Rings of Power

[Tar-Palantir]

I generally agree. The show ended up being solidly OK, which is realistically the best it was ever likely to be. Celebrimbor was a bit dim, though, and the forging of the Three felt rather too rushed, I thought. I did enjoy the last episode considerably more than most of its predecessors, however.

[Pentagathus]

I don't think I mentioned it before, but something that really bugged me was the repeated dialogue references to PJs films. I think it bothered me because it basically just kept drawing attention to an adaptation that was a) much more entertaining, and b) closer to the actual lore.
I mean Galadriel is kind of annoying but overall fine as long as you forget she's meant to be Galadriel, if you remember then her turning down the offer to rule alongside Suaron kind of mocks her turning down the ring in the Fellowship (admittedly ruling "alongside" is different to ruling with the power of the ring).

[Jubal]

Yeah, I think it could've veered away more from the Jackson stuff. Though I didn't honestly mind the turning down Sauron's offer scene, it worked for me as a Galadriel moment rather better than a lot of the stuff she was trying to pull in Numenor earlier in the season.

[Jubal]

Bret Deveraux has done a pretty brutal (though not altogether unfair) takedown of some of the world building problems:

https://acoup.blog/2022/12/16/collections-why-rings-of-powers-middle-earth-feels-flat/

[Pentagathus]

Haven't managed to read the whole post yet but yes, yes indeed.

[Jubal]

I tend to find BD's takes mostly good. Sometimes pedantic but that is kind of his whole thing and very much literally in the title.

[Son of the King]

What do people here think of season 2?

Personally I enjoyed it more than season 1, I think they ironed out a lot of the more annoying things, and I was able to forget the mithril subplot. Plus Sauron's performance was really wonderful.

[Jubal]

I haven't gotten round to watching it yet: I don't have access to Amazon Prime usually. I've heard surprisingly little about it, which suggests that other people in my circles haven't been rushing to see it, though I think Aly who usually comes to Exilian pub said that she enjoyed it.

Friend of Exilian Tar-Palantir has gone and put an overview and notes on his blog from his watchthrough, which might be of interest
https://aiyahelcarda.wordpress.com/2024/10/09/putting-everything-on-black/