#hotd but make it rop
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#haladriel#saurondriel#it is between me and tolkien now#halbrand#galadriel#rings of power#sauron#saubrand#tolkien bros#haladriel fam#trop#amazon rings of power#the rings of power#trop memes#rings of power memes#hotd#hotd but make it rop
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I can't believe I still have to see posts about how much better ROP would be if Celebrían was the lead vs. Galadriel. As someone who has Tolkien Brainrot, I understand the appeal, I really, really do. As someone who has had to interact with so many people who either do not care about Tolkien Lore but are interested in fantasy television shows or are Jackson film fans first/foremost/only, y'all. Galadriel is a known character and a decent intro to lesser known characters.
Hate to break it to y'all but Celebrían is OBSCURE. I'm pretty confident in saying that if you get outside of Tolkien Fandom online circles, you could tell people that Elrond was married to Galadriel's daughter and the response you would get would be, "oh, I didn't realize that" because it's touched so lightly in the films. Celebrían isn't even MENTIONED by name. Now that I think about it, I'm not even sure if anyone mentions that Galadriel and Arwen are related at all!
My point is the show is meant to appeal to more people than us over here with Tolkien Brainrot!!!!!! I love Celebrían, but Galadriel was an easier sell to the potential of a wider audience as a lead. For a show that needs to go through so much lore very quickly, having Galadriel as the lead because she's 1) female [the overwhelming amount of male characters vs. female characters in the Legendarium is another post], 2) relatively familiar, and 3) has a set characterization to lead toward for an arc vs. her barely-even-mentioned-in-LotR daughter is a no-brainer.
#rings of power discourse for ts#i don't actually want to get into a fight about any of this. i just feel like i've been having this same conversation with people offline#for a year. like.#i don't want to make this all about running games but as someone who does run tolkien ttrpgs i have to explain A LOT of lore! regularly!#people can be fans of the films and simply not know information that could be called basic in fandom circles#do i agree with everything ROP did? no#but hot take: most of the changes they made were understandable to me if i thought through them for five minutes#point is: galadriel (known) celebrian (unknown). who the fuck were the writers going to pick as a lead? KNOWN. feels obvious to me!#tl;dr ROP is meant for a wider audience than Tolkien Brainrot Fandom sorry to say#and that goes for everyone who is saying the show should have kept the original timeline too#i saw one take early on that was like 'we should have had the focus be on the elves with a (basically disposable) cast of mortals#quickly dying off to show how much time is passing#sorry that is an unrealistic take! i can't imagine that any show is going to want to pay that many actors#i was surprised by the time jumps in HOTD!!!!#these tags could be their own post. this is out of hand.#to be deleted
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Well, at least HotD made me abandon faster than Got 😌😌
#anti hotd#at least Rop did not get me mad of frustration#yeah for all its fault I will watch season 2 when i will not watch hotd season 2#i think nothing make me abandon faster a show/series than hypocrite writing and so on#there is a reason why I abandoned m/ha#anti house of the dragon
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Listen, maybe it's just that I'm not a LotR Person but the Rings of Power show is ... not that bad? It's a basic fantasy show. I find everything about it less irritating than House of the Dragon if I'm honest.
#I mean I like that HotD is about Matilda and the Anarchy because that's a cool and underused period#but a lot of it grates on me#not quite sure why#it's better than GoT wrt sexism but still feels like it's dudes making an underinformed attempt to not be sexist#rather than actively bringing women into the writing room#but there's only so much they can do with the source material anyway#fuck GRRM's commitment to 'realism' without knowing anything about medieval social history#hotd#rop
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making my list of directors for my nyr of only watching films directed by women in 2024. im still not 100% sure what im doing re tv shows
#i sort of wanted to do a thing where i only watch tv that isn't from the us/uk#but i would have to make an exception for babylon 5 lmao#it would also mean not watching hotd and other shows going into s2 until 2025 and im... im weak guys im so weak#maybe i could make the rule be '...except for ongoing tv shows'#because i really only have like... two current us/uk shows i want to watch next year (hotd and rop)#so i wouldn't be allowed to start anything new to me basically
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The Cast and Crew Don’t Deserve Your Hate
I know many of us feel hurt and betrayed by NATLA. I know this. I feel the same.
Please stop cursing Albert Kim and the production crew. The fact is, he inherited a huge mess that was already behind schedule. Studios nowadays want the fastest turn around possible and are willing to pour money into projects.
But not time.
I’ve said it before, but LOTR is the absolute gold standard for production. They took years of pre-production time to hand craft their costumes and props and wigs. They hired artisans to hand make tunics and chainmail by hand. They sourced and layered real human hair for their hair pieces. It was incredible.
GOT also attempted something similar though not nearly at the same scale.
That’s why both of these productions have such fantastic and realistic feeling costumes, wigs, and props.
Modern studios just want fast turn around. They’ll pour in money but they want it fast. That’s why the modern takes on LOTR and GOT (ROP and HOTD) look like mediocre cosplay by comparison. The stylists are doing their best, but there’s only so much you can do with so little time.
That’s exactly what’s happened here. You can tell in how awful all the wigs and beards look, even compared to the Shyamalan film of all things! It’s why you can see machine stitching and the fabrics aren’t thick enough to pass for animal pelts. It’s why Iroh’s beard looks like it’s going to fall off, and Yue’s hair looks like a Lego piece, and Azula’s bangs are visibly attached extensions of a completely different sort from the rest of the synthetic wig. It’s why Zuko’s scar looks like a birthmark and not a burn.
It’s why the bending, despite having impressive animation, doesn’t line up well with the actors’ movements and feels pasted on. Almost as if the artists and fight choreographers didn’t get to communicate and plan together.
It’s why the scripts are a poorly juggled mish mash of plots, with threads left to hang in the wind while others are so oversimplified that it feels like a playschool version of ATLA rather then the “adult” version it’s supposed to be.
And it’s why the the Chinese writing is grammatically a mess like they just ran it through Google translate.
I have nothing but respect for Albert Kim and the cast and crew that worked tirelessly to bring this disaster to life under these conditions.
I worry about the poor crew being put through some awful crunch time for this show…
Yes it’s bad. But it’s not only bad as a piece of media. It’s bad as an indicator of what studios prioritize now, and it’s neither audiences nor their own staff.
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Two of the biggest problems with HOTD's costuming is that it's simultaneously *too* similar to GOT, despite being centuries ago, and all over the place. Clothing would have been similar within a time period but class and cultural differences would also influence style. Both Alicients had costumes that doesn't indicate a cohesive Hightower look beyond green. With ROP, the costumes had rhyme and reason because the designer designed for each culture and actually worked on the Hobbit movies too.
Yeah, like, one thing Michelle Clapton did very well in GoT was making the different regions in Westeros and Essos look distinctive, and stay coherent about it. I'd argue the quality went down in the later seasons, but the basic ideas and concepts were there throughout, and for the most part, they had decent wigs! And keep in mind season 1 of GoT didn't have that big of a budget and it still looked better than HotD!
Like, I can see a few Tudor references here and there (Alicent has a veil that looks like a French hood from time to time, Rhaenyra has a gown that looks like an Elizabethan era dress with the white collar and all), but I don't really get why it's "Tudor-inspired", given the ASOIAF universe is basically an AU of medieval England (Aegon I is William the Conqueror, Rhaenyra is Empress Matilda, ASOIAF itself is the Wars of the Roses). The styling is just not different enough for me to really notice how it changed from one period to another - and you don't need to make it more simplistic, just give me something. Hell, they could have gotten away with a Roman-inspired look where Rhaenyra, Rhaenys and Laena wear hairstyles like this:
And if you want Alicent to be a Livia Drusilla type where she presents herself as a "traditional woman" who doesn't have time to look frivolous, you could go with something like this:
Seriously, have fun with it! You could also have the Hightowers with the traditional Roman inspired fashion, and have the Targaryens decked out like Byzantine emperors. Like, you'd THINK the fall of the Targaryen dynasty would lead to huge changes in dress, because the Targs would probably opt for Valyrian fashions that the court would have tried to emulate, and then Robert Baratheon basically throws all of that out of the window and the "fashionable" style is now pretty much dictated by Cersei, since she's the queen.
Kate Hawley meanwhile is the costume designer for RoP, and she did design for opera, AND IT SHOWS. She also did the costumes for Crimson Peak - which is probably one of the best I've ever seen in a period drama, and I'm not even kidding. Take for instance Edith and Lucille - Edith is a rich heiress, so she wears silhouettes that were in vogue at the time and has a Gibson Girl look to her:
And even then, even if the silhouette is pretty much prefectly accurate, she's still able to have fun with it! The fabrics used here weren't necesarily used in the Edwardian era, but the idea was to use some that looked similar to butterfly wings, and it works!
Lucille, meanwhile, wears gowns with a silhouette that was in vogue in the 1870s-1880s, with the bustles and all, but not anymore. It looks out of place during the evening party where she plays the piano for everyone, and her clothing is one of the things that awakens Edith's father's suspicion. It would be one thing if she was an old lady (since they tended to wear dresses that had gone of fashion 20-30 years ago, hence why in P&P 2005, you'll see Mrs. Bennet wearing a rococo dress at the Netherfield ball), but Lucille isn't that old.
And the thing is, the Sharpes are low on money, but fashion was meant to be sustainable at that time and Lucille could easily adjust her dresses to have a more fashionable silhouette, and use the removed fabric for other stuff, instead of having to buy something new. She chooses not to, and it's deliberate, probably because the dresses she wears belonged to her mother.
See? That's thought and care right there.
Meanwhile, see this dress? Alicent Hightower wishes she looked that good:
And the thing is, with all the pleating, the belt thingy she has, it would be so easy to mess up and have her dress look frumpy. The belt is perfectly adjusted and provides the watery effect it's supposed to have, the pleating is nice, and the dress actually looks like it was made specifically for her. Which makes sense, because Galadriel is a Noldo princess and she'd absolutely have her clothing tailor-made, and have it be from the best Elven seamstresses you can find. It looks so simple at first, but the more you look at it, the more you see all the little details it has. And they didn't mess up her hair, either (and anyone who's read the Silmarillon knows Galadriel's hair is important!). They used Morfydd Clark's natural hair, added extensions, made sure there were golden and silver undertones, and voilà.
And the costume department did their homework when it comes to the design - they took inspiration from pre-Raphaelite artists when it comes to the Elves, and also a little bit for Númenor as well - which makes sense given the connection they have to Elves, but they still look distinctive, with plenty of little details referring to Elros' origins here and there. Bronwyn has a dress that looks different from the other villagers, yes, but given she's a healer, she'd probably know how to dye her clothes and would dress more lightly due to spending a lot of time outside looking for herbs. The Dwarves look VERY different from the rest, and Disa has some great outfits, but you can tell their clothes became the way they were given they spend more of their time underground. The Harfoots seem to be wearing stuff they found while travelling, since they don't seem to have equipment to weave cloth and they often seem like they're wearing stuff that's too big for them. And I'm only scratching the surface here.
#hotd critical#rings of power#costume nerd tag#costumes#every time i see someone on the internet saying the costumes on hotd were better than in rop i lose a year of my life#just say you looked at the elven pompadours and not much else and go#“BUT BRONWYN IS SLEEVELESS” yeah so? women's arms excite you#mkay#how you got through hotd without a heart attack is beyond me but okay
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So, I just finished watching episode 10 of HoTD and I swear I was so bored for like 55 minutes of the whole ride, the only moment I was actually paying attention was when Aemond was on screen and the only emotion I had was me cackling at Aemond's tectonic "OH SHIT" face when Grandma Vhagar did her war crime.
I cannot believe that this is meant to be a challenger to the brilliance that is RoP, which had me at the edge of my seat from start to finish at every episode. Like, miss me with this failed Targ shit, the writers are so clearly not getting it.
Rings of Power writers care so much about their characters and they committ to the story they're telling, nothing is half assed. They want us to be attached to the characters and they work hard to make sure that we do and that hard work paid off. Look at how well received their finale is compared to this one. Ep 6 brought several characters together and not only did it feel like a big deal, the episode itself was tense, heartbreaking, dark and filled with more morally grey characters than HOTD. Adar>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Daemon. RoP was not scared to have Galadriel promise genocide nor did it ignore what that says about her. HOTD won't even let Rhaenyra express murderous intent after she was usurped and her son killed. She just stares into the camera.
I read the leaks so I knew what was coming and that usually doesn't detract from my enjoyment of a show because I love spoilers but even I was counting down the minutes to Aemond. It felt like an ordinary filler episode. Things happen without urgency or tension and not once did I feel like I couldn't wait to see how other characters will react to the new plot developments except Aemond's scene (he really is the MVP of the show). It didn't feel like the beginning of a new catastrophic war.
This show doesn't understand how to pick it's scenes. Instead of a very long miscarriage and body preparation scene, we could have spent more time on Rhaenyra's anger at being usurped, her fear of what it means for her children and her grief at her father's death because she barely reacted to that. There should have been only one Black Council scene after her coronation where we get
Team Black talking about their allies and Team Green's allies and you know strategizing
Rhaenys and Corlys slowly changing their minds about Rhaenyra (the show given reason why they chose her is very stupid because even the Greens want peace but whatever) as they watch her handle herself
Daemon trying to wrest control from Rhaenyra. You can even have him start the Council without her to show his eagerness for war. Instead of him standing around the table talking about the island's defenses, we should see him attending to that, ignoring her while she's in pain
Rhaenyra resisting it because of the prophecy which she doesn't talks about just yet. We should see people constantly pushing her to declare war and attack King's Landing and Rhaenyra standing her ground
Plans are made to send Jace and Luke to act as messengers
Instead of war, Rhaenyra plans on gaining enough allies to back the Greens into a corner without a single person dying
Then Otto Hightower comes. Instead of the dumb dragon scene, show Rhaenyra struggling to walk there but being determined because she's now queen and this is her duty but also because of the prophecy. She listens to the terms offered, trades insults with Otto, Daemon is Daemon. The page is offered, Rhaenyra cries and she decides to give her answer the following day.
Daemon thinks her attachment to Alicent is problem but she tells him about the prophecy. He strangles her. Rhaenyra spends the night thinking about how unpopular her decision is, she doesn't want to waver despite all the pressure she's facing.
Luke dies and Rhaenyra finds out right before she tells Otto her terms for peace. Instead of Emma staring at the camera, we can have the iconic line
Tell my half brother that I will have my throne, or I will have his head,” she said, sending the envoys on their way.
Now we see how Rhaenyra has been transformed by her son's death and we don't have to spend the entire last episode spinning the wheel until Aemond enters the picture.
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i’m so annoyed that better call saul gets no recognition because none of these prequel spinoffs would even exist without it, but bcs gets no recognition even though it’s one of the best shows ever, meanwhile hotd, rop, and andor get all this hype even though they’re fucking terrible
i have… a surprising amount to say about this, so. let’s discuss.
better call saul having emerged in the shadow of breaking bad is common knowledge, and despite the glaring differences between their two main characters, there were a lot of early viewers who expected the former would be a perfect mirror of the latter. so it’s not hard to imagine just how bcs might have failed to retain their interest, at least initially. and while many hung around, even returned to the show in its later seasons, i would hazard a guess that the people MOST devoted to bcs are those who experienced and appreciated the show as its own entity—as a mere extension of this universe. less an excuse to revisit brba, but more an opportunity to explore themes and techniques that colorized a world all their own, with the added benefit of enriching the universe as a whole. this might be a hot take, but i also feel that bcs is the overwhelmingly richer piece of media. it’s not for the masses, the way that brba was and continues to be. it’s mentally and emotionally involving in ways that most media can only dream of achieving; it rewards the most dedicated of viewership; it relies on audiences stepping into the shoes of these characters and untangling layers of subtext. frankly, it doesn’t get the attention it deserves because of this era of television we’re living in. this environment, largely dominated by streaming (yuck), rewards the new. it prioritizes turnover. why invest in a series that can span multiple seasons, and exhibit narrative storytelling of the highest quality by developing nuanced and relatable characters, all while captivating audiences for years to come? isn’t it easier to make a couple billion as netflix’s show of the week, and then almost immediately fade into obscurity?
where better call saul does have an advantage is in the fact that it was one of (if not THE first) prequel to get it right, even surpass the original. before bcs, a prequel was a near impossible endeavor (evidenced, in part, by the enormous lack of faith that bcs itself would amount to anything at all). as we all know well enough by now, gilligould and co. flipped the script, and boom—the rest was history. and now everyone wants to make a prequel. vince and peter and the gang demonstrated that, when approached as an opportunity rather than an excuse, it’s entirely possibly to craft a spin-off that stands on its own while enriching the original.
having yet to see either house of the dragon or the rings of power, i can’t speak to their quality or effectiveness—but i have, however, seen andor. as far as prequels go, it’s one of the best i’ve seen. that’s not saying much, but the fact remains that it is an impressive piece of television that features nuanced, impressively layered writing; stunning performances from the main and supporting cast alike; and inspired directing, including some of the most memorable visuals to ever come out of star wars (that’s saying a lot). and, yes. it will likely receive much more attention, critically and otherwise, because it is new. and also because, by its very nature, it appeals to the masses. it is easily digestible. while careful audiences may have much more appreciation for its commentary on very real-world issues such as apartheid and class warfare, passive viewers will love it simply because it is star wars. and that’s not all bad!
…but enough about andor… this post is about better call saul. while it’s certainly disappointing to see it continuously overlooked for awards recognition (emmys) and in the cultural zeitgeist, critics and dedicated fans alike knows its value. it’s a truly transformative installment of television that revealed one of the most surprisingly tragic characters in the history of the medium, all while showcasing writing of the highest caliber and directing / cinematography that was continuously reinventing itself, pushing the envelope. to me, its legacy is in its quality, but also in the fanbase that holds such an appreciation for that quality. you know its worth. as do i, and as do all of us… and doesn’t that count more than anything?
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Well
Now, that’s an interesting thought
And it also feels an awful lot like a jab at amazon and what they did with Tolkien’s works in rings of power. And I’m not saying HOTD is necessarily going to turn out great or anything, but when I see the trailers at least it FEELS like Westeros. It feels like game of thrones. It feels like George R.R. Martin - like Fire and Blood - and it makes me want to watch it.
(And it has dragons. Which is. Great. Dragons are great. Dragons make everything better. I’d watch this show even if it were 10 entire episodes of big ass dragons getting their chin scratched. That’s the kind of content I seek in media. 100% would recommend. And it’d still be more respectful of the lore than what amazon did with RoP.)
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Post the name of all your files in your WIP folder regardless of how non descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send in asks with the title that intrigues them. Answer with a snippet or something about the story. Tag as many people as you have WIPs.
Thank you @slice-of-magenta for tagging me!
I have actually named/finished some WIPs since I last did this so this shall be fun. Especially given my love for acronyms and a lack of standard naming system. ^^' I did label the fandoms, which are not in their names, to make it easier for those sending asks.
-.-.-
1. SohA - HotD
2. Even Days - HotD
3. HarwinAegon - HotD
4. AegonDetox - HotD
5. StoneDragon - HotD
6. TheReasonLaenorGoesGrey - HotD
7. JaegonCouncilMeeting - HotD
8. Corrupting - RoP
9. ThiamHostageAU - TW
10. DontSayTortured - TW
11. AlphaAegon - HotD
12. HelaenaBreakdown - HotD
13. Broken Shields and Mended Bonds - SW
14. Less Evil, More of an Ass - TW
15. ModHotD-Rhaenicent+Jaegon - HotD
16. QQ - ST:VOY
17. 5+1EliHikari - TW
18. Flirty Spies - Original
19. When she sees Jackson - Fuller House
20. Names - RoP
21. Awful Lot of Noise - Enola
22. Babysitting Detail - FP
23. DukeDami - DCU/Batfam
24. RP-SCJ - DCU/Batfam
25. When the guards dragged - Original
-.-.-
There's more, of course, but that covers the week before my hyperfocus on Secrets that has led to... 12 chapters? and counting in the last few days.
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The Rings of Power - Eps 3&4 Review
After two episodes delivering a solid start, the ball returns in Amazon's corner to deliver on the Rings of Power. Since I'm doing 2 a time with HotD I decided to do it with RoP
Spoilers for the Episodes
Right so Episode 3 and 4 of Rings of Power were alright, it seemed to follow a similar pattern to the last two, with 4 being better than 3.
I do feel myself a bit more lenient towards the show now that I am aware that the showrunners can't take anything from the Silmarillon, due to the Tolkein estate not letting anyone have the rights to it, but that doesn't mean there are some lore points going another direction that I don't quite feel good about.
Starting with the stuff I didn't like, I must admit part of why I didn't quite enjoy episode 3 was the express attention on the plot lines I felt were weak in 1&2.
Again I find myself frustrated by Galadriel benefitting from being hostile - and very un-Galadriel-like, she is far from the radiant, wise, almighty student of Maia; the greatest elf mage in Noldor after Faenor, master of divination and worthy wielder of Nenya - and then acting smug and patronizing to every man (race not gender, just to be clear). Queen Regent Míriel also has that energy, but in episode 4 we better understand her hostility.
I didn't quite like the 'drama for the sake of drama', especially with Elendil and his kids, Bronwyn being unable to speak sense into the villagers too is annoying, of course she's in charge she's the one who got them all out: you don't piss off the medic. Númenor's conflict with the elves isn't quite fleshed out given how it's a show-only narrative, it just feels like a lazy choice to make the Númenoreans suddenly untrusting towards elves, despite the fact that Númenor went to Gil-Galad to help teach the Twilight Men.
I will say that episode 3 was also a bit self-indulgent on two moments; Galadriel's slow-mo horse riding didn't do it for me, I think the Elves' attempt to escape the tunnel had too much flippydoos too, there's grace and there's just trying to look flashy, it is really a matter of quality over quantity there.
While we're at the attempted prison escape, the Warg...another big oof of a CGI attempt, I get what they were trying to do, but god did it just look wrong, again, quality over quantity is the matter here.
I do have to point out my continued disdain for Theo, he is very much a dumb-dumb with this sword storyline and petulance towards his mother, he's also just that extra little bit greedy.
But my final criticism returns back to Galadriel, I made a meme of it in the 'spoilers out of context' but the whole 'symbol is Mordor' reveal was laughably stupid. Elrond can spy on Durin's conversation bridges away but Galadriel can't look at a symbol from the side? No Elven ciphers and archivists ever considered just turning it 90 degrees? Also why didn't Galadriel's company check the Southlands again? They've spent a millenia scouring Middle Earth for a whiff of orc but they didn't consider going where Morgoth's old allies were? Seems like the first place you would go.
But on the plus side, I do appreciate that 3&4 are putting in work to try and bring to life the weaker plots so far. I will admit I do find myself more interested in Arondir's subplot, his pain of losing his fellow elves trying to escape did make him more intriguing as a character, and by proxy his plot becomes interesting through learning the Orcs' subplot and of the mysterious Benjen, I mean, Adar.
We do have to appreciate how the show manages their exclusive characters in a way that we all are second guessing if it's just Sauron in another shape or form, in a way it does help add to the villain building that he could indeed be anyone even book readers are unfamiliar with, as it fits how Sauron maneuvers in this age.
Elendil and Isildur - man never stood a chance with the ring he's already hearing voices! - are welcome new additions, the sister Earien needs a bit more time but a plot seems to be forming there. Given that this will promise developing them into Kings vital to the Last Alliance. Halbrand's time on Númenor was interesting, especially his violent side, I doubt we are indeed finished with him too, at least I hope not. The Númenor subplot has breathed some life into the Galadriel plot, but I admit that it was late into episode 4 to win me over, thanks to the stunning visuals of the falling petals and triumphant music to Queen Regent Míriel's U-Turn.
While Theo is an idiot, his subplot also started turning a corner late with this hidden Sauron acolyte - who is more interesting than Theo already - and the promise of wider importance with the hilt (that only seems to make a blade with blood rather than just drawing the iron from blood) blending with the Adar and Arondir plot once more. The orcs returning to practical is great too, and Theo stealthing through the village at night (while another idiot move) did remind me of the old Fellowship of the Ring game when stealthing past the Nazgul.
The stronger storylines also remain strong; the Harfoot storyline is still the most Tolkein-esque to me; curious and adventurous with enough whimsy and core themes of kindness, but we took some time to make Poppy Proudfellow more likable - sympathising with the loss of her entire family in one landslide, but also still staying back to support Nori - and apply some leniency via Lenny Henry's Sadoc.
The Elrond/Celebrimbor/Durin plot is also among the most fleshed and best acted of the show, Durin is just great really as is Disa and Elrond. While Celebrimbor could use a bit more screentime, the plot doesn't really demand it until his forge is made, so it does fall to this trio to maintain the elements of friendship, conflict and secrets. Introducing Mithril into the mix is an interesting play, but I am more curious as to why Durin feels that Elrond is hiding something from him - since so far, Elrond doesn't really know why Celebrimbor needs the Forge, his job is just to make sure it's built.
The visuals remains perhaps the one thing Rings of Power has miles ahead of HotD, Númenor was amazing, even the Orc tunnels had its own distinct aesthetic, and there are clear vibrancy and usage of light and dark. The music is getting there too, sometimes it is tame but other times it's great.
Overall it's still solid stuff, we're progressing, but there is a wall still here that needs to be broken through.
#the rings of power#lotr rop#lotr rings of power#lotr#rings of power spoilers#rings of power#galadriel#elrond#prince durin#trop#disa#durin iv#arondir#bronwyn#theo#adar#celebrimbor#halbrand#sauron#numenor#isildur#elendil#harfoots#nori brandyfoot#poppy proudfellow#miriel#morfydd clark#lenny henry#markella kavenagh#megan richards
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Are you going to give Rings of Power a try? I just watched the first two episodes. My first impression is that it’s… okay I guess? Since everyone is feeling the need to compare the two, I prefer HOTD so far. I am not fully invested in that either, but I am at least curious as to where the story is going. With ROP, it felt like there was just too much going on at once and tbh I just felt a bit confused. But, I will give it a few more episodes. Anyway, if you end up watching it, I’d be curious to know what you think!
The thing is for me, it's not Peter Jackson's LOTR so I'm just bound to be disappointed, and I mean that in terms of the visuals. There's a great tumblr post that talks about the special effects of LOTR and why they basically stand the test of time because Peter Jackson wanted the movie to look like something out of a storybook and references this bts video about digital grading as reference
youtube
and there was this other facebook post that spoke about why the costuming in LOTR stands the test of time:
For instance with the upcoming Rings of Power by Amazon, the reason Peter Jackson’s original trilogy stands so strongly 20+ years later is partly because the production spent years hand making every single piece of armor with real metal, hand dyeing all natural fiber fabrics and designing distinct embroidery and hairstyles specific to each race in middle earth that had continuity through the story. The natural dyes and dedicated layers of fabrics for elves/weaves for hobbit wool/dyes for Men had a much more muted medieval look, yet ethereal because of the slight detail you don’t REALLY notice but the depth draws your eye to every inch of the costume regardless.
so even though ROP is literally the most expensive TV show ever made, costing eighty-nine million dollars per episode, it looks cheap to me because of the lack of this detail.
This armour looks like armour, it looks like it feels heavy, it looks real
This does not
and because it doesn't have the ethereal visual element to it that LOTR had, that sort of hazy glow
or the way they play with colour so it's not immediately noticeable but it gives you a particular vibe, like with The Shire they wanted to give off a sense of warmth so the tones of scenes in The Shire are warm, kind of toasty
and ROP just kind of plays it straight
I'm like this is not Middle-Earth. In the YT video, Peter Jackson was like New Zealand has some beautiful locations but at the end of the day, it's still New Zealand, it's still a real place so we wanted to shift it a little to the left to make it Middle Earth and the first part is how I feel with the show, where I'm like the scenery is pretty, it doesn't feel otherworldly though.
Like some things were pretty
but does it have that storybook vibe?
Not really, not to me. So, if I can't even be invested in the fact that this is Middle Earth, I'm kind of like, whatever to the rest of it?
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Do you have a list of your favorite K Dramas? We have similar taste and I want to get into K Drama.
Oooh thank you for letting me talk about kdramas! :D
So you can find my MyDramaList list here so you can get an idea of my favourites. I love MyDramaList for finding dramas to watch, seeing what people post in the forums and keeping a track of my own watching. (I really like lists and having things neatly categorised!)
Here are some of my top favourites by genre.
Romantic Comedy (the genre I watch the most of)
Romance is a Bonus Book (Netflix)
Friends to lovers, older woman/younger man, very gentle and all about books. One of the first I watched, but it's left an impression. Has some really lyrical language even in translation.
2. What's Wrong With Secretary Kim (Viki)/Her Private Life (Netflix)
Putting these together because they both star Park Min Young and they're kind of similar. Often very funny, opposites attract, workplace romcoms, childhood backstory. Secretary Kim is about a 29 year old secretary who quits working for a demanding boss in order to have a life and date and he realises he can't do without her. Her Private Life is about a competent art gallery director with a secret life as a kpop fangirl. The male lead in this is probably the best of any drama.
3. Dali and the Cocky Prince (Netflix)
A bit up and down because terrible things just keep happening to the heroine so it gets you down a bit but also very funny and an absolutely winning main couple. About a woman who inherits a debt ridden art gallery and the unsophisticated, money-obsessed man she is in debt to. Top soundtrack alert!
4. Because This Is My First Life (Netflix)
Down on her luck woman and solitary man get married in order to share a flat. You won't believe what happens next! I loved it because it was very gentle and a really interesting exploration of three very different women dealing with being youngish adults in the modern world. Really touched me behind the tropes it uses as a springboard.
5. A Business Proposal (Netflix)
Absolutely hilarious and brilliant and somehow still heartwarming but I'm putting it last because it sort of satirises and deconstructs all the tropes in a loving way so watch a few other dramas first to appreciate it! Fake dating to the max.
Fantasy/Historical
Alchemy of Souls Part 1 and 2 (Netflix)
Magical, beautiful, epic, romantic... I love this show so much. In a fictional historical Korea, mages have the ability to shift their souls into a different body, a forbidden art. A magical assassin bent on revenge finds herself in the weak body of the servant of a magic student who has been banned from training. It gets much more complicated. IDK why anyone would bother with things like RoP and HotD when this is out there. Top soundtrack alert!
2. Rookie Historian Goo Hae Ryung (Netflix)
About the historians at the Joseon court who have to record everything that takes place neutrally. Takes the idea that the court decides to admit female historians and what happens then. A sweet romance between a naive prince and a feisty female historian but tbh the interest is in the historical dilemmas and political intrigue here, at least for me.
3. The King: Eternal Monarch (Netflix)
A hot mess of a show but also really cool and I looked forward to it every week and got really invested. All about parallel universes in which there is still a Kingdom of Corea. Romance between a cop in "our" Korea and the King of Corea. Lots of plotting and scheming and things that don't really make much sense but it's beautiful and epic and I really loved the world building. Top soundtrack alert!
4. My Roommate is a Gumiho (Netflix)
Really a romcom in which a history student has a meet-cute with a gumiho (legendary nine tailed fox) and have to share a house together because Reasons and also he's posing as her very cute history professor. It's honestly just fun and an easy watch and I really enjoyed it.
Thriller/Spy
Vincenzo (Netflix)
The best of the best. Genre-busting comedy-thriller-crime-romance-slapstick-found family emotional journey of a show. About a Korean mafioso returned from Italy to get his hidden gold back, except it's buried under a block of flats under threat from evil developers. He butts heads with the lawyer working for the residents of the block. It's crazy good fun that doesn't always make 100% sense but who cares when something is as entertaining as this is?! Good for those moments when you wish you could literally murder capitalists and get away with it. Top soundtrack alert!
2. Healer (Netflix)
Part romance part thriller about a genius hacker/mercenary who runs across a girl trying to make it as a reporter and who ends up investigating the same thing as him and it all turns out to be more personal than expected. Love the lead actors and it's a really good mix of spy/thriller and romance. Plot makes sense too!
3. Terius Behind Me/My Secret Terius (Viki)
A spy in hiding from the government takes a cover as the babysitter to a single mum's twins and she ends up getting roped into the spy capers along with her local "mum's network". Perfect for light-hearted adventuresome frolics with gadgets. The only drawback is you really want a S02 at the end and they never made one. :(
Shout-out to some really fun Chinese and Taiwanese dramas that I enjoyed. They have a different flavour but you can see what my top rated ones are on MyDramaList.
Happy watching! :)
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5,7,12, 19 and 24
“TV show of the year?” House of the Dragon (as much as I love RoP, HotD was better in every single way I think)
“Favorite actor of the year?” Rob Aramayo, my new flavour of the fuckijg decade
“Talk about a new friend you made this year” @runawaymun is the most skilled fanfic author I think I’ve ever had the pleasure to read let alone talk to! We only started talking a few months ago but I adore her and all she creates. She’s a fucking slag too because not only can she write, she can also draw which isn’t fair actually you’re only meant to be able to do one or the other!!!! But in the short time I’ve known her, I treasure her 🫶
“What’re you excited about for next year?” Hans Zimmer concert 😍
“Did you keep any New Year’s Resolutions?” I never make them bcus I just go with the flow, see where the year takes me 💅🏻
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Did you watch ROP?
Hi nonnie! Yes, I watched The Rings of Power before House of the Dragon, actually. I enjoyed the first season and will keep watching, despite its flaws. While I'm a huge Tolkien fan and understand those who hate the show, I have an issue with the many people complaining it ruined Tolkien's Legendarium.
First, because Tolkien's work is still there and will keep being important way after most people will have stopped talking about ROP. It's not ruined, and saying you're insulting Tolkien because you enjoy the show is seriously screwed up. Second, because many complained about it being an awful adaptation when it was clearly said before it even aired that it wasn't an adaptation at all. That's why I can enjoy it for what it is, it's not based on a book, only on appendices. It's a show "inspired by", not an adaptation. The Lord of the Rings trilogy was an adaptation that I loved. The Hobbit trilogy was an adaptation too, but I didn't like it because it was a bad adaptation (for me, those of you who enjoyed it, don’t come at me). The Rings of Power isn't an adaptation, so it can't be compared to either.
Now, people can be upset of course. But they're blaming Amazon and the writers, like it's their fault this show was allowed to happen. The Tolkien Estate has the rights to Tolkien's Legendarium, they're the ones who gave Amazon the right to make this show. If people want to be pissed at someone, they should be pissed at the Tolkien Estate since they're the ones in charge of his legacy. No one forced them to accept.
Tolkien purists seem to be a bit dramatic. He’s one of my favorite authors but I’m not definitely not a purist. Now, I can predict that some people will call me a hypocrite because of my criticism of both shows inspired by GRRM books, but Game of Thrones is an adaptation of ASOIAF that went downhill (even after I began reading the books, which was after I finished watching the first season, it used to be one of my favorite shows despite all the changes, what changed is the writers ruining the second half of the show) and as for House of the Dragon, I don’t only blame the writers but also GRRM himself: after Game of Thrones, he should have known better. He doesn’t seem to care, though. But I’m not being dramatic on my anti got & anti hotd tags, saying the shows ruined ASOIAF since it’s not the case: the books are still the same, the shows aren’t ASOIAF books (duh). Well, no adaptation (or non-adaptation in the case of ROP), can ruin Tolkien’s Legendarium, as I said in the beginning.
Back to the show, I enjoyed the first season as I said. It’s definitely not without flaws, but the story is entertaining and the entire cast is really good. I especially love Bronwyn and Arondir, the friendship between Elrond and Durin (and his wife Disa, of course) and Adar is one of the most interesting and complex characters.
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