Rings of Power S1E2

Fair blend of grand arc (Galadriel, Elrond, Gandalf, Sauron, the rings) and fleeting heartstrings (the mortals, the struggles). If the show's vision wasn't so watered down for mass consumption -- if it was all about executing the vision -- I'd say they're doing a great job. All oars pull in the same direction, it's just the direction that's as uncontroversially central as possible. They risk not getting anywhere meaningful. They risk, so immediately, becoming utterly forgettable.

If this is indeed Gandalf, they designed him well. I'll be hard to please, as he learns the languages of Middle Earth and develops personality, but so far so good. They haven't yet insulted one of my favorite characters in all fiction.

I hope they make something great of this. Make something at all; stand out; assert a strong vision; tell us you know Tolkien better than we do, you know how to make him shine. I'm so glad the show is littered with familiar names. I couldn't get into some odd offshoot. I need the greater arc, I need it so.