Fraser Smith

As an avid fan of Tolkien and his writings, followed by the Peter Jackson movies, I was excited when I heard mention of a TV series based on the second age. Following the first season I had some concerns primarily with the faithfulness to the books and the characters Tolkien had created. I don't want to go down the rabbit hole of social politics. It's evident and clear. However I do have concerns with the writing of dialogue, story and character motivations. Some characters are well done. Where as others not so..due to the inconsistency of the writing, the immersion has been ruined. This has been solidified with the latest episode of the siege of Erageon. The visuals were spectacular. But then this is ruined when characters make gravely questionable decision which do not fit in with their characteristic profiles.. orcs and elves would not simply stop in the middle of a battle to parlay..also way to ruin an epic scene, just makes it anticlimactic.. not to mention the orcs would not simply let elrond walk out of their camp untouched..orcs arent known for being politite..dont forget they eat other beings, infact their own kind even at times... morality isn't something that is shown in Tolkien orcs, they are a corrupted race.. this is why Aragon in the 4th age vowed to eradicate the orc race.. In short the writing for this show is terrible. Sub par. This is the main reason for my review. Visually the show is perfect. The acting is half and half. Some actors to a great job, others I wouldn't say so. The over pronunciation of the rolling R is a put off is well.. deliberately taking quotes from the movie trilogy also paints the series more as a fan fiction to the movies, other then the books... the series doesn't match up the the books chronologically is well.. some characters do not even intact before now nor are even bored yet.. do not forget each age is more then a few centuries old..this series makes it seem as if the second age is just a few weeks.. Oh and the series made elrond hook up with his mouth enlaw... yeah the show runners have definitely shown their lack of knowledge in the lore.. 1/5 star from me.. I struggle to comprehend how people can enjoy this pas the visuals. I guess maybe their standards just are not set to same level as myself? All I can say is the show needs to be redone with a new lead behind it. One that is competent and well verse in the book material and lore of middle earth. Also I believe for a series such as this, you need someone with a lot of experience piloting the ship.