Eldest

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 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.

After a strong start, episode 4 of *The Rings of Power* season 2 feels like a step backward. Familiar elements from *The Lord of the Rings* films are recycled without offering much new. Galadriel's combat scenes come across as overly choreographed and lack the intensity they promise. The orcs, though well-designed, seem less menacing, losing their impact. The shift away from key characters like Sauron and Númenor introduces familiar figures from Tolkien's lore, but their inclusion feels more like fan service than essential plot development. While the episode has potential, it feels more like filler than an engaging continuation.

They have definitely evolved the show from season one. The pacing the dialogue the action, everything is just better. But they haven't applied this to all the characters, I am finding the human characters just so awkward, clunky and boring to follow. The shows direction and realism isn't always amazing, there are definitely flaws, but they really don't matter too much when you are following Galadriel, Sauron or The Stranger as their characters, acting and story are all awesome and elevates the whole show to it's Tolkien esque brilliance! But, Isildur and friends just does not have that magic, and you can feel it. The show slows right down whenever they're on screen for too long. I don't know what it is exactly but something's just not working with those characters and the flow comes to a halt. But I have been loving everything else and the new characters we meet in this episode are fantastic!

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.