RoP: mutual aid
Jun. 3rd, 2023 02:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shallownessWorth reading this blog post by Conrad Brunstrom, ‘The Irish Accents in “The Rings of Power”’ which analyses the discomfort I had about the above (spoilers for the first episode.)
The Rings of Power 1.3 ‘Adar’
No Dwarves, no Bronwyn’s village flight, I suppose I was most invested in the Numenorian section, because the Harfoots’ section was, well, it was fine if a bit thin. I didn’t mind the Arondir section either, as he got thrown into an Orc-run chain gang, tried to figure out what was going on (bad stuff) with his former brothers in arms, and had a Warg encounter. A little interaction with the humans of the Southlands, and what they felt about all this given the tensions might have boosted this bit.
What strikes me, and is adorable, is that Nori and Elendil were getting grief for exactly the same (good) impulse. Like, what was he meant to do, toss Galadriel off her ‘craft’? (Don’t think he’d be a Daily Mail reader.)
The Numenorians had reached the up themselves stage, and were as insular as the Harfoots, with Nori’s father’s weakness/disability throwing up its problems for the Brandyfoots. Of course, after some komedy Stranger and fire business, Nori got busted for sheltering him and faced exile or ‘decaravanning’ as it was called. And this is when I realised the show was associating the Harfoots with Irish Travellers who would ‘evolve’ into settled English people. ITA with what the blog linked to above says about that.
Sadoc saved Nori, putting it down to her youth. She defended herself to her mother – no, you are special Nori, and I love that Sam Gamgee, all unknowing, is going to name his daughter after you – and her grasp of mutuality led to the Stranger helping the Brandyfoots with their plight because he’s a giant.
I was chuffed to see Numenor, although perhaps the show didn’t make the most of its splendour, but it’s not a movie and the pacing is different, and hey, we’ve seen the ruins and shadows in the movies. There was a lot of schadenfreude in the references to the sea always being right. (I remember the broad strokes, I don’t remember the detail, which is frustrating me, but I’m not going to pause the watch and reread, so…)
I had clocked there was more to Halbrand the moment he showed unexpected diplomatic skill as Galadriel brought haughtiness and monomania about getting back to Middle Earth and stopping Sauron to troubled Numenorian-Eldar relations. This was before he bested five Numenorians and was only stopped by pointy spears and before Galadriel put it all together. I…am not sure I buy his fighting ability being THAT good, however royal he is. Canon is pretty clear on the Numenorians being superior to the rest of the humanity IIRC, and while Halbrand carrying the shame of his people being duped into supporting Morgoth is rich material dramatically, it’s honestly pretty weird that they’re giving him the exiled, uncrowned king role, while we’re also meeting Elendil and Isildur, ancestors of Aragorn.
So, yes, we met young Isildur – his strong features weren’t much like his father’s (I thought he had a touch of the Javier Bardem about hs looks) – he seems a complicated lad and his sister. Elendil got ordered to keep an eye on the uppity, troublesome Elf, and seemed to have some of her measure. There was some amusement in his reverence for Elros, while Galadriel was all, ‘Yeah, I knew him, got on better with his brother, though, who doesn’t look a day older than he does in this picture.’ Which was all we saw of Elrond.
We learned about the internal factions in Numenor. It was intimated that bad stuff had gone down in West Numenor for Elendil and his family – the actor (Lloyd Owen, who’s a bit of a British ‘hey, it’s that guy’) playing him had a real presence. I’m glad we never went too far up the cul de sac of guild politics, but I noted Halbard’s fascination for forges (and making weapons.) The reveal towards the end that Regent Queen Miriel was talking to her father, who we’d thought was friendly to the Elves, although he’d still kept the ban on contact going when he was king, is intriguing enough.
Meanwhile Galadriel was ECSTATIC to get to ride a horse. It deserves the all caps. I am not sure I entirely bought her deduction that the sigil was a map and a plan, but whatever. (So, Sauron is creating Mordor??) I’m also not sure whether Halbrand was the spy who brought the papers over, or if he did indeed pilfer it off a dead man – don’t know if it matters, but that all could have been clearer. Anyway, Galadriel, PI, also recognised the jewellery Halbrand was wearing and offered him redemption. Apparently she’s going to call up an army, which may be why the Queen Regent and her father are afraid.
The cliffhanger was an out of focus Adar (which is Welsh for ‘birds’ FWIW), who the Orcs revered, in their tatty white rags, who may be Sauron… Actually, we’ll see how this iteration of early Sauron works with the decisions to make him the Necromancer in the Hobbit movies.
I know I’ve been picky in this review, but I was swept along when watching it.
The Rings of Power 1.3 ‘Adar’
No Dwarves, no Bronwyn’s village flight, I suppose I was most invested in the Numenorian section, because the Harfoots’ section was, well, it was fine if a bit thin. I didn’t mind the Arondir section either, as he got thrown into an Orc-run chain gang, tried to figure out what was going on (bad stuff) with his former brothers in arms, and had a Warg encounter. A little interaction with the humans of the Southlands, and what they felt about all this given the tensions might have boosted this bit.
What strikes me, and is adorable, is that Nori and Elendil were getting grief for exactly the same (good) impulse. Like, what was he meant to do, toss Galadriel off her ‘craft’? (Don’t think he’d be a Daily Mail reader.)
The Numenorians had reached the up themselves stage, and were as insular as the Harfoots, with Nori’s father’s weakness/disability throwing up its problems for the Brandyfoots. Of course, after some komedy Stranger and fire business, Nori got busted for sheltering him and faced exile or ‘decaravanning’ as it was called. And this is when I realised the show was associating the Harfoots with Irish Travellers who would ‘evolve’ into settled English people. ITA with what the blog linked to above says about that.
Sadoc saved Nori, putting it down to her youth. She defended herself to her mother – no, you are special Nori, and I love that Sam Gamgee, all unknowing, is going to name his daughter after you – and her grasp of mutuality led to the Stranger helping the Brandyfoots with their plight because he’s a giant.
I was chuffed to see Numenor, although perhaps the show didn’t make the most of its splendour, but it’s not a movie and the pacing is different, and hey, we’ve seen the ruins and shadows in the movies. There was a lot of schadenfreude in the references to the sea always being right. (I remember the broad strokes, I don’t remember the detail, which is frustrating me, but I’m not going to pause the watch and reread, so…)
I had clocked there was more to Halbrand the moment he showed unexpected diplomatic skill as Galadriel brought haughtiness and monomania about getting back to Middle Earth and stopping Sauron to troubled Numenorian-Eldar relations. This was before he bested five Numenorians and was only stopped by pointy spears and before Galadriel put it all together. I…am not sure I buy his fighting ability being THAT good, however royal he is. Canon is pretty clear on the Numenorians being superior to the rest of the humanity IIRC, and while Halbrand carrying the shame of his people being duped into supporting Morgoth is rich material dramatically, it’s honestly pretty weird that they’re giving him the exiled, uncrowned king role, while we’re also meeting Elendil and Isildur, ancestors of Aragorn.
So, yes, we met young Isildur – his strong features weren’t much like his father’s (I thought he had a touch of the Javier Bardem about hs looks) – he seems a complicated lad and his sister. Elendil got ordered to keep an eye on the uppity, troublesome Elf, and seemed to have some of her measure. There was some amusement in his reverence for Elros, while Galadriel was all, ‘Yeah, I knew him, got on better with his brother, though, who doesn’t look a day older than he does in this picture.’ Which was all we saw of Elrond.
We learned about the internal factions in Numenor. It was intimated that bad stuff had gone down in West Numenor for Elendil and his family – the actor (Lloyd Owen, who’s a bit of a British ‘hey, it’s that guy’) playing him had a real presence. I’m glad we never went too far up the cul de sac of guild politics, but I noted Halbard’s fascination for forges (and making weapons.) The reveal towards the end that Regent Queen Miriel was talking to her father, who we’d thought was friendly to the Elves, although he’d still kept the ban on contact going when he was king, is intriguing enough.
Meanwhile Galadriel was ECSTATIC to get to ride a horse. It deserves the all caps. I am not sure I entirely bought her deduction that the sigil was a map and a plan, but whatever. (So, Sauron is creating Mordor??) I’m also not sure whether Halbrand was the spy who brought the papers over, or if he did indeed pilfer it off a dead man – don’t know if it matters, but that all could have been clearer. Anyway, Galadriel, PI, also recognised the jewellery Halbrand was wearing and offered him redemption. Apparently she’s going to call up an army, which may be why the Queen Regent and her father are afraid.
The cliffhanger was an out of focus Adar (which is Welsh for ‘birds’ FWIW), who the Orcs revered, in their tatty white rags, who may be Sauron… Actually, we’ll see how this iteration of early Sauron works with the decisions to make him the Necromancer in the Hobbit movies.
I know I’ve been picky in this review, but I was swept along when watching it.
