Rings of Power S1+2

Gandalf: they didn't fail him, but they didn't actualize him. Surprisingly I'm ok with their approach. He's learning his powers as he learns his wit. He looks like a younger Jackson-Gandalf. He's pretty neutral, as an old gray man, meaning he's pretty blank-slate-god. This all makes sense. But they handled him far too slowly in S2. S2 needed more actualization from him. Instead he's still very confused and pitiful. His strides feel inauthentic, like when he pokes fun at Nori. Don't pretend this is a "fool of a Took" situation. He's nowhere near what he needs to be. You need to develop him further before the comfy old stuff feels comfy. He's still a little too foreign, because we've never seen him this naïve. We only know him wise.

    I don't mind the actor's performance. It's a good Gandalf approach. But you need to execute, and the writers dragged their feet in S2.

Galadriel: while Gandalf is ultimately my guy, Galadriel must be my favorite character in RoP so far. She's involved in meaningful things. Gandalf is wandering in the wilderness, not in a profound way, in a confused and highly side-quest way. He has nothing to do with the main events. Ah, that will be the episode -- when he strikes the main action like a lightning bolt. Anyway, Galadriel is in the thick of it. Even Elrond is too occupied with dwarfy things. Galadriel guides the action from S1E1, and I'm here for it. She's very intense, very unlike image of peace and grace Galadriel from the Third Age. She's emotional, fiery, troubled, angry. I think she's a little too fiery -- you really can't imagine her turning into Cate Blanchett's portrayal, can't imagine her finding that peace. What's going on with Celeborn? Did she imply he's dead? Of course he's not... Maybe when she finds Celeborn and when Sauron is temporarily vanquished she'll become grace-peace Galadriel. So, she's too fiery for the ideal, but not for the good. She's at the center of the most interesting events, she's strong, wise, graceful, serious, respected.

Elrond is also so serious. I like that. I like warmth in an elf -- his will be the Last Homely House -- but ultimately seriousness, joy ever mingled with sorrow. I like Elrond's personality a lot. I could complain about the actor's odd look, but it's not as odd as Weaving, thankfully. Weaving was not a good choice. Nothing about him shows the pinnacle of warm and good as it should. His eyebrows and widows peak are so angular. Elrond in RoP is odd-looking but gentler, sort of nerdy, yet strong. I like him. He's very right. I would trust him.

Nori was a good choice. You need hobbits -- who else would you have chosen? Some descendent I guess, Old Took or something, although he may come later. That would be cool, actually. There probably is some ancestral tie here, to the Baggins' or Brandybucks or Tooks or something. Anyway you need hobbits, and she was a good choice: brave yet simple, like the best of them. There are hobbits who would be irritating companions for me (I'm Gandalf in this scenario, naturally). She is not one of them. She's a solid, feel-good companion. People like Poppy and Pippin are a little too simple for me. I like the deeper hobbits, the sadder hobbits, the adventurous ones.

I'm disappointed by Elendil. He who could have been the height of man, the rival of his descendant Aragorn, is just not pleasing to me. I don't like his look, I don't like his acting, I don't like his writing. None of it is terrible but it's a missed opportunity. Maybe they're just killing time until they can elevate Isildur. Isildur, still so young and soft, could take a Jon Snow arc. That would be really satisfying, if they can manage it. You need at least two more seasons to make that happen, though, I think. Jon took 6. Isildur needs a couple more. So maybe Elendil is just paving the way. A little disappointing though, as I saw Elendil as the original king. I guess he's the original of Aragorn's line (in a way), being presumably the first to rule in Middle-earth as a Numenorean, but he's really just a captain in Numenor, and not a super awe-inspiring one. A respectable one, but not the glory of Numenor. I wanted he and Isildur to be almost gods, almost perfect men. That's what Numenoreans are. This show, being so focused on Numenor, evidently felt the need to ground them. This show didn't want to stay toooo high and mighty, considering its high and mighty context. Gil Galad is as elegant as I expected, but not as glorious, and Elendil is neither. But he's not bad.

Sauron is alright. I loved the plot twist, and I like the acting. I could use a little more abstraction -- it's mostly just been Halbrand -- but he who did Halbrand well is doing Sauron well, which is impressive for breadth.

I just can't adore the dwarves like the other races, but a good dwarf is always a good thing, and Durin (the younger) is a good sound dwarf.