Any time there are scenes where characters are talking instead of fighting, Adam especially seems irrationally annoyed, which is strange given so much of Tolkien is not about constant battles and epicness. He is nitpicking everything and just straight up not paying attention so often. And thinking the heroes have to win every time, especially in one of the middle seasons of a show, seems incredibly strange.
I agree. And given we KNOW that everything is going to be bad, I don't understand why they think it's supposed to end on an up note. Yes, the show is slow. But they seem to have NO idea about the importance of some of these characters.
If you don't like the defeat of the good guys here, then you guys are probably not going to like the next 2 seasons, because SO many people are going to die.
People should've already died. We should've set some stakes and real dramatic tension. I don't think the problem is the characters just lose. It's moreso that everyone just losing is flat out uninteresting in the context of this show because we don't really care or feel the emotional weight of them losing. Not to mention how everyone is always fine after both finales.
Sorry, you guys did not like it. I personally liked it myself. Unfortunately, the bad guys win most of the time in the SA until the very end and even then, at great cost.
Don't mean to be that guy but when people type "SA" on the internet, its usually to abbreviate something that can be rather triggering for some if not abbreviated. I think you're trying to abbreviate for Simarillion. SA is.... a very confusing abbreviation for that to say the least 😅
@@execuwutie_YT thanks for pointing that out. I can see what you mean about the confusion because I did actually mean the ‘Second Age’ with that abbreviation.
Strong disagree with your take on this one. I don't accept the logic that "seeing the heroes lose" makes for bad viewing, by that logic everyone would have hated Infinity War, or Empire Strikes Back, or Rogue One. Personally I think that whilst there were certainly issues with how this season was structured, and some of the plot lines felt irrelevant, the way that they brought these defeats together at the end, and showed the small battles that paved the way for Sauron's rise and his ultimate fall was actually pretty well done. I hope you do decide to stick around for the next season, I know I will.
Infinity War is part 1 of the story with a clear upbeat sequel and it's not all downhill for the heroes during Infinity War. They do lose but not all the time the whole movie. It's a battle where they ultimately lose (temporarily), not just defeat after defeat.
@@MrBrock314 you thought Endgame was upbeat? I feel like it's one of the only MCU movies that successfully explores depression - and I love how bleak it is. It was peak of what they could do in that genre with dark subject matter. Do they win in the end? Yes, but only after big sacrifices.
More often lately Jay and Adam seem to be just going through the motions, with the reactions being more of a performance than anything else. Most of the time they are too busy making jokes or criticizing scenes they weren't even fully paying attention to. It comes across as hate watching, which is a real shame considering I've been a long time viewer. I wish they'd refocus on either watching things they enjoy, or actually giving other things a fair shot.
This. The constant joking even during serious scenes. Completely ruins the moment. I'm all for humor but "this rocks". It wasn't that funny during Obi-Wan. We don't need to hear it again. We also don't need several minutes of making up random names during a reaction.
adam especially is just...idk. like i've seen him cry during stranger things so i know the dude has emotions but his reaction to inside out 2 was so crazy he was being overly obnoxious about repressing emotions and making jokes it's confusing. i used to love watching them because they'd EMOTE and love what they watched but yeah, they seem to be going through the motions at this point.
Even with things they like. I was excited to see them react to Legend of Vox Machina. But the episode ends and they basically end the reaction right away. If you look at their previous reactions to Legend of Vox Machina they would talk about the show, showing emotion and seeming really excited about it. Now even with LoVM they seem to just hit record and end things as soon as possible. It is weird. I usually sign up for their patreon when Vox Machina comes. Probably won't do this time.
This season was some of the most On Brand, True to Theme and Tone stories adapted from Tolkien's written works I've ever seen. And you boys (Adam especially) seemed to really dislike it. I can't speak for any other Peaches, though some variation of this sentiment seems to be mirrored in a lot of other comments, but I loved this season of Rings of Power. Such an improvement on Season 1. Tolkien is not especially action heavy or quippy. Its not and never will be like a Marvel movie. I love the Peter Jackson Film Trilogy but it seems to have unintentionally convinced a number of folks - including the two of you - that Middle Earth should be in the Action Film Genre. Action absolutely happens in these books and stories. But there is A LOT of talking and feeling and story and emotion in between. If you cannot handle that, you may want to disengage because this world is Deep and Rich and Beautiful and is properly enjoyed when you are Patient and Paying Attention. And I saw neither Patience nor Attention being Paid in this video or most of the previous videos this season. I say this with Love, cause we all love you two, but next season? May either get in a better headspace so that you can enjoy this show properly or skip it entirely and don't react to it. Cause I am always open to valid, thoughtful criticisms of this show. I have plenty. it certainly isn't Perfect. But I can't help but feel like a lot of your issues stemmed from there being not enough action for your tastes, too much talking, and you two not knowing the lore or characters very well. Basically, y'all are wanting this show to be something its not and never will be. Accept it for what it is and enjoy the Journey. Or don't. I'm not your mom. Sorry if this came out as overly negative. Love you guys. Seriously. P.S. The Good Guys lose. A Lot. Tolkien called it "The Long Defeat". Its incredibly accurate to his works. This is Season 2 of a planned 5 Seasons. Good Guys aren't gonna be winning consistently for a WHILE, and when they finally do, it will be at great cost.
I think that's been ny major issue with their reaction. There is a real lack of familiarity with the source material that has led to a lot of unfair criticism and expectations of the series. Tolkien's works are way more similar to Game of Thrones tonally than an action film. I think reading the Silmarillion might be helpful if they are planning to react to the next season. I truly love this channel but I've been really disappointed with the RoP reaction.
@@LordoftheRingfan1997 I honestly don't think you need to be familiar with the source material to watch this show. A lot of viewers who enjoy the show are not lore nerds, although they are now reading the books thanks to the show.
@selina6408 oh absolutely you don't need to have that to watch the series! I just think some of the criticism is in bad faith from people who haven't taken the time to get familiar yet still position themselves as "critics". I love how so many people are reading Tolkien's works because of this series! It makes me so happy to see a new generation of fans being born!
Surely if you're making a TV show it shouldn't be made so that only people deep into the ins and outs of the Lore can be interested? I'll be honest - I enjoyed reading the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings, but I never could get through the Silmarillion because it was just so dry. This show is falling into some of the same traps. It has too many pointless characters and certain bits of it are going too slowly - all of the Southlanders and Isildur stuff so far is completely pointless. You need to build Isildur yes, but this season they had nothing for him to do of any note - he was there entirely so people wouldn't forget about him before he becomes important next season. Its cute to see the foundations of the Hobbits and why Gandalf has an affection for them, but its taken god knows how long to get him a name and a staff and now he's just in training with Bombadil for a bit? Bizarrely the bit these other excesses have damaged is probably the Numenor stuff which has just been a hot mess of cartoon villainy and moustache twirling. They either needed to spend more time making that more interesting (and coherent), or just cut all of it and introduce Numenor in different way at a later point in the series when it becomes most important to the story - you could easily have just not introduced Numenor at all until season 3, but then spent focussed, efficient time there building up its culture, characters and fall as the main plot of that season (as Celebrimbor was in season 2). The problem with this show is that they're trying to do too much but bizarrely too slowly - its disjointed and because of that too much of it is dull and without the richness and depth it should have. I binge watched it which actually works better as you do get to the next bit of the story quicker (I'm thinking back to the Orcs arriving at Eregion at the end of episode 5 and literally not firing the promised first shot until the end of episode 6 - its then another week before you get into the meat of what that episode 5 cliffhanger actually promised. That's two entire weeks later. When binge-watching it's an hour and that works much better. This story could be told well, whilst maintaining the "on brand, true to theme and tone", but better choices needed to be made. These show-runners are not doing that. They're making the appendices, not adapting it into an engaging narrative that works for TV. The appendices and Silmarillion are basically history textbooks. They are reference texts - you've got to do more to make them into a story that is as engaging as the main book narrative is and you've got to much smarter than they have been in that adaptation to make it work. Adapting the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit is much easier because they were conceived as engaging narrative novels (and even then Jackson somewhat mucked up the Hobbit films by getting distracting with extra gumph from the appendices that interrupted the flow of the central narrative). Its fine the good guys are losing - its fine that the theme is maintained - what's not fine is the bad storytelling that has infested the world with too many characters I can't care about doing almost nothing for an entire season but being crammed in because their bit of the story is critical later so we need something for them to do now. All that has done is dilute the half of it that IS interesting because it is the bit of the story that is actively key NOW at this point in the narrative.
And considering Tolkein based his lore on his experiences with both WWI and WWII, I mean... torture, death, and destruction of the soul feature heavily.
“You can’t make a season of television where all our heroes lose and be entertaining.” Well that explains why you don’t like The Last Jedi. But also that’s blatantly not true; the previous seasons of Stranger Things, The Boys, and the Last of Is are prime examples, and film wise The Empire Strikes Back, Infinity War, and (imo) The Last Jedi disprove it as well.
This isn't accurate. In the Boys, there are many victories for the heroes. Yes, there are losses too but you can't lose all the time. The entire RoP season, the heroes are losing effectively. There are very few moments when the heroes are winning (even temporarily). For example, in the Boys, Hughie loses Annie but he also gains her back when she defeats her mimic counterpart. He loses her again at the end of the season cliffhanger but you still had that victory in between. Frenchie and Kimiko - same thing - there's a rebonding and then the loss at the very end. The RoP only really had a small win when Durin III took off his ring (after about 6 episodes of trying to) and fought the Balrog in a sort of noble sacrifice play. The dwarven "rescue" of the Elves was pretty minimal and (as Adam said), they could've played that better. The closest win in the Numenor storyline was Miriel getting tossed back out by the sea monster but that appears to have had no effect on her being branded a traitor in the end so it didn't seem to have a lot of positive effect.
There's actually a lengthy passage in the book for ROTK describing Sauron's last thoughts as he realizes the Rings were his undoing. Of course, the movie version turned him into a giant flaming eyeball for some reason so it is what it is.
I mean, it's not hard to work out the reasoning if you actually know anything about the lore. There's constant metaphors revolving around Sauron's 'gaze' and other eye-like references when discussing his influence over the world and its inhabitants. The films simply made that a physical representation.
@@sostenosI just think the flaming eye atop the tower was a really cheesy and not as cool as they wanted it to be. He was much more of a presence in the books
I agree. I watch several reactions and they were the only ones who felt that way. Maybe if they paid more attention than trying to make jokes all the time, they might have.
@@stacyp2186 By this point they are drifting off into acting out a reaction rather than reacting to it and by that missing the most important parts of the show, which also shows in the sloppy editing. They do not show how they react to the important moments but just to their "funniest" jokes.
@@hobbybrauerYes. That's one reason why I'm spending less and less time on this channel. It has lost a lot of its personality lately in an attempt to please the numbers.
@@stacyp2186 I've come across a few reactors who do not like this series. A few of them have even dropped it early in the second season rather than finish it. Such as Nerdy Nightly did. Not all shows are going to click with everyone. I like this show but if someone doesn't, oh, well. that's okay.
Perhaps Numenor is more critical in the future but it's not to season 1 or 2 which is the problem. You could literally cut every Numenor scene and the show would still make perfect sense at this point. It's not a problem to include Numenor - it's a problem to not integrate it so it seems important NOW and not just in the future. We already know Isildur and Elendil will be important to the long-term plot - that's in the Fellowship of the Ring. The question is why should you care about them during THIS timeframe. This is Harry Potter when he was 8. Yes, he WILL be important but he's not now.
Remember the villians have to win to allow the heroes to have a reason to overcome later. If the villian never wins then there's no reason for heroes. this period of time with the rings of power is the fall of middle earth, the villians win constantly. this sets up the heroes the new era of men, and of the fellowship to rise. i found this season to be fantastic including the ending of the season, it sets up so much i'm excited for in season 3
Adam has something to say about almost every scene, Jay must really be fighting for this bc idk why else they would keep watching if he doesn’t like it that much
Because they started the show and wanted to like it - like a lot of fans. They were hoping it would improve on some of its season 1 weaknesses. Which I think it did overall but that doesn't mean it's structured well to the point where it could be a lot better. Compare it to a show like the Penguin which is also working with minimal source material but grabbed attention in its show very quickly. You don't have to wait until Penguin season 3 for it to get going and that shouldn't be the case with RoP either. It should've been as good as LotR out of the gate. Penguin is three episodes in and already as strong as the movie it spun off from. Why shouldn't that be true of RoP 2 seasons in?
@MrBrock314 BS. Not liking it doesn't mean they shouldn't take it seriously. They aren't even paying attention at this point. Like others have said, it doesn't actually even matter if they like a show, because this is how most of their reactions are now. And in the past they've at least been willing to drop shows they didn't like. There's no excuse for hate watching.
The single most frustrating reaction video I’ve ever watched. I love you guys, you’re the best, but woofa doofa. Like…what kind of dwarf reveal was expected there, exactly? The fighting was all but over, basically everyone was already inside the city. So, like, the cliche “riding over the distant hill on horseback” thing was out, right? I dunno. Nothing but love, y’all are the best, I just don’t understand why y’all watch shows you don’t like. :(
They checked out a long time ago, and it's very obvious. They literally zoned out in scenes on this episode. Adam clearly hates the show to the point he is just looking for things to critique. I also love them, but they need to put this show away for good. The reactions are bad because they've checked out of the show. Just cut it loose
That would personally bum me out because I love this show and I enjoy watching them react to things, but it would definitely be better (in my opinion) to lose the reaction series than to watch them react to stuff they don’t like. Thats miserable for us in the audience, it must be miserable for them to record and edit, just no reason to do all that in my opinion. Plenty of other stuff to react to
I believe it. And that bums me out for them as much or more as it does for us. Normalize stopping reacting to a show if it ain’t doin’ it for ya, in my opinion. The clicks and views and such are important, sure, but hurting the brand lasts much longer (and besides, it’s just not fun for anyone, least of all them).
@@jasonmarbach oh yeah there's reactors that I love, but I can't watch their stuff all the time if they're not into it. I've found it coloring my opinion of things poorly, then I'm like no wait, I liked that!!!
I thought season 2 was better than season 1. I still overall like the series. Also, I've never seen a comment section be so polite in the opposite takes from the reactors. I like Adam & Jay; they haven't gotten too jaded yet. Some reaction channels are actively becoming CinemaSins and it's a sad general trend I've noticed.
I really think you guys should just leave this show behind. It’s clearly a chore for you guys to watch and poorly edit, and in turn it’s miserable for us to watch you guys be miserable. Just leave season 3 alone.
But they won't because views. And views=money. I haven't watched them as much lately because they did change. It seems like they don't like doing what they're doing anymore.
This is a reaction channel. Their only duty is to be honest in their reactions. They're not bound to be positive and that would be a lie if that's all they did.
@@MrBrock314they definitely don’t need to like what they are watching, but they have come off as really conceited and unlikable in some of their videos of late. Definitely not the same 2 guys I really enjoyed watching. It will only serve to loose them subscribers. I know I’m taking a break from them.
@@MrBrock314 and back to back battles with no storyline or tension or character building doesn’t make for good TV storytelling either. All of that is storytelling 101. And if you even look at the first LoTR film - they lose.
Great finale! Makes perfect sense the good guys aren't winning, multiple plot lines are fun and appropriate for the story. Of course that was Aragorns sword. They literally said the name of it. I'm not even sure why you guys watch this show. Your complaints are forced and it's obvious you're not even trying to enjoy it. I guess just stick to watching bluey, or whatever that kids show is you've been posting. 🤷
It's not the multiple plot lines they're complaining about. It's the momentum of switching between plot lines. They also watched HotD and GoT which have multiple storylines. You can switch between storylines and keep momentum - that's a writing thing.
If you aren't feeling this show it's okay to drop it. And I say this as someone who does like this show and hopes to get a third season. Don't let your passion project, this channel, become you misery just because such and such show is "hot" now. There are plenty of other shows to watch. If we want to keep on watch fantasy show may I suggest Delicious in the Dungeon. (It's on Netflix.) I think you might like the world building in that series better.
House of dragons synopsis basically says “watch it all go to shit.” And people happily eat it up. After season 2 watching dragons kill each other ain’t for me. People sure, but leave the sky puppies alone.
@@Killerpeanut HOTD is literally nothing but dead babies and emo rich kids in grey castles bitching at each other. Everyone ate the first season up with a spoon like it was flawless content while shitting all over Rings of Power. I. Don't. Get. It. Rings of Power obviously had a lot of valid critiques to be made about it... especially in the first season. But the way everyone gave HOTD ALL the chances and gave RoP absolutely ZERO chances baffles me. At least RoP tried depicting scenes in which the sun was actively shining and characters who knew what a "smile" was actually did it 🤦♂ HOTD meanwhile....... oh... wait.... there's another dead baby/toddler/child. "Gee isn't Westeros grim. Oop there goes another one. Took the womenfolk with them this time too. But that's life in the middle ages. It's rough being one of them womenfolk in the middle ages. We promise not to show any gratuitous boobies this time though, don't worry. Just dead babies. Oop, and another one. Just throw them on the pile and burn them" 😳 = WTF Adam fkin LOVED HOTD .....then was mad this show didn't have a happy ending where all the good guys win 🤦♂ I. Do. Not. Get. It.
I think a lot of people who disliked this finale might just be not used to see absolute defeat in Middle-Earth. We all love the rohirrim and the army of the dead showing up on the last second. There’s no awesome reveal of the dwarves arriving because the battle is completely lost already. The only thing they do is to assist the elves’ retreat. This battle and time in middle earth history is utter defeat. Complete failure. Eregion gets destroyed, Sauron gets the rings, it all gets f*cked, and that’s it. 🤷🏻♀️ The only glimmer of home is the finding of Rivendell. Being a Tolkien readier, I was actually impressed that they stuck to a ‘depressing’ ending instead of making up some small victory for the elves to make the ending more ‘likeable’
Exactly I don’t think they understand the Lore of Tolkien, the good guys essentially get their ass kicked for 3 entire Ages. The good guys lose ALL the time until they finally win when the One Ring is destroyed. The War of the Ring is basically meant to represent WW1 and WW2 where so many innocent lives were lost for basically nothing, hollow victories really because the world is still a war even today. Not sure how they can expect these seasons to have a “happy ending” when Sauron is still the main bad guy thousands of years later. Middle Earth is a shitty place to live, it’s not a Fairytale… Morgoth and Sauron fucked it up to the point where it will never truly heal.
It was so weirdly paced tho... like Arondir gets wounded and the next episode is fine, Celebrimbro gives the rings to Galadriel and the next episode Sauron gets them, Durin can't send dwarves in but the next day dwarves arrive, Adar gets the ring only to give it back the next episode... it was an hour of circling around plotlines fragmented by other plotlines like Gandalf or Numenor, the payoff is not that exciting when it takes hours just to show nothing much changed
i loved it and it's actually made me become a tolkein reader so i can learn more! i LOVE stories and characters are doomed. there's something about being able to watch it, knowing how it all ends, and still hoping for a different outcome.
Mabye not do a reaction on this show next season. If all you are gonna do are make jokes and not follow the story, or take it seriously its no point. You are just pissing off people. Adam is clearly the worst in this case. You are my favorites most of the time, but the reaction to this show has been brutal.
I think people don't like the flaws in a show they like being pointed out. I enjoyed this season (well enough) but Jay and Adam are 100% right about the structure and pacing. The show does need to work on that. The Penguin nailed tone and pacing in Episode 1 of Season 1. There's no excuse for RoP to struggle with this in season 2.
@@MrBrock314 @MrBrock314 Some may fall under that category, but thats not mainly the reason. As i said in my comment: its the not giving it any attention at all, making jokes every scene instead. If you are thinking about what joke to tell all the time, you are not thinking about the meaning of anything. Its just a waste of time overall, its hate watching. Something i find this channel to be the opposite off.
Ok, their Jackson movie bias is really bad here. You can tell they are just comparing everything to those movies and if it doesn't do it like those did, it's bad. "That's not how you reveal the dwarven army come to save the day" You clearly wanted a Helms Deep or Pelennor fields moment but that wouldn't have worked. The dwarves didn't save the day. That "reveal" your talking about would have been during the last episode when Elrond thought Durin was gonna show up. They even mirrored the whole, "at dawn, look to the west" moment but it didn't happen. The dwarves only barely showed up to prevent everyone from dying. They didn't save the city. Imagine if Minas Tirith was already destroyed and then the Pelennor fields charge happened exactly as it did. It would be moronic and ridiculous just as it would have here. And how did Arondir survive? THE MAGICAL HEALING RINGS THE ELVES HAVE GUYS!! I mean come on guys. It couldn't be more obvious. If you think it's not structured well that's fine. I think they are handling all the storylines just fine especially since they know that they will get multiple seasons so they can take their time bringing all these together. Plus all the storylines are INTEGRAL to the eventual story that happens in the LOTR trilogy and the one ring. They have to tell them all. I'm sorry guys. I still love you and think you guys are good reactors but this was WAY off the mark for me. I don't think I will watch future reactions from you for this show.
i felt like i finally got a sense of the structure this season like i feel like i know where the story is going and it's making me excited for more. it sucks so bad that audiences don't have patience for long form stories anymore and they'll write a series or a season or an episode off as "nothing happened" when it's integral to the whole picture.
lol the show itself literally rips off the jackson flicks. it has more in common with those movies than it does anything tolkien put to pen. it repurposes the dialogue and even uses the same shots. this show is objectively awful.
Then stop showing them. :) If the show is about the rise of Sauron, then let Sauron be the protagonist and stop showing Isildur like he's important as he's not in this timeframe.
@@MrBrock314 why stop showing them? why can't story threads weave in and out of other stories as part of the tapestry of the bigger story? This season started with Sauron, set him up as a protagonist, followed him to Eregion and watched him orchestrate its downfall. I think they did let Sauron be a protagonist. Watching Isildur grow and learn beyond Numenor across his beats of the season is also a key thread of more story to come.
It’s the Final Lore Dump!!! (Bananana, Banananana!) If it makes you guys feel better, Sauron doesn’t die. He’s left as a powerless, bodiless spirit, doomed to walk Middle Earth until the ending of the world as he watches what he hates: people living happily. That IS eventually Aragorn’s sword. It is broken and reforged before then. I really hope Kemen gets CRAUNCHED by an Entwife. There’s no lore here, I just really hope that happens. Durin’s brother WAS mentioned in the previous season. He and his father insinuated that he was unfit to rule in some way. PS. Sorry you guys didn’t like this season, but I really enjoyed your reactions to it!
you guys (specifically adam) have kind of proven time and time again this entire series that you're part of the issue with audiences these days. you have zero patience for story or character and just want to see fights. guess it makes sense why you think marvel is so good. also saying a show is a waste if they don't give a happy ending is 1. an insane thing for someone to say about any tolkein story lmao and 2. and insane thing to say for two grown ass men. if that were true, if audiences truly hate stories like that, then why was season 4 of stranger things such a huge success and season 5 highly anticipated? why was infinity war such a huge success and endgame an even bigger one? harry potter and the half blood prince and deathly hallows? they're telling a STORY, it's clearly not over. i know that in this day and age of streaming, it's dangerous to tell unfinished stories, but goddamn we have to stop letting this just be a fact of life. creators should get to tell their entire stories and shouldn't have to rush a bad ending just because it makes the audience happy for 5 minutes until their short attention span latches on to something else. they should be able to comfortably leave the audience wanting more, knowing they'll be able to finish. your attitude just justifies these studio heads who aren't interested in telling completed stories, they're interested in being a flash in the pan. idk why you guys are still watching when you don't seem to be enjoying it at all.
Do you think season 2 was upbeat and happy? Because Endgame is upbeat and happy compared to Infinity War. And this is season 2, not 1. If you're going to compare, compare accurately.
Just have to say, while the reaction was hard to get through, this comment section is amazing 🙌🏼❤️ so much understanding of the material and appreciation of what this season did
We understood it more than they did thays for sure. They must not know that the producers are working off of an i dex at the end of the LOTR books. They didn't buy the rights to the other stories (silmarillion, etc) so they're literally making something out of nothing.
I am pretty sure Kemen will end up being The Mouth of Sauron - the books said he was a "Dark Númenórean" and this poop stain definitely fits the bill for that role
I really LOVED this episode. All the characters who did NOT fall under Sauron’s spell were inspiring. This is REAL storytelling. Life is NOT a victory march from start to finish. It’s Not a cartoon. It’s what makes fantasy like the LotR and the Wheel of Time stand out! I can’t wait for S3
I like episode 7 and 8 a lot, and listening to the House of R podcast reviews is making me appreciate everything they're doing even more. I think you're right tho, they aren't structuring this show like a normal tv show. Its a long epic tale, almost like Greek myth, where a lot of bad shit happens and tragedy is par for the course. Knowing this is s2 of 5, i really actually appreciated where they left this season, with our heroes on the back foot. It makes me wonder how they're going to move forward, and what Saurons next move is too. That said, i think leaving the hobbits behind and killing Adar to narrow the playing field a little bit was definitely the move. We're basically left with elves, dwarves, and men v. Sauron, and gandalf and bombadil somewhere. Good place to start s3.
@@Husky92223 Elendil, Isildur, Gil-Galad, Galadriel, Elrond, Celebrimbor, the forging of the rings, the fall of Eregion (and Khazad-Dum), the wars against Sauron, is literally the story of the 2nd age. You can't say one doesn't belong.
@@signalsgt71 While Peter Jackson did make changes, he didn’t make as many drastic changes as rings of power has made. And most Tolkien fans still enjoyed the Peter Jackson films, because the changes he made actually worked, and then sacrifice any of the quality of the movies. You can’t say the same thing about rings of power. The show as a whole is horrible… The writing, the dialogue, the pacing, pretty much every aspect of it is horrible.
Why is Arondir alive, is quite simple. Elves, especially those that are from the first age (which he might be, we simply don't know) are exceptional difficult to kill and are able to heal themselves. It takes a literal mortal wound to kill them. If He was stabbed and it missed his vital organs. Then yeah he wouldn't be dead. Hurt yes, but not dead. Why do the good guys not do better? Yeah sorry wrong period of middle earth for any of that. The 2nd age ends with the stopping of Sauron, but in its pursuit the powers of Good are extremely diminished. Each age, the power and scope of the Elves dramatically lessons. Until they are a mere shadow of themselves in the third age.
🔴 Since we got the thrilling answer to how Gandalf got his name, I wonder how the Dark Wizard, who is totally not Saruman, will be revealed as Saruman. Here’s my guess: Easterling: “Try this lemon, milord.” The Dark Wizard takes a bite of the lemon and spits it out in disgust. “That’s sour, man!” Easterlings laugh: “Whatever you say, Sour-Man.” Dark Wizard: “Wait, I actually like the sound of that….”
I strongly disagree with your assessment of this season, and especially with the finale. To each their own, I guess, but I was thoroughly engrossed the whole way. I cried, gasped, yelled... it had my emotions all over the place. When Brimby died, his final words hit me so hard. I do know the lore of what's to come, and I will anxiously await Season 3, as the fall of Numemor has been in the works already, and we will see it come to fruition in the future.
Strongly disagree that Numenor does not need to be in the show. Elendil and Isildur are literarily the 2 of the founders of Gondor and Arnor, and anyone that knows Tolkien knows how important that is.
Ok, was Gondor or Arnor founded this season? No, then why do they need to be here now? Being important in 20 years doesn't make you important today. Harry Potter at age 4 isn't a compelling character. You don't show him until age 10 because he's irrelevant before then. If Elendil and Isildur are important in 20 years, wait 20 years to show them. Otherwise, demonstrate their importance currently to the storyline you're telling right now. How are Isildur and Elendil integral to the story of the dwarven rings? They're not - then scrap them. This season no rings went to men so unless men are hunting Sauron or Adar or killing elves or something - they're not part of the season.
I'm sorry this episode hit you guys. I thought you would like it a lot better than you did. From my point of view, they finished the Celebrimbor/Eregion story well, which was the focus of the season, and we finally can stop calling the new Istar "The Stranger". Poppy with the Stoors, and Nori exploring on her own, will come back in later seasons, and the Elves have left Lindon and are now in Rivendell (Imladris) although it wasn't named in the show). Sauron has the Orcs following him. And things have made some progress on Numenor, although I'm not sure whether it will fall next season, or the one after. I'm excited to see where things go (and what Winterbloom and the other Ent will do to the Men at Pelargir). I hope it brings your joy back next season. 💖
You guys 😂 i do not understand what youre expecting from this show. It is a prequel to lord of the rings. The rings go to everyone, they dont keep the rings from men. Sauron makes his ring of power. The orcs obviously become saurons slaves, we lose. We lose HARD. It all has to add up to the giant battle at the very beginning of the fellowship. If we win the battles before that, then there would be no battle to win after that. Just surprised by this.
You could win SOME battles before that. This is 2500 years before Fellowship - that's a lot of losing if they're intending to lose EVERY battle for 2500 years. Even in the lore, they did not lose all those battles. There were plans and victories along the way. They just never defeated Sauron fully until the LotR events.
@MrBrock314 right, but the battle that happens at the very beginning of the fellowship of the rings, when Galadriel is explaining how the rings were forged and how Isildur cuts off Saurons finger with the ring....THAT battle happens because Sauron succeeded in creating and distributing all the rings. It happened because he succeeded in fucking everyone's shit up so badly that they all came together to destroy him. A LOT of loss happens before they get to that point of coming together as one to defeat him with an army. That giant battle comes after Sauron basically burned and annihilated half of middle earth. That battle was a final *desperate* attempt to stop him. So yeah, they lose almost constantly before that.
Maybe if y'all actually watched the show instead of making jokes throughout the whole episode than y'all would've liked it more. Also, there are tons of shows where the heroes lose in a season finale. I don't see you two making any movies or shows so just stick to making weird opinions and leave the film making to the professionals.
i was not a fan of season one, i thought this season was way way better, especially the last episodes. and i like the final... im suprised by your réaction...
I think this season was better than season 1 but that wasn't an especially high bar to clear. That said, season 2 still has many of season 1's flaws (pacing/structure of its storylines). The finale rushed some things and let others stretch out beyond their natural end. Andor is about the beginning of a rebellion and there are a lot of losses for the heroes in that show too but it still developed good momentum as it went on and it still ends on a more optimistic note even though he just lost his home city effectively.
Adam: you can't have a season where all our heroes lose and be entertaining. Me: yes, imagine if all the heroes lost, and you had to wait for return of the Jedi, sorry I meant Endgame, sorry again I meant Season 3.
Except they don't lose the entirety of Episode 5. Luke trains with Yoda and C3PO and R2D2 come out of it fine. Yes, Han gets frozen in carbonite and Luke loses a hand but that's not defeat. That's a setback.
I don’t often disagree with you guys… But I’m really pumped about this… I think that’s because I’m familiar with the lore and know exactly where they are going with this… And the payoff will be worth it if you just have the patience to allow the stories to evolve naturally over the course of the rest of the series. It’s that or you end up with a GOT series finale type situation… And I think we can all agree that we don’t want that 🤷♂️
As much as I like a good payoff, after two seasons, it's hard to keep up the idea that the payoff will be worth it. It rings a bit hollow. What about the payoff from season 1? 2? A story cannot be all set up all the time. It needs payoff in a proper three-act structure. A season should have a proper three-act structure just like an episode or a movie. Think of a show like Andor - yes, the first few episodes are setup. Then you ramp it up in the middle of the season and then you pay it off at the end of the season. That's how stories work .
Sorry, but you (especially Adam) are so negative without any reason. It is absolutely annoying to watch you react or should I rather they act, because it feels like you set your mind to hating it right from the start and going with it even though it was so much better than the first season. I have no idea how you can be so harsh to this show, when your editing often cuts out the most important parts of the episodes, which I think most of us would like to see your reaction to. I have to say I stopped watching other reaction channels before when they drifted off in this acted negativity and whining and I honestly have to think about it if it is still fun enough to continue watching you.
@@MrBrock314 "Pacing and structure" Vague criticism is vague. Season 1 was already very good, and most viewers seem to have really appreciated the pacing of Season 2.
A lot of these weapons and costumes are somewhat based on the designs of two artists: John Howe and Alan Lee. They've been doing illustrations for Tolkien's books for decades and also worked on all the PJ films as concept artists. Of course, there are many other talented concept artists working alongside them, but their strong design aesthetics are obvious in a lot of places. The sword Narsil as it appears in this show is pretty much identical to the one they conceptualized for the prologue of Fellowship of the Ring.
Everyone knows where it's heading - the fight against Sauron and the death of Elendil and the rise of Isildur (temporarily). We know why Isildur and Elendil WILL be important. It's just that they're not necessarily important right now to the plot of the rings. What do you do with plot points that will be important later? You cut them now and add them later.
I'm sorry it wasn't for you guys. Your opinions are valid, even if people might get on you for them. I personally loved the finale (except for the Gandalf reveal, but that's a personal thing). Middle-earth has always been about the journey, for me. And even though this finale left most everyone on a "now what?" note, it left me interested in what next season will bring. The Fellowship of the Ring left off with Gandalf "dead," Boromir dead, the Fellowship broken. Everyone was losing. Not sure how many GoT seasons ended on a high note, either. But, again, it didn't speak to you. And that's fine. Hopefully you choose to stick with it, and hopefully season 3 is more to your liking.
You can tell you guys haven’t read the books, the heroes don’t get badass for a while, they lose ALOT You can thank Peter Jackson for now not feeling fulfilled with an eye falling 😂😂 Sauron was never an eye in the books, in fact Gollum describes his hand to Gandalf. He could never take a fair form again
Adam needs to actually READ THE BOOKS. Because all he does is compare this show to the PJ movies, which turned the story into an action movie trilogy with heart. The good guys constantly lose.
Except Tolkien didn't sell that book - ie. there's no evidence that would make a good tv show since it never made a good book. And before you mention the Silmarillion - that wasn't reviewed well when it came out so that's not good evidence either.
This so far has been my favorite show of 2025. I've been blown away by season 2. If there isn't a season 3 I'll be devastated. Vox Machina and Arcane will probably be better. So Rings of Power will end up being 3rd. I didn't see Shogun so I can put that on my list.
Having now watched yalls final thoughts, I have one point of disagreement. Everybody's entitled to their own opinion and I am in no way suggesting you guys are wrong for thinking this, but to me, it doesn't make sense to be mad that all our heroes lost at the end of the season. This is the period of time where evil wins again and again and again until the end of the second age when Sauron "dies" and Isildur claims the One Ring and even that is a hollow victory. So like I get not enjoying it, but to say its bad on that merit is bonkers to me. That being said, i agree with most of your other complaints and I left a much longer comment detailing my take aways from the show this season. Unlike yall tho apparently, I will be returning for S3
Being lore accurate isn't always the best tv. Just because Tolkien wrote it that way doesn't mean it's a good tv script. Also, it's important to remember that Tolkien never sold these parts as separate books (except the Silmarillion). The Silmarillion was reviewed terribly upon release it should be noted for many of the reasons that Adam and Jay have pointed out. See below: "The Silmarillion was criticised for being too serious, lacking the light-hearted moments that were found in The Lord of the Rings and especially The Hobbit.[26][27][28] Time magazine lamented that there was "no single, unifying quest and, above all, no band of brothers for the reader to identify with".[26] Other criticisms included difficult-to-read archaic language[29][30][31] and many difficult and hard-to-remember names.[29][32] Robert M. Adams of The New York Review of Books called The Silmarillion "an empty and pompous bore" and "not a literary event of any magnitude". He suggested that the main reason for its "enormous sales" was the "Tolkien cult" created by the popularity of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and predicted that more people would buy The Silmarillion than would ever read it."
@@MrBrock314 and that's fair. im not hating on them for having that opinion, more just expressing why i don't have the same opinion. Also i find it funny that this show can get attacked for both being not lore accurate and too lore accurate at the same time.
The only major issue I have with this season is that all the elves of Eregion fall for Sauron. Like... I get him being in the ear of celebrimbor. He's teaching him forbidden magics. But why why why why would literally every other elf just let him take over? Like... either you believe celebrimbor is actually crazy and why would you listen to this brand new person saying the crazy guy put him in charge, or you notice that clearly celebrimbors change only happened after this guy appeared. That's my issue. I get that sauron is the great deceiver, but the elves are also aware he is around. I don't know, I just think you would either side with the person you have been with for hundreds or thousands or more years versus the guy who has been here for weeks/months? I can understand men falling for it, but elves? That's my biggest issue. I get it's a show, but it makes sense that sauron is able to use the Annatar persona for over 100 years to convince people (how he does it in the lengendarium), not weeks/months
8:45 thats why after the 2nd and 3rd hobbit movies, anytime i see the eye of sauron in LOTR, i imagine the slit is actually sauron himself like how he manifested in those films, it makes the concept of the eye so much more interesting.
I enjoyed this season a lot. But it wasn't without problems. The scale of the world was missing; they did a poor job of establishing how far apart some of these locations are, just how big they actually are, etc. Arondir in particular seems to be able to teleport between locations at will. I think it's an editing issue; there are gaps and weird cuts from day/night and such. But overall the action sequences were great and most storylines did move forward this season.
It's too bad you guys don't like it. I thought this season was WAY better than season 1! I have some friends that really don't like it much either, but they also don't really know much about Tolkien or enjoy the original trilogy. If you aren't fans of the source material to begin with, I just don't think anything here will make you change your mind on it. And that's okay, some things don't need to be made for everyone, they can be made for the fans! (Looking at you, Warcraft movie lol)
BUT that opening sequence was freaking unbelievable, I was frozen on my couch, I will never forget that epicness even if the episode had some weak points. I also really liked the closing sequence.
In the Empire Strikes back everybody looses. No problem there. Here they follow the same structure. Everybody looses, however you have hope at the end, with the place Rivendell will probably be founded (Imladris). You guys probably hated the Red Wedding then (like really really hated). The season ended with literally everybody getting bodied. Season One of Game of Thrones is also horrible since the main character dies. I don't understand these comments about everybody "loosing" as a bad thing. Also, they actually closed every story arc pretty quickly and in a satisfying manner and went to Eregion again. The major problem this season had was the Harfoot/Gandalf arc. The rest was solid.
They don't lose in Empire Strikes Back. Luke learns how to be a powerful force wielder with Yoda. Yes, he loses a lightsaber battle with a more advanced Jedi but it would be illogical for him not to lose that battle, especially after Yoda warned him he would. C3PO and R2D2 also come out fine in that movie and Leia is doing fine too on board the ship they rescued Luke with. That hardly sounds like losing. The closest to losing was Han who's frozen in carbonite but he's not dead and can be rescued.
If you need to read the books to enjoy a show, it's a bad show. The definition of good tv is the ability to weave a story that anyone can follow by watching the tv show. I didn't read any comic books and Iron Man was easily followed. The same for Spiderman, Batman, Superman, Game of Thrones, etc. Any show where you need to read the books is a bad show, by definition. As a book reader - you should get more out of the Easter Eggs and such, but you should never NEED to read a book to understand a show or where it's going. The showrunners have failed if that's the case.
@@MrBrock314 I read the books at least 3 times before this show was even a thought and by knowing what was in the source material this made the show for me even more enjoyable than if I didn’t know what was happening as I was watching this show.
Totally mirrored your feelings here, as did everyone I know who watched it. Massive editing and pacing issues that were true throughout the season. Comment section is real salty and one-note. Don't let it get you down. People have some wild takes on what was a nearly unwatchable season. There are ways to tell such a detailed, intricate tale but chopping it up to bits that kill any suspense or momentum that could've been earned otherwise isn't it.
Narsil is Aragorn's sword, more accurately, Sauron breaks Narsil, and it is later re-forged by Elrond and renamed Anduril "The Flame of the West", whom gives it to Aragorn
An absolute masterpiece of a season. I loved season 1, but season 2 has cumulatively been the finest live action fantasy entertainment created since Peter Jackson’s Return Of The King. Just tremendous work by all involved. Hope it wins tons of awards, because it deserves it.
I think the issues of this show from a story perspective are the same issues that John Rhys Davies had when he read the silmarillion. It’s not a story, and it doesn’t have the structure of a story. It’s a mythology. So the time skips, the lack of direction, it’s less a story based show and more just pure world building.
@@MrBrock314 correct. Which is why the sillmarillion is so unpopular compared to the lord of the rings. My point is not that it’s good TV, but that if it feels disjointed, that’s probably more an indicator of book accuracy more than anything
The show does have some pacing issues for sure, but I think it's unfair to criticize the heroes being largely defeated by season's end. It's all in Poppy's speech. In defeat, you have to pick up the pieces and build something new. Much like when Narsil is broken and reforged into Anduril.
@@MrBrock314 Being Disintegrated Slowly and Painfully by the Power he’s wanted for so long isn’t a worthy and poetic death for the most power hungry and Evil Person in all of Star Wars?
Enjoy your videos for the most part but I’ve noticed a lot recently the videos jokes are overwhelming the reactions. It feels more like your spending more of your time thinking of the next bit instead of genuinely reacting to the story. I appreciate that your telling the audience your dislike of the show because I would want your honest reaction / opinion but depending on the way you present that it can turn people off. I think I agree with most in here, probably best skip this show going forward if you dislike it to the point of forcing a video out that your clearly ignoring scenes and not paying any attention because you don’t want to watch. Might take a lesson from your own reaction to this show because people could treat your videos in a similar fashion if their turned off by the way your presenting your content.
As a Tolkien fan, I hated this, I really tried to take it as an "adaptation" & run with it & just be happy I'm getting more middle earth. I get that they change thing but it's like they took the Professors books threw it in an AI blender & watched what it spat out. If we want to pick anytime line, Sauron resurfaces S.A1500, the Elven ring's are the last made, without his knowledge, he shouldn't be aware of them until he makes the One ring. He can feel them, they can feel him but he has no influence. If we stay with S.A 1500 as the timeline, Galadriel has a around daughter in S.A 300, the same daughter that Marries Elrond, ok so they don't marry till later but he knows her. Elendil, well he isn't born until S.A 3119, so he's like 1600 yrs to early. He does have a long life span but not that freaking long (322yrs at death). And the wizards, well they don't show up until T.A 1000, Gandalf being the last to arrive. But here they are making them arrive 3-4000 yrs early in a totally different age, & somehow Gandalf forget about "Saraman" being a dark wizard?, also he wasn't dark until much later, power hungry, jealous but not dark. Morgoth was a Ainur ,Gandalf & Sauron are Maiar
There's a couple common criticisms here in the comments that I think need some clarification: - "Man, they REALLY need to read the books to understand why XYZ is happening". No, they don't, because the story of RoP isn't following the books, nor is it doing a particularly good job of ADAPTING the books/appendices. The writers seems to be formulating their own narrative using the skeleton of what Tolkein has provided, for better or worse, and reading the books will only serve to further cloud whatever the writers/showrunners are trying to do with RoP. (It also remains to be seen how they are trying to connect to the films, if at all.) - "They need to stop talking; they're missing all the good parts!" If the good parts were entertaining and/or obvious enough for the boys, it would hold their attention more.
Any time there are scenes where characters are talking instead of fighting, Adam especially seems irrationally annoyed, which is strange given so much of Tolkien is not about constant battles and epicness. He is nitpicking everything and just straight up not paying attention so often. And thinking the heroes have to win every time, especially in one of the middle seasons of a show, seems incredibly strange.
I agree. And given we KNOW that everything is going to be bad, I don't understand why they think it's supposed to end on an up note. Yes, the show is slow. But they seem to have NO idea about the importance of some of these characters.
“Anduril, the flame of the west; forged from the shards of narsil, the blade that cut the ring from the dark lord’s finger” lord Elrond.
If you think the heroes lose too much, then don't read the Silmarillion guys...
Or watch Empire Strikes Back 🥴
Or watch the first 2 lord of the rings movies
Yeah, that book has SO MUCH death in it.
or the Fall of Gondolin
@@HXXXXWXXN the battle of unnumbered years alone. 😭
I think my favorite part of this season was Gandalf and Tom singing together. It was just really lovely.
It made me teary-eyed a bit, because I was so sure a Tom Bombadil song would be deemed too silly to include. Glad I was wrong.
I was not prepared to burst out crying at that scene!
Me as well!!! I loved that scene!!!!
And it was the perfect ending, Tolkiens whole thesis was the power of simplicity and friendship.
That gets broken and reforged as Aragorn's sword, Narsil becomes Anduril.
And before that, it cuts the One from Sauron's hand, as seen in the prologue of Fellowship.
If you don't like the defeat of the good guys here, then you guys are probably not going to like the next 2 seasons, because SO many people are going to die.
@@Phi1618033 they also probably won’t like the seasons of House of the Dragon that is on the horizon for the same reason.
People should've already died. We should've set some stakes and real dramatic tension. I don't think the problem is the characters just lose. It's moreso that everyone just losing is flat out uninteresting in the context of this show because we don't really care or feel the emotional weight of them losing. Not to mention how everyone is always fine after both finales.
wtf afro elf and witcher elf and that ende bossgirl elf didnt die!
they took a magical poition and are fin now
@@paranoid9678the hell are you on about?
@@execuwutie_YT Celebrimbor and King Durin didn't look fine.....
Sorry, you guys did not like it. I personally liked it myself. Unfortunately, the bad guys win most of the time in the SA until the very end and even then, at great cost.
Don't mean to be that guy but when people type "SA" on the internet, its usually to abbreviate something that can be rather triggering for some if not abbreviated. I think you're trying to abbreviate for Simarillion. SA is.... a very confusing abbreviation for that to say the least 😅
@@execuwutie_YT SA=Second Age
@@execuwutie_YT thanks for pointing that out. I can see what you mean about the confusion because I did actually mean the ‘Second Age’ with that abbreviation.
Strong disagree with your take on this one. I don't accept the logic that "seeing the heroes lose" makes for bad viewing, by that logic everyone would have hated Infinity War, or Empire Strikes Back, or Rogue One. Personally I think that whilst there were certainly issues with how this season was structured, and some of the plot lines felt irrelevant, the way that they brought these defeats together at the end, and showed the small battles that paved the way for Sauron's rise and his ultimate fall was actually pretty well done. I hope you do decide to stick around for the next season, I know I will.
Infinity War is part 1 of the story with a clear upbeat sequel and it's not all downhill for the heroes during Infinity War. They do lose but not all the time the whole movie. It's a battle where they ultimately lose (temporarily), not just defeat after defeat.
@@MrBrock314 you thought Endgame was upbeat? I feel like it's one of the only MCU movies that successfully explores depression - and I love how bleak it is. It was peak of what they could do in that genre with dark subject matter. Do they win in the end? Yes, but only after big sacrifices.
I just want to say in Rogue One the heroes do win. Yes they die, but they succeed in their mission.
@@quirkyjoeAnimated It is definitely upbeat. all the comedy in it? absolutely upbeat.
More often lately Jay and Adam seem to be just going through the motions, with the reactions being more of a performance than anything else. Most of the time they are too busy making jokes or criticizing scenes they weren't even fully paying attention to. It comes across as hate watching, which is a real shame considering I've been a long time viewer. I wish they'd refocus on either watching things they enjoy, or actually giving other things a fair shot.
This. The constant joking even during serious scenes. Completely ruins the moment. I'm all for humor but "this rocks". It wasn't that funny during Obi-Wan. We don't need to hear it again. We also don't need several minutes of making up random names during a reaction.
@@MrJim911 Agreed. The bro-someness really takes away from their reactions at times.
This is why I don't watch as often anymore. It sounds cliche, but they've changed and not for the better
adam especially is just...idk. like i've seen him cry during stranger things so i know the dude has emotions but his reaction to inside out 2 was so crazy he was being overly obnoxious about repressing emotions and making jokes it's confusing. i used to love watching them because they'd EMOTE and love what they watched but yeah, they seem to be going through the motions at this point.
Even with things they like. I was excited to see them react to Legend of Vox Machina. But the episode ends and they basically end the reaction right away. If you look at their previous reactions to Legend of Vox Machina they would talk about the show, showing emotion and seeming really excited about it. Now even with LoVM they seem to just hit record and end things as soon as possible. It is weird. I usually sign up for their patreon when Vox Machina comes. Probably won't do this time.
I cannot fathom people watching Tolkien and bemoaning a story that slowly unfolds, that’s the epitome of Tolkien’s stories.
As much as I LOVE the Sauron/Celebrimbor storyline, Durin’s story does not get the credit that it deserves this season. That actor is magnificent!
“I understand…” AND THEN YOU IMMEDIATELY PROVE YOU DON’T
This season was some of the most On Brand, True to Theme and Tone stories adapted from Tolkien's written works I've ever seen. And you boys (Adam especially) seemed to really dislike it. I can't speak for any other Peaches, though some variation of this sentiment seems to be mirrored in a lot of other comments, but I loved this season of Rings of Power. Such an improvement on Season 1. Tolkien is not especially action heavy or quippy. Its not and never will be like a Marvel movie. I love the Peter Jackson Film Trilogy but it seems to have unintentionally convinced a number of folks - including the two of you - that Middle Earth should be in the Action Film Genre. Action absolutely happens in these books and stories. But there is A LOT of talking and feeling and story and emotion in between. If you cannot handle that, you may want to disengage because this world is Deep and Rich and Beautiful and is properly enjoyed when you are Patient and Paying Attention. And I saw neither Patience nor Attention being Paid in this video or most of the previous videos this season.
I say this with Love, cause we all love you two, but next season? May either get in a better headspace so that you can enjoy this show properly or skip it entirely and don't react to it. Cause I am always open to valid, thoughtful criticisms of this show. I have plenty. it certainly isn't Perfect. But I can't help but feel like a lot of your issues stemmed from there being not enough action for your tastes, too much talking, and you two not knowing the lore or characters very well. Basically, y'all are wanting this show to be something its not and never will be. Accept it for what it is and enjoy the Journey. Or don't. I'm not your mom. Sorry if this came out as overly negative. Love you guys. Seriously.
P.S. The Good Guys lose. A Lot. Tolkien called it "The Long Defeat". Its incredibly accurate to his works. This is Season 2 of a planned 5 Seasons. Good Guys aren't gonna be winning consistently for a WHILE, and when they finally do, it will be at great cost.
I think that's been ny major issue with their reaction. There is a real lack of familiarity with the source material that has led to a lot of unfair criticism and expectations of the series. Tolkien's works are way more similar to Game of Thrones tonally than an action film. I think reading the Silmarillion might be helpful if they are planning to react to the next season. I truly love this channel but I've been really disappointed with the RoP reaction.
@@LordoftheRingfan1997 I honestly don't think you need to be familiar with the source material to watch this show. A lot of viewers who enjoy the show are not lore nerds, although they are now reading the books thanks to the show.
@selina6408 oh absolutely you don't need to have that to watch the series! I just think some of the criticism is in bad faith from people who haven't taken the time to get familiar yet still position themselves as "critics". I love how so many people are reading Tolkien's works because of this series! It makes me so happy to see a new generation of fans being born!
Surely if you're making a TV show it shouldn't be made so that only people deep into the ins and outs of the Lore can be interested? I'll be honest - I enjoyed reading the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings, but I never could get through the Silmarillion because it was just so dry. This show is falling into some of the same traps. It has too many pointless characters and certain bits of it are going too slowly - all of the Southlanders and Isildur stuff so far is completely pointless. You need to build Isildur yes, but this season they had nothing for him to do of any note - he was there entirely so people wouldn't forget about him before he becomes important next season. Its cute to see the foundations of the Hobbits and why Gandalf has an affection for them, but its taken god knows how long to get him a name and a staff and now he's just in training with Bombadil for a bit? Bizarrely the bit these other excesses have damaged is probably the Numenor stuff which has just been a hot mess of cartoon villainy and moustache twirling. They either needed to spend more time making that more interesting (and coherent), or just cut all of it and introduce Numenor in different way at a later point in the series when it becomes most important to the story - you could easily have just not introduced Numenor at all until season 3, but then spent focussed, efficient time there building up its culture, characters and fall as the main plot of that season (as Celebrimbor was in season 2). The problem with this show is that they're trying to do too much but bizarrely too slowly - its disjointed and because of that too much of it is dull and without the richness and depth it should have. I binge watched it which actually works better as you do get to the next bit of the story quicker (I'm thinking back to the Orcs arriving at Eregion at the end of episode 5 and literally not firing the promised first shot until the end of episode 6 - its then another week before you get into the meat of what that episode 5 cliffhanger actually promised. That's two entire weeks later. When binge-watching it's an hour and that works much better. This story could be told well, whilst maintaining the "on brand, true to theme and tone", but better choices needed to be made. These show-runners are not doing that. They're making the appendices, not adapting it into an engaging narrative that works for TV. The appendices and Silmarillion are basically history textbooks. They are reference texts - you've got to do more to make them into a story that is as engaging as the main book narrative is and you've got to much smarter than they have been in that adaptation to make it work. Adapting the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit is much easier because they were conceived as engaging narrative novels (and even then Jackson somewhat mucked up the Hobbit films by getting distracting with extra gumph from the appendices that interrupted the flow of the central narrative). Its fine the good guys are losing - its fine that the theme is maintained - what's not fine is the bad storytelling that has infested the world with too many characters I can't care about doing almost nothing for an entire season but being crammed in because their bit of the story is critical later so we need something for them to do now. All that has done is dilute the half of it that IS interesting because it is the bit of the story that is actively key NOW at this point in the narrative.
I don't know what made you expect that the good guys would be winning, especially 7 episodes into this season.
And considering Tolkein based his lore on his experiences with both WWI and WWII, I mean... torture, death, and destruction of the soul feature heavily.
@@scrappytracy5557 WW2 created the UN and arguably peace (at least in Europe) for the first time in centuries.
@@MrBrock314 what does that have to do with what I said about Tolkien’s experiences?
“You can’t make a season of television where all our heroes lose and be entertaining.” Well that explains why you don’t like The Last Jedi. But also that’s blatantly not true; the previous seasons of Stranger Things, The Boys, and the Last of Is are prime examples, and film wise The Empire Strikes Back, Infinity War, and (imo) The Last Jedi disprove it as well.
This isn't accurate. In the Boys, there are many victories for the heroes. Yes, there are losses too but you can't lose all the time. The entire RoP season, the heroes are losing effectively. There are very few moments when the heroes are winning (even temporarily).
For example, in the Boys, Hughie loses Annie but he also gains her back when she defeats her mimic counterpart. He loses her again at the end of the season cliffhanger but you still had that victory in between.
Frenchie and Kimiko - same thing - there's a rebonding and then the loss at the very end.
The RoP only really had a small win when Durin III took off his ring (after about 6 episodes of trying to) and fought the Balrog in a sort of noble sacrifice play. The dwarven "rescue" of the Elves was pretty minimal and (as Adam said), they could've played that better. The closest win in the Numenor storyline was Miriel getting tossed back out by the sea monster but that appears to have had no effect on her being branded a traitor in the end so it didn't seem to have a lot of positive effect.
There's actually a lengthy passage in the book for ROTK describing Sauron's last thoughts as he realizes the Rings were his undoing. Of course, the movie version turned him into a giant flaming eyeball for some reason so it is what it is.
I mean, it's not hard to work out the reasoning if you actually know anything about the lore. There's constant metaphors revolving around Sauron's 'gaze' and other eye-like references when discussing his influence over the world and its inhabitants. The films simply made that a physical representation.
@@sostenosI just think the flaming eye atop the tower was a really cheesy and not as cool as they wanted it to be. He was much more of a presence in the books
Wow, just wow. I enjoyed this season a TON. Loved this finale. S2 was much better S1.
That's a shame you guys didn't like it. I was betting you would. This part of middle earth history is not heavy on the good guys winning.
I agree. I watch several reactions and they were the only ones who felt that way. Maybe if they paid more attention than trying to make jokes all the time, they might have.
@@stacyp2186 By this point they are drifting off into acting out a reaction rather than reacting to it and by that missing the most important parts of the show, which also shows in the sloppy editing. They do not show how they react to the important moments but just to their "funniest" jokes.
@@hobbybrauerYes. That's one reason why I'm spending less and less time on this channel. It has lost a lot of its personality lately in an attempt to please the numbers.
Right? This was such a good and powerful episode.
@@stacyp2186 I've come across a few reactors who do not like this series. A few of them have even dropped it early in the second season rather than finish it. Such as Nerdy Nightly did. Not all shows are going to click with everyone. I like this show but if someone doesn't, oh, well. that's okay.
You guys are entertaining, generally speaking, but your inability to follow more than two concurrent plot lines just makes me feel bad for you.
They're very capable - see their GoT reactions.
Numenor is integral to the entire story, which is why they must be such an important part of the show. Those familiar with the lore will understand.
I did just mention this, too! They have planted the seeds for the horror that is to come.
I'm re reading "the fall of Numenor" now
Ofc it is integral but how they portray it is a fucking joke
Perhaps Numenor is more critical in the future but it's not to season 1 or 2 which is the problem. You could literally cut every Numenor scene and the show would still make perfect sense at this point.
It's not a problem to include Numenor - it's a problem to not integrate it so it seems important NOW and not just in the future. We already know Isildur and Elendil will be important to the long-term plot - that's in the Fellowship of the Ring. The question is why should you care about them during THIS timeframe.
This is Harry Potter when he was 8. Yes, he WILL be important but he's not now.
So why do they have to do such a bad job at making Numenor interesting and engaging?
Yeah... You guys are missing the whole point......
Remember the villians have to win to allow the heroes to have a reason to overcome later. If the villian never wins then there's no reason for heroes. this period of time with the rings of power is the fall of middle earth, the villians win constantly. this sets up the heroes the new era of men, and of the fellowship to rise. i found this season to be fantastic including the ending of the season, it sets up so much i'm excited for in season 3
Adam has something to say about almost every scene, Jay must really be fighting for this bc idk why else they would keep watching if he doesn’t like it that much
They're still watching because the reactions get views on YT. They've always been willing to watch something just to trash on it.
@@corbanwoosley6891 then why talk about it like they’re paying attention enough to pick out plot holes
@luckycatGK Oh I 100% agree with you
Because they started the show and wanted to like it - like a lot of fans. They were hoping it would improve on some of its season 1 weaknesses. Which I think it did overall but that doesn't mean it's structured well to the point where it could be a lot better.
Compare it to a show like the Penguin which is also working with minimal source material but grabbed attention in its show very quickly. You don't have to wait until Penguin season 3 for it to get going and that shouldn't be the case with RoP either. It should've been as good as LotR out of the gate.
Penguin is three episodes in and already as strong as the movie it spun off from.
Why shouldn't that be true of RoP 2 seasons in?
@MrBrock314 BS. Not liking it doesn't mean they shouldn't take it seriously. They aren't even paying attention at this point. Like others have said, it doesn't actually even matter if they like a show, because this is how most of their reactions are now. And in the past they've at least been willing to drop shows they didn't like. There's no excuse for hate watching.
The finale was absolutely brilliant
The single most frustrating reaction video I’ve ever watched. I love you guys, you’re the best, but woofa doofa. Like…what kind of dwarf reveal was expected there, exactly? The fighting was all but over, basically everyone was already inside the city. So, like, the cliche “riding over the distant hill on horseback” thing was out, right? I dunno. Nothing but love, y’all are the best, I just don’t understand why y’all watch shows you don’t like. :(
They checked out a long time ago, and it's very obvious. They literally zoned out in scenes on this episode. Adam clearly hates the show to the point he is just looking for things to critique. I also love them, but they need to put this show away for good. The reactions are bad because they've checked out of the show. Just cut it loose
That would personally bum me out because I love this show and I enjoy watching them react to things, but it would definitely be better (in my opinion) to lose the reaction series than to watch them react to stuff they don’t like. Thats miserable for us in the audience, it must be miserable for them to record and edit, just no reason to do all that in my opinion. Plenty of other stuff to react to
@@jasonmarbach Based on their Patreon comments it seems miserable for them to do this show
I believe it. And that bums me out for them as much or more as it does for us. Normalize stopping reacting to a show if it ain’t doin’ it for ya, in my opinion. The clicks and views and such are important, sure, but hurting the brand lasts much longer (and besides, it’s just not fun for anyone, least of all them).
@@jasonmarbach oh yeah there's reactors that I love, but I can't watch their stuff all the time if they're not into it. I've found it coloring my opinion of things poorly, then I'm like no wait, I liked that!!!
the tom bombidil song has been cut out of everyones reactions and i hate it
I saw a reaction that had a bit of it 🙌🏼
Could be a weird copyright problem.
music is typically problematic for reactors because 'the algorithm' copyrights them very easily
Mine has a bit in there. But music is the hardest thing to sneak by the AI bots that check for originality/copyright.
I thought season 2 was better than season 1. I still overall like the series.
Also, I've never seen a comment section be so polite in the opposite takes from the reactors. I like Adam & Jay; they haven't gotten too jaded yet.
Some reaction channels are actively becoming CinemaSins and it's a sad general trend I've noticed.
I really think you guys should just leave this show behind. It’s clearly a chore for you guys to watch and poorly edit, and in turn it’s miserable for us to watch you guys be miserable. Just leave season 3 alone.
But they won't because views. And views=money. I haven't watched them as much lately because they did change. It seems like they don't like doing what they're doing anymore.
This is a reaction channel. Their only duty is to be honest in their reactions. They're not bound to be positive and that would be a lie if that's all they did.
@@MrBrock314they definitely don’t need to like what they are watching, but they have come off as really conceited and unlikable in some of their videos of late. Definitely not the same 2 guys I really enjoyed watching. It will only serve to loose them subscribers. I know I’m taking a break from them.
Yeah guys they lose…that’s LITERALLY the story. There will be a LOT of losing going on for a while. Basic LoTR lore.
Just because it's lore-accurate doesn't make it good tv or good storytelling. Tolkien wasn't perfect and this wasn't the part of the books that sold.
@@MrBrock314 and back to back battles with no storyline or tension or character building doesn’t make for good TV storytelling either. All of that is storytelling 101. And if you even look at the first LoTR film - they lose.
Great finale! Makes perfect sense the good guys aren't winning, multiple plot lines are fun and appropriate for the story.
Of course that was Aragorns sword. They literally said the name of it.
I'm not even sure why you guys watch this show. Your complaints are forced and it's obvious you're not even trying to enjoy it.
I guess just stick to watching bluey, or whatever that kids show is you've been posting. 🤷
It's not the multiple plot lines they're complaining about. It's the momentum of switching between plot lines. They also watched HotD and GoT which have multiple storylines.
You can switch between storylines and keep momentum - that's a writing thing.
If you aren't feeling this show it's okay to drop it. And I say this as someone who does like this show and hopes to get a third season. Don't let your passion project, this channel, become you misery just because such and such show is "hot" now. There are plenty of other shows to watch. If we want to keep on watch fantasy show may I suggest Delicious in the Dungeon. (It's on Netflix.) I think you might like the world building in that series better.
Of course you can make a season where all of the heroes lose and still be entertaining. One of the biggest shows of all time did it.
House of dragons synopsis basically says “watch it all go to shit.” And people happily eat it up. After season 2 watching dragons kill each other ain’t for me. People sure, but leave the sky puppies alone.
@@Killerpeanut HOTD is literally nothing but dead babies and emo rich kids in grey castles bitching at each other. Everyone ate the first season up with a spoon like it was flawless content while shitting all over Rings of Power.
I. Don't. Get. It.
Rings of Power obviously had a lot of valid critiques to be made about it... especially in the first season. But the way everyone gave HOTD ALL the chances and gave RoP absolutely ZERO chances baffles me. At least RoP tried depicting scenes in which the sun was actively shining and characters who knew what a "smile" was actually did it 🤦♂
HOTD meanwhile....... oh... wait.... there's another dead baby/toddler/child. "Gee isn't Westeros grim. Oop there goes another one. Took the womenfolk with them this time too. But that's life in the middle ages. It's rough being one of them womenfolk in the middle ages. We promise not to show any gratuitous boobies this time though, don't worry. Just dead babies. Oop, and another one. Just throw them on the pile and burn them" 😳 = WTF
Adam fkin LOVED HOTD
.....then was mad this show didn't have a happy ending where all the good guys win 🤦♂
I. Do. Not. Get. It.
@@Killerpeanut Yes, but it's not all losses all season. She finds the dragon seeds and they wound the enemy dragon. That's a wash at best.
I think a lot of people who disliked this finale might just be not used to see absolute defeat in Middle-Earth. We all love the rohirrim and the army of the dead showing up on the last second.
There’s no awesome reveal of the dwarves arriving because the battle is completely lost already. The only thing they do is to assist the elves’ retreat. This battle and time in middle earth history is utter defeat. Complete failure. Eregion gets destroyed, Sauron gets the rings, it all gets f*cked, and that’s it. 🤷🏻♀️
The only glimmer of home is the finding of Rivendell. Being a Tolkien readier, I was actually impressed that they stuck to a ‘depressing’ ending instead of making up some small victory for the elves to make the ending more ‘likeable’
Thank you 👏🏼 the whole time I was watching this reaction I thought Adam would hate the books🤣
@@MarieS610 for real… and if we’re honest, it only gets worse from now on until the Last Alliance 😅😂
Exactly I don’t think they understand the Lore of Tolkien, the good guys essentially get their ass kicked for 3 entire Ages. The good guys lose ALL the time until they finally win when the One Ring is destroyed. The War of the Ring is basically meant to represent WW1 and WW2 where so many innocent lives were lost for basically nothing, hollow victories really because the world is still a war even today.
Not sure how they can expect these seasons to have a “happy ending” when Sauron is still the main bad guy thousands of years later. Middle Earth is a shitty place to live, it’s not a Fairytale… Morgoth and Sauron fucked it up to the point where it will never truly heal.
It was so weirdly paced tho... like Arondir gets wounded and the next episode is fine, Celebrimbro gives the rings to Galadriel and the next episode Sauron gets them, Durin can't send dwarves in but the next day dwarves arrive, Adar gets the ring only to give it back the next episode... it was an hour of circling around plotlines fragmented by other plotlines like Gandalf or Numenor, the payoff is not that exciting when it takes hours just to show nothing much changed
i loved it and it's actually made me become a tolkein reader so i can learn more! i LOVE stories and characters are doomed. there's something about being able to watch it, knowing how it all ends, and still hoping for a different outcome.
Mabye not do a reaction on this show next season. If all you are gonna do are make jokes and not follow the story, or take it seriously its no point. You are just pissing off people. Adam is clearly the worst in this case. You are my favorites most of the time, but the reaction to this show has been brutal.
I think people don't like the flaws in a show they like being pointed out. I enjoyed this season (well enough) but Jay and Adam are 100% right about the structure and pacing. The show does need to work on that.
The Penguin nailed tone and pacing in Episode 1 of Season 1. There's no excuse for RoP to struggle with this in season 2.
@@MrBrock314 @MrBrock314 Some may fall under that category, but thats not mainly the reason. As i said in my comment: its the not giving it any attention at all, making jokes every scene instead. If you are thinking about what joke to tell all the time, you are not thinking about the meaning of anything.
Its just a waste of time overall, its hate watching. Something i find this channel to be the opposite off.
I'm kind of disappointed that we haven't got Adam's thought on all the lips on this show.
Ok, their Jackson movie bias is really bad here. You can tell they are just comparing everything to those movies and if it doesn't do it like those did, it's bad.
"That's not how you reveal the dwarven army come to save the day"
You clearly wanted a Helms Deep or Pelennor fields moment but that wouldn't have worked. The dwarves didn't save the day. That "reveal" your talking about would have been during the last episode when Elrond thought Durin was gonna show up. They even mirrored the whole, "at dawn, look to the west" moment but it didn't happen. The dwarves only barely showed up to prevent everyone from dying. They didn't save the city.
Imagine if Minas Tirith was already destroyed and then the Pelennor fields charge happened exactly as it did. It would be moronic and ridiculous just as it would have here.
And how did Arondir survive? THE MAGICAL HEALING RINGS THE ELVES HAVE GUYS!! I mean come on guys. It couldn't be more obvious.
If you think it's not structured well that's fine. I think they are handling all the storylines just fine especially since they know that they will get multiple seasons so they can take their time bringing all these together.
Plus all the storylines are INTEGRAL to the eventual story that happens in the LOTR trilogy and the one ring. They have to tell them all.
I'm sorry guys. I still love you and think you guys are good reactors but this was WAY off the mark for me. I don't think I will watch future reactions from you for this show.
Agreed
i felt like i finally got a sense of the structure this season like i feel like i know where the story is going and it's making me excited for more. it sucks so bad that audiences don't have patience for long form stories anymore and they'll write a series or a season or an episode off as "nothing happened" when it's integral to the whole picture.
lol the show itself literally rips off the jackson flicks. it has more in common with those movies than it does anything tolkien put to pen. it repurposes the dialogue and even uses the same shots. this show is objectively awful.
@@Adam-xg1ch Cool story bro
@@gamingeagle19 thought you'd like that one.
I enjoyed the series. I don't need fight scenes and happy ends.
News flash this story isn’t about the good characters
Then stop showing them. :) If the show is about the rise of Sauron, then let Sauron be the protagonist and stop showing Isildur like he's important as he's not in this timeframe.
@@MrBrock314 why stop showing them? why can't story threads weave in and out of other stories as part of the tapestry of the bigger story? This season started with Sauron, set him up as a protagonist, followed him to Eregion and watched him orchestrate its downfall. I think they did let Sauron be a protagonist. Watching Isildur grow and learn beyond Numenor across his beats of the season is also a key thread of more story to come.
It’s the Final Lore Dump!!! (Bananana, Banananana!)
If it makes you guys feel better, Sauron doesn’t die. He’s left as a powerless, bodiless spirit, doomed to walk Middle Earth until the ending of the world as he watches what he hates: people living happily.
That IS eventually Aragorn’s sword. It is broken and reforged before then.
I really hope Kemen gets CRAUNCHED by an Entwife. There’s no lore here, I just really hope that happens.
Durin’s brother WAS mentioned in the previous season. He and his father insinuated that he was unfit to rule in some way.
PS. Sorry you guys didn’t like this season, but I really enjoyed your reactions to it!
you guys (specifically adam) have kind of proven time and time again this entire series that you're part of the issue with audiences these days. you have zero patience for story or character and just want to see fights. guess it makes sense why you think marvel is so good.
also saying a show is a waste if they don't give a happy ending is 1. an insane thing for someone to say about any tolkein story lmao and 2. and insane thing to say for two grown ass men.
if that were true, if audiences truly hate stories like that, then why was season 4 of stranger things such a huge success and season 5 highly anticipated? why was infinity war such a huge success and endgame an even bigger one? harry potter and the half blood prince and deathly hallows?
they're telling a STORY, it's clearly not over. i know that in this day and age of streaming, it's dangerous to tell unfinished stories, but goddamn we have to stop letting this just be a fact of life. creators should get to tell their entire stories and shouldn't have to rush a bad ending just because it makes the audience happy for 5 minutes until their short attention span latches on to something else. they should be able to comfortably leave the audience wanting more, knowing they'll be able to finish. your attitude just justifies these studio heads who aren't interested in telling completed stories, they're interested in being a flash in the pan.
idk why you guys are still watching when you don't seem to be enjoying it at all.
Tell 'em.
Do you think season 2 was upbeat and happy? Because Endgame is upbeat and happy compared to Infinity War. And this is season 2, not 1.
If you're going to compare, compare accurately.
Hi twitter!!!
Just have to say, while the reaction was hard to get through, this comment section is amazing 🙌🏼❤️ so much understanding of the material and appreciation of what this season did
We understood it more than they did thays for sure. They must not know that the producers are working off of an i dex at the end of the LOTR books. They didn't buy the rights to the other stories (silmarillion, etc) so they're literally making something out of nothing.
I am pretty sure Kemen will end up being The Mouth of Sauron - the books said he was a "Dark Númenórean" and this poop stain definitely fits the bill for that role
The House of R podcast said the same thing!
I really LOVED this episode. All the characters who did NOT fall under Sauron’s spell were inspiring. This is REAL storytelling. Life is NOT a victory march from start to finish. It’s Not a cartoon. It’s what makes fantasy like the LotR and the Wheel of Time stand out! I can’t wait for S3
I like episode 7 and 8 a lot, and listening to the House of R podcast reviews is making me appreciate everything they're doing even more. I think you're right tho, they aren't structuring this show like a normal tv show. Its a long epic tale, almost like Greek myth, where a lot of bad shit happens and tragedy is par for the course. Knowing this is s2 of 5, i really actually appreciated where they left this season, with our heroes on the back foot. It makes me wonder how they're going to move forward, and what Saurons next move is too. That said, i think leaving the hobbits behind and killing Adar to narrow the playing field a little bit was definitely the move. We're basically left with elves, dwarves, and men v. Sauron, and gandalf and bombadil somewhere. Good place to start s3.
I am LIVING for the 3hr House of R reactions 🎯
Isildur doesn't need to be in the show? Did you guys even read the books? This literally is the story of the 2nd age.
Isildur did not even arrive in middle earth if not 2000 years after the fall of Eregion tho, this is not "Literally" the story of the 2nd age
@@Husky92223 Elendil, Isildur, Gil-Galad, Galadriel, Elrond, Celebrimbor, the forging of the rings, the fall of Eregion (and Khazad-Dum), the wars against Sauron, is literally the story of the 2nd age. You can't say one doesn't belong.
Did you read the books? If you did then you cannot tell me you enjoy this show because it goes against the books at every turn😂
@@tycarlson3976 OK, go tell Peter Jackson that he has to remake all 6 movies so they're book accurate and let me know how that goes for you.
@@signalsgt71 While Peter Jackson did make changes, he didn’t make as many drastic changes as rings of power has made. And most Tolkien fans still enjoyed the Peter Jackson films, because the changes he made actually worked, and then sacrifice any of the quality of the movies. You can’t say the same thing about rings of power. The show as a whole is horrible… The writing, the dialogue, the pacing, pretty much every aspect of it is horrible.
Why is Arondir alive, is quite simple. Elves, especially those that are from the first age (which he might be, we simply don't know) are exceptional difficult to kill and are able to heal themselves. It takes a literal mortal wound to kill them. If He was stabbed and it missed his vital organs. Then yeah he wouldn't be dead. Hurt yes, but not dead.
Why do the good guys not do better? Yeah sorry wrong period of middle earth for any of that.
The 2nd age ends with the stopping of Sauron, but in its pursuit the powers of Good are extremely diminished. Each age, the power and scope of the Elves dramatically lessons. Until they are a mere shadow of themselves in the third age.
@@markwood6056 he says he was born in Belariand so he was born in the first age. But wouldn’t have the strength of those who dwelt in Aman.
He told Brownyn in the first season that Elves can heal themselves from lesser injuries.
Arondir is not hurt in this episode though. He's not limping or even holding his side gingerly.
90% of the time you guys are just joking, not paying attention
Best show of 2024 , lover it
Season 3 will be the war of the elves and the pushback of the faithful before numenor comes to middle earth aid and then the real fun begins
🔴 Since we got the thrilling answer to how Gandalf got his name, I wonder how the Dark Wizard, who is totally not Saruman, will be revealed as Saruman. Here’s my guess:
Easterling: “Try this lemon, milord.”
The Dark Wizard takes a bite of the lemon and spits it out in disgust.
“That’s sour, man!”
Easterlings laugh: “Whatever you say, Sour-Man.”
Dark Wizard: “Wait, I actually like the sound of that….”
Creators have said point blank that he's not Saruman. It wouldn't make sense at all with the lore.
you guys are whining about this show... YOU GUYS are a bad finale... Now go back to watch Webels!
I strongly disagree with your assessment of this season, and especially with the finale. To each their own, I guess, but I was thoroughly engrossed the whole way. I cried, gasped, yelled... it had my emotions all over the place. When Brimby died, his final words hit me so hard. I do know the lore of what's to come, and I will anxiously await Season 3, as the fall of Numemor has been in the works already, and we will see it come to fruition in the future.
I really enjoyed season 2 of the Rings of Power
Strongly disagree that Numenor does not need to be in the show. Elendil and Isildur are literarily the 2 of the founders of Gondor and Arnor, and anyone that knows Tolkien knows how important that is.
Ok, was Gondor or Arnor founded this season? No, then why do they need to be here now? Being important in 20 years doesn't make you important today.
Harry Potter at age 4 isn't a compelling character. You don't show him until age 10 because he's irrelevant before then.
If Elendil and Isildur are important in 20 years, wait 20 years to show them. Otherwise, demonstrate their importance currently to the storyline you're telling right now. How are Isildur and Elendil integral to the story of the dwarven rings? They're not - then scrap them. This season no rings went to men so unless men are hunting Sauron or Adar or killing elves or something - they're not part of the season.
Yep Narsil is now Elendil’s, then Isildur’s then broken by Sauron then stored at Rivendell then reforged by Elrond then wielded by Aragorn!
I'm sorry this episode hit you guys. I thought you would like it a lot better than you did. From my point of view, they finished the Celebrimbor/Eregion story well, which was the focus of the season, and we finally can stop calling the new Istar "The Stranger". Poppy with the Stoors, and Nori exploring on her own, will come back in later seasons, and the Elves have left Lindon and are now in Rivendell (Imladris) although it wasn't named in the show). Sauron has the Orcs following him. And things have made some progress on Numenor, although I'm not sure whether it will fall next season, or the one after. I'm excited to see where things go (and what Winterbloom and the other Ent will do to the Men at Pelargir). I hope it brings your joy back next season. 💖
Yeah I regret looking forward to this reaction cuz I forgot how much these guys were NOT giving this show a chance 🙁
You guys 😂 i do not understand what youre expecting from this show. It is a prequel to lord of the rings.
The rings go to everyone, they dont keep the rings from men. Sauron makes his ring of power. The orcs obviously become saurons slaves, we lose. We lose HARD. It all has to add up to the giant battle at the very beginning of the fellowship.
If we win the battles before that, then there would be no battle to win after that. Just surprised by this.
You could win SOME battles before that. This is 2500 years before Fellowship - that's a lot of losing if they're intending to lose EVERY battle for 2500 years. Even in the lore, they did not lose all those battles. There were plans and victories along the way. They just never defeated Sauron fully until the LotR events.
@MrBrock314 right, but the battle that happens at the very beginning of the fellowship of the rings, when Galadriel is explaining how the rings were forged and how Isildur cuts off Saurons finger with the ring....THAT battle happens because Sauron succeeded in creating and distributing all the rings. It happened because he succeeded in fucking everyone's shit up so badly that they all came together to destroy him.
A LOT of loss happens before they get to that point of coming together as one to defeat him with an army. That giant battle comes after Sauron basically burned and annihilated half of middle earth.
That battle was a final *desperate* attempt to stop him.
So yeah, they lose almost constantly before that.
Maybe if y'all actually watched the show instead of making jokes throughout the whole episode than y'all would've liked it more. Also, there are tons of shows where the heroes lose in a season finale. I don't see you two making any movies or shows so just stick to making weird opinions and leave the film making to the professionals.
i was not a fan of season one, i thought this season was way way better, especially the last episodes. and i like the final... im suprised by your réaction...
I think this season was better than season 1 but that wasn't an especially high bar to clear. That said, season 2 still has many of season 1's flaws (pacing/structure of its storylines). The finale rushed some things and let others stretch out beyond their natural end.
Andor is about the beginning of a rebellion and there are a lot of losses for the heroes in that show too but it still developed good momentum as it went on and it still ends on a more optimistic note even though he just lost his home city effectively.
Adam: you can't have a season where all our heroes lose and be entertaining.
Me: yes, imagine if all the heroes lost, and you had to wait for return of the Jedi, sorry I meant Endgame, sorry again I meant Season 3.
Except they don't lose the entirety of Episode 5. Luke trains with Yoda and C3PO and R2D2 come out of it fine. Yes, Han gets frozen in carbonite and Luke loses a hand but that's not defeat. That's a setback.
I don’t often disagree with you guys… But I’m really pumped about this… I think that’s because I’m familiar with the lore and know exactly where they are going with this… And the payoff will be worth it if you just have the patience to allow the stories to evolve naturally over the course of the rest of the series. It’s that or you end up with a GOT series finale type situation… And I think we can all agree that we don’t want that 🤷♂️
As much as I like a good payoff, after two seasons, it's hard to keep up the idea that the payoff will be worth it. It rings a bit hollow. What about the payoff from season 1? 2?
A story cannot be all set up all the time. It needs payoff in a proper three-act structure. A season should have a proper three-act structure just like an episode or a movie.
Think of a show like Andor - yes, the first few episodes are setup. Then you ramp it up in the middle of the season and then you pay it off at the end of the season. That's how stories work .
Sorry, but you (especially Adam) are so negative without any reason. It is absolutely annoying to watch you react or should I rather they act, because it feels like you set your mind to hating it right from the start and going with it even though it was so much better than the first season. I have no idea how you can be so harsh to this show, when your editing often cuts out the most important parts of the episodes, which I think most of us would like to see your reaction to. I have to say I stopped watching other reaction channels before when they drifted off in this acted negativity and whining and I honestly have to think about it if it is still fun enough to continue watching you.
Agreed
↑This.
It's better than season 1 but it hasn't fixed its major flaws from season 1 - pacing and structure as Jay and Adam pointed out.
@@MrBrock314 "Pacing and structure" Vague criticism is vague. Season 1 was already very good, and most viewers seem to have really appreciated the pacing of Season 2.
A lot of these weapons and costumes are somewhat based on the designs of two artists: John Howe and Alan Lee. They've been doing illustrations for Tolkien's books for decades and also worked on all the PJ films as concept artists. Of course, there are many other talented concept artists working alongside them, but their strong design aesthetics are obvious in a lot of places. The sword Narsil as it appears in this show is pretty much identical to the one they conceptualized for the prologue of Fellowship of the Ring.
Disagree… thought it was a great season.
I really liked this season its probably because im not a lord of the rings fan so i don't have expectations im excited to see how things go
Maybe if you guys didn't talk during the entirety of the show you'd understand where the show was leading....
Everyone knows where it's heading - the fight against Sauron and the death of Elendil and the rise of Isildur (temporarily).
We know why Isildur and Elendil WILL be important. It's just that they're not necessarily important right now to the plot of the rings. What do you do with plot points that will be important later? You cut them now and add them later.
I loved the entire show and find, the finale was great! I can't wait for season three.
Same!
I'm sorry it wasn't for you guys. Your opinions are valid, even if people might get on you for them.
I personally loved the finale (except for the Gandalf reveal, but that's a personal thing). Middle-earth has always been about the journey, for me. And even though this finale left most everyone on a "now what?" note, it left me interested in what next season will bring.
The Fellowship of the Ring left off with Gandalf "dead," Boromir dead, the Fellowship broken. Everyone was losing. Not sure how many GoT seasons ended on a high note, either. But, again, it didn't speak to you. And that's fine. Hopefully you choose to stick with it, and hopefully season 3 is more to your liking.
You can tell you guys haven’t read the books, the heroes don’t get badass for a while, they lose ALOT
You can thank Peter Jackson for now not feeling fulfilled with an eye falling 😂😂
Sauron was never an eye in the books, in fact Gollum describes his hand to Gandalf. He could never take a fair form again
Adam needs to actually READ THE BOOKS. Because all he does is compare this show to the PJ movies, which turned the story into an action movie trilogy with heart. The good guys constantly lose.
Except Tolkien didn't sell that book - ie. there's no evidence that would make a good tv show since it never made a good book. And before you mention the Silmarillion - that wasn't reviewed well when it came out so that's not good evidence either.
This so far has been my favorite show of 2025. I've been blown away by season 2. If there isn't a season 3 I'll be devastated.
Vox Machina and Arcane will probably be better. So Rings of Power will end up being 3rd. I didn't see Shogun so I can put that on my list.
Sauron really is the dark lord of gaslighting
Having now watched yalls final thoughts, I have one point of disagreement. Everybody's entitled to their own opinion and I am in no way suggesting you guys are wrong for thinking this, but to me, it doesn't make sense to be mad that all our heroes lost at the end of the season. This is the period of time where evil wins again and again and again until the end of the second age when Sauron "dies" and Isildur claims the One Ring and even that is a hollow victory. So like I get not enjoying it, but to say its bad on that merit is bonkers to me. That being said, i agree with most of your other complaints and I left a much longer comment detailing my take aways from the show this season. Unlike yall tho apparently, I will be returning for S3
Being lore accurate isn't always the best tv. Just because Tolkien wrote it that way doesn't mean it's a good tv script. Also, it's important to remember that Tolkien never sold these parts as separate books (except the Silmarillion). The Silmarillion was reviewed terribly upon release it should be noted for many of the reasons that Adam and Jay have pointed out. See below:
"The Silmarillion was criticised for being too serious, lacking the light-hearted moments that were found in The Lord of the Rings and especially The Hobbit.[26][27][28] Time magazine lamented that there was "no single, unifying quest and, above all, no band of brothers for the reader to identify with".[26] Other criticisms included difficult-to-read archaic language[29][30][31] and many difficult and hard-to-remember names.[29][32] Robert M. Adams of The New York Review of Books called The Silmarillion "an empty and pompous bore" and "not a literary event of any magnitude". He suggested that the main reason for its "enormous sales" was the "Tolkien cult" created by the popularity of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and predicted that more people would buy The Silmarillion than would ever read it."
@@MrBrock314 and that's fair. im not hating on them for having that opinion, more just expressing why i don't have the same opinion. Also i find it funny that this show can get attacked for both being not lore accurate and too lore accurate at the same time.
Don’t think I didn’t catch that Last of the Mohicans reference Adam. 😂
The only major issue I have with this season is that all the elves of Eregion fall for Sauron. Like... I get him being in the ear of celebrimbor. He's teaching him forbidden magics. But why why why why would literally every other elf just let him take over? Like... either you believe celebrimbor is actually crazy and why would you listen to this brand new person saying the crazy guy put him in charge, or you notice that clearly celebrimbors change only happened after this guy appeared. That's my issue. I get that sauron is the great deceiver, but the elves are also aware he is around. I don't know, I just think you would either side with the person you have been with for hundreds or thousands or more years versus the guy who has been here for weeks/months? I can understand men falling for it, but elves? That's my biggest issue. I get it's a show, but it makes sense that sauron is able to use the Annatar persona for over 100 years to convince people (how he does it in the lengendarium), not weeks/months
Ok adam...tell us...how DO you show up at the end to help??? FIX IT!
You don't unless it's meaningful.
8:45 thats why after the 2nd and 3rd hobbit movies, anytime i see the eye of sauron in LOTR, i imagine the slit is actually sauron himself like how he manifested in those films, it makes the concept of the eye so much more interesting.
I enjoyed this season a lot. But it wasn't without problems. The scale of the world was missing; they did a poor job of establishing how far apart some of these locations are, just how big they actually are, etc. Arondir in particular seems to be able to teleport between locations at will. I think it's an editing issue; there are gaps and weird cuts from day/night and such. But overall the action sequences were great and most storylines did move forward this season.
Gil Galad healed Arondir with his ring
When? Offscreen? That's not good tv.
It's too bad you guys don't like it. I thought this season was WAY better than season 1! I have some friends that really don't like it much either, but they also don't really know much about Tolkien or enjoy the original trilogy. If you aren't fans of the source material to begin with, I just don't think anything here will make you change your mind on it. And that's okay, some things don't need to be made for everyone, they can be made for the fans! (Looking at you, Warcraft movie lol)
But Tolkien wrote both which means both CAN be adapted well. You just need someone like Peter Jackson to do it, it seems.
BUT that opening sequence was freaking unbelievable, I was frozen on my couch, I will never forget that epicness even if the episode had some weak points. I also really liked the closing sequence.
Couldn’t disagree with you more! Really enjoyed that finale and cannot wait for more. But that’s the joy of different opinions and whatnot 😊
In the Empire Strikes back everybody looses. No problem there. Here they follow the same structure. Everybody looses, however you have hope at the end, with the place Rivendell will probably be founded (Imladris). You guys probably hated the Red Wedding then (like really really hated). The season ended with literally everybody getting bodied. Season One of Game of Thrones is also horrible since the main character dies. I don't understand these comments about everybody "loosing" as a bad thing. Also, they actually closed every story arc pretty quickly and in a satisfying manner and went to Eregion again. The major problem this season had was the Harfoot/Gandalf arc. The rest was solid.
They don't lose in Empire Strikes Back. Luke learns how to be a powerful force wielder with Yoda. Yes, he loses a lightsaber battle with a more advanced Jedi but it would be illogical for him not to lose that battle, especially after Yoda warned him he would.
C3PO and R2D2 also come out fine in that movie and Leia is doing fine too on board the ship they rescued Luke with.
That hardly sounds like losing.
The closest to losing was Han who's frozen in carbonite but he's not dead and can be rescued.
Sorry, guys but I totally disagree with you. Did you even read the books?
If you need to read the books to enjoy a show, it's a bad show. The definition of good tv is the ability to weave a story that anyone can follow by watching the tv show.
I didn't read any comic books and Iron Man was easily followed. The same for Spiderman, Batman, Superman, Game of Thrones, etc. Any show where you need to read the books is a bad show, by definition.
As a book reader - you should get more out of the Easter Eggs and such, but you should never NEED to read a book to understand a show or where it's going. The showrunners have failed if that's the case.
@@MrBrock314 I read the books at least 3 times before this show was even a thought and by knowing what was in the source material this made the show for me even more enjoyable than if I didn’t know what was happening as I was watching this show.
Orc: "ARE YOU HIM?"
Sauron: 'I have many names...'
Orc: "...Tim?"
Sauron: "...yes."
Totally mirrored your feelings here, as did everyone I know who watched it. Massive editing and pacing issues that were true throughout the season. Comment section is real salty and one-note. Don't let it get you down. People have some wild takes on what was a nearly unwatchable season. There are ways to tell such a detailed, intricate tale but chopping it up to bits that kill any suspense or momentum that could've been earned otherwise isn't it.
Narsil is Aragorn's sword, more accurately, Sauron breaks Narsil, and it is later re-forged by Elrond and renamed Anduril "The Flame of the West", whom gives it to Aragorn
An absolute masterpiece of a season. I loved season 1, but season 2 has cumulatively been the finest live action fantasy entertainment created since Peter Jackson’s Return Of The King. Just tremendous work by all involved. Hope it wins tons of awards, because it deserves it.
I left this comment as I started watching the reaction. In retrospect, I probably should’ve waited 😢
You're taking the piss right?
We definitely needed a side view of King Durin jumping to the balrog
It's certainly not perfect but I enjoyed this season more than the first. Looking forward to season 3!
I think the issues of this show from a story perspective are the same issues that John Rhys Davies had when he read the silmarillion. It’s not a story, and it doesn’t have the structure of a story. It’s a mythology. So the time skips, the lack of direction, it’s less a story based show and more just pure world building.
Ie. Bad tv. Worldbuilding isn't a story unless it's rewritten with skill.
@@MrBrock314 correct. Which is why the sillmarillion is so unpopular compared to the lord of the rings. My point is not that it’s good TV, but that if it feels disjointed, that’s probably more an indicator of book accuracy more than anything
The show does have some pacing issues for sure, but I think it's unfair to criticize the heroes being largely defeated by season's end.
It's all in Poppy's speech. In defeat, you have to pick up the pieces and build something new. Much like when Narsil is broken and reforged into Anduril.
I agree Sauron and Palpatine didn’t deserve To die just by falling. That’s why I liked when they brought Palpatine back and gave him a worthy death
No, that was not a worthy death for Palpatine at all.
@@MrBrock314 Being Disintegrated Slowly and Painfully by the Power he’s wanted for so long isn’t a worthy and poetic death for the most power hungry and Evil Person in all of Star Wars?
That's right, Rivendell is the refugee camp of Eregion.
2024 is wild. 4442 comments in 6 hours all rushing to defend Rings of Power.
I actually loved this season
Adam how dare you quote Last of the Mohicans and not have done a reaction to it that I can immediately go and watch !!
Enjoy your videos for the most part but I’ve noticed a lot recently the videos jokes are overwhelming the reactions. It feels more like your spending more of your time thinking of the next bit instead of genuinely reacting to the story.
I appreciate that your telling the audience your dislike of the show because I would want your honest reaction / opinion but depending on the way you present that it can turn people off.
I think I agree with most in here, probably best skip this show going forward if you dislike it to the point of forcing a video out that your clearly ignoring scenes and not paying any attention because you don’t want to watch.
Might take a lesson from your own reaction to this show because people could treat your videos in a similar fashion if their turned off by the way your presenting your content.
They really weren't missing scenes that often. This is a nitpick.
As a Tolkien fan, I hated this, I really tried to take it as an "adaptation" & run with it & just be happy I'm getting more middle earth. I get that they change thing but it's like they took the Professors books threw it in an AI blender & watched what it spat out. If we want to pick anytime line, Sauron resurfaces S.A1500, the Elven ring's are the last made, without his knowledge, he shouldn't be aware of them until he makes the One ring. He can feel them, they can feel him but he has no influence. If we stay with S.A 1500 as the timeline, Galadriel has a around daughter in S.A 300, the same daughter that Marries Elrond, ok so they don't marry till later but he knows her. Elendil, well he isn't born until S.A 3119, so he's like 1600 yrs to early. He does have a long life span but not that freaking long (322yrs at death). And the wizards, well they don't show up until T.A 1000, Gandalf being the last to arrive. But here they are making them arrive 3-4000 yrs early in a totally different age, & somehow Gandalf forget about "Saraman" being a dark wizard?, also he wasn't dark until much later, power hungry, jealous but not dark. Morgoth was a Ainur ,Gandalf & Sauron are Maiar
There's a couple common criticisms here in the comments that I think need some clarification:
- "Man, they REALLY need to read the books to understand why XYZ is happening". No, they don't, because the story of RoP isn't following the books, nor is it doing a particularly good job of ADAPTING the books/appendices. The writers seems to be formulating their own narrative using the skeleton of what Tolkein has provided, for better or worse, and reading the books will only serve to further cloud whatever the writers/showrunners are trying to do with RoP. (It also remains to be seen how they are trying to connect to the films, if at all.)
- "They need to stop talking; they're missing all the good parts!" If the good parts were entertaining and/or obvious enough for the boys, it would hold their attention more.