QuantumMechanic

Of course, they should have been around for about 1000 years by this point, but oh well. Really, the compressed timeline is the original and irredeemable sin of this show. From that decision all sorts of big problems and character assassinations flowed. They should have had each season set at a different point in Second Age history. Yes, that means different humans each season. But you would have the elves for at least some sense of continuity. And they should also have had writers who could do better than the howlingly clunky dialog being inflicted on us and could avoid idiot ball plots.

Ugggggggggh. Today’s really was the tear canon to tiny bits, burn it, and stomp on the ashes episode. Boy - if this series is Simon Tolkien’s idea of honoring the original works it’s gonna be scary to see what garbage we see in future years.

They (especially her) didn't really provide good advertising for their motivational speaking business! I was joking that she had apparently switched into the demotivational speaking business.

For example: (tagged because it's from a book (The Hobbit), not because it's a spoiler for this show)

Yes, exactly! That would have been much better than this mess they've created with the pancake timeline.

Any news on broadcast times in the US? Are they going to do a simulcast and then a repeat showing in US primetime? Or will US just be a primetime showing?

There's only one answer to all of that: "Who the hell knows???" The problem is that the show's timeline has fuck-all to do with the canonical timeline. The show is set somewhere in the last 200 years of the Second Age. We know this because of the existence of Elendil and Isildur and their ages. In the books, the 3 rings were forged about 1800 years before this and the One was forged about 1600 years before this. The Nazgul first openly appeared about 1000 years before this. So as you can see, there is really no way to reconcile the show to the books. The show's decision to use a compressed timeline ("let's make most of the 3400-year Second Age happen in a 5-10 year period") means that virtually nothing can happen in the show as it happened in the books, save the end of Numenor and the Last Alliance against Sauron.

wasn't a movie creation; it happened in the books, too (or at least was very heavily implied).

We finally have an actually release date! Nov 3, per their official Twitter today.

After todays episode I am even more firmly convinced I could go to An Archive of Our Own and find significantly better fanfic than the dreck Rings of Power is inflicting on me. With less clunky dialogue, too.

"Evil will always triumph because Good is dumb."

Mostly a waste of 12.5% of this season. Not a fan of this one. If this were a 15 or 20 episode season it would have bothered me less. But we get so little time with the real characters that sidelining them for an eighth of the season really grates. You want to set up some "evil computers fight back" story? Fine. But how about doing it in a way that actually uses the cast.

(deleted because Anduin already said it)

I gripe that someone who is 3000+ years old at this point remains unable to not be a tactless, abrasive ass in moments where some diplomacy is needed. They should have just made up a new female elf character, used the same actress, given her all the same lines, had her act the same way etc. That would also have the advantage of stripping away the plot armor from the character. Every time they try to put Galadriel in danger (like at the end of this episode) it inspires nothing other than big yawns because she can't die because of plot armor.

Yes, exactly. The silmarils themselves were pure, hallowed objects. To the extent people were corrupted by them it was their own, innate desire for possession doing that. By contrast, the Ring was a baleful, intrinsically evil object that worked its own corrupting magic on people, amplifying innate desires.

To wit: ”Vowing to pursue with vengeance and hatred to the ends of the World Vala, Demon, Elf or Man as yet unborn, or any creature, great or small, good or evil, that time should bring forth unto the end of days, whoso should hold or take or keep a Silmaril from their possession.”

Also, unlike in the real world, in Tolkien’s subcreated world there is absolute, first-person knowledge that a god of evil literally exists and of the things he’s done.

Worst episode yet. I hate with the fire of 10,000 suns lazy writing that requires the characters to be total idiots, and this episode was full of it.

If Gil-galad believes that then he's the new dumbest person on the show. Perhaps the dumbest person in Middle-earth. Sauron was the right-hand-man (well, Maiar) of the supreme force of evil in the universe. And all the elves know that and many of them actually lived it. Sauron isn't going to hide in a corner somewhere playing nice just because Galadriel stops looking for him. His independent goal is to impose (his view of) order on Middle-earth, with him as the controller at the top.

At about 16:00 of this interview Owen (Elendil) mentions that they had filmed a scene where Elendil explains why Numenor hates the Elves.....and they cut it (and extended the horse-riding scene). (facepalm)

You didn't ever read it because you couldn't have.

Elves need batteries! Well, IIRC Celebrimbor said that by bathing the Elves in "the light of Valinor" from the mithril they would be recharged. For me personally, this episode was really the "Remember our reassuring noises about not contradicting clear canon? Bwah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!" point. (Not that they hadn't been veering away before, but even if not holding the compressed timeline against them, this was well over the line.)

Could this never-ending tit-for-tat perhaps move to the “In the Media” thread or something like it?

I want a transcript of Boimler’s berserk rant! And loved the use of The Doomsday Machine-ish music during the rant. And even a callout to one of the only good first season eps of TNG (and one that was never followed up on). And it was mind-control *spores*, not pollen. The Rutherford backstory was pretty interesting. I wonder who the illicit scientists will turn out to be. And if they are controlled by bugs :)

Rex Ryan was the defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens and the head coach of the NY Jets.