The White City: Recent Episodes
Philip Dudt
A podcast to give people a different angle on The Rings of Power show than they would have thought of before. Compare the worldview that comes out of the show and the worldview that comes out of the books.
Cool scenes are rushed and too much time is given to cheesy plotlines. In this episode, Philip and Mark discuss the lore on screen for the first time, along with the moments that were great and the moments that need improvement.
theringsofpower #lotr #lordoftherings #tolkien #tombombadil #ents #entwife #amazonprimevideo #lore #rushed #rop
00:00 Overview
01:07 Introduction
02:18 Elves and the Barrow-wights
04:29 Barrow-wights Timeline and Geography Inaccuracy
07:42 Brief Moments/References with the Lore/Movies
10:57 Worldview and Amazon's Vision
15:09 Harfoots, Stanger, and Tom Bombadil
19:15 Tom Bombadil Lacks Random Jolly
24:37 Tom's Ideal Life
26:49 Ents, Worm, and Cheesy Love
30:43 Arondir: Standout Elven Actor
32:48 An Entwife
37:29 Final Thoughts
42:40 Conclusion
Research Links:
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- YouTube Channel - Subscribe to our Channel to receive alerts about new episodes coming out on The Rings of Power Season 2.
- Facebook Page - Follow our page
YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@thewhitecitypodcast
Website: thewhitecitypodcast.com
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/TheWhiteCityPodcast/
There are lore accuracies and inaccuracies in The Rings of Power Season 2, Episodes 1-3. Philip and Mark will be discussing what they enjoyed and didn't enjoy about these epiodes and how impressed they were with the storylines, but what also let down. Furthermore, it appears there are changes in characters such as Gil-Galad and Galadriel.
00:00 Method of Reviewing The Rings of Power Season 2
00:45 Introduction
02:05 Sauron's Flashback: Death and Return
03:54 Opening Episode Camparison Between Season 1 and 2
06:38 Favorite Scenes From Episode 1
07:40 Cirdan and the Immature Elves
16:24 Lore Accuracy on Cirdan the Shipwright
18:28 Harfoots and Their STRANGE Connection to the Story
24:40 Isildur's Journey and An Unlikely Connection
30:21 Sauron's Cunningness and Manipulation
37:11 The Dwarves and Their Skepticism
42:43 The Elves and The Rings of Power
46:17 Dividing Numenor
57:14 Conclusion
The SDCC and Official Trailers for The Rings of Power Season 2 have come out and Philip and Mark give a breakdown and review of the trailers. They discuss the excitement around new characters like Tom Bombadil and the Entwives, the portrayal of lore characters, and major plotlines such as The Fall of Eregion and Sauron's deception. They also explore personal excitement for the upcoming season and offer speculation about various elements shown in the trailers.
00:00 Introduction
02:23 Level of Excitement After the Trailers and Some Breakdown
03:45 Tom Bombadil!!
06:42 The Rings Of Power: Creation, Order, Influece
07:44 Sauron's Cunning Deception
08:43 Action Scenes, Battle of Eregion
10:25 Celebrimbor and Sauron
13:00 Galadriel Is Captured and Susceptible to Sauron
15:10 Entwives!
16:40 Wizards and Magic
17:51 Numenor, Miriel, and a Pool
19:59 Worms Underground
21:16 Elrond Wants to Destroy Rings (Remind You of LOTR?)
23:21 Excitement for the First Season Compared to the Second Season
29:12 Hoping For Memorable Content
29:48 What Happens At a Major Battle? Calvary Charge!
30:33 What Would It Take to Stop Watching The Rings of Power 2?
34:45 There Needs to Be a Good Hook
35:18 Conclusion
Philip brings on Nathan Danneker to discuss Rachel Maddow's reference to Lord of the Rings as a 'right-wing favorite' and how the conservative label misrepresents the iconic series.
00:00 Introduction
01:13 Learn About the Guest, Nathan Danneker
02:30 What Makes Lord of the Rings Special?
04:56 Fans from A Lot of Different Backgrounds Enjoy Lord of the Rings
05:29 LOTR FAN as a Political Label
07:37 Conservative Values in Lord of the Rings
12:25 Referring to LOTR As Conservative Misses the Point
15:46 Many Things Make Lord of the Rings Great
22:43 Political Insult Makes for a Grave Misrepresentation of the Lore
26:03 Conclusion
Philip, Matt, and Mark give their reactions and commentary on The Rings of Power Season 2 teaser trailer, discussing its general fantasy feel, potential storylines, and character portrayals. They express mixed feelings about the show's direction and quality, with specific critiques on writing and aesthetic elements. They also touch on adaptations in other franchises and potential future improvements.
0:00 Introduction
01:14 Just Generic Fantasy?
02:40 Odd Story Writing
04:17 New Tolkien Monsters
05:57 Pacing of the Story Line
08:35 Not Good Enough to Care Either Way
09:32 New Content is the Hype
16:00 Subsequent Media's Impact on the Present Media
19:32 Either Live Above the Potential or Succumb to Meh
22:49 Teaser Trailer Doesn't Say Much About Season 2's Quality
27:11 Adaptations Suck with a Lack of Heart Behind It
29:34 Campy!!!!
32:29 Elrond's Hair Needs a Redo
33:49 Conclusion
In this episode, Philip, Matt, and Mark talk about courage, most prevalently concerning Rohan. The horse riders are an unrelenting force fueled by ferocity and righteousness. Sam's faithful courage is also touched upon. 'What can men do against such reckless hate?'
00:00 Introduction
01:14 Rohan Doesn't Look Back
07:30 Defining Courage and Tolkien's Experience
09:38 Deaaattthhh!!!
12:28 An Unrelenting Force
17:16 Courage Beyond the Rohirrim
23:24 Faith, Hope, and Love
24:19 Conclusion
Philip, Matt, and Mark discuss the different aspects that influenced Tolkien's work, such as his Christian worldview, historical and mythological inspirations, and timeless themes. They also explore Tolkien's unique ability to weave these elements together into compelling narratives that continue to captivate audiences.
00:00 Introduction
00:41 Setting the Stage
01:31 The Timeless Appeal of Tolkien's Lore is Multifaceted
02:14 The Impact of Tolkien's Christian Worldview
03:10 Tolkien's Inventiveness and Unique Characters
07:27 It's the Epic Story Behind the Relatable Heroes
15:06 Frodo: The Unlikely Hero
18:04 The Importance of The Hobbits as the Focus of the Story
24:47 The Scourging of the Shire: A Missed Opportunity
27:49 Conclusion: The Interwoven Elements of Tolkien's Mastery
Matt and Philip dive deep into different characters’ varying resilience to the One Ring's influence in Tolkien's Middle-earth. Starting with the enigmatic Tom Bombadil, who remains unaffected by the Ring's power. The narrative then explores the ring's different temptations and impacts on characters like Galadriel, Sam, and other races of Middle-earth. The episode provides a detailed comparison of how the One Ring's corrupting influence varies and why certain characters, especially hobbits, exhibit stronger resistance to its lure.
00:00 Introduction
01:25 Tom Bombadil is a Little Careless About the Ring
10:13 The Master and the Precious are One
13:38 Humble Hobbits, Meek Intentions and Powerful Beings, Worst Outcomes
21:10 The One Ring's Influence on Individuals with Different Levels of Power
Matt and Philip delve into the theme of swearing oaths in J.R.R. Tolkien's works. They analyze the consequences of these oaths through characters such as Feanor and his sons, who swear to retrieve the Silmarils, and the Men of the Dead, who are bound by an oath to Isildur until released by Aragorn. The discussion explores the implications of swearing oaths, the motivations behind them, and their impact on the characters and the story. Listeners will also hear about the contrasting motivations of characters like Beren and Luthien compared to the Sons of Feanor. The episode ends with references to Gollum’s oath to Frodo and Aragorn’s promise to Boromir in the film adaptation. Packed with insights and connections to larger themes in Middle-earth, this podcast episode offers a deep dive into the gravity of promises made in Tolkien's world.
00:00 Introduction
01:14 Feanor's Oath to Reclaim and Protect the Silmarils
07:00 The Tragic Hero: Feanor's Downfall
18:45 The Men of the Dead and Isildur's Curse
30:26 Gollum's Oath and the Power of the Ring
38:49 Aragorn's Pledge to Protect Gondor
45:20 Conclusion and Show and Tell
Philip and Matt bring on a guest, Albert, who advocates for a real Middle-earth that existed far back in our history. In so many words, Albert argues that Tolkien didn't realize he was writing on true stories.
Many fantasy authors have taken ideas from J.R.R. Tolkien, since he was an excellent story writer and a fabulous world builder. Christopher Paolini, the author of Eragon, mimicked Tolkien in language and maps but didn't do so well with quality of writing.
Many characters in Tolkien's work go through redemption, by their own actions , or by someone else's. Catholicism teaches pennance, which focuses on what someone does to find forgiveness for their actions. In a way this makes sense why so many characters in The Lord of the Rings find redemption through their own ability. Does Galadriel go through redemption in both The Rings of Power and The Lord of the Rings? In our answer, she does.
There are lessons to be learned from Tolkien's stories, but how practical are those lessons? Frodo's journey with the One Ring may be the most 'relatable' part of Lord of the Rings. It's just not easy to find commonality with a wizard or an elf.
J.R.R. Tolkien wrote his books on Middle-earth from a Christian worldview, not necessarily because he wanted everyone to take that from his work, but because that's how he sees the world working. It isn't blatently obvious that The Lord of the Rings has Christian themes, but you don't need to look hard for them. We think that a big reason there are Christian themes in LOTR is because that is how Tolkien sees the world.
Evidentally, Amazon could have done some things better in The Rings of Power season 1. Aspects of the first season, such as story telling and the main protagonist, could have been improved. The story line would have been improved by speeding up the pace and instead of Galadriel as the main chracter use Celebrian or Isildur. There are strategies that seem obvious for Amazon to use for season 2 in light of th 37% completion rate of the show. This is our critique in order to improve The Rings of Power!
There are three big influnces on Tolkien's writing. One is his Christian worldview, one is the epic poetry of the Medieval Ages, and the other would be his life experiences. We mill into the details about each of these very inspiring topics. Just remember, Tolkien isn't about allegory.
Epic fantasy would contain magic, dragons, beasts, and wizards, just to name a few things. Middle-earth isn't infested with magic, but along with the other worldly characters in the story you can tell it's very different from the world we live in today. Matt puts it well, 'They (Amazon) wanted to make a modern fantasy show set in the Lord of the Rings universe.'
The Middle-earth lore can be dense and boring, so maybe this made it difficult for Amazon to create a show that really captivated the audience. On the other hand, what seems to stand out in The Rings of Power is the lack of truly good characters, truly evil characters, and characters who struggle with doing what is good or evil. Arguably, ROP only has characters who fit the last category. We think that it's popular to tell a story that relates to our lives, while the audience desires a fun adventure about the good guys and the bad guys.
Misconceptions abound around how many fans watched The Rings of Power and thought the show worth watching. The poll created by Philip was meant to capture this idea, not necessarily how many fans watched all of the first season. The results may not be what you would expect, and maybe there’s something else to tell about ROP’s success/failure than not sticking to the lore.
It's tough to tell a modern themed story in Middle-earth since the lore contains themes that are timeless. It's very unclear how many fans watched the show and would recommend it, so Philip started a poll to find out since A stat came out on the completion rate of the show. This poll hopefully speaks to whether fans thought the show would be worth watching.
Good leaders are people you want to follow. In the Rings of Power, Gil-galad seems a little harsh and Galadriel a little too kick butt. Maybe this just works for the show...? It's not exactly like the books, and a lot more Elven leaders are good.
There are basically two sides to the hope coin: hoping in yourself or hoping in someone else. It is very prevalent that Tolkien's characters put their hope in someone else (i.e. Frodo to destroy the One Ring). It isn't as clear about who the characters in The Rings of Power put their hope. Most of the time the players in The Rings of Power story move forward based on their own merit. This is how we determined what hope looks like in the books and the show.
Tolkien's family heavily influenced his writings which started with him creating stories for his kids which encouraged him to write more. The relationship between Tolkien and his wife Edith influenced the creation of the famous lovers in Middle-earth, the human Beren and the elf Luthien. Family relationships play a huge role in The Lord of the Rings, and The Rings of Power creates interesting family dynamics that put a spin on the show. Galadriel's family will be greatly anticipated since both her husband and daughter have yet to appear in the show.
Characters like Sauron chose the evil path from the beginning and might have a desire to do something good, but what makes him evil is that he never has a change of heart. Gollum is a character who constantly struggles with loving and hating the One Ring, which is all together evil. Galadriel is probably the most pure character in Tolkien's writings, and didn't need to explore the idea of good or evil because she was good the entire time and knew to stay away from evil. This part of Galadriel isn't done well in The Rings of Power.
Miriel's blindness is unique to the show but has potential to create an interesting storyline. A Numenorian leader, who played an important role leading up to The Fall of Numenor, is missing from the ROP storyline. Will he appear, or will someone else usurp his role? With the addition of Elendil's daughter, Earien, drama will probably surmount with a twist of treason...
There is potential for Amazon to come up with some interesting storylines based off of some of the Numenorian leaders, such as Queen Regent Miriel, Pharazon, Elendil, and Isildur. Which characters, who have an important part to play in the books, will end up in The Rings of Power?
The problem of evil and how to respond to challenging situations is a pivotal part of Galadriel and Sauron's character development.
Controversy around the Rings of Power stems from whether themes in the show line up with themes in the books. The producers of the show have done a good job paralleling Galadriel's temptation by the ring in the Fellowship and her temptation by Sauron in the 8th episode.
In this Epilogue for season 1, Philip, Matt, and Mark each give their overview of 'The Rings of Power' by mentioning what they liked or didn't like, regarding anything related to lore or the screen play. Predictions were given for season 2.
Research Links:
- The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (TV Series 2022– ) - IMDb
Philip, Matt, and Mark, share their different predictions leading up to the eighth episode. Amazon had a good idea of how to end the first season with some strong unique parallels to Tolkien's work.
Philip, Matt, and Mark give their predictions for Sauron in anticipation of his reveal during the finale of season 1. Is Tolkien's world monotheistic or polytheistic and how does that work itself into the problem of evil? Oh, and Matt is determined that Balrog's don't have wings.
Research Links:
- "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" The Eye (TV Episode) - IMDb
Philip and Mark discuss the caveat on the way ROP is portraying how characters react to trials, and is the darkness needed to understand the light, or what is good. Is Galadriel's character shaped by the dark things she experiences or does she need to learn how to be a good person by coming close to what is evil?
Philip and Mark bring to light Galadriel's unmentioned family, and what's the agenda behind it? Tolkien displays his characters as good unless affected by evil while Amazon gives even the most incorruptible character a bad side. Amazon doesn't stay close with the lore, to their detriment. Research Links: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11609040/?ref_=tt_ep_nx ("The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" Partings (TV Episode) - IMDb)
Philip, Matt, and Mark discuss Sauron and his mysteriousness in the show and the books and whether the producers are capturing their audience or stringing out the show. Research Links: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11609038/?ref_=tt_ep_nx ("The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" The Great Wave (TV Episode) - IMDb)
Philip and Matt discuss the revealing of Numenor, the greatest kingdom of Men, a grumpy Galadriel, and the fate of each race: from the Elves to the Men, and Numenor in between. Research Links: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11609034/?ref_=tt_ep_pr ("The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" Adar (TV Episode) - IMDb)
Philip talks about whether the show lives up to wokeness and risque content, and Matt shares his unending knowledge of whether details from the show are matching up with the book, and does it really make it or break it?
Philip and Matt attempt to dissect the daring mission to create a Middle Earth, with little to go on.