# 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:** 44
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2022, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/863 "2022-09-25T18:04:31Z")
Ah. Thank you. Another lore-question, if I may: Are Arondir and his fellow patrollers or “watchmen” accurate? Or realistic, if you will? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2022, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/864 "2022-09-25T18:22:36Z")
There is no reference to them at all. It actually seems un-elvish for them to watch over the humans like that but One of the flaws with Elves would be not doing something like shown. ---
**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 25, 2022, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/865 "2022-09-25T18:40:57Z")
Only the original Klingon. ---
**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 25, 2022, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/866 "2022-09-25T20:27:29Z")
🤦‍♂️ of course! ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2022, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/867 "2022-09-25T21:11:15Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > This mithril thing is almost the last straw for me, you can’t invent something like that and then tell me with a straight face that you “respect Tolkien’s writing”. > The most infuriating thing is that is completely unnecesary, they invented it to put Elrond in a vise with respect to his oath and what not, but there were a thousand other ways to create conflict without inventing something so ridiculous. But you see- it is not necessarily true. It is simply what Gil-Galad told Elrond to get him to fess up. > [@Smapti](#): > > I kind of assumed Gil-Galad was bullshitting Elrond about why they need the mithril, and Elrond knew it, but felt compelled to repeat the lie to Durin. Elrond’s delivery when talking to Durin about it just felt insincere, as if he didn’t believe what he was saying. It seems to me that Gil-Galad’s ultimate aim is to cement the place of the Noldor as the rulers of Middle-Earth and he views Celebrimbor’s project as the means to that end, and something as unique and special as mithril will be a better host for the elf-magic than anything else they have access to. I concur. He just wants the Mithril to make some powerful magic rings that will help the elves > [@Maserschmidt](#): > > Oh, good question. I’d say a museum, but who in Numenor wants to go to the Elf Museum? Didn’t they show such a thing? Full of old Elvish records anyway. ---
**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 25, 2022, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/868 "2022-09-25T22:48:48Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > But you see- it is not necessarily true. It is simply what Gil-Galad told Elrond to get him to fess up. Yeah, if it’s just a lie then it’s not so bad (but is pretty bad to have Gil-Galad lying like that, unless he’s Sauron in disguise which would also be bad, but less bad than the other 2 alternatives) ---
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2022, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/869 "2022-09-25T23:55:55Z")
The stuff about mithril light to clad the Elves by spring is ludicrous. Durin saves that storyline. Elendil and Galadriel are going to Middle Earth to fight Sauron and - as I reckon it - they’re taking him along. Arondir and the folks in the tower have a magical Morgothian key that will be their salvation, while the outlook of the other half that swore to Adar is mirky. The Harfoots and the Grey Pilgrim are migrating and they have a lovely song. All good to go there. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2022, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/870 "2022-09-26T03:28:12Z")
What I like about the show so far: Doogie Howser, Half-Elf… Uh, I mean Elrond, and Durin. Their friendship seems the most genuine thing in this show. A “buddy cop” spin-off where they team up to solve mysteries and fight the Shadow would be awesome. Arondir is pretty cool. The best single character so far for me. The Harfoots are okay and interesting. They seem right for proto-Hobbits, like you see the seeds of what they’ll become. I have problems with them (WTF is with the name “Brandyfoot”?!) but overall not much. Nori in particular seems like the typical “curious Hobbit” archetype and seems well-done. I don’t have as many problems with Galadriel as some in this thread but I don’t see her as much of a weakness, she’s just not much of a strength either. I am liking the series in general, I have to just roll with it sometimes when something seems to really clash with canon or just doesn’t make sense in general, but it’s not too hard for me. ---
**Author:** ![Sine\_Nomine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sine_nomine/32/513_2.png) [@Sine\_Nomine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sine_Nomine)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2022, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/871 "2022-09-26T14:58:45Z")
For the first few episodes, I was intrigued enough to be curious about where the storylines were going, but this most recent episode just made me feel restless. The pacing is starting to remind me too much of the soap operas I watched in my misspent youth. All week, they’d make you think something was _about to happen_, using absurd contrivances and near-misses to stretch things out until some plot occurred on Fridays. I kept watching because I was young and stupid and YouTube didn’t exist yet. 😃 I was weirdly disappointed that Theo didn’t lose his arm, as an example. Not because I hate the character – quite the opposite – but because by this point I want something of consequence to happen to a character we’ve come to care about. I need some stakes, rather than so many mysteries that are being drawn out just a little too long. Don’t get me wrong; I’m overall still interested in the show. They’ve made interesting characters, and I’m very curious to see how things play out. I will add that I’m glad it’s on Amazon Prime, so I can hover over the screen whenever I forgot a character’s name! ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2022, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/872 "2022-09-26T15:58:43Z")
So I’ve been aimlessly browsing through some bits of Tolkien-lore in the depths of the net, and now I think that Adar is some amalgamation of [Maeglin](https://lotr.fandom.com/wiki/Maeglin) and his father, the [‘Dark Elf’ Eöl](https://lotr.fandom.com/wiki/E%C3%B6l) ([here’s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maGGGZ2Qoy8) the youtube-video that led me down this rabbit hole). The latter was born in Beleriand, which Adar has claimed to remember, and wasn’t a fan of the sun, which Adar apparently seeks to extinguish (though he seems rather fond of it). Plus, Eöl crafted a set of two swords, [Anguirel](https://lotr.fandom.com/wiki/Anguirel) and [Anglachel](https://lotr.fandom.com/wiki/Anglachel), made from meteoric iron, which were apparently somewhat semi-conscious and within which the ‘dark heart of the smith’ still dwells: > Anglachel seems to have held a certain level of sentient awareness, poured into it from Eöl: it was fierce and bloodthirsty, drinking the blood of those it bit. One of them ended up in the possession of Maeglin, who is eventually captured by Morgoth, and tortured/seduced into servitude and betraying the location of Gondolin. So I think Adar is probably not Sauron… ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2022, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/873 "2022-09-26T17:36:59Z")
In a way, it must be kind of fun mining these little bits of lore for the next episode. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2022, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/874 "2022-09-26T18:52:27Z")
Due to unforeseen medical issues and being confined alone to a hotel room in a foreign country for the last week, I’ve had a chance to watch a lot of TV. I’ve been through “Obi-Wan” - fun enough. Can’t beat a bit of Darth. I’ve also watched “Andor” (the first 3 episodes anyway) liking it a lot, can’t wait for ep4. Then, I’ve struggled through the first few episodes of TROP, and I found them turgid in the extreme. Other than being superficially pretty in places It really does not feel anything like a Tolkien world. The writing is poor, the acting is mostly wooden and the multiple intertwined stories haven’t lead anywhere interesting. I really don’t have a clue what is supposed to be happening to whom and nor do I care. Not good, shan’t be continuing. Watching shouldn’t be a chore. Wherever the money has gone it wasn’t on the script. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2022, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/875 "2022-09-30T20:45:28Z")
While we’re waiting for everyone to watch the latest episode… I noticed from the beginning the resemblance of the intro sequence to [Chladni plates](https://sciencedemonstrations.fas.harvard.edu/presentations/chladni-plates). In essence these are patterns induced by vibrating a metal plate at a resonant frequency, and watching particles on the plate bounce around until they hit a node–that is, a point where the amplitude of the vibration is zero. I vaguely wondered if anyone had looked into this, maybe tried to recreate it. And here we go: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/rjueHI002Fg/maxresdefault.jpg "I recreated the Rings of Power with a vibrating square") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjueHI002Fg) It’s a nice effect. They’re certainly doing it with CGI, at least in part, but many of the figures are at least approximately correct. The whole setup has certain a certain metaphorical relationship to Tolkein’s world, though I’m not sure that was intended. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2022, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/876 "2022-09-30T22:36:38Z")
I liked it. Some good action, sneakiness and Adar-ing. He’s certainly not Sauron. ---
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2022, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/877 "2022-10-01T00:42:08Z")
Some good one-on-one dialogue this week. Galadriel with Isildur, G with Elendil, G and fair Halbrand and the fine bit between G and Adar where his words about looking into the mirror to see the darkness clearly get inside her head. Galadriel will certainly have much to reckon with. She will have seen Halbrand save Elendil and eventually how that turns out later this Age. I like Adar - good character. He got Waldreg to turn the Morgothian key that fires up Mordor and puts the û in Udûn. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2022, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/878 "2022-10-01T00:56:14Z")
Adar = Redcloak from OOTS, in terms of motivations, which would make Sauron = Xykon, where they finally had a falling out. spoiler]Still not sure what the motivation of the old man would be to fulfill his little task there. Yeah swore an oath with Adar, but you’d think he’d still have a modicum of loyalty to his original people when it comes to frying his ancestral lands. ---
**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:** [October 1, 2022, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/879 "2022-10-01T01:38:18Z")
Who was the old guy with the key, and how did he get it? ---
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2022, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/880 "2022-10-01T01:59:32Z")
nm for now ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2022, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/881 "2022-10-01T02:12:02Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Who was the old guy with the key, and how did he get it? Walgren - the guy from the village who kept it before Theo stole it. The one who worshipped Sauron. Adar gave it to him just before the Numenorean’s attacked. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2022, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/882 "2022-10-01T02:22:59Z")
Are they telling us that the humans were living in Mordor before it got Mordored? And now the key or whatever was turned, the mountain…became Mount Doom and the surrounding area got lava-ey and became Mordor? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497.md?page=43) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497.md?page=45)