Could this be the Star Wars of our time?! . . . . no. Definitely not.

Together, Richard and I discuss the final episode of The Rings of Power and, yet again, it's mostly a ranting session. It seems as though this entire venture has been set up as a cinematic prequel to the Peter Jackson films, and - if that's the case - it's supremely disappointing.

It's clear that the writers don't trust their audience. Between the wizard dual and the way in which Galadriel has done nothing essential to the plot, there seems to be a sense that, as long as they're writing about something "worthwhile", quality doesn't matter. There also seems to be some attempt to articulate a theological vision, but it's lacking. The pacing is arrhythmic and strange. Seemingly there is some effort to be reminiscent of medieval storytelling, but it falls short.

Also, what's with all of the sympathy for the devil? This, above everything else, is a departure from Tolkien. This seems to be an issue of art vs propaganda disguised as entertainment.

Will we watch season 2? We'll see . . . maybe we should just focus on Andor.

In this episode, dear friend Richard Rohlin and I continue our discussion on The Rings of Power, picking up with episodes 6 and 7. We try to open up by focusing on the positives, but, as per usual, chaos ensues!

While there does seem to be minimal progress in the maturation of the show and its characters, we still see forced romantic tensions where friendship would do - is this a painful display of our current culture? Yes.

After a large detour where we blame Peter Jackson for everything, criticize cinematography, and obsess over Christian Bale for some reason, we finally get to the question of why the showrunners are so obsessed with the Orcs? The creators of the show are very keen on giving these characters, evil characters, a culture, and a story covered in optimism while they clearly give characters like the elves a pessimistic treatment, portraying them as the antagonist oppressors. Again, has society inverted so far as to make this a normal means of storytelling? Yes.

At last, we close with some predictions and hot takes. Please, let us be wrong!

Once again I'm joined by Richard Rohlin for a lively discussion about the Rings of Power! Together we discuss . . . well, many things; but, perhaps most peculiarly, whether elves are more like rechargeable batteries or glow-in-the-dark frisbees.

While the series is wrought with problematic elements, we do manage to find genuine moments of delight. Design, art, music, and story - all give us some consolation. Seeing the writers allow an active god to be the motivation for a character is a huge deal!

The ultimate question we must ask ourselves throughout this show is, would this authentically fit in the Tolkien legendarium? There are many issues within each episode where it seems that the writers are trying to build a tower with no foundation, reducing the mythos to the bare minimum and making tone-deaf statements about current politics.

While we may be hyper-critical of the show, we hope you find some encouraging material to enhance your reading of Tolkien.