Lore - Season 01
"The Mandalorian" is back with a third season on Disney+ after a two-year wait. One of the central storylines this season features Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) traveling to the ruined Mandalore to bathe in the Living Waters under the Mines of Mandalore. Why does he have to do this? Din has done something a certain sect of Mandalorians isn't supposed to; he has removed his helmet in front of others. This makes him an apostate to his group, though other Mandalorians like Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) scoff at him for doing so.
Lore - Season 01
Din has removed his helmet a few times, most gut-wrenchingly when Grogu left with Luke Skywalker to continue his Jedi training. (If that scene didn't gut you, your heart is a shriveled raisin.) This helmet issue and the split within the Mandalorian ranks (both now and during their history) have been central themes of the show. Whether it will change or not will depend on where the story goes, what he learns while on Mandalore, and how much time the very busy Pedro Pascal can spend in that suit in person while he's straddling two hit shows (the other one is "The Last of Us," in case you haven't turned on your devices in an age).
For fans of "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" and every other show or film set in a galaxy far, far away, this whole thing was a surprise. We were used to seeing, say, Satine Wren (Tiya Sircar) in "Star Wars Rebels" and Jango and Boba Fett in the prequels without helmets, and no one seemed surprised. Creator Jon Favreau recently spoke to FilmStories.co.uk about adding this in and dealing with the contradiction in "Star Wars" lore.
As the protagonists of the Webtoon, a majority of Season 1 is dedicated to developing the relationship between Hades and Persephone. One of the highlights of the comic itself is how much time Smythe dedicates to fleshing these two out as individuals, as well the build of romantic tension between the two. It takes 110 episodes for them to finally admit they wanted each other, sealing this with a kiss. From that moment, Hades and Persephone start to explore their new dynamic; however there are only five episodes left of Season 1 at this point, so Season 2 has plenty more to explore.
The revelation about Persephone's wrath does not come from her, Demeter or the Fates. It comes from Minthe, Thanatos and Thetis, who have decided to try and ruin Persephone's reputation and chances with Hades. Minthe is Hades' ex, but she is not over their toxic relationship; meanwhile Thetis, Zeus' lover, wants to stir up trouble for the Gods, who always seem to get their way. The three go to Zeus with this story, explaining how Demeter covered it up. Zeus ends the meeting and season saying, "Persephone will need to face consequences."
Minthe, Thanatos and Thetis are not the only antagonists of Lore Olympus. Early in Season 1, readers and Persephone meet Apollo, who is instantly attracted to Persephone. Persephone is not interested, but Apollo refuses her rejection, raping her and taking photos. Throughout the season, Apollo believes he is in entitled to Persephone, despite her telling him no constantly. However, in the final episodes of Season 1, Apollo pursues Daphne, a nymph who is Persephone's friend. When Persephone learns of this, she warns Apollo to stay away from Daphne, but he threatens to leak the photos if Persephone tells Daphne anything.
Lore is an anthology that focuses on the more mysterious, terrifying side of history. Mahnke takes some of the most iconic monster myths, folklore, and macabre history from all over the world and digs down their origins. He not only focuses on these myths and legends but really gets down to the heart and how these stories came to be. The show covers everything from werewolves to scary dolls, lobotomies to faeries, and even covers the blurred line of superstition and medicine.
Every episode of The Rings of Power will have a fantastic recap article courtesy of CNET's Erin Carson, but I'm writing and updating this separate article dedicated entirely to the analysis of how well each episode sticks to what Tolkien wrote. Each episode was analyzed as it was released, so you can see how my attempts to explain what different things may have meant held up throughout the season. Ready? Here we go.
But my goodness did this scene leave a lot out. There could've been an entire season of this show dedicated to just that handful of sentences, recapping how the Elves found themselves in Middle-earth. If you're curious, read the ninth chapter of the Quenta Silmarillion titled Of the Fight of the Ñoldor.
With a pair of mischievous Harfoots trying to care for The Stranger, Galadriel trying to swim across the Sundering Sea only to find several ways that can go wrong, Tirharad experiencing a pest control issue and Prince Durin having an axe to grind with Elrond, this is a busy episode. Check out the full recap here, and the lore analysis below.
While Elrond gets to the bottom of an Age-changing mystery in Khazad-dum, Galadriel's tempestuous demeanor finally yields positive results. The full recap of this episode can be found here thanks to Erin Carson, but from a Tolkien lore perspective this episode offers the most significant deviations from written works so far.
Not only did Tolkien never write about Kemen, but his existence alters what we know about Pharazôn in a significant way. According to Tolkien, Pharazôn wasn't married until he forced his cousin Miriel to be his bride in a successful coup to seize the throne and become the last King of Nùmenor. He never has a child because Miriel wants nothing to do with him after he takes the throne, which means the existence of Kemen is one of multiple details regarding this character that differs significantly from the lore.
This is a fairly significant departure from Tolkien's works in two way. The first is the lack of a relationship between Celebrimbor and the Dwarves. While it's likely someone with a lower title like Herald would have been the go-between as an introduction between the Lord of Eregion and the Dwarves, Celebrimbor is known for having a great relationship with Dwarves, and that has yet to play out on screen. Instead, Durin seems to only trust Elrond and even then only as far as his father will allow. Hopefully, this becomes less complicated as the season progresses.
From a second instance in this show of how incredible Elrond's sight is to the descent into the Mithril shaft next to the Mirrormere, this episode was full of little nods to Tolkien lore that would make any fan smile. A great example of this is when Disa asks Elrond to share his version of how he and Durin met, which of course differs from the story proud Durin shared with his wife.
We've previously established that Miriel is never dubbed queen in Tolkien's writing, but the space is there for her to have had the title Queen Regent before her father's passing. That space now includes a fleet of ships bound for Middle-earth so the Men of Nùmenor can help squash the rise of Sauron in the Southlands. It's a great way to start pulling some of these individual threads together now that we've reached the halfway point in this season, but it obviously deviates from Tolkien's writing in some significant ways.
The Harfoots appreciate their strange new companion just in time for Nori to be terrified by his power. Arondir tries to swap out being broody and hot for inspiring and hot, while Bronwyn falters. Nùmenor competes with Lindon for the political theater Heavyweight Belt. Check out the full recap and come back for the lore analysis.
But the biggest deviation from Tolkien's lore in this episode is the discussion around Mithril. Gil-galad asks Elrond to recite the "song of the roots of Hithaeglir" that tells an apparently apocryphal story of an Elf warrior and a Balrog fighting over a tree believed to hold a lost Silmaril. This song claims lightning struck the tree and sent the light of the Silmaril into the roots of the mountain beneath it, which Gil-galad believes to be the Mithril needed to save his people.
Arondir and Bronwyn save the Southlanders from standing around and waiting for death, Elendil and Galadriel fight real good, and Adar turns his L into a W while his captors stare in horror. The full recap of what is easily the most intense episode of this season so far can be found here, but let's dig into how this story fits into Tolkien's creation.
As the evacuation of the Southlands becomes top priority for everyone we saw on screen last week, the power throuple of Khazad-dûm find difficulties of their own. And shortly after the long journey of the Harfoots comes to a surprising end, they learn that fighting with fire is a decidedly bad idea when their gray protector isn't around to help. Erin Carson has the full recap, but for those on this page there's lore to dive in to!
Based on the podcast phenomenon and narrated by creator Aaron Mahnke, this haunting six-episode anthology series is brought to life by the executive producer of The Walking Dead and the executive producer of The X-Files. Throughout history, fear was best kept buried. But folklore opens the door, allowing stories to creep inside and haunt us. The scariest stories are true. Stream October 13, 2017.
Season 1Poster 1Poster 2Title cardRelease DateJuly 15, 2016No. of Episodes8Premiere"The Vanishing of Will Byers"Finale"The Upside Down"NextSeason 2The first season of Stranger Things, also known as Stranger Things 1, premiered on Netflix on July 15, 2016. It consists of eight episodes ranging from forty-two to fifty-five minutes in length.
Throughout the season, Eleven experiences a series of painful flashbacks to the experimentation conducted on her by Dr. Brenner at the laboratory. This culminates with a flashback to an experiment in which she was placed in a sensory deprivation tank. Within an altered psychic state, she accidentally opened the Gate to the Upside Down after making contact with the creature. After sharing what they know, Hopper and Joyce track down Terry Ives, learning more about Eleven and Dr. Brenner. While Lucas attempts to once more find the Gate, Mike and Dustin find Eleven, who saves Mike from falling of the cliff. The trio then reconcile with a hug and return to Mike's house. Lucas sees agents leaving the laboratory, realizing they are on their way to capture Eleven. Mike, Dustin, and Eleven narrowly escape, reuniting with Lucas. 041b061a72