- Post
- #1514445
- Topic
- The Rings of Power - Slim Edit (All episodes Released)
- Link
- https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/1514445/action/topic#1514445
- Time
Hi all,
The Rings of Power Slim Edit is ready
The goal of this project was to preserve all main events, but condense them to an engaging and faster narrative. Plotlines are shortened and rearranged, so that every episode presents a clear progression of events, without slow drag of the original. A lot of unnecessary dialogues are omitted. Overall it is ~30% shorter, and fits in 6 episodes.
Main plot changes:
- I tried to change the perception of Galadriel. The Show starts with “Nothing is evil at the beginning” with a shot of her as a child. There are no “glorious” shots of her. A lot of her dialogue is cut out, so she comes off as proud and obsessed, but not offensive or hostile. She quickly (episode 3) admits that her friends saw in her the same evil that she was fighting.
- Khazad-dum plotline starts in the first episode. Southlands plotline starts naturally in episode 2, after Galadriel and Elendil discover that Sauron wants to return there.
- Captured elves do not have the chance to attempt escape (hence no bad-cgi-warg). When Watchwarden stands up to the orcs, the other elf is killed and Arondir is taken to Adar.
- Elendil’s children’s role is greatly diminished. Isildur’s friends are basically in the background.
- There is no palantir vision. Galadriel just convinces Miriel to go to Middle-Earth appealing to the legacy of the queen’s father. People of Numenor are clearly divided in reaction to this. (Palantir is only teased in a scene with Earien in the last episode)
- Numenor’s arc is significantly shorter. Galadriel arrives on Numenor at the beginning of episode 2, and the ships sail to Middle-Earth in episode 3. Journey actually takes a while, so they are basically absent in episode 4, and they arrive for the battle in episode 5.
- There is no continuous “is he good/is he bad” motive about Stranger. He saves Harfoots from wolves, but injures himself, and then he accidently hurts Nori. After that Sadoc tells him to leave.
- I’ve ommited a lot of very specific numbers that introduced unnecessary confusion. Here, there is no exact count of numenorean ships, soldiers or horses. Number of days that wounded Halbrand stayed on horseback is not specified. Time of Harfoot’s journey is not specified.
A short guide of where are plotlines placed episodes:
Episode 1
Galadriel: Obsessed with hunting Sauron, she is sent to Valinor. Jumps off ship and meets with Halbrand. They are rescued by Elendil.
Harfoots: Nori finds Stranger and decides that she will look after him.
Elrond: After sending Galadriel off, he meets Celebrimbor, and goes to Khazad-dum, meeting Durin and his family.
Episode 2:
Galadriel: Is taken Numenor. With Elendil, she discovers that evil grows in the Southlands. Hallbrands starts a fight and ends up in jail.
Southlands: Arondir and Bronwyn go east to find the source of evil. He is taken by unseen creatures. Theo discovers the Blade-key.
Harfoots: Nori bonds with Stranger and tries to steal a starmap for him. They are discovered and her family is sentenced to the end of the caravan.
Episode 3.
Southlands: Bronwyn back home confronts an orc and convinces villagers to take refuge in the tower. Captured Arondir meets Adar.
Galadriel: Convinces the queen to send aid to Southlands, and convinces Halbrand to claim his legacy as a king. Numenor forces depart to Middle-Earth.
Elrond: Discovers mithril. Durin’s father sends him to Lindon, to see what the elves really want.
Episode 4.
Harfoots: The Stranger helps Noris’ family catch up and protects them from wolves, but later he accidentally hurts Nori. Sadoc asks him to leave. Cultists burn the caravan before following the Stranger. Nori and others go to warn him.
Elrond: Negotiations between elves and dwarves, and reveal of mithril’s significance to them. Durin agrees to try to convince his father.
Southlands: Adar releases Arondir, so he can deliver the message. On the way, he rescues Theo. Orcs find out about the Blade-key. Half of Southlanders join Adar.
Episode 5.
Southlands: The battle. There is no foreshadowing of Numenoreans riding to help the Southlanders. After Adar finds the Blade-key, in the darkest moment they appear with a sunrise to turn the tide.*** After “fiery ending” there is one more scene, deepening the lowest point for the heroes before the finale.
Episode 6 (a longer finale)
Soutlands: Everyone wakes in the world of ruin. They quickly gather in the camp and everyone goes their way. Galadriel rides off with wounded Hallbrand.
Elrond: Dwarf king refuses to help elves. Durin and Elrond try to dig mithril on their own, but get discovered. Durin is disinherited and Elrond exiled. The last scene with the leaf falling to the pit is what it should have been - an after credit scene at the very end.
Harfoots: They help the Stranger decide what he is supposed to do here. A lot of dialogue is cut, so it’s more about “what you should do” instead of “who you really are”. Stranger rescues them from cultists and sets off with Nori.
Numenoreans: “The Faithful” sails home with newly gained conviction. On the Island, Earien discovers the palantir.
Galadriel: In the third act, she arrives in Eregion with wounded Halbrand. The rings are forged as in the show.
Feel free to contact me for more info 😃
*** Great thanks to the author of “Like Stories of Old”, who proposed such a fix in his video.