The new LORD OF THE RINGS prequel series THE RINGS OF POWER debuted this week with the first two episodes. And I think there's a lot to like, like some strong female leads, great production values, and an interesting "PHANTOM MENACE, but done right"-type storyline. (@ me all you want, Prequel lovers.)
But there's one moment that I just can't get out of my head. About 25 minutes into episode 2, we check back in with Galadriel, who ended episode 1 having jumped off the boat that was going to take her and the other hero elves back to Valinor, which is presented as sort like Elf Eden. And really the entirety of episode one built to that decision on the boat in a really nice way (in fact I like it so much I'm going to talk it about tomorrow).
So she leaps off the boat and watches the light to Valinor die--yet another bold move from her in the episode, cementing her hero status with us. Super solid.
But then when it comes to episode two, that story choice has left us with a pretty huge problem. She's in the middle of the ocean. What do you do with her now?
You can could create a coincidence—that's where the writing goes eventually. But you don't want to start there, because it undermines the sacrifice she made. She made a big decision, and we love her for it, but now she's got to pay for it.
The writers make a choice that fits the character well: she doesn't freak out, she doesn't really even blink an eye. She just turns back the way she came and swims for it. That's Galadriel, focused and determined.
But onscreen it looks kind of silly. I get it, she's an elf, they don't die. But again, she's in the middle of the ocean. That should be a problem.
One thought might have been to have her start swimming but immediately run into problems. Like, it's freaking cold. Or there's cloud cover so she has no way of knowing where she's going. Or hey, maybe she could get attacked by something. What if there's a some kind of underwater kelp that grabs hold of anything that touches it and tries to pull her down? Or she has to swim through razor sharp coral?
Whatever happens, it shouldn't be easy, because again, she just made a huge sacrifice. And the cost can't be just that she isn't going to Valinor now, because she didn't really want to go in the first place. No, we need something tangible, aka suffering. If you're going to have your character take a big risk, there needs to be a cost for any payoff to feel earned. (So Daemon in DRAGON 103 has to get shot and stopped short of his goal. He can't just make it all the way to the Crabfeeder.)
Personally I'd bet the writers had an idea that didn't end up getting used because it didn't work when shot or it proved to be too expensive. The show's production values are just too fantastic for such a kind of goofy shot to get through.
But there's something about the reality of television to be gained there, too. Sometimes the best you can do is move the story forward, even if it is in a way that is not pretty and brilliant. That's a hazard of both taking a big swing as writers, and of the business, which does not have unlimited resources. Like Galadriel herself, really, you have to just shake it off and keep going.
