LotR: The Rings of Power 1.08.
Oct. 15th, 2022 09:31 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakAnd thus, the season is complete. Incidentally, does anyone know who sings that musical version of the Ring poem over the final credits, and who composed the melody?
Like I said on other occasions, I get people who didn't, and not because of Elven hairstyles. For example, even I with my vague textual memories know this last episode makes some considerable changes to how Sauron tricked the elves, and how the Three were created. Having loved other books in a way that made me resent comparable changes in film versions a lot, I can imagine how you feel. However, this is not now I feel about this particular version, and thus I feel free to rave about all I liked:
- yes, the "good is as good does" was anything but subtle and on the nose, but it works for me, as did the juxtaposition of the Stranger/Meteor Man/Gandalf to Halbrand/Sauron through the season, if you think about it. The Stranger for much of the season is lacking his memories. He is faced with fear more often than not, and even Nori, who is the person showing him kindness consistently, comes to be afraid of him at a point. And not only does he respond to kindness, he keeps trying to help, and when being told he's a mightly Evil Overlord, he still does not go for the power grab but for the protect and defend option. Meanwhile, Sauron-as-Halbrand may or may not believe all he's telling Galadriel in their final confrontation this season, but he's certainly speaking the truth when saying he sees no difference between "healing" and "ruling", he's manipulated situations consistently towards achieving the later. I'm a bit reminded of the Star Trek: Discovery s3 finale, where it turns out Evil Overlady Osyraas means it when offering the Federation a deal and cooperation instead of war... except that when challenged to submit herself to a trial for her war crimes, she is outraged and calls the whole thing off. Similarly, Sauron may or may not believe anything he tells Galadriel - I think it's more interesting if he does believe the majority of it -, but the jump from (paraphrased) "but you said the evil of the past doesn't matter and I can be a new man!" to "well of course, Repentant!Me would also be in charge! Naturally I'd rule!" is telling in the same way. Yes, change and repentance is always possible. But not if you're not willing to face the music and pay for your sins, so to speak, and instead want everything served on a silver platter.
- as mental duels go, I like the way the show filmed this one, (nearly) without special effects (unlike the Galadriel vs Sauron confrontation a millennium later as staged in the third Hobbit movie) until the very end but letting Sauron slip through a series of Galadriel's memories and use them against her; and speaking of the Jackson movies, letting Sauron use a line in his pitch which Galadriel will later use when telling Frodo what essentially he's offering her worked for me
- also, Galadriel getting suspicious in the first place because she actually paid attention (beyond being angry) to what Adar had told her and remembered the phrasing, and then the scene where she already suspects but has no prove yet and he's thanking her with that "I'll never forget what you did for me... and I'll make sure no one else forgets, either" works neatly as praise and threat at the same time, which he later in their mental duel brings up again by telling her the other elves will never forgive her or trust her again if they find out he was her ally brings me to
- Galadriel NOT telling Elrond and Celebrimbor who Halbrand really was (just that he was Up To No Good and must not be admitted again): Galadriel may have ended the season to some degree ready to let go of the past for a greater goal (none too subtly symbolized by her giving up Finrod's dagger) and able to focus on the "saving people" before "avenging people" (see the scenes with Theo in the last episode), but she's still a (deliberately) flawed character; expecting Elrond to trust her unconditionally while unable to trust him in the same way, thus proving Sauron did manage to get to her to some degree: this, too, works for me, because it means Galadriel still has obstacles to overcome and a development to make, and it makes sense because Galadriel at this point in her life is NOT ready to diminish and go to the West, hence the show making her co-responsible for the creation of the Elven rings; since in showverse, it's those rings which allow the Elves to remain in Middle Earth, and Galadriel will be one of the three ring bearers
- back to the Gandalf & Nori & Harfoots plotline: the three creepy Sauron-following clerics (the pause button only revealed to me the other two are called "The Nomad" and "The Dweller") basically were just a plot device type of menace and catalyst so our lot could save and inspire each other via friendship, which is the kind of thing that either works for you or it doesn't, and it did for me; mind you, Poppy in the end not going with Nori and Gandalf after a tearful farewell made me protest inwardly "but you're her Sam! It's not time for you to become Mayor of Hobbiton, err, junior leader of the Harfoot yet!"
- and yet again I have to bring up how much I dig this whole fanfictiony backstory to Gandalf's hobbit fondness, that he was saved and imprinted on them via Nori Brandyfoot (and friends), and that he in turn became a catalyst for change for them.
- meanwhile in Numenor and on the way to it: Miriel and Elendil push all my "Queen and battered knight" buttons now; Earindir (spelling? Elendil's daughter?) discovering a Palantir with the dying King is ominous, of course
- so basically in this 'verse, the three Elven rings were formed partly of the metal symbolizing Elrond/Durin, Elf/Dwarf friendship and partly by the metal symbolizing Galadriel's need to avenge her brother and holding on to the past, summing up two major plot threads of the season.
In conclusion: thumbs up from me, and here's hoping for a second season (and more), because I want to continue with these versions of the characters for some more years.
Like I said on other occasions, I get people who didn't, and not because of Elven hairstyles. For example, even I with my vague textual memories know this last episode makes some considerable changes to how Sauron tricked the elves, and how the Three were created. Having loved other books in a way that made me resent comparable changes in film versions a lot, I can imagine how you feel. However, this is not now I feel about this particular version, and thus I feel free to rave about all I liked:
- yes, the "good is as good does" was anything but subtle and on the nose, but it works for me, as did the juxtaposition of the Stranger/Meteor Man/Gandalf to Halbrand/Sauron through the season, if you think about it. The Stranger for much of the season is lacking his memories. He is faced with fear more often than not, and even Nori, who is the person showing him kindness consistently, comes to be afraid of him at a point. And not only does he respond to kindness, he keeps trying to help, and when being told he's a mightly Evil Overlord, he still does not go for the power grab but for the protect and defend option. Meanwhile, Sauron-as-Halbrand may or may not believe all he's telling Galadriel in their final confrontation this season, but he's certainly speaking the truth when saying he sees no difference between "healing" and "ruling", he's manipulated situations consistently towards achieving the later. I'm a bit reminded of the Star Trek: Discovery s3 finale, where it turns out Evil Overlady Osyraas means it when offering the Federation a deal and cooperation instead of war... except that when challenged to submit herself to a trial for her war crimes, she is outraged and calls the whole thing off. Similarly, Sauron may or may not believe anything he tells Galadriel - I think it's more interesting if he does believe the majority of it -, but the jump from (paraphrased) "but you said the evil of the past doesn't matter and I can be a new man!" to "well of course, Repentant!Me would also be in charge! Naturally I'd rule!" is telling in the same way. Yes, change and repentance is always possible. But not if you're not willing to face the music and pay for your sins, so to speak, and instead want everything served on a silver platter.
- as mental duels go, I like the way the show filmed this one, (nearly) without special effects (unlike the Galadriel vs Sauron confrontation a millennium later as staged in the third Hobbit movie) until the very end but letting Sauron slip through a series of Galadriel's memories and use them against her; and speaking of the Jackson movies, letting Sauron use a line in his pitch which Galadriel will later use when telling Frodo what essentially he's offering her worked for me
- also, Galadriel getting suspicious in the first place because she actually paid attention (beyond being angry) to what Adar had told her and remembered the phrasing, and then the scene where she already suspects but has no prove yet and he's thanking her with that "I'll never forget what you did for me... and I'll make sure no one else forgets, either" works neatly as praise and threat at the same time, which he later in their mental duel brings up again by telling her the other elves will never forgive her or trust her again if they find out he was her ally brings me to
- Galadriel NOT telling Elrond and Celebrimbor who Halbrand really was (just that he was Up To No Good and must not be admitted again): Galadriel may have ended the season to some degree ready to let go of the past for a greater goal (none too subtly symbolized by her giving up Finrod's dagger) and able to focus on the "saving people" before "avenging people" (see the scenes with Theo in the last episode), but she's still a (deliberately) flawed character; expecting Elrond to trust her unconditionally while unable to trust him in the same way, thus proving Sauron did manage to get to her to some degree: this, too, works for me, because it means Galadriel still has obstacles to overcome and a development to make, and it makes sense because Galadriel at this point in her life is NOT ready to diminish and go to the West, hence the show making her co-responsible for the creation of the Elven rings; since in showverse, it's those rings which allow the Elves to remain in Middle Earth, and Galadriel will be one of the three ring bearers
- back to the Gandalf & Nori & Harfoots plotline: the three creepy Sauron-following clerics (the pause button only revealed to me the other two are called "The Nomad" and "The Dweller") basically were just a plot device type of menace and catalyst so our lot could save and inspire each other via friendship, which is the kind of thing that either works for you or it doesn't, and it did for me; mind you, Poppy in the end not going with Nori and Gandalf after a tearful farewell made me protest inwardly "but you're her Sam! It's not time for you to become Mayor of Hobbiton, err, junior leader of the Harfoot yet!"
- and yet again I have to bring up how much I dig this whole fanfictiony backstory to Gandalf's hobbit fondness, that he was saved and imprinted on them via Nori Brandyfoot (and friends), and that he in turn became a catalyst for change for them.
- meanwhile in Numenor and on the way to it: Miriel and Elendil push all my "Queen and battered knight" buttons now; Earindir (spelling? Elendil's daughter?) discovering a Palantir with the dying King is ominous, of course
- so basically in this 'verse, the three Elven rings were formed partly of the metal symbolizing Elrond/Durin, Elf/Dwarf friendship and partly by the metal symbolizing Galadriel's need to avenge her brother and holding on to the past, summing up two major plot threads of the season.
In conclusion: thumbs up from me, and here's hoping for a second season (and more), because I want to continue with these versions of the characters for some more years.
no subject
Date: 2022-10-15 01:40 pm (UTC)Fiona Apple sang the closing song, though I don't know if she also composed the music or if that was Bear McCreary.
The third lady in white was The Ascetic, though I don't know which one was which among the three of them.
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Date: 2022-10-15 03:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-10-15 04:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-10-15 03:58 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2022-10-15 07:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-10-16 08:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-10-16 04:56 am (UTC)I think at its strongest, it was more of a reaction to Tolkien's narratives than an adaptation of them -- it opened out the world in a lot of places, and I liked that.
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Date: 2022-10-16 08:23 am (UTC)That, too. I felt this with Nori and Poppy as the main proto-Hobbits (i.e. female characters, not male ones), and majorly with Adar as a response to Tolkien's "Orcs came from twisted/tortured elves" statement and the whole problem of Orcs as undistinguishable evil canon fodder.
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Date: 2022-10-17 10:31 pm (UTC)I also agree it was more like an opening-out of Tolkien's world, or a riff on same (and frankly after the Hobbit movies I am JUST FINE with that).
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Date: 2024-10-14 07:56 am (UTC)Although I think my favourite thought was this one by vaznetti below: 'it was more of a reaction to Tolkien's narratives than an adaptation of them' - it feels like very shiny fic, the good stuff that digs into the issues.
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Date: 2024-10-14 04:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-10-18 05:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-10-18 05:43 pm (UTC)https://x.com/finarfiniels/status/1582120175079653376?s=61
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Date: 2024-10-18 08:16 pm (UTC)The Tolkien purist in me is screaming, but also - it's shiny fic, so hey WHY NOT? Enemies to Lovers to Enemies.