This is an opinion piece. I respect that many people don’t like the way The Rings of Power show has been handled. That’s okay. People are allowed not to like something and I’m not here to convince anyone that they have to think one way or the other. But a lot of people are enjoying this show. Their enjoyment does not take away from Tolkien’s great works. It might just inspire them to dig deeper into the lore and discover things for themselves.
With that said…
Many have strong feelings about The Rings of Power show on Amazon. Some believe Amazon is greedy (I won’t argue against that.) Others believe them to be too “woke.” More still say that the project is not true to Tolkien’s vision. But others, and I think there are a lot of us, are enjoying this show for what it is: a fun journey back into Middle-earth.
Let me address something right off the bat: the “wokeness.” There is room for everyone in this fandom, no matter the color of their skin. I am enjoying everyone’s acting and it is clear they were chosen for their talent. There hasn’t been a bad actor in the bunch. I like the diversity and it is making the world of Tolkien more alive to me than it has been since before The Hobbit movies.
As for Galadriel being headstrong and rebellious, nothing like the wise Galadriel of the LOTR books: she’s on a journey, one where she’ll grow into what she ought to be. A static character is a very boring thing to read about. I say give her a chance and time, and note that she is still perhaps true to Tolkien’s writings.
“She was personally proud and rebellious and wished for freedom.”
The Nature of Middle-earth
The main point here: dynamic character = good, static character = a bit dull and boring, especially when they’re a protagonist. But everyone’s allowed not to like her, of course. I just happen to enjoy watching her each week.
Much like the opening to Peter Jackson’s original film trilogy, episode one of Rings of Power opens with Galadriel giving a narrative summary of what has transpired up until the opening of the show. Narration stops for some bits of action (child Galadriel constructing a boat out of paper.) The narration slows things down a little and removes the viewer from the action. Yes, the first episode is a little slow-moving, but it’s such eye-candy with so much beautiful music and acting, I couldn’t help but be almost instantly hooked.
There are a lot of storylines going on, but each one is interesting and I can’t wait to see how they all tie together! From the hobbits’ ancestors the harfoot people, to elves, to humans and dwarves—and a few Ent sightings—this show has a large cast. My hat’s off to the directors and writers.
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Are you enjoying The Rings of Power? Please keep comments civil.
Keep your nose in a book,
Beth
Beth Overmyer 
Yes! I’m enjoying the series so far — and getting more invested in it each episode. They’re doing some really interesting things with the characters, and without quite breaking canon — which is exactly the right approach. There are a couple of plot points I’m not entirely happy with, but on the whole it’s a fascinating and enjoyable story (again, so far — they could fall off the tightrope at some point, for all we know).
We need to keep in mind that Tolkien was creating a mythology that he hoped to share with other creators, and, like other mythologies, there can be some flexibility in adapting new variations. (https://rickellrod.com/2016/09/25/the-malleability-of-myth/)
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Well said, Rick! One thing I’ve thought about is that if we were to stick only to Tolkien’s words, we wouldn’t have enough dialogue for even the Peter Jackson films. Just an example that creative license can and should be taken in a lot of cases. It’s hard, when we love something a lot in its original form, to see it reshaped into something else. But it doesn’t take away from the original.
Thanks for stopping by! I always appreciate and enjoy your thoughtful comments.
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