S01 Season 1 Episode 3: Adar

[Aramarien]

I'll do my best.
Their original effort included to try to do what they were doing without alienating the 'die-hard fans' of Tolkien (as they were called.)
But from their very first releases, they saw that they were doing exactly that, no matter what they thought they were achieving.
But what they ALSO saw, was the huge opportunity that all the controversy was stirring up.
And that itself presented the greatest advertising platform they could possibly have dreamed of achieving.
Not being ignorant, they decided to capitalize on the greatest advertising and merchandising platform they could develop - the Tolkien base itself.

AND they were smart. They KNEW the die-hard fans would have to stick around to validate their suspicions... so they were at the very least an early initial base who would pay to see.
PLUS they knew the "fanfic" base would come, not knowing any better, and not fearing what they may learn.
AND they knew that many folks who only had the remotest idea about Tolkien would see the controversy, and they ALSO knew there's nothing like negativity to draw a huge crowd. Negativity is as much a force as gravity itself... drawing people like moths to a flame.

SO.. they've simply capitalized on contention and negativity, knowing that, especially at this time in history, it's the greatest social force afoot among mankind.

And they desperately need as much short-term revenue to cover the costs of this as they can get. Even with their deep pockets this is not a small investment.
These folks are not dumb.

And it is for this reason I maintain "we must enjoy it for what it is (if we're going to enjoy it at all) and not for what it is not."

I guess that's about the best help I can give.

"We must enjoy it for what it is (if we're going to enjoy it at all) and not for what it is not": very sage advice.

 

[Ent]

"We must enjoy it for what it is (if we're going to enjoy it at all) and not for what it is not": very sage advice.

Thank you sir.... it's sort of the way I live my life in my advanced years.
But it's really better stated as:

"We must enjoy a thing for what it is. It cannot be enjoyed for what it is not - it can only be condemned."

 

[Olorgando]

"We must enjoy it for what it is (if we're going to enjoy it at all) and not for what it is not": very sage advice.

All very well - but what to do if it claims to be what it is not?

 

[Ent]

All very well - but what to do if it claims to be what it is not?

You would do what you can, or not do what you cannot do.
It all depends on the importance of that element to each individual, and what wars they choose to fight in this lifetime.

Many claims are made in every arena of life. (Dare I mention politics?). And they are made either from a firm desire to make it so, from a hope that it may be so, or from no intention to even consider it so.

Yet what we have at the end of each day is not what is said or hoped, but only what IS.

The question to us then is not what it IS.. because it will only be what it is, and never anything else...
Rather the question is "since it IS, how much am I going to let that control me, my feelings, my enjoyments, my energies, and my life."

I can cry to the Moon until the Moon becomes a daily trip conducted in a few minutes rather than a matter of days or hours.
But the Moon, too, will not change, as it IS what it is.

The only person being impacted by the situation is the individual, and that individual's choices.

Often people choose frustration. But that only burns one up internally.
If it is that important, that "frustration" energy MUST be turned into "creative energy" to DO something.
Or, the frustration must ultimately be let go, or ones health (given enough frustration) will deteriorate. That to, IS.

(I think I've said some of these things before, somewhere.)

I for one know well that many feel it 'claims to be' what it is not.... and they 'expect" otherwise. The frustration is the result of the unfulfilled expectation.

But they have CHOICE. They can choose to be bothered by what may be 'yet another false claim' - or they can chose to move on as the battle simply is not that important in the big scheme of things.

But that person's choice should not become a rallying point around which great effort is made to bring all others into conformity both with the perspective, and the resultant choice.

The "present" is all wrapped up, given a tidy bow, and handed ones self to own as they desire, having chose what they chose.
The gift, having been selected and wrapped and given (to onesself) should remain with the recipient, and attempts to pass it along to others who have chosen differently should not be made.

I would think, if one is SO certain a breach of some LEGAL principle has been made that is actionable, one would sue.
If it is a break of some perceived MORAL or ETHICAL principle, then one likely needs to realize "things IS what they IS" and go back to the beginning of this post to reread.

My hope is you personally are not spending too much frustration energy on it, as it is just not a healthy place to be.
Best of everything to you regarding this situation.

 

[Aramarien]

All very well - but what to do if it claims to be what it is not?

Ahhh, there's the dilemma! I guess that's why I'm not completely opposed to Jackson's LOTR. There is so much that is good about it (especially the visuals, props, and sets because PJ was wise enough to hire Howe and Lee) and there seemed to be an overall effort to tell the story. With this series, I'm trying to appreciate whatever appears to be Tolkien's world and enjoy it for what it is. I have no problem telling stories about the peoples who "could" have lived in Middle Earth during the Second Age: The Harfoots (although leaving people behind who could not keep up seems to be unfitting), people in villages who were in terror of roaming bands of orcs, the dwarves living in Khazad-dum with the lighted halls, etc.
As you say,
"All very well - but what to do if it claims to be what it is not?"
I am having a problem with this in this series. I've mentioned before, although the timeline is condensed (understandingly for an adaptation), but the jumbling of the timeline is driving me crazy. I do not have much of a problem with Galadriel as a warrior, but she's over a thousand years old at this point. She should be wiser and married to Celeborn. I would have like to have seen her in Doriath with Melian.

 

[Maeglin]

That scene wasn't meant to mock anyone that got left behind but to celebrate their life.

You're supposed to think that she's been so heavily traumatized by all the people she's lost that she's letting her grief cloud her best judgment.

Yeah, I get that it was supposed to be a celebration. It just didn't come across that way, IMO.

And the trauma with Galadriel...I guess I can see that. Problem is, having poor judgment and being a total jerk don't need to go hand-in-hand. They just aren't doing a great job with making her sympathetic as a character.

 

[Olorgando]

My hope is you personally are not spending too much frustration energy on it, as it is just not a healthy place to be.
Best of everything to you regarding this situation.

Not to worry, I'm not spending any frustration energy on it at all.
And nothing in your long post, on principal matters, is news to me.

But the fools made claims in the early trailers etc, stuff that I did take a look at - "The book that JRRT never wrote", wasn't it?
If they now are getting pummeled by people who have read far more about JRRT's writings (not by me) than they have ...
... as I commented caustically elsewhere (not sure if it had to do with RoP), "It's bad enough to have your foot in your mouth; it's utterly stupid to then shoot yourself in the same foot while it's still in your mouth" (I'm probably even having to paraphrase myself here ...)

This has nothing to do with the hate-spewing filth polluting every place they can with their bilious agenda, having nothing to do with JRRT, RoP, or any other author, film, TV series, book, or whatever.

 

[Ent]

Not to worry, I'm not spending any frustration energy on it at all.

Wonderful. It does my heart good to see one so skilled as yourself standing beside the matter, able to evaluate it appropriately, rather than in the midst of it unaware of being slowly consumed.

 

[Valandil]

Here I would actually and for once not be quite so strict 😉
For cinematic reasons it might make sense to combine a few locations on Numenor?

By the way, I associate that Numenor style a bit with the Ishtar Gate of Babylon:

And this is what a typical Greek port looked like back then:

I personally like this Mediterranean-antique design of Numenor, even if it was perhaps a bit exaggerated in certain aspects...

The ancient Greeks and Babylonians, or their successors, the Persians, were of course enemies and opposing cultures at the time. In the series, however, I see stylistic components from both sides. (But I state this without any valuation concerning the series).

According to Tolkien, Numenor has certain parallels to Atlantis. Atlantis was a Greek-Egyptian myth. Tolkien also mentioned that the early, colossal buildings of the Dunedain were reminiscent of the monumental architecture of the Egyptians. In this respect, I think the design of the buildings in Numenor is quite legitimate, even if one rather guesses the neighbors of the Ancient Egyptians here....
In detail, it could perhaps look even more grandiose, depending on which aspect of the extremely long Second Age is to be reflected, which, unfortunately, can never be said exactly with that debatable time compression of the series.

I've actually imagined it as much like Naboo - in Star Wars. I was trying to post some images, but they all saved as HTML - and I either don't have the brains or time to convert them into something else right now - time for bed.

 

[Valandil]

The Harfoots have become totally ludicrous.

"No one walks alone, no one left behind."

"Now let's read about all those we've left behind."

"We're to be at the back of the migration... we're doomed!"

 

[Ent]

The Harfoots have become totally ludicrous.

A magical scene, yes?
They may be spending a lot of money on this, but I don't think it's going to script-writers, editors etc. (or if it is, they were all on vacation during the preparations for that scene.)

I don't prefer to speak 'negatively', but that scene seems more like what would be prepared for a politician than a show.
Oh wait...he was their leader, wasn't he..!

 

[Annatar]

I've actually imagined it as much like Naboo - in Star Wars.

Ah, so you mean Plaza de Espana in Seville which was built for Expo 29.