RoP: what's that in your pocket, show?
May. 27th, 2023 03:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shallownessThe Rings of Power - 1.2 Adrift
I really like the show’s credit sequence.
So, enter the monsters in this episode, although, honestly, I was more interested in character interactions that did not involve fear, suspense or battling for survial. The ‘previously’ reminded me of how confusing I’d found the last few scenes of the first episode and that I wanted that confusion resolved.
Galadriel’s endurance swimming test came to an end as she came across a small group huddled on wreckage talking about The Worm. I could have spent more time with these humans as they exhibited various points of view, most of them hostile when they saw Galadriel’s ears. And Hel-LO Halbrand, with whom Galadriel would end up on a smaller bit of wreckage, with some more human-Ef tension, with added UST, as she offered stiff sympathy for his loss, unbridled curiosity when she learned it was caused by orcs, and they ended up having to trust each other/co-operate to survive.
I revelled in having girl Harfoot interaction, between cautious (insular) Pearl and the more adventurous, open-hearted Nori. Nori handled scary first contact quite well – they pitched the character’s age just right for it. I soon guessed that the answer to what manner of giant this was was Istari and probably Gandalf (before he got wrapped in grey rags, and the familiar shots and the insect whispering. Who else muttered ‘throw in some Chinese’ when Pearl said she didn’t speak Firefly?) The whole falling from the stars, looking for constellations thing did come across as alien (more than angel.) Also, I’m wondering how Saruman, Ragagast and the other two’s landings went. Given Saruman’s sense of his own dignity, I don’t know how he’d have taken something like this happening to him.
Anyway, I may (or may not) have been wrong to suspect Lord Celebrimbor, but he revealed what he wanted Elrond for: to help him build a (phallic) giant forge in no time at all for a mortal, let alone an Elf. Elrond decided to turn to the Dwarves for help, and I loved the intro to the Dwarves, who typically did not welcome Elrond the diplomat as he’d so confidently hoped.
It was wondrous to see Khazad-Dun, or a glimpse of it, in its early days. Just a glimpse was enough to play off our memories of the ruin in FOTR. I loved the glimpses of green, and though I rolled my eyes so hard at the challenge, it was very well shot. Elrond gave up earlier than he needed to, right?
And so he got to talk to Durin (biased in favour because he’s played a Welshman in Owain Arthur). His pique that Elrond had missed out on a lot in his life in ‘only 20 years’ seemed fair enough.
The gender/family dynamics at Durin’s home were pure sitcom cliché, but acted so warmly and deftly (no wonder Durin is head over heels for his missus first onscreen Dwarfwoman) that I didn’t mind. Also, their home was very stylish, and the tree was so beautiful it didn’t matter that it was corny. I also took to Disa’s talk of singing to the Mountain.
Of course, in the final Dwarf scene, we saw that there was other stuff going on under the surface, as it war, and the mystery box (is it actual rings yet?) held the bad sway of greed and possessiveness and insularity over the dwarves.
I was less engaged in the last storyine, Arondir and Bronwyn separated in a rather anticlimactic way given all the build-up of the previous episode. She had seen enough to warn her townsfolk he needed to see more, so he went a-tunnelling, then there was something rats fled from (and the tunnel suited their size better than his), then there was confusing water (seeing as Galadriel had a waterlogged srotyline) and he got…eaten up by rock?
Sadly, nobody in the tavern believed Bronwyn, so she went home to find her son terrorised in a little cubby hole by a Hole in the Floor, through which an orc eventually rose. The fight scene was quite creepily kinetic, and mother and son fought valiantly for each other, so Bronwyn got a satisfying ‘Do you believe me now that I’m holding an orc’s head?’ moment in the tavern. Her son was still captivated by the evil bit of weapon he’d found, so I’m sorry in advance for Bronwyn who was about to go on her town’s communal fleeing.
We’d also learned the Harfoots were about to do their usual migration, with Nori’s father having been badly injured when she was tending to the Stranger
Galadriel and hottie Halbard’s ‘craft’ had brought them to a looming ship. Given the way it was shot, we were led to think it might be a Corsair ship and that wouldn’t be good. But at least I wasn’t confused.
Mixed bag. I didn’t think The Worm was going to be a threat to Galadriel, so this new ‘action-adventure’ aspect didn’t do much for me, at least the appearance of the Orc had some meaning. But as we’re following so many storylines, you soon switch to something you’re more invested in, I guess.
I really like the show’s credit sequence.
So, enter the monsters in this episode, although, honestly, I was more interested in character interactions that did not involve fear, suspense or battling for survial. The ‘previously’ reminded me of how confusing I’d found the last few scenes of the first episode and that I wanted that confusion resolved.
Galadriel’s endurance swimming test came to an end as she came across a small group huddled on wreckage talking about The Worm. I could have spent more time with these humans as they exhibited various points of view, most of them hostile when they saw Galadriel’s ears. And Hel-LO Halbrand, with whom Galadriel would end up on a smaller bit of wreckage, with some more human-Ef tension, with added UST, as she offered stiff sympathy for his loss, unbridled curiosity when she learned it was caused by orcs, and they ended up having to trust each other/co-operate to survive.
I revelled in having girl Harfoot interaction, between cautious (insular) Pearl and the more adventurous, open-hearted Nori. Nori handled scary first contact quite well – they pitched the character’s age just right for it. I soon guessed that the answer to what manner of giant this was was Istari and probably Gandalf (before he got wrapped in grey rags, and the familiar shots and the insect whispering. Who else muttered ‘throw in some Chinese’ when Pearl said she didn’t speak Firefly?) The whole falling from the stars, looking for constellations thing did come across as alien (more than angel.) Also, I’m wondering how Saruman, Ragagast and the other two’s landings went. Given Saruman’s sense of his own dignity, I don’t know how he’d have taken something like this happening to him.
Anyway, I may (or may not) have been wrong to suspect Lord Celebrimbor, but he revealed what he wanted Elrond for: to help him build a (phallic) giant forge in no time at all for a mortal, let alone an Elf. Elrond decided to turn to the Dwarves for help, and I loved the intro to the Dwarves, who typically did not welcome Elrond the diplomat as he’d so confidently hoped.
It was wondrous to see Khazad-Dun, or a glimpse of it, in its early days. Just a glimpse was enough to play off our memories of the ruin in FOTR. I loved the glimpses of green, and though I rolled my eyes so hard at the challenge, it was very well shot. Elrond gave up earlier than he needed to, right?
And so he got to talk to Durin (biased in favour because he’s played a Welshman in Owain Arthur). His pique that Elrond had missed out on a lot in his life in ‘only 20 years’ seemed fair enough.
The gender/family dynamics at Durin’s home were pure sitcom cliché, but acted so warmly and deftly (no wonder Durin is head over heels for his missus first onscreen Dwarfwoman) that I didn’t mind. Also, their home was very stylish, and the tree was so beautiful it didn’t matter that it was corny. I also took to Disa’s talk of singing to the Mountain.
Of course, in the final Dwarf scene, we saw that there was other stuff going on under the surface, as it war, and the mystery box (is it actual rings yet?) held the bad sway of greed and possessiveness and insularity over the dwarves.
I was less engaged in the last storyine, Arondir and Bronwyn separated in a rather anticlimactic way given all the build-up of the previous episode. She had seen enough to warn her townsfolk he needed to see more, so he went a-tunnelling, then there was something rats fled from (and the tunnel suited their size better than his), then there was confusing water (seeing as Galadriel had a waterlogged srotyline) and he got…eaten up by rock?
Sadly, nobody in the tavern believed Bronwyn, so she went home to find her son terrorised in a little cubby hole by a Hole in the Floor, through which an orc eventually rose. The fight scene was quite creepily kinetic, and mother and son fought valiantly for each other, so Bronwyn got a satisfying ‘Do you believe me now that I’m holding an orc’s head?’ moment in the tavern. Her son was still captivated by the evil bit of weapon he’d found, so I’m sorry in advance for Bronwyn who was about to go on her town’s communal fleeing.
We’d also learned the Harfoots were about to do their usual migration, with Nori’s father having been badly injured when she was tending to the Stranger
Galadriel and hottie Halbard’s ‘craft’ had brought them to a looming ship. Given the way it was shot, we were led to think it might be a Corsair ship and that wouldn’t be good. But at least I wasn’t confused.
Mixed bag. I didn’t think The Worm was going to be a threat to Galadriel, so this new ‘action-adventure’ aspect didn’t do much for me, at least the appearance of the Orc had some meaning. But as we’re following so many storylines, you soon switch to something you’re more invested in, I guess.
