The battle between fans of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and House of the Dragon wears ever on as viewers of both series strive to prove their pick’s superiority. An on-point meme from a recent House of the Dragon scene briefly brought the two camps together to roast Rings of Power for its slow-paced plot, but fans of Amazon Prime’s Middle-earth creation were quick to defend the show’s finer points. They’re celebrating its careful examination of the deep and complex lore behind J.R.R. Tolkien’s world, which stretches from its storytelling to its attentive costume and set design.

House of the Dragon fans are winning the meme war

While audiences remain split on which fantasy powerhouse deserves to be lauded as the best, memers have chosen a clear favorite. Memes for House of the Dragon continue to vastly outpace those for Rings of Power, a fact that is perfectly illustrated in a recent post to Reddit, which flawlessly roasted the far slower-paced plot in Rings of Power. It uses a moment from a recent episode of House of the Dragon to poke fun at the far less blood-soaked early episodes of Rings of Power, and fans can’t help but eat it up.

Fans turn their gaze to Celebrimbor as the Rings loom large

The story in The Rings of Power is taking its time to develop, leaning on its televised format to flesh out and expand on the incredible world laid out in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Fans with knowledge of the story behind the burgeoning series are well aware of where the plot is taking us, however, and thus have their eyes firmly focused on Celebrimbor, the elven smith who will ultimately be instrumental in the creation of the Rings of Power. As his request for a powerful new forge inches closer to completion, fans can’t help but think ahead to what this will mean for the story. That forge will change the face of Middle-earth, and not for the better.

Viewers bask in Rings of Power’s retroactive references to The Lord of the Rings

Even as viewers criticize its pacing and slow-burn approach to storytelling, many fans of The Rings of Power are utterly captivated by everything the show does well. One consistent note is the show’s focus on deep Tolkien lore and the careful nods to the already-established pieces of the world scattered throughout Amazon Prime’s show. The latest detail to snag fans’ attention is the clear stylistic similarities between the sails on Númenorean ships and the helms and clasps that will eventually adorn Gondorian soldiers. Now that’s rich storytelling.

ncG1vNJzZmivlZy8tcDHoqqcp6aav6awjZympmekq3ytrdOeqq1lop67qL%2BMqJ1mqJ%2BssrN5zZ6urGWRYrWwwdKeZKieXam1pnnDq5igp55iuqa5xGapqJmjqcBuvsinnqxlp522rbGMnJylnZKntq6uzquqZp6fp7SmedOaop6rXZiyr8DEq2SsrJGcsnA%3D