confusing in its world building. We are told Galadriel is a General but does not act like one. She is shown to handily best a troll when other veteran Elven warriors could not. And yet she shows no real martial grace or skill (physical or tactical) in Numenor. The cell escape scene is cringeworthy.

And yes, the scenes with the Harfoots where “no one gets left behind….” until someone does… are again jarring. The inconsistency is what makes my head hurt.

Spoiler:
Arondil's “action scene” in episode 4makes no sense to me. Why release him to deliver a message to then have him killed before he can deliver the message? How did he get his weapons? Did the Orcs give them back? Why? Did he recover them from some hidden cache? That is my head canon on it I guess. The excellent Orc archers that shot the Elven Captain previously clearly had a day off during Arondil's flight….


When folks call this show a “wokefest” it irritates me because the problem is not a female lead or the various skin tones of the actors, it is some dodgy writing that undermines suspension of disbelief.

Edit: One thing about Elven culture changing… from what I remember Elves used scale armor and Dwarves invented maille. Then Elves took to using maille. So not quite unchanging in my opinion. But I can see where you are coming from. I think that in part I prefer long hair and no beards for Elves as costuming shorthand. Gondor with short hair and no beards, Rohan with long hair and beards. Perhaps not as Tolkien specifically wrote but small cultural clues via character appearance. Something I seem to recall Bernard Cornwell using in the Uhtred Saga.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2022/09/21 07:59:13


Rick, the Grumpy Gnome

https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/ 
   
Made in us
Nihilistic Necron Lord






Blacksmith complaining about elves that never tire and never sleep coming to steal our jerbs is a perfectly good propoganda phrase. Fear of the other blown out of proportion.

Give the elf his stuff, tell him to go deliver a message, even with your stuff we’re still gonna kill you all. Good hope crushing thing and pretty cliche evil guy stuff. Oh wait, by chance he bumped into the kid in possession of the one thing we really really want. Should probably go ahead and just kill him we can deliver the message another way.

Glad swimming home is still stupid.

 
   
Made in gb
Revving Ravenwing Biker



Wrexham, North Wales

I'm enjoying it. The swim.... I choose to see at as a) an example of the superhuman nature of the elves and b) as someone who wasn't ready to (re)enter the Undying Lands, she had no choice. She had to return to Middle-Earth and if swimming was the only way, then so be it.

"No-one gets left behind" obviously isn't a promise: it's an instruction. The Migration is all and if you can't keep up, you're lost. Your absence mourned, but you're gone.

I do feel we need a bit more on The Man Who Fell To Middle-Earth. There's teasing, and there is not saying anything at all - and I do get bored of that quite quickly. And the fight scene in the cells could have been choreographed better. Otherwise, I'm enjoying it so far.

Except - every time I see the leader of the Harfoots (Harfeet?) I'm hearing in my head "Faster, Ziggy. Faster!" The curse of well-known faces in a role, I guess. I found Stephen Fry in the Hobbit movies immersion breaking too.
   
Made in de
Dakka Veteran





MarkNorfolk wrote:
I'm enjoying it. The swim.... I choose to see at as a) an example of the superhuman nature of the elves and b) as someone who wasn't ready to (re)enter the Undying Lands, she had no choice. She had to return to Middle-Earth and if swimming was the only way, then so be it.

"No-one gets left behind" obviously isn't a promise: it's an instruction. The Migration is all and if you can't keep up, you're lost. Your absence mourned, but you're gone.

I do feel we need a bit more on The Man Who Fell To Middle-Earth. There's teasing, and there is not saying anything at all - and I do get bored of that quite quickly. And the fight scene in the cells could have been choreographed better. Otherwise, I'm enjoying it so far.

Except - every time I see the leader of the Harfoots (Harfeet?) I'm hearing in my head "Faster, Ziggy. Faster!" The curse of well-known faces in a role, I guess. I found Stephen Fry in the Hobbit movies immersion breaking too.


Fair points MarkNorfolk. I felt the same about Stephen Fry but fortunately for me I do not recognize the actor for the Harfoots leader. And thanks for helping me better frame the leaving behind bit in my mind.

AduroT… you make a fair point reminding me of the Morgul blade. That scene still jars for me though. The slow motion camerawork that keeps popping up in the show is something I am not a fan and that does not help.

Rick, the Grumpy Gnome

https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/ 
   
Made in us
Automated Rubric Marine of Tzeentch




dorset

Yhea, it's not "nobody will be left behind", a statement of solidarity and team help, its "nobody walks alone, and nobody falls behind". Its a statement of conormity, and community over individuals. Stay with the pack, don't make your own path, and if you can't keep up then that's on you.

It's the same "tall poppy syndrome " (which the mother name drops in episode 3) we see in later hobbits, of valuing comfortable conformity over individual achievement.

To be a man in such times is to be one amongst untold billions. It is to live in the cruelest and most bloody regime imaginable. These are the tales of those times. Forget the power of technology and science, for so much has been forgotten, never to be relearned. Forget the promise of progress and understanding, for in the grim dark future there is only war. There is no peace amongst the stars, only an eternity of carnage and slaughter, and the laughter of thirsting gods.

Coven of XVth 2000pts
The Blades of Ruin 2,000pts Watch Company Rho 1650pts
 
   
Made in ca
Preacher of the Emperor






Wait hold on.

I've seen people complaining about the Harfoots saying 'No one gets left behind' and then immediately going back on it. I assumed this was a line from episode 1 or 2 that I missed? Surely it's not the little marching song Sadoc was singing with the children in episode 3?

Because that one absolutely went "Nobody goes off trail, and nobody walks alone." and was accompanied by effigies of wolves and spooky birds that will surely eat naughty harfoots that go off trail or walk alone. No mention of commitments to not leave harfoots behind or even marginally complicated things like how to form search parties because again, it's a little marching song to teach children road safety.

People are clinging to Galadriel trying to swim across the ocean but I don't think it's the silver bullet people make it out to be. Tolkien elves are OP as all hell - swimming across the entire bredth of the ocean is a stretch even then, but Galadriel is hedging her bets here. She grew up in Valinor, she knows Ulmo has your back even when the other Valar don't, and if she is right and she is needed in Middle Earth, she can count on divine intervention to get her there.

And if she isn't, she'll just die, and be reunited with her brother.
Spoiler:
(Literally, she'd go to the Halls of Mandos - the sad irony being Finrod is one of the few elves permitted to leave the halls and return to Valinor proper, so he may well have been waiting for her at the docks on the other side, but she doesn't know that.)


So no, I don't think she's diving in and swimming to Middle Earth based on some expectation that she'll be able to make it on her own (as funny as it would be for all these episodes to just cut back to her for five or ten second snippets of her doing the breast-stroke). I suspect she, in line with all her dialogue expressing doubt about going to Valinor leading up to this scene, concluded that returning now was wrong, and that she had to, by any means, try to get back to Middle Earth, no matter the odds - because elves are chained to their destinies and the fate of the world in a way that men uniquely are not. And sure enough it seems to have paid off for her: a wrecked ship (explicitly not Numenorean, so they got swept out very, very far from home, wherever they're from) a horrible sea worm, Numenoreans, who live on and love the sea, etc.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2022/09/21 14:19:48


   
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Waiting for my shill money from Spiral Arm Studios

 AduroT wrote:
Blacksmith complaining about elves that never tire and never sleep coming to steal our jerbs is a perfectly good propoganda phrase. Fear of the other blown out of proportion.


Not really. Its lazy insertion of "bad rightwing anti-immigrant stereotype". Its not even done in a clever allegorical way, its just literally "Thy're gonna take our jerbs!!" which makes zero sense in-universe. Elves definitely do tire and sleep, and yes the Numenoreans would know that.

The ruling elite also made absolutely no friendly overtures to Galadrial, so why the masses are on the verge of protesting makes no sense. Especially when Galadrial's only request was "get me out of here" and made quite clear she has no intention of staying.

If you want the restless masses rabblerousing over the Elf, you'd need her to have had a warmer reception from Mirial. Then you could actually have had some real sensible drama. Maybe have Mirial be actually courteous and at least hospitable, with Pharazon and others objecting to anything more than tossing her on the next boat heading east. Then when Mirial forces her way and is more friendly, then you have Pharazon doing some grandiose speech and shizz after leaving in a huff.

They're terrible at writing what they want to write.

Self-proclaimed evil Cat-person. Dues Ex Felines

Cato Sicarius, after force feeding Captain Ventris a copy of the Codex Astartes for having the audacity to play Deathwatch, chokes to death on his own D-baggery after finding Calgar assembling his new Eldar army.

MURICA!!! IN SPESS!!! 
   
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The writing could be better but I can understand the discontent of the blacksmiths and y may not trust Miriel when it comes to Elves…. her father.

While Elves do sleep, it is not exactly as Men.

https://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/144686/how-long-can-elves-go-without-sleeping

So again this makes sense for me.

The writing could be tighter but I get the gist of what the writers want to get across. For me it does make sense in the world Tolkien created.

https://nerdist.com/article/why-are-the-numenoreans-and-elves-fighting-in-the-rings-of-power/

I do not see this as some sort of insertion of contemporary politics. Xenophobia is hardly a rightwing (or conservative) only issue. In this case it is the conservative pro-Elf faction against the progressive pro-Men faction.

Is this another example of some folks wanting to make Rings of Power more political than it is meant to be?

Rick, the Grumpy Gnome

https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/ 
   
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[MOD]
Otiose in a Niche






Hyderabad, India

The people railing about Elves stealing our jobs knocked me out of the story, it was same sort of present day stuff as the dwarf tossing joke in LotR.

Just clumsy.

Now the scene in episode 1 where the humans gripe about elves controlling their land, that seemed for a second to be a modern comment about Iraq (or Palestine or where ever) but then it occurred to me it was just a appropriate for Ireland or India at the time Tolkien was writing, or about Israel during the Roman Empire.

 
   
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 Kid_Kyoto wrote:
The people railing about Elves stealing our jobs knocked me out of the story, it was same sort of present day stuff as the dwarf tossing joke in LotR.

Just clumsy.

Now the scene in episode 1 where the humans gripe about elves controlling their land, that seemed for a second to be a modern comment about Iraq (or Palestine or where ever) but then it occurred to me it was just a appropriate for Ireland or India at the time Tolkien was writing, or about Israel during the Roman Empire.


Xenophobic concerns about job loss did not strike me as a modern concern only. And it certainly did not jar me as much as “nobody tosses a Dwarf” but to each their own.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2022/09/22 09:03:55


Rick, the Grumpy Gnome

https://thegrumpygnome.home.blog/ 
   
 
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