Good TV
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Same as Saruman's 'voice' it made the wielder extremely manipulative, and even that not in a direct 'mind control' kind of way.
Wormtongue too, and the Arkenstone.
I think these concepts work as metaphors too, but I concur it is a shame we don't get to see the victims of this show humility when the spell is broken. Because it was "just" magic.
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The following was written by Paula Simons for the Edmonton Journal back on Valentine's Day, 2002. And I love every word of it.
The other day, a bunch of us in the office, Lord of the Rings fans all, were talking about our favourite characters from the book and movie. I said when I was a girl, I loved to imagine myself as Arwen, the dark-haired Elven princess.
Arwen, for those (few) who've neither read the books nor seen the movie, is the heroic beauty who sacrifices her chance at immortality in order to marry her great love, Aragorn, the handsome, brooding warrior who becomes the High King of Middle-Earth.
But, as I joked with the guys here, I didn't end up as Arwen, married to Aragorn. I grew up to be Rose Cotton, married to Sam Gamgee.
That line got a good laugh in the newsroom. Rose Cotton, you see, is no elf princess. She's a short, plump hobbit, with a tendency to be bit bossy with her men-folk. Sam is her hobbit husband, a down-to-earth cook and gardener with hairy feet.
Most of the people I was talking to thought I was taking a shot at my husband. But in actual fact, I think I was really paying him the highest of compliments. As far as I'm concerned, Samwise Gamgee is the real hero of The Lord of the Rings, not Aragorn or Gandalf or Frodo.
Sam isn't a warrior by training or inclination. He isn't looking for glory or adventure.
He gets dragged into danger because of his love and loyalty for his gentle master, Frodo, the soulful hobbit who's been given the great task of destroying the Dark Lord's ring of evil.
As Frodo's squire, Sam travels all the way to heart of the Dark Lord's kingdom, battling orc-goblins, giant spiders and his own fears and frailties. He fights as bravely as any of the story's flashier knights -- more bravely, because he's no superhero with a magic sword, just an ordinary guy overtaken by extraordinary circumstances.
But his real heroism lies in his unshakeable loyalty to his best friend, and in his unshakeable loyalty to his hobbit values, his moral code.
When all the battles and quests are over, Sam returns to his prosaic hobbit life, marrying Rose, raising kids, planting trees and nurturing the community he loves.
The problem is, our culture doesn't validate the heroism of the Samwise Gamgees of this world. The romantic heroes every teenage girl is taught to pine for are the Byronic brooders like Aragorn.
But outside of books and movies, Aragorn-types are hard to come by. So, for that matter, are fantastically beautiful Arwen elf princesses.
No wonder so many people end up disappointed and disillusioned, hoodwinked by our cult of romantic love, which tells us that if we don't end up with an Arwen or an Aragorn, we have failed in the game of life.
On Valentine's Day, in particular, anyone, married or single, who doesn't have a storybook romance is all but encouraged to feel dissatisfied and cheated.
But life is not a fairy tale and love is not a myth. And this is my Valentine to my husband, my Samwise Gamgee. I call him that, not because he's short and stocky and hairy-toed -- though he is. I call him that because he's brave and funny and loyal and kind, because he's a fabulous cook who makes the best fried mushrooms I've ever tasted.
He's my hero, because when our daughter breaks a toy he takes out his super-glue and puts the little pieces back together. He's my hero, because when I'm sick he makes me steaming cups of honey-lemon water and steaming pots of chicken soup and rubs my back. He's my hero, because he can roll out a pie-crust, change a tire in a blizzard and settle our little girl to sleep faster than anyone else.
Is he perfect? Far from it. About as far as I am.
Here's my advice on this St. Valentine's Day. Don't flagellate yourself if you're not embroiled in a big-screen love affair with a perfect prince or princess. Whether you're coupled or single, straight or gay, spend today celebrating the heroism of real love -- not "romance, " but the love of friends and family and community, the "ordinary" garden-variety love that conquers darkness. Don't worry about loving like an elf lord or a princess. Love like a hobbit.
And may the hair on your toes grow ever longer.
https://whatiswrongwith.me/Mia
There were never any good old days. They are today. They are tomorrow. It's a stupid thing we say, cursing tomorrow with sorrow. -- Gogol Bordello -
her great love, Aragorn, the handsome, brooding warrior who becomes the High King of Middle-Earth.*
The High King of Gondor and Arnor. </LotR snob>
I loved that entire rest of the quote.
- He who takes offense when not intended is a fool. He who takes offense when intended is a greater fool.
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her great love, Aragorn, the handsome, brooding warrior who becomes the High King of Middle-Earth.*
The High King of Gondor and Arnor. </LotR snob>
I loved that entire rest of the quote.
Seriously, probably the only LotR "meme" that I love more is the one about humans being like elves to dogs. And that one makes me cry.
https://whatiswrongwith.me/Mia
There were never any good old days. They are today. They are tomorrow. It's a stupid thing we say, cursing tomorrow with sorrow. -- Gogol Bordello -
Oh god, now i'm remembering it and tearing up too. It's a good day to cry, sure, why not.
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I spent my last Romance day with my partner watching The Heart, Parts 1 and 2, of SPOP because she’s this beautiful, nice blonde, and I’m a fucking cat.
Sam was the hero. I don’t think badly of Arwen, of course, but I do love me Eowyn.
I like blondes.
“It is better to live doing the things that you like. It is foolish to live within this dream of a world seeing unpleasantness and doing only things that you do not like.” -- Yamamoto Tsunetomo.
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I spent my last Romance day with my partner watching The Heart, Parts 1 and 2, of SPOP because she’s this beautiful, nice blonde, and I’m a fucking cat.
Sam was the hero. I don’t think badly of Arwen, of course, but I do love me Eowyn.
I like blondes.
I mean, Eowyn was objectively cooler than Arwen, anyway. For many of the same reasons that Sam was the hero, Eowyn was also a badass. And not in the sword-swinging sense, though that certainly applies. She was a badass because of the reasons she wanted to swing a sword.
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@aria Yeah, Arwen doesn't have a whole lot of meat on her bones, narratively. Eowyn is just about as hungry for a boyfriend as Arwen is, but at least Eowyn has an arc and things to do, y'know?
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@greenflashlight I'm not sure Tolkien had a real plan for Arwen other than being basically Lúthien all over again, and giving Aragorn a Queen worthy of him. But we didn't get to see her much in the books, only to be told of her.
On the other hand that figures in a tale as vast as this. The focus was on the Fellowship members and those they directly interact with after its formation.
The only way Arwen had a chance to get any 'screen' time was either the way Peter Jackson did it in the first movie (i.e. replace Glorfindel with her, which was fair enough). On the other hand I wasn't crazy about the 'her fate is tied to the Ring now' subplot. That was... weird.
But arguably she could have been a genuinely interesting character. She just didn't fit the spotlight the way this tale was told. One way could have been to replace one of the Fellowship members with her of course - Legolas would be the obvious choice in the books.
- He who takes offense when not intended is a fool. He who takes offense when intended is a greater fool.
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One way could have been to replace one of the Fellowship members with her of course - Legolas would be the obvious choice in the books.
Can you imagine the number of shrieking early-00s nerdboys that would have resulted from that? I can. Ohh, I definitely can. It is the stuff of nightmares.
https://whatiswrongwith.me/Mia
There were never any good old days. They are today. They are tomorrow. It's a stupid thing we say, cursing tomorrow with sorrow. -- Gogol Bordello -
One way could have been to replace one of the Fellowship members with her of course - Legolas would be the obvious choice in the books.
Can you imagine the number of shrieking early-00s nerdboys that would have resulted from that? I can. Ohh, I definitely can. It is the stuff of nightmares.
Oh I meant from the perspective of it being Tolkien's choice in the original works.
But yeah. On the other hand it really depends on how it's done. The Hobbit trilogy introduced an original female Elven character but she didn't fail because of that - her arc was just badly handled.
In the LotR films Saruman's story was altered dramatically. Significant characters like Tom Bombadil or Glorfindel were simply... erased. Fanboys will fanboy, but ultimately when the movie otherwise works no one gives a shit.
- He who takes offense when not intended is a fool. He who takes offense when intended is a greater fool.
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Also:
- He who takes offense when not intended is a fool. He who takes offense when intended is a greater fool.
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I kind of want someone to make a parody of LOTR that is that.
Ceterum autem censeo Carthaginem esse delendam
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I kind of want someone to make a parody of LOTR that is that.
What's old is new, like most stories borrowing from past material. I'd read that as a serious story if someone made it serious. Stoner friends, lawn guys, gastropubs. A future retelling of a journey to destroy an artifact, some diesel punk apocalyptic adventure would be just as well as a parody.
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I kind of want someone to make a parody of LOTR that is that.
While not like that, there is Bored of the Rings which definitely has its amusement value. And lets not forget The Very Secret Diaries which are even better and free.
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@tnp My dad had a copy of boredom of the rings. I loved it and have not thought of it in years thank you!
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For those who enjoyed Hilda, Princess Star Butterfly and other series like those.
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I had ZERO faith or expectations going in, but holy shit is Aquaman King of Atlantis on HBOMax worth a watch. It's almost painfully funny, and I'm looking forward to the next episodes a lot.
Speaking of painfully funny animated shows, the kiddo and I are really enjoying Mao Mao, Heroes of Pure Heart as well. It's another one I didn't initially expect to like, but it's really clever and the art is cute as heck.
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It looks like Adventure Time met My Little Pony with Hexus from Ferngully doing a cameo as the badguy.
