Any World (That I'm Welcome To)

I've been turning over a quote from Miriel in The Rings of Power and the way it encapsulates so much of the whole season's meaning.

"My father once told me that the way of the Faithful is committing to pay the price even if the cost cannot be known and trusting that, in the end, it will be worth it."

The narrowest meaning applies this only to the Faithful and being friends with elves. That makes it sound almost cult-like: the elves might be quasi-immortal and generally wise, but they're still people, and committing to pay an unknown price to stay loyal to a bunch of people regardless of their actual behavior is not a great plan.

But if you take it as a broader commitment to forging relationships outside one's own circle and helping others? Now that is probably what Tar-Palantir was trying to express. Or maybe the original meaning of a teaching he only dimly understands himself. And it's very much what this season was about. ( Spoilers for ROP. )

When The Rings of Power was announced, I was dubious, to say the least. But now that I’ve finally gotten a chance to watch the show, I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. If nothing else, it is really pretty. Elven cities at their heights! Khazad-dum in its glory! A Dwarf woman who sings to the stone! Numenor! Amazing details everywhere! Color instead of that grayish filter so many modern movies use in a vain attempt to look serious! Everyone involved in the costuming and sets (real and virtual) ought to get awards.

I also found myself enjoying the characters and plot, though. I’m some things will bother me more on a rewatch, and of course it could fall apart in future seasons. I’m willing to wait to see if they handle the colonial occupation theme well, but I suspect they won’t, for example.

But this isn’t about the good, bad, or ugly of the show. ( Read more... )