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beyonddarkness · 1 year

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Thoughts on Haladriel/Saurondriel

(I might be converted)

Okay, can I be COMPLETELY honest?

I always understood the shipping of Halbrand/Sauron and Galadriel, but for the sake of analyzing, I never let myself believe that there was any element of attraction from either side. Because they have a "cosmic connection," you know?

But something changed today (even though that "cosmic connection" is still very much a thing). I came to the conclusion that, while my pain for Galadriel has now increased manifold, I am so relieved from everything Morfydd said in her recent interview, particularly that the ambiguity behind their relationship was Charlie's idea (how dare he) because now I know that Charlie is Sauron, irl. Let me explain. (Prepare for a long read—bonus content at the end):

Charlie never told a lie in press.

"Were we in a relationship of seduction or power? It's up to the viewer to decide" (Morfydd).

What Morfydd said didn't give anything away. It truly leaves everything up to interpretation even more than before, and yet any way you slice it, everything makes sense. It fits with everything that everyone has said in press (the 'cosmic connection', 'it's not romantic', etc.).

Think of it this way:

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If everything was purely platonic, and Galadriel was not attracted to Halbrand in the least, then Sauron was tempting Galadriel with power. This makes sense, since we know that Galadriel left Valinor in large part because she desired to rule over a realm of her own. Power is very enticing to her.

That also means that Galadriel would never, ever, EVER think of anyone but Celeborn, which is nice. I mean, once Elves marry, that's it. No backsies. In this case, Sauron would be playing it safe, not fooling himself into thinking that Galadriel would fall for a MAN (of all things), after she has already been married.

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On the other hand, BOY is Sauron able to seduce.

Now, when we think of seduction, some of us automatically think:

But Galadriel most likely would not be enticed by an extremely forward approach. She would slap that guy so silly.

So here's why Sauron is terrifying: Halbrand is so nice.

His approach would be: Become friends first, to make it difficult to resist joining him in the end. He made himself attractive in a way that, if successful, would make her attached to him for much longer than if he was strictly flirtatious (a few thousand years should do it). He never said anything forward until their friendship developed to a certain point (1x06).

And as long as I've been denying that either side was attracted to the other, the one thing I have never been able to get out of my head is the fact that in episode 7, Galadriel called to Halbrand before anyone else. Later, she mentioned Celeborn to Theo (for the first time in presumably centuries, after she assumed Halbrand had died). Then, when she saw Halbrand again, she called him her friend, and he for some reason had to say:

"Nor will you."

Then he made that STUPID SMIRK, and poor Galadriel looked SO TORN. We just barely learned that her husband was in the picture, so he was fresh on her mind. And then we had this thrown on us, to indicate that something about this friendship was not right.

(Oh, the discomfort and second-hand embarrassment I felt for Halbrand, before I knew that he was Sauron.)

Since Galadriel hasn't seen her husband in centuries (even though she loves him a lot—I mean A LOT), she was very vulnerable to seduction, because... she was alone. Halbrand saved her life, rivaled her intelligence, didn't beg for her attention on account of her beauty, connected with her on a level that probably hasn't happened in a while, became her really good friend, made her feel free fighting at his side, etc. If that doesn't spark someone's interest, I don't know what does. (His looks are a major bonus.)

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Now, here is what's really unfortunate, and causes me pain beyond measure: Sauron wouldn't have fallen in love. But Galadriel would have, and he knew that.

No one (JD, Patrick, Charlie, and Morfydd) ever lied in any interview. Have you ever noticed that whenever they spoke of the lack of romance, they were always talking specifically about Sauron's perspective? :')

Here are some examples:

Charlie: "I mean, look. I don't see it as a... strictly—I don't know. I haven't run this past you guys [Patrick: 'Run it by!']—as a King and Queen thing. I love the reflection bit. But it's not like... I think ultimately, if she had said yes, he's very much the King, and she's like his sidekick, in terms of ruling." Patrick: "And it's not like a marriage—[Morfydd: 'How...]—proposal...—[...dare you.'] [...] Charlie: "You guys sent me something really early on. It's WH Auden, talking about good and evil in Tolkien, and the difference when it gets to evil. It's affection—I'm paraphrasing here—but affection goes out the window. And you see this relationship, and you see affection, but in the end, it's only for personal gain. [...] The whole season, you see them working together, and they have this sort of—we like to call it a 'cosmic connection'. Not romantic. [laughs] Although, I got in a lot of trouble for saying it wasn't romantic yesterday, because of the 'shipping'; the people shipping. [Interviewer: 'How dare you.'] [laughs] Yeah, exactly. And I think it's very clear on the raft that he's just using her for his own personal gain, rather than any sort of love and affection to her." (Empire Spoiler Special)

Charlie: "I think they have a 'cosmic connection', but I don't think it's necessarily, in his mind, a King and a Queen... like husband and wife kind of situation. I think it's more, 'I can use you to get what I want, and effect my designs faster.' Because ultimately, I think he would have ended up ruling by himself, whether she joined him or not. And when she says no on the raft, it angers him, but it's not the end of the world for him." (Deadline Inside the Ring)

So, if Sauron was trying to effectively seduce Galadriel into falling in love with him, it was always going to be one-sided. He would have never felt any real love towards her, but his goal would be to get Galadriel to feel something like that towards him. For personal gain.

And if Galadriel did feel something, how much more ashamed and violated would she feel in the end, knowing that he did it on purpose?

:'))))

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Here is the ultimate question:

Did Sauron tempt Galadriel with power, or seduction (or both)?

Here's the thing -> Charlie

Morfydd said in her interview that "Halbrand's hold on Galadriel was less connoted in the storylines," meaning it was more straight forward, and not much was implied. But she did not say which direction the scripts leaned, meaning Charlie said one of two things:

"Let's make it seem less romantic."

"Let's make it seem more romantic."

Either way, he's actually so mean, I can't put it into words.

Here's why both possibilities work perfectly: Every time Charlie or anyone else has talked about the lack of romance in interviews, they're always speaking from Sauron's perspective; Galadriel's feelings are wide open for interpretation. Whether Sauron tempted her with power or seduction, he never loved her. He knows how to seduce, and he does it well, but it doesn't mean he feels it. That's why I'm terrified of him, and I'm also afraid of Charlie.

Ever since that interview with Morfydd, I've realized that Charlie has a lot more to do with the character than he's letting on. He knows enough about Sauron to propose an idea that fits into the lore. The fact that the scripts were "less connoted," and he managed to convince everyone to make the relationship more ambiguous is just... GAH. How dare he!

Is it power or seduction?? Both work so well, it could very well be both at the same time! (Charlie and his ambiguities. *sigh*)

But again, it's a matter of what Sauron is tempting Galadriel with; not what he feels, himself.

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So, why am I relieved? Because Chapter 6. :)

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Bonus: Translation of the Haunting Music

It is time.

With all of this in mind, I would like to take a shot in the dark. Remember that ultra creepy/seductive part of the music in The Broken Line? A couple of months ago, I was driven crazy by the fact that right in the middle of a musical phrase, the vocals transitioned from Black Speech to Quenya, when Sauron's doing this:

I wanted to know the translation, so I used Paul Strack's lexicon. I managed to pick out most of the words in the music, but since I'm not fluent in Elvish grammar, I don't dare try to translate it. I will just give you the translation for each word, and let you decide what it means for yourself. It'll be fun. :)

Here's the music:

Here are the words (red is confirmed, purple is what I made out, and the [?] is the last word that I cannot figure out, for the life of me. So if someone could enlighten me, I would greatly appreciate it):

ash gul ishi ghash [ash] gul insangarë antani márië i cilmë [?]

Here are the translations:

Black Speech:

ash: "one" gul: "phantom" ishi: "in" ghash: "fire"

Quenya:

insangarë: "temptation" anta-: "to give, present; to add to" ni: "me, I" márië: "well, happily; goodness, good estate, being well, happiness" i: "the" cilmë: "choice, choosing"

In episode 6, Adar said in Quenya, "What I seek. Give it to me." His sentence ended with "antani". So... if "antani" comes after the subject of a sentence... "insangarë antani"? O_O

Someone please help Galadriel. I can hardly stand it. Where's Celeborn?

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liminal-zone · 2 years

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I WILL GIVE YOU POWER THAT NOBODY WANTS TO GIVE YOU. that’s a new nuance for me. It’s not just power, it’s the power that Gil Galad and others refuse to give her, telling her to GO HOME GRANDMA. man. Delicious.

[X]

#saurondriel #haladriel #patrick mckay #Sauron #Galadriel #the rings of power #added fuel to a roaring fire

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sirioniel · 2 years

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So. After processing the series' finale.

In my own humble opinion.

The series was not perfect. It couldn't have been, nothing can be absolutely perfect. And that's ok.

Because they, J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay, the cast and crew, got so much right and showed themselves to be Tolkien nerds.

I loved it.

#rings of power #j.d. payne #the rings of power #rop #patrick mckay #trop #lotr trop #lotrrop

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emarasmoak · 1 year

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A few (minor) spoilers on season 2 of The Rings of Power thanks to @lotrropbrand in Twitter:

#the rings of power #trop season 2 #trop spoilers #jd payne #patrick mckay #charlie vickers #Sauron #cirdan

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attheexactlyrighttimeandplace · 1 year

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#the rings of power #trop season 2 #j.d payne #patrick mckay #lotr on prime #lotr: the rings of power #writers strike #i'm not sure being part of the guild force them to strike #they seem to be very much on the same line of beliefs as bezos when it comes to capitalism #i wouldn't be surprised if they continue to work during the strike which makes me nervous about the quality of the scripts #really they shouldn't be allowed to do rewrite and “fix” others' people's work: they're too inexperimented and incompetent

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absencesrepetees · 2 years

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the lord of the rings: the rings of power (patrick mckay & john d. payne, 2022)

#lotr #the lord of the rings: the rings of power #patrick mckay #john d. payne #wayne yip #j.a. bayona #charlotte brändström #aaron morton #alex disenhof #oscar faura #s

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whitewaterpaper · 2 years

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SoR/LotR: “Alloyed” [S01E08].

Serie: Sagan om ringen: Maktens ringar

Originaltitel: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

Skapare: John D. Payne.

Författare: J.R.R. Tolkien (boken).

Författare: Gennifer Hutchison & John D. Payne & Patrick McKay (avsnittet).

Regissör: Wayne Yip (avsnittet).

Publicerad: 2022.

Medium: TV/Prime Video.

¡Oi! Spoilers, stavfel och alternativa fakta kan förekomma rakt föröver!

Så kom den så då till slut: seriefinalen. Och kanske är det här det bästa avsnittet i hela säsongen… Så lagom nu att bli intressant. Eller: nej jag överdriver en aning.

Man inleder med att försöka lura tittaren att alla spekulationer att meteoritmannen är Gandalf är fel. Det är det givetvis inte, men det är lite kuligt att se när Hårfotingarna lyckas befria meteoritmannen och de androgyna varelserna inser att de inte fått tag på sin store mästare.

Jag skall erkänna att även om jag var misstänksam mot Helbrand (som om han ständigt höll något hemligt) så var det lite av en överraskning att han var Sauron. Jag kan bara utgå från att han genomgick samma minnesförvirring som Meteoritmannen, och att han under en tid kanske till och med trodde han var söderns återvändande konung. (Och typ, det var han – men inte på det viset Galadriel väntade sig).

Överlevande från Númenor återvänder till ett land i sorg då den gamle kungen lämnat in. Det sista han säger är någon yrande profetia om att landet kommer gå under om de inte återvänder till de gamla sederna. Och minns jag inte fel så gick väl landet under? Visionerna Galadriel hade i Palantír:en visade att en tsunami sveper in över landet – något som då påminde mig om legenderna om Atlantis. Det känns som om serien inte är klar med folket från Númenor än.

Han har inte haft många scener i säsongen med alvernas högste kung är verkligen en karaktär, direkt otrevlig i de flesta av sina scener och jag börjar misstänka att det kanske finns mer än bara rent mjöl i hans påse. Själva smidandet av de tre ringarna är sällsamt odramatiskt. Men gillar att vi får reda på varför de tre ringarna ursprungligen smiddes.

Det här har varit en lång och tung säsong, där det varit svårt att se fram emot varje avsnitt. Berättarglädjen har helt enkelt inte funnits där, och Daniel Roman på WinterIsComing.com kanske sammanfattar serien bäst:

For my money, The Wheel of Time stands head and shoulders above The Rings of Power in this regard; in fact, I’d say that writing is The Rings of Power’s single biggest weakness, which is a dangerous fatal flaw for a show to have. It looks gorgeous, has solid actors and a beautiful musical score. But its first season has consistently felt like it was moving down a list of bulleted plot points, rather than diving deep into its characters and getting viewers invested the way great shows do. (Källa: winteriscoming.net)

Och jag håller med i mycket av vad han säger berättandet var en sammanställd checklista och berättarkonsten låg att dra på det i åtta avsnitt. Och allt förpackat med effekter, skådespelare och musik som berättandet egentligen inte förtjänade. Och då nämner jag ändå inte hoppen. Halva säsongen spenderades med maniskt hoppa runt mellan karaktärerna med samma snabbhet och grace som Sanna Kallur på 100m häck. Ingen tid spenderades, som citatet ovan säger, med att låta oss lära känna karaktärerna.

Avsnitten har kanske varit i det längsta laget de med, dock så noterar jag med humor att avsnitten till den tredje säsongen av The Orville varit bitvis längre (längsta klockade in på 1h:27min) men där märktes längden inte av alls. Det är en konst att berätta bra och engagerande – Amazon har med LotR:RoP och WoT visat att budget är inte allt.

Jag avrundar med att tacka @kulturdasset för sällskapet igenom den här säsongen. "Delad glädje är dubbel glädje, delad börda är halv börda" som man brukar säga.

P.S. Regissören till det här avsnittet regisserade även ett par avsnitt av WoT, kanske därför det tillhör ett av de bättre?

Länkar.

The Wheel of Time should’ve gotten The Rings of Power’s huge budget.

#tv #streaming #john d. payne #j.r.r. tolkien #gennifer hutchison #patrick mckay #wayne yip #sagan om ringen: maktens ringar #the lord of the rings: the rings of power #alloyed #s01e08 alloyed #fantasy #äventyr #action #prime video #2022 #us

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thranduilofsmirkwood · 2 years

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I've been reading articles where showrunners discuss turning Sauron into a "Walter White" or a "Tony Soprano" complex baddie.

Supposedly this is the story these 2 fucking morons think we want. Think we missed in season 1. Think would make the story more like Milton...

Howzabout making the story more like JRRT? If they want to hijack another shows complex bad guy - why not Marlo Stanfield or Stringer Bell from "The Wire"? Or Hannibal? Voldemort? JR Ewing? If they're going to steal why not steal a real, chewy, delicious villain?

Maybe have Sauron/Annatar make the one ring in a dismal camper in the desert (wearing only a mask/tighty-whiteys)? Or have him make the one ring in the basement of the Bada-Bing Club or in the Jersey Pine Barrens?

They had 8 hours to grab us in the 1st season and failed. By now Jeff Bezos knows he gave a billion bucks to the worst people possible. He knows that he didn't get the new subscriptions or merchandise sales he needed to make this break even. He sees how many critics went from hot rave reviews to lukewarm or cold by the season finale.

Oh well. These things happen.

“He that breaks a thing to find out what it is, has left the path of wisdom.” — Gandalf

Or, as the Lord of Invisibility says so eloquently:

“But do not despise the lore that has come down from distant years; for oft it may chance that old wives keep in memory word of things that once were needful for the wise to know.” - Celeborn

I now believe in the "Infinite Monkey Theorem" - only instead of writing Shakespeare, they're writing "Rings of Power" scripts.

#jd payne #the rings of power #amazon is bullshit #amazon rings of power #Sauron #Annatar #Halbrand #Fuck Amazon #Walter White #Tony Soprano #Infinite Monkey Theorem #patrick mckay

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graphicpolicy · 2 years

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Review: Rings of Power S1E8 "Alloyed"

The first season of Rings of Power ends in a dark place, but not without hope #ringsofpower #lotr

“Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky.”— J.R.R. Tolkien in The Lord of the Rings In its series finale, Rings of Power resolves its lingering mysteries (Who is Sauron? What’s the deal with The Stranger?) and sets up new paths, both dark and light, for its characters. Writers Gennifer Hutchison, J.D. Payne, and Patrick McKay predominantly focus on the Harfoots and Elves/Halbrand…

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bookwormlily · 2 years

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Our scales are balanced.

Rings of Power: Alloyed (2022)

#rings of power #alloyed #gennifer hutchison #jd payne #patrick mckay

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beyonddarkness · 10 months

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SAURON REBUILT

I cracked the code.

Sauron was rebuilt at the end of the first season. But HOW did he rebuild his power?

Think about this:

Who/what brought Sauron low in power?

Did he just wait things out, and let himself naturally rebuild?

What was required for him to rebuild his power?

The same questions may be asked for the Third Age (LOTR).

Why did Sauron have to rebuild his power?

Why was he incapable of naturally rebuilding over time?

What was the one thing he needed in order to rebuild?

First...

TIMELINE

J.D. and Patrick have not changed the timeline as much as so many assume. It is not jumbled, and it is not even compressed in the way that is widely accepted.

"What was important to the Tolkien estate was the principle of the narrative flow and the sequence of events, not the dates. The rings are made here, there's a war between Sauron and the elves after that, a later Sauron is taken to Númenor, Númenor falls, Gondor is established, and you end up with the Battle of the Last Alliance. Does it matter if a hundred or 500 years passed between those events? No" (Patrick McKay).

The "time compression" simply entails shifting the events that Patrick listed to the end of the Second Age, instead of spreading them out over three thousand years. Everything else stays the same. The anchor point is the Forging of the Rings, and every major event (which Patrick mentioned) would naturally follow suit—that is what they compressed. The actual duration of the Age has not changed.

We did not meet Sauron at the beginning of the Second Age, but at the tail end of it. (Sauron did not go sulk on a raft right after saying sorry to Eönwë; that obeisance was thousands of years ago.)

"Year gave way to year. Century gave way to century. And for many Elves, the pain of those days passed out of thought and mind" (Galadriel, 1x01).

"For, though Morgoth fell an age ago, some feared a new evil might arise from his shadow. So, for centuries now, these soldiers have swept across crag and crevice..." (Gil-galad, 1x01).

So, how much time passed between Adar's betrayal in Forodwaith and the raft? Thondir answers this question in the first episode:

"Surely it is lost to the ages now. Whatever happened here was long ago. [...] The mark is centuries old! Whoever left it could be long dead."

Even Charlie specified when Sauron was brought low, in his Deadline interview.

"At the beginning of the Second Age, [Sauron had] been brought low, and he lingered in Middle-earth, and his power then very slowly reemerged."

Sauron's weak and infirm state on the raft had been his lot since the beginning of the Second Age, which was millennia ago. If all he had to do was wait for his power to reload, why did we meet him at the same level to which Adar brought him centuries before? If his power grew naturally, we would have seen a much more powerful Sauron at the beginning of the season. Instead, Galadriel found him at his lowest state. And although he was at rock bottom for so long, he was REBUILT in a matter of months. How?

He was not able to rebuild his power until he met Galadriel, and he was not even fully rebuilt until Eregion. And it could not have been anyone's sheer presence that magically restored his power. He had to actively rebuild. The signs of his rebuilding lie in two scenes that I have talked about before.

But let's jump ahead to a time/story we are more familiar with.

REBUILDING IN THE THIRD AGE

Sauron was "brought low" in the Battle of the Last Alliance. The one thing he needed in order to regain his power in LOTR was the One Ring, which he sought for three thousand years.

"These Rings have a way of being found. In evil hands it might have done great evil. Worst of all, it might have fallen into the hands of the Enemy. Indeed it certainly would; for this is the One, and he is exerting all his power to find it or draw it to himself" (Gandalf, The Lord of the Rings [FOTR]: The Shadow of the Past).

Whoever had it in their possession would cherish it to the point of obsession, but "a Ring of Power looks after itself," Gandalf said. "It was not Gollum, Frodo, but the Ring itself that decided things. The Ring left him." Sauron was "calling" the Ring to him; it wanted to be found and to return to its master. Pretty much all Sauron had to do was touch it, and he would be rebuilt.

Tolkien said in one of his letters:

"While [Sauron] wore [the Ring], his power on earth was actually enhanced. But even if he did not wear it, that power existed and was in 'rapport' with himself: he was not 'diminished.' Unless some other seized it and became possessed of it. If that happened, the new possessor could (if sufficiently strong and heroic by nature) challenge Sauron, become master of all that he had learned or done since the making of the One Ring, and so overthrow him and usurp his place. This was the essential weakness he had introduced into his situation in his effort (largely unsuccessful) to enslave the Elves, and in his desire to establish a control over the minds and wills of his servants."

So, in the event that he retrieved the Ring, he would be able to take it off without losing any of his power. But someone sufficiently strong and heroic by nature could get ahold of it and challenge him.

REBUILDING IN THE SECOND AGE: Power Storage

His attempt at rebuilding his power in the Third Age (though unsuccessful) was exactly the same as his (successful) attempt in the Second Age. Most of his power was in the One Ring, and he needed it back in order to rebuild. That means that in the Second Age, his power was stored somewhere else. He needed his power back, so where was it stored?

Keep in mind what he was doing in the North. He meddled with the powers of the Unseen World, in an attempt to find a way to craft the same power that would later make up the One Ring. He could not find the "shadow of dark knowledge," no matter how much blood he spilt in its pursuit, and Adar betrayed and split him open. (I firmly do not believe Adar killed him/separated his spirit from his physical form. My reasoning for that is on its way.)

If Sauron tried to craft the same power in the North as what he later crafted in Mordor (after finding the shadow of dark knowledge), chances are high that he successfully channeled a portion of his power into whatever he was using. That thing would be MITHRIL (evident by the above depiction of a Balrog, which was shown as Adar spoke of Sauron's experiments). But Sauron was split open by Adar and incapacitated before the work was able to continue, and his plans were forestalled.

In the meantime, he did as Galadriel suspected: "[...] lying in wait, gathering strength, perfecting whatever dark art eluded him here." Mithril did not contain all of his power. There is another object which contained the other portion.

We know with certainty that Sauron had been seeking for this power when Finrod died, long before Morgoth fell.

Galadriel: "No, you died along with countless others because of him." Sauron, as Finrod: "No, Galadriel. He was seeking a power. Not to destroy Middle-earth, but to heal it, just as your fellow-Elves are seeking to do this very moment" (1x08).

In Sauron's tower, Finrod and his company were stripped of all their possessions, then thrown into the pits, where Finrod died. Is it not logical, then, that Sauron was aware of the dagger? Sauron didn't know Finrod's identity, but perceived him to be a Noldo of great might and wisdom, "deemed that in him lay the secret of their errand," and purposed to keep him alive longer than the rest. But after Finrod gave his life for Beren, what was Sauron to do?

In order to perfect an art, it must be practiced. If the art he desired to perfect was for the express purpose of enslaving the Elves, he would not leave the dagger of a great and mighty Noldo untouched. If presented with the opportunity, he would want a prototype. When Galadriel first took the dagger, in no world are we to think that the hand of Sauron never touched it, especially since we know that it was he who marked Finrod's flesh—likely with the dagger.

"But Sauron found him first, and marked his flesh with a symbol—one whose meaning even our wisest could not discern."

Long story short, Sauron channeled a portion of his power into the dagger around the time of Finrod's death, as a prototype—a tab to allow him access to the Elves. It so happens that Finrod's sister was the one to receive it, and she immediately became obsessed with finding Sauron. Later, another portion was harnessed in mithril, right before Adar betrayed him. Both circumstances are the first two test runs of channeling his power into an object. He will later succeed in harnessing most of his power in the One Ring.

REBUILDING IN THE SECOND AGE: Power Retrieval

—THE DAGGER—

The Ring was called "mine" at least 9 times in LOTR (excluding "ours" or "my own"), by Frodo, Bilbo, Gollum, and even Boromir. When Galadriel first took the dagger, she said:

"And there, in the darkness, his vow became mine."

That moment, long before Morgoth fell, and literally millennia before she was in Forodwaith, marked the beginning of her obsession, "which character after character in the show tells her is not a good thing," said Patrick McKay. "Is [Sauron] calling her to him?" — YES! ("...he is exerting all his power to find it or draw it to himself.")

------sidenote------

Yes, Galadriel cherished the dagger because it once belonged to her dead brother, but throughout the season, we saw many indications that her attachment was a bit more peculiar—feel free to look back at every scene with the dagger; particularly... - The mutiny scene (1x01) - The Boat scene (1x01) - Galadriel waking up on Elendil's ship (1x03) - "Whose dagger was it, Galadriel?" (1x05) - Galadriel's conversation with Adar (1x06) - Her conversation with Sauron on the log (1x06) - "These lands are dead," with Theo in Mordor (1x07) - The entire Vision Sequence (1x08) - True Creation Requires Sacrifice (1x08).

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Sauron had many reasons for calling Galadriel to him, but a major reason was obvious: his power had been diminished, and the dagger contained a portion of it. He needed it back, so just like with the Ring, he exerted what power he had to draw the dagger, and its possessor, to himself (see Chapter 4). Sure enough, when Galadriel met him on the raft, he was very run-down.

...then he found the dagger.

The last we saw of him in episode 2, he was resting.

Suddenly, his whole personality, demeanor, energy, physicality—his whole BEING changed in episode 3. He was no longer weak and bitter, but spry and lighthearted. What was behind the sudden rejuvenation?

He got the dagger back.

He retrieved that portion of his power, but the portion was small—only enough for him to get by, and keep Galadriel under his thumb by returning the dagger. Remember, he was able to take the One Ring off without being diminished; he would be able to part with the dagger because the power still existed and "was in 'rapport' with himself." However, if the hands of a naturally strong and heroic person obtained it, he could be challenged. Therefore, before he let go of the dagger, he parted with Galadriel on the following terms:

"And at the very least, do try not to make any new enemies."

—MITHRIL—

Celebrimbor's ambition was pretty strong in the beginning. He desired to craft something of real power, which motivation led him to believe at least two untrustworthy tales. In the same manner that Galadriel's one-track-mindedness was augmented by means of the dagger (especially after Sauron returned it), Celebrimbor was influenced by mithril (especially after Sauron returned it).

Charlie confirmed that Sauron injured himself in order to be taken to Eregion "because he understands that the only way he can be healed is through their power and magic." After the eruption, why would that be the only way for him to get things going?

Because the mithril contained the other portion of his power, and he knew exactly where that scrap was. He touched it, regained the remainder of his power, and gladly returned the scrap to Celebrimbor, saying:

"Call it a gift."

From there, Sauron kept Celebrimbor under his thumb.

Galadriel: "Those words. 'Power over flesh.' Where did you hear them?" Celebrimbor: "Uh... I was conferring with my smiths, I think... No, I believe those are my words." Galadriel: "Was Halbrand with you?" Celebrimbor: "What's it matter? It's over" (1x08).

CONCLUSION

THAT is why those two scenes were so similar.

They were not mere representations of him transferring his power into the objects, like I believed, but rather a sign that he was taking it (of course without removing it from the object). They were signs to the audience of how he was rebuilding his power—a precursor of his attempt to rebuild in the Third Age by means of the One Ring!

Let's answer the questions we asked at the beginning.

In the Third Age (LOTR)...

Why did Sauron have to rebuild his power? - He was "brought low" in the Battle of the Last Alliance.

Why was he not able to rebuild his power naturally? - Most of his power and essence were stored elsewhere.

What was the one thing he needed in order to rebuild? - The One Ring.

In the Second Age (TROP)...

Who/what brought Sauron low in power? - Adar, towards the beginning of the Age.

Did he just wait things out, and let himself naturally rebuild? - No. He had to actively regain his power.

What was required for him to rebuild his power? - The dagger and mithril, in which his power was stored.

The dagger and mithril are inseparably connected because both contained the two required pieces of Sauron's craft. That is why the only thing that could be alloyed with mithril was the dagger. The Three Elven Rings were never touched by the hand of Sauron, but the power within the elements that made them was Sauron's. That is why the Three are subject to the One.

Below are a couple of interesting patterns.

STRENGTH

—After the Dagger—

—After Mithril—

(Notice that after the dagger, having only the smaller portion of his power, he still exerted some effort in subduing four Men (I mean, he still broke an arm in a manner that J.D. suggested was superhuman); whereas after touching the mithril, having all of his power back, he not only effortlessly stopped an Elf, but warped her mind.)

FACE

—After the Dagger— "It's not poison, if that's your concern. Not for humans, anyway."

—After Mithril— "You believed in me. You saw strength in me. You pushed me to heights that no one else could have. I will never forget that. And I'll see to it that no one else does, either."

(Those were the first suspicious smirks he gave to Galadriel after he touched the dagger and mithril.)

(And this is the last smirk we see of him, when he is officially rebuilt.)

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ultimateanna · 9 months

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#amazon #the lord of the rings: the rings of power #the lord of the rings the rings of power #j. d. payne #j d payne #patrick mckay

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suchananewsblog · 1 year

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‘Rings Of Power’ Season 2 To Continue Production Despite Writers’ Strike

Amazon‘s Lord Of The Rings sequence, The Rings Of Power, will proceed filming regardless of the continuing writers’ strike. Executive producers J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay won’t be current on set. The present reportedly has simply 19 days left of filming, in response to Variety, nevertheless Payne, McKay and different writer-producers are prohibited from collaborating in any writing-based…

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#Amazon #J.D. Payne #j.r.r. tolkien #Lindsey Weber #lord of the rings #Patrick McKay #writers guild awards #writers room

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sirioniel · 2 years

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Highly recommend the official Rings of Power Podcast! (Had to fill a void after the finale, sooooo I've already listenend to all the podcast's episodes).

Cast members (Ismael Cruz Cordova, Morfydd Clark, Charlie Vickers, Markella Kavenagh, ...) are interviewed and we get some insights from Charlotte Brändström, J.D. Payne and Patrick McKayne concerning design and writing choices, Harfoots (and how their waggon wheels end up becoming front doors), Saurondriel and much more (including little hints for season 2).

Besides - it's hosted by the wonderful Felicia Day who portrayed Charlie Bradbury in Supernatural (🤍).

#the rings of power #rings of power #j.d. payne #patrick mckay #podcast #felicia day #film making #ismael cruz cordova #charlie bradbury #charlotte brändström #charlie vickers #morfydd clark #markella kavenagh

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agentnico · 2 years

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The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power - Season 1 (2022) Review

Should’ve just called it Bored of the Rings.

Plot: This series brings to screens for the very first time the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth's history. This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings," and takes viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads and the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkien's pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy are my favourite films of all time. And no, I’m not just making a generic throwaway “oh, it’s just one of my many favourite films” line, nope. The Lord of the Rings movies are my top, my peak, my all time favourites films that have ever graced my eye peripherals. I absolutely adore them. I grew up watching them, so of course nostalgia is a major game player here, but also these movies are simply great. An exciting quest to throw the One Ring into Mount Doom, the many wonderful characters that are part of this journey, the beautiful vistas of New Zealand (or how I call it - Middle Zealand) and the epic musical score by the one and only Howard Shore. The Lord of the Rings is that rare major studio product that works in all areas. The matching of J.R.R. Tolkien’s source material with director Peter Jackson’s vision was a match literally made in heaven. The costumes, the battles, the action, the drama, the creatures, Gollum, Sean Bean’s best death scene....it’s all nothing short of epic! Then there is The Hobbit trilogy, that kind of proved that the same spark doesn’t light twice, as even though it had the exactly same production team behind it, it was still a massive unashamed cash grab. Look, they took a small children’s book and turned it into three massive films. It’s a mess, and yes, even though I do find enjoyment in the first two of that trilogy (we don’t talk about The Battle of the Five Armies), it’s got nothing on The Lord of the Rings trilogy. So naturally when Amazon announced they were making a LOTR series, I was weary but hella excited. I knew that there was no way this show would reach the heights of the mastery of the original trilogy, but I absolutely gravitated towards the idea of going back to Middle Earth. And now the first season of The Rings of Power has concluded, and I am here to shed my thoughts upon it...

I have two words - dang it! They f-ed it. They bloody f-ed it. They had one job. One job - to make a semi-interesting show set in Middle Earth, and they couldn’t even do that! Look, let’s talk about the positives first though. Visually this show looks amazing. And of course it does, Jeff Bezos evidently doesn’t know what to do with all of his endless Amazon money, so he spared no expense in pumping this series with so much money that you can literally see the cash pouring out of the screen. The costumes, the visual effects, the colours, the technical gravitas, it all looks great! Yet even then, you can tell something is missing. In Peter Jackson’s original trilogy, yes they had the many wide shots of the New Zealand highlands and mountains, but also you could see the passion and ambition behind every shot. Those movies were made with love and care and precision. In The Rings of Power there is lots of gorgeous scenery, but it seems to miss that charm and care that Jackson had. But again, I cannot expect this show to recapture the original trilogy’s magic, nor would it be fair to expect so, so yes, I’ll admit this show looks lovely. Again though, they had the money for it. The music by Bear McCreary too was actually very Middle-Earthian, with some powerful melodies, choir and orchestral tones, and though it’s got nothing on Howard Shore, I actually give McCreary props for conjuring an original score that I think is befit of Tolkien’s world. Also, the opening titles at the beginning of each episode is a musical sequence of matter forming various shapes, based on the "Music of the Ainur" creation myth from J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Silmarillion", and I actually was impressed with how they did that. Like that was actually proper Tolkien, And that’s really it when it comes to the positives.

As for the negative, I’m just going to come out and say it - this show is boring. Each episode is over an hour long and especially in the first half of the season nothing really happens. I have no problem with world building, but this is ridiculous. Each episode is super slow and characters take ages to have their needed revelations and decisions made, and I was sitting there thinking “I know where this is going, just get on with it!”. And they did get on with it, only two or three episodes later. The script and writing is pretty poor also. The dialogue does nothing to make you care for any of these characters, and this is a huge ensemble, and honestly I couldn’t care about any of them. Except maybe the dwarf, he’s chill. And Elrond also. Okay, so a couple are somewhat worthy, but as a whole none of the characters are memorable, and most of them are very one-dimensioned. But let’s talk about the main character - Galadriel. What the fudge have they done with her?? She’s supposed to be this angelic higher being with the gift of foresight and magic, and one that cares about the lives of all (men and elves. Yet here she is an angry indecisive self-entitled warrior who is rude to everyone, has zero diplomacy skills, and throws a fit every 5 seconds like a teenager who's dad's got his daughter a Ford Focus for a first car but she wanted a Lexus. And no offence to the actress playing her (Morfydd Clark), but her facial expressions were always the same annoyed look. And how are we as an audience supposed to care about what’s happening when the main character is so unlikeable. Made me want to root for Sauron.

And speaking of Sauron, the entire plot of this first season is simply ‘who’s Sauron?’. That’s it. Other minor things do happen, but the main thing is that question. For that to be your main plot point for a whole season is pretty weak. But that seems to really be the only thing the writers cared about. And the reveal at end, all I’ll say is - eh. I expected more to be honest. And that’s my feeling for this show as a whole - eh. As a Lord of the Rings show it’s really disappointing. As just a fantasy show, its ok. Kind of a chore to tune in every week. However I will admit the last couple of episodes of the season pick up more and show potential when it comes for the future, so I will keep an open mind for the second season, however that next season will be decider for it I will continue watching the entire show till the end. As so far to put it bluntly - it’s been a joke. Sorry Jeff Bezos, all the money in the world is not the answer to a good adaptation. So as Gimli would say - Ishkhaqwi ai durugnul!

Overall score: 3/10

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