It's about Galadriel.

I have been hearing quite a bit of negativity about the new Amazon show, Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. I am not interested in the show, personally. I am an avid reader of all things Tolkien and often spend an hour or so flipping through various atlases and maps of middle earth. I will not be watching the show, however.  As a huge fan of the master's literary work and the artistic inspiration his works have given rise to, you would think I would be the target audience, but Amazon appears to have something else in mind.

Whatever their intentions with the show, the negative feedback is something to behold, and it has been building for months.  Online video creators have created a cottage industry trashing the trailers, the actors, the producers, everything. They say no publicity is bad publicity, but this might be the event that disproves that sentiment for all time. It has been a tidal wave of bad vibes, and that was before it was even released! Now, the first two episodes are available for streaming and the reception has been….rough.  As of this writing, Rotten Tomatoes is giving the show an 84/38 split between critics and audience scores. The reviews on IMDB, are a paltry 6.6, and Amazon has blocked reviews for the first 72 hours so they have time to scrub as many negative comments as they can.  It’s about as bad a rollout as you can have.

But is this fair? Can a show really be that bad? I doubt it. I have yet to see an Amazon show that was not produced well and has strong set designs. They almost always throw enough time and money at the first few episodes to warrant a positive critical review. And the 84% score from critics reflects that effort. So why is there so much passion to trash Rings of Power regardless of the quality of the production? It’s about Galadriel. (and Luke Skywalker)

They made her into a warrior and leader of armies. She was never these things. Her brothers were warriors and leaders of armies. They made her angry and unforgiving. Her brothers were angry and unforgiving. Granted, she was always strong and left Valinor rashly, but that was centuries ago, She was contemplative and wise. She was patient. The fire of her early years had long since cooled, only coming to life on very rare occasions(as Blanchett’s Galadriel  demonstrates weirdly, but effectively, in FOTR)

You cannot make this kind of mistake with Galadriel and expect Tolkein fans to let it go.  You cannot rewrite her character to fit a story she would never belong in. This is Galadriel. In the third age, her counsel and wisdom were irreplaceable. The grace and power of her spirit were the strength Frodo and Sam leaned to carry on. She saves and revives Gandolf.  The power of Galadriel and her Ring of Power pushes back Saurons forces from Mirkwood and destroyed his fortress of Dol Guldur. This is Galadriel. In the first age, she helped lead the revolt against the Valar, but took no part in the kinslaying that followed. She was remade crossing the Helcaraxe, the grinding ice, after Feanor abandoned them. Her brother, Finrod, founded the great kingdom of Nargothrond, and died protecting the human man, Beren, son of Barahir, and the ancestor of Isildur. Her cousin and friend was Luthien, whose love for Beren is one of the greatest love stories of all time.  Her other brothers, Aegnor and Angrod, were great warriors and lords of Dorthonion. Her nephew was Gil-Galad. She took no part in the wars against Morgoth because she was not a warrior and did not believe he could be defeated by elves and men(she was right) After the Valar crushed Morgoth and destroyed Beleriand, she was the only Noldor elf to remain in middle earth who had seen light for Valinor. She was one of the oldest and wisest of the elves, a queen without a crown. This is Galadriel.

Some characters(Elrond, Gil Galad, Durin) you can change and its not that big of a deal. You cannot rewrite Galadriel, any more than you can rewrite Sauron. These characters are throughlines that connect all the stories that come before and after. They are immutable. We know who they are. Change them, and you change everything. This was the great mistake for the Last Jedi.  Luke Skywalker is a hero. He never gives up. He stands for his family, even in the face of oblivion. Then Rian Johnson made him a coward who contemplated murdering his nephew….and just like that Disney lost half of its Star Wars fans. If you change our heroes into something they are not, you are playing with fire.

First seasons are not everything, btw, Star Trek The Next Generation is one of the best TV shows of all time and the first season is objectively awful. So Rings of Power can still be a great show.

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