So they really want us to think the dark elf is or will become Sauron. It would make sense that him saying he killed Sauron was a "Darth Vader betrayed and murdered your father"esque maneuver. But either way, it's a bit odd that the writers have made this the big question mark of the show, 'Who actually IS the villain?' ... and, I'll be a bit put out if Sauron ends up being someone we haven't met yet.

Now, geologically speaking, I have a hard time seeing how dumping a bunch of water onto molten magma would cause the volcano to erupt (after solidifying the exterior into solid rock), but I can roll with that if the plot requires it.

And, really having nothing to do with this episode specifically, but I really quite like this portrayal of Galadriel. Sure, she's shorter than everyone pictures her (thanks Cate), but aside from that, I appreciate that given a couple thousand years, a being can mature a bit, leave swordplay in her younger years, and give herself a solid career change from warrior to...uhh...mystical enchantress who can hit ALL the baritone notes when she gets ticked off. Good on her. In the mean time, she gets to be young (as elves go), spirited, impetuous, you know all that good old fashioned youthful stuff.

But then, I mostly feel the same way about Elrond. I like that he's not an elven "Mr. Smith" in his young days. He's earnest and friendly, long before 2000 years made him all stoic and cynical.

Anybody happen to know how many episodes they're doing for the first season? I'm curious how much story and how many seasons they're going to write in before they get to the fateful first foray into Mt Doom with the intention of destroying the One Ring.

Obviously it and the 16 others'll have to be forged first, along with the three elven ones by whomever forges them. They'll have to get middle earth to the point where they have 7 dwarves and 9 kings of men to give them to. Then they'll presumably build up to the big chop-the-fingers-off fight. All that may give them enough material to stretch it to 3, maybe 4 seasons.

I just hope they don't do what they did with the Hobbit, and stretch it farther than did the story good. Yes, sizeable difference in situations since the book was already established, and they're coming up with this current story more or less as they go along, with considerably fewer main "historical" milestones they must fit the story to.

Still, decent framework they're establishing in this first season. It has the potential to be really big in the coming seasons. I like it.