Beta Males of Middle-earth TAKE OVER - Rings of Power IN-DEPTH - Season 2, Ep 5, Part 3

Summary

In this video script, the reviewer expresses a lukewarm response to the portrayal of Númenor in 'The Rings of Power', criticizing the show's handling of faith, prophecies, and character development. They find the storyline unconvincing, with characters like Pharzôn and his son Kem lacking depth. The reviewer also mocks the show's dialogue, calling it 'torture' and 'convoluted'. Additionally, they touch upon the disconnect between the show's depiction of Númenor and Tolkien's lore, lamenting the missed opportunity to explore the rich history and religious aspects of the region.

Takeaways

• 🎭 The speaker is critical of the storytelling in 'The Rings of Power', finding many of the plotlines and character motivations lacking.
• 🗣️ The usurpation of the throne by Miriel is mentioned as being too quick and too easy, with no significant resistance from the people.
• 👑 The shift in the Royal Line is accepted without much fuss, which the speaker finds unrealistic and poorly executed.
• 🌊 The Numenorean storyline is described as 'meh' by the speaker, indicating a lack of interest or investment in the narrative.
• 📖 The speaker misses the co-host Michael, who is known for his deep knowledge of Tolkien's lore and his ability to remember names.
• 🎧 The podcast they are reviewing is called 'The Rings of Power' and is part of a series that also reviews 'The Hobbit' and 'Unfinished Tales'.
• 💾 The speaker encourages listeners to become members for extended content and access to a Discord community.
• 🎭 The speaker mocks the dialogue and narrative devices used in the show, such as prophecies and visions, for being contrived and lacking depth.
• 🏰 The depiction of Numenor is criticized for feeling small and lacking grandeur, despite it being an ancient and significant city.
• 🛡️ The disarmament of Miriel's loyalists is mentioned, with the speaker noting the ease with which they give up their weapons without a fight.
• 🔮 The use of the palantiri is discussed, with the speaker noting the deviation from Tolkien's original concept of them as communication devices to a more mystical, prophesying role in the series.

Q & A

What is the main complaint the speaker has about the storytelling in the Rings of Power?

The speaker feels that the storytelling in the Rings of Power is 'meh' and lacks depth, with characters making decisions that seem illogical or unmotivated, such as the easy usurpation of the throne and the lack of resistance.

What does the speaker criticize about the portrayal of Numenor in the Rings of Power?

The speaker criticizes the portrayal of Numenor for being small and lacking grandeur, despite it being an ancient and significant city. They also criticize the city's depiction as not requiring an aqueduct after supposedly being around for thousands of years.

What is the speaker's opinion on the character development in the Rings of Power?

The speaker believes that the character development in the Rings of Power is shallow and that the writers force relationships and prophecies in a way that feels unnatural and lacks emotional impact.

What is the significance of the 'paler' in the context of the Rings of Power?

In the Rings of Power, the 'paler' is a seeing stone that is used for visions and communication, similar to how the palantíri were used in the Lord of the Rings. The speaker criticizes how it is used as a cheap plot device for prophecies and visions.

What does the speaker find ridiculous about the character Kem in the Rings of Power?

The speaker finds Kem's character ridiculous because he is portrayed as a weak and ineffective leader who makes grand statements without any real power or support, yet he manages to usurp power with little resistance.

What is the speaker's view on the handling of faith and religion in the Rings of Power?

The speaker views the handling of faith and religion in the Rings of Power as shallow and thoughtless. They criticize the show for not exploring the depth of Numenorian faith and for reducing it to mere rituals and relics.

Why does the speaker believe the Numenorian storyline is not engaging?

The speaker believes the Numenorian storyline is not engaging because it lacks emotional depth, the characters' motivations are unclear, and the storyline feels disconnected from the broader world of Middle Earth.

What is the speaker's issue with the pacing of the storyline in the Rings of Power?

The speaker's issue with the pacing is that significant events, such as the usurpation of the throne, happen too quickly and without proper buildup, making them feel unimportant or unbelievable.

What does the speaker suggest as an alternative to the Rings of Power for Tolkien fans?

The speaker suggests that Tolkien fans should read 'Unfinished Tales' or listen to the podcast that goes through it, as it provides a richer and more faithful exploration of Middle Earth.

What is the speaker's opinion on the adaptation of the character Elendil in the Rings of Power?

The speaker feels that the character Elendil is not well-developed in the Rings of Power, with his actions and motivations being unclear and not resonating with the audience.

What does the speaker think about the dialogue and phrasing used in the Rings of Power?

The speaker criticizes the dialogue and phrasing in the Rings of Power as being convoluted and lacking the poetic and meaningful language that is characteristic of Tolkien's work.

Outlines

00:00

🌊 Seawater Paths and Power Shifts in Numenor

The paragraph discusses the ease with which power has shifted in Numenor, with Muriel being usurped in a bloodless coup that no one seems to care about. The speaker is unimpressed with the storyline, finding it mediocre and lacking in conflict. They mention a promotion to the new manorian and a bloodless, uncaring shift of the Royal Line. The speaker also talks about their podcast, inviting listeners to join their Discord community for extended content, and discusses the Rings of Power, touching on the character of Pharazon and his son Kemen, as well as the desire for deathlessness. The paragraph ends with a critique of the show's handling of Numenor's storyline and characters.

05:01

🔮 Visions of Destiny and the Misuse of the Palantir

This section delves into the visions experienced by characters Muriel and Elendil, with a focus on the use of the Palantir. The speaker criticizes the show's blending of the Palantir with Galadriel's mirror, turning it into a 'crystal ball for the future.' They discuss the historical use of the Palantir as communication devices and how the show has altered this purpose. The speaker also touches on the new Manorian knife buyback program and the forced disarmament of Muriel's loyalists, highlighting the lack of resistance and the ease with which the coup is accepted. The paragraph concludes with a discussion about the show's portrayal of faith and the decision to tear down a shrine for an aqueduct.

10:04

🗣️ Tortured Phrases and the Fall of Elendil

The speaker mocks the convoluted dialogue in the show, particularly the phrase 'your path is made of seawater.' They discuss Elendil's decision to give up his sword and no longer fight for the queen he previously supported, leading to his arrest. The paragraph highlights the manufactured drama and lack of character development, as well as the show's failure to engage the audience emotionally with the characters' fates. The speaker also criticizes the show's misunderstanding of Numenor's religious practices and the importance of relics, suggesting that the show's portrayal is shallow and thoughtless.

15:04

🏺 Desecration of the Shrine and the Misguided Religion

This section describes the scene where the shrine is desecrated and an aqueduct is planned to be built in its place. The speaker is critical of the show's handling of Numenor's religious practices, suggesting that the show's writers have a shallow understanding of faith. They discuss the relic of Nienna and its significance, as well as the confrontation between Amandal and Kem, which they find unbelievable. The paragraph ends with a critique of the show's portrayal of Numenor's religion and the characters' motivations.

20:05

🎭 Lack of Emotional Investment in Numenor's Fate

The final paragraph expresses the speaker's disinterest in the happenings in Numenor. They criticize the show for failing to convey the significance of Numenor as a gift from the Valar and the people's faith in it. The speaker also comments on the show's visuals, noting that the city feels small and lacks grandeur. They express a desire for the show to have portrayed the Numenoreans as faithful worshippers of the one true God and to have shown the value of Numenor. The paragraph concludes with the speaker looking forward to future episodes and hoping for a return to the dynamic of their podcast with their co-host.

Keywords

💡Numor

Numor, also known as Númenor, is a fictional island in J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium, appearing in 'The Lord of the Rings' and other works. It is a central hub for the video's critique, representing a place of great significance and power within the narrative. The script discusses the portrayal of Numor in the series 'The Rings of Power', expressing disappointment with how the city and its people are depicted, particularly in terms of their faith and the political upheaval that occurs.

💡Ferzon

Ferzon is a character in 'The Rings of Power', who is portrayed as seizing power in Numor. The term is used to critique the character's motivations and actions, particularly his desire for deathlessness. It exemplifies the video's broader theme of questioning the series' character development and narrative choices.

💡Palantir

The Palantir is a seeing stone in Tolkien's universe, used for communication and prophecy. In the script, the Palantir is mentioned as a device that combines elements of communication and vision, illustrating the series' tendency to blend different elements of Tolkien's lore. The critique focuses on how the Palantir is used to create tension and destiny for the characters, such as Elendil.

💡Destiny

Destiny is a recurring theme in the script, often tied to the visions characters have of their future. It is used to discuss how characters like Muriel and Elendil interpret their visions and how these visions drive the narrative. The concept is critiqued for being overly simplistic and for reducing complex characters to mere pawns in a predetermined fate.

💡Religion

Religion in Numor is touched upon in the script, particularly in the critique of how the series handles faith and religious practices. The video discusses the importance of faith in Tolkien's world and how the series seems to misunderstand or oversimplify these aspects, leading to a lack of depth in the portrayal of Numor's culture and beliefs.

💡Elendil

Elendil is a significant character in the script, associated with themes of leadership and destiny. His actions and visions are used to critique the series' handling of character development and the weight given to prophecies and visions. Elendil's portrayal is seen as indicative of the series' broader issues with character motivations and narrative coherence.

💡Coup

The term 'coup' is used to describe the power shift in Numor, where Muriel is usurped quickly and without much resistance. It highlights the video's critique of the series' handling of political intrigue and the lack of depth in the reactions of the Numenorians to such a significant event.

💡Aqueduct

The aqueduct is mentioned in the script as part of the series' depiction of Numor's infrastructure and the city's development. The critique here focuses on the seemingly arbitrary decision to build an aqueduct through a shrine, which is used to illustrate the series' tendency to prioritize plot convenience over world-building and cultural authenticity.

💡Prophecy

Prophecy is a key concept in the script, used to discuss how characters like Farzon use predictions about the future to manipulate others. The critique centers on the use of prophecy as a narrative device, suggesting that it is employed in a heavy-handed and unconvincing manner.

💡Mystery Science Theater 3000

Mystery Science Theater 3000 is a reference used in the script to compare the series 'The Rings of Power' to the style of the show, which was known for its humorous critique of bad movies. This reference is used to emphasize the video's overall tone of playful criticism and the extent to which the series has missed the mark in terms of storytelling and world-building.

💡Unfinished Tales

Unfinished Tales refers to a collection of writings by J.R.R. Tolkien, which the script recommends for a richer understanding of Middle Earth. The mention of 'Unfinished Tales' serves as a critique of the series, suggesting that it lacks the depth and detail found in Tolkien's original works and that fans seeking a more authentic experience should turn to these stories.

Highlights

Critique of the portrayal of Numenor in the Rings of Power

Commentary on the ease of power transition in the show

Discussion about the lack of resistance to the new leadership

Mention of the Rings of Power podcast and Discord community

Critique of the pacing and storytelling in the portrayal of Numenor

Analysis of the character development of Farzon and his son Kem

Critique of the prophecy's use as a plot device

Commentary on the relationship between Muriel and Elendil

Muriel's vision of the wave crashing over Numenor

Elendil's vision and its impact on Muriel's perception of destiny

Critique of the use of the palantiri as plot devices

Discussion of the new Manorian knife buyback program

Critique of the lack of depth in the portrayal of Numenorian faith

Commentary on the misuse of religious iconography in the show

Critique of the fight scene between Amandil and Kem

Discussion of the arrest of Elendil and its implications

Reflection on the overall feelings towards the portrayal of Numenor

Recommendation to read Unfinished Tales for a richer understanding of Numenor

Final thoughts and anticipation for the next episode

Transcripts

if your path is made of seawat you'll

never keep your feet beneath you but

since the sea is always right isn't that

the right thing to do and if [ __ ] that

does happen to her shouldn't she just

look up and she'd

[Music]

float so numor is not my official least

favorite uh story because there's so

many stupid stories in the rings of

power they're all dumb guys let's be

honest they're all dumb uh but it's sort

of the most land it's the one I care

about almost the

least just because everything is so me

it's so mid it just I just don't care

about it I mean last time what we had is

we had the new manorian we had Muriel uh

usurped in the quickest 10-minute

usurpation of a throne ever bloodless

and uncaring in fact no one will fight

for Muriel it seems in this episode uh

everybody gives up pretty easily the

entire the entire uh

Royal Line has been shifted and no one

cares everyone is totally fine with it

you know why because she's an elf lover

that's their whole reasoning for it

uh uh before I jump into it remember

guys we've got the.com member you can

become a member and get our extended

podcast every week that it comes out

right now we're on the rings of power so

it's a little delayed I'm sorry we are

reading through The Hobbit uh we're in

chapter 3 halfway through chapter 3 and

we're taking it slowly we're enjoying

ourselves through it we're doing half a

chapter a week once we get back to it

thanks rings of power uh but uh we we do

an extended podcast every episode is

like 15 to 20 minutes longer and you get

access to entire Discord uh Community

you can become a free loader by clicking

the link below or going to the show

notes and uh clicking the the become a

freeloader Discord link right there uh

but you can actually become a member and

then on your profile page just boom

click link to Discord and you will get

access to an entire Discord Community

there where you've got uh we're we're

approaching 100 folks in there right now

which is really a lot of fun not not

everybody uh signs up by 100 folks I

mean 100 members paying members not

everybody signs up to the uh Discord

chat either so uh if you aren't and you

are a member make sure you go to the

profile page on the wondering.com for

your account or click on my account I

think and then scroll to the bottom

there's a there's a little Discord link

there okay let's get to the to to to the

num orians num orians oh hey I don't

ever say this on YouTube like subscribe

blah blah blah because you know you love

tolken not the rings of power the reason

you click is because you love tolken not

the rings of power I just I know some of

you aren't clicking because of that but

but that's the reason to click because

you love it okay so let's return to

numor numor is

now uh under the power of ferzon and we

learned they do say R ferzon right there

hey special effects look good the city's

big uh unless you're actually in the

streets then it's tiny and we'll see

that again this way so farzon and uh

Uber beta male his son I've I learned

his name actually Kem I had to look it

up

kemen I think um they're

talking and uh they finally bring up the

desire for deathlessness farzon actually

makes that point great good you brought

it up about a season too

late but what's really weird is in this

scene uh ferzon is UN is not pleased

with his son and he goes into this line

about his mother prophesying kem's

mother fison son prophesying that he

would meet ill ends and he's like oh

tell me more and he's like no not unless

you do this thing for me I'm like what

this

is the dumbest decision the dumbest

exmachina like oh hey there's this

prophecy mommy had this prophecy about

you and now I'm going to get you to do

what I

want that's that's the line but this guy

right he's got the most ridiculous fa

he's he he's the guy just want to clock

the most right they they they if that

was their goal man they they got the

right actor for the

job we move on to Muriel and endel

Muriel and ellenel who have now a thing

going for each other

uh uh and she asks Ellen what did you

see when you touched when you

touched the paler no then not when you

touched me because that's that's oh

right there that's a thing too uh every

like I said in the last episode

everything has to have a new

relationship or maybe it was two

episodes ago everything has to have a

relationship um that is the only way for

them to create tension between

characters and when characters are apart

from each other they can't have a a

relationship that is not romantic

between anybody it seems like um just

like here Muriel and endel are now

having a thing so she touches his kind

of his Mo

armor don't get too grabby there Muriel

it's a little dangerous between the two

of you uh and elendel says he had a

vision he had a vision in the paler of

writing to somewhere so we see this

vision of him riding off uh into right

there into somewhere this is uh this is

the city behind him and we don't know if

he's riding east or west or whatever but

he's riding to somewhere

perhaps he's riding

to I don't know get a paler to to save

the white tree no that would be behind

him I don't know what he's doing maybe

sailing to he was G he was going to sail

to numor or to uh

um to valanor I don't know we don't know

but because he tells Muriel this because

he says I had this vision of me doing

something that wasn't evil that n the

world coming to an end uh remember

Muriel's Vision was of the wave crashing

over numor that was her vision of the

entire that that was why she was scared

and now she hears that uh endel has his

vision and immediately her tone changes

like she's like oh well you had a vision

that's our destiny now you need to be in

control of this Destiny and that's it

she's totally 100% now bought into him

being the leader I

guess let's have a little moment of L

again the paler you know the seeing

Stones the things that show them things

they've essentially combined the paler

with galadriel's mirror where where

froto looks into her mirror and sees

things in The Fellowship of the

Ring the palente here were quite

literally communication devices created

by

fanor and so uh this is why elendil

brought them or he still do right he

brought them the the the num orians the

the faithful brought the seven remaining

ones to Middle Earth so that they could

talk to each other so aror up North

could talk to Gondor to down south so

that we would have uh what was the name

of the tower near hobbiton uh where

there was one too I can't remember it

anyway there's a tower there and so

these seing Stones uh all of them were

large too in fact one of them was so

large you couldn't turn it it was I

think the smallest one was supposed to

be a foot foot foot in diameter so you

know they're they're pretty big they're

Hefty uh and the point of the paler is

to communicate and so you would actually

literally point it to where you wanted

it to go paler like freaking rings in

this show can be whatever you want it to

be it can be the vision right and in

fact that's all it gives people here is

a vision at least in Peter Jackson's

Lord of the Rings it was San

communicating with uh with Sauron right

that was the point of it he communicated

with him through it in the same way that

denior communicated with or at least saw

Sauron in a way right there because

Saron had

one here it's used to create prophecies

like we had stupid R farizon telling the

prophecy to his son that his wife made

now it's the prophecy of the paler right

it is

literally a crystal ball for the future

that's what they've made they've dumbed

it down into a cheap crystal ball like

in the Haunted Mansion at at Disneyland

where there's there's a witch's head or

whatever into it mad oh man it's been so

many years since I've been that been

there you guys know what I'm talking

about

oh so after this we get to uh the latest

we learned about how uh King Duran is

now a uh um uh tax the rich Lefty uh

here we have the new

manorian knife buyback program so what

we find out is that the anyone loyal to

Muriel has to give up her their their

weaponry and so they they all just wait

in line because they're all totally fine

with it they're just like yeah oh fais

on to cover you know I went to uh to

midar and fought for Muriel and and uh

we we took out the Orcs there uh I'll

give up nobody fights for her she has to

have been perhaps the weakest possible

Queen in all of Middle Earth nobody

cares that there was a coup nothing is

done like I go back to the details right

you have to make it believable if you

want to create a story that we uh

entrust our mind share to that we

entrust trust our emotions to you've got

to make it believable and for the ones

who are

fighting the Grand Army of three ships

of the num orians all these people maybe

that's why because there were so few of

them they they have no Army but all

these people just they they just go in

and they they just you know they're just

in line to give everything back that's

it even even ell andil just goes in and

he's like yeah what are you doing we're

just we're just buying everything back

and uh he finds his who now for some

reason is completely in the tank for AR

ferzon and uh and she's against him

because Muriel as she says she he she

peeped into the stone into an elf Stone

right because as we learned the elves

are coming for their jobs and the one

thing that you can find out from the

elfstone is that the elves are coming

for their jobs that's what she really

cares about we I guess we didn't know

she had a relationship with her dad at

all so it doesn't matter that she's

ruined it but wouldn't you think that a

daughter who's grown up with her father

she wouldn't throw everything aside so

easily uh you know she says careful what

you do and he says oh oh your path I

love I love these these these phrases

that are so tortured and convoluted that

you just have to read them uh and and

laugh so Ellen says to her your path is

made of seawater take care to keep your

feet Beneath You It's a Long Way to the

bottom it feels like I could I could go

to chat GPT or perplexity or one of

those fun uh AIS and come up with

something that that's um better but this

is this is this was their first AI shot

at it your path is made of seawater take

care to keep your feet Beneath You It's

a Long Way to the bottom in fact if your

path is made of seawat you'll never keep

your feet beneath you but since the sea

is always right isn't that the right

thing to

do and if sh that does happen to her

shouldn't she just look up and she'd

float cuz you know boats look up that's

why they

float oh I love how we can take their

phrases and

completely abuse them by everything that

they've said and show the the inanity

the the the how they're trying to fit uh

triangular shapes into circles every

single time they make these

phrases oh okay then ellenel gives up uh

and instantly says you are no Captain to

Kem our fison son who apparently this is

his task now to take back the entire

eight person Army that's left of newor

uh and we have this moment where

uh okay I'll give you my sword I'm not

going to fight for the queen that I

fought for earlier I'll fight the Orcs

but heaven knows I won't fight you

Kem and he says you are no Captain

anymore and he says he turns around and

he's gonna say something really

important and he

says you're right I'm

not and then everybody all the people

around him I guess they were they were

his Shipmates they were his crew and

they say thank you Captain thank you

Captain thank you Captain thank you

Captain uh it's Manu it's it's an

attempt at manufactured uh pity

manufactured empathy I guess there's we

don't really care we don't know who

anybody is except for this uh Amil and

that's it like that's that's so now the

Army is gone that's the entire scene so

so now we know our is on is in control

of everything because we saw the 12

people giving up their

swords that's

it that's it okay so the second scene we

have with

numor uh it displays their

misunderstanding

of religion of numor and Faith so we get

the scene right they're in some Shrine

somewhere and they set off little

candles help them to find

it uh they set off little candles uh on

shells I guess here it is country and

they abuse sftr oh gosh they abuse my

favorite line

well one of my favorite lines sorry I

had to think about that for a second

when um uh a golden mist of foam siging

on the margins of the world from uh the

golden Hall in uh in uh Fellowship of

the Ring is my favorite line just I had

to put that out there uh but to to to

take this and now to repurpose it for

the new manorian

okay when men die they do not go to a

far Green Country under a swift sunrise

in fact the point of that is that that's

valeno

it's not men we don't know where they go

that was token's point the gift of men

is death they're not stuck on Earth they

get to move on and to be in the presence

of a

latar but they repurpose it because it's

a member Barry and that's all they've

got okay so here's my problem with the

scene right they show they've talked

about faith in the past they've talked

about the things that the numenorians

believe no oh they haven't because they

actually haven't talked about the things

when num orians believe that's the whole

point endel and Muriel have a discussion

about faith in uh second to the last or

last episode of season one but they

never talk about faith in what even here

they don't really talk about

faith the writers have no experience

with actual Faith they think faith is

simply an act going through a ritual

like this truly ritual is a part of it

and what it does is it reminds you of

the things you believe and it sort of

it mortars together the walls of your

foundation of Faith but here this is the

only thing of faith that we get it's

shallow and it's it's kind of lame and

then we go on and the only other thing

that they have in this faith that we

learn of after they have this discussion

here about faith

because uh Kem uh ba a male of of Middle

Earth there the chief beta male he comes

in and he says we're tearing down this

joint because why guys

why we need an aqueduct through through

the

shrine I I feel like the guys that the

writers were sitting around the uh the

writer room and they're going guys how

are we gonna what are we going to do

here to get rid of the the religion I to

start making this religion a part of it

because that was probably one of the

things they heard it's like oh the

numans have no religion but yet right

they worship the one true God they're

the only people in all of Middle Earth

that actually had um a temple right that

the king would go to to the top of the

melon ofor right he would actually go

there to worship Al

it's the only only only people group in

all Middle Earth that token talks about

that so it's kind of important you would

think that to have that there but this

is what they give us and so in order to

make this important they say we're

tearing down the shrine for an aqueduct

how old is this city at this point well

according to them if we if we just took

it in the middle of the second age it's

about at least 1300 14400 years old

probably maybe 1500 right since the

beginning of the second age now I'm

assuming this always happens about 1500

years after the beginning of the second

age so the city that's been around that

long needs an aqueduct now in the middle

of the of the shrine next to the water

I'm sorry it's it's uh like I'm sure you

could come up with the reason for it but

just seems so silly so uh thoughtless

like they didn't think it

out so what does he do in order to anger

them well there's a let me uh the um the

relic of nienna right nienna is the

Valor Valor of grief and

sorrow and she gives strength and

compassion to those in the halls of

Manos with healing and and Compass

healing and compassion so she gives

strength I get this right so what she

does is she gives strength to strength

to the elves who are in the halls of

Mandos um through like compassion right

she's she's there for them she

understands uh and kemman he just goes

in here and he just he just you know

he's the jerk that he is is the most the

most uh punchable face in all of Middle

Earth he just drops The Relic right on

the

floor uh cuz he's a jerk I don't like

the idea that they have a relic that

they were worshiping nien either I I

like I wish they would have really tied

into a Lou vatar okay no I don't because

I want them to go so far feel that we

forget this in a few years but if if

somebody's writing about this the idea

that relics are what's important uh is a

little shallow to me I don't appreciate

that I think they should have made it

far more in fact they should have

introduced the new manorian as faithful

worshippers of the one true God and

those that hold fast to the promise or

at least you know the faithful do hold

fast to the promise of uh the promise

that the Valor gave them in numor and

value that but here what do they value

they value a small little

Relic then we get to possibly the worst

fight yeah no galadriel's little fight

in in numor is bad but this is now uh

amandil f fights with

Kem uh and because you know uh kem's

going to arrest ellenel so Kem goes in

and right here look at that he's he's

able to grab amadil the guy who was in

the Army and drown him

practically uh and then he randomly

fights he's able to just you know he's

being drowned he's being drowned and no

he's not he can shove him

off the the you have to actually suspect

belief those details matters guys uh you

have to suspend belief in order to

actually believe that this guy Kem could

fight amandil a warrior this guy is the

most beta male he he's done nothing he's

there making Grand statements without

any backup at all why anybody would

trust him believe him not trust him

believe him or or give him any

difference seems pretty silly and

rather uh sightless right they don't

they don't get him why would anybody

trust like like listen to this Kem guy

like he's done nothing why would why

would the the soldiers be there with him

I mean what has ferzon done to show

anything anywhere he's had the easiest

coup in all of history and the the

soldiers just all give up and then they

make the dumb move

of right like like amandel almost kills

him and he says don't do it son so he so

he doesn't do it so he throws down his

sword at the feet of kemman and then

kemman runs and through with it with his

back to him and then Kem has El elen

arrested

it's I like we don't really care it's so

mey mouth so boring that we don't really

care so endel is arrested but you know

that's not going to happen and and since

we know the story well theoretically

unless they kill off end in new and

interesting ways uh we know where it's

going none of this really matters to us

at all and and Kem this guy you really

just don't want to see on the screen I

don't know uh I I feel the most mid

about this you're like I don't I just

don't care I'm more annoyed that they

can't they the writers just don't

understand what faith and trust and

religion is right why why would the why

would the numenorians actually worship

God why would they have a an altar why

would they go up to the mental tarma and

worship from there once year the kings

of numor would do that show us that show

us the value of that show us that numor

was a gift from The Valor that they that

the Everyday People value them and don't

show us that they live in this this city

that feels so small I mean look

everything right here right it's a it's

a it's an Alleyway there's nothing Grand

about it the only Grand shots you get

are deep and wide literally they're deep

like it's off in the distance and

they're wide angle so deep and wide

reminds me of a song uh so anyway that's

that's I I just feel so meh about

numor um I don't care about any of it um

and I can't make fun of it as much as I

can The Hobbit so maybe that's why since

since this really has become Mystery

Science Theater 3000 uh Middle Earth

fake Middle Earth style uh all right

guys well I hope you enjoyed this I know

this review was a little less than

perfect because Michael's not here and I

miss Michael Michael brings a lot to the

show his knowledge of lore is deep he

remembers all the names that I don't

because I'm really bad with names in the

Middle Earth uh I enjoy the world that

was created uh that isn't the rings of

power so if you love

tolking go read unfinished Tales man you

know I will say one of the best times we

had on the podcast was when we read the

Mariners uh the Mariner's wife the story

of Al and erend is token's unfinished

tale and it's it's it happens between

the years about I think it's like 700 to

a thousand of the second age in newor so

you really get a sense of what newor was

like and what the kings of numor was

like um

and we have a whole series of that if

you go to the wondering.com uh hover

over podcast uh and then click on I

believe we have uh unfinished tales in

there if not just listen to the podcast

earlier this year we did it it was great

right now we're going through The Hobbit

we're enjoying that a lot you can get

the extended podcast at the

wondering.com

member and uh and we would appreciate

your support guys this we love talkling

so much um and uh we can laugh at the

rings of power and enjoy our time

reviewing it just like oh man I'm trying

to remember those characters from from

Mystery Science the Theater 3000 uh Tom

Servo I remember that one crow yes Tom

Servo and Crow I remembered all right uh

the rings of power is uh is certainly

2024's

best opportunity to make fun of right in

in Mystery Science theer 3000 sou I

don't know how to do like those three

heads but man I got to get that going

with Michael uh next week I think

Michael will be back he's moving across

the United States uh I appreciate all

you guys watching this even if it's just

me I I I know you're missing 50% of the

joy that we have watching this because

man we riff off each other well and I

miss that too but uh he's on the road

driving across us with his family right

now and uh and we should have him back

next week we think if not guys it'll

only me but rings of power three more

episodes to go thank the Lord all right

we'll see you next time thanks everybody