[Formendacil]

Well, I was away for the weekend, enjoying my other nerdly hobby and it has taken me till now to watch this episode--desperate or urgent and needing to watch it as soon as possible, it was not, whatever that may say of the show or me. This one really felt like it sloshed between stories--I almost appreciate when there were "only" three or four to cut between. As always, my stream-of-thought thoughts:

• Is it just me, or did the recap make the "lost king of the Southlands" more clear than the previous episodes did--or is this a feint and Halbrand is NOT the heir?

• Wow, that Harfoot accent is thick today.

• Well now: that's a map of lands with some different names on it! Not so dead, these marshes. And I'm not 100% sold on the lyrics, but I do think having Hobbit--sorry, Harfeet--walking songs makes good Tolkien sense.

• Okay, who the expletive are these new characters? Why do they look like evil, Nazi, Elves? Don't we have ENOUGH characters yet?

• Adar has screen presence, which is more than I can say for Bronwyn. She doesn't make sense as an inspiring leader--Evil Barliman has a better presence of leadership.Is he a Nazgûl too?

• I still like Elendil... and really would prefer none of this Isildur at all. But this father-son conflict feels unnecessary (and un-Tolkienian! Where are the Lost Road-esque father-sons of this story?)

• Apparently, I don't remember Caesar's name. You know, the one guy who looks like a Roman more than the rest of them.

• Why would they let Halbrand wear a weapon into the Queen's presence?

• I guess Tar-Palantír still has a little pull...

• Hobbits and mushrooms--I approve.

• Why do the wargs look more like wild boars this time?

• We're definitely supposed to be thinking Gandalf here--I can't decide if I'd prefer he isn't.

• What is the POINT of this scene? It's not action, exactly, since there aren't really stakes. Is it just to show that Galadrield is a badass?

• Ah, I see--somehow this is going to ingratiate Isildur back in.

• Why is Pharazôn a COUSIN? Are they afraid to be as incestuous as Tolkien?

• Pharazôn's case seems... almost mild?

• Tar-Palantír looks more a wizard than the Starman does. Cutting to the Starman actually emphasises this.

• If Nori gets frostbite, I'll be surprised.

• This does boost Starman's Sauronitude a wee bit.

• Gil-galad comes off as very politiciany... and I can't get over him and Celebrimbor being bosom friends. Although there's a Nargothrond-connection one might make, they're kind of at odds in the Second Age.

• I'm not sure I buy this "legend." I mean, it's clearly here, but it doesn't seem necessary: Celebrimbor's besetting sin--the sin that creates the Rings is NOT to recapture the Silmarils. It's a different, albeit related, impulse.

• Okay, fading *IS* a real impulse of the Ring-makers.

• Is the reference to the number of years an indication of a prolonged lifespan--or ignoring it?

• Well, that's an ominous hope, as it will turn out.

• Domestic terrorism actually feels kind of on point for the King's Men... even if they should be commanding both Númenor and her fleet.

• Galadriel, I know you're the prescient one, but... how do you know that things are getting worse? Like, there is pretty much no intel on Middle-earth, and when you left, things looked pretty rosy, your suspicions aside.

• Okay, it's bad enough that Celebrimbor and Gil-galad are tight, but for them to be CLOSER than Gil-galad and Elrond is just... non-canonical!

• Calling Eärendil a mortal man is... actually kind of accurate. Maybe not Celebrimbor's anecdote, though.

• Halbrand isn't very good at sweeping.

• Why does only Finrod get love? Sure, he's the favourite, but Galadriel could throw a few "brothers" in there, right? Or is that not in the Appendices?

• So, the upshot of condensing the Second Age into a single generation is that... the Second Age actually remains a wide, unpainted canvas--not actually filled in at all.

• Evil Bombadil asking on behalf of all of us!

• Adar having only one glove is prominent there--but he can't be Maedhros: the arm is wrong!

• Well, Theo, maybe you can be saved after all... maybe.

• Whoa, that's some Nazgûlish music!

• "An entire age" is a very imprecise measurement of time here, Arondir. There's way too much memory and nearness of the First Age among Men in their Dark Age, but it's also supposed to be forever.

• By spring? The fading should not be so swift! Arbitrary, mcguffiny, timeline!

• Elrond, your cloak is a bit too long to be practical in a forest--I would think an Elf would notice such things.

• Durin and Elrond have chemistry, but this dialogue...

• Gil-galad the creeper.

• Very "epic old movie" feel to "Númenor goes to war"--am I thinking Ben Hur or Cleopatra or the Ten Commandments.

• Elendil's helm is what Aragorn should be crowned with in RotK.

• "Galadriel comes aboard" is presented way more... epicly than her in-story role should merit, right? That sort of drama should be for Míriel or Elendil--someone taking command of the ship. She's still a foreign national.

• Amazon's desire, like all streaming services, to skip the credits annoys me.