Rivenpod

The show goes ever on and on... or at least that's how it feels. It was a bumpy, if not excruciating, road getting to the end of this travesty against Tolkien, but here we are! The season one finale of Amazon Prime Video's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power was a disaster! But we made a promise to go through the legendarium and explain what this show's going on about, and we intend to keep that promise! So here it is, our final analysis for 2022. Have the writer's ever read Tolkien? Have the actor's ever read Tolkien? Have the set designers ever read Tolkien? Have the props masters ever read Tolkien? And was the end-credits song written by a deaf person? Wanna see get more information about our work? Then go to GuenevereLee.com Have a comment or suggestion? You can email us at Rivenpod (at) Gmail (dot) com or contact me on Twitter or Facebook: @GuenevereLee

Listen to our souls die in real time as we review the season finale of Amazon Prime Video's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power! Wanna see get more information about our work? Then go to GuenevereLee.com Have a comment or suggestion? You can email us at Rivenpod (at) Gmail (dot) com or contact me on Twitter or Facebook: @GuenevereLee

Wandering in the summer in the woods... Beren came upon Lúthien... at a time of evening under moonrise, as she danced upon the unfading grass in the glades... or was that Celeborn who came upon Galadriel? It's just so hard to keep track of these things, thank god we have Amazon Prime Video's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power to set things straight. Who was secretly in love with Galadriel? Why did the showrunners write out Celeborn? What shenanigans are Galadriel and Halbrand going to get up to during their romantic alone time? All this and more! Wanna see get more information about our work? Then go to GuenevereLee.com Have a comment or suggestion? You can email us at Rivenpod (at) Gmail (dot) com or contact me on Twitter or Facebook: @GuenevereLee

Speak not thus to me, O cat, mighty Lord of Cats though thou be, for we are not Tinúviel Princess of Fairies but rather two podcasters who just want to share their thoughts of Amazon Prime Video's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Good news everyone! We quite liked this episode! Not to say there weren't some twitch-inducing moments of false tension... but let's get into that, shall we? Wanna see get more information about our work? Then go to GuenevereLee.com Have a comment or suggestion? You can email us at Rivenpod (at) Gmail (dot) com or contact me on Twitter or Facebook: @GuenevereLee

The Drúedain must have escaped Morgoth's Shadow; for their laughter and the laughter of Orcs are as different as is the light of Aman from the darkness of Angband; but we can't seen to escape the darkness of the world's most ridiculous and unnecessary lock and key mechanism in Amazon Prime Video's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Where were 500 horses hiding on three ships that should barely be able to hold 150 men? Who brought all that food to the celebration feast? Why does no one post guards to watch over anything in this show? How did Halbrand teleport to the middle of the forest? AND FOR THE LOVE OF THE VALAR IS THE HORSE OKAY??? Wanna see get more information about our work? Then go to GuenevereLee.com Have a comment or suggestion? You can email us at Rivenpod (at) Gmail (dot) com or contact me on Twitter or Facebook: @GuenevereLee

At Amazon Prime Video's summons, wheeling with a rending cry, in a last desperate race there flew, faster than the winds, the Nazgûl, the Ringwraiths, and with a storm of wings they hurtled southwards to Mount Doom only to find some real questionable science. The Lords of the Rings: The Rings of Power are definitely testing our endurance, but I promise we liked this episode waaaay better than the last... even if we do have a hard time thinking of positive examples... Wanna see get more information about our work? Then go to GuenevereLee.com Have a comment or suggestion? You can email us at Rivenpod (at) Gmail (dot) com or contact me on Twitter or Facebook: @GuenevereLee

Not all who wonder or wander are lost, but we can't help but feel like the writers of Amazon Prime Video's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power stepped off the trail through Mirkwood and are now doomed to be eaten by spiders... That is to say, we enjoyed this episode a lot less than previous ones. What is up with this mithril nonsense? Why does Galadriel act like a hormonal teenager? Where does this idea that Eärendil sailed to Valinor alone come from? How is this show going to redeem itself at this point? Wanna see get more information about our work? Then go to GuenevereLee.com Have a comment or suggestion? You can email us at Rivenpod (at) Gmail (dot) com or contact me on Twitter or Facebook: @GuenevereLee

What was that? We thought we saw a twinkle of light in the forest. Turns out it was actually mithril. Not gonna lie, this episode was rough and our reaction is raw. We'll have much more constructive criticism in the next episode, along with all the analysis. But for now, here's the sound of our minds imploding... Wanna see get more information about our work? Then go to GuenevereLee.com Have a comment or suggestion? You can email us at Rivenpod (at) Gmail (dot) com or contact me on Twitter or Facebook: @GuenevereLee

Among those of his servants who have names the greatest was that spirit who the Eldar called Sauron, or Gorthaur the cruel, but definitely not Sauron. We've finally at the halfway point of Amazon Prime Video's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 1. So far we have established that the writer's will cut just about any corner to get the characters where they need to be for the plot to advance. The show-runners clearly have some daddy issues they are working through. And they probably should have cast a 15-year-old girl to play Galadriel because that's how she's being portrayed! Oh yeah, and believe it or not we *like* this show. Wanna see get more information about our work? Then go to GuenevereLee.com Have a comment or suggestion? You can email us at Rivenpod (at) Gmail (dot) com or contact me on Twitter or Facebook: @GuenevereLee

Yet by Sirion and the sea there grew up an elven folk, the gleanings of Gondolin and Doriath, and the birthplace of both Arondir and Adar? Maybe! We discuss that and more as we reaction to episode four of Amazon Prime Video's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. What kind of trouble is that butcher going to cause? Who is Adar, really? And why change the history of the palantíri? Wanna see get more information about our work? Then go to GuenevereLee.com Have a comment or suggestion? You can email us at Rivenpod (at) Gmail (dot) com or contact me on Twitter or Facebook: @GuenevereLee

The Elvish race had no beards, so that this also became a mark of an Elvish strain in certainly kingly families of Númenórean descent - but not in Amazon Prime Video's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power! Despite the showmaker's war on hair, this has been our favourite episode of season one so far! Who is that giant statue in Númenor depicting? Why is Míriel the Queen Regent and not just the Queen? Where was Halbrand hiding that knife? What does the orc's 'father' have to do with Theo's father? Buckle in everyone, we're in for a bumpier ride than Galadriel on that horse. Wanna see get more information about our work? Then go to GuenevereLee.com Have a comment or suggestion? You can email us at Rivenpod (at) Gmail (dot) com or contact me on Twitter or Facebook: @GuenevereLee

We say to you, Queen Regent of the Numenoreans, not till now have we understood the tale of your people and their fall... at least we're pretty confident we understand. What we can't understand is why Halbrand would think he has a chance in Mordor to get with Galadriel. And why is that Elf so short??? Wanna see get more information about our work? Then go to GuenevereLee.com Have a comment or suggestion? You can email us at Rivenpod (at) Gmail (dot) com or contact me on Twitter or Facebook: @GuenevereLee

He began a long and secret labour, and he summoned all his lore, and his power, and his subtle skill; and at the end of all they analyzed season 01 episode 02 of Amazon Prime Video's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Why are Celebrimbor and Elrond so into that hammer? What constellation is Not-Gandalf looking for? Where is Celeborn hiding? And of course, who is Halbrand, really? Wanna see get more information about our work? Then go to GuenevereLee.com Have a comment or suggestion? You can email us at Rivenpod (at) Gmail (dot) com or contact me on Twitter or Facebook: @GuenevereLee

They said it would be over quickly, but the war to re-read the Silmarillion for the nth time lasted centuries... Yes that's right, it's time to get into the nitty-gritty of Amazon Prime Video's the Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. We are only going into episode 01 here, and in the next episode you'll hear our rundown of episode 02. We've got all the facts about who Finrod was, how Elrond's lineage both makes him important and hinders him, where exactly Tirharad is, and why in Manwë's name all those Elves broke out into a well-rehearsed musical number! Wanna see get more information about what we discussed, including quotes and character info? Then go to GuenevereLee.com Have a comment or suggestion? You can email us at Rivenpod (at) Gmail (dot) com or contact me on Twitter or Facebook: @GuenevereLee

Morgoth hated the new lights, and was for a while confounded by this unlooked-for stroke, but we thought the first two episodes of season one of Amazon Prime Video's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power were pretty good! This is our pure reaction, recorded immediately after watching - so it was very late and we were a little manic. Wanna see get more information about what we discussed, including quotes and character info? Then go to GuenevereLee.com Have a comment or suggestion? You can email us at Rivenpod (at) Gmail (dot) com or contact me on Twitter or Facebook: @GuenevereLee

Horns were blown and trumpets were braying, and the podcasters were bellowing as they waited two more weeks for Amazon Prime Video's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. This week we are talking about the history of the Haradrim (and the Easterlings), and go into what storylines we hope the series covers. Plus we spend way too much time talking about Batgirl, Jupiter's Legacy, and Fantastic Beasts. Are these omens of the cancellations to come? Or am I just really fixated on something I am imagining? Wanna see get more information about what we discussed, including quotes and character info? Then go to GuenevereLee.com Have a comment or suggestion? You can email us at Rivenpod (at) Gmail (dot) com or contact me on Twitter or Facebook: @GuenevereLee

We do not say anything, unless it is worth taking a long time to say, and to listen to, is our motto here at Rivenpod! So we are still talking about details from Amazon Prime Video's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power trailers. In our 20th episode (yay!) we are talking Ents! But don't be hasty, before we can get to one of our favourite free peoples of Middle-earth, we need to address a trailer from the foreign market making its way around Twitter (catapults, anyone? ... or maybe a Galadrapult?) that has left us somewhat stunned... Wanna see get more information about what we discussed, including quotes and character info? Then go to GuenevereLee.com Have a comment or suggestion? You can email us at Rivenpod (at) Gmail (dot) com or contact me on Twitter or Facebook: @GuenevereLee

What an evil fortune! And we are already weary of waiting for Amazon Prime Video's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power! (APV:LOTR:TROP baby!) Now that we've gotten glimpses of the plot for season one, we're going to take a closer look at some of the most interesting lore the producers have revealed. That's right, we got Balrogs, we got palantíri, and we got some very conflicting takes on that corpse Galadriel seems so sad about... Wanna see get more information about what we discussed, including quotes and character info? Then go to GuenevereLee.com Have a comment or suggestion? You can email us at Rivenpod (at) Gmail (dot) com or contact me on Twitter or Facebook: @GuenevereLee

We were cloaked in darkness, and terror went before us; but now we've finally seen some glimpses of the plot for Amazon Prime's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (AP:LOTR:TROP? There has got to be a better abbreviation...). We are going frame by frame through this info dump the producers were kind enough to gift us with. What's the real reason they gave away so much so quickly? Speculation abounds! Wanna see the trailer, plus more information about all the characters we discussed? Then go to GuenevereLee.com Have a comment or suggestion? You can email us at Rivenpod (at) Gmail (dot) com or contact me on Twitter or Facebook: @GuenevereLee

Away I must wander this wandering trailer... We jump off right where we left off and go through the rest of the first official trailer for Amazon Prime's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. And also breach the topic we've been trying to avoid for a while, the negative backlash fuelled by rampant misogyny and racism in our society today. Good fun! Wanna see the trailer, plus more information about all the characters we discussed? Then go to GuenevereLee.com Have a comment or suggestion? You can email us at Rivenpod (at) Gmail (dot) com or contact me on Twitter or Facebook: @GuenevereLee

Call to me, call to me, a trailer... We finally have a full trailer for Amazon Prime's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power! We start with the mildly cringy trailer for the trailer, and then move onto the main course. Fair warning though, we had so much to say we had to cut the episode in two! (Excuse the bad audio for the outro, but I was a little desperate to get this episode out since it's already so late, lol) Wanna see the trailer, plus more information about all the characters we discussed? Then go to GuenevereLee.com Have a comment or suggestion? You can email us at Rivenpod (at) Gmail (dot) com or contact me on Twitter or Facebook: @GuenevereLee

Few other griefs amid the ill chances of this world have more bitterness and shame for a man's heart than to behold the new images from Amazon Prime's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. We are so psyched to have a bunch of new images. Here we dive into Empire Magazine's July 2022 cover story all about the new series. Expect episodes more frequently now, so make sure you subscribe! You can also follow me on twitter. Wanna see the images we discussed, plus more information about all the characters we went over? Then go to GuenevereLee.com Have a comment or suggestion? You can email us at Rivenpod (at) Gmail (dot) com or contact me on Twitter or Facebook: @GuenevereLee

It's our podiversary! Yes, somehow we've been doing this for a year! A toast to all our listeners: We don't know half of you half as well as we should like; and we like less than half of you half as well as you deserve! To celebrate, we forced ourselves to watch the fascinatingly bad adaptation, Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings. I know it doesn't seem like a celebration to sit through a 130-minute acid trip, but that's just all we have to fall back on until Amazon Prime finally releases The Rings of Power... Have a comment or suggestion? You can email us at Rivenpod (at) Gmail (dot) com or contact me on Twitter or Facebook: @GuenevereLee Visit my website for more info: GuenevereLee.com

A shadow of Morgul has fallen upon our minds. Some of us are very concerned. Could it be because of the fashion choices of Elves? Or the inclusion of characters long-dead in prominent roles? Or the appearance of the dreaded G-word? You'll have to listen to find out about the roller-coaster of emotions we're going on! And don't forget to vote in our polls :) I'm trying to get a better understanding about how people are feeling towards Amazon Prime's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. You can find the polls on the Spotify app and on twitter. This episode (thanks to anxiety and coffee) we're asking: What character are you most worried about seeing in The Rings of Power? Wanna see the Superbowl trailer, plus more information about all the characters we discussed? Then go to GuenevereLee.com Have a comment or suggestion? You can email us at Rivenpod (at) Gmail (dot) com or contact me on Twitter or Facebook: @GuenevereLee

After an age of silence, The Falls of Rauros have unleashed their waters on us! Or to put it another way: Amazon Prime unleashed a tonne of character info on us, including confirmed characters and cast, character profiles, shots from the set, and even some plot details! We get into the who's who of The Lord of the Rings: The Ring's of Power and answer all the important questions. What is going on with the timeline in the Second Age? Why does Elrond have such a punchable face? Are they really going to put Hobbits and Gandalf in this? How do you tell a female and a male Dwarf apart? Is an immortal Elf falling in love with a mortal Man a tired cliché? Plus, listen as we realize in real-time who Sauron is! Wanna see all the pictures we discussed? Then make sure you go to GuenevereLee.com Have a comment or suggestion? You can email us at Rivenpod (at) Gmail (dot) com or contact me on Twitter or Facebook: @GuenevereLee

We continue our look at Peter Jackson's adaptation of the Lord of the Rings - but this time there's no mercy and no quarter given. Who are the worst characters? Which is the undisputed 'worst' film? Why are we tearing apart a trilogy we love and watch obsessively? The answers to all these questions and more! Check out episode 10 to get the Top 9 Best Things! Have a comment or suggestion? You can email us at Rivenpod (at) Gmail (dot) com or contact me on Twitter or Facebook: @GuenevereLee Visit my website for more info: GuenevereLee.com

Since rewatching Peter Jackson's take of J. R. R. Tolkien's famous trilogy to celebrate its 20th anniversary, we've spent a lot of time thinking about the best (and worst) things about this particular adaptation. Which characters translated best from page to screen? What experience watching these films sticks in our minds? And what practical effect do we still have a hard time wrapping our heads around? Next episode, we'll be taking these movies down a peg as we go over the Top 9 Worst Things! Have a comment or suggestion? You can email us at Rivenpod (at) Gmail (dot) com or contact me on Twitter or Facebook: @GuenevereLee Visit my website for more info: GuenevereLee.com

Twenty years ago today, on the 19th December 2001, Peter Jackson's adaptation of the Fellowship of the Ring was released, and holy crap, it blew our minds! (Also: 20 years??? We are so old O.o) Plus, we finally round up the biggest and most shocking news from the Amazon Prime Lord of the Rings series. How has a global pandemic changed the series? Are they trying to copy Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy stylistically? And just how much have they hurt New Zealand? What do you want us to cover on Rivenpod next? You can email us at Rivenpod (at) Gmail (dot) com or contact me on Twitter or Facebook: @GuenevereLee Visit my website for more info: GuenevereLee.com

Finally, we have some real, official, and indisputable news from the production of Amazon Prime's The Lord of the Rings series. We have release dates, new plot elements to discuss, and breaking news from the Tolkien estate! Plus, since we have way too long to wait for the first episode of The Lord of the Rings, we have decided to start looking at other adaptions from the world of Middle-Earth, including a new video game featuring everyone's favourite homicidal halfling, Gollum, and a new (anime???) animating film taking us back to the origins of Helm's Deep! What do you want us to cover on Rivenpod next? You can email us at Rivenpod (at) Gmail (dot) com or contact me on Twitter or Facebook: @GuenevereLee Visit my website for more info: GuenevereLee.com

In order to get a feel for the look and atmosphere of Amazon Prime's The Lord of the Rings, we are checking the curriculum vitae of the crew, including J.A. Bayona (director of one movie we love and one we despise), John D. Payne (who wins the best name award), and Eugene Kelly (who is singlehandedly responsible for creating some of our favourite TV shows). We get a pretty good idea of what the streaming series will be... and we hope everyone loves horror!!! Plus, learn our true feelings about Peter Jackson's The Hobbit, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, and find out how Guenevere connects the fate of Jupiter's Legacy to the future of The Lord of the Rings. What do you want us to cover on Rivenpod next? You can email us at Rivenpod (at) Gmail (dot) com or contact me on Twitter or Facebook: @GuenevereLee Visit my website for more info: GuenevereLee.com

Who are the Ringwraiths, and where did they come from? Why don't Galadriel and Elrond turn invisible when they wear the Elven rings? Why don't all the rings have names? And what happens when a dragon eats a ring of power? This week we are talking Lord of the Rings' history, looking at the history of the Rings of Power, how Sauron manipulated the Elves and Dwarves into helping him, and how the Elves managed to pull a fast one on the Dark Lord. What do you want us to cover on Rivenpod next? You can email us at Rivenpod (at) Gmail (dot) com or contact me on Twitter or Facebook: @GuenevereLee Visit my website for more info: GuenevereLee.com

CONTROVERSY!!! It's time to talk about tourism in New Zealand, insane subsidies to the film industry, the Hobbit Law (the unbelievably depressing legacy left by the production of the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit in New Zealand), and how Amazon Prime Video took advantage of it all. Hungry for more info? Check out these articles: New Zealand is hitching its economic future to Amazon's Lord of the Rings series: https://qz.com/1997678/amazon-is-spending-a-fortune-on-lord-of-the-rings-in-new-zealand/ More than Middle-Earth: How Film Tourism Changed New Zealand: https://discovery.cathaypacific.com/middle-earth-film-tourism-changed-new-zealand/ Here's How New Zealand's ‘Hobbit Law' Is Impacting The Country: https://www.fodors.com/world/australia-and-the-pacific/new-zealand/experiences/news/heres-how-new-zealands-hobbit-law-is-impacting-the-country What do you want us to cover on Rivenpod next? You can email us at Rivenpod (at) Gmail (dot) com or DM me on Twitter: @GuenevereLee Visit my website for more info: GuenevereLee.com

We have the latest news from the New Zealand set. We told you before that Amazon Prime's The Lord of the Rings was the most expensive series ever made, but not even *we* guessed just how much it cost to make season one. Plus, we go into the history of Durin's Folk (Dwarves) and the Eldar (Elves) in the Second Age. Who created these races? How did both Elves and Dwarves contribute to the creation of the Rings of Power? What Elf and Dwarf characters will we see come to life in the series? And what's up with all those silmarils? What do you want us to cover on Rivenpod next? You can email us at Rivenpod (at) Gmail (dot) com or DM me on Twitter: @GuenevereLee Visit my website for more info: GuenevereLee.com

In Rivenpod, Noel Sayar and Guenevere Lee are combing the novels for clues about what the new Amazon Prime Lord of the Rings series will be about. We're going into detail about what characters will have major roles, what parts of the Second Age the series will focus on, and we're also going over Middle-Earth history. We'll also be watching for any news about the series and keeping everyone updated.

Everyone's been talking about the Russian Lord of the Rings (Khraniteli or Guardians) that reappeared online after 30 years, so we decided to check it out. Tom Bombadil anyone? Enjoy our suffering! Amazon Prime's The Lord of the Rings show will be five seasons long. What will be the major plot points and who will be the main characters? As we dive into the history of the Númenóreans (Men with Elven blood) in the Second Age, we'll give you a detailed summary of how the story of the rise and fall of Númenor will be told over all five seasons, and who the major players are. Rivenpod (at) Gmail (dot) com @GuenevereLee

We watched the Tolkien movie and boy do we have some thoughts! And we also catch up on the latest news regarding cast member Tom Budge and director J.A. Bayona (and their scandalous departures from the show), how Morfydd Clark really feels about New Zealand (and their awful tea), and how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting production. Send us a message at our shiny new, state-of-the-art, electronic-mailing address: Rivenpod (at) Gmail (dot) com Or if you're more modern folk, DM me on Twitter: @GuenevereLee

We talk about the official synopsis released by Amazon Studios. What clues can we decipher from it? And we take a look at some pictures of all confirmed actors and play a quick game of "Elf, Dwarf, Human, or Wizard?". (Spoiler alert! Morfydd Clark is definitely an elf!) Send us a message on Twitter @GuenevereLee (Noel doesn't use social media!)