[+] The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power - SPOILERS ALLOWED

[Zaukrie]

Why does it matter that you like one food over another? Changing who people expert her to be will bother many more people(and not just Tolkien fans) than leaving her the same would have. Why irritate a lot of people if you don't have to?

I guess I'm not being clear. Why does it matter to you if she's portrayed differently in this story? Nothing changes in the stories you've already read/watched. This is a new story. And, it likely doesn't irritate even a tiny majority of viewers. Just the vocal ones, I'd guess. We really don't know.

 

[Tonguez]

Oh, right, because Appeals to Authority are really convincing. It matters because it fundamentally changes who she is, even as portrayed in the movies. It would have been better to make her the voice of wisdom that she was and make the new elf the bloodthirsty one.

‘Her pride was unwilling to return, a defeated suppliant for pardon; but now she burned with desire to follow Fëanor with her anger to whatever lands he might come, and to thwart him in all ways that she could.

Pride still moved her when, at the end of the Elder Days after the final overthrow of Morgoth, she refused the pardon of the Valar for all who had fought against him, and remained in Middle-earth. It was not until two long ages more had passed, when at last all that she had desired in her youth came to her hand, the Ring of Power and the dominion of Middle-earth of which she had dreamed, that her wisdom was full grown and she rejected it, and passing the last test departed from Middle-earth for ever.”

 

[MarkB]

It also made no sense for her to jump off a ship on the other side of the ocean with no possibility of swimming back. Either have her refuse to get on the ship, or have her cross the Helcaraxe again and leave Aman that way.

They went to some trouble to describe the song of Valinor, how it echoes in the hearts of elves. I think maybe Galadriel fully believed that she might choose to make her way back one day, right up until they reached the threshold and the other elves began to hear and join in with the song. That's when she realised that if she departed into that eternal peace, she'd likely never summon the will to return.

 

[Maxperson]

‘Her pride was unwilling to return, a defeated suppliant for pardon; but now she burned with desire to follow Fëanor with her anger to whatever lands he might come, and to thwart him in all ways that she could.

Pride still moved her when, at the end of the Elder Days after the final overthrow of Morgoth, she refused the pardon of the Valar for all who had fought against him, and remained in Middle-earth. It was not until two long ages more had passed, when at last all that she had desired in her youth came to her hand, the Ring of Power and the dominion of Middle-earth of which she had dreamed, that her wisdom was full grown and she rejected it, and passing the last test departed from Middle-earth for ever.”

Yes. She rejected Feanor and his war. She sought to thwart him, not join the military and do what he did. How did she try and do that, but being the wise counselor to those who opposed him.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Why irritate a lot of people if you don't have to?

Given the constraints that Amazon is under -- use the appendices but not anything not present in Hobbit/LotR -- atop the usual constraints of adapting a book to filmed entertainment, they probably figured a certain level of irritation was inevitable and wanted to go with what would be the best TV. They also have Bezos looking over their shoulder with a very specific idea of what the show should be.

 

[Maxperson]

Given the constraints that Amazon is under -- use the appendices but not anything not present in Hobbit/LotR -- atop the usual constraints of adapting a book to filmed entertainment, they probably figured a certain level of irritation was inevitable and wanted to go with what would be the best TV. They also have Bezos looking over their shoulder with a very specific idea of what the show should be.

Yes, but...

Jeff Bezos reveals warning from his son for Amazon's new 'Lord of the Rings' series—'Dad, please don't eff this up'

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

So this is what I thought of the first two episoded.

1. I was irritated by the prologue. It made it seem like the Noldor just happily sailed over to Middle Earth to fight Morgoth. No mention of the Silmarils, no mention of the Kinslaying, and no mention of the oath. The 2nd episode fixed this a bit by mentioning the Silmarils and Morgoth stealing them.

How much of that is in the appendices?

3. I very much liked the dwarves. The Hobbit and LotR badly mistreated dwarves by making them comic relief. This show got them right. I also didn't mind that the dwarven women didn't have beards. That would have been a hard sell to the masses.

The princess has facial hair, just not a full beard. I think they did a good job of splitting the difference.

 

[Tonguez]

Yes. She rejected Feanor and his war. She sought to thwart him, not join the military and do what he did. How did she try and do that, but being the wise counselor to those who opposed him.

Thats a fair enough interpretation, but when the Elfs are summoned to war why would Galadriel not join? Tolkien also states “She was of Amazon disposition and bound up her hair as a crown when taking part in athletic feats.” - she was athletic as well as wise, and Amazon = Warrior woman in Tolkien speak.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Yeah, that was definitely really weird.

You all need to go re-read your Beowulf, one of JRRT's big influences for the Hobbit. (I say "influence" but "flat-out ripped off the theft of an item from a treasure hoard, unleashing an angry dragon on the mortal world" is more accurate.)

Beowulf's first heroic deed, which we hear about but don't see, is him fighting a sea serpent in the middle of the ocean, which he was swimming in because he's Beowulf. Galadriel jumps off a ship that was about to enter Elf Heaven and plans to swim back to the mortal world hundreds (?) of miles away because she's a mythic hero thousands of years old.

Samwise would be dead.

Aragorn would probably be dead.

Gandalf would be Gandalf the Bloated and Pale.

But Galadriel is a Beowulf-level badass, as she also shows by using a dagger as a piton in the mountains.

 

[Maxperson]

Thats a fair enough interpretation, but when the Elfs are summoned to war why would Galadriel not join? Tolkien aslo states “She was of Amazon disposition and bound up her hair as a crown when taking part in athletic feats.” - she was athletic as well as wise, and Amazon = Warrior woman in Tolkien speak.

But she also did not take part in any of the major battles of the ages. She was athletic, but not warlike.