LOTR: Rings of Power - New Teaser

[Vinyadan]

Also, Sauron wasn't even his real name, and he did not allow his people to use it. It means "the detestable". Mairon would have been is first known name, although it's Quenya, so probably it's not his original name.

[Psyren]

These are 8 episode seasons, so they aren't actually that long. At an average of 45 minutes per episode you've only got six hours per season.

Can I just gripe about something for a second? Which cursed algorithm decided 8 episodes is the optimal length for these things?

You'd think all these shows that are chasing Game of Thrones' coattails would at least try following their playbook. Game of Thrones Season 1 got 10 ~hour-long episodes, and that barely allowed them to cover book 1 with a bunch of stuff cut out. It was a smash hit. Why then is everyone, and by everyone I mean Amazon, concluding that 8 episodes is all you need to establish one of these??

[hamishspence]

Also, Sauron wasn't even his real name, and he did not allow his people to use it. It means "the detestable".

Maybe not internally - but in communication with non-allies, his agents routinely used the term. One is "The Mouth of Sauron" after all. And the messengers to the Dwarves in LOTR use it.

[Peelee]

Can I just gripe about something for a second? Which cursed algorithm decided 8 episodes is the optimal length for these things?

You'd think all these shows that are chasing Game of Thrones' coattails would at least try following their playbook. Game of Thrones Season 1 got 10 ~hour-long episodes, and that barely allowed them to cover book 1 with a bunch of stuff cut out. It was a smash hit. Why then is everyone, and by everyone I mean Amazon, concluding that 8 episodes is all you need to establish one of these??

It's more 6-10 episodes, but there's a few reasons - it does allow for tighter, more focused stories, as well as easier and more assured consistent audience engagement. And with them hiring more big-name actors for star power, they cuts into both the budgets and also the scheduling, since they tend to want shorter runs so they dont have lengthy commitments and are free to do other things as well. But mostly it's because of how syndication has changed in the on-demand era and how streaming platforms don't really care about a show having a huge number of episodes.

[Psyren]

It's more 6-10 episodes, but there's a few reasons - it does allow for tighter, more focused stories, as well as easier and more assured consistent audience engagement. And with them hiring more big-name actors for star power, they cuts into both the budgets and also the scheduling, since they tend to want shorter runs so they dont have lengthy commitments and are free to do other things as well. But mostly it's because of how syndication has changed in the on-demand era and how streaming platforms don't really care about a show having a huge number of episodes.

I get that but my point is, GoT was a much bigger gamble at the time than any of these and that gamble clearly paid off. Amazon can afford the risk of 10 episodes.

Granted this is less straight adaptation than it is a spin-off, so 8 might be all they need, but mostly I'm bitter about the mistake they made with rushing WoT.

EDIT: Speaking of which, WoT just got renewed for Season 3 as well!

[Vinyadan]

Maybe not internally - but in communication with non-allies, his agents routinely used the term. One is "The Mouth of Sauron" after all. And the messengers to the Dwarves in LOTR use it.

True that, and the Mouth of Sauron calls him "Sauron the Great". Now I wonder if it had more to do with creating a taboo that only his elite could break, than with disdain for the name.

Another explanation has to do with Sauron's linguistic policy. He devised the Black Speech to be the language of all his servants. It's possible he expected them to use his (unknown) Black Speech name, and "Sauron", as its translation, was only allowed during sanctioned communication with outsiders in other languages.

[Fyraltari]

Also, Sauron wasn't even his real name, and he did not allow his people to use it. It means "the detestable". Mairon would have been is first known name, although it's Quenya, so probably it's not his original name.

I think our main source for that is Aragorn and it's possible he's info is just a bit out-of-date? Sauron tried to hide his surviving after the Last Alliance for a long while, so it would make sense for his servants to avoid using his name at the time.

[Spacewolf]

Concealing the casting would make sense if they structured the season so that Sauron didn't appear until later on, like episode 6 or later, but that would be a pretty strange choice on its own.

They probably don't want a million youtube videos after the first episode saying 5 signs you missed that say this guy is Sauron so they can actually set up a twist.

[Zevox]

They probably don't want a million youtube videos after the first episode saying 5 signs you missed that say this guy is Sauron so they can actually set up a twist.

If they're trying to control that, they're wasting their time. The only way to avoid that sort of thing would be to make a show that isn't based a nearly century-old set of stories with a dedicated fan base that already knows them all by heart.

[Divayth Fyr]

As long as the show is even moderately popular, you'd get a ****ton of videos mentioned above even if it wasn't based on such stories ;)

[Spacewolf]

True enough but the name change will at least keep them speculative rather than known fact. For example I think that Neds death in GoT would have had far less effect now than it did then simply because of how easy it is to be exposed to spoilers nowadays.

[Keltest]

I think Sauron being involved in the forging of the rings is the biggest non-twist they could possibly have gone for if that was the plan. Trying to keep it secret is just... why? The only way to do that would be to totally abandon faithfulness to the original story at that point.

[Fyraltari]

I think Sauron being involved in the forging of the rings is the biggest non-twist they could possibly have gone for if that was the plan. Trying to keep it secret is just... why? The only way to do that would be to totally abandon faithfulness to the original story at that point.

*Coughs*Shadow of Mordor/War*coughs*

[Keltest]

*Coughs*Shadow of Mordor/War*coughs*

Admittedly, those were fun enough that I was able to overlook their infidelity.

[Saintheart]

*Coughs*Shadow of Mordor/War*coughs*

Hey, I liked Batman: Minas Gotham!

[Peelee]

Arkham Middle Earth was delightful and I will brook no dissent!

[Fyraltari]

Look, I respect people liking Ringman: Arkam Ithil, but sexy Shelob is not acceptable.

Edit:
Also,

I will brook no dissent!

Hey, new word!

[Sapphire Guard]

It's not technically impossible Shelob could shapeshift in the lore, it's just very confusing that that is a thing she would do.

I've never played either game, maybe it's done well, but it seems unlikely.

[runeghost]

Also, Sauron wasn't even his real name, and he did not allow his people to use it. It means "the detestable". Mairon would have been is first known name, although it's Quenya, so probably it's not his original name.

And Mairon is a masculinized form of maira, which means, "admirable, excellent, splendid, sublime... precious".

[Peelee]

Hey, new word!

It's pretty uncommon but it's great to use every so often, IMO. Almost always used as " [person] will brook no [thing]", where "[thing] is typically some form of opposition.

[runeghost]

Maybe not internally - but in communication with non-allies, his agents routinely used the term. One is "The Mouth of Sauron" after all. And the messengers to the Dwarves in LOTR use it.

That his messengers and envoys would use it has always seemed very reasonable to me. Their job is to communicate with people for their boss. They probably don't report back and call him Sauron to his face, but when they're talking with outsiders they pretty much have to use Sauron or something equivalent (The Dark Lord, the Master of Barad-dur) or instead of being envoys, they're now participants in a Monty Python sketch.

"I come bearing words and gifts from Tar-Mairon. He desires-"

"From who?"

"Tar-Mairon, the Great Lord who rules of the greatest tower in Middle-Earth!"

"What? There's a king in Gondor again? And his name is Myron? When did this happen?"

"Not pathetic Gondor, fool, I speak for the Lord of an even greater land-"

"What, this Myron has supposedly reunited Gondor and Arnor? You're full of it!"

"No! I speak for the Master of Mor- oh, wait that means 'black land' and that's what the elves call it. I'll get fed to some beast if that end up in the transcript..."

[KorvinStarmast]

I think she'd be closer to 4000 at this point.

Whose skin care products does she use?

I've watched Blood Snow on YouTube, and it's a decent fight scene, but no more than that.

And Children of the Light. Are these references to the Wheel of Time show?

Spoiler: Sauron's messenger has a tough day

Show

"I come bearing words and gifts from Tar-Mairon. He desires-"

"From who?"

"Tar-Mairon, the Great Lord who rules of the greatest tower in Middle-Earth!"

"What? There's a king in Gondor again? And his name is Myron? When did this happen?"

"Not pathetic Gondor, fool, I speak for the Lord of an even greater land-"

"What, this Myron has supposedly reunited Gondor and Arnor? You're full of it!"

"No! I speak for the Master of Mor- oh, wait that means 'black land' and that's what the elves call it. I'll get fed to some beast if that end up in the transcript..."

This got a chuckle out of me, +1.

Pondering the implications of Galadriel (who is as hot at 7,000 in LoTR, as she is at 4,000 in this Second Age movie) as regards commercial endorsements.
Filthy rich, she would be.

[Psyren]

Arkham Middle Earth was delightful and I will brook no dissent!

I mean it was! The Nemesis System was groundbreaking design.

They proceeded to ruin the franchise with lootboxes and greed but the first outing was stellar.

Whose skin care products does she use?

Maybe she's grown with it. (Maybe it's Maybelline.)

Are these references to the Wheel of Time show?

I brought up WoT because it had a clear thesis statement outside of giving more stuff to existing fans of the IP. I'm not too convinced this does, but then again, that hardly matters since "fans of the Middle-Earth IP" are more than enough to carry a show on their own post-PJ, even an expensive one.

[KorvinStarmast]

I brought up WoT because it had a clear thesis statement outside of giving more stuff to existing fans of the IP. I'm not too convinced this does, but then again, that hardly matters since "fans of the Middle-Earth IP" are more than enough to carry a show on their own post-PJ, even an expensive one.

I enjoyed the 1st season of WoT and would like some more. I have amazonprime and will for sure be enjoying the LoTR show coming in September.

[Saintheart]

Look, I respect people liking Ringman: Arkam Ithil, but sexy Shelob is not acceptable.

I agree.

It's SheHOT, not Shelob.

[Psyren]

I enjoyed the 1st season of WoT and would like some more. I have amazonprime and will for sure be enjoying the LoTR show coming in September.

You're in luck then, because not only is season 2 of WoT dropping soon, season 3 was just confirmed at SDCC.

And yeah, I'll probably give LotR a try despite my concerns.

[Sapphire Guard]

New trailer

One of the first decent bits of marketing. "You have been told many lies of middle-earth", though? Uurgh. Meta subtext not subtle.

[Zevox]

New trailer

One of the first decent bits of marketing. "You have been told many lies of middle-earth", though? Uurgh. Meta subtext not subtle.

Sudden Balrog at the end? That's odd, the only Balrog that we know to have survived the War of Wrath was Durin's Bane, and it wasn't awoken until the middle of the Third Age. Taking some liberties there, I see.

[Sapphire Guard]

I think at this point we might as well just give up on timeline issues, we know they're compressing it.

Think they could have been more creative with the Balrog design, it's ripped right out of Fellowship.

[Divayth Fyr]

Sudden Balrog at the end? That's odd, the only Balrog that we know to have survived the War of Wrath was Durin's Bane, and it wasn't awoken until the middle of the Third Age. Taking some liberties there, I see.

Probably easier to list what they're not taking liberties with ;P And almost certainly that would be Durin's Bane, with the veins of silvery metal going through rocks in earlier shots...

Edit: is the hand-blowing guy right before the balrog bit Sauron?!