Episode 4: Not the Trail of Tears (or Episode 3)

I'm sorry I wasn't around for the discussion, life intervened. I haven't yet watched the video, so these thoughts have that caveat.

It looks to me, from MithLuin's summary, like the protagonist is Olwë. He's where the protagonist stands at the end of the episode. Which is interesting, because it means we can see the important things this episode – Lenwë/ents, Elwë/Melian, and the Vanyar and Noldor leaving – as bad things happening to Olwë. So given that, the next question is what's the antagonistic force? Looks to me like Olwë has a very personal fear of being left behind, which can be explored through his frustrations with the wider Teleri. This makes sense to me: his brother disappeared off to Valinor for a long time, leaving him alone. Throughout the episode he is desperately deferring his issues by trying to make sure the Teleri aren't left behind, and importantly, he mostly fails.

The next thing to do with that information is put in the act breaks.

The first plot point (end of act one) makes Olwë's fears real, something he has to actively deal with, rather than live with as he has thus far. This is obviously Lenwë's people abandoning the journey.

The midpoint (end of act two) marks Olwë's decision to stand up and try engage with and resolve his fears. His brother mysteriously vanishes.

The second plot point powers him through to the climax, giving him the last bit he needs to get where he's going. The Noldor leave.

So what's the climax to Olwë's story? His decision to leave his brother behind and press on, but more importantly, the realisation that being left behind is okay. It's not a bad thing that Celeborn, Beleg, et al choose to stay and he doesn't need to break himself to get them to go.

Then slot in pinch points in mid acts two and three, reminders of the reality of the antagonistic force. We've got the Vanyar leaving before the Noldor (I think that's a change from the source, since they and the Noldor went together? But, it works great for this story, so I'm all for it), which looks like the mid-act two point. The mid-act three point is more difficult to identify, it could be the cut back to Lenwë's people and the ents, or it might be the 'meanwhile, in Angband' scene. Neither particularly speak to the primary conflict, but it's workable. For argument's sake, I'm going to say it's Angband, but it doesn't have to be.

With that framework in place, we can see this a coherent story, rather than a series of disparate, disjointed events.

So act one is about establishing Olwë and his slightly ambivalent relationship to Elwë, and how that plays out in his frustration with Lenwë's people. Olwë's heard all about Valinor from his brother and he's sure as hell not going to let the Teleri (read, himself) miss out on that. Discovering the ents, while it will probably the bulk of screen time in the act, is really just storytelling context for that: there's this group that are mucking about with some weird moving trees, which would be fine, but they're going to make the Teleri late, damnit. (So it looks like Elwë is the more adventurous, out going brother and Olwë is more reserved and anxious.) So the act ends with Lenwë's people staying behind, which is devastating for Olwë. He mourns for them.

(At some point in act one, we have to deal with the frame, I guess. So Arwen expresses her grief at being left behind by her mother. It has some resonance. Whatever.)

Act two – Open with the crossing of the Misty Mountains. Elwë puts Olwë in charge of getting the Teleri across Eriador to Ered Luin, while he goes and meets up with Finwë. Olwë is daunted by the task – he's hardly a natural leader – but he'll try his best and his mission as he sees it is to make sure no more Teleri are left behind. His brother goes off, meets with Finwë and then gets ensnared in Nan Elmoth. Again, this is the bulk of the screen time, but really it's context – set up for Olwë's loss. I'd even suggest intercutting Elwë's posse looking for him, with Olwë giving the Teleri motivation to drive on (rousing speech about how much they all love Elwë?), then do the strange and ethereal meeting of Elwë and Melian.

(Remember, in the middle of the act there's a brief scene with the Vanyar leaving. Since it's the pinch point, they don't need a conflict to overcome – Ulmo/Ossë can be waiting for them with ferry all good to go – since the scene is to illustrate the primary conflict, the fact of their leaving is enough.)

Act three opens with Olwë receiving the news of his brother's disappearance. He and Elwë's posse are united, they lead the Teleri over the Misty Mountains to go find Elwë. But they can't find him. The act ends with news that the Noldor have reached the shore and a reminder from Finwë that the Teleri need to hurry up.

(This act also has a fair amount of subplot to get through, to make up its somewhat threadbare content – Lenwë's people with the ents update and the Angband update. I'd probably also drop back to the frame and have Arwen see her mother's rescue in this act. Yawn.)

Act four opens on Olwë's anguish for the loss of his brother and his huge decision: does he stay, abandon his Valinorean dreams for his brother's sake or continue on with his brother's mission? Agonising. Then, lo, the Noldor leave as Finwë worries for Elwë and the Teleri. Elwë's posse makes it abundantly clear they ain't going anywhere without their boy, they didn't sign up for Valinor, they're following Elwë. Olwë shares a conversation with his buddy Círdan (I forget his old school name), who is way wiser than him, who lays it out for him: you have to lead, in your brother's place, those that want to go to Valinor. Olwë realises that it's okay if half his people want to stay for Elwë, they're not going to miss out, they're just going to do something different. It's okay for him to leave them behind and they're fine with being left behind.

(I suppose in this act we have to drop back for the frame conclusion – Arwen comes to accept her mother's decision (look, more resonance) to leave, but she's still sad she's gone. And she is still not certain that the West is by necessity the ultimate destiny for the elves of Middle-earth.)

Technically, the dénouement is part of act four (certainly in terms of page count and ad/act breaks), so right at the end of the episode, Olwë has made his peace and leads his people down Celon, Aros and Sirion to the shore at Balar and finally, we see Elwë and Melian frozen together and fade out to the sound of nightingales.

So that's why I think Olwë is the protagonist and we don't need to split that role between him and Elwë.

(Edited to fix confusing typos.)
 
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Well, that's awesome, and more than makes up for you not being around to bug Nick about 'Who is the protagonist, again?' during the script discussion :).

There are a few places where you typed 'Elwë' but meant 'Olwë' above, but it's still easy to follow who you mean. And Círdan's old-school name is Nowë, but we don't intend to ever use that on screen; basically, he will be there, no one will use his name, and then after he's living on the shore, he'll be called Círdan. How that will be handled in the credits isn't overly important to me right now, and his actor can be called 'The Shipwright' for all I care. You are correct that separating the Vanyar and Noldor here is a departure from the published Silmarillion. If someone can work out the logistics to avoid this change while still telling the story we are trying to tell, I would be fine with that.

Fear of being left behind, of being left out, should be very relatable to our audience. I'm not sure how far we want to go with that with Olwë, but I am glad we are starting to develop his character here in episode 4. He was introduced in Ep 3, so we should get to see more of what type of person he is here. Especially since the next episode will be ALL about him and Círdan hanging out with Ossë and making some important Ulmo-induced decisions.

I agree that the 'Meanwhile, in Angband' scene seems very...random. It will be more or less shoe-horned in, and is placed where it is so we can have a discussion of the Dark Hunter onscreen make for a good transition. That's...not super ideal. Lenwë and the ents, by contrast, speaks to the theme - Olwë has been viewing their decision to abandon the journey as a failure, that they are missing out on this awesome Valinor place. But we see a pretty idyllic ents-and-Nandor scene, showing that what they gained by their decision is in no way a bad thing. Showing that result here and now seems an important counterpoint to Olwë's judgment, and might come up in the pep-talk Círdan gives Olwë.

So, overall, I like this, and will update the Outline to reflect the Act divisions.
 
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Well, that's awesome, and more than makes up for you not being around to bug Nick about 'Who is the protagonist, again?' during the script discussion :).
If someone doesn't keep asking it doesn't get decided until later :). Honestly, I only ever ask the same questions: who's the protagonist, what awful things happen to them, where are the act breaks? Once you've got that, the rest comes a lot easier.

There are a few places where you typed 'Elwë' but meant 'Olwë' above, but it's still easy to follow who you mean.
Fixed to save people the confusion.

You are correct that separating the Vanyar and Noldor here is a departure from the published Silmarillion. If someone can work out the logistics to avoid this change while still telling the story we are trying to tell, I would be fine with that.
I don't think it's an important enough detail to bend over backwards to keep when what we've got works fine without negatively impacting anything I can think of that matters.

I agree that the 'Meanwhile, in Angband' scene seems very...random. It will be more or less shoe-horned in, and is placed where it is so we can have a discussion of the Dark Hunter onscreen make for a good transition. That's...not super ideal.
Some sacrifices must be made to season arc storytelling. I think the transition is good enough to not make it feel totally out of place. Plus, hey, act three needs content.

Lenwë and the ents, by contrast, speaks to the theme - Olwë has been viewing their decision to abandon the journey as a failure, that they are missing out on this awesome Valinor place. But we see a pretty idyllic ents-and-Nandor scene, showing that what they gained by their decision is in no way a bad thing. Showing that result here and now seems an important counterpoint to Olwë's judgment, and might come up in the pep-talk Círdan gives Olwë.
+1

So, overall, I like this, and will update the Outline to reflect the Act divisions.
Glad you approve.

One note about the outline: it should be 16 points , with four per act. Each point is ~4 script pages (except 1 and 16, teaser and dénouement, which are up to 4 pages each), the point is to help eyeball where there are gaps or, just as bad, too much content. (It doesn't need to be 16, actually, any multiple of 4 will do. I like 16 because it keeps the maths simple.)

I'm all about the structure, as it turns out.

I'm going to refrain from further comments until I'm caught up with the video discussion.
 
Outline, second pass:

Episode 4: Climb Every Mountain - In Which Olwë learns the painful lesson that people have different paths in life and different destinies.

1. Teaser: Frame - Arwen expresses grief at being left behind by her mother.
Main - Elves journey across Middle Earth - sweeping vistas and awesome music! The Elves are singing as they traverse majestic terrain under starlight.

Act 1
2. Disorganization in Teleri camp - no one knows the plans, everyone is doing their own thing, impossible to get the group to work together.
Elwë expresses frustration to Lenwë, urging him to get his people together.

3. Lenwë is organizing his 'lost tribes', but while journeying to and fro, he comes upon a walking tree. In wonder, he stops to investigate. The tree (actually Treebeard) makes some 'Hoom, hoom' noises, but fails to talk. After the first attempts at communication reveal that the creature is sentient, the elves are delighted. (There are multiple elves and ents present, including Treebeard's wife!)

4. Lenwë informs Elwë that moving now is out of the question. They've just met the tree-people and have to stay to learn to talk with them!

Act 2
5. The rest of the Sindar press on, crossing the Misty Mountains. Elwë decides he better tell Finwë about this development, that he has 'lost' some of his people. He leaves Olwë in charge and sets out with Celeborn, Beleg (and Mablung?) to journey to the Noldor camp.

6. In the Noldor camp, Elwë is happy to see his friend Finwë. One of the Noldor (Mahtan?) makes a disparaging remark about the disorganized, lagging behind Teleri - Finwë defends his friend. Elwë is also frustrated with his group, and wants to know how Finwë keeps the Noldor on task. The ingenious timekeeping device of the hourglass is revealed, and Finwë gifts one to Elwë to help. Elwë is none-to-pleased when he has to share Finwë's attention with Míriel, but their tension is mild.

7. Midpoint We catch up with the Vanyar, who are a small, organized group far ahead of the others. They reach the shores of the Sea, and are bewildered what to do next. Ossë has an 'aha!' moment and fetches the island that Melkor made when he was showing off his volcano skills last season. The very large island is brought near the shore, and we see the elves board the 'ferry.' The island leaves the bay.

8. Olwë leads the Teleri across Eriador to the Ered Luin. Tom Bombadil cameo.

9. On the return, Elwë's party is nearing the camp in Estolad when they reach the forest of Nan Elmoth. They hear nightingales singing. They approach a glade in the forest, but only Elwë can enter. The others are turned around and stumbling, confused, and unable to see what is in the glade. Elwë's party searches and calls for him, but to no avail. They decide they have to report back to Olwë (who is in the camp nearby). Elwë sees a beautiful woman and reaches out for her. Suddenly, she is beside him, and lays her hand in his. They both stop, frozen in time.

Act 3
10. When Olwë hears the news, he is stricken, immediately assuming his brother is lost forever. He thinks this the work of the Dark Hunter. Celeborn speaks up, assuring him that this was *nothing* like the Hunter, and that there is still hope if they keep searching for Elwë. Olwë gives them permission to search, and makes the decision to stay in the camp in the interim.

11. Midpoint Angband update: Sauron visits the dungeons, and chastises Tevildo for his harsh methods. 'They're no good to me dead' type of complaints, and that Tevildo is pushing them too hard. Sauron show him how it is done, and brings an elf in for a 'good cop' interrogation. He wipes away the blood, tells him it doesn't have to be this way, and starts preaching the cult of Melkor. The elf is obviously terrified of Tevildo (who is prowling in the corner), but responds hesitantly to Sauron's overture.

12. Frame: Arwen looks into the Mirror of Galadriel and witnesses her mother's rescue from the den of the orcs at the hands of her brothers.

13. The Nandor have succeeded in teaching speech to the ents! It's still slow going, and their communication is limited, but the entwives are in turn teaching the Nandor farming. Best inter-species collaboration ever!

Act 4
14. Olwë realizes that time is passing and a decision must be made. He announces that those who wish to stay and search for Elwë are free to do so, but that the rest of them will soon be leaving to continue the journey (as Elwë would have wanted).

15. The Noldor have arrived at the Bay and are waiting on the shore. Suddenly, the massive island returns! They are excited to see it, but Finwë is now upset, because the Teleri are nowhere in sight. He asks some of his companions if there has been any news, or if anyone knows where the Teleri camp is at present. There is no information. Mahtan(?) speaks some kind words about the Teleri, suggesting they will be along shortly. Reluctantly, Finwë agrees that it is time to go, and gives the order to board the island. As it sails away into the sea, he has a moment of doubt and panic, a premonition that he will never see Elwë again, and almost suggests stopping the island or going back to wait. Míriel reassures him.

16. Climax: Olwë leaves camp, and is dismayed that only half the Teleri are coming with him; the other half have chosen to remain behind in the camp and be part of the effort to search for Elwë. Círdan gives Olwë a bit of a pep talk. Olwë realizes that it's okay if half his people want to stay for Elwë; they're not going to miss out, they're just going to do something different. It's okay for him to leave them behind and they're fine with being left behind.

17. Denouement:
Main - Olwë and Círdan have their first view of the Sea as their people make their way down the River Sirion.
Frame - Arwen explains to Celeborn that knowing what happened doesn't give her the peace she thought it would - she still feels the same as she did before seeing the vision in the Mirror. She still misses her mother. But she can accept her mother's choice.

18: Bonus Final scene: Elwë and Melian frozen together with the trees grown taller around them and fade out to the sound of nightingales.



Right....4 even divisions of 4 for each of the 4 Acts. Ummmm....working on it! Act 2 is maybe a little meaty right now, which is I guess why you wanted to streamline the Vanyar sidebar. I'll give Nick a chance to get all of the parts posted before editing further, so everyone has the same info to chime in. This discussion is (thankfully) only 2 hours, as there were deadlines this week ;).
 
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One thought about the rescue of Celebrian. I want to see Elladan and Elrohir angry. I want the orcs to be terrified of them. PJ's elves were always cool and collected in battle, but I want to see fire in their eyes.
 
Woohoo, now everyone can be caught up!

Speaking of...is there any chance of getting Episodes 2-4 outlined by Friday, do you think?
 
Fair enough that Caradhras could be dangerous on its own, and the elves would seek another pass. Is Oromë guiding them? We haven't mentioned him, so it's not clear to me which parts he is present for. I do think that a good transition between Frame and Main story would be to have Arwen look up at the Misty Mountains (after her time with the Mirror), and then transition to the Teleri looking up at those same mountains (maybe from a slightly different angle, but still). And since Lorien is right next to Caradhras....sure, that can feature.

The other thing we did not do was to pick a single protagonist to take us the whole way through this episode. Elwë might seem the obvious candidate, but he's frozen in place halfway through. And Lenwë and Finwë are more minor characters. We have way too many subplots to juggle, so the idea of a single protagonist didn't really seem feasible. Is that true? Or did we miss someone?
It is the mountain itself that forces the Fellowship to turn back in LotR, not the Balrog. It seems to me that Orome might escort them at times, but I figure he kind of runs around doing gidly stuff, if we need him absent, we can show him just sort of coming and going without taking time to explain himself. I like that transition, though, that's gold.
 
I agree that Caradhras itself is dangerous in LotR. It is possible it was always that way. It is also possible that this is more akin to a situation like the Old Forest, where its unkind intentions can be traced back to Old Man Willow being at the heart of the forest and 'poisoning' all of the other trees with his hatred. Having a Balrog hanging out under Caradhras for 5,000 years *may* have rubbed off on the mountain's attitude.

Or maybe it was always malevolent, and that's why the balrog felt comfortable moving in. Difficult to say, so we can choose whichever version works for our story.

Having Oromë coming and going, but spending most of his time with the Vanyar would probably work fairly well for this episode, I think. He's the guide for the migration, and they're in the front (heh, Vanyar...vanguard), so it makes sense that he's guiding them.
 
I certainly think we're invited to believe that Caradhras is an ancient nature spirit not too dissimilar from old man willow or even Goldberry. Certainly I don't think that having a Balrog running around your bowels is likely to improve a nature spirit's temperament, but I'm equally inclined to believe that Caradhras has always been a stand-offish jerk that revels in sending wayward travels back the way they came. It would seem an easy, if borderline cliche, personification for a craggy mountain to be "unyielding" and "inhospitable".
 
Ok, I'm going to send the hosts an email explaining the additional ferry trip for the Vanyar. I'd like to know if anyone has anything they want me to include in my argument.
 
Make sure you explain the logistics to them.

1) Giving the Vanyar a plot in this story other than just 'Noldor tag-alongs'
2) Showing the audience how the Ferry Island works, so they will understand the later drama
3) Later drama of Finwë waiting on the shore going 'when will Elwë arrive?' Boat arrives - do the Noldor board or wait for the Teleri? Is there a chance the Teleri can catch 'the next boat'?

I would say something snarky about asking them to READ the script outlines, but that's unfair. It's easy for me to see what is meant by our brief outline, because I was there for the fuller discussion. But the idea that Corey thought Finwë and Olwë were on the shore together at the same time means he did not understand what we did.
 
Outline

Teaser
1. (Up to 4 pages)
Main: the Eldar journey across Middle Earth - sweeping
vistas and awesome music! The Eldar are singing as they
traverse majestic terrain under starlight.

Act One
2. (4 pages)
Frame: Arwen expresses grief at being left behind by her
mother.

Disorganization in the Teleri camp - no one knows the
plans, everyone is doing their own thing, impossible to
get the group to work together.
Olwë, acting for his brother Elwë, expresses frustration
to Lenwë, urging him to get his people together.

3. (4 pages)
Lenwë is organizing his 'lost tribes', but while
journeying to and fro, he comes upon a walking tree. In
wonder, he stops to investigate. The tree (actually
Treebeard) makes some "Hoom, hoom" noises, but fails to
talk. After the first attempts at communication reveal
that the creature is sentient, Lenwë's folk are
delighted. (There are multiple elves and ents present,
including Treebeard's wife!)

4. (4 pages)
Lenwë informs Olwë that moving now is out of the question.
They've just met the tree-people and have to stay to learn
to talk with them! Olwë tells Elwë of the - as he sees it
- disaster of Lenwë's people staying behind.

Act Two
5. (4 pages)
Frame: [Arwen something something looking at the Misty
Mountains.]

The rest of the Teleri press on, crossing the Misty
Mountains. Elwë decides he better tell Finwë about this
development, that he has 'lost' some of his people. He
leaves Olwë in charge and sets out with Celeborn, Beleg
(and Mablung?) to journey to the Noldor camp.

6. (4 pages)
In the Noldor camp, Elwë is happy to see his friend Finwë.
[Random Noldor - Mahtan or Rúmil?] makes a disparaging remark about the disorganized,
lagging behind Teleri - Finwë defends his friend. Elwë is
also frustrated with his group, and wants to know how
Finwë keeps the Noldor on task. The ingenious timekeeping
device of the hourglass is revealed, and Finwë gifts one
to Elwë to help. Elwë is none-to-pleased when he has to
share Finwë's attention with Míriel, but their tension is
mild.

7. (4 pages)
{Delete Vanyar Ferry Interlude}

8. Midpoint (4 pages)
Olwë leads the Teleri across Eriador to the Ered Luin. Tom
Bombadil cameo.
On their return, Elwë's party is nearing the camp in
Estolad when they reach the forest of Nan Elmoth. They
hear nightingales singing. They approach a glade in the
forest, but only Elwë can enter. The others are turned
around and stumbling, confused, and unable to see what is
in the glade. Elwë's party searches and calls for him, but
to no avail. They decide they have to report back to Olwë
(who is in the camp nearby).
Melian's POV: Elwë is in awe and reaches out his hand...

Act Three
9. (4 pages)
When Olwë hears the news, he is stricken, immediately
assuming his brother is lost forever. He thinks this the
work of the Dark Hunter. Celeborn speaks up, assuring him
that this was *nothing* like the Hunter, and that there is
still hope if they keep searching for Elwë. Olwë gives
them permission to search, and makes the decision to stay
in the camp in the interim.

10. Second pinch point (4 pages)
Back at Anduin: The Nandor have succeeded in teaching
speech to the ents! It's still slow going, and their
communication is limited, but the entwives are in turn
teaching the Nandor farming. Best inter-species
collaboration ever!

11. (4 pages)
Frame: Arwen looks into the Mirror of Galadriel and
witnesses her mother's rescue from the den of the orcs at
the hands of her brothers.


12. (4 pages)
Angband update: Mairon visits the dungeons, and chastises
Tevildo for his harsh methods. "They're no good to me
dead" type of complaints, and that Tevildo is pushing them
too hard. Sauron shows him how it is done, and brings an
elf in for a 'good cop' interrogation. He wipes away the
blood, tells him it doesn't have to be this way, and
starts preaching the cult of Melkor. The elf is obviously
terrified of Tevildo (who is prowling in the corner), but
responds hesitantly to Sauron's overture.

Act Four
13. (4 pages)
Olwë realizes that time is passing and a decision must be
made. He announces that those who wish to stay and search
for Elwë are free to do so, but that the rest of them will
soon be leaving to continue the journey (as Elwë would
have wanted).

14. Climax 1 (4 pages)
The [Vanyar and] Noldor have arrived at the Bay and are waiting on the
shore. Suddenly, a massive island appears! Ossë went to fetch the volcanic
island Melkor made in Season 1. The elves are
excited to see it, but Finwë is now upset, because the
Teleri are nowhere in sight. He asks some of his
companions if there has been any news, or if anyone knows
where the Teleri camp is at present. There is no
information. [Ingwë] speaks some kind words about the
Teleri, suggesting they will be along shortly.
Reluctantly, Finwë agrees that it is time to go, and gives
the order to board the island.
As it sails away into the sea, he has a moment of doubt
and panic, a premonition that he will never see Elwë
again, and almost suggests stopping the island or going
back to wait. Míriel reassures him.

15. Climax 2 (4 pages)
Olwë leaves camp, and is dismayed that only half the
Teleri are coming with him; the other half have chosen to
remain behind in the camp and be part of the effort to
search for Elwë. Círdan gives Olwë a bit of a pep talk.
Olwë realizes that it's okay if half his people want to
stay for Elwë; they're not going to miss out, they're just
going to do something different. It's okay for him to
leave them behind and they're fine with being left behind.
Frame: Arwen explains to Celeborn that knowing what
happened doesn't give her the peace she thought it would -
she still feels the same as she did before seeing the
vision in the Mirror. She still misses her mother. But she
can accept her mother's choice.


Dénouement
16. (Up to 4 pages)
Olwë and Círdan have their first view of the Sea as their
people make their way down the River Sirion.
Elwë and Melian frozen together with the trees growing
taller around them and fade out to the sound of
nightingales.
 
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Ugh... I was rethinking this as I was listening to the latest broadcast, and I just can't see how introducing the ferry island in the climax works with the direction of the dramatic tension. We just got the big decision of Olwe to leave his brother behind, and we go on this interlude where we explain the existence of the boat island.... It's a ... ohwehaveaproblembutheresthesolutiontotheproblem. That's ok in the first act, but in the fourth, it just comes off as rushed. As written, it almost looks like we didn't figure out how to get the elves across before it came up.
 
Act 3 was already disjointed. We can move one of the act 3 'updates' earlier in the episode - likely the Angband and/or frame scenes. This can replace point '7' (which had been the intro of the Ferry).

Then, we move the introduction of the Island and the arrival of the Vanyar/Noldor to the shore to points 11-12. That should leave us well set up for Act 4 without rushing things too badly. The tension of 'Will Olwë miss the boat?' will be there, and we'll just have a slightly longer/more drawn out timeframe of the Vanyar and Noldor getting onto the Island Ferry in preparation for leaving.

I think that can work....
 
Like so: Revised Outline

Teaser
1. (Up to 4 pages)
Main: the Eldar journey across Middle Earth - sweeping vistas and awesome music! The Eldar are singing as they traverse majestic terrain under starlight. Oromë is with them.

Act One
2. (4 pages)
Frame: Arwen expresses grief at being left behind by her mother.
[Oromë leaves.] Disorganization in the Teleri camp - no one knows the plans, everyone is doing their own thing, impossible to get the group to work together.
Olwë, acting for his brother Elwë, expresses frustration to Lenwë, urging him to get his people together.

3. (4 pages)
Lenwë is organizing his 'lost tribes', but while journeying to and fro, he comes upon a walking tree. In wonder, he stops to investigate. The tree (actually Treebeard) makes some "Hoom, hoom" noises, but fails to talk. After the first attempts at communication reveal that the creature is sentient, Lenwë's folk are delighted. (There are multiple elves and ents present, including Treebeard's wife!)

4. (4 pages)
Lenwë informs Olwë that moving now is out of the question. They've just met the tree-people and have to stay to learn to talk with them! Olwë tells Elwë of the - as he sees it - disaster of Lenwë's people staying behind.

Act Two
5. (4 pages)
Frame: [Arwen something something looking at the Misty Mountains.]
The rest of the Teleri press on, crossing the Misty Mountains. Elwë decides he better tell Finwë about this development, that he has 'lost' some of his people. He leaves Olwë in charge and sets out with Celeborn, Beleg (and Mablung?) to journey to the Noldor camp.

6. (4 pages)
In the Noldor camp, Elwë is happy to see his friend Finwë. [Random Noldor - Mahtan or Rúmil?] makes a disparaging remark about the disorganized, lagging behind Teleri - Finwë defends his friend. Elwë is also frustrated with his group, and wants to know how Finwë keeps the Noldor on task. The ingenious timekeeping device of the hourglass is revealed, and Finwë gifts one to Elwë to help. Elwë is none-to-pleased when he has to share Finwë's attention with Míriel [and Ingwë], but their tension is mild. Oromë is here.

7.1 (2 pages)
Angband update: Mairon visits the dungeons, and chastises Tevildo for his harsh methods. "They're no good to me dead" type of complaints, and that Tevildo is pushing them too hard. Sauron shows him how it is done, and brings an elf in for a 'good cop' interrogation. He wipes away the blood, tells him it doesn't have to be this way, and starts preaching the cult of Melkor. The elf is obviously terrified of Tevildo (who is prowling in the corner), but responds hesitantly to Sauron's overture.

7.2 (1 page)
Ulmo, annoyed with the elvish migration project, wants nothing to do with it, but tells Ossë and Uinen to help out Oromë if he needs them. They meet Oromë on the shore of Middle Earth, but we don't see their conversation.

7.3 (1 page)
Olwë leads the Teleri across Eriador to the Ered Luin. Tom Bombadil cameo.


8. Midpoint (4 pages)
On their return, Elwë's party is nearing the camp in Estolad when they reach the forest of Nan Elmoth. They hear nightingales singing. They approach a glade in the forest, but only Elwë can enter. The others are turned around and stumbling, confused, and unable to see what is in the glade. Elwë's party searches and calls for him, but to no avail. They decide they have to report back to Olwë (who is in the camp nearby).
Melian's POV: Elwë is in awe and reaches out his hand...

Act Three
9. (4 pages)
When Olwë hears the news, he is stricken, immediately assuming his brother is lost forever. He thinks this the work of the Dark Hunter. Celeborn speaks up, assuring him that this was *nothing* like the Hunter, and that there is still hope if they keep searching for Elwë. Olwë gives them permission to search, and makes the decision to stay in the camp in the interim.

10. Second pinch point (4 pages)
The [Vanyar and] Noldor have arrived at the Bay and are waiting on the shore. Now what? Much confusion over how to cross the Sea. Oromë leaves camp.
Frame: Arwen looks into the Mirror of Galadriel and witnesses her mother's rescue from the den of the orcs at the hands of her brothers

11. (4 pages)
Back at Anduin: The Nandor have succeeded in teaching speech to the ents! It's still slow going, and their communication is limited, but the entwives are in turn teaching the Nandor farming. Best inter-species collaboration ever!

12. (4 pages)
Mouth of Sirion/Bay of Balar: Oromë returns. Suddenly, a massive island appears! Ossë went to fetch the volcanic island Melkor made in Season 1. The elves are excited to see it, but Finwë is now upset, because the Teleri are nowhere in sight.

Act Four
13. (4 pages)
Olwë realizes that time is passing and a decision must be made. He announces that those who wish to stay and search for Elwë are free to do so, but that the rest of them will soon be leaving to continue the journey (as Elwë would have wanted).

14. Climax 1 (4 pages)
Finwë asks some of his companions if there has been any news, or if anyone knows where the Teleri camp is at present. There is no information. [Ingwë] speaks some kind words about the Teleri, suggesting they will be along shortly.
Oromë urges the elves to get on board the Island Ferry.
Reluctantly, Finwë agrees that it is time to go, and gives the order for the Noldor to board the island.
As it sails away into the sea, he has a moment of doubt and panic, a premonition that he will never see Elwë again, and almost suggests stopping the island or going back to wait. Míriel reassures him.

15. Climax 2 (4 pages)
Olwë leaves camp, and is dismayed that only half the Teleri are coming with him; the other half have chosen to remain behind in the camp and be part of the effort to search for Elwë. Círdan gives Olwë a bit of a pep talk.
Olwë realizes that it's okay if half his people want to stay for Elwë; they're not going to miss out, they're just going to do something different. It's okay for him to leave them behind and they're fine with being left behind.
Frame: Arwen explains to Celeborn that knowing what happened doesn't give her the peace she thought it would - she still feels the same as she did before seeing the vision in the Mirror. She still misses her mother. But she can accept her mother's choice.

Dénouement
16. (Up to 4 pages)
Olwë and Círdan have their first view of the Sea as their people make their way down the River Sirion.
Elwë and Melian frozen together with the trees growing taller around them and fade out to the sound of nightingales.



The frame is now a mess, and we've now linked the Mirror of Galadriel with Angband rather than the disappearance of Elwë, but other than that, I think this is close to being workable.

Edit based on Atanvarno's comments.
 
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