Harfoots: "Our hearts are even bigger than our feet." Also Harfoots: "If you can't keep up, we won't think twice about leaving you behind and letting you die."
Yes the migration seems very strange (not complaining). Almost like its a ritual. Maybe this is some type of natural selection from a anthropological perspective. Essentially leaving the weak unproductive behind without guilt. Reminds me of things like the moka rituals in our own world.
I had a totally different take on Galadriel meeting the Queen, she came off as confrontational and demanding, bordering on arrogance while Tar-Miriel tried to remain respectful and simultaneously not come off as subservient, there was tensión regarding both women trying to establish the pecking order that Halbrand tried to smooth with a poor attempt at humour/diplomacy while reinforcing his character portrayal of a charming rogue.
My dad was a VFX art designer on the show, and he got to walk around some of the sets. You'd be surprised how much stuff was built. He said the whole Armenelos port was built as well as many streets, the blacksmith was all working and crammed with details. The ship that Elendil was on at the start of the episode was also fully built out. The statue in the scene with Galadriel and Halbrand was also built over many weeks for that one 3-4 second shot. It wasn't just the sets, he said the costumes they made for each character were unbelievably detailed. It was quite nice to hear how much of the sets were actually built and weren't just CGI. Just thought that might be fun to share as I keep hearing how it looks 'fake' or 'like cosplay'. The amount of work put into this show is staggering
Seriously man i may have some problems with the show until now , but this show looks unbelievably good big thanks to your father and every one who worked on it
I too had a lot of preconceived issues going in, mainly that the amount of changes from established tolkien lore would make it feel like I’m watching an amateurs fan film and something that has nothing to do with Peter Jackson’s adaptations which I love. With that being said after watching the first few episodes I still have a few minor complaints (as all fans who know source material do) about some things they changed but you can truly see the commitment devotion and no shortage of Amazon money being put in to make this something special and my overall feeling is that they have achieved that and I’m just really enjoying the show for what it is as let’s face it they’ll never be another lord of the rings. Even PJ’s hobbit trilogy could quite recapture that but we can still enjoy some adventures in Middle-Earth.
I thought it looked bad in the trailers but now, in the actual show, they do a good job of making the things that need to look lived in, dirty and the things that need to look regal, grand. It is Infinitely better than the trailers. Don't listen to what anybody says; your Dad did a Great job! And thanks for sharing! That's so cool!
Just read the fall of Numenor in the Silmarilion, thought it was interesting that some Numenorians were far-sighted enough to see the outline of Valinor to the West on a very clear day with their own eyes.. no wonder over time and with Sauron’s persuasion they yearned more and more to be immortal.
And yet they are so stupid and blind that they can't even see an obvious theft in a packed court right in front of their eyes... neither can they see the stolen item ( a rather large dagger) passed onto someone else who, I presume, must have lifted up the hem of her skirt and hide the stolen item up her arse (I can't see where else she would hide it). All done right in front of about 100 Numenorians... so just what the heck are you talking about 'far-sighted', they are as blind as a bat.
I do agree how funny it is that the titular character of this episode's title was barely revealed at the end, but since Adar translates to father, you can say the episode was referencing the father figures present through out it.
I think what Gil-Galad said in episode #1 about Galadriel, that she will bring back Sauron somehow, is connected to what Miriel is saying at the end of this episode, and is connected to Halbrand, who will inadvertently help/allow Sauron to gain power again. I think Sauron is Adar and there is a reason he can't leave the caves/tunnels. Halbrand will somehow, maybe by a mistake, give him a solution.
How can Halbrand or Adar be of any importance when they are made up characters tho? Also i though Sauron was an Elf or am i just getting that from the Shadow of games?
@@reapertv5683 Sauron is a Maia who originated before the creation of the world. He can take many forms, including werewolf, vampire, elf, eye, dark lord, etc. It is possible that "Adar" is Sauron's alias. Halbrand is made-up but the Witch-King is not and his origin and identity are unspecified.
@@lukeluckynblue1873 I started to pull my hair when I first heard that line, too. Lol. But I’m glad the action is starting to pick up. And Elendil might be the best character so far.
@@redbarchetta8782 go to all of the trailers that Amazon put out for Rings of Power and you will see them completely ratioed with double down votes. Of course you have to have a special app to see the dislike numbers. I agree with Elon Musk: "Tolkien is turning in his grave." Also the numbers are in by a third party independent census, House of the Dragon received 4.8 million while Rings of Power received 1.8 viewers in the United States.
My theory about Halbrand is that he is one of the men who swears allegiance to Isildur at the Stone of Erech and then betrays him. That is to say, Halbrand is the King of the dead that we see fighting alongside Aragorn along with other cursed men for breaking his oath. Remember that these men who break their oath to Isildur had previously fought on the side of Sauron, that is, Halbrand's ancestors. Excuse my english
I believe that the greeny yellow smoke and pits are meant to look sulphuric, which is a common real-life indicator of magma close to the surface. I think they are trying to give evidence of the southlands transformation into a volcanic plateau/Mordor, similar to sulphuric pits at Yellowstone
As disappointed as I was that we got no Elrond/Durin in this episode, I really loved Elendil. The other Numenoreans were fine, but I greatly enjoyed Elendil and his family.
Agreed. And I was critical of Elendil's portrayal before this episode but was pleased that his character is off to a strong start. Galadriel still baffles me however. Why is she so hasty...almost foolhardy? It's like she's learned nothing from the mistakes made by her Noldorin kin.
@@bullionsean456 What do you mean? This show doesnt own the rights to The Oath or the Kinslaying so in this universe its not cannon. She is just insufferable because thats the way the show writers wanted her to be.
Isildur was pretty damn lackluster so far. Both the actor and the lines he was given. But that was a cool segment on the ship when he saved that guy. Hope his role gets better as the journey draws nearer.
Something about the "Adar" title. It's actually not weird to me at all that we get that as a title and don't see him until the end. This episode was about at least four fathers that I can count. Tar-Miriel's father, Elendil, Halbrand's father, and Adar. So it is actually a really apt title!
I'm slowly going through the series and these recaps are perfection! thank you so much, they work both for refreshing one's memory of the facts and for getting more context
I could see Halbrand being one of the eventual Wraiths... that said, him becoming the King of the Oathbreakers (of the eventual Third Age Army of the Dead) is another theory I kinda dig that's been festering since last night.
Me too.. Nazgul, we're once great Kings of man.. But we did not know where we're they from, how they become great Kings.. But there's one theory that always bothers me... Did sauron capture/saved Al pharazon. And made him a witchking??
Based on how he seems "charming" and manages to convince the Numanorians to let them stay...I think this might be Sauron. In the lore he does become Al-Pharazan's advisor.
@@foxoffate4328 yeah i thought for a moment that this is the reason why the elves are almost banned from the island. But then i realised for sauron to become the advisor he needs to get humbled first... so we will see how they rewrite this point of the story line.
Hi, Nerd of the Rings. What do you think of the writing in this show? The sea is always right? A dog can bark at the moon, but he can't bring it down? Why does a ship float and a rock sink? These sayings are presented as really deep Tolkienisms, but are pretty cringe to me. Your thoughts?
I see Halbrand as a future nazgul. Galadriel's friendship and insistence that there is divine intervention at work in their meeting only heightens the tragedy. His smithing ability and her connections likely eventually put him in proximity to Celebrimbor, and his heritage and his drive to restore his former homelands to their former peoples gives him a reason to want a ring of power when they're made. Galadriel likely helps facilitate this as well. But she'll wrong and he'll fall. A character truly falsely believing that they understand a divine plan only to see the work they think they're doing to further that plan blow up in their face is a well-used trope.
@@starlyghtdrifter66 you’re basing that off one line. If Halbrand is of potential numenorian blood then he could live a long life and become the witch king. Idk how y’all are quickly assuming Sauron
Elendil and Isildur are both magnetic actors, perfect casting I think. I was very very sensitive with that first episode and Galadriel, but this third episode has ensured my interest til the end of the season.
I think everyone was perfectly cast. Galadriel, Elrond(Though not as cool as Hugo Weaving), Star guy (w/e he is), Elendil, Isildur, and we even have a new Legolas Archetype who has some good optics for that role.
When Galadriel and Halbrand introduce themselves it definitely reminded of the scene where Misanda says Danny’s titles and Davos just says “this is Jon Snow” 😂
Or similar to when Bron is introduced to Tywin after Tyrion introduces the... "hillmen"(?) and who their fathers are. And when it's time for Bron he says: "You wouldn't know him."
Anyone else thinking that Halbrand becomes the king of the undead? He could try and become “good” like Galadriel asking him to but when push comes to shove he can’t bring himself to stand against Sauron…without the time compression it probably couldn’t work but could be an interesting way to bring that piece of the Second Age into the show
I agree with you Shmuli. The geography would be a bit off, but could be reconciled (from Southlands to White Mountains). But the character arc seems fitting. I REALLY don't see Halbrand being Sauron. That would be such a departure from the writings in my opinion. It also seems like Adar is supposed to be this guy, but maybe Adar is the up and coming Lord of the Nazgul? Soon to corrupt Theo?
@@kpeters408 I agree with you. Sauron is supposed to arrive in Numenor AFTER the rings are created. He wont be able to assist in the creation of the rings unless he can be in 2 places at once -- I don't think they will do that. Otherwise Celebrimbor would be willingly working with a revealed Sauron. I don't see that happening.
@@kpeters408 Adar being one of the original corrupted elves as a “father” of the orcs is my guess and the long hair we got a glimpse of would fit. And re Halbrand and geography, we know Bronwyn and Theo are running with their village people so maybe they or other village folk end up in the White Mountains.
@@shmulishulman2658 Hmmm, Adar as original corrupted Elf would make sense of the "father" idea, but seems to be rather a strange amount of build-up for an original character for the show. Intriguing idea though. As for Bronwyn and Theo on the run, that would fit perfectly! (slaps forehead for not seeing that).
That shot of the puppet play, and the hands of the PUPPETEER in slow motion, right after the scene where Elendil learns that his daughter has been accepted as a Mason apprentice (despite having been rejected, and the guild supposedly NEVER reconsidering applications) makes me think that she will be working on the temple to Melkor in Numenor, and she may have been placed there intentionally by someone (the puppeteer) who has larger intentions related to Elendil
Also agree on the temple element. I think the tree leaves scene will either trigger the building or be during the felling of the white tree. Temple is placed right there correct?
@@lonewulf44 may be smoug will appear and destroy numenor then erendil appear on vingilote then fall from it...and then galadriel will sail on vingilote and destroy smaug....
I also believe that Halbrand will attempt to redeem his kingdom & bloodline. Perhaps he will receive a great gift of power from a friendly gift-giver. However he will ultimately fail & end up falling to the dark, probably due to the corruption of the power he was gifted.
I am astounded at every episode at the depth of your knowledge. I love that show does not explain things and I love looking up them. Your channel is truly amazing.
As a fan of lore, but not a LoTR expert, I live for your episode breakdowns. They help me connect the story to the lore and understand how it may differ without being negative. Thank you so much!
@@guzimAntonova No they were not. While some things were changed from what actually happened in the books, they got the core story pretty much down and they didn’t invent any important characters. Even the Hobbit, which had invented characters and was even more detached from the lore, did a better job at capturing the lore of Tolkien, both visually and narratively… Here there’s nothing…
Though it was a bit of a cheesy moment, I thought when Isildur was more excited to see his horse than his sister, it shows how much some Numenorians love their horses, lol.
That was a joke, he was messing with his sister by greeting the horse first. Never fear though, it was not the only cheesy horse moment in this episode. I have a feeling that slow-mo Galadriel shot is going to live forever in infamy lol
@@Swiftbow Well, I think it's more because young Isildur's actor is probably Maori, and adult Isildur's actor was white. But nontheless, I like young Isildur.
Thank you for your Breakdown of the rings of power ..... I am visually Impaired and cannot see too much that is going on in the series , on TV..... But with your breakdown, Everything falls into place ...........Never stop please Thanks Again
@3:20 .. myself I immediately noticed that the hair of Galadriel, which once was so admired it inspired Fëanor to create the Silmarils, looked like she has a hangover. And became short. Hey, she was actually 6'4".
They literally didn’t bother to change the height of anyone but Harfoots. It’s disappointing to see Elves, Common Men and Numenoreans as the same height. Billion dollar budget for what.
@@deliverant9375 Well sure. I suppose I really just lament that elves, especially Galadriel, are portrayed as just posh with pointy ears. Elves are immortal, being a very part of the natural world around them. That's why on Middle Earth they diminish, and will basically die at some point, or return to Valinor. And that's where Frodo and Bilbo go too. Imagine being invited to retire in heaven by angels?
A pet peeve of mine too. Her hair is supposed to remind one of the light of Laurelin, one of the trees. Even in a disheveled state of shipwreck, her hair should still be mildly stunning. Also, my feeling is that Galadriel should have an air of royalty and leadership that royalty and leaders can't hide. If that had come across, I think there would have been even more tension between Galadriel and the Queen regent.
Sorry to break it to you, but Cate Blanchett wasn't taller than the people around her. And you can't angel light someone who has to do more than walk a few steps.
@@ricobarth Good point, but in LoTR the film did portray elves as being something more, shall we say. There were all those Legolas things too, like walking on top of the snow, able to mount a horse at full gallop, etc. I know this is a TV show, but if it just portrays the elves like snooty Vulcans I call that a failure of writing. Such as using the word 'human' in two episodes already.
I think halbrands going to return with galadrial to try to free the Southlands, and have things go poorly. This will eventually lead to him meeting sauron who is still disguised, and sauron will give him the ring of power that turns him into the witch king. In the end he's going to be corrupted by the very thing he wanted to defeat.
I think he reunites the south and becomes one of 9 kings of men who's past is tied to morgoth and is gifted a ring at some point by Annetar who knows halbrand ancestry.
Again really liked this episode. Numenor and the orcs all look great and really beautiful and grotesque respectively. Curious to see how the future of the show goes and I know some people are worried about the timeline but if we say Isilduir is about 20 years old, he lived to be 234 dying in TA 2. so we have about 200 years to see until the Battle of the Last Alliance. I dont really have any theories about things as I dont really make any but im still really liking it.
The big problem is still the timeline. The rings are forged around 1500 SA, Isildur is born in 3209 SA. So much happens between those dates that we can't already be at the end of this age (where Sauron has'nt even reaveled himself) Time compression was my biggest fear about the show and unfortunatly, it happened :(
@@cradlis3456 I agree and while it isnt perfect we do still have time to show the siege of eregion and the fall of numenor and so on. It wont be fully accurate sadly which does suck but something I expected as we knew that Elendil and Isilduir was in the show.
@@cradlis3456 Right. My thoughts were that we were going to see canon characters mixed in with non-canon characters at the different flash point dates over the course of the second age. Maybe feature one flashpoint per season then skip a few hundred to a thousand years, change up the human and dwarven characters but bring back surviving elves, maia, etc. Instead, they’re shoving lots into a shorter span of time.
25:09 I think Elendil's daughter joining the builder's guild might come up again later in the series. If she is an architect, she might be involved in building the Temple of Melkor. Or since her name means "Daughter of the Sea", she might help build the great armada that Ar-Pharazon uses to attack Valinor! It might be a stretch, but that's my thought on this small detail.
Elendil only has two named children, Isildur and Anárion. Even if he had a daughter, why would a royal join a guild run by commoners? And I'll give them credit, Sauron's Melkor temple was built during the reign of Ar-Pharazon.
I liked the depiction of the Orcs! They seemed far scarier, being a match for an Elf and of course far more deadly against humans. Also that using their sunlight weakness is a must if you are to defeat them!
I really appreciate that the elves' escape attempt failed completely, a more realistic outcome given that they were chained and outnumbered. It really shows just how formidable the orcs are.
@@zonderafspraak Indeed! Imagine if the show was like the hobbits movies and there was Legolas, he would've killed all the orcs with a single shot from his bow. I hated when orcs were just the bad guys on a John Wick movie. These orcs are so much scarier and a real palpable threat to all of middle earth.
@@luigisaguier8336 yet the troll at the beginning which was slayed like in no time by the great Galadriel is okay. I guess she will kill those scary orcs just by her glance.
Can you please keep this up? You're so unbiased and tell the story. Your videos are how I'm watching the series plus learning about LoTR. Some ppl don't have time, or want to risk paying for something they won't like. Your videos are like getting the show, plus background, plus great music, and a warm blanket after a long night.
I thought episode 3 (Adar) was the strongest of the episodes so far. Really enjoyed Numenor, Miriel, and Elendil. Excited to see where they go with Adar and Palantir in the next few episodes. This episode definitely improved upon the first two.
@@markhoefnagel7548 True. Where the first two episodes had zero lore breaks, this episode had one. Silvan elves speaking Quenya. But that is such a minor lore break that it doesn't take away from the greatness of the show.
That just wouldn’t work well on screen to have an 8ft guy strolling about it’s already challenging enough to make normal sized people look like halflings and dwarves give them a break!
How do you know? None of this show even vaguely resembles anything Canon. They'll probably end the first season with Galadriel slaying the Jabberwocky to save Narnia.
@@urusledge responses like this are just childish. There's so much more going on here. Yes it's compressed. And series gotta series. It's not half as bad as it could be.
Episode was great? Can't tell if its sarcasm or i've missed something. The Script is terrible, the music is awful, the cutscenes are ridicolous, the CGI is cartoony, the fighting scenes are so bloody eksde. You cannot be serious mate.
@@judetoutounchian7917 I get that you're far right culture warrior sensibilities are atrocious but yikes, what a terrible take. And you chuds still can't figure out why the majority of people disagree with you, and you desperately think it's all a giant conspiracy, lmao. The reality is that you just have abysmal taste.
First Khaza-Dum and now Numenor. The worlds in this show are breathtaking. The CGI is top notch. The costume designs are really great too. They give you Atlantis vibes.
Galadriel naming all of her family and connections wasn't just pride, it was an attempt at self-protection, which was ALSO what Halbrand was doing by NOT naming his family nor connections. I thought that that juxtaposition was very interesting. Also, your breakdowns are fun and interesting, and when you give a little sassy opinion, I usually find myself saying "same." Well done, as per usual! :)
Her train of thought was that by naming herself. The educated numenor nobility should immediately be humbled and help her. But it just goes to show how far numenor has fallen when seeing a legendary figure even way beyond their founding ancestors
I also like @Nerd of the Rings's take on these. He sees the parts that need some help and acknowledges it in a balanced way. I find myself saying "yep!" a lot too. So for Galadriel, she really wanted to lord it over a bit, and shame them since (we find out) Elves are no longer welcome there, but ought to be. It will serve as a calling out for the Faithful, which will lead to conflict. Halbrand is trying to avoid conflict ... Hopefully he ends up being the right king but then, does he a) lead his people to side with Numenor and the Elves against Sauron, b) get turned into a Nazzie, or c) play the middle and end up a victim of Sauron's deceptions, like the king of the Paths of Dead that don't come to Elendil's call?
The trench scenes definitely felt reminiscent of WWI, with the green smoke resembling chlorine gas, seeing friends get cut down when they go over the top. I would like to see how they build on this in the future.
The yellow stuff burning, giving off fumes was clearly meant to look like raw sulphur deposits. Perhaps a way for them to blacken the skies, also being a bit of a calling to WW1?
So that means theres still a few amazon employees that work in this show respect tolkien? Just shidding :D ... Yeah the trench scene reminds me of ww1 anyway any ww1 movie you recommend?
I'm loving the whole thing so far! Thanks for translating the Elvish! Question: why are Silvan Elves speaking Quenya? (it is identified as such in the subtitles). As a fan of elves and particularly Silvan elves since 1978 (when I played D&D and read LOTR) I am quite thrilled with the depictions of Arondir and his Silvan crewmates. Ismael Cruz Cordova brings it with movement, martial arts, expression, emotion, and soul shining through. In the not so humble opinion of this oldish fan of LOTR, he might be the most Elvish elf yet... An interview with Ismael Cruz Cordova states: He dove into the process with characteristic zeal, crafting an immortal warrior of grace, vulnerability, and quiet strength. He trained day in and day out, grounding Arondir’s movement mythology in martial arts like Wushu, Kung Fu, and Capoeira. “I knew that I would have the eyes of the world on me,” he says. “I needed to be undeniable, and to be the most Elven elf that I could be. And I needed my soul to shine through, too.” Yup. Well done!
I’d hazard a guess re: Silvans speaking Quenya may be that the commanders in places like the east are High Elves, whilst the lower ranks might be Silvan/Sindar, and Quenya being the language of command. Just a guess but it would fit.
Quenya is a language of Valinor, but the Noldor only speak it among themselves, because in Middle Earth they preferred Sindarin, the language of the Elves who didn’t go to Valinor before the first age
I was astounded with Arondir in this episode. I was underwhelmed by him at first, but I wholehearted agree in this episode he was "the most Elvish Elf"; definitely FELT like classic thrilling Tolkien action to me in that moment.
@@rileyhughes5613 He probably comes off as very subtle/stoic/somber to some folks at first (eps 1 & 2). I've been playing, writing, illustrating Elves since 1978 (oooooold fan!)(lol), and picked out some of the nifty subtle bits he did; like when "elf walks into a bar" in the first episode, he trails a hand and greets the wolfhound... totally "elvish way with all good beasts" as in Two Towers when Legolas gets a warhorse and rides without saddle or rein. There's the whole Crouching Tiger/kung fu monk/Jedi thing of maintaining an inner stillness while the Drunk Kid has his rant, the "I have said it already. A hundred times over, in every way but words." line where his whole soul is right there in his face... Yeah, lots of stuff! He did such a good job IMHO. He did do a whole lot of his stunts as I heard.
"I don't know half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve" -The Showrunners of ROP to the fans
So, Elendil was definitely cool, but what I am really excited about is what Galadriel says to Halbrand near the end: "Ours was no chance meeting. Not fate, nor destiny. Nor any of the words Men use to speak of the forces they lack the conviction to name. Ours was the work of something greater." We heard part of that quote in the trailer, but in context, that is a far more religious statement than I had expected from Amazon and gives me hope they might do that part of Tolkien's work at least some justice.
Morgoth not only stole the Jewels from Feanor, he also killed the High Kings Finwe (Galadriel's paternal grand father) and destroyed the Trees that night, he basically declared war on the whole world
How about this for Halbrand - he’s in the line of Kings for a people of uncertain loyalty, but who befriends the (future) rulers of Gondor. Could his lost kingdom be in the mountains of middle earth? Could he turn out to be the King of the Dead?
This is also interesting proposal. He is on his way to become a king. And from there there is very easy path to become a Nazgul. Also he can just stay Halbrand. However King of the Dead is also possibility. What I totally don't get is Halbrand-Sauron theory.
Not that i care about fanfiction (in the loose term, cause clearly the writers are no Tolkien "fans"), but it's very clear to me that they will make him be Sauron in his Anatar disguise.
Halbrand being Sauron is not a theory, it’s a leak. In episode 8, Galadriel will confront Halbrand because his story about being King of the Southlands doesn’t check out. He will then say “I have been awake since before the breaking of the first silence. In that time, I have had many names.” And then he vanishes.
Characters in TV series always take a while to develop. I've had friends stop watching Breaking Bad half way through episode 1 because Walter White was too boring. That being said, I love the harfoots. I'd watch the entire show just about the harfoots, migrating about with their beautiful costumes, and losing people to bees...
@@alexgo373 in some cases yes, but in others i think characterization can be done very well in one episode. from episode 1 of house of the dragon for instance, I was invested in every single storyline. same with the office, Silicon Valley, etc. but i cede it’s hard to do, and it’s forgivable if they build out the characters eventually. it’s just that we’re almost halfway through the season now, and I still don’t care about anyone (except elendil who was just introduced in this new episode). i still love the world of middle earth enough to keep watching though. the score is great as well
I feel some of this is because we’ve ‘mostly’ been around elves and elves by nature are very pomp and holier than thou so not very relatable. I’m confident the dwarves and such will become solid characters
I love how the non Elven cities/kingdoms are introduced to us firstly through an Elven perspective. Arondir for the Southlands, Elrond for Khazad Dum and Galadriel for Numenor. Signifying the longevity of the Elven life and the true rapidity of changes happening in the world that do not conform to their pace of life.
@@verylostdoommarauder They have gotten 28 (that I have counted so far) "things right," and you would notice them if you weren't focusing on narrow-minded issues such as casting choices....
What I think about this episode is that they used 99% of the budged on Numenorean CGI and the rest 1% on a Chihuahua warg and a chain fight between 3 elves and 4 orcs.
It isn't. Adar is a substitute "big bad" until the end of season one when Sauron's secret identity is revealed. A different actor portrays Adar than the one who supposedly portrays Sauron.
Halbrand is totally theo's dad and i called that he was a descendant of the people who allied with morgoth. Making even more sense that he probably ditched his son and wife and his other family heirloom, the black blade. I do believe that he may become the witch king though. I think the stranger might be either one of the blue wizards or the show has made the both of them into 1 character.
Kingdom of Anor known for its blades, Merry and Pippin’s as an example. Merry ultimately killing the Witchking with a blade from his kingdom, with help from the Lady of Rohan.
The stranger might be the big G too, I wouldn’t abandon this theory yet. The “constellation” is the shape very close to Gandalf’s rune sign (he draws on Bilbo’s door) and it would also explain Gandalf’s love for hobbits, since other wizzards don’t look like they care about them too much.
@@jurajstilla324 If they make it gandalf then it would be the first big change that would actually piss me off a bit. Gandalf doesn't arrive till the 3rd age. The only istari to arrive in the 2nd age were the blue brothers.
The harfoots seem willing to just ditch anyone who can't pull a cart along at speed. They keep going on about family and no one gets left behind but then they did a toast to a ton of people they left behind 😂😂
@@deankruse2891 The harfoots are morally worse than orcs.... I guess it was a good thing they didnt make the third age or they would have been aiding the dark lord 🤣
This episode won me over. In particular the stunning vistas of Numenor which were on par if not above Minas Tirith from the films. The city streets and city life were even more believable than the White City of PJs version. Love the Numenorian designs. And finally decent acting in the scenes with Elendil and his family. Even Galadriel wasn't so annoying anymore ("I must have been blind"). I didn't care much about the Harfoots - the speech scene was a little bit too reminiscent of Bilbo's birthday. Great action in the orc and warg scenes. Yes, orcs enslave people! Made me think of Sam's vision of the Shire in Galadriel's mirror. Nice touch with Arondir and the tree. For the first time I'm looking forward to next week's episode.
Totally agree with your point about the city life in Armenelos, it made the city feel real. That is actually one spot the show is doing better in than the PJ films. Edoras, Imladris, and Minas Tirith did not feel as busy or inhabited as I imagined but Kazad Dum and Armenelos are exceeding my expectations.
Some more thoughts: 1. A tunnel-trench system seems very in-character for Tolkien's Orcs. 2. Jed Brophy's Orc looks great! 3. Orcs using slave labor is also very in-character. 4. Not a fan of the Númenórean sailor outfits. They look a bit too... manufactured, if you ask me. 5. Armenelos and its architecture look decent enough. No "Greatest Civilization that Ever Existed" vibes, but still decent enough. Also, it's supposed to be inland; Rómenna is the main city on the eastern coast. 6. Meneltarma doesn't look unique enough, in my opinion. It was always described as more like a steep pillar than a pyramid-shaped peak. 7. "Commander of the Northern Armies" still shouldn't be among Galadriel's (many) titles. 8. Ar-Phazarôn should NOT look that old yet. His yet far-off fear of aging is supposed to be one of his core character traits. 9. I dunno about some of the Númenórean outfits... Also, aren't they all supposed to be almost as beautiful as the Elves? Not that the Elves in this show look very Elf-like either... 10. Isildur in navy training seems fair enough. 11. Always a fan of the accurate Elvish language stuff. 12. I'm skeptical of this "Elendil's daughter" character. 13. 21:01 If I'm being honest, that painting isn't great. I'd expect far better of Númenor. 14. I agree redemption isn't really something Galadriel should need at this point. 15. I'm very curious about how this Adar thing will turn out.
As an artist who's been illustrating Elves since 1978, I gotta stick up for the elf design here. It is archetype, and personal taste, that goes into any such design, but I like the fresh approach of "let's do real people rather than supermodels"... beautiful real people, but grounded, not Barbied.
@@swordwhale1 but one of the characteristics is that they aren't human. Personal preference: I like elves portraid in a way where I don`t have to check ears to see if they are human or not. For me, quite a few elves were cast too old and not nearly otherworldly enough. It is much easier with the other non humans to distinguish them because they have distinctive traits other than pointy ears and if you don't want to go for the easy solution of model age and beautiful casting and long hair for everyone then you need to put in more efford than they did in this show
5. Numenor had a three-thousand-year history, and they continually rose in power, wealth and craft, even when they were starting to decline culturally and especially spiritually. The island was destroyed at the apex of its empire's martial and material power. That's the only pass I'll give them.
@@monat2993 personally I've seen way too much artwork where all the elves are indistinguishable from each other except perhaps by hair color. I prefer the acting to carry the performance over the costuming. The Jackson elves were always a bit humorous in their pretty sameness.
YOU ARE THE BEST SOURCE FOR LOTR and the whole Tolkien Books.. You are so educational and your videos are Professional level.. I like that you don't get Wound up over chamges or something missing. Seen a few videos of Mental Case Fanatics and Pure Haters, bunch dorks in moms basement type, going balisitic on the show not being perfrct to Tolkien.. Such Child like behaviors... So when I wemt to you for explanation, you did not disappoint... A brilliant mature breakdown.. Your The Best.. I want to tell creators of the show about you and that you should be recognized. Again Thank You...
i'm sure we'll see Elendil or Isildur wearing it. Aragorn is wearing it in the movies. They say the showrunners are supposed to be hardcore tolkien fans, so i'd be pretty surprised if they didn't know about that ring. Of course they got about 20 other even more important rings to worry about maybe they got ringed out
@@chriss3276 WHAT! But they told us they were! They said so! You're not suggesting... They lied? Heavens, let's not tell anyone. Other people might start doing it too if they knew it was that easy.
Great analysis, as always. Many thanks! Loved this episode, as I have loved the series so far, especially the views of Numenor which were awe inspiring. Am going to like Elendil very much I think. Very worried for Arondir who is another character I like a lot. The respect of the elves for the tree was very well done and the orcs are suitably nasty and cruel. Can't wait for episode 4!
BTW, the ancestor who “lost the war” Halbrand is referring to is probably Ulfang. And the trend of giving Galadriel very un-arafinwean vibes continue when she thinks of **stealing a boat** in true Noldor fashion (but not something the golden house of Finarfin is guilty of).
The showrunners have probably never read the Silmarillion. Why even bring it up? They wont even understand why it against the grain for Finarfin's daughter to steal boats.
@@FLMKane they don't have the rights to the simarillan just the appendices and the second age quit saying this is on the simarillan when it isn't the simarillan is on the first age not the second age
@@Spock4771 then they should have avoided mentioning the destruction trees of light, Morgoth, the return of the elves to Middle Earth, etc In other words, Amazon doesn't care what they have rights to. They're just hacks
Could Elendil's daughter getting admitted to the architects guild after re-applying imply they are building something big? Like a temple to Morgoth, perhaps?
I don't believe the Numenorean's get that far in their corruption until after they capture Sauron. I can certainly see Elendil's daughter being made to build/design the temple but that isn't for a while yet
Elendil is definitely the best character. No surprise since Aragorn is my favorite LOTR character. Great episode, really enjoying the series so far. Enjoying that I don’t know the lore a ton yet so I can’t be disappointed by that until I enjoy the show for what it is first 👍🏻
I love that the orcs are so crazy dangerous in this show - maybe it’s the smaller scale, but in LOTR they felt more like cannon fodder to be hewn down by the heroes. They definitely serve a different function in ROP!
Right...but Guyladriel can take on an ice troll by herself just to show how great this Mary sue elf warrior princess really is (not galadriels character btw) but yet it takes the entire fellowship with a coordinated effort to bring down the cave troll in the mines of moria Yeah you guys might as well be the same as the page owner. Sponsored Amazon mouthpieces with no objectivity.
@@shogun0810 she's not a Mary Sue. She may be overpowered but not a Mary Sue. Also, Aragorn literally took on 100 Uruk-hai by himself in the Fellowship of the ring. Did you have a problem with that?
Even though I can see what's going on while watching the episodes, I love hearing these knowledgeable explanation of what I just watched. It's like watching it for the second time. 👍
Aside from the weird slow mo horse riding scene I really liked this episode. I also like how the warg looks like a normal animal that was corrupted by the evils or morgoth/sauron.
I'm sorry but that warg looked ridiculous. The eyes made it seem comical and the dog face was so not scary. It should have had glowing yellow eyes or all black piercing eyes to be frightening.
20:30 "the most human on human violence we've seen in a middle earth adaptation" didnt the rohirrim and the gondorian scouts kill easterlings/haradrim in lotr?
Honestly, I agree that the cuts to Harfoots were ill-timed. Not that I'm not interested in them, but the other two storylines were feeling more pressing... so cutting to Harfoot revelery was unwelcome. I'd have prefered if the Harfoot parts were moved to an episode where the Meteor Man story moves a bit further. But still, it was a minor issue. The only issue I had that I'd like to call out is the CGI of the warg. Especially in its first scene the CGI was off and maybe a bit choppy? But other than this I LOVED the episode. I loved Elendil and even Isildur wasn't any bad (like I feared based on casting). I really hope that Elendil's new daughter has some significance. Probably related to her architect skills? I predict that she either ends up joining the King's Men and builds the Temple of Morgoth... or she remains Faithful and designs Minas Tirith. All in all, this show is getting better and better. Even my non-Tolkien co-watchers are getting more interested.
Lots of drama in this episode, really enjoyed it. Really like the galadriel elendil moments edit: orcs were 10/10, great design, loved the accents, and really respected the details on how they live/work
I think Halbrand is the (future) king of Dunharrow men, the Oathbreakers. They are somewhat from the south, they served Morgoth and they betrayed Isildur so the timing is right.
Lol Halbrand is so clearly Sauron... I think it's interesting how fans like you try to justify this drivel or try to cope but the reality is Amazon has abandoned anything Tolkien related from the get go... I wouldn't invest too much time into a product or producer who does not care about Tolkien or Tolkien fans...
I’ve been watching your RoP commentary for a while, and my thoughts on this episode are very similar to yours! Elendil is going to be great, the one to watch out of all the main characters. Numenor looks amazing and is going to be very interesting. And lastly, every time the harfoots show up the story just screeches to a halt for me. Until we learn how they’re going to connect to the main storyline they are just going to feel like a distraction to me.
I actually quite like the Harfoot stuff. They show a lot more character exposition and interpersonal relationships, which actually makes you care more, IMO.
Agreed. This was the first episode I was actually annoyed with the Harfoot scenes. Although, I did kind of like them dressing as large animals and practicing traveling, the chanting was obnoxious and I am assuming it was practice because we just got chanting for far too long instead of dialog. When it seemed clear they were going to be left behind I was far happier than I think I was supposed to be.
I'll go one further. I'm feeling an itch to skip their part and just watch it in a breaksown video later. It contributes _absolutely nothing_ to the rest of the story.
I really liked this episode and have got to say is probably my fav of the 3 so far. Numenor and the orcs all look amazing, really beautiful and grotesque with the combination of CGI and practical effects respectively. I am curious to see how the future of the show goes and what will happen next. My fav scenes of this episode I have got to say where the interactions between Elendil and Galadriel. 9/10 for me for this Ep.
One tiny thing that caught my attention and seems out of place is that Elendil says "oh good gods" in the scene talking to his son and made-up-for-the-show daughter. It is a bit out of place since Numenor was the one place in mortal lands where Eru Iluvatar was actually "worshipped". Three times a year, the Numenorians would ascend Mount Meneltarma and the King would praise Eru. Although the Valar are referred to as the "lesser gods" by Tolkien I don't recall any characters "in book" doing so.
Only in his earliest writings did he refer to the Valar or Ainu as lesser Gods, that goes away. I don't recall him ever using such language past the early 30's. Much of his stuff is dated, so we know when written. That was an excellent catch though, I missed it, I keep checking out watching it, getting distracted by trivial things that are just very wrong. I sometimes and not often enough need to check my attitude with this show because there are good and enjoyable parts in it.
Numenoreans were the tallest of all races in Middle Marth. The men averaged 7 feet, while Elendil was 8 feet tall. But what else can you expect from Amazon’s butchery? This is a clown show at this point
@@batbattlehistory3663 This has got to be the most pathetic, ill-inspired reply I've ever gotten. Well done, dude. Did you waste all your thinking power on that one? Could you feel your last two brain cell shrivel up? I am in awe of the simplicity here, there's nothing sadder than this. Pack it in, my guy.
I felt there were lots of callbacks to Merry & Pippin with Nori and Poppy, and honestly don't hate the hobbit storyline. It's definitely not as interesting as the other threads, but I also don't feel like it is too forced either.
as a relatively noob about the whole lore, i must say you are currently my favorite LOTR youtuber. Most, if not all, I encounter are too negative about the ROP, which is a bit sad because I actually am enjoying the show. It's refreshing to find someone who has a more open mind about it and I like that you insert canon lore and info in these episode breakdowns. I am learning alot about the lore with your other videos too, and it looks like that I'm gonna have too watch all of them!
You’ll get much more from reading Tolkien. This series is very poor on the lore and Nerd of the Rings is a paid apologist for Corporate Amazon… he creates his own muddle of a story to try and make the lore fit… much of the time it doesn’t.
@@rodneyholland1867 No you'll get something much different from reading Tolkien. Not everyone who knows how to balance this is corrupt, and you're just one the pathetic gatekeepers who can't
@@wa-bu3ke They're not exactly digging a quarry. They're clearly digging a trench. As seen in one of the final overhead shots we get when our elfboy stands on the brink there.
This episode caught my interest even more then the first two. The orcs was terrifying, almost horror-ish in the tunnels and I liked the entire sequence. Numenor and Elendil was everything I hoped it would be. I do have to agree with you, a few more minutes of Numenor and the Orcs would have made a better episode then 20 minutes of Harfoots with no apparent development, other then Nori's family getting an appreciation for Meteor man. Personally, I'm really excited to see where they are going to take the whole Adar story, wheter it is introducing Sauron or a non canon Elf from long ago being twisted to Evil. In the preview of E.4, Arondir spoke Quenya to Adar, so Friday's cant come fast enough. Thanks for a great video as always!
I think for story structure in a series spanning five seasons, Sauron is bound to have some captains and lieutenants. I also find the orcs amazing and terrifying. Already realized in ep 2, they would be great.
Yeah next ep is going to be good. Harfoots cut the flow a lot in ep 3 though I think Nori and Poppy are great little actors and characters. Adar must me Annatar/ Sauron he had real menacing presence which is something the show runners have failed at producing except for say Elendil.
I realize Isildur's sister is completely made up for this series, but in Tolkien's "The Lost Road" his unfinished story dealing with time travel and Numenor, it is mentioned that Elendil has an adopted daughter named Firiel.
@@scathiebaby Was he? I'll be honest, I found it incredibly hard to follow once things shifted to the Harfoots because they're so dull, and I was barely paying attention at that point so I assume he must have been mentioned then.
Despite only seeing the character ‘Adar’ in the very last sequence, I think the episode is called Adar because of the meaning of the name - Father. There is a lot of familial subtexts going on, specifically relating to fathers or male figures in family’s. I think the scenes which highlighted it most was Elendil and Isildur talking and then arguing; aswell as Nori’s and the plot surrounding the migration with her father. It does seem strange though to use the actual characters name when he’s in it for about 5 seconds and even then it’s blurred🤣
My biggest positive from the show so far is the casting and set design. Both are fantastic, every actor is doing a fantastic job (so far Durin IV and Elendil are my favourite performances) while every location has been fantastically rendered and feels unique. I love the byzantine look of the numenorean dress and armour along the the greek feeling of the port they arrive in which seems to be a combination of Romenna and Armenelos. I would have loved to see them separate but connected in the way Rome and Ostia were but it is understandable that they were combined for simplicity of storytelling.
Did some deep digging on the cast, and the face shape of adar at the end of the episode really matched Joseph Mawle, whose character is listen as Oren. This led me to an article in February that gave me this: Oren is supposedly the codename for a character named Arden, a villain in the series; Arden is quite possibly the series’ main villain, supposedly an Elf who directly serves Sauron. In the casting call, the character was described as follows: “A villain who can also evoke a deep sense of pathos and wounded / fallen nobility. Must possess a certain degree of physicality. Should seem middle-aged, though must also project a sense of timelessness.” That same article updates Arden to Adar. This makes a lot of sense considering this is a 50 episode series arc. Bringing out Sauron so quickly would really quench the slow burn. I really like the idea of them drawing out the backstories of ancillary characters from the books. Keeps the slow but inexorable spread of darkness going well.
I'm 85% certain that Halbrand becomes the Witch-king of Angmar. They're setting him up as a rightful king of men, and when the rings are forged, Sauron gives nine of them to the kings of men, one of which is Halbrand. That would mean that later in the series Halbrand turns toward the darkside, fighting for Sauron during the Last Alliance of Elves and Men.
@@muccmaster Amazon has already committed to 5 seasons, and the showrunners have already said they're going to end with Isildur taking the One Ring, so, yes, we're going to see it.
isnt it nice that for shilling for amazon they have given you a sponsor (Audible ( which is owned by Amazon. that wouldn't bias you in any way now would it.
@@jamaly77 Amazon directly decides who audible decides who to sponsor, regarding ROP. You know zero about me, like how old i am and i will stay here, never mind come back when "ive grown up", and learned about the world, who the hell are you to tell me what to do. You seem like just another shill for another poorly written and horrendously acted show. Sorry but the but the channel you are watching has sold his credibility and his dislike ratio's prove this to staggering proportions. Honesty, credibility and authenticity are free, and once they are gone there is no coming back from that. just get the chrome extension and see how his videos are doing regarding up-votes via down-votes. I mean a channel of this size with a video with 540,000 views and only 15k likes says it all really.
![The Dragons of Middle-earth [COMPILATION]](/img/n.gif)
Harfoots: "Our hearts are even bigger than our feet."
Also Harfoots: "If you can't keep up, we won't think twice about leaving you behind and letting you die."
Yes the migration seems very strange (not complaining). Almost like its a ritual. Maybe this is some type of natural selection from a anthropological perspective. Essentially leaving the weak unproductive behind without guilt. Reminds me of things like the moka rituals in our own world.
But "We will wait for you." Well not really, we'll just leave you to rot.
@@chriss3276 I don't get the whole "we will wait for you" saying...I mean...shouldn't that be the other way around?
@@chriss3276 I think the quote is "We wait for you". The implication is that still out there; they're just catching up
Reveals the truth, Harfoots are the forefathers of the modern American. All multi cultural and full of contradiction.
I think that we can all agree that Elendil is the best character in this show so far. Looking forward to see more of him.
I love his voice, he is great
A polished turd indeed!
Yeah 💯
The show is atrocious, but yes Elendil is the best cast character so far I would agree. Well cast actually.
He really looks king-like
I had a totally different take on Galadriel meeting the Queen, she came off as confrontational and demanding, bordering on arrogance while Tar-Miriel tried to remain respectful and simultaneously not come off as subservient, there was tensión regarding both women trying to establish the pecking order that Halbrand tried to smooth with a poor attempt at humour/diplomacy while reinforcing his character portrayal of a charming rogue.
@@wewuzwolves4428 She was arrogant in her youth so Im alright with this
@@kennethsatria6607
Galadriel is already thousands of years old by this point - she’s not exactly “in her youth” anymore.
My dad was a VFX art designer on the show, and he got to walk around some of the sets. You'd be surprised how much stuff was built. He said the whole Armenelos port was built as well as many streets, the blacksmith was all working and crammed with details. The ship that Elendil was on at the start of the episode was also fully built out. The statue in the scene with Galadriel and Halbrand was also built over many weeks for that one 3-4 second shot. It wasn't just the sets, he said the costumes they made for each character were unbelievably detailed. It was quite nice to hear how much of the sets were actually built and weren't just CGI. Just thought that might be fun to share as I keep hearing how it looks 'fake' or 'like cosplay'. The amount of work put into this show is staggering
Seriously man i may have some problems with the show until now , but this show looks unbelievably good big thanks to your father and every one who worked on it
I too had a lot of preconceived issues going in, mainly that the amount of changes from established tolkien lore would make it feel like I’m watching an amateurs fan film and something that has nothing to do with Peter Jackson’s adaptations which I love.
With that being said after watching the first few episodes I still have a few minor complaints (as all fans who know source material do) about some things they changed but you can truly see the commitment devotion and no shortage of Amazon money being put in to make this something special and my overall feeling is that they have achieved that and I’m just really enjoying the show for what it is as let’s face it they’ll never be another lord of the rings. Even PJ’s hobbit trilogy could quite recapture that but we can still enjoy some adventures in Middle-Earth.
Still, some costumes are really cheap and make no sense.
Probably some parts of the show are "low budget" for the costume departement
I thought it looked bad in the trailers but now, in the actual show, they do a good job of making the things that need to look lived in, dirty and the things that need to look regal, grand. It is Infinitely better than the trailers. Don't listen to what anybody says; your Dad did a Great job! And thanks for sharing! That's so cool!
Oh don't worry I'm sure nerd of the rings even saw him when he was getting wined and dined by Amazon...
If Adar means father, and the episode revolves around 3 different fathers, I'd say it's quite fitting.
Damn dude, good catch. thats awesome!
Elendil, Adar, and…? Who’s the third, the king of Numenor?
@@SnailHatan Queen Miriel's father I recon
@@SnailHatan yes, and Nori's dad too.
Ada is father. Dunno if Adar is fathers?
Just read the fall of Numenor in the Silmarilion, thought it was interesting that some Numenorians were far-sighted enough to see the outline of Valinor to the West on a very clear day with their own eyes.. no wonder over time and with Sauron’s persuasion they yearned more and more to be immortal.
They could see Tol-Eressea from Andunie, not Valinor, but good point.
They were so close to heaven they could see it from their shores. Man I love all this lore
And yet they are so stupid and blind that they can't even see an obvious theft in a packed court right in front of their eyes... neither can they see the stolen item ( a rather large dagger) passed onto someone else who, I presume, must have lifted up the hem of her skirt and hide the stolen item up her arse (I can't see where else she would hide it). All done right in front of about 100 Numenorians... so just what the heck are you talking about 'far-sighted', they are as blind as a bat.
The world was flat at this time, so looking across an ocean would likely be fruitful. Especially if they had telescopes.
@@neam5446 Go crawl back under your rock.
That line where Elendil smirks and says “Home” gave me Vibes of Sean Bean as Boromir, one of my favorite characters so far !
I do agree how funny it is that the titular character of this episode's title was barely revealed at the end, but since Adar translates to father, you can say the episode was referencing the father figures present through out it.
I think what Gil-Galad said in episode #1 about Galadriel, that she will bring back Sauron somehow, is connected to what Miriel is saying at the end of this episode, and is connected to Halbrand, who will inadvertently help/allow Sauron to gain power again. I think Sauron is Adar and there is a reason he can't leave the caves/tunnels. Halbrand will somehow, maybe by a mistake, give him a solution.
Interesting! Love the theory - also love your channel btw!
@@NerdoftheRings thank you, same here :-)
Nice to see two of my fav channels appreciate each other. Keep it up guys👌
How can Halbrand or Adar be of any importance when they are made up characters tho? Also i though Sauron was an Elf or am i just getting that from the Shadow of games?
@@reapertv5683 Sauron is a Maia who originated before the creation of the world. He can take many forms, including werewolf, vampire, elf, eye, dark lord, etc. It is possible that "Adar" is Sauron's alias.
Halbrand is made-up but the Witch-King is not and his origin and identity are unspecified.
I love Elendil. He is played well.
I hate the show but you are completely right actor did a great job portraying his character but the sea is always right is bad line :D
@@lukeluckynblue1873 I started to pull my hair when I first heard that line, too. Lol. But
I’m glad the action is starting to pick up. And Elendil might be the best character so far.
@@lukeluckynblue1873 That's your right but you're in a minority.
@@redbarchetta8782 go to all of the trailers that Amazon put out for Rings of Power and you will see them completely ratioed with double down votes. Of course you have to have a special app to see the dislike numbers. I agree with Elon Musk: "Tolkien is turning in his grave." Also the numbers are in by a third party independent census, House of the Dragon received 4.8 million while Rings of Power received 1.8 viewers in the United States.
@@redbarchetta8782 You say that like it should matter at all, even if true (Reality is the opposite obv).
My theory about Halbrand is that he is one of the men who swears allegiance to Isildur at the Stone of Erech and then betrays him.
That is to say, Halbrand is the King of the dead that we see fighting alongside Aragorn along with other cursed men for breaking his oath.
Remember that these men who break their oath to Isildur had previously fought on the side of Sauron, that is, Halbrand's ancestors.
Excuse my english
This gets my vote
Good one
Wow, this really is a great theory
I like this theory or the theory that Halbrand is the Witch King of Angmar.
Iirc that happens way later we still have to found gondor
Elendil and the architechture of numenor were the best parts of this episode.
Numenor looked amazing! As an old school Tolkien fan, I'm enjoying every minute!
I believe that the greeny yellow smoke and pits are meant to look sulphuric, which is a common real-life indicator of magma close to the surface. I think they are trying to give evidence of the southlands transformation into a volcanic plateau/Mordor, similar to sulphuric pits at Yellowstone
Nice theory 👌
100%
The plot is not that deep
As disappointed as I was that we got no Elrond/Durin in this episode, I really loved Elendil. The other Numenoreans were fine, but I greatly enjoyed Elendil and his family.
I agree ..but at the same time the number of story lines was a little overwhelming. Glad they are going to be moving story lines in and out.
Agreed. And I was critical of Elendil's portrayal before this episode but was pleased that his character is off to a strong start. Galadriel still baffles me however. Why is she so hasty...almost foolhardy? It's like she's learned nothing from the mistakes made by her Noldorin kin.
@@bullionsean456 What do you mean? This show doesnt own the rights to The Oath or the Kinslaying so in this universe its not cannon. She is just insufferable because thats the way the show writers wanted her to be.
@@johan8969 lol yeah...kinda wishing she just would've stayed on her ship to Valinor...
Isildur was pretty damn lackluster so far. Both the actor and the lines he was given. But that was a cool segment on the ship when he saved that guy. Hope his role gets better as the journey draws nearer.
Something about the "Adar" title. It's actually not weird to me at all that we get that as a title and don't see him until the end. This episode was about at least four fathers that I can count. Tar-Miriel's father, Elendil, Halbrand's father, and Adar. So it is actually a really apt title!
Anatar
Halbrand is Suaron
Oh! Actually, an edit: at least 5. It's also about Nori's father and his inability to keep up.
You nailed it! And I've also heard a theory that Halbrand is actually Theo's father as well
@@arthurslouro I forgot about that theory! Good one!
I'm slowly going through the series and these recaps are perfection! thank you so much, they work both for refreshing one's memory of the facts and for getting more context
Isildur's mate screaming "Isilduuur!" gave me chills.
Gave me a chuckle
"Toss it into the fire! ISILDURR" XD
100%
"Given the Boromir treatment" may he rest in peace the beautiful man
I could see Halbrand being one of the eventual Wraiths... that said, him becoming the King of the Oathbreakers (of the eventual Third Age Army of the Dead) is another theory I kinda dig that's been festering since last night.
Yes, this is what I’m thinking too.
Oooh. That's a good one! Very curious about that.
Me too.. Nazgul, we're once great Kings of man.. But we did not know where we're they from, how they become great Kings.. But there's one theory that always bothers me... Did sauron capture/saved Al pharazon. And made him a witchking??
Based on how he seems "charming" and manages to convince the Numanorians to let them stay...I think this might be Sauron. In the lore he does become Al-Pharazan's advisor.
@@foxoffate4328 yeah i thought for a moment that this is the reason why the elves are almost banned from the island. But then i realised for sauron to become the advisor he needs to get humbled first... so we will see how they rewrite this point of the story line.
Hi, Nerd of the Rings. What do you think of the writing in this show?
The sea is always right?
A dog can bark at the moon, but he can't bring it down?
Why does a ship float and a rock sink?
These sayings are presented as really deep Tolkienisms, but are pretty cringe to me. Your thoughts?
@bocoy noiu Amen to that.
Yeah, it is very cringe.
I had to turn it off after that goofy beach- horse back scene.
@@richardahne711 I know right? What the f was up with this scene??
The entire show is CW crap writing. Old episodes of Smallville are much more entertaining
I see Halbrand as a future nazgul. Galadriel's friendship and insistence that there is divine intervention at work in their meeting only heightens the tragedy. His smithing ability and her connections likely eventually put him in proximity to Celebrimbor, and his heritage and his drive to restore his former homelands to their former peoples gives him a reason to want a ring of power when they're made. Galadriel likely helps facilitate this as well. But she'll wrong and he'll fall. A character truly falsely believing that they understand a divine plan only to see the work they think they're doing to further that plan blow up in their face is a well-used trope.
We do need a tragic hero, the inverse of Aragon would be appropriate
That's actually a very nice idea. Respect.
The witch king 🤯
@@starlyghtdrifter66 galadriel wil bring sauron. Like her brother said “touch evil”
@@starlyghtdrifter66 you’re basing that off one line. If Halbrand is of potential numenorian blood then he could live a long life and become the witch king. Idk how y’all are quickly assuming Sauron
Elendil and Isildur are both magnetic actors, perfect casting I think. I was very very sensitive with that first episode and Galadriel, but this third episode has ensured my interest til the end of the season.
I think everyone was perfectly cast. Galadriel, Elrond(Though not as cool as Hugo Weaving), Star guy (w/e he is), Elendil, Isildur, and we even have a new Legolas Archetype who has some good optics for that role.
U must be joking
@@ЮрийМеньшиков-г7и what did you think of the new character Deez of Numenor?
Deez Nuts
@@KenobiStark1 That should be funny joke I guess
When Galadriel and Halbrand introduce themselves it definitely reminded of the scene where Misanda says Danny’s titles and Davos just says “this is Jon Snow” 😂
He's a right proper lad.
YES!! So good.
Or similar to when Bron is introduced to Tywin after Tyrion introduces the... "hillmen"(?) and who their fathers are. And when it's time for Bron he says:
"You wouldn't know him."
IKR literally sam thought
It was honestly just a huge rip off if I'm being perfectly honest.
Anyone else thinking that Halbrand becomes the king of the undead? He could try and become “good” like Galadriel asking him to but when push comes to shove he can’t bring himself to stand against Sauron…without the time compression it probably couldn’t work but could be an interesting way to bring that piece of the Second Age into the show
Halbrand is Sauron in disguise mark this comment
I agree with you Shmuli. The geography would be a bit off, but could be reconciled (from Southlands to White Mountains). But the character arc seems fitting. I REALLY don't see Halbrand being Sauron. That would be such a departure from the writings in my opinion. It also seems like Adar is supposed to be this guy, but maybe Adar is the up and coming Lord of the Nazgul? Soon to corrupt Theo?
@@kpeters408 I agree with you. Sauron is supposed to arrive in Numenor AFTER the rings are created. He wont be able to assist in the creation of the rings unless he can be in 2 places at once -- I don't think they will do that. Otherwise Celebrimbor would be willingly working with a revealed Sauron. I don't see that happening.
@@kpeters408 Adar being one of the original corrupted elves as a “father” of the orcs is my guess and the long hair we got a glimpse of would fit. And re Halbrand and geography, we know Bronwyn and Theo are running with their village people so maybe they or other village folk end up in the White Mountains.
@@shmulishulman2658 Hmmm, Adar as original corrupted Elf would make sense of the "father" idea, but seems to be rather a strange amount of build-up for an original character for the show. Intriguing idea though. As for Bronwyn and Theo on the run, that would fit perfectly! (slaps forehead for not seeing that).
That shot of the puppet play, and the hands of the PUPPETEER in slow motion, right after the scene where Elendil learns that his daughter has been accepted as a Mason apprentice (despite having been rejected, and the guild supposedly NEVER reconsidering applications) makes me think that she will be working on the temple to Melkor in Numenor, and she may have been placed there intentionally by someone (the puppeteer) who has larger intentions related to Elendil
Also agree on the temple element. I think the tree leaves scene will either trigger the building or be during the felling of the white tree. Temple is placed right there correct?
That'd be good writing, I hope this is true cos that kind of set up makes this show and these episodes much stronger
Great take! Definitely setting up for some conflict..
@@lonewulf44 may be smoug will appear and destroy numenor then erendil appear on vingilote then fall from it...and then galadriel will sail on vingilote and destroy smaug....
@@neam5446 Go crawl back under your rock.
OOO boy! I've been waiting for this video all day!
Episode 3 is the best episode so far for me & can't wait to get the deep dive from this video!
I also believe that Halbrand will attempt to redeem his kingdom & bloodline. Perhaps he will receive a great gift of power from a friendly gift-giver.
However he will ultimately fail & end up falling to the dark, probably due to the corruption of the power he was gifted.
maybe he will be one of the nazguls
He's Sauron unfortunately
@@wheresjc They showed sauron at the end how could he be at two places?😂
It's amazon. If he redeems his kingdom he'll get a redeem code and three months for free.
@@wheresjc Oh true and he wants to join the metal working guild to “learn more”!!
I am astounded at every episode at the depth of your knowledge. I love that show does not explain things and I love looking up them. Your channel is truly amazing.
As a fan of lore, but not a LoTR expert, I live for your episode breakdowns. They help me connect the story to the lore and understand how it may differ without being negative. Thank you so much!
Honestly, there isn’t much Tolkien here… Most of it is made up and whatever is Tolkien, is distorted to the point where it’s unrecognizable…
@@JayJay5244 not tryna excuse it but weren't p jacksons films p detached from a lot of the lore?
Exactly HOW can you connect it to the lore?
@@guzimAntonova No they were not. While some things were changed from what actually happened in the books, they got the core story pretty much down and they didn’t invent any important characters.
Even the Hobbit, which had invented characters and was even more detached from the lore, did a better job at capturing the lore of Tolkien, both visually and narratively… Here there’s nothing…
Yes, I'm glad I found this channel too. I love the Lore and appreciate Nerd of the Rings explaining it in detail.
The orcs are incredible in this episode!! Proper scary and threatening. Reminiscent of the orcs in the fellowship of the ring
It's the least they could be I guess. I wish elves in this show were as credible as the orcs when it comes to their look and presence.
Though it was a bit of a cheesy moment, I thought when Isildur was more excited to see his horse than his sister, it shows how much some Numenorians love their horses, lol.
I got the impression he was just messing with her. It's a sibling thing.
That was a joke, he was messing with his sister by greeting the horse first. Never fear though, it was not the only cheesy horse moment in this episode. I have a feeling that slow-mo Galadriel shot is going to live forever in infamy lol
I have a small problem with Isildur being so tanned in this series. In LOTR he was very much like Elendil. Paler.
@@johanna_na Well, that's a few years later after he didn't spend every day in full sunlight on a ship.
@@Swiftbow Well, I think it's more because young Isildur's actor is probably Maori, and adult Isildur's actor was white. But nontheless, I like young Isildur.
Thank you for your Breakdown of the rings of power ..... I am visually Impaired and cannot see too much that is going on in the series , on TV..... But with your breakdown, Everything falls into place ...........Never stop please Thanks Again
Does the audio description work well for you? Im just curious.
@@Christrulesall2 yes it fantastic totally completes the missing bits.... And only use pro Tolkien you tubers
@3:20 .. myself I immediately noticed that the hair of Galadriel, which once was so admired it inspired Fëanor to create the Silmarils, looked like she has a hangover. And became short. Hey, she was actually 6'4".
They literally didn’t bother to change the height of anyone but Harfoots. It’s disappointing to see Elves, Common Men and Numenoreans as the same height. Billion dollar budget for what.
@@deliverant9375 Well sure. I suppose I really just lament that elves, especially Galadriel, are portrayed as just posh with pointy ears. Elves are immortal, being a very part of the natural world around them. That's why on Middle Earth they diminish, and will basically die at some point, or return to Valinor. And that's where Frodo and Bilbo go too. Imagine being invited to retire in heaven by angels?
A pet peeve of mine too. Her hair is supposed to remind one of the light of Laurelin, one of the trees. Even in a disheveled state of shipwreck, her hair should still be mildly stunning. Also, my feeling is that Galadriel should have an air of royalty and leadership that royalty and leaders can't hide. If that had come across, I think there would have been even more tension between Galadriel and the Queen regent.
Sorry to break it to you, but Cate Blanchett wasn't taller than the people around her. And you can't angel light someone who has to do more than walk a few steps.
@@ricobarth Good point, but in LoTR the film did portray elves as being something more, shall we say. There were all those Legolas things too, like walking on top of the snow, able to mount a horse at full gallop, etc. I know this is a TV show, but if it just portrays the elves like snooty Vulcans I call that a failure of writing. Such as using the word 'human' in two episodes already.
I think halbrands going to return with galadrial to try to free the Southlands, and have things go poorly. This will eventually lead to him meeting sauron who is still disguised, and sauron will give him the ring of power that turns him into the witch king. In the end he's going to be corrupted by the very thing he wanted to defeat.
I think he reunites the south and becomes one of 9 kings of men who's past is tied to morgoth and is gifted a ring at some point by Annetar who knows halbrand ancestry.
that'd be cool
Again really liked this episode. Numenor and the orcs all look great and really beautiful and grotesque respectively. Curious to see how the future of the show goes and I know some people are worried about the timeline but if we say Isilduir is about 20 years old, he lived to be 234 dying in TA 2. so we have about 200 years to see until the Battle of the Last Alliance.
I dont really have any theories about things as I dont really make any but im still really liking it.
The practical costumes for the orcs are fantastic
The big problem is still the timeline. The rings are forged around 1500 SA, Isildur is born in 3209 SA. So much happens between those dates that we can't already be at the end of this age (where Sauron has'nt even reaveled himself) Time compression was my biggest fear about the show and unfortunatly, it happened :(
@@cradlis3456 I agree and while it isnt perfect we do still have time to show the siege of eregion and the fall of numenor and so on. It wont be fully accurate sadly which does suck but something I expected as we knew that Elendil and Isilduir was in the show.
@@scottjoseph7556 Of course they would be, never had any doubt about that. I was only hoping they would appear much much later, not that early :(
@@cradlis3456 Right. My thoughts were that we were going to see canon characters mixed in with non-canon characters at the different flash point dates over the course of the second age. Maybe feature one flashpoint per season then skip a few hundred to a thousand years, change up the human and dwarven characters but bring back surviving elves, maia, etc. Instead, they’re shoving lots into a shorter span of time.
25:09 I think Elendil's daughter joining the builder's guild might come up again later in the series. If she is an architect, she might be involved in building the Temple of Melkor. Or since her name means "Daughter of the Sea", she might help build the great armada that Ar-Pharazon uses to attack Valinor! It might be a stretch, but that's my thought on this small detail.
As an actual fan of the books, I feel it necessary to say Elendil didn’t have a daughter.
Elendil only has two named children, Isildur and Anárion. Even if he had a daughter, why would a royal join a guild run by commoners? And I'll give them credit, Sauron's Melkor temple was built during the reign of Ar-Pharazon.
Or she'll be the architect for gondor etc
@@edwingrover2873 who cares lol
@@edwingrover2873 Can you cite the reference for that? Please don't let this be an argument by omission.
I liked the depiction of the Orcs! They seemed far scarier, being a match for an Elf and of course far more deadly against humans. Also that using their sunlight weakness is a must if you are to defeat them!
I really appreciate that the elves' escape attempt failed completely, a more realistic outcome given that they were chained and outnumbered. It really shows just how formidable the orcs are.
@@zonderafspraak Indeed! Imagine if the show was like the hobbits movies and there was Legolas, he would've killed all the orcs with a single shot from his bow. I hated when orcs were just the bad guys on a John Wick movie. These orcs are so much scarier and a real palpable threat to all of middle earth.
@@luigisaguier8336 at first the digging in the house was weird, but these orc pits are fkning scary, i like it,
Could see a good game coming out of this 😂
@@luigisaguier8336 yet the troll at the beginning which was slayed like in no time by the great Galadriel is okay. I guess she will kill those scary orcs just by her glance.
Can you please keep this up? You're so unbiased and tell the story. Your videos are how I'm watching the series plus learning about LoTR. Some ppl don't have time, or want to risk paying for something they won't like. Your videos are like getting the show, plus background, plus great music, and a warm blanket after a long night.
He isn't entirely unbiased as an Amaozn company is one of his sponsors.
Me : ah the title is called Adar ! time to finally see him in action
Show : best i can do is give you a blurry image and make you wait a week
Lmao
The camera ran out of batteries...
Harfoot: *falls behind*. the other Harfoots: I missed the part where that's my problem.
I thought episode 3 (Adar) was the strongest of the episodes so far. Really enjoyed Numenor, Miriel, and Elendil. Excited to see where they go with Adar and Palantir in the next few episodes. This episode definitely improved upon the first two.
I agree.
I actually thought it was the weakest of the three
This episode only improved on breaking the Lore even more compared to the first two.
@@markhoefnagel7548 True. Where the first two episodes had zero lore breaks, this episode had one. Silvan elves speaking Quenya. But that is such a minor lore break that it doesn't take away from the greatness of the show.
Only one? Don't be generous. But I still like the series
My husband was very struck by the orc tunnels and regional devastation. He felt it was very reminiscent of WWI trenches
is you husband 118 years old?
@@eloytoro She never said he fought in the war
@@samsschool3639 I forgot to clarify i was making a joke, my bad
Does your husband like all the strong female characters in the show?
@@eloytoro me too
So far, I think Elendil is the best written character, which he deserves because he'll become the most important one at one point.
He is too short, the actor is 6'1, he is missing 2ft to play elendil properly :C come on do the camera magic amazon !
I like his ARMOR too
That just wouldn’t work well on screen to have an 8ft guy strolling about it’s already challenging enough to make normal sized people look like halflings and dwarves give them a break!
How do you know? None of this show even vaguely resembles anything Canon. They'll probably end the first season with Galadriel slaying the Jabberwocky to save Narnia.
@@urusledge responses like this are just childish. There's so much more going on here. Yes it's compressed. And series gotta series. It's not half as bad as it could be.
Your explanations actually make me like the series more. I've already liked it before.
As Adar means "father" the title is apt considering how many fathers are involved in this episode. Loved Elendil. Episode was great
Love Elandil’s character. Good casting for a change
Episode was great? Can't tell if its sarcasm or i've missed something. The Script is terrible, the music is awful, the cutscenes are ridicolous, the CGI is cartoony, the fighting scenes are so bloody eksde. You cannot be serious mate.
@@judetoutounchian7917 and you’ve never written anything, never done anything of note and are likely some angry gamer - how am I doing?
@@judetoutounchian7917 I get that you're far right culture warrior sensibilities are atrocious but yikes, what a terrible take. And you chuds still can't figure out why the majority of people disagree with you, and you desperately think it's all a giant conspiracy, lmao. The reality is that you just have abysmal taste.
@@RoninDave Yea, he's just bitching about it.
First Khaza-Dum and now Numenor. The worlds in this show are breathtaking. The CGI is top notch. The costume designs are really great too. They give you Atlantis vibes.
The actor playing Halbrand is the best performance in the show up until now. He is awesome.
Massive Aragorn vibes but with a mean/evil streak.
Definitely witch king vibes
Galadriel naming all of her family and connections wasn't just pride, it was an attempt at self-protection, which was ALSO what Halbrand was doing by NOT naming his family nor connections. I thought that that juxtaposition was very interesting. Also, your breakdowns are fun and interesting, and when you give a little sassy opinion, I usually find myself saying "same." Well done, as per usual! :)
👍👏
Her train of thought was that by naming herself. The educated numenor nobility should immediately be humbled and help her. But it just goes to show how far numenor has fallen when seeing a legendary figure even way beyond their founding ancestors
I also like @Nerd of the Rings's take on these. He sees the parts that need some help and acknowledges it in a balanced way. I find myself saying "yep!" a lot too. So for Galadriel, she really wanted to lord it over a bit, and shame them since (we find out) Elves are no longer welcome there, but ought to be. It will serve as a calling out for the Faithful, which will lead to conflict. Halbrand is trying to avoid conflict ... Hopefully he ends up being the right king but then, does he a) lead his people to side with Numenor and the Elves against Sauron, b) get turned into a Nazzie, or c) play the middle and end up a victim of Sauron's deceptions, like the king of the Paths of Dead that don't come to Elendil's call?
All sheep
The trench scenes definitely felt reminiscent of WWI, with the green smoke resembling chlorine gas, seeing friends get cut down when they go over the top. I would like to see how they build on this in the future.
Tolkien served in the Lancashire Fusiliers an English Regiment in WW1 at the battle of the Somme.
The yellow stuff burning, giving off fumes was clearly meant to look like raw sulphur deposits. Perhaps a way for them to blacken the skies, also being a bit of a calling to WW1?
Yeah, I was getting a vibe that this was a low key homage to Tolkien's war time service.
So that means theres still a few amazon employees that work in this show respect tolkien? Just shidding :D ... Yeah the trench scene reminds me of ww1 anyway any ww1 movie you recommend?
Afaik, and I could be mistaken here, Mordor might be a reference to Verdun. So far, this imagery is spot on.
I'm loving the whole thing so far! Thanks for translating the Elvish!
Question: why are Silvan Elves speaking Quenya? (it is identified as such in the subtitles).
As a fan of elves and particularly Silvan elves since 1978 (when I played D&D and read LOTR) I am quite thrilled with the depictions of Arondir and his Silvan crewmates. Ismael Cruz Cordova brings it with movement, martial arts, expression, emotion, and soul shining through. In the not so humble opinion of this oldish fan of LOTR, he might be the most Elvish elf yet...
An interview with Ismael Cruz Cordova states: He dove into the process with characteristic zeal, crafting an immortal warrior of grace, vulnerability, and quiet strength. He trained day in and day out, grounding Arondir’s movement mythology in martial arts like Wushu, Kung Fu, and Capoeira. “I knew that I would have the eyes of the world on me,” he says. “I needed to be undeniable, and to be the most Elven elf that I could be. And I needed my soul to shine through, too.”
Yup. Well done!
I’d hazard a guess re: Silvans speaking Quenya may be that the commanders in places like the east are High Elves, whilst the lower ranks might be Silvan/Sindar, and Quenya being the language of command. Just a guess but it would fit.
@@Rachub wasn't Quenya banned in Doriath under Thingol's reign? The Noldor weren't hugely popular among the Sindarin elves
Quenya is a language of Valinor, but the Noldor only speak it among themselves, because in Middle Earth they preferred Sindarin, the language of the Elves who didn’t go to Valinor before the first age
I was astounded with Arondir in this episode. I was underwhelmed by him at first, but I wholehearted agree in this episode he was "the most Elvish Elf"; definitely FELT like classic thrilling Tolkien action to me in that moment.
@@rileyhughes5613 He probably comes off as very subtle/stoic/somber to some folks at first (eps 1 & 2). I've been playing, writing, illustrating Elves since 1978 (oooooold fan!)(lol), and picked out some of the nifty subtle bits he did; like when "elf walks into a bar" in the first episode, he trails a hand and greets the wolfhound... totally "elvish way with all good beasts" as in Two Towers when Legolas gets a warhorse and rides without saddle or rein. There's the whole Crouching Tiger/kung fu monk/Jedi thing of maintaining an inner stillness while the Drunk Kid has his rant, the "I have said it already. A hundred times over, in every way but words." line where his whole soul is right there in his face... Yeah, lots of stuff! He did such a good job IMHO. He did do a whole lot of his stunts as I heard.
"I don't know half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve"
-The Showrunners of ROP to the fans
XD omg lol
So, Elendil was definitely cool, but what I am really excited about is what Galadriel says to Halbrand near the end: "Ours was no chance meeting. Not fate, nor destiny. Nor any of the words Men use to speak of the forces they lack the conviction to name. Ours was the work of something greater."
We heard part of that quote in the trailer, but in context, that is a far more religious statement than I had expected from Amazon and gives me hope they might do that part of Tolkien's work at least some justice.
Morgoth not only stole the Jewels from Feanor, he also killed the High Kings Finwe (Galadriel's paternal grand father) and destroyed the Trees that night, he basically declared war on the whole world
Kinda late but he also destroyed the Two Lamps iirc.
How about this for Halbrand - he’s in the line of Kings for a people of uncertain loyalty, but who befriends the (future) rulers of Gondor. Could his lost kingdom be in the mountains of middle earth? Could he turn out to be the King of the Dead?
This would be AWESOME!
This is also interesting proposal. He is on his way to become a king. And from there there is very easy path to become a Nazgul. Also he can just stay Halbrand. However King of the Dead is also possibility. What I totally don't get is Halbrand-Sauron theory.
Not that i care about fanfiction (in the loose term, cause clearly the writers are no Tolkien "fans"), but it's very clear to me that they will make him be Sauron in his Anatar disguise.
Halbrand being Sauron is not a theory, it’s a leak.
In episode 8, Galadriel will confront Halbrand because his story about being King of the Southlands doesn’t check out.
He will then say “I have been awake since before the breaking of the first silence. In that time, I have had many names.” And then he vanishes.
Halbrand is Sauron, genius.
It looks beautiful but character-wise feels so empty, for me at least. I love Elendil so far though. The first person I actually care about
Is this you, elon?
Characters in TV series always take a while to develop. I've had friends stop watching Breaking Bad half way through episode 1 because Walter White was too boring.
That being said, I love the harfoots. I'd watch the entire show just about the harfoots, migrating about with their beautiful costumes, and losing people to bees...
@@alexgo373 in some cases yes, but in others i think characterization can be done very well in one episode. from episode 1 of house of the dragon for instance, I was invested in every single storyline. same with the office, Silicon Valley, etc. but i cede it’s hard to do, and it’s forgivable if they build out the characters eventually. it’s just that we’re almost halfway through the season now, and I still don’t care about anyone (except elendil who was just introduced in this new episode). i still love the world of middle earth enough to keep watching though. the score is great as well
We will all be elendil simps 😍
I feel some of this is because we’ve ‘mostly’ been around elves and elves by nature are very pomp and holier than thou so not very relatable. I’m confident the dwarves and such will become solid characters
That horse montage was “we paid so much money for this albino horse, make it count!1!1!!!”
I know so much more lore going into this series just from being a subscriber to your channel. Thanks for all you do man!
I love how the non Elven cities/kingdoms are introduced to us firstly through an Elven perspective. Arondir for the Southlands, Elrond for Khazad Dum and Galadriel for Numenor. Signifying the longevity of the Elven life and the true rapidity of changes happening in the world that do not conform to their pace of life.
They got one minor thing kind of right.
@@verylostdoommarauder They have gotten 28 (that I have counted so far) "things right," and you would notice them if you weren't focusing on narrow-minded issues such as casting choices....
@@lordpappanqui This has nothing to do with casting choices.
@@lordpappanqui how many have they gotten wrong? Did you count that too? (Not talking about casting choices)
What I think about this episode is that they used 99% of the budged on Numenorean CGI and the rest 1% on a Chihuahua warg and a chain fight between 3 elves and 4 orcs.
I disagree. The cgi on the warg was great, it's just that it was poorly designed.
This show sucks
@@squaeman_2644 Then why ya here broski?
This is no chihuahua it's Ed from the Lion King.
@@connorwilson4357 We came to see what Amazon got for its shill-money.
My wife to me when Galadriel rides the horse: "That's a big smile. I bet that actor actually hates horses, and she had to pretend." 😂
I do have this feeling that the "Adar" that the orcs refer to is Sauron in his Annatar form. Well we'll never know unless episode 4 drops.
It isn't. Adar is a substitute "big bad" until the end of season one when Sauron's secret identity is revealed. A different actor portrays Adar than the one who supposedly portrays Sauron.
Maybe its the Witch King.
@@daarom3472 how could we have witch king when 9rings aren´t forged yet?
@@michalbednar7955 it's not LOTR, it's an adaptation. So anything can happen! Strap on for the ride ^^
@@daarom3472 No, such a twist would be insane, even for fanfiction. However, Adar COULD be an earlier lieutenant of Sauron.
Halbrand is totally theo's dad and i called that he was a descendant of the people who allied with morgoth. Making even more sense that he probably ditched his son and wife and his other family heirloom, the black blade. I do believe that he may become the witch king though.
I think the stranger might be either one of the blue wizards or the show has made the both of them into 1 character.
Kingdom of Anor known for its blades, Merry and Pippin’s as an example. Merry ultimately killing the Witchking with a blade from his kingdom, with help from the Lady of Rohan.
The stranger might be the big G too, I wouldn’t abandon this theory yet. The “constellation” is the shape very close to Gandalf’s rune sign (he draws on Bilbo’s door) and it would also explain Gandalf’s love for hobbits, since other wizzards don’t look like they care about them too much.
@@jurajstilla324 If they make it gandalf then it would be the first big change that would actually piss me off a bit. Gandalf doesn't arrive till the 3rd age. The only istari to arrive in the 2nd age were the blue brothers.
really? Theo looks biracial with skin tone darker than either that of his mother's or Halbrand's. His father must be dark skinned.
The harfoots seem willing to just ditch anyone who can't pull a cart along at speed. They keep going on about family and no one gets left behind but then they did a toast to a ton of people they left behind 😂😂
this feels like Xena Princes warrior or something
@@deankruse2891 The harfoots are morally worse than orcs.... I guess it was a good thing they didnt make the third age or they would have been aiding the dark lord 🤣
23:43 perfectly sums up the whole show
fr
I absolutely love the visuals of this show. I think Elendil is great and the orcs are very well done.
This episode won me over. In particular the stunning vistas of Numenor which were on par if not above Minas Tirith from the films. The city streets and city life were even more believable than the White City of PJs version. Love the Numenorian designs. And finally decent acting in the scenes with Elendil and his family. Even Galadriel wasn't so annoying anymore ("I must have been blind"). I didn't care much about the Harfoots - the speech scene was a little bit too reminiscent of Bilbo's birthday. Great action in the orc and warg scenes. Yes, orcs enslave people! Made me think of Sam's vision of the Shire in Galadriel's mirror. Nice touch with Arondir and the tree. For the first time I'm looking forward to next week's episode.
Nver compare the physical efforts of many individuals physically creating a 1-100 scale of a city to this cartoon looking Narnia form of building.
@@sloht4061 cope
CGI by Amazon. Writing by Aliexpress or wish. Garbage writing.
I enjoyed the visuals especially Numenor. Everything looked beautiful
Totally agree with your point about the city life in Armenelos, it made the city feel real. That is actually one spot the show is doing better in than the PJ films. Edoras, Imladris, and Minas Tirith did not feel as busy or inhabited as I imagined but Kazad Dum and Armenelos are exceeding my expectations.
Some more thoughts:
1. A tunnel-trench system seems very in-character for Tolkien's Orcs.
2. Jed Brophy's Orc looks great!
3. Orcs using slave labor is also very in-character.
4. Not a fan of the Númenórean sailor outfits. They look a bit too... manufactured, if you ask me.
5. Armenelos and its architecture look decent enough. No "Greatest Civilization that Ever Existed" vibes, but still decent enough. Also, it's supposed to be inland; Rómenna is the main city on the eastern coast.
6. Meneltarma doesn't look unique enough, in my opinion. It was always described as more like a steep pillar than a pyramid-shaped peak.
7. "Commander of the Northern Armies" still shouldn't be among Galadriel's (many) titles.
8. Ar-Phazarôn should NOT look that old yet. His yet far-off fear of aging is supposed to be one of his core character traits.
9. I dunno about some of the Númenórean outfits... Also, aren't they all supposed to be almost as beautiful as the Elves? Not that the Elves in this show look very Elf-like either...
10. Isildur in navy training seems fair enough.
11. Always a fan of the accurate Elvish language stuff.
12. I'm skeptical of this "Elendil's daughter" character.
13. 21:01 If I'm being honest, that painting isn't great. I'd expect far better of Númenor.
14. I agree redemption isn't really something Galadriel should need at this point.
15. I'm very curious about how this Adar thing will turn out.
16. The warg design is utter shite, looks like a roided up Chihuahua
As an artist who's been illustrating Elves since 1978, I gotta stick up for the elf design here. It is archetype, and personal taste, that goes into any such design, but I like the fresh approach of "let's do real people rather than supermodels"... beautiful real people, but grounded, not Barbied.
@@swordwhale1 but one of the characteristics is that they aren't human. Personal preference: I like elves portraid in a way where I don`t have to check ears to see if they are human or not. For me, quite a few elves were cast too old and not nearly otherworldly enough. It is much easier with the other non humans to distinguish them because they have distinctive traits other than pointy ears and if you don't want to go for the easy solution of model age and beautiful casting and long hair for everyone then you need to put in more efford than they did in this show
5. Numenor had a three-thousand-year history, and they continually rose in power, wealth and craft, even when they were starting to decline culturally and especially spiritually. The island was destroyed at the apex of its empire's martial and material power. That's the only pass I'll give them.
@@monat2993 personally I've seen way too much artwork where all the elves are indistinguishable from each other except perhaps by hair color. I prefer the acting to carry the performance over the costuming. The Jackson elves were always a bit humorous in their pretty sameness.
YOU ARE THE BEST SOURCE FOR LOTR and the whole Tolkien Books.. You are so educational and your videos are Professional level.. I like that you don't get Wound up over chamges or something missing. Seen a few videos of Mental Case Fanatics and Pure Haters, bunch dorks in moms basement type, going balisitic on the show not being perfrct to Tolkien.. Such Child like behaviors... So when I wemt to you for explanation, you did not disappoint... A brilliant mature breakdown.. Your The Best.. I want to tell creators of the show about you and that you should be recognized. Again Thank You...
Absolutely love the series so far, and also enjoying your breakdowns. Thanks for making these 🌹
I think the Ring Of Barahir should also featured in this series.
In that first episode, I had an especially close look at Finrod's hand, wondering if he might have been wearing it since that was the First Age
I hope they ordered one from The Weta Cave!!!
i'm sure we'll see Elendil or Isildur wearing it. Aragorn is wearing it in the movies.
They say the showrunners are supposed to be hardcore tolkien fans, so i'd be pretty surprised if they didn't know about that ring.
Of course they got about 20 other even more important rings to worry about
maybe they got ringed out
@@rockyseverino9230 The show runners are definitely NOT hardcore fans.
@@chriss3276 WHAT! But they told us they were!
They said so!
You're not suggesting... They lied?
Heavens, let's not tell anyone. Other people might start doing it too if they knew it was that easy.
Been waiting on YOUR review! Always worth the wait!!
Try to get different opinions though, instead of just one person. At least that's what I do.
@@grosbeak6130 emergency awesome and heavy spoilers are great too but I find he does it the best for me!
Your breakdown is much more exciting than the show itself.
Great analysis, as always. Many thanks! Loved this episode, as I have loved the series so far, especially the views of Numenor which were awe inspiring. Am going to like Elendil very much I think. Very worried for Arondir who is another character I like a lot. The respect of the elves for the tree was very well done and the orcs are suitably nasty and cruel. Can't wait for episode 4!
You loved listening to the Harfoots laugh at their friend who was murdered by bees and left behind? Yikes...
BTW, the ancestor who “lost the war” Halbrand is referring to is probably Ulfang. And the trend of giving Galadriel very un-arafinwean vibes continue when she thinks of **stealing a boat** in true Noldor fashion (but not something the golden house of Finarfin is guilty of).
The showrunners have probably never read the Silmarillion. Why even bring it up?
They wont even understand why it against the grain for Finarfin's daughter to steal boats.
@@FLMKane would you see sauron with the same eyes after this show?
@@lefraunhofer8869 every single person is a Slim Sauron lurking
Working at the burger king
Spitting in your onion rings
@@FLMKane they don't have the rights to the simarillan just the appendices and the second age quit saying this is on the simarillan when it isn't the simarillan is on the first age not the second age
@@Spock4771 then they should have avoided mentioning the destruction trees of light, Morgoth, the return of the elves to Middle Earth, etc
In other words, Amazon doesn't care what they have rights to. They're just hacks
Could Elendil's daughter getting admitted to the architects guild after re-applying imply they are building something big? Like a temple to Morgoth, perhaps?
I don't believe the Numenorean's get that far in their corruption until after they capture Sauron.
I can certainly see Elendil's daughter being made to build/design the temple but that isn't for a while yet
Sauron hasnt been captured by the Numenorians yet, so no worship of Morgoth exists there yet.
She will design the built of Gondor and Anor
@@Johnny.1994 Or she will be among the numenorians that start to worship morgoth and go for a nice swim in the end :D
No, the tower that was discussed in episode 2
Elendil is definitely the best character. No surprise since Aragorn is my favorite LOTR character. Great episode, really enjoying the series so far.
Enjoying that I don’t know the lore a ton yet so I can’t be disappointed by that until I enjoy the show for what it is first 👍🏻
So, the least poorly written?
Read the books, this show is just shite
I love that the orcs are so crazy dangerous in this show - maybe it’s the smaller scale, but in LOTR they felt more like cannon fodder to be hewn down by the heroes. They definitely serve a different function in ROP!
I. Agree totally
.....That is because of the rating. New Line Cinema want to keep it PG 13.
💯 in LoTR orcs were very stormtrooperesque. Here they actually seem dangerous
Right...but Guyladriel can take on an ice troll by herself just to show how great this Mary sue elf warrior princess really is (not galadriels character btw) but yet it takes the entire fellowship with a coordinated effort to bring down the cave troll in the mines of moria
Yeah you guys might as well be the same as the page owner. Sponsored Amazon mouthpieces with no objectivity.
@@shogun0810 she's not a Mary Sue. She may be overpowered but not a Mary Sue.
Also, Aragorn literally took on 100 Uruk-hai by himself in the Fellowship of the ring. Did you have a problem with that?
Even though I can see what's going on while watching the episodes, I love hearing these knowledgeable explanation of what I just watched. It's like watching it for the second time. 👍
Aside from the weird slow mo horse riding scene I really liked this episode.
I also like how the warg looks like a normal animal that was corrupted by the evils or morgoth/sauron.
That scene was just stupid
@@charybdis8113 this whole show is
@@charybdis8113 and that’s your opinion ;)
The slow motion horse scene lasted longer than the snow troll fight. What are these priorities!?
I'm sorry but that warg looked ridiculous. The eyes made it seem comical and the dog face was so not scary. It should have had glowing yellow eyes or all black piercing eyes to be frightening.
When you said "Ask Jeeves comes back.." I had to pause and recover my strength 😂😂😂
20:30 "the most human on human violence we've seen in a middle earth adaptation" didnt the rohirrim and the gondorian scouts kill easterlings/haradrim in lotr?
Honestly, I agree that the cuts to Harfoots were ill-timed. Not that I'm not interested in them, but the other two storylines were feeling more pressing... so cutting to Harfoot revelery was unwelcome. I'd have prefered if the Harfoot parts were moved to an episode where the Meteor Man story moves a bit further. But still, it was a minor issue.
The only issue I had that I'd like to call out is the CGI of the warg. Especially in its first scene the CGI was off and maybe a bit choppy? But other than this I LOVED the episode. I loved Elendil and even Isildur wasn't any bad (like I feared based on casting). I really hope that Elendil's new daughter has some significance. Probably related to her architect skills? I predict that she either ends up joining the King's Men and builds the Temple of Morgoth... or she remains Faithful and designs Minas Tirith.
All in all, this show is getting better and better. Even my non-Tolkien co-watchers are getting more interested.
Lots of drama in this episode, really enjoyed it. Really like the galadriel elendil moments
edit: orcs were 10/10, great design, loved the accents, and really respected the details on how they live/work
I think Halbrand is the (future) king of Dunharrow men, the Oathbreakers. They are somewhat from the south, they served Morgoth and they betrayed Isildur so the timing is right.
Lol Halbrand is so clearly Sauron... I think it's interesting how fans like you try to justify this drivel or try to cope but the reality is Amazon has abandoned anything Tolkien related from the get go... I wouldn't invest too much time into a product or producer who does not care about Tolkien or Tolkien fans...
@@JayJay5244 I don’t understand how these “fans” support the show
I’ve been watching your RoP commentary for a while, and my thoughts on this episode are very similar to yours! Elendil is going to be great, the one to watch out of all the main characters. Numenor looks amazing and is going to be very interesting. And lastly, every time the harfoots show up the story just screeches to a halt for me. Until we learn how they’re going to connect to the main storyline they are just going to feel like a distraction to me.
I actually quite like the Harfoot stuff. They show a lot more character exposition and interpersonal relationships, which actually makes you care more, IMO.
Agreed. This was the first episode I was actually annoyed with the Harfoot scenes. Although, I did kind of like them dressing as large animals and practicing traveling, the chanting was obnoxious and I am assuming it was practice because we just got chanting for far too long instead of dialog.
When it seemed clear they were going to be left behind I was far happier than I think I was supposed to be.
I'll go one further. I'm feeling an itch to skip their part and just watch it in a breaksown video later. It contributes _absolutely nothing_ to the rest of the story.
I really liked this episode and have got to say is probably my fav of the 3 so far. Numenor and the orcs all look amazing, really beautiful and grotesque with the combination of CGI and practical effects respectively. I am curious to see how the future of the show goes and what will happen next. My fav scenes of this episode I have got to say where the interactions between Elendil and Galadriel. 9/10 for me for this Ep.
One tiny thing that caught my attention and seems out of place is that Elendil says "oh good gods" in the scene talking to his son and made-up-for-the-show daughter. It is a bit out of place since Numenor was the one place in mortal lands where Eru Iluvatar was actually "worshipped". Three times a year, the Numenorians would ascend Mount Meneltarma and the King would praise Eru. Although the Valar are referred to as the "lesser gods" by Tolkien I don't recall any characters "in book" doing so.
Only in his earliest writings did he refer to the Valar or Ainu as lesser Gods, that goes away. I don't recall him ever using such language past the early 30's. Much of his stuff is dated, so we know when written. That was an excellent catch though, I missed it, I keep checking out watching it, getting distracted by trivial things that are just very wrong. I sometimes and not often enough need to check my attitude with this show because there are good and enjoyable parts in it.
Just thought of this today, but shouldn't Galadriel be taller than almost everyone except "Elendil the Tall" and other high Numenoreans?
exactly
Numenoreans were the tallest of all races in Middle Marth. The men averaged 7 feet, while Elendil was 8 feet tall.
But what else can you expect from Amazon’s butchery? This is a clown show at this point
@@batbattlehistory3663 Bro is so mad about an adaptation on a made up fantasy world.
@@brianmalkiewicz7120 Says the normie
@@batbattlehistory3663 This has got to be the most pathetic, ill-inspired reply I've ever gotten. Well done, dude. Did you waste all your thinking power on that one? Could you feel your last two brain cell shrivel up? I am in awe of the simplicity here, there's nothing sadder than this. Pack it in, my guy.
You are by far the best LOTR chanel!
You are by far the best Tolkien content on UA-cam. Great work!
I felt there were lots of callbacks to Merry & Pippin with Nori and Poppy, and honestly don't hate the hobbit storyline. It's definitely not as interesting as the other threads, but I also don't feel like it is too forced either.
as a relatively noob about the whole lore, i must say you are currently my favorite LOTR youtuber. Most, if not all, I encounter are too negative about the ROP, which is a bit sad because I actually am enjoying the show. It's refreshing to find someone who has a more open mind about it and I like that you insert canon lore and info in these episode breakdowns. I am learning alot about the lore with your other videos too, and it looks like that I'm gonna have too watch all of them!
The pathetic gatekeepers love their lorekeeping much more than they love Tolkien's world. Don't let them ruin it for you.
You’ll get much more from reading Tolkien. This series is very poor on the lore and Nerd of the Rings is a paid apologist for Corporate Amazon… he creates his own muddle of a story to try and make the lore fit… much of the time it doesn’t.
@@rodneyholland1867 No you'll get something much different from reading Tolkien. Not everyone who knows how to balance this is corrupt, and you're just one the pathetic gatekeepers who can't
it was said during the episode the orcs are looking for something, it might be the strange blade found earlier
Well they're digging, so of course looking for something
@@wa-bu3ke They're not exactly digging a quarry. They're clearly digging a trench. As seen in one of the final overhead shots we get when our elfboy stands on the brink there.
@@Lexinoz Why would they dig a trench unless to look for something
There’s no war really
Seems more like an archeology expedition
Yes, there are numerous leaks that the orcs under Adar are looking for a talisman. The sword Theo stole is the most likely "choice".
This episode caught my interest even more then the first two. The orcs was terrifying, almost horror-ish in the tunnels and I liked the entire sequence. Numenor and Elendil was everything I hoped it would be. I do have to agree with you, a few more minutes of Numenor and the Orcs would have made a better episode then 20 minutes of Harfoots with no apparent development, other then Nori's family getting an appreciation for Meteor man. Personally, I'm really excited to see where they are going to take the whole Adar story, wheter it is introducing Sauron or a non canon Elf from long ago being twisted to Evil. In the preview of E.4, Arondir spoke Quenya to Adar, so Friday's cant come fast enough.
Thanks for a great video as always!
I think for story structure in a series spanning five seasons, Sauron is bound to have some captains and lieutenants. I also find the orcs amazing and terrifying. Already realized in ep 2, they would be great.
Yeah next ep is going to be good. Harfoots cut the flow a lot in ep 3 though I think Nori and Poppy are great little actors and characters. Adar must me Annatar/ Sauron he had real menacing presence which is something the show runners have failed at producing except for say Elendil.
Do you not know how to conjugate verbs?
I realize Isildur's sister is completely made up for this series, but in Tolkien's "The Lost Road" his unfinished story dealing with time travel and Numenor, it is mentioned that Elendil has an adopted daughter named Firiel.
Nice, had no clue about that, I think her inclusion was nice but they better make my man Anarion revelant in S2 onwards!
I'm fine with Elendil having a daughter, as long as they don't leave out Anarion. Going to be kind of hard to link this story to LotR without him.
@@caitlynlivingston7272 You were so desperate to be self-righteous you didn't even comprehend what it was that you were responding to.
@@alondite215 Anarion was mentioned.
@@scathiebaby Was he? I'll be honest, I found it incredibly hard to follow once things shifted to the Harfoots because they're so dull, and I was barely paying attention at that point so I assume he must have been mentioned then.
Despite only seeing the character ‘Adar’ in the very last sequence, I think the episode is called Adar because of the meaning of the name - Father. There is a lot of familial subtexts going on, specifically relating to fathers or male figures in family’s. I think the scenes which highlighted it most was Elendil and Isildur talking and then arguing; aswell as Nori’s and the plot surrounding the migration with her father. It does seem strange though to use the actual characters name when he’s in it for about 5 seconds and even then it’s blurred🤣
My biggest positive from the show so far is the casting and set design. Both are fantastic, every actor is doing a fantastic job (so far Durin IV and Elendil are my favourite performances) while every location has been fantastically rendered and feels unique. I love the byzantine look of the numenorean dress and armour along the the greek feeling of the port they arrive in which seems to be a combination of Romenna and Armenelos. I would have loved to see them separate but connected in the way Rome and Ostia were but it is understandable that they were combined for simplicity of storytelling.
Did some deep digging on the cast, and the face shape of adar at the end of the episode really matched Joseph Mawle, whose character is listen as Oren. This led me to an article in February that gave me this: Oren is supposedly the codename for a character named Arden, a villain in the series; Arden is quite possibly the series’ main villain, supposedly an Elf who directly serves Sauron. In the casting call, the character was described as follows: “A villain who can also evoke a deep sense of pathos and wounded / fallen nobility. Must possess a certain degree of physicality. Should seem middle-aged, though must also project a sense of timelessness.”
That same article updates Arden to Adar. This makes a lot of sense considering this is a 50 episode series arc. Bringing out Sauron so quickly would really quench the slow burn. I really like the idea of them drawing out the backstories of ancillary characters from the books. Keeps the slow but inexorable spread of darkness going well.
I'm 85% certain that Halbrand becomes the Witch-king of Angmar. They're setting him up as a rightful king of men, and when the rings are forged, Sauron gives nine of them to the kings of men, one of which is Halbrand. That would mean that later in the series Halbrand turns toward the darkside, fighting for Sauron during the Last Alliance of Elves and Men.
While that would be cool. There is no way in hell this series is going to last long enough for it to get that far.
@@muccmaster It might be.
@@muccmaster we are getting 5 seasons
@@muccmaster Amazon has already committed to 5 seasons, and the showrunners have already said they're going to end with Isildur taking the One Ring, so, yes, we're going to see it.
isnt it nice that for shilling for amazon they have given you a sponsor (Audible ( which is owned by Amazon. that wouldn't bias you in any way now would it.
Amazon doesn't decide who Audible is going to sponsor. Come back when you've grown up and learned about the world.
@@jamaly77 Amazon directly decides who audible decides who to sponsor, regarding ROP. You know zero about me, like how old i am and i will stay here, never mind come back when "ive grown up", and learned about the world, who the hell are you to tell me what to do. You seem like just another shill for another poorly written and horrendously acted show. Sorry but the but the channel you are watching has sold his credibility and his dislike ratio's prove this to staggering proportions. Honesty, credibility and authenticity are free, and once they are gone there is no coming back from that. just get the chrome extension and see how his videos are doing regarding up-votes via down-votes. I mean a channel of this size with a video with 540,000 views and only 15k likes says it all really.