Rings of Power's Dumbest Inconsistencies Fans Still Can't Get Over
Well, Rings of Power certainly made its mark in Tolkien fandom. And boy, did it split opinions.
But let's ignore some of the more outrageous negative reviews it received and look at why some fans are struggling to get over the obvious plot holes thrown up:
It's a bit…narrow
So far, the only human characters we have encountered are the High Men of Númenor and the inhabitants of a small village in the Southlands. We learn that Adar and the orcs have left a trail of destruction behind them, but nobody seems to care.
There's no concern for the other villages or for what mass destruction on such a level that nobody is able to spread the word to neighbouring villages would mean for themselves. It's all a bit odd and fails to recognise that there is a wider world.
Halbrand's report of orcs in the Southlands shouldn't be so easy to believe
Put yourself in Galadriel's shoes. You've been hunting orcs in the Southlands for hundreds of years with not a peep. Then Halbrand turns up and announces they're out there.
Sure, you'd want to believe it. But wouldn't you question it just a little bit? But no, she takes him at his word and just goes with it. Ok, so it turns out he's right. But that doesn't alter the fact that she shouldn't have been so quick to believe him. Surely her natural reaction would have been to at least treat his claims with suspicion.
The Númenors arriving just in time
Now, wasn't that convenient? The Númenors travelled for several days with no prior knowledge of the battle and happened to turn up just at the right moment. Yes, of course, this type of timing is a staple of many movies – and was evident in Lord of the Rings when Gandalf showed up at Helm's Deep and when we saw Aragorn's dead army rocking up at Pelennor Fields.
But at least both of those knew something was going on. This time, it just felt a bit of a weak storyline.
Galadriel and Theo walking away from the eruption
When Mt Doom blows, both Galadriel and Theo are affected. But both survive the eruption. So, what do they do next? Look for each other? Search for other survivors?
No, they just walk away. What??!!
This simply doesn't add up.
Adar gives the dagger to Galadriel
In itself, this doesn't seem strange. But why does nobody other than Theo check it? And can't Galadriel tell the difference between a bejewelled blade and a hatchet?
Come on, writers – these are not difficult moments to get right!
Dwarves and beards
It's made quite clear in The Two Towers that it's hard to spot a male dwarf from a female dwarf due, largely to the fact that both grow beards.
But what do we see in Rings of Power? Princess Disa, with very little facial hair, looking pretty feminine.
All in all, the show wasn't too bad. But fans of Tolkien will always spot plot holes such as these, and the showrunners need to be far more attentive for the next series or they run the risk of losing a key chunk of their fanbase.