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shallowness) wrote2023-06-10 05:54 pm
shallowness) wrote2023-06-10 05:54 pm
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RoP: the future is now
The Rings of Power - 1.4 The Great Wave
Arondir got to meet Adar, and it was more pertinent that 'Adar' meant father for the orcs than what it means in Welsh. So, hi, there, scarred Sauron and your sacrilegious ambitions (lots more talk of the Valar in this ep.) Also, hi, there, Joseph Mawles, the first person I remember hearing was cast for this show years and years ago.
Perhaps one of the most potent scenes was when his creations, the orcs, could not come out from the forest into the sunlight and chase their prey, heightened by the vocal, which we eventually learned was Disa’s. What a powerful sound that was (loving that it was a woman’s voice soaring over the more familiar male Dwarven voices.) I thought it was a lament, but she told Elrond that it was a plea – a plea that was answered. I’d been thinking that we were lacking songs, because they’re so crucial in Tolkien’s writing.
I will say that, other than getting some sense of Adar/Sauron, the resolutions of previous cliffhangers weren’t what I’d expected and neither were they quite satisfying, which may make me a bit warier of future cliffhangers. Galadriel’s army was bluff, Miriel’s father turned out to be demented and on his deathbed more than a co-conspirator, (and it was mithril in the Dwarves’ box.)
Galadriel’s latest attempt at diplomacy got her thrown into gaol too. I’m with Halbrand: heh. She wasn’t to know that Queen Regent Miriel was plagued with nightmares of Numenor’s doom. Halbrand guided her through Diplomacy 101, and I don’t think she should take offence as horsey metaphors, given that she loves horseriding.
Elsewhere in Numenor, Isildur’s dreaming about west Numenor got him and his mates sacked. He felt guilty about the last bit. The Chancellor’s son was trying to charm Elendil’s daughter, and I was loving all the colours of the Chancellor’s facial hair. It turned out that the guy from the guild Halbrand had humiliated was Numenorian Enoch Powell, and it took the Chancellor’s sweet, sweet talking and booze (maybe Numenorian booze doesn’t make Men more aggressive) to stop riots. I mean, really, one Elf as a portent that They are coming to steal all your jobs? When I watched it, I was all ‘immigrant metaphor, except for the humans of Middle Earth, they’re the Romans’, but now I’m all ‘Skynet’, given all the discussion of AI coming for our jobs since this first aired. I wanted escapism!!
More seriously, that quelled riot spoke of who really lead Numenor. Miriel (and her father) seemed not to be able to rule as much as need the people’s consent, even if it wasn’t a democracy, and with the hints that west Numenor were more faithful to the Valar and the alliance with the Elves, one wondered what, other than bigheadedness, was driving the others’ insularity.
There was also a question over leadership at the watchtower, where loads of human villagers had fled, and Bronwyn, Orc-beheader, was bossing even the headsman, as the question of food became ever more pressing. Her own son was giving her grief, and I have so little sympathy for Theo. Even his little rebellion, which you could argue had some altruism to it, of returning to the village for supplies, was stupidly done. Just him and his mate? No weapons? Serve him right he got injured and his mate ran for his life.
And although sense would have dictated he dropped the weapon in the well before scarpering, he’s obviously under its sway, even if he hasn’t got a clue what he’s got himself into, as the older man showed him his Dark Mark and spouted true believer stuff. I am so sorry for Bronwyn that betrayal will come from that direction, and feeling vindictive enough that I was mocking the Orcs for not copying the Elves and making bows and arrows already to fell Theo. That’s where I was at with the teenage boi figure. (Er, where did Arondir get his bow and arrows from?)
On a surface level, Arondir coming to save the day and the Arondir/Bronwyn stuff was pretty, but I was more stirred by Theo hate.
So, I suppose Celebrimbor is not Sauron – but may yet be influenced by him, as he and Elrond discussed how well work was progressing on the phallic forge. The talk of how Elrond will hold his future in his hands was portentous, but their conversation’s main purpose was to send Elrond back to Khazad-dhun to find out why Durin was acting shiftily. He eventually cut through the lies to find out about mithril and experienced at close hand how dangerous the mining was. Durin vented A LOT at his father, but Elrond was able to trump his daddy issues (and, again, Elrond and the dwarves is hitting very familiar notes, but it’s done pretty well, so I don’t mind.) So, Durin made up with his father, the king, and they agreed that Gilgalad was up to something (he probably is) even if Elrond wasn’t and Durin should go investigate.
I believed that Galadriel was able to singlehandedly best Numenorian guards more than Halbrand beating five Numenorians. Of course, having helped her figure out Miriel’s weak spot and how to apply tactics, Halbrand betrayed her.
Ooo, Palantir, and Galadriel saw Numenor’s doom too, and Miriel opened up. I rather enjoyed the dynamic of two women with power interacting. She did deserve to be called chicken by Galadriel, seeming to be ruled more by fear of public opinion than fear of the gods. And so we had a reversal, with Miriel heeding the shower of falling white blossoms and agreeing to Galadriel’s plea for the Men of Numenor to aid the Men of the Southlands. Isildur’s mates and, obviously, Isildur himself were among the volunteers. (So, does that mean west Numenor is left hanging, narratively?) But I hope they don’t overuse that reversal technique.
But when I stop to think of it, all that set design for Numenor (however much of it was CGI) and the rest of what was onscreen was stonking.
Arondir got to meet Adar, and it was more pertinent that 'Adar' meant father for the orcs than what it means in Welsh. So, hi, there, scarred Sauron and your sacrilegious ambitions (lots more talk of the Valar in this ep.) Also, hi, there, Joseph Mawles, the first person I remember hearing was cast for this show years and years ago.
Perhaps one of the most potent scenes was when his creations, the orcs, could not come out from the forest into the sunlight and chase their prey, heightened by the vocal, which we eventually learned was Disa’s. What a powerful sound that was (loving that it was a woman’s voice soaring over the more familiar male Dwarven voices.) I thought it was a lament, but she told Elrond that it was a plea – a plea that was answered. I’d been thinking that we were lacking songs, because they’re so crucial in Tolkien’s writing.
I will say that, other than getting some sense of Adar/Sauron, the resolutions of previous cliffhangers weren’t what I’d expected and neither were they quite satisfying, which may make me a bit warier of future cliffhangers. Galadriel’s army was bluff, Miriel’s father turned out to be demented and on his deathbed more than a co-conspirator, (and it was mithril in the Dwarves’ box.)
Galadriel’s latest attempt at diplomacy got her thrown into gaol too. I’m with Halbrand: heh. She wasn’t to know that Queen Regent Miriel was plagued with nightmares of Numenor’s doom. Halbrand guided her through Diplomacy 101, and I don’t think she should take offence as horsey metaphors, given that she loves horseriding.
Elsewhere in Numenor, Isildur’s dreaming about west Numenor got him and his mates sacked. He felt guilty about the last bit. The Chancellor’s son was trying to charm Elendil’s daughter, and I was loving all the colours of the Chancellor’s facial hair. It turned out that the guy from the guild Halbrand had humiliated was Numenorian Enoch Powell, and it took the Chancellor’s sweet, sweet talking and booze (maybe Numenorian booze doesn’t make Men more aggressive) to stop riots. I mean, really, one Elf as a portent that They are coming to steal all your jobs? When I watched it, I was all ‘immigrant metaphor, except for the humans of Middle Earth, they’re the Romans’, but now I’m all ‘Skynet’, given all the discussion of AI coming for our jobs since this first aired. I wanted escapism!!
More seriously, that quelled riot spoke of who really lead Numenor. Miriel (and her father) seemed not to be able to rule as much as need the people’s consent, even if it wasn’t a democracy, and with the hints that west Numenor were more faithful to the Valar and the alliance with the Elves, one wondered what, other than bigheadedness, was driving the others’ insularity.
There was also a question over leadership at the watchtower, where loads of human villagers had fled, and Bronwyn, Orc-beheader, was bossing even the headsman, as the question of food became ever more pressing. Her own son was giving her grief, and I have so little sympathy for Theo. Even his little rebellion, which you could argue had some altruism to it, of returning to the village for supplies, was stupidly done. Just him and his mate? No weapons? Serve him right he got injured and his mate ran for his life.
And although sense would have dictated he dropped the weapon in the well before scarpering, he’s obviously under its sway, even if he hasn’t got a clue what he’s got himself into, as the older man showed him his Dark Mark and spouted true believer stuff. I am so sorry for Bronwyn that betrayal will come from that direction, and feeling vindictive enough that I was mocking the Orcs for not copying the Elves and making bows and arrows already to fell Theo. That’s where I was at with the teenage boi figure. (Er, where did Arondir get his bow and arrows from?)
On a surface level, Arondir coming to save the day and the Arondir/Bronwyn stuff was pretty, but I was more stirred by Theo hate.
So, I suppose Celebrimbor is not Sauron – but may yet be influenced by him, as he and Elrond discussed how well work was progressing on the phallic forge. The talk of how Elrond will hold his future in his hands was portentous, but their conversation’s main purpose was to send Elrond back to Khazad-dhun to find out why Durin was acting shiftily. He eventually cut through the lies to find out about mithril and experienced at close hand how dangerous the mining was. Durin vented A LOT at his father, but Elrond was able to trump his daddy issues (and, again, Elrond and the dwarves is hitting very familiar notes, but it’s done pretty well, so I don’t mind.) So, Durin made up with his father, the king, and they agreed that Gilgalad was up to something (he probably is) even if Elrond wasn’t and Durin should go investigate.
I believed that Galadriel was able to singlehandedly best Numenorian guards more than Halbrand beating five Numenorians. Of course, having helped her figure out Miriel’s weak spot and how to apply tactics, Halbrand betrayed her.
Ooo, Palantir, and Galadriel saw Numenor’s doom too, and Miriel opened up. I rather enjoyed the dynamic of two women with power interacting. She did deserve to be called chicken by Galadriel, seeming to be ruled more by fear of public opinion than fear of the gods. And so we had a reversal, with Miriel heeding the shower of falling white blossoms and agreeing to Galadriel’s plea for the Men of Numenor to aid the Men of the Southlands. Isildur’s mates and, obviously, Isildur himself were among the volunteers. (So, does that mean west Numenor is left hanging, narratively?) But I hope they don’t overuse that reversal technique.
But when I stop to think of it, all that set design for Numenor (however much of it was CGI) and the rest of what was onscreen was stonking.