Aidonian's blog

 I watched all episodes of this new show set couple of thousands years before the events of The Hobbit or the original trilogy. 

Right of the bat, I know some people would object to the fact that there are people of colour in here, especially a main character who is black and plays an elf. Those people are morons and basically racists. 

Two characters are back: Galadriel & Elrond and this time around, the shows focusses on them instead of other characters. Are the interesting characters? Sure. But I question the acting capabilities of the actors portraying them. Even with Arondir I have doubts. 

The story is set after the defeat of Morgoth and his agent Sauron. Galadriel’s brother died in the war and she is still searching for Sauron even though everyone tells her that he is dead. Elrond has his doubts about it. Arondir is in the southlands looking for Orcs and boy, does he find them. A stranger arrives from the sky and meets hobbits and travels with them. I will try not to give any spoilers. 

It was a slow burn, by which I mean it takes its time to let you get to know the characters. Especially the stranger was a good choice for the actor portraying him. To be able to act without any dialogue is not easy. Kurt Russel also did it in Soldier. 

For the most part, the acting was ok. Music, sets, clothes, etc… were topnotch. Amazon threw almost a billion dollars at it to make this show. And it shows. Season 2 is already greenlit and in development it seems. 

I loved the show. I always preferred Lord of the rings or Game of Thrones over Harry Potter. I can’t wait for season 2 to come. Even though that could be as early as 2024 perhaps because they want to take their time to get things right. Which is something I understand. I hope the wait is worth it? 

Bear Mcreary’s (I hope I wrote his last name correctly?) score was excellent and on point. Do I wished that they used Howard Shore for this? Of course. But at some point, you need to give a chance to someone else. 

Arondir is an interesting character and reminds me a bit of Aragorn but than an elf instead of a mortal human. He is a skilled fighter. Its especially his relationship with a human woman that made me think of Aragorn.  

The problem with Galadriel is that here she is a Mary Sue. She is perfect in everything she does Her fighting skills are excellent. Sometimes to good. Other than that, I don’t have an issue with her. Elrond comes over as bland, boring, while in the original trilogy, he is far from it.

All in all, I enjoyed watching the show. I can recommend it, that is, if you don’t mind seeing POC playing elves, dwarves and hobbits?