The mithril legend does not make sense since Numenor has it as well, unless that same elf and balrog fought once again lol.
The supposed Silmaril tree story is nonsense as well since all three have very specific places where they ended up and where they have been through history.
I hope all this legend and mithril need and elven soul deal is either just bs legends or Sauron's play baiting the elves with power and whispering into Celebrimbor's and Gil's ear. Since they condensed so much from the Second Age, Sauron slowly deceiving everyone should already be underway and the plan for the Rings of Power should be in motion which is why they needed the forge. As for the need for mithril, its what the rings are made off, well at least Galadriel's ring is.
The story about preserving the souls and stopping their being and lands from Middle-Earth's decay is more or less what the elven Rings of Power did (minus the soul thing, thats "kinda" (emphasis on kinda) a third age thing with Sauron's darkness more and more growing and their hold on Middle Earth getting weaker).
Welp, elves supposedly fade away if they remain in middle elves with no trace of the eldar's bliss. What this means will forever be ambigous as this is hardly addressed in canon materials. Still even if the fading is literal it's not really death for elves and the sort of rot we are seeing spread makes no sense whatsoever.
I read a theory online which I think fits with canon material... All sauron candidates are red herrings and sauron is likely already working with celebrimbor. That puts the stranger in a weird place though. It'd be too shitty a development if he is gandalf.
One thing I will say about this series is that casting is generally spot on. It feels like they went for a slightly younger look for the elves than in the PJ films which I think is a better fit since elves remain in their physical prime for eternity.
I read a theory online which I think fits with canon material... All sauron candidates are red herrings and sauron is likely already working with celebrimbor. That puts the stranger in a weird place though. It'd be too shitty a development if he is gandalf.
My thoughts exactly about Sauron. He is already there in Eregion as an elf whispering wonders to Celebrimbor.
The Stranger thing they are more and more hinting at Gandalf which I also dont know how to feel about. The one thing i might give a pass if thats Gandalf is if its actually him as Olorin on one of his journeys through MiddleEarth.
Welp, elves supposedly fade away if they remain in middle elves with no trace of the eldar's bliss. What this means will forever be ambigous as this is hardly addressed in canon materials. Still even if the fading is literal it's not really death for elves and the sort of rot we are seeing spread makes no sense whatsoever
Well depends what you consider canon since Tolkien went back and forth with some lore and world building and contradicted himself a number of times on what he wrote in LOTR. So it depends which book about all the lore you consider canon. Or its just the LOTR books, Hobbit and Silmarillion for you? There are a number of other books about ME that are pretty interesting to read about, which talk about aspects of the world and its people.
Thats actually a thing talked about in one of those books, the decay of elven souls. Elven souls grow weaker in ME as time passes, due to the corruption and destruction Morgoth did. They wont die, but they will eventually turn into something i dont remember what. Something they dont want to i guess lol
I like the concept of an orc closer to an elf. Though them being around at this time feels like nonsense. Orcs being... people is also troubling just in general. I suppose it'd be an interesting twist if orcs eventually turn even on adar as they hate everything and everyone including themselves.
I like the idea that mordor turned into... mordor via volcano eruption. Though their choice of how they made this happen is questionable at best. I mean, they threw water at the volcano and... it erupted? What? They could have involved a balrog or something. It's also absurd nonsense that anyone would survive being hit by a volcano's pyroclastic flow.
The show has big accuracy issues and is really lacking in the fighting scenes, It looks weird but still enjoyable to me simply because all the characters are likeable. Its like the keel of the show,
The best plot line currently is the wizard and the harfoots.
Regarding the last episode, Anyone knows what happened to Elendil's son, He was shown alive with the queen but then the queen and his friend arrived to the camp without him and without any explanation.
Also i have seen many people claiming that he horse is Sauron lol. Would be great plot twist. But i think it is running for Isildur. It was his horse after all.
The best funny scene that i really love so much, When Galadriel told Halbrand, "This Wound need Elvish medicine" when he was very seriously injured then he proceed to mount on a horse. I'm really rooting for Galadriel x Halbrand.
I think the next episode is the last for this season. I hope it would be 2hrs. They keep stretching the scenes and its honestly kinda piss me off since it feels kinda of short.
I just finished the first season, and I must say I really liked this show.
I'm not even going to debate with the hard-core Tolkienists - I know the show isn't super book accurate (but I wouldn't go as far as some people, who claim that the showrunners clearly didn't read Tolkien at all... that's just bull). But for me that isn't a issue, as long as the plot and the characters work, and it feels like Middle-Earth. And it did exactly that for me.
The production values are high, and I think the show is very pretty. I know some people criticize the look as weird or unintentionally comedic, but I think those people just had trouble adjusting to the new, more etheric and I'd say poetic, fairy tale-ish visual style, over the Jackson trilogys mostly very gritty look. Also I don't get why people make so much fun of that Galadriels horse riding scene. It was beautiful and that horse was a total beauty. I feel like at times there is a certain "female gaze" feel to the cinematography and how some characters are depicted, and that might be a turn off for many, especially those super fond to Jacksons gritty look.
I absolutely loved the Harfoot storyline. It was very heart-warming and cute, and the sets and costuming in that one were particularly impressive. The feel of adventuring across Middle-Earth was really there. Nori, Poppy and "Stranger" are definitely among my favorite characters. I also greatly enjoyed Durin and his wife, Galadriel, Halbrand and "Arda".
The big twist I already predicted a couple of episodes ago (there were some serious hints in the dialogue of certain character), but that didn't halt my enjoyment of it, when it happened.
The concept for the show is really good, a lot better what the competitors apparently pitched to to Tolkien estate (Netflix: Marvel-style character series like Gandalf or The Strider (Aragorn), HBOMax: Remake of LotR). Creation of the Power Rings is actually a fascinating prequel concept.
Looking forward season 2! I expect it to be very dwarf and Durin-centric. He wasn't present in the final episode, and now with the 3 Rings for the Elves, the next step is 7 for the dwarfs.
Regarding the last episode, Anyone knows what happened to Elendil's son, He was shown alive with the queen but then the queen and his friend arrived to the camp without him and without any explanation.
Who? Elendils son is Isildur, who was last seen under a collapsing building in Mordor. And he definetly isn't dead, as you'd know if you read the books. Elendils other canonical son Anarion hasn't even been seen in the show. Or do you mean the two of Isildurs friends? Finale spoilers: Valandil in with the main force and returns to Numenor. Ontamo died under a building in Mordor
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Also I wanna add, that I really like the slow pace of the series. Not a huge fan of that so lot of current entertainment is ultra-fast with boom boom boom editing.
Who? Elendils son is Isildur, who was last seen under a collapsing building in Mordor. And he definetly isn't dead, as you'd know if you read the books. Elendils other canonical son Anarion hasn't even been seen in the show. Or do you mean the two of Isildurs friends? Finale spoilers: Valandil in with the main force and returns to Numenor. Ontamo died under a building in Mordor
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Also I wanna add, that I really like the slow pace of the series. Not a huge fan of that so lot of current entertainment is ultra-fast with boom boom boom editing.
Yes Islidur, I know he is destined to die and eventually would become a Nazgul but they didn't show him dying and he was with the queen. I didn't remember him being stuck. Might rewatch.
The last episode was fire, My ship Galadriel x Halbrand got destroyed so fast damn.
I still ship it. I was hoping she would join him temporary against Adar.
Yes Islidur, I know he is destined to die and eventually would become a Nazgul but they didn't show him dying and he was with the queen. I didn't remember him being stuck. Might rewatch.
The last episode was fire, My ship Galadriel x Halbrand got destroyed so fast damn.
I still ship it. I was hoping she would join him temporary against Adar.
That's actually only Shadow of War original content, and not official canonical faith of Isildur. But there is a canonical reason why he simply can't be dead yet. If you don't know it, I won't spoil it
Now that I think, I might be mistaking it with Ontamo. But something happened in the smoke and mist of destruction, that left him separated from the others. But he definetly is alive, probably in hiding or captured in Mordor.
That's actually only Shadow of War original content, and not official canonical faith of Isildur. But there is a canonical reason why he simply can't be dead yet. If you don't know it, I won't spoil it
Now that I think, I might be mistaking it with Ontamo. But something happened in the smoke and mist of destruction, that left him separated from the others. But he definetly is alive, probably in hiding or captured in Mordor.
Well yeah, cutting of the One Ring from Sauron hands and then keeping it for himself, making him a Ringbearer for a while, until he loses it for Smeagol to find eventually That's his ultimate character arc, so no way he is done for yet.
They didn't say anything, because they didn't know for sure, but they gave him a very clear indication that there is high reason to presume Isildur dead, as they saw something bad happen to him, and he didn't end up at any of the survivor camps.
It's interesting though that he is currently lost in Mordor. Leaves in the opportunity, that the seeds for his eventual greed might be planted there.
Well yeah, cutting of the One Ring from Sauron hands and then keeping it for himself, making him a Ringbearer for a while, until he loses it for Smeagol to find eventually That's his ultimate character arc, so no way he is done for yet.
They didn't say anything, because they didn't know for sure, but they gave him a very clear indication that there is high reason to presume Isildur dead, as they saw something bad happen to him, and he didn't end up at any of the survivor camps.
It's interesting though that he is currently lost in Mordor. Leaves in the opportunity, that the seeds for his eventual greed might be planted there.
That's relatively fast really. I'm really glad they already greenlight further seasons beforehand. Allows faster production cycle and cast and crew can truly commit safely.
That's relatively fast really. I'm really glad they already greenlight further seasons beforehand. Allows faster production cycle and cast and crew can truly commit safely.
Considering that the showrunners didnt have the rights to Annatar (at least from what i know), they made the reveal decent imo. But yeah there should have spent more time with it. There should have been like half a season of Annatar/Halbrand befriending the elves of Eregion and giving them ideas. I honestly thought that would be like most of Season 2. But then again that would have also been really on the nose as who Halbrand really was. Even more so then all the hints throughout Season 1.
They also rearranged the creation of the rings from what i remember but im not really bothered by that since it can work well if they twist the story in the right way. If maybe they have the rights to Annatar, or maybe just his title as the Lord of Gifts im guessing they saved that for later as he will introduce himself as that to the Dwarves and human kings. giving out mighty gifts to everyone. And the elves will also start calling him that. He now got the idea for the rings after spending some tome with Celebrimbor and can now create his own rings, the 7 for the dwarves and the 9 for the humans which he will use to seduce the rulers of the two races and bind them to the One Ring, which he will create last. Also true to the lore he did not take part in the creation of the elven rings which werent bound to the One ...
... he will attack Eregion in a later season so that he can acquire and corrupt the remaining three rings as well.
I did not like the Harfoot storyline, nor the three ladies in white. Actually its not that i did not like it, its more like i wasnt interested in that story. Also stranger using Gandalf quotes left and right lol So yeah he is Gandalf, but i do still hope that he is Olorin since he looks way more powerful then when he was Gandalf. Im guessing at one point he will return to Valinor, last season perhaps, giving a report to the Valar about the events in Middle-Earth, and then he will be sent back in the Third Age as THE Gandalf.
As a true adaptation bit by bit, the series is not perfect. Then with the the Second Age not being all that flashed out in the books and with the showrunners having super limited lore rights it was expected not be perfect and pretty hard to make an accurate adaptation. As a retelling/its own thing/story just based on the true lore, its decent i think. Even as a big Tolkien fan I did enjoy it for what it was. Visually this has to be one of the most beautiful TV series ive ever watched, if not the best lol. I do look forward to more seasons. And i think i have a more clearer roadmap in my head of all the major things that will happen and how will they happen.
The only disappointed in this show was Celebrimbor.
I played the games and they gave his wraith such a strong personality, It was almost a rival for Sauron. Almost as twisted as well. I was disappointed by his design as well in this show.
halbrand being sauron is, welp, egregious. the point is made in the published materials that sauron literally never fooled her. she has the vague ability to see through evil. as visually stuning as the series is, it's just bad and outright doesn't really respect tolkien or anything he ever conveyed of the characters. galadriel got a straight up anime sword fight ffs.
The only disappointed in this show was Celebrimbor.
I played the games and they gave his wraith such a strong personality, It was almost a rival for Sauron. Almost as twisted as well. I was disappointed by his design as well in this show.
The wraith was invented for the games. Neither property is canon obviously though. The only similarities is that he was a Noldorin that made the three elven rings. Nearly anything else from the games or the show is completely made up iirc. Obviously the show's version of the character isn't going to be corrupted the way the games showed.
An elf being a match to sauron would be a massive stretch. sauron was by all accounts the mightiest of the maia. even in the books gandalf the white admits sauron being mightier than him. elves almost certainly fall short of even the limited power the istari were granted to aid middle earth against sauron. only glorfinder who was granted maia like powers probably even begins to approach. i suppose there's something to be said about a hypothetical galadriel with the one ring though considering she would be empowered by a fraction of the most powerful maia its a stretch that she would match one at the height of his power, even if she would tower over most of arda. the feats we see from gandalf in the main books should imo be regarded as insignificant fractions of his true power.
Sauron is the strongest no question about it, I just think Celebrimbor deserve to be more than just a side character with bad character design, Even in the non canon games, He was still weaker than Sauron. However, In the game, He crafted a ring that rivals Sauron's ring. Both are blacksmiths which make kinda of sense, Sauron was working for the god of smithing so thats he should be superior in that terms of skills. However, I'm still not sure what makes a ring more powerful, Is it just the skills or the magical power or maybe both.
there are no lotr canon games. and celebrinbor making a ring that even begins to approach the one ring is obviously absurd. the one ring was forged via sauron imbuing his very essence into it. as in, the ring is an actual part of sauron who is in fact the mightiest of the maia.
Sauron is the strongest no question about it, I just think Celebrimbor deserve to be more than just a side character with bad character design, Even in the non canon games, He was still weaker than Sauron. However, In the game, He crafted a ring that rivals Sauron's ring. Both are blacksmiths which make kinda of sense, Sauron was working for the god of smithing so thats he should be superior in that terms of skills. However, I'm still not sure what makes a ring more powerful, Is it just the skills or the magical power or maybe both.
the powers of elves and the rings are never explicitly defined. the 3 for the most part preserved the bliss of the valar in middle earth and maybe had some capacity to control the enviromemt. the one ring is an actual part of sauron whose primary function was to subjugate the other rings of power. presumably the power of non sauron wielders would be enhanced by any ring but the exact mechanism for this is unclear.
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