I'm Sorry But I Can't Get Over This Scene From Ep7. I Absolutely Can't. Immovable Even. Simply Too Seated

i'm sorry but i can't get over this scene from ep7. i absolutely can't. immovable even. simply too seated in the theatre that the employees are begging me to leave. the desperation in sauron's eyes. the hesitation, horrors and curiosity from celebrimbor—willing himself into allowing the smothering closeness that was initiated by sauron. celebrimbor wanted to understand him. he really do. he sympathized with sauron. until sauron blames him for his own doing. even when celebrimbor no longer allow himself the connection they had, sauron still lingers by that thread. trapped in his own world. the need to be understood, admired, and seen overpowers the truth that he deceived himself.

this may not be a popular opinion but i would have loved to hear more about the technical ring making process and lore in rings of power. how the combination of will and intent affects the power and abilities of the rings. how the rings interact with the souls of the bearers. why sauron needed celebrimbor in order to complete the rings (or was it just his desperate need for a partner- but that’s another post).

Why Galadriel is the feminist hero that Middle Earth desperately needed:

Throughout Galadriel’s introduction in season one, it becomes immediately obvious that she is experienced and considered to be wise and respected. She’s the commander of an army. She demonstrates immense skill with swordsmanship. She has some knowledge of politics, lore, and can be very persuasive. However, her status is a double edged sword. She is incredibly prideful and believes that her plans and ideas and actions are better than anyone else, including the king. (She’s right about Sauron being back at least so *shrug*). Her driving motivation is a need for vengeance, which combined with her pride, does become blinding.

The show could have done more to explain her rank and status. We know from the Silmarillion that Galadriel is from a noble line and older than most other elves (including Elrond and Gil-Galad). Her pride is somewhat warranted. That doesn’t really come across in the show though. I think that is only because in order to really understand Galadriel’s position at the beginning of the show, they would have had to dive too far into first age lore and that all is a mess that casual viewers do not care about.

Galadriel makes some questionable choices throughout the show, but viewers mostly understand why. Her motivations are clear. She is prideful, yes, but not in a shallow, cocky, quippy one liner “girl power” way. She just has a conviction that she knows best and everyone else needs to catch up. It’s an understandable sentiment considering how skilled she appears to be. Some have criticized her as coming across immature, but her impatience and impulsiveness is totally motivated by her quest for vengeance. She is powerful, and flawed, and 100% a real person not a stereotype or trope.

Speaking of tropes, Galadriel avoids the shallow romance trap that is all too common (thinking of you Tauriel). Galadriel wants to rule because she thinks she’s smarter than everyone else. This is how the ring later tempts her when Frodo visits Lothlorien (maybe it will in later seasons of this show as well?). Galadriel is actually alarmingly similar to Sauron in this way which I think is what drew Halbrand to her. They have a shared vision. This is very much the same with Celebrimbor except he wanted to create power not necessarily rule himself. The idea of the One Ring would be abhorrent to Celebrimbor but it appeals to Galadriel.

Whatever the hell is going on with Haladriel (Saurondriel? What are we calling it now) is a much more complex situation than a standard fantasy relationship. They understand each other intimately hence they are drawn together, and yet she hates him for what he did to her family. So she’s conflicted, which adds tension, but it’s not “he’s so hot and attractive but a bad boy” it’s “goddamn this man understands me on a visceral level like no one else does and that scares me”.

Tl;dr- I don’t understand people who dislike Galadriel or criticize the writing/acting, she’s the most complex and realistic female character we’ve had in a Tolkien adaptation.

Armies may rise, hearts may fail, yet still, light endures, and is mightier than strength.

THE RINGS OF POWER 2.07 "Doomed to Die"

sauron dragged celebrimbor’s broken and bleeding body to prop him against that pillar and then gently stroked his cheek.

charlie vickers #1 sauron understander