Eldest

The second season so far is much better than season one. When I heard the goat farmer sing in this episode, I was ecstatic as I instantly knew who he was. But was sorely disappointed ten minutes later. The guy playing Tom Bombadil lacks the quirkiness, the charm, and the physical acting (by which I mean, the kind of acting we see from Charlie Chaplin, Jackie Chan or Johny Depp) required for the character and he looks too young for my taste. Other than this, the episode is pretty good. I am glad that this could be the last time we see Theo, I hated his and his mom's story arc since season one.

This episode is the first one in this whole series, where I strongly felt the hints of the mystery, the suspense, the magic, sense of adventure... that I had felt while reading the LOTR books and while watching Peter Jackson's adaptations. Hope it keeps getting better hereafter.

Episode 3 of Season 2 of *The Rings of Power* continues to suffer from the same issues that have plagued the series so far: an overly slow pace and a sense that the show is being stretched out unnecessarily. While there are a few interesting moments, they aren't enough to salvage the episode from feeling dragged out and underwhelming. The storyline lacks the momentum needed to truly engage viewers, and it seems like the show is more focused on drawing out the plot rather than delivering compelling content. Ultimately, it's disappointing overall.

I hope the next episodes will be better and stop stretching the content.

The show has truly fallen to its lowest point. Terrible West Country accents abound with dumpy looking Stoors and Xena-level visuals. More mystery boxes surrounding the Istari and the likelihood of Saruman both existing and becoming evil long before he should (I don't trust the writers at this stage to have the two being Blue Wizards). Calling a staff a "gand" as the origin of Gandalf's name. Barrow wights in the barrow downs before the war with Angmar which takes place in the Third Age, and before they could ever exist through the Witch King. Tom Bombadil referring to willows in the East plus a lazy Old Man reference. Terribly repurposed lines from both Tolkien and the PJ movies without the appropriate context (nameless things). Geographical teleportation and lands existing when and where they shouldn't. All of these lore issues on top of a poorly written, poorly acted show with sometimes-nice, sometimes-awful design and cinematography. All this shows an absolute lack of respect for Tolkien who I suspect the writers have not even read.

I'm enjoying this season quite a bit despite all the negative reviews.

But one thing bothers me above all else. Too many of the scenes taking place in a dark area are just too dark for me to see anything.

It's really difficult to make out what's happening in too many of the scenes for the whole series.

All you see are darker blobs and hear noises, but you can't make out anything else. No plot, no nothing. It's like watching a show blind.

Some scenes are actually lit properly, despite being at night, but others are just flat and overall disappointing.

I wish they didn't do this. But they're not the only show with this issue. Between the lack of visualization and when the music is so loud but the actors' voices are so quiet, you're constantly turning the volume up and down. It sucks that it's so prevalent in most TV shows nowadays.

I love the show. I love the Sauron storyline. I love the dwarves. I love the special effects and Galadriel. The stranger storyline and the harfoots is great! There is so much to like!

Please stop the Isildur meets girl storyline. It's BAD. It felt like watching Slater and Jesse from saved by the bell. How can a show with such amazing special effects and concepts have such bad writing at times. I don't mind the writing, just certain scenes flat out don't work. It was actually cringy, and I love this show. Just kill the storyline and add more of everything else. Easy to fix.

Ultimately my love for this show allows me to forgive any flaws.