Any time a beloved piece of fiction gets serialized or modernized for contemporary airwaves, fans really just ask for one thing.
And that’s some adherence or respect for the source material.
Seriously.
Good acting, solid production values and coherent directing are almost secondary to simply respecting the source material.
Shows that can’t do that — like Disney’s maligned Star Wars show “The Acolyte” — often get exposed and tossed aside after just a single season.
Unlike “The Acolyte,” Amazon Studios’ “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” made it to a second season.
Just like “The Acolyte,” however, “Rings of Power” has become a lightning rod for criticism.
And given the perverse nature of this latest controversy, it’s hard to find much fault with this latest line of critique.
To wit, (spoiler warning) the seventh episode of the second season of “Rings of Power” featured a big kissing scene between two key characters.
Do you think Tolkien would approve of this show?
Yes: 4% (6 Votes)
No: 96% (159 Votes)
That, in and of itself, is hardly noteworthy, given how contrived romantic storylines often are in modern entertainment.
But for anyone with even a passing knowledge of J.R.R. Tolkien, the famed author of “The Lord of the Rings,” and his works, that scene held a lot more ick factor than it originally lets on.
The scene in question involves Elrond and Galadriel — two key elven characters in both “Rings of Power” and the greater “Lord of the Rings” lore — sharing a smooch in a moment of passion before a big battle.
The problem?
Within the established lore, Elrond eventually marries Galadriel’s daughter, Celebrían. That makes the two eventual son-in-law and mother-in-law. And if you really want to get into the weeds, Elrond and Galadriel are also related as distant cousins.
Oh, and as Games Radar noted, Galadriel is technically married, adding another layer of awkwardness to it all.
(The daughter of Elrond and Celebrían is Arwen, a key character portrayed by Liv Tyler in the early aughts movies.)
The creepiness of a son-in-law and his future mother-in-law — possibly related by blood — kissing was just too much for online critics.
You can see those criticisms — and the kiss in question — below:
WARNING: The video below contains content that some viewers may find disturbing.
I don’t care how the writers contrived Elrond kissing Galadriel. This fanfiction is disgusting.
The writers and fans are weirdos.
Amazon’s #TheRingsofPower Is An Expensive Lesson In Bad Writing – https://t.co/ZqHNN2bpCd #RespectforTolkien #LOTR #Tolkien #RingsofPower https://t.co/2KrhNM3Ym1 pic.twitter.com/Ab1z6uyVeJ
— Sean D Knight (@SeanDKnight) September 26, 2024
One critic on X blasted the scene while sharing it.
“I don’t care how the writers contrived Elrond kissing Galadriel,” the post reads. “This fanfiction is disgusting.
“The writers and fans are weirdos.”
Another critic on X claimed the scene triggered a bodily reaction.
“I genuinely want to throw up right now,” the X user claimed. “Canonically, Galadriel is Elrond’s mother in law. Rings of Stupid is gross. It is a gross show. And I just cannot wait to see all the clapping seal freaks, the Tolkien tourists, come out and try and defend this.”
Now, in total fairness, the kissing scene certainly didn’t come off as particularly romantic. Galadriel’s reaction wasn’t exactly that of a smitten woman.
But if it’s not meant to be romantic, why make it a kissing scene, especially considering how familial the two involved are?
At best, it feels like a lame attempt at shock value for shock value’s sake.
At worst? It really feels like another deliberate attempt by the left to normalize the perverse.
And the fact that it’s using the works of Tolkien as a vehicle makes it that much more sickening.
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