Part 7/9:
Many fans and scholars note the gross misinterpretation of Tolkien’s texts in Rings of Power. For instance, Payne acknowledged that scholarly sources like Tolkien’s own pages describe the Hobbits—specifically the Harfoots—as one of the “breeds” that had already existed before the Third Age. According to Tolkien, these were not "ancestors" of Hobbits or unrelated groups but rather the core Hobbit populations, with distinct but related characteristics.
Yet, the showrunners twist this, presenting the Harfoots as a different, equally ancient group, and suggest their story is a “pre-Hobbit” narrative, which contradicts Tolkien’s clear descriptions.