The Prancing Pony Playground

[J.]

Gandalf roasts RoP episode 5:
https://youtu.be/StCA4aFbjag

[Graeme]

J. wrote: "Gandalf roasts RoP episode 5:
https://youtu.be/StCA4aFbjag"

Very entertaining. Where do you find the time to look up all this stuff?

[J.]

Graeme wrote: "Where do you find the time to look up all this stuff?"

After my 2020 Election Reading List, I set up a YouTube account which I optimized for comedy and gardening. It helps me maintain my calm.

[Netanella]

That's hilarious! 😂😂

[Edmond]

The truth is that at the moment I am personally preferring the house of the dragon ,everything and they are worlds in some similar things ,but very contrary in others ,the story I am seeing it very slow ,except the last chapter that I saw that the thing advanced ,in terms of landscapes and special effects well ,the dwarf lands flipped me ,and the elves also ,but for example the hobbits I expected more ,Gandalf? We all think he is the no ,but they still don't say anything ,I'm going to the di a of the chapters ,so at the moment I think that ,but I still think that soon it will go much better !!!!

[Krystal]

Hello hi I need to talk about the most recent episode of ROP!

(view spoiler)[I was so ehhhhh through the start of it because I just feel nothing for these men of the south. They evoke no emotion in me at all. HOWEVER the master plan of the orcs to cause that eruption?! OMG that was SO MUCH FUN to watch!! I loved how epic the whole thing was! And seeing how Mordor became Mordor was just so satisfying. (hide spoiler)]

Anyone else?

[Graeme]

Hi Krystal, episode 6.

We'll, (view spoiler)[apparently pyroclastic flows aren't totally deadly.... (hide spoiler)] I'm kinda cringing.

That said, we now have a rationale for all those tunnels and Aden's quest.

On to episode 7.

[J.]

(view spoiler)[Apparently, nobody told the writers that volcanic ash is not the same as the ash in their fireplaces. Would they understand it if you explained that volcanic ash is more like 1000° F concrete? (hide spoiler)]

[Graeme]

Indeed, J.

From my POV, I'd just do it all a bit further away to make it a believable close shave...

That said, the location is now obvious. Which means the elves were literally guarding the area before they pulled out.

Now, didn't that turn out to be a strategic error. "Never trust an elf!"

[Graeme]

Now I'm looking forward to the next few episodes as it is likely that the Dwarves will soon 'delve too deep,' and arch enemies Gandalf and Sauron are in the same general vicinity.

[J.]

Unless the Real Slim Shady is actually Saruman the White.

[Edmond]

This last chapter that was broadcasted. Personally, it was one of the best I've seen.

[J.]

Gandalf roasts RoP episode 6:
https://youtu.be/xgbSgWn-7kE

[J.]

Graeme wrote: "Indeed, J.

From my POV, I'd just do it all a bit further away to make it a believable close shave..."

(view spoiler)[Like Gondor? (hide spoiler)]

[Graeme]

Chuckle, J.

[Graeme]

J. wrote: "Unless the Real Slim Shady is actually Saruman the White."

Too elvish looking to be Saruman. The one who came to the landing site.

[Krystal]

Graeme wrote: "Hi Krystal, episode 6.

We'll, [spoilers removed] I'm kinda cringing.

That said, we now have a rationale for all those tunnels and Aden's quest.

On to episode 7."

Yes I did wonder about the realism of that lol I kept mentally yelling at everyone XD But I really enjoyed the story aspect of it.

Also very keen to return to the dwarves, they really are my highlight of the series - them and the Harfoots.

I am both convinced it's Gandalf and also that they want us to think he's Gandalf so naturally he won't be.

[Marie, Coffee-Chocolate-Book Lover]

That was epic with (view spoiler)[Mordor being created! (hide spoiler)]

Loving the action scenes in this one!

I will be curious to see what happens in the forthcoming episodes.

[Netanella]

J. wrote: "Unless the Real Slim Shady is actually Saruman the White."

😂😂😂

[J.]

‘The Rings of Power’ Showrunners Break Silence on Backlash, Sauron and Season 2
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/...

Do y'all remember how D and D we're a couple of scrubs who managed to convince HBO and George R.R. Martin that they had the chops to produce GoT? Do y'all remember what happened when they ran out of book?
I hope y'all like sequels.

[Marie, Coffee-Chocolate-Book Lover]

So I am going to ask a question on here and do not shoot me! lol

(view spoiler)[So is the leader of the orcs - Sauron? I keep thinking he is Sauron as he acts like what I would think Sauron would act like. (hide spoiler)]

Just so you all know - off topic - I have started reading The Hobbit. :)

[Graeme]

Marie wrote: "So I am going to ask a question on here and do not shoot me! lol"

Aden is a servant of Sauron, and is one of the first elves corrupted by Sauron who become the first 'Orcs.'

For me Sauron is the elvish looking guy who shows up at 'The Stranger's (aka Gandalf)' landing site with a couple of others and paws through the ground.

But time will tell.

[J.]

Marie wrote: "So I am going to ask a question on here and do not shoot me! lol

[spoilers removed]

Just so you all know - off topic - I have started reading The Hobbit. :)"

You're probably better off not expecting RoP to be tight with Tolkien. As I understand it, Amazon bought the rights to The Hobbit, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King, and the appendixes, but not The Silmarillion. So they don't have the rights to the book which covers the time period in the show.

(view spoiler)[ That might have something to do with Galadriel forgetting that's she's married to Celeborn. I'm guessing that she suddenly remembered because someone told the writers that Galadriel and Celeborn are the grandparents of Arwen. (hide spoiler)]

Enjoy reading The Hobbit. It's a lot more fun than the movie trilogy of the same name.

[Marie, Coffee-Chocolate-Book Lover]

Graeme wrote: "Marie wrote: "So I am going to ask a question on here and do not shoot me! lol"

Aden is a servant of Sauron, and is one of the first elves corrupted by Sauron who become the first 'Orcs.'

For me ..."

That helps! Thank you! :)

So Sauron is kind of staying not the focal point in this series...yet. What is interesting he is not even mentioned by name in the cast yet either. A well kept secret I am assuming until he comes to power maybe.

[Marie, Coffee-Chocolate-Book Lover]

J. wrote: "You're probably better off not expecting RoP to be tight with Tolkien. As I understand it, Amazon bought the rights to The Hobbit, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King, and the appendixes, but not The Silmarillion. So they don't have the rights to the book which covers the time period in the show.

Enjoy reading The Hobbit. It's a lot more fun than the movie trilogy of the same name.."

Thank you, J.

Interesting enough I had a chance to read The Silmarillion way back last year and I should have grabbed it from the library as there was no wait - now when I go to check it out there are 24 people waiting to read it. Such is life in Tolkien's world! lol :)

[Marie, Coffee-Chocolate-Book Lover]

Actually reading The Hobbit does throw the characters from the movie into my mind as I am reading it. But that is okay as I like to see visuals while reading.

I thought it was interesting that in the book Thorin shows up with other dwarves and not alone like they had him in the movie. Kind of odd they made that part different in the movie - I guess to set him aside as an important character and the focus would be on him being important to show up alone. I am guessing....

[Graeme]

The Hobbit movies have a lot of variation vs the book.

I think J. is right, the book is better, although there are sequences in the Hobbit movies that are superb excellent, primarily Frodo Bilbo with Gollum, and Frodo Bilbo with Smaug, and all of them up the trees vs the Orcs/Wargs...

[Graeme]

And the unexpected party was a lot of fun.

[J.]

If you want to get a sense of Tolkien, think about the rough level of technology that exists in Middle Earth. Now, what was Bilbo doing when he first met Gandalf?

[Marie, Coffee-Chocolate-Book Lover]

J. wrote: "If you want to get a sense of Tolkien, think about the rough level of technology that exists in Middle Earth. Now, what was Bilbo doing when he first met Gandalf?"

Is that a trick question?! Lol! :)

That question depends on the "when" of their first meeting. Their real first meeting was when Bilbo was little and Bilbo remembers Gandalf as having great fireworks. The older version of Bilbo is smoking his pipe on his bench in front of his hobbit home when Gandalf appears.

[Graeme]

Whoops, got Frodo and Bilbo mixed up above at comment #77....

(Edit drone swoops in...)

[J.]

Marie wrote: "That question depends on the "when" of their first meeting. Their real first meeting was when Bilbo was little and Bilbo remembers Gandalf as having great fireworks. The older version of Bilbo is smoking his pipe on his bench in front of his hobbit home when Gandalf appears."

Close. In a world without guns, how exotic are fireworks?

They are an anachronism in Middle Earth. As is Bilbo behaving like a Victorian Country Gentleman. (He forms a contract with the dwarves?)

Tolkien knew that and he chose to leave them in because he often dealt with sources written centuries after the historical events they describe. Anachronisms were to be expected in his work.

More importantly, he did it because Bilbo is Tolkien. That's why Bilbo enjoyed eating untoasted bread with butter and smoking his pipe on the front porch. The dwarves and Gandalf were characters whose names Tolkien had garnered from a fragment of an old Norse poem. Tolkien imagined them showing up to whisk him away on an adventure.

[Marie, Coffee-Chocolate-Book Lover]

Graeme wrote: "Whoops, got Frodo and Bilbo mixed up above at comment #77....

(Edit drone swoops in...)"

How in the heck did that happen?! lol You are suppose to know those names like your own! 😍

[Marie, Coffee-Chocolate-Book Lover]

Just finished watching episode 7. I know I am a day behind but oh well.... :)

So I am at a loss with something probably because I haven't read the book that this timeline takes place. So who are the hooded figures dressed in white that are tracking the Stranger (Gandalf)? Evil wizards? Or something worse?

Also Balrog appeared briefly - they awoke him from all the mining. I wonder if he is going to cause a problem now that he is awake...... We saw quite a bit of him in the LOTR movie. But what does he do before that time?

So Galadriel escorts Halbrand to the elves I am assuming to heal his wound - what place are they suppose to end up finding? Is this where we might see Rivendell?

[Graeme]

I'm not sure if Rivendell exists yet.

My vote on the sketchy guy tracking the Stranger is that he/she is Sauron... but who knows for sure.

I've still to watch episode 7. I'll catch up soon.

[Graeme]

So, episode 7.

(view spoiler)[ Elrond creates a market demand for Mithril. In response, the dwarves 'delve to deep.'

If not for Elrond, perhaps Durin may have died in his sleep... (hide spoiler)]

[Marie, Coffee-Chocolate-Book Lover]

Watched episode 8 - final episode. Will share thoughts after I gather my thoughts. But all I can say for now and being cryptic is this: Wow! I didn't expect what I just watched and who was revealed as Sauron!

My mind is still reeling! I think I need a drink! LOL And not water either! lol

[Marie, Coffee-Chocolate-Book Lover]

SPOILER ALERT! Do not read unless you have watched the last episode of Rings of Power!

So thoughts are:

(view spoiler)[Never expected Halbrand to be Sauron. For some reason I was thinking he was an actual elf as the one ring is forged with elvish language and I had in my mind that he was an elf but I guess not.

Our thoughts were right on thinking that The Stranger was Gandalf though but at first they made it seem he was Sauron to throw us off the path I am thinking.

Still trying to figure out how Nori will be a help to Gandalf - I thought it was kind of odd that she left her home to go on an adventure with Gandalf so curious to see how that will eventually play out.

The three rings being forged for the elves - that was cool. I suppose at some point in time we will see the other rings forged for the dwarves, etc. (hide spoiler)]

[Graeme]

I enjoyed episode 8, but I'm wondering about the smarts of Sauron's lackeys (view spoiler)[mistaking the stranger/Gandalf for Sauron, given that Sauron never left... they seemed a bit thick. (hide spoiler)]

Clearly, I didn't spot who Sauron (view spoiler)[was. I figured Halbrand was the top candidate once Celebrimbor used the same phrase Adar did... It's also excellent deception to have the elves and dwarves manufacture their own rings (influenced by S) as that gives a sense of ownership and rightness that blinds the target to the lie.

Notably, Galadriel forges a third ring to deflect Sauron's strategy while meeting the goal of preserving the elves in Middle Earth as the rings are made of mithril and enhance its power.

This will be what changes King Durin's mind - he will forge rings (probably to keep up with the Elves), and to do so he will mine mithril...

Which has a specific and well known dreadful outcome. (hide spoiler)]

[Graeme]

Nori, she's a Brandybuck (and rather Tookish too...).

[Graeme]

All in all, I'd give this series 4 stars. It's not perfect, but they on average they did a good job of telling a story.

[J.]

Graeme wrote: "All in all, I'd give this series 4 stars. It's not perfect, but they on average they did a good job of telling a story."

Is it faithful enough to the source material to be considered an interpretation? Or is it its own thing over which Tolkien's characters and place names have been wallpapered?

[Graeme]

A bit of both.

[Krystal]

J. wrote: "Graeme wrote: "All in all, I'd give this series 4 stars. It's not perfect, but they on average they did a good job of telling a story."

Is it faithful enough to the source material to be considere..."

Some of it has really bothered me. A good example: there was a fight scene between an elf and an Orc. The choreographed fight was wonderful with some very elven moves, but it begins with the orc sneaking up on an elf. If it were true to Tolkien, no way would that orc have got so close.

It's those little details that really bother me - PJ was so precise with this stuff in the films so it's really jarring to see these kind of 'errors' (in my mind) in the show. I'd rather be swept along with the action than noticing these things.

[Krystal]

Marie wrote: "SPOILER ALERT! Do not read unless you have watched the last episode of Rings of Power!

So thoughts are:.."

I really enjoyed the finale! I know the basic legend of (view spoiler)[ Sauron's involvement in the forging of the elven rings - he posed as an elf and so went among them easily, though Galadriel and Celembrimbor were always suspicious of him. But I disregarded Halbrand because he was human and his name was different to the legend. So I played myself there. I kind of enjoyed being betrayed by him, though! He was always such a questionable dude so I think they did his character really well.

Did not believe Gandalf was Sauron for a second (the whole reason Gandalf sent a hobbit to destroy the ring was because Sauron barely knew they existed) so wasn't really sure why they went that way. Also, who the heck are these servants of his?! I have no idea what they are supposed to be so I'm very curious how they'll come into play later.

Nori is adorable always and I was really sad that her and her friend parted ways. I wanted Poppy to be her Sam. :( (hide spoiler)]

Overall, I've mostly enjoyed revisiting Middle Earth, and you can't deny the scenery is spectacular. The Dwarves have been the standout for me, and the Harfoots are a lot of fun. Everything about the elves rubbed me the wrong way, and I found all the attempts to relate back to the films to be a little on the nose.

I wanted to be a fresh new take but I feel like they tried to hard to appease both the mass public and whoever pays the bills at Amazon. Bit off a little too much for the first season, I think.

It's a 3 out of 5 for me for S1.

[J.]

Gandalf Roasts RoP Episode 8
https://youtu.be/3-90vME8I_8

[Ian (RebelGeek)]

I think The Stranger (view spoiler)[could be Saruman, not Gandalf. Saruman was the senior Wizard, so I thought that meant he arrived in Middle Earth 1st. It seems like kind of a mean trick if I'm right. (hide spoiler)]

[Marie, Coffee-Chocolate-Book Lover]

Ian (RebelGeek) wrote: "I think The Stranger [spoilers removed]"

The only thing about that is (view spoiler)[Saurman wasn't close to the hobbits like Gandalf. Gandalf spent time with the hobbits and knew their ways. (hide spoiler)]

[Graeme]

Ian (RebelGeek) wrote: "I think The Stranger ..."

I wondered that too, but no ... (view spoiler)[too many Gandalf features like speaking to moths, and hanging out with Hobbits (Harfoots...) (hide spoiler)]

[Krystal]

Ian (RebelGeek) wrote: "I think The Stranger [spoilers removed]"

Yeah I agree with Marie and Graeme. If they (view spoiler)[turn around now and make him anyone other than Gandalf I'll be furious because it just won't make sense, given the relationship with the Harfoots. There's the possibility that it could be a blue wizard, since we know nothing about them, but as far as I know they were sent to the east and never ventured west. (hide spoiler)]