The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power Season 3 - Angry Trailer Reaction!

Summary of Arguments / Commentary (Trailer Reaction: The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power — Season 3)

• Immediate reaction to the series and trailer: The hosts frame Season 3 as more of the same—an expensive Amazon adaptation that they believe has struggled with quality and profitability. They point to lower trailer performance compared with other major fantasy releases as a sign that the audience may be shrinking.

• Core criticism: “Not Lord of the Rings” anymore (retcons and generic fantasy):

  • They argue the show uses Tolkien names and branding but feels like generic fantasy rather than a faithful adaptation.
  • Commenters criticize character changes and timeline/origin inconsistencies, suggesting the writers “correct” things too late—often in ways that don’t match the logic of earlier seasons.

• Specific lore/character complaints mentioned:

  • Gandalf’s identity/origin: Presenting him as Gandalf (instead of another possibility) is called out as a major creative misstep.

  • Galadriel’s relationship logic: Earlier critiques (e.g., “where is her husband?”) are said to be addressed through explanations that don’t fully make sense—especially regarding her emotions and how they relate to Sauron.

  • Orcs as sympathetic allies: The show portraying orcs as having families and wanting peace/farming is criticized as “retconning” evil forces rather than adding compelling depth.

  • Nazgûl / Witch-king / origins: The series is expected to further invent or expand Nazgûl backstory, which the hosts dislike because it feels like unauthorized “filling in blanks.”

  • Harfoots: They discuss whether the Harfoots plotline may be reduced or dropped, anticipating a pivot toward larger battles as Sauron’s influence grows.

• What they do like (limited positives):

  • Visual scale and production value: They generally agree the show looks expensive and gorgeous, with strong CG and scenery.

  • Some set pieces: Teaser elements like siege warfare, Fellbeasts, and armored villain imagery could be exciting.

  • Performance/actor praise: One character tied to Sauron-related content is singled out as a standout due to the actor’s impact.

• Release strategy discussion:

  • Amazon will release four episodes at once, then two more, and then another two—rather than fully weekly pacing.
  • The hosts speculate this may be due to declining retention in prior seasons (a common streaming issue), implying they’re trying to reduce churn and keep more viewers engaged.

• Long-term scheduling concerns (future seasons):

  • They mention Amazon’s multi-season plan (five seasons) and talk about extended gaps between seasons (about two years).
  • They argue long waits risk further audience loss and immersion breakdown, comparing it to shows that “crater” when seasons are delayed (they cite Avatar: The Last Airbender as an example of audience drop).

• Overall verdict / expectation setting:

  • The tone is “impending car crash”—skeptical that Season 3 will truly fix deeper writing and lore-faithfulness problems.
  • Still, they admit morbid curiosity: they’ll watch to see how bad it can get or whether any improvements actually arrive.

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Presenters / Contributors

• Angry Joe Show hosts:
  • Joe (repeatedly addressed)
  • another co-host/guest (unnamed in the subtitles)