Review: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, "Eldest" | Season 2, Episode 4
A "merry fellow" has entered the chat
There are two ways that Rings of Power can go about being a good adaptation. It can be just what that phrase implies, piecing together bits and pieces of Tolkien’s lore in a way dedicated to expressing the same ideas and themes Tolkien himself might have envisioned; or it can use what material there is, plus the legacy of Peter Jackson’s film adaptations, and strike out on its own, taking familiar names and places but presenting them in original ways, all in the aim of telling the best story possible regardless of whether or not that story violates canon.
These aims aren’t mutually exclusive, as anyone whose read The Lord of the Rings and seen the Jackson moves can tell you. Back when Fellowship was released in theaters, there was some griping (I remember Roger Ebert taking issue) with the movie’s focus on adventure, action, and spectacle, sacrificing much of the gentle mysticism of Tolkien’s narrative to make more of an impression on the big screen. But while I …