# Amazon Lord of the Rings series; The Rings of Power **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** middle-earth, amazon-prime, tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [March 3, 2019, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497 "2019-03-03T20:01:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 26
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2022, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/502 "2022-09-08T15:34:15Z")
That’s great! ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2022, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/503 "2022-09-08T15:41:45Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > I didn’t get that impression - it was called Mordor before Sauron settled there, IIRC. So not a fertile valley. At least, Orodruin should already be there, and we haven’t seen an isolated volcano. Yeah but that’s according to canon and we know that the writers don’t really believe in that. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2022, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/504 "2022-09-08T15:48:50Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > Yeah but that’s according to canon and we know that the writers don’t really believe in that. Not all canon is equally important. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2022, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/505 "2022-09-08T15:52:37Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > It isn’t necessary that the meteor arrived from outside Middle-earth , it might be the magic equivalent of a ICBM. Well, it certainly wasn’t shot from a canon. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2022, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/506 "2022-09-08T16:13:41Z")
Maybe Sauron was hiding in LAO (Low Arda Orbit). ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2022, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/507 "2022-09-08T16:45:04Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Well, it certainly wasn’t shot from a canon. I chuckled. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/508 "2022-09-09T05:31:21Z")
Question, because I don’t remember: it’s asserted above that Galadriel jumped out of the ship. Is that established, or did her ambivalence and inadequate hand-holding result in a Left Behind sort of experience? Either way, I like the parallelism of Galadriel falling to the water and the Stranger falling to earth. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/509 "2022-09-09T06:05:16Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > OK, you’ve managed to convince me - not _just_ that shot, which I agree shows a more isolated peak, but more importantly, the bit where Médhor says “Can you believe this was once a barren scrap of rock?” Well, as of tonight’s episode, > **spoilered by puzzlegal** > > the orcs don’t seem to be wasting any time re-barrening it. Very much shades of Saruman leveling the woods around Isengard. Galadriel realizing that Sauron’s sigil is in fact a map of the Southlands seems to pretty much confirm what I suspected. I think we can rule out the Stranger as being Sauron at this point, now that Adar has been revealed. > > Elendil as a put-upon single dad is an interesting take, but I like the actor. His recognizing Galadriel in the tapestry depicting the farewell of Elros and Elrond was a nice touch. > > Halbrand is shaping up to be something of an anti-Aragorn - instead of being the heir to the true king, he’s the heir to Morgoth’s human lieutenant. It’ll be interesting to see what side he ends up on in the coming war, which considering the compressed timeline, will likely be a mashup of the War of Elves and Sauron and the War of the Last Alliance. I’m still personally leaning toward him being Tom Bombadil, but it’s also definitely a possibility after this episode that he’s Gandalf. > > Queen Miriel appears to be fulfilling the same role held in the books by Ar-Pharazon, her cousin-husband who usurped what ought to have been her throne. In the books she was the daughter of Tar-Palantir, the last elf-friendly king of Numenor, who I think is going to be the exiled former king Elendil referred to. Here, she speaks to her father as if he was also anti-elf, which definitely implies that she’s not the old king’s daughter. > > I wasn’t impressed with the CGI on the warg. For as beautiful and capitvating as the scenery and set design and costuming has been so far (especially in Numenor, which had a strong Greek influence in keeping with Tolkien’s identifying it with Atlantis), the warg looked like something out of a much lower-budget production. I’m definitely hooked now and interested in seeing where this goes. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/510 "2022-09-09T15:24:37Z")
Is there a protocol for labeling or spoilering posts for the first day or two each episode is available, or do I just have to stay away from the thread until I’ve had a chance to watch each episode? What day and time do the episodes drop, anyway? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/511 "2022-09-09T15:53:42Z")
I had the same question. I had assumed it was safe to read this thread this morning. I’d prefer we not post open spoilers until a day or two after the episodes air, personally. But more importantly, i want an explicit standard for the thread, so we all know how to interact with it. I’ve spoilered the above for now. _Poll ([view on site](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/511))_ ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/512 "2022-09-09T15:54:33Z")
> [@susan](#): > > Question, because I don’t remember: it’s asserted above that Galadriel jumped out of the ship. Is that established, or did her ambivalence and inadequate hand-holding result in a Left Behind sort of experience? > > Either way, I like the parallelism of Galadriel falling to the water and the Stranger falling to earth. Oh, that’s a really interesting hypothesis. I assumed she had jumped. But “left behind” is a much better version. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/513 "2022-09-09T16:18:54Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Oh, that’s a really interesting hypothesis. I assumed she had jumped. But “left behind” is a much better version. I rewatched it, and it kinda looks like she jumped, but it’s hard to tell for sure. She certainly looked as though she was quite hesitant about the whole thing, but that may have been why she was “rejected” by the light and left behind. Definitely puts a different take on it if her swim wasn’t done voluntarily. As far as spoilers, I personally don’t mind, and often seek them out, as I tend to miss things the first watch through, and knowing what is coming actually helps me to understand what is going on and enjoy it better. And I also think that if a production is “ruined” by spoilers, then it wasn’t a very good story in the first place. OTOH, I absolutely understand that there are others who do not feel that way, so I would recommend that spoilers be either spoiled or condensed until at least Sunday night/ Monday morning, when everyone who is interested in the show should have reasonably had a chance to watch it. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/514 "2022-09-09T16:30:59Z")
Did she jump, or was she pushed? According to Morfydd Clark, she jumped…. > **[Lord of the Rings: Morfydd Clark Explains Galadriel's Jump in Episode 1](https://www.thewrap.com/lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-episode-1-ending-galadriel-why-jump-morfydd-clark/)** > > The "Rings of Power" actress breaks down her character's leap of faith for TheWrap (also, all my SDMB posts start with a try at voice to text, and just now it got her name right!) ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/515 "2022-09-09T17:06:21Z")
Agreed that a standard is best and that whatever it is is fine. That said I think the default for broadcast was open spoilers once aired and that the same for once dropped for weekly drop shows makes sense too. Given this drops Thursday nights readers should be prepared for open discussion by Friday am. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/516 "2022-09-09T17:21:54Z")
Nothing worse than a destination wedding to get cold feet. Especially one where you have to get there in a standing room only boat. When I was watching that, I was wondering if it is just the discipline of the elves that have them standing stock still for possibly days or weeks, or if they were under some sort of outside control. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/517 "2022-09-09T18:29:58Z")
It seems to me that the precedent for late night shows (Mandalorian, Rick and Morty, etc.) has been open spoilers after it airs. Spoilering everything for several days would just stifle the conversation. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/518 "2022-09-09T21:08:00Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Given this drops Thursday nights readers should be prepared for open discussion by Friday am. It only arrives Fridays here, but I don’t care about spoilers, so don’t factor that into it. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/519 "2022-09-09T21:34:13Z")
It drops at 9 PM Thursday on the west coast. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2022, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/520 "2022-09-10T02:02:43Z")
I just watched episode 3, and it ended by saying the next episode would be available Friday. Maybe it’s Friday midnight on the east coast, which is Thursday 9pm on the west coast? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2022, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/521 "2022-09-10T02:04:11Z")
I don’t think the options are “discuss right away” or “wait and discuss later”. I think they are “use spoilers for a day or two” or “don’t use spoiler tags”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497.md?page=25) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497.md?page=27)