I loved the show. The Tolkien uber-nerds have almost ruined this thread. Putting a few on ignore however has made this thread a bit more inviting and worth reading.
Uber nerds? Now we're resorting to name-calling for those we disagree with? I liked the show but didn't love it. Ignorance is bliss, enjoy your show.
If that's the worst thing you've ever been called in your life, you're doing pretty well. How about self-proclaimed Tolkien experts? Does that offend your sensibility?
Started slow, but the ending pretty much made up for it. Not close to the high water mark of Lord of The Rings, but leagues better than The Hobbit films.
There are ways to get your point across without insulting others and resorting to name-calling. That must be lost on you. Thin-skinned? You're the one who said you're blocking people.
I just don't get it. They practically destroy the thread and then lose their minds if anyone dares point it out, even in a joking way. I mean, "Tolkien uber-nerds" is harmless fun lol. And honestly a bit spot on. Which is probably the issue, it's too close to home for some. If the shoe fits...
Among the really 'uber-nerdy' fans I know the group tends to be quite split on opinion re. the show. On the one hand there are always the groups who want exacting adaptation which is imo not possible, especially given the period of Middle-earth being covered, and then there are quite a few who while concerned how some aspects are being handled, are very much intot he show. I myself tend to err on the side of entertainment. I have always said that I can find Tolkien in my books. If I want really closely alligned adaptation that could pass off as canon, or lore, then what is the point? May as well dig Tolkien up and have him make the thing. I would prefer they stuck to the known details more but ultimately I don't care too much as I am not invested in any characters from this show besides Adar who I hope kills them all and sets up his Waltons farm with his adorable children.
Along these lines, I saw someone on Twitter who was furious that Meteor Man didn’t just let the Wargs eat the Harfoots.
Brings up one of my main gripes about the show: it's entirely too predictable. Very few legit surprises and you can often see what's coming from the start of each scene.
I have to agree, there was little surprise. Which is rather odd considering they went against some established 'lore'. I would have expected to be surprised at times. Overall I never found the show offensive like some did but I just found it flat. That of course means there is room for much improvement in later seasons.
I must be a simpleton then. The reveal of a certain person's identity caught me off guard, mainly because I wasn't expecting any kind of ID reveal.
They were signaling it all throughout the series. I thought it was pretty obvious. It had to be him or they were trolling us. And the whole plot is a series of mystery boxes. It's just one reveal after another as that other s what they think good writing is. Who is Halbrand? Who is Meteor Man? Who are the three weird women? Who is Adar? What is the broken sword? What is the secret prophesy? Etc etc.
I've started re-reading the Silmarillion. I skipped forward to the brief history of Numenor just to update myself on the outline of events. I'd forgotten quite a lot. I think it's 30 years since I read the whole thing, It's just isn't as good as LoTR.
Sorry, but I had no reason to believe any of the characters shown were supposed to be XXXXX in disguise. Maybe that's because I haven't read any of the ancillary Tolkien materials. Any characters shown that weren't in LOTR or The Hobbit, for me, could just as easily be made up by the show writers, or a known character in the other writings. So I don't have any checkboxes in my head to categorize names unknown to me. I'm just along for the ride. Those who have encyclopedic knowledge of the Tolkien materials would naturally be suspicious of any name they've never heard before.
I'm not much different to you, I'm no Tolkien expert. You don't really have to be. Most of the names are made up and those that aren't bare very little in common with their book forms. They have compressed thousands of years into the same story so you can't really go by anything in the books.
It's all about the movies. True, most characters weren't in LOTR or The Hobbit, but some were. They're trying to capitalize on names like Sauron, Galadriel, Elrond...anonymous the grey. The characterizations and look/feel of the films is revered more than Tolkien.
Honestly, I really did find the series a fun watch. Some of the characterizations were... iffy. Overall though, I did enjoy all of the first season. Nothing really offended me that much, and for the MOST part, all of the events are either following major plot points or filling in holes. There are a lot of holes the show created themselves, but they are minor and can easily be filled in next season if they so chose. I for one am happy to get a chance to see Token's world back on the screen. I do consider myself an uber fan. However, the show is fine by me.
