**Spoiler Warning** Rings of Power S2E3 - 'The Eagle and the Scepter'

[Oddwen]

I watched the first 3 episodes all at once so things are a bit mixed up for me.






Was that actually Shelob?






Orc family! Fun fact, Gil-Galad's actor also voices the troll.






I'm beginning to think that Annatar is a baaaaad influence on Celebrimbor. Lying to the high king? Dealing with dwarves?? Forging rings in secret??? What's next, war????






Theo: YOU'RE NOT MY REAL DAD!!
Also Theo: Horse heist!






Imagine the chaos in Numenor if there had been seven seeing stones. I can't remember if they addressed how many there were in the LotR movies, but maybe we'll see another one being found somewhere in ME that Sauron will take posession of.

[Huinesoron]

Oh look, it's the B-plot.

• Oh man, is Isildur dead??! No, because Hugo Weaving has to yell at him in about, oh, probably 6 months on this compressed timeline. It really takes all the tension out of it.
• Apparently "intense relationships with their horses" is a Line of Isildur hereditary trait; see Movie!Aragorn.
• The Random Shelob Excursion really didn't work for me. For one, it was Game of Thrones-dark (a massive and continuing problem with Isildur in this episode), and for another... Shelob wasn't even in it! Just random, I guess Mirkwood spiders? Unless that was pocket-sized Shelob at the end, in which case, shouldn't she have grown a bit more since Ungoliant spawned her an age ago?
• Side-note: I once archived a fanfic featuring Her Ladyship's whereabouts in the First Age, which I feel like sharing: Philosopher@Large's Hunting
• So... does this mean the tower they stuck the sword into to set off the volcano is the Tower of Cirith Ungol? That seems to be what the flyover was showing. Did we know that?
• Why... is the troll named Damrod? That's Sindarin. Everyone else in Mordor is called like Graskhagra.
• Orc family! I mean, Adar is already around, so makes sense.
• Like Oddwen says, Celebrimbor is falling hard here. It's like they can't decide if he's under Sauron's influence or annoyed by his presumption.
• Durin IV is super stubborn... unless it looks like his wife might get the credit, then he'll just do the thing.
• Like, I like the dwarves, but their story here is pretty dull.
• The pacing on the whole Numenor section is really really rushed. Or, no: I think it's that Miriel doesn't get a single scrap of agency in this entire episode. The focus is entirely on Pharazon and his machinations. And then Miriel and Elendil completely drop the ball (sorry) in doing nothing to prevent the usurpation of the sceptre. Like... Elendil should have planned for something dodgy to happen? He should have stayed right next to Miriel rather than sending the blind woman up alone, and yelled "make way for the queen" when the Eagle showed up. It might not have worked, but it would be better than doing nothing.
• Also I wanted the Eagle to bite Pharazon's head off.
• Oh hey, Pelargir, neat.
• And Bronwyn is randomly dead. I assume the actress left, but it really cuts the entirety of Arondir's plot away from him. Now he's just Some Elf.
• Some Elf who argues with Theo, who is... like... just a random teenager now, surely? Why are we caring?
• Oh, it's because he's acting out.
• Oh, it's because Isildur is following.
• Oh, it's because he got EATEN BY TREES hahahahaha.
• I would so love it if Theo was just dead now. Tree got him, he's gone, whoops!
• Also gasp! Isildur's girlfriend is branded with Adar's mark! Because... she's a Southlander, and didn't escape immediately, and therefore literally her only choices were brand or death. Adar isn't even a Maia, faking submission to him isn't going to have corroded her soul or anything. But I guess we're doing Fantasy Victim Blaming now.

Overall I didn't like this episode much at all. Isildur is boring, Numenor was clumsily handled, and the dwarves are busy being pushed so hard by the plot that their only personality is saying "stubborn" over and over in a variety of accents. Also, Isildur spends so much time in the pitch black! I had to turn off the room lights and I still couldn't tell what was going on.

hS

[Oddwen]

Originally Posted by Huin

And Bronwyn is randomly dead. I assume the actress left, but it really cuts the entirety of Arondir's plot away from him. Now he's just Some Elf.
Some Elf who argues with Theo, who is... like... just a random teenager now, surely? Why are we caring?

Her actress has left acting for a time to work on activism.


Theo's being set up to probably be a Ringwraith, gotta give him some angst to drive him to Sauron's arms.

Originally Posted by Huin

Why... is the troll named Damrod? That's Sindarin. Everyone else in Mordor is called like Graskhagra.

Maybe it's "Damn Rod", like that's what his victims call his club.

[Huinesoron]

Originally Posted by Oddwen

Theo's being set up to probably be a Ringwraith, gotta give him some angst to drive him to Sauron's arms.

"Sorcerer, Ringwraith, Lord of the Nazgul, whingy teenager long ago..."

hS

[Formendacil]

Originally Posted by Huinesoron

Oh look, it's the B-plot.

If that doesn't just sum it up!

Some "baby in arm" notes again for Episode III--I've actually been sitting on these since... Monday? Sunday? It's been a while. Long enough that I find myself wondering if I'll remember what I was going for.

Originally Posted by Formendacil with a baby in one arm taking notes with his phone in the other hand

Looks like Numenor thisntime...
Are we getting a flashbacks about a horse? Sauron and... a horse?
And what's the Black Forwt supposed to be?
Amd thr horse is Sam?
Valid use of jumpnscares
I foegotnthisbpalantir business and rhe existence of aisikdirs sister.
Can't they put Elendil in a dress uniform? Taht Armour is a disgrace
Eagle reference is nice.
Ref sunrise? Red at morningbsailors rake warning.
I don't buy uo as a consipriat at this level, girl: Your presence turns rhe fatness of Numenor into a small village
Adar us getting a plot too, I see.
Baby irks??? The fascination continues
And it extends to trolls, perhaps?
Funny he's never mentioned you
Dwarves scepticism about magic rings feels right
Now thisbisb some good annapulation, Annarar
No fonweam shall stand before thsibfwankraina and is sdate
Read marches ever the balle tkf fagolad?
You know, removing Arondir and Bronwyn helped thsi show, narratively. I suspect this is their replacement though
Too many amps in thsi story.
So how we get Pelargir. Should've been kast seasonwhsts the point of this smush?
Aronsir. I WAS JYST TAKLING ABOTF IOU
Pyre heathen, right? What's takeaway hear?
So proud, Druin. The both of ye.
ThatbDuring mistrust the rongs: another Elornd parallel.
Of course he wants Hus Sam back (horse)
Mother complexes a theme here? For just parents?
Well that's... something there lass (I've already forgotten uiur anme(
Come on Elendil--a uniform!
Sceptre--yes.
Isildurnus an odd rallying cry for an amti-Miriel movement.
Interesting to amend Elendil repulsed bybhus stone
The eagle!
Alsongascinayjng to have an Eagle of Manwe to legitimize iharaxon!
Saurons hand in thr Dwaven rings!

Which, I think more or less translates to:

1. Looks like we get Númenor this time...
2. Are we getting a flashbacks about a horse? Sauron and... a horse? On equal footing?
3. And what's the Black Forest supposed to be? The Southlands was Mordor, so we were thereabouts. Is this supposed to be local? RoP has a terrible sense of geographic scale, so I don't really know. A stepping stone from Shelob in the Ephel Dúath to her descendents in Mirkwood, if it is more local to Mordor than just BEING Mirkwood (which isn't Mirkwood yet anyway).
4. Is the the horse Sam in this story?
5. Valid use of jump scares.
6. I forgot this palantír business and the very existence of Isildur's sister.
7. Can't they put Elendil in a dress uniform? That armour--can I even call it mail?--is a disgrace. I realise they don't want to retcon it, but they could just... hide it offscreen, right? It bothered me last season; it bothers me more now.
8. An eagle reference is nice.
9. Is that a red sunrise? Can I take as a metatextual warning? "Red at morning, sailors take warning."
10. I don't buy you as a conspirator at this level, Eärien. You're either a tradesperson or a girl or the scion of the Faithful: whatever you are, your presence turns the visual vastness of Númenor into a small village where everyone knows each other. You just don't MAKE SENSE here, unless we're supposed to picture the city of Rómenna as tight-knit and eclectic as Stars Hollow [yes, that's a Gilmore Girls reference, of all things]
11. Adar is getting some plot too, I see.
12. Baby orks??? The fascination of this writing team with the life of the ork continues.
    And is that a troll I see? Does this fascination extends to trolls too, perhaps?
13. Funny he's never mentioned you: ugh. Another stock modernism slid barely touched into the dialogue.
14. The Dwarves' scepticism about magic rings feels right.
15. Now that was some good manipulation, Annatar.
16. No fonweam shall stand before thsibfwankraina and is sdate... ummmm.... I don't know what I mean here.
17. Dead marches even before the battles at Dagorlad?
18. You know, removing Arondir and Bronwyn helped this show, narratively. I suspect this is their replacement though, <-- Me, two minutes before Arondir appears on screen. Why did I think they weren't back?
19. Too many amps in thsi story. <-- Amps? Camps? What???
20. So now we get Pelargír! That should've been last season when the Númenóreans first landed.
21. Arondir, I WAS JUST TALKING ABOUT YOU!
22. That's supposed to be one of those heathen pyres Arondir is lighting, right? That's takeaway here, right? Tolkien actually talks about heathen pyres--so this is a reference, right? Why are the good guys doing it IN PELARGÍR (aka why is this happening in a Númenórean settlement of all places?)?
23. So proud, Durin. The both of ye.
24. That Durin mistrusts the rings: that's another Elrond parallel, I suppose.
25. Of course he wants his Sam back (horse).
26. Mother complexes seem to be a theme here? Or is it just about parents?
27. Well that's... something there lass (I've already forgotten your name)
28. Come on Elendil--get a ceremonial uniform already!
29. Sceptre--yes. Númenor does have a scepter. Good.
30. Isildurn is an odd rallying cry for an anti-Míriel movement, if you remember your Akallabêth.
31. Interesting to have Elendil--who would have nine of them--be repulsed by the stone. Especially since the stones are Elven--isn't he supposed to be Lord of the Faithful?
32. Eagle!
33. On the subject (with Elendil as stone-wary and Isildur as a rallying cry), it's... a choice... to have an Eagle of Manwë used to legitimize Pharazôn! Like, I get that the timeline is all muddled--are the politics also muddled? I thought the palantír were supposed to indicate the Númenóreans DON'T like the West--so why is an Eagle seen as a good omen and a right to kingship? I'm just not sure the writers get--or respect--Númenor like they do some other things.
34. Sauron's hand in the making of the Dwarven rings! Very nice.

And... it's time for another weekend and the next episode or two. I still like the actors in this show (the casting is good), but I find that I just... don't like how they're handling either the Southlands or Númenor. It's like I can see deep respect and some original thinking with Elves, Dwarves, Hobbits--even Orks. But as soon as they touch humans, the writers seem to indulge all their worst rewriting tendencies, and these are the plots too most affected by geographic smush and timeline rot.

We'll see how it scores going forward.