bookboons

All PDF Details And All in one Detail like Improve Your Knowledge

Friday, September 2, 2022

[New post] My First Impressions of “The Rings of Power,” Episodes 1 and 2

Site logo image Briana | Pages Unbound posted: " No Spoilers in This Section! A few days ago, I posted about why I was finally excited to watch Amazon's adaptation of Middle-earth's Second Age, The Rings of Power, after being skeptical for so long. But now that I have actually watched the first" Pages Unbound | Book Reviews & Discussions

My First Impressions of "The Rings of Power," Episodes 1 and 2

Briana | Pages Unbound

Sep 2

Rings of Power Review Episodes 1 and 2

No Spoilers in This Section!

A few days ago, I posted about why I was finally excited to watch Amazon's adaptation of Middle-earth's Second Age, The Rings of Power, after being skeptical for so long. But now that I have actually watched the first two episodes, I'm not really sure what I think. Definitely a lot of the plot and characters are made up, and at times it seems obvious (as in, it doesn't feel like something Tolkien would have written). But I don't hate the show either, and all the fears that the show would be some horrific affront to Tolkien and his work seem a little overblown. Mostly I feel neutral at this point, and that's disappointing.

The first episode took a while to get going, and while it's definitely pretty and most of the actors are great, this installment probably suffered from how much background information it had to get through and how many characters there are. I didn't love the prologue, which seemed to want to cover a lot of The Silmarillion without actually getting into any details about The Silmarillion. I understand this is likely a combination of the studio not having the rights to discuss some events and of wanting to get through things on a basic level so people unfamiliar with the plot could follow, but I still felt underwhelmed by it. However, there was some decent imagery, and you can tell the writers are trying hard to work with what they have.

I decided to keep watching because, frankly, the first episode of a lot of shows leave something to be desired. I think the first episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender is a snooze fest, for instance, but the show as a whole is great! So I kept up my optimism for episode two.

It did deliver, a little. The second episode made me more invested in the characters, as I saw more of them, and I got more invested in the plot. To be fair, the general plot of the series *as a whole* still seems unclear besides "Galadriel thinks Sauron is coming back, and he probably is," but I got invested in what some of the characters are doing in their own little plot lines, and the writers seem to have a thing for ending on cliffhangers to keep viewers hooked.

My only real issue is that I'm not feeling as if I'm sucked into Middle-earth. The show certainly looks like Middle-earth. The scenery is beautiful. I want to go live in Lindon now. But I don't know about the story, even if I haven't quite pinpointed why. Is it the dialogue? The plot? The places where the show deviates from Tolkien? I want to give the show more of a chance to see if it can grab me, but I'm disappointed my general feelings are, "This show is okay, but I don't know if I would rewatch it for fun or go out of my way to recommend anyone else watch it."

Spoilers!

Here are some random thoughts I have about some details in the show so far:

  • I don't know that the Harfoots as a whole are doing anything in particular in the show (i.e. that they're "necessary"), but I've decided I kind of love Poppy, who doesn't want to be adventurous or take risks but does so for love of her friend. She wants to pretend she's not a good person sometimes, but she is. And she has a hidden sense of wonder.
  • I think the Galadriel plot line is causing a lot of issues. Like with the writers having Gil-galad send her and the other Elves to Valinor. (Uh, why is this his decision?) And then the weird portrayal of the journey to Valinor itself. I thought it seemed like Valinor was already outside the circles of the earth due to the magical protective cloud wall and the light that seems to assume people into it, but I don't know if that's what the writers were going for.
  • Durin and Disa are very fun. I want to see more of them.
  • I don't love Arondir as much as other people seem to. He comes across as rather stiff to me.
  • It's so awkward everyone just calls Finrod Galadriel's brother all the time, instead of his name.
  • Celebrimor seems promising as a character. I like his story about Morgoth and the Silmarils, even if it isn't canon.
Briana
Comment
Like
Tip icon image You can also reply to this email to leave a comment.

Unsubscribe to no longer receive posts from Pages Unbound | Book Reviews & Discussions.
Change your email settings at manage subscriptions.

Trouble clicking? Copy and paste this URL into your browser:
https://pagesunbound.wordpress.com/2022/09/02/my-first-impressions-of-the-rings-of-power-episodes-1-and-2/

Powered by WordPress.com
Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play
at September 02, 2022
Email ThisBlogThis!Share to XShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest

No comments:

Post a Comment

Newer Post Older Post Home
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

️ Flash Rituals: Celebrating Flash Fiction Month Short. Strange. Unforgettable.

Mind on Fire Books honors the art of brevity with new tales that flicker, scorch, and vanish like smoke. Read the latest flash drops inside....

  • The Book Of Clarence (2024) Film Review
    ...
  • New & Noteworthy J-pop of the Week (June 30, 2024)
    In connection with my desire to fully keep up with the J-pop industry, I'm p...
  • Ordinary Angels (2024) Film Review
    A struggling hairdresser finds a renewed sense of purpose when she meets a widow...

Search This Blog

  • Home

About Me

bookboons
View my complete profile

Report Abuse

Blog Archive

  • July 2025 (1)
  • June 2025 (4)
  • May 2025 (4)
  • April 2025 (5)
  • March 2025 (5)
  • February 2025 (4)
  • January 2025 (6)
  • December 2024 (3)
  • November 2024 (4)
  • October 2024 (1)
  • August 2024 (2405)
  • July 2024 (2925)
  • June 2024 (2960)
  • May 2024 (3057)
  • April 2024 (2967)
  • March 2024 (3077)
  • February 2024 (2890)
  • January 2024 (3023)
  • December 2023 (2680)
  • November 2023 (2216)
  • October 2023 (1706)
  • September 2023 (1319)
  • August 2023 (1194)
  • July 2023 (1113)
  • June 2023 (1201)
  • May 2023 (2369)
  • April 2023 (2849)
  • March 2023 (1637)
  • February 2023 (1153)
  • January 2023 (1234)
  • December 2022 (1086)
  • November 2022 (1005)
  • October 2022 (809)
  • September 2022 (649)
  • August 2022 (778)
  • July 2022 (763)
  • June 2022 (759)
  • May 2022 (802)
  • April 2022 (779)
  • March 2022 (593)
  • February 2022 (493)
  • January 2022 (697)
  • December 2021 (1568)
  • November 2021 (3175)
  • October 2021 (3250)
  • September 2021 (3142)
  • August 2021 (3265)
  • July 2021 (3227)
  • June 2021 (2032)
Powered by Blogger.