PS Anyone else see the browser title of this page being for the Walter Hill Western article?

And I really liked that Adar claims that Sauron had, in his own mind, benevolent intentions for Middle-earth.

Even Galadriel (who really isn’t shown to be as powerful as she’s supposed to be either) wouldn’t be so dismissive and flippant while in Númenór.

Not sure a sword expert was really needed for that call. I’d imagine there’s a case to be made for using dull metal swords if they better match the weight and balance than wooden ones.

Even Greek fire wasn’t highly explosive, and was usually assigned to dedicated ships/crews rather than the general navy. And even then, who are we supposed to think are Numenor’s naval rivals? The orcs won’t fuck with water, and it’s hard not to think Halbrand’s ramshackle raft has nothing to say about the Southrons’…

Sure, possibly? FWIW I’d have thought it much less ridiculous had the ships simply burned—a ship that needs significant repairs isn’t any more fit for deployment as a ship that’s been sunk, after all. And it makes so little sense to carry something so risky in a small fleet with the monarch abord.

Not only isn’t there any hint of an investigation, but everyone just buys that Isildur and Kemen happen to be out fishing in the middle of the night?

Well, fwiw, I wish the show had more time to delve into Numenor. Even if they’re putting off any political focus until season 2 or 3, give some characters Adunaic names and have them lean into the narcissism/elitism. What if a Southron 10 is really just a Numenorean 6? Make Halbrand conspicuously shorter than Elendil.…

What’s weird is that you could see them setting up a certain kind of narrative: since Miriel’s apparently unwed/childless, Pharazon’s already next in the line of succession, with an arguably valid claim to the sceptre on the basis of the King’s Men’s greater wealth and numbers.

Sure, but in that case they both hang. My bigger point is that unless the show’s trying to establish a running joke about Numenorean ships being death traps, there’s no obvious reason for Miriel, Pharazon or anybody else in power not to entertain the idea that it was sabotage and treat it as such.

Problem with that would be explaining why he needed Isildur to swim him back to shore. They’re just not remotely comparable crimes, and even if Numenorean law dictated throwing stowaways overboard rather than just dumping them on the nearest land, it’d take some explanation to have that apply to a boat still in harbor.

Do we know why Isildur covered for Kemen’s treachery?

Well, it’s not an invasion force; the idea is that the Numenoreans are going to try to organize the Southlanders under Halbrand.

Into the Keanuverse is the crossover event I want most--how else could you get a movie featuring Johns Wick and Constantine, Jonnys Utah and Mnemonic, and Jack Traven? Throw in Jonathan Constable’s accent work and you’ve got yourself a blockbuster without even leaving the Js!

We shall see what he means, whether it’s just a grandiose declaration, desire to be worshipped as a god (in which case he could dictate what people are allowed to believe), or if he literally intends to ascend beyond his physical limitations to a higher state of being somehow.

A specific number is not mentioned, but nor is anywhere suggested that any would have been lost in the Downfall. And since they were meant as a secret among the Faithful, a larger number would have been counterproductive.

Adar started going on about the river after Arondir’s alarmed reaction—i.e. whether Arondir’s answer was meant to be pointlessly vague or deflective, Adar’s got a pretty good idea of where Arondir’s people live(d).

According to the Silmarillion, the Palantíri were a gift from the Elves to Elendil’s father, Amandil.

Well, fwiw, I had two potential reads on Adar’s thing:

The show is obviously compressing that aspect of it, so the more central drama will be around Miriel getting deposed/forced to marry Pharazon, which I don’t blame them for.