CNN: Rings of Power delivers spectacle, lacks dramatic power

[LagunaD2]

A Sauron who wasn't at a crossroads like that wouldn't have been interesting because you'd know he was just going to be evil at every turn. He's fine like that as a background character in the book, a nightmarish figure we never see in person, because there he's the Enemy, a foil for the good guys. But if you want to show him as a complex character then he needs some possibility of being more than just evil. Yes, being free from Morgoth's will would doubtless have been liberating but it's only really relatable if he's able to use that freedom to change rather than just following in Morgoth's footsteps. Hence he needs to be seen to be trying to be better - even though he'll fail, it shows another side to his character.

That's one way, sure. Echoing Gollum and Smeagol, as it were. But I don't agree that it's the only way.

Senator/Chancellor/Emperor Palpatine was an interesting villain (arguably the only well-written - and well-acted - character of the prequel trilogy...), and not because he was ever torn between good and evil, but because of the depth of his scheming, manipulation and wickedness. Similar to Halbrand in RoP, he play-acted being a well-intentioned statesman and reluctant leader, without ever actually being one.

Cersei in the GoT series (I haven't read the books) is another example along the same lines. Her brother/consort did try, and eventually succeed, at being better, but she only sank deeper into wickedness at every opportunity. It was like watching the proverbial train wreck - you couldn't look away. She too seems like a plausible template for an "interesting" Sauron without twisting him into something he wasn't.

Both of these are closer to what I thought was going on in E8.

[Radhruin_EU]

That's one way, sure. Echoing Gollum and Smeagol, as it were. But I don't agree that it's the only way.

Senator/Chancellor/Emperor Palpatine was an interesting villain (arguably the only well-written - and well-acted - character of the prequel trilogy...), and not because he was ever torn between good and evil, but because of the depth of his scheming, manipulation and wickedness. Similar to Halbrand in RoP, he play-acted being a well-intentioned statesman and reluctant leader, without ever actually being one.

Palpatine isn't a sympathetic or complex character in himself. Scheming doesn't equal character complexity. Character-wise he's literally just the classic evil chancellor.

Cersei in the GoT series (I haven't read the books) is another example along the same lines. Her brother/consort did try, and eventually succeed, at being better, but she only sank deeper into wickedness at every opportunity. It was like watching the proverbial train wreck - you couldn't look away. She too seems like a plausible template for an "interesting" Sauron without twisting him into something he wasn't.

Cersei's not a sympathetic character because something she's inherited from her father is a mean streak a mile wide, so she's cruel and vengeful. The audience is encouraged to hate her, not identify or sympathise with her.

I think the thing you're missing is that the show-runners do apparently want to make Sauron into something he isn't.

[LagunaD2]

I think the thing you're missing is that the show-runners do apparently want to make Sauron into something he isn't.

I don't think they made him sympathetic.

Nor should they. He's the least sympathetic figure in Arda.

Exploring his personality and motivations isn't the same thing.

[Radhruin_EU]

I don't think they made him sympathetic.

Nor should they. He's the least sympathetic figure in Arda.

Exploring his personality and motivations isn't the same thing.

Still missing the key point: never mind whether what they did works or not, never mind that Sauron isn't supposed to be an engaging character, it's what they've apparently said they want to do with him, in interviews. They've drawn comparisons to Walter White and Tony Soprano.

[rodin12]

everything that is changing this story for the galadriel sauron relationship is unacceptable and they cannot be allowed to change it anymore or the series will not be seen and they will withdraw it

of the king of Númenor, Ar-Pharazôn, who mobilized his immense army to the shores of Umbar in 3261 of the Second Age, demanding Sauron's surrender to avoid its complete destruction. This led Sauron, again in fair form, to appear before Ar-Pharazôn and his army. And with words of admiration and a feigned sense of fear, he bowed the knee to Ar-Pharazôn, and gave himself up in order to destroy his kingdom from within. The ruse was successful, and King Ar-Pharazôn brought Sauron to Númenor a year after his landing at Umbar.
In three years, he corrupted Ar-Pharazôn and his subjects, going from prisoner to royal advisor. He then he always had words sweet as honey in the ears of the king and revealed many secrets that the Númenóreans did not know and allowed them to prosper. However, the Númenóreans also became grim and dedicated themselves only to amassing great fortunes and enslaving the free men of Middle-earth. Following his plan, he manipulated the king by taking advantage of his desire for immortality to establish the cult of Morgoth on the island, promising that Melkor would grant them their long-awaited wish for eternal life. Sauron became the high priest and had a huge temple built where rituals of dark sorcery and human sacrifice were performed in honor of darkness. In this temple, he was cremated, after being felled, the Nimloth (the great white tree of Númenor) as an offering.


As Ar-Pharazôn grew old, Sauron used the king's fear, making him believe that if he conquered Valinor, he would gain immortality. This prompted the king to build a great army and attack the Undying Lands in 2A 3319, resulting in the death of Ar-Pharazôn and all of his men buried by a collapsing mountain near Tirion, capital of Ar-Pharazôn. Valinor. The island of Númenor was drowned by the sea and the world turned round before the wrath of Ilúvatar. Sauron perished in the Sundering, but being an immortal spirit, he returned to Mordor in the form of a black wind.

Because of his efforts to corrupt Númenor, his power diminished and he lost his power to take beautiful forms, so that he could no longer deceive either elves or humans.

[TesalionLortus]

Except they already outright annihilated this entire premise... the premise that was relatively simple and great occasion for POCs, flashy armies, naval invasions and great cinematic battles in one pot, but they threw it away. They're taking our jobs! Numenor has no functional, believable sea power. Numenor has no armies. The sea is always right! They don't even have functional colonies. Ar-Pharazon is just some "advisor" and a politician. Ar-Pharazon had only just begun thinking of any small-scale subjegation, like taking tributes from 40-people villages... Numenorean cavalry of LOL volunteers LOL ! But three small ships... with 300 horses... Oh, and Sauron does not even have Mordor yet, gotta do battle with Adar and Orc Freedom Coalition and I guess we can say goodbye to places like Umbar, at least at their most glorious. (I'm sure they may throw some lame easter egg or have some stuff happen there at some point, but I doubt a glorious Numenorean armada will land there... to face Sauron's dominion and secure their own...)

So not sure whether they can give it any pay off, it's all already rotten and lost. Unless they just pretend S1 never happened and act like it's a whole new series :P What they got here is not Witcher S1 where the general logic/events were ok, but you just needed to loose the dryads and mud armor and then pretend it never happened... like maybe the first Nilfgaard force was some crazy prophecy lunatics which is why they wore THAT... but what came after is actual competent military, and all is good. With RoP? No way to just pretend some things didn't happen when these "things" are 95% of your established series and universe. It stinks and can't be avoided, so they'll just somehow roll with that.