{"id":115154,"date":"2022-09-07T17:38:14","date_gmt":"2022-09-07T22:38:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theonering.net\/torwp\/?p=115154"},"modified":"2022-09-08T10:36:29","modified_gmt":"2022-09-08T15:36:29","slug":"family-priorities-and-the-rings-of-power-one-moms-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theonering.net\/torwp\/2022\/09\/07\/115154-family-priorities-and-the-rings-of-power-one-moms-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Family Priorities and The Rings of Power: One Mom’s Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The following is a guest review from TORn Discord<\/a> Ringer Amandawrites:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sharing your joys with loved ones isn\u2019t always easy. My husband, Eric, is a New York Mets fanatic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we started dating, I thought baseball was only marginally more interesting than the proverbial drying paint. But because he watches every game he can, and listens when he can\u2019t watch (and checks game updates on his phone when he can\u2019t listen), I soon found that spending time with him between April and October meant learning to appreciate, if not love, baseball (and particularly the Mets). Twenty-odd years later, I\u2019ve come to appreciate the game and even enjoy it (sometimes). But love? Well, let\u2019s just say I have other priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As baseball is to Eric, Tolkien is to me.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Shortly before we were planning to leave for the theater the evening Return of the King<\/em> opened, I accidentally drove an electric drill bit into my palm. (Unhandy people like me really ought not attempt carpentry projects, especially minutes before going somewhere important.) Eric sensibly suggested we go to the ER, but it was Return of the <\/em>frickin\u2019 King<\/em>\u2014for me, the fantasy equivalent of a Subway World Series\u2014so seeing the film took priority. I bear the ensuing scar as proof of my love of LOTR<\/em>. Yet Eric views Tolkien as I view baseball\u2014it\u2019s something he has come to appreciate and sometimes even enjoys\u2014but love? He had other priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

September 2: Rings of Power or the Mets?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Our separate loves came in conflict on Friday, September 2, when I insisted we watch the premier episode of The Rings of Power<\/em> while the Mets were playing. My husband, in an expression of love for me, acquiesced with only a little grumbling. He knew I\u2019d been itching to watch the episode for months and granted me the boon foregoing his joy in favor of mine. (There\u2019s a reason we\u2019ve been married for two decades.) Incidentally, my daughter loves LOTR<\/em>, although she might prioritize the ER over the theater if she had a puncture wound in her hand. So last Friday night, we all sat down together to watch ROP<\/em>, me with fingers crossed and palms sweating in hopes that the show wouldn\u2019t end up RIP in our family viewing line up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A family fit: of kin and kindred<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was fitting to watch as a family, since family<\/em> is the cornerstone of the series. Galadriel\u2019s mission to find the missing Dark Lord Sauron is driven by her love for her elder brother Finrod, whom Sauron killed. Nearly everyone else we meet \u2014 harfoot, human, dwarf, or elf \u2014 has a family to protect and care for, or aspires to forming those bonds. I love that the series has begun on this footing, centering motivations on kin and kindred rather than the standard-issue Great Evil That Will End All Things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lesser evil of playground bullies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The show also rapidly establishes the little evils that get in the way of defeating the big ones\u2014a regular theme throughout all of Tolkien\u2019s work. This was one of my favorite things about the first two episodes. In the opening voiceover narration, Galadriel tells us \u201cnothing was evil in the beginning,\u201d but she\u2019s lying to us and herself. Right away, before we see any evidence of a Great Evil, we see the ignorance and casual cruelty of Galadriel\u2019s own people. This lesser evil of playground bullies foreshadows the conflicts and motivations that will drive Galadriel for the rest of her life (and the series).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Underestimated, undervalued, and undermined<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before she can confront Sauron, she must contend with peers who doubt and foil her, friends who betray her, and a king who pushes her out of the way. She may be Commander of the Northern Armies, but she is still underestimated, undervalued, and undermined. It\u2019s easy to read this as a feminist take on Tolkien, where a brilliant woman is hindered by the petty jealousies and hubris of a bunch of men who think they know better and want her to sit down and shut up (and think getting her to stand down is for her own good). But whether you love or hate the feminist angle, it\u2019s entirely consistent with all of Tolkien\u2019s work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Family roadblocks and bad@$$ sisters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

From the Sackville-Bagginses to Denethor to F\u00ebanor, who started the whole mess that led Galadriel\u2019s people out of Valinor in the first place, Tolkien always dwells on the roadblocks put up by the hero\u2019s friends and family as much or more than<\/em> the threat posed by the Great Evil Enemy. And Galadriel certainly isn\u2019t the only heroine in his work to succeed where men fail. From Melian to L\u00fathien, Haleth to Eowyn, there\u2019s a long list of badass sisters doing it for themselves in Tolkien\u2019s work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another favorite thing is the dialogue, which I thought brilliantly crafted (despite a few awkward expository moments). Every word carried its narrative weight, especially when Galadriel was speaking. There were plenty of Easter eggs for Tolkien nuts, but not so much Deep Lore that the more casual viewers in my house were lost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There were questions, of course, like why hobbits are called harfoots, and why there is no mention of the family Galadriel is leaving behind when she\u2019s shipped off by the king. The first question was easily answered with a look at my trusty Complete Guide to Middle-earth<\/em>, but the second has me wondering if showrunners J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay have dispensed with Celeborn or delayed Galadriel\u2019s relationship with him. I hope he\u2019s somewhere in the wings, and Payne and McKay are sticking to the established genealogy. It would tick me off if Elrond doesn\u2019t marry Galadriel\u2019s daughter, Celebr\u00edan, the mother of Arwen in the books<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s personal.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m also not entirely thrilled with the implication that Finrod died in battle rather than in Sauron\u2019s prison (while helping Beren with his quest for the Silmarils), but I understand that film requires some narrative streamlining, and what\u2019s important is the end result: Sauron killed Galadriel\u2019s brother, and that\u2019s what drives her now. In fact, I love that the series is founded on this classic narrative trope. It\u2019s not just about saving the world for Galadriel, it\u2019s personal. Very personal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We’re in for the season!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Time constraints and other obligations had us watching only the first episode Friday and the second on Sunday night. All in all, the show got a big thumbs up from the family and will be on the viewing roster for the next 7 weeks. And if I somehow injure myself minutes before we plan to watch? Don\u2019t worry \u2014 I have my priorities straight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This review was written by TORn Discord<\/a> Ringer Amandawrites and reflects her opinions only. Check out her blog and more writing here<\/a>!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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