Hobbit Day and Rings of Power reflections
Today is Hobbit Day! Let's get cosy chatting about Middle-earth.
September 22nd is a day that holds much meaning for Tolkien fans around the world1 because it’s both Bilbo and Frodo Baggins’ birthday. In The Lord of the Rings it’s the day of Bilbo’s 111th Long Awaited Party, while in The Hobbit it’s the day Bilbo arrives in Laketown nursing a cold.
I didn’t have much time to read some chapters of the books this year but I still wanted to indulge in Middle-earth as a personal mini-celebration so I got caught up with the latest episode of The Rings of Power on Amazon Prime and I thought it would be fun to share some of my thoughts regarding season 2.
While I was writing the first draft of this post the other day, I realized how ‘old-school blogging’ it was and how much I was enjoying myself while writing it. Sometimes I fall into the trap of wanting to please who’s reading my letters rather than writing what I’m actually excited about. That said, my list of random thoughts below may not appeal to everyone, so here is your permission to skip it, no hard feelings :)
First and foremost, I'm enjoying season two of The Rings of Powers way more than season one, which I’m very pleased about. I genuinely look forward to each new episode every week.
I was afraid to notice the difference with the new actor portraying Adar but I am surprised by how much I'm enjoying him in this season as well. The way he speaks in elvish and how he cares about the orcs. I was so invested in his character last season that I even took some notes in my Tolkien journal about his (invented) character.
I had a big WOW moment when they’d shown the ring Nenya in Galadriel’s hand that I got struck my the thought of wanting an everyday cosplay outfit. So I dragged my best friend to our trusty cheap jewellery shop discovered during university and I bought the closest resembling ring. At first I felt a bit silly, especially seeing my mother’s look after I explained to her the whole thing. She was clearly thinking “for goodness sake you're almost 34” while eye rolling. But then I said hell yeah and I've worn it almost everyday. It simply makes me happy and smile at the same time. And yes, I’m almost 34, but I have a 3,99€ ring of power.
When I first heard about the addition of Tom Bombadil to this season I was absolutely skeptical. But when I saw him on screen…I love him! I love that they make him humming his “Hey Dol! Merry Dol!” instead of jumping up and down the hills like a maniac and his smile is both enigmatic and funny and I'm just smitten. I hope we will also get to see Goldberry too at some point.
The Barrow-wights were absolutely perfect. While I'm a bit disappointed on the length of the conflict (it ended so easily!), I am very impressed by the way they were designed and animated, it was refreshing and spot on in my opinion. This scene reminded me of all my dungeon quests while playing The Lord of the Rings Online and how frightened I was in the beginning to solo quest in the dark in the Barrow-downs! Oh the nostalgia.
Arondir!! The guy is simply all I could ask for in a Woodland Elf. Don’t get me wrong, Legolas will remain my very first teen love, but I'm enjoying very much the character of Arondir and how they have written him. Also, can we talk about the beautiful breastplate that he wears?!
Celebrimbor, my boy. I think I never felt more attached to an Elf like I feel regarding him. He's like the nice uncle that you want to hug and spend time with and I‘m loving the way they made him so ruled by pride and glory, so much vulnerability, which is totally credible in my opinion. There is this general misconception that Elves are perfect and flawless but they were deceived and tricked by Annatar and that couldn’t happen to perfect beings.
Speaking of, I'm really enjoying how Annatar is working in the background, tricking the Gwaith-i-Mírdain and making Eregion his own forge-fortress. (Even if the timeline is all messed up with the rest of the events going on…sigh!)
I am pleased to see how in some shootings, especially from above, Numenor resembles the citadel of Minas Tirith, also with the tree.
I'm a bit sad about it but I'm not really caring for the Harfoots storyline but maybe it has to do with the fact that I find them less relatable. While hobbits, with their passion for food and merriment, the country life, nosy relatives, second breakfasts and handkerchiefs, well, as an italian and being me, I could totally relate. Not to mention that Bilbo’s solo living in Bag End has been a lifetime comfort thought during my loneliest moments.
Well, that was fun!
Are you following along with The Rings of Power Season 2? Are you enjoying it? I’d love to geek out in the comments section :)
Unfortunately there aren’t many Tolkien-themed Substack publications but I have been enjoying Jokien with Tolkien by
.You can read more about today’s celebrations on the Tolkien Society website.
Enjoyed reading your thoughts about season 2 of Rings of Power! Agree with you on basically all of it! Sam Hazeldine is doing excellent work as Adar this season, I think Arondir is just the perfect Woodland Elf like you're saying, I'm loving Annatar's manipulations and scheming, etc.
Thanks for the shout-out as well! Appreciate you reading and sharing!