Alloyed

Finally, dialogs that doesnt seems to have been written by corporative robots. We started to care about some characters that needed much more screen time.

This last episode give me hope for the next seasons because this one was a snooze fest that care more about checking boxes than developing characters. Finally, we have some writing that actually mean something aside from pretty quotes and advance a global narrative.

I dont care much about the chronological adaption. Yes, they squeeze 2000 years (ish) into one generation. But i think, it was necessary. Either that or kill every mortal each episode with a 100 year time jump. It would have been a nightmare, story wise.

The last episode doesnt redeemed the season, wich, in my opinion, was very badly paced with a bad focus. Some scenes were cringe and badly acted and scripted. While the visuals are always extremly pleasing, I did not care about any character aside from Durin and hi wife.

In this last episode, they had no choice to go full throttle, overcompensating perhaps for lack of rythm of the season.

One scene still drag for way too long and again, focused on the wrong characters.

I am hopefull for season 2. But please, kick the corporate boomer out of the writting room.

What a disappointing ending to a series from which you had expected so much - but maybe it's exactly this expectation that makes the last episode in particular so incredibly boring, empty and sad. The dialogue is so unimaginative and uncreative that it makes you wonder what the writers and producers did with all the money they were given. One of the most expensive series of all time? You only notice that in pictures and music. The rest is actually a dramaturgical catastrophe. I'm a big Lord of the Rings fan, and I still find Tolkien's creativity simply stunning. Unfortunately, what was made of the fabric is not good. The chance was there.

Eight minutes and 50 seconds, to be exact. That's the exact number of quality scenes in the entire first season. With all of them condensed into the last episode (mostly being Galardiel - Halbrand* by the river scene).

Overall, I can't say I'm disappointed. There was so much silliness, bad acting, and virtue signaling in the first season that by the end of it, I had learned to mostly ignore or laugh it out.

I don't know why so much screen time was spent on the Harfoots and all those scenes other than trying to build up a weak twist. The last-minute Sauron twist wasn't believable at all, and even a non-fan would never be confused by that.

Describing the season as a whole, it could have turned out pretty good if it was 5 episodes instead of 8. If they hadn't wasted so much time on nonsense. If the dialogues had been interesting. If some of the important scenes were not directed in a laughable parody manner.

Overall, I would rate the first season at 6/10. The last episode was failure-proof, or at least hard to mess up. It also looks like somebody is helping with the dialogue, because in some scenes it feels like 200% better than on average. Maybe there is something to this.

If you subtract the visuals, it's 4/10.

If you are a more hardcore Tolkien fan (which I am not), 2-3/10.

I didn't even realize until after It's finished this episode that this was the season finale. Because nothing felt really epic or having built up to a great moment. Not much action, no big battle or conflict. Lots more talking and characters staring concerned into the camera - Galadriel staring at Elrond and he staring back, Nori staring at her family, the Stranger staring at everyone, the camera lingering on the mithrial and forge; just too much with the long lingering shots. The only good part of the episode was with the Stranger, and that was ok at best.

The "big reveal" wasn't believable nor did it make a ton of sense. Too many lucky happenstances had to have happened to bring it about. The director probably thought the ending shots were epic but they were boring, predictable, and took too long.

And my whole family all laughed out loud at the song in the closing credits. Whatever stoic feeling there may have been was quickly dashed the moment that song started. Hopefully the writers and directors take note of what needs to be fixed and make Season 2 a whole lot better. As had been said before, I feel like all that happened this whole season could've been covered in a 4-minute prologue.

The great tragedy of this show, is the sheer potential with this kind of budget and actors. The finale is no different, you can see what could have been, but they fail to deliver.

The writing quality is poor as ever, with twists and turns predicted by countless people. However, the cinematography remains excellent, acting of certain characters are still excellent, such as Daniel Weyman and Robert Aramayo, who's take on the characters feels consistent.

The pacing is poor and the forced connection between some characters that I will not name for the sake of avoiding spoilers is very obvious and frankly amusing. It has bits and pieces that are fun though, specially scenes around the ''Stranger'', even though we all now know who he is.

Overall not the worst episode in the season, but a weak finale with many questionable decisions plagued with inconsistent writing. Rings of Power will remain one of the great 'What Ifs' of the modern era.