Where the Stars are Strange

It's a paradox. The acting is wooden, the relationships are dull, the story predictable (even for a non Simallarion reader) but there's something about this show that means I can't put it down. Maybe it's the insanely beautiful visuals, the charm of Morfydd Clark and Robert Aramayo, or just the nostalgia of the 00s movies. I'm loving it and hating it at the same time. The story arcs feel like a children's tv show, but it has the refreshing effect of making me feel like a kid again. At times the hobbit and Gandalf storyline is boring, but equally an enlightening insight into hobbit life far beyond what Frodo and Bilbo provided.

Overall,I feel like if the writers notched the storyline up a few percent, we could be in for a hell of a tv show.

Nothing seems planned. It's like they wake up each filming day and have to write the script right then and there.

What should be explained isn't. And what doesn't need an explanation gets one. And it miraculously makes it worse than it already was (which I thought wasn't possible).

Whatever little "suspense" there is, is based on things we know will not happen. Characters we know cannot die. Or rings "disappearing" that we know will turn up, and given to exactly the character which they try to depict as undeserving. A character being turned away when we know he'll have to be brought in.

The dialogue is as atrocious as it was in the first season, like how children would speak while larping as medieval nobles.

The costumes. "Gaudy gold and shiny means status". That's it. A trailer park idea of sophistication. Zero identity or vision.

And because everyone seems to constantly run into others by accident, or get intercepted by teleporting people, the world seems very small. The opposite of Tolkien.

Im only writing this because a lot of people seem to be hating on this episode when in reality its the best thing this show has produced so far. Elrond is still the best character and his scene with galadrial was really well written, sauron and kellebrimbore (howeevr you spell his name) were also excellent. Mos tof the other scenes were moderatly low quality writing but in general i would say its the best episode of the show so far, to compare it id say its on par with like the worst episode of house of the dragon.

It is most certainly better than epsiode 1 and there is still hope for season 2 of this show.

Honestly, I am quite shocked by the rating of this episode. The premiere of season 2 was decent (better than most season 1 episodes), while the third episode was possibly the worst of the show. But this one is what the show needs to be. The dialogue is slightly better though it still feels forced. But as a whole, the episode is captivating without having to show epic battles etc. Great pacing, impeccable visuals, improved performances along with an exceptional one from Charlie Vickers. Besides that, there is a legendary scene near the end of the episode which had me dumbfounded in the best way possible. Wishing for the rest of the season to be like THIS. Although after seeing the third episode, it might seem unlikely.

Seems to me like the writers and directors finally gave in and released the potential that LotR holds. Intriguing and nowhere near the slow buildup of season 1. While this is not necessarily a guarantee for excellence we find ourselves asking: "Why only now, why not before?".

What comes to mind watching this whirlwind of sequences is the hope that it will all come together nicely from episode 4 onwards.

Now while episode 1 was explosive and compelling, episode 2 slightly lacks depth, also the number of powerful moments decreases. Still we get much more out of our Prime memberships than with the first season. Let's hope for the best for what's coming our way!