OK, I knew this was going to happen, they said they were doing it, I know why they did it, but I think it only makes their job more difficult.
Rings of Power makes use of a ‘compressed’ Middle-Earth timeline. The events in Middle-Earth with Sauron’s rise to power and Arondir take place in c. 1000 Second Age, whereas the events in Numenor, such as the reign of Tar-Miriel, Tar-Palantir, and ‘Chancellor’ Pharazon, happen in c. 3200. This was done to ‘avoid the human characters constantly dying out due to their relatively short lifespans’.
The greatest theme with Human – Elf romances, across all fantasy that contains them, is the lifespan difference and immortality. Usually the elf has to give up their immortality, but this is not always the case. Amazon puts Bronwyn and Arondir in this relationship, while cutting the sense of mortality and shortness of time that makes these stories potent.
I understand this was a move that had to be made in order to make a good show out of it that appealed to more than just the hardcore Tolkien fandom, but just looking at the timeline is just too much for me. I’d be fine if it was 100 years, maybe 500, but 2200 years difference, just gone, with several major events, is too much. Logically, this divide will shorten over the course of the seasons, but it is just a blow to the effectiveness of this story on me.