joelstamm-07338

This is definitely "based on the works of Tolkien" and not "Tolkien", i.e. His vision for Middle-Earth prior to the events of LOTR. It's almost like someone took his universe and did the "What if...?" thing that Marvel has done. It's like I'm seeing Tolkien's legendarium through the eyes of someone else and what they've been able to conjur up that is in the same environment, but ultimately has little to do with the source material outside of the names of characters and places (although the madeup Harfoot characters are a bit silly, IMO).

The cinematography is beautiful, but overall as a show....meh. I can only hope it gets better. As of episode 2, this feels like badly written fan fiction.

(that's what she said) Seriously, this was an aimless, dull, uninteresting episode on par with some of the cheesier Star Trek TNG episodes. Just spare yourself the time. There's nothing to see here. The writing is awful, the acting is so-so, for some reason they are obsessed with Moclan culture and this AI relationship Isaac has with Claire. It's just ridiculous to the point of stupidity. This season has had a couple of good episodes, but overall it's been a disaster, and Seth's preachiness and the way too long of a leash he was given with the air time did not do any favors. This show needs to get back to what made it great in the first two seasons: short, catchy punch lines, mixed in with some action, and only a sprinkling of interpersonal relationship stories in it. Leave the rest at the door.