The Rings of Power: Season 2

Continuing from season one . . . (with mild spoilers concerning character appearances below), multiple things are happening in Middle Earth and Numenor:

Two Harfoots accompany the mysterious visitor through the arid region of Rhun as he continues searching for his name and purpose. But a dark wizard is keenly interested in the visitor . . . and everyone is in great danger. Hope fades . . . but Tom Bombadil might prove helpful. 

Their lands in shadow and army defeated, southern humans flee to other lands to re-settle. Isildur, surviving the battle, finds and settles with them in Pelargir, an abandoned Numenorean colony. There they will face the perils including Wild Men, but they find powerful allies, too.

In Numenor, the old king is dead. At Queen Regent Miriel's coronation, revelation of a dark secret, accompanied by a foreboding omen, spurs her cousin, Pharazon, to claim the throne. The land descends into chaos as sides are chosen and distrust abounds. Elendil, faithful supporter of the queen, faces the most difficult decision of his life.

In Mordor, Adar raises an army of Uruks intent on defeating Sauron. Adar knows Sauron is in Eregion . . . and so the Elvish city must fall.

The Elvish rings have restored hope to the Elves. But all is not well . . . in Linden, Elrond mistrusts the rings, while Galadriel remains laser-focused on countering Sauron and his schemes. Their fears of a threat to the south are realized when they find legions of Uruk marching on Eregion . . . the Elves might be able to stop them in time, if the Dwarves send aid.

Shadow has fallen upon Khazad-dum in more ways than one. Their light shafts have collapsed, and traditional methods for finding new ones have been unsuccessful. Hope dims until the rings arrive from the Elves, granting King Durin impressive powers. But with it, increased malice and greed . . . and when he delves too deep in quest of riches, an ancient evil may rise.

After creating the three Elvish rings last time, Celebrimbor ponders what comes next in Eregion. He receives a familiar visitor—a so-called emissary from the valar who now goes by Annatar—who encourages and helps him to craft more rings. First comes seven Dwarvish rings, distributed to the Dwarf lords. Now Annatar is intent on creating nine rings for men. But when concerns arise regarding the Dwarvish creations, Celebrimbor has suspicions and struggles to understand what is going on around him. Is he helping Middle Earth . . . or helping to destroy it?

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The theme of season two could be summarized as "things fall apart." 

What I liked:

- the portrayal of Sauron. He is the ultimate manipulator/deceiver, and they do a fantastic job capturing that.

- the overall story. Despite many criticisms from Tolkien fan(atic)s, Amazon is adhering to the spirit of the events in the Second Age, even if they compress timelines, add characters, and inject other differences. (After all, the Peter Jackson films did this, too.)

- the visuals are beautiful.

- the dialogue and wisdom are mostly good.

- the story remains (mercifully) unfocused on romance and inappropriate/unnecessary things in this vein. Tolkien's legendarium had romance, of course, but not in today's way (or for today's purposes), and the show's creators are doing a good job of sticking to that.

- 'cameos' or appearances of familiar characters, events, locations, objects, and beings mentioned in The Lord of the Rings.

- aligning the style with Peter Jackson's films.

What I didn't:

- too many story arcs. There are roughly seven by my count, each getting a paragraph above. Three—Harfoot/stranger, southern human, and Uruk—have their 'cool' moments, but aren't contributing to the progress of the story as much as they are muddying the waters by introducing new elements and that much more to keep track of. 

- the speed of the story. With so many arcs, some moved too quickly. I believe three more seasons are planned, and am curious how those will shake out.

- the portrayal of Galadriel. I think the actress does a good job, but am not convinced the character is faithful to the spirit of the books.

- a few head-scratching plot points. One character appears to die in an episode but returns in the next with no apparent injuries. That is the most egregious one, but there are other, more minor, things that could have been better.

Overall, I think it is a powerful story that is done well. I look forward to season three (likely two years out).

Rating: A-

The Elephant in the Room

Today was my church's annual "Ignite" event. One of our men's ministry offerings, it featured ten speakers, each with a 5-minute talk on anything they wanted, with a concluding reflection. I love Ignite and participate every year; this year, I talked about Major League Baseball's Athletics. A transcript (with accompanying slides) follows.

Still stinging from the Orioles’ playoff exit, today I will talk about baseball. But not the O's . . . we need to talk about the elephant in the room. This is the story of the Athletics.

In 1901, the Philadelphia Athletics were created as one of the American League’s eight charter franchises to compete with the Phillies. Their manager was a man named Cornelius McGillicuddy, who (mercifully) went by Connie Mack.

In 1902, the A’s splurged on free agents. A rival manager was derisive, claiming they would have a white elephant on their hands (meaning they’d go bankrupt and regret the decision). Connie Mack owned the quote and made an elephant the A’s logo. The A’s proved doubters wrong and were successful in Philadelphia, enjoying 5 world series titles and the stability of Mack’s management, who would lead the club for 50 years (retiring at age 87). But it was not to last. Mack, who also co-owned the club, ran out of money and had to sell the franchise.

In 1955, the new owner relocated the A’s to Kansas City. Motivated by profit, he traded many of his star players to the Yankees, including Roger Maris. Mired in problems, the franchise was sold again in 1960. While this was happening, the staunchly democratic area complained that the elephant logo implied Republican allegiance. So the new owner changed it to a donkey, the Missouri state animal. And he promised a new day, swapping their traditional blue and white colors to green and gold a few years later. Perhaps appropriately, the team would make an ass of themselves in KC, with no winning seasons in 12 years. They moved to Oakland in 1968.

A change of scenery did the club well, as they won 3 consecutive world series in the ‘70s. A new owner in the ‘80s continued the success with 3 pennants and 1 more world series. And in 1988, he brought back . . . guess what? The elephant logo. But the good times were not to last. With a consistently low payroll, the franchise struggled. It punched above its weight for years, due in part to the brilliance of GM Billy Beane, the subject of the book and movie Moneyball. Nevertheless, with an owner unwilling to spend, things deteriorated, and the A’s became a laughingstock. They played their last game in Oakland just a few weeks ago, ending their 56-year run there. They’ll spend 3 years in Sacramento before moving to Las Vegas in 2028.

We have enough data to speculate about future A’s migrations. The franchise moves, on average, 24 miles per year. At this pace, and looking at major population centers, we can expect them in Oklahoma City in 2070, Nashville in 2096, and back in Philadelphia by 2125. You heard it here first!

Why does this matter? Why did I share the story of the Philadelphia/Kansas City/Oakland/Sacramento/Las Vegas Athletics with you? For a few reasons.

• Change happens. 
• We struggle with this. We fear and fight it, yet we know things change and decay. To everything there is a season.
• Our words matter.
• The Philadelphia Athletics adopted an elephant logo based on the criticism of another. That logo has been the most permanent thing about the franchise. It’s a good reminder that words are powerful and can echo through the ages. Guard your tongues, brothers! (James 1:26, 3:5-8)
• God doesn’t change. He is eternal, and His Words matter more.
• Though we wrestle with change, hurt others, and are hurt by them, let us comfort ourselves with the God who does not change (Mal. 3:6). Let us rejoice with Psalmists that God’s Word endures forever, He is king forever (Ps. 10:16), His counsel stands forever (Ps. 33:11), and His steadfast love endures forever (Ps. 100:5). He is true, and because of Christ, we will praise Him forever (Ps. 45:17), glorify His name forever (Ps. 86:12), sing of His steadfast love forever (Ps. 89:1), and we shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever (Ps. 23:6). He will wipe away every tear and is making all things new (Rev. 21:4-5). 

God’s presence and promises are the real elephant in the room. His marvelous truths are oft forgotten, but they are so much better than baseball.

The Marvels

The Kree want vengeance. When Captain Marvel destroyed their ruling AI, her actions resulted in civil war and caused catastrophe on their homeworld of Hala. When the Kree leader, Dar-Benn, finds a quantum band (Ms. Marvel has the other), she obtains the power necessary to rip holes in space-time, creating damaged jumpgates, which she uses to drain other worlds in hopes of restoring Hala. Can Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, and Monica Rambeau—all of whom have light-related powers—stop her in time?

I think this was my first MCU film in a year and a half; I have "MCU fatigue" and didn't bother watching the numerous TV shows, and the post-Endgame films have seemed sprawling and directionless. Anyway, I went into this knowing it was panned, so my expectations were low. It was okay. This is basically a sequel to Captain Marvel, though it helps if you've seen the TV series Ms. Marvel (I hadn't), Wanda-Vision (I had but forgot most of it), and Secret Invasion (I skipped this one, too). I spent the first half of the movie rather lost and suspecting my MCU knowledge is too far gone to continue watching these films. But things were explained as the story progressed, meaning I kinda got it. The story is okay (if predictable), the visuals were good, the humor decent. Like other recent MCU offerings, though, I don't really get how this fits in to the bigger picture.

Rating: C+

The Winter King (Bernard Cornwell)

It is ~A.D. 480. King Uther is dying, and his heir—grandson Mordred—is but an infant. As Uther passes, he calls upon one of his bastard children to protect Mordred (and the kingdom of Dumnonia, located in southwest Britain)—a man named Arthur.

Arthur's task is difficult, for the land is on the brink. The Saxons have landed on Britain's eastern shores, and the British kingdoms to the north busy themselves fighting each other . . . and, soon, Dumnonia. Fragile alliances are made and broken, Merlin (off searching for the treasures of Britain to command the gods' favor) hasn't been seen for years, and hope appears lost. Can Arthur unite the Britons against an imposing Saxon foe?

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This is book one of esteemed author Bernard Cornwell's Warlord trilogy. I first read these 13 years ago, when we were living in England (and, incidentally, I had just started to blog—here is my initial post reviewing the entire trilogy). Then as now, I appreciate what Cornwell is trying to do: effectively, write historical fantasy. He is trying to portray who Arthur might have been (if he did indeed exist) and place him in his appropriate historical setting. But he also recognizes the power of the legend that has grown up around Arthur in subsequent centuries, so he deliberately introduces and allows some anachronisms, familiar names, and supernatural elements. So in this tale—all told through Derfel, Arthur's warrior-turned-monk and writing years later—we see familiar names like Excalibur, Guinevere, Lancelot, Galahad, and more. And familiar settings abound, if you are familiar with British history and the northwest French coast (to include Mont St. Michel). 

Last time around, I loved it. This time (having read so much more on Arthur), I liked it. Merlin's character is outstanding; a weird combination of Gandalf and Deadpool (you read that correctly). Arthur's character is done well (though one indiscretion, which is central to this book's plot, seems out of character). Lancelot and Guinevere were annoying, in my opinion—too over the top—and detract from an otherwise excellent work. I really enjoy how Cornwell combines and reconciles what little history we know of the fifth century with the legends that would arise centuries later. I'm glad I re-read this and look forward to reading more.

Rating: A-

Port Royal (Big Box)

Today's review is of the 2022 release, Port Royal (Big Box). For 1-5 players, it takes 20-50 minutes.

Overview

This push-your-luck game is simple and fun; I reviewed the base game of Port Royal in 2017 (review here). This edition has new art (which is outstandng) and includes the base game plus subsequently-released expansions and the 'gambler' promo card. The expansions:

- Make Sail!: A simpler variant for new players; however, a subset of cards from this set can be included with the base game to expand options.

- Just One More Contract: this expansion adds to the base game with more cards for the main deck and a new card type: the oversized contract cards.

- The Adventure Begins: this expansion adds a multi-session story element to the game.

the expansions summarized

Review

I really enjoyed Port Royal and missed out on the expansions, so when I saw this tidy package at the game store, with new art to boot, I couldn't resist. I'm glad I picked it up. I like the new art and expanded options that come with the included variants. It is simple to pick up, fast the play, and enjoyable.

Rating: A

The Wild Robot

Roz, a robot washed ashore in a storm, seeks customers and tasks to complete. On this deserted island, though, the animals only flee in fear. Undeterred, she learns and seeks purpose, and gets it one day by accident. But now needing to raise the gosling Brightbill, Roz realizes she is completely unequipped to do so. Slowly, with many mistakes along the way, she (and the animals on the island) will learn more about what it means to love . . . even through hurt and loneliness.

Like the book, this movie is outstanding. The animation was beautiful, music powerful, and (most) messages solid and poignant. (I didn't cry. not once. not even a little.) It's a wonderful reflection on parenting, inadequacy, self-sacrifice, friendship, and love. Highly recommended.

Rating: A

Ahoy

Today's review is of the 2022 release, Ahoy. For 2-4 players, it takes 45-75 minutes.

Overview

Vie for fame on the high seas! In this asymmetric game, your goal is to gather fame through either area control (if you're the Bluefin Squadron or Mollusk Union) or pickup and deliver (if you are one of the smuggler factions). 

game in progress; image from here

After setup, the first round begins. Players take various actions (some involving dice, some not) on their turns. Each player, in clockwise order from the first player, takes two actions involving dice placement (plus any other actions they can/choose). Die are placed on each player's unique board, giving them abilities to sail (move around the map), place resources, load their cannons, and more! Moving around the map can trigger other things, including

- exploring (revealing and placing new tiles when you move off the known map)

- battling (when your ship lands in a tile with an enemy ship)

You may also recruit crew, repair your ship, and other things.

Players take turns until nobody has remaining die to activate. At the end of each round, fame is tallied (through area control or other means, depending on your faction). If one player exceeds 30 fame, the game is over, and the highest total wins! 

The Good Time Society has a nice game overview video.

Review

This is from the makers of Root, and is essentially a simplified version of that asymmetric experience. It was . . . decent. Clearly a lot of board game expertise went into the design of this. That said, I wasn't a huge fan. I am realizing that asymmetric games, even simple ones, aren't my favorite. They require a degree of mental energy to learn both your and others' factions well—the differing actions and strategies—and I'm not willing to expend that much time on something I won't play often. It's not bad, but I suspect there are more fun pirate-themed games out there.

Rating: B