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09-26-2024, 12:17 PM | #1 |
Laconic Loreman
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**Spoiler Warning** Rings of Power, S2E7 - "Doomed to Die"
Well I’m hyped for next week to see the conclusion to Season 2.
I’m really going to miss Annatar’s and Celebrimbor’s scenes together. Vickers and Edwards brought it all season and they are the standouts to Season 2. “You truly are the Great Deceiver, for you’ve even deceived yourself” Celebrimbor’s and Galadriel’s reunion and short conversation was also a fitting and touching moment. Unlike Elrond and Galadriel’s reunion which is definitely one of the series worst decisions, imo. With everything this season had going for it, I just don’t get why they felt the need to go there between Galadriel and Elrond. I continue to love everything about the dwarves. Prince Durin’s speech shows why Sauron was never truly able to understand and thus control the dwarves through the 7 rings. But, then comes the scene you can see Elrond's heart breaking (you’ll know when you know) and I like where they seem to be taking the breakdown in the dwarven and elven friendship. A Tolkien way to portray who’s at “fault?” No one can really say, but probably misunderstanding and mistrust on both sides (something Sauron can exploit!) And for smaller moments of brilliance…wow the troll! And High King Gil-galad, his sword was long, his lance was keen.
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09-26-2024, 08:49 PM | #2 | |
Drummer in the Deep
Join Date: Feb 2003
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The jewelrymaker in me is very happy in the way Celebrimbor joined the ends of the ring together in that opening scene. (You shouldn't open a ring of metal in a U shape, this will place stress on part of the circlet and it will likely never join in the same place again - it should be opened more "up and down" so it looks like the coil of a spring.)
The smoke from the burning blocking the sun is a nice touch. Black blood! Soooooooo......how old is Celebrian now, do you think? I'm kinda surprised that the black speech has a word for "love". Did.....did Galadriel just quote The Princess Bride at Arondir? I'm going to pretend she did. Oooooooooooo is Celebrimbor going to Maedhros/Beren himself??? Nope just Frodo himself. Very "The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb" of him. [Sauron screams] Aiglos! Okay they've got to be doing the Princess Bride almost-quotes on purpose right? \,,/ \,,/ Quote:
I thought Elrond was going to give her Nenya or something with his mouth. Not quite as it turns out haha.
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09-27-2024, 03:59 AM | #3 | |
Laconic Loreman
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Quote:
I kind of dislike Galadriel even more this season, and it's got nothing to do with Morfyyd Clark. I hope she gets her character arc in future seasons. She's proving to be just as easily manipulated as she was in Season 1. I did enjoy her reunion with Celebrimbor though, that was a highlight moment.
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09-28-2024, 08:52 AM | #4 |
Drummer in the Deep
Join Date: Feb 2003
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I had to rewatch the Celebrimbor/Sauron scenes. I'm fascinated by the spectrum of Aule's apprentices, their failings and their approaches to creation. Annatar watching Celebrimbor living in Feanor's shadow, recognizing what he's willing to sacrifice and then pushing him past that - perverting the act of sacrificing one's own time/effort/flesh into just his own flesh and forcing someone else's time and effort is an interesting take. To quote LotR and The Last Unicorn -
"The Shadow that bred them [orcs] can only mock, it cannot make: not real new things of its own." "Real magic can never be made by offering up someone else's liver. You must tear out your own, and not expect to get it back. The true witches know that." Adar has begun to knowingly or unknowingly mirror that by sacrificing his children.
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But all the while I sit and think of times there were before
I listen for returning feet and voices at the door |
09-28-2024, 09:31 PM | #5 |
Cryptic Aura
Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 5,996
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Finally caught up and watched this episode this evening. I really appreciate Boro's discussions as they have whetted my interest.
For my part, most of the crappier stuff in "Rings of Power" is forgiven for this depiction of Sauron/Annatar and just how he can deceive and control. In many ways, the psychological nuances create a far more convincing and fearful villain or source of evil than the Sauron of PJ's movies, or, dare I say, even how he is presented by Tolkien in LotR. Yes, Celebrimbor 's fall depicts well how evil works. They can try to depict Galadriel as a warrior but no matter how many sword fights or knife fights or high falutin' elven leader scenes they create, they utterly breech or transgress that attempt with the utterly stupid kiss between Elrond and her. Do we get to see a kiss between her and Gil-galad next episode? Equal opportunity time, writers. imho I've been reading recently about why or how readers come back to reread LotR, in part as a return to a sentimental or nostalgic past that is so attractive. Can't say that this Second Age offers a similar nostalgic past; it's all just how everyone royally messes up. The message of hope in LotR seems to be missing in this age.
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10-02-2024, 05:45 PM | #6 |
Dead Serious
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I have some issues and enjoyed some things--the mixed bag is getting to be quite typical.
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10-03-2024, 08:42 AM | #7 | |
Shade of Carn Dűm
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Quote:
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10-05-2024, 03:37 PM | #8 |
Overshadowed Eagle
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I found this episode very frustrating. The moral of it appeared to be "even if you reject evil you are still utterly in its power": except for Celebrimbor while in his vision, everyone Sauron directly controls is someone who has recognised him, rejected him, and is actively working against him. The second message is "faith in your friends is folly"; see Elrond's final sequence.
At almost every point, I feel like Tolkien would have done, not just something different, but the opposite of this. Specifically including the random pointless murder of Mirdania; I don't like random punishment deaths, and there's at least two in this episode. In the spirit of balance, I appreciated the Gondolin echoes, with Galadriel standing in for Idril and being told to lead the refugees out through a tunnel. I'm not sure how much of that is in the appendices, but it felt deliberate. And I think 'pretend to kiss her to distract from handing her the brooch' was tolerably clever (and, 'not idly do the leaves of Lindon fall...'). Ultimately, I think my wife had the best final comment on episode seven: "Nothing in this makes me want them to save Middle-earth." hS
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