Rings Of Power Showrunners Explain Gandalf Decision And It Makes No Sense

Following the conclusion of Season 2, the Rings of Power showrunners explain their Gandalf decision and it makes no sense.

Following the conclusion of Season 2, the Rings of Power showrunners explain their Gandalf decision and it makes no sense. So, just like most of the rest of the show then? Speaking with THR showrunners J.D Payne and Patrick McKay were asked about the decision to finally name the Stranger as Gandalf.

Gandalf Just Seemed To Fit, Honest

“Yeah, we’ve had the rights to him from beginning and certainly we had leanings in terms of who we suspected The Stranger (Daniel Weyman) was going to become. The further we got into the story, the further it just made sense for him to be Gandalf. And there are a couple of reasons. One, Gandalf has this strangely strong relationship with Halflings. He’s a wizard who loves to hang out in the Shire. Why? And we thought, “Well, if at one point in his existence he had vulnerably come to Middle-earth in this challenging time with no memory of who he was, and he had been found by ancestors of the Hobbits and they had helped him, that would be a thing he would never forget.”

So, if this naturally happened as part of the writing process, then why the choice to pair him with Harfoots? Why the decision to tease it’s Gandalf in Season 1 by using his lines from The Lord of the Rings? In truth it makes no sense for this to be Gandalf and not one of Pallando or Alatar (the Blue Wizards) who fit this timeline much better.

A, that makes no sense in terms of a process, and B, I simply don’t believe them. I think they decided to use Gandalf very early in the process and just made the mistake of stretching out the mystery box too far. I mean we all knew they had made the wrong call at the end of Season 2 and then the writers keep hinting it’s Gandalf until the finale of Season 2.

Gandalf And Yoda (Tom) Made Sense Per The Books

“Second, we see this character crosses path with Tom Bombadil (Rory Kinnear) and has a relationship in which he can learn his power as a wizard. Gandalf, in the books, right before he’s about to leave Middle-earth, the last thing he does is to say, “Before I leave, I’m going to go hang out with Tom Bombadil, and I have some questions I need to ask him.” And usually, when you’re leaving a place, you don’t go meet a new person you’ve never talked to before; you hang out with your friends. We talked about other options. There were blue wizards who were around in the North during the Second Age who went to the East. This just felt like the story that wanted to be told.”

That’s a huge jump to make. That Gandalf, didn’t just meet Tom on his travels and find him curious. No, we’ll intimate that Bombadil is somehow the Istari version of Yoda and he trains Wizards. It was just a way to give Gandalf something to do whilst he levels up. Also, why not take the chance to be the first live-action attempt at Tom Bombadil. That’s where the story came from, marketing.

RELATED: Rings Of Power Season 2 Finale Review – Awful

(Also, just to correct Payne here, Gandalf never said he had questions for old Tom. He said he was going to have a talk with him now he had the time to do so. Such a talk as he had never had since his mission began. That’s not questions. I could go into how most really knowledgeable fans interpret this passage and their talk, but this is already too preachy.) 

Good job they only showed Gandalf then, since all the other Istari failed badly. As for Gandalf being the story that wanted to be told? I mean, here’s a crazy thought.  Tell the story that was already written, which you are supposed to be even loosely adapting. The story that wanted to be told was the one Tolkien wrote. Unfortunately Payne and McKay wanted to tell their little fan fiction story. A story about Gandalf learning the ways of wizardry from Tom Bombadil. Tom as a character simply wasn’t interested in Istari, or Dark Lords, or even Rings of Power.

Anyway, what do you think of the quotes as the Rings of Power showrunners explain their Gandalf decision and their explanation makes no sense? Thoughts below as always.

Night Terror Banner   GenreVerse FOR FANBOYS, BY FANBOYS Have you checked out LRM Online’s official podcasts and videos on The Genreverse Podcast Network? Available on YouTube and all your favorite podcast apps, This multimedia empire includes The Daily CoGBreaking Geek Radio: The Podcast, GeekScholars Movie News, Anime-Versal Review Podcast, and our Star Wars dedicated podcast The Cantina. Check it out by listening on all your favorite podcast apps, or watching on YouTube! Subscribe on: Apple PodcastsSpotify |  SoundCloud | Stitcher | Google Play
Share the Post: