Script Discussion Schedule and Updates

Don't worry, it's been 3 years since I've picked up a hitchhiker - I don't make a habit of it.

For episode 12, perhaps we could focus on Galadriel's exile, and have Arwen first voice the idea of giving up her spot in the boat to the West? We know she's going to give Frodo her necklace and (essentially) her ticket. Perhaps she could offer it to Galadriel here?

If so, we just need a frame for episode 13.
 

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13 is tough, but the good news is that we have ten minutes or so to play with if we go back to frame between parts.

The problem is that we are going to have a bit of Mood Whiplash if we don'the have a stressful enough event taking place in the frame.
 
For me the topic for episode 13 is about "decisions". Everybody has to make his own decisions for life, for good or for bad. Feanor can decide whether he wants to hand over the silmarils after the attack on the trees. Arwen decides whether she wants to go to Valinor at some point. Heck, even Morgoth must make a decision on handing over the silmarils to Ungoliant.

So in the frame we could see Arwen realizing that whatever she decides in the end is up to her and her alone. And she also realizes that others might differ, but understands it. She doesn't fall for the easy way out. Not for the selfish way at least: "Maybe I have a role to play in Middle Earth."

Great grand uncle Feanor also had a role to play for sure. But he decided differently, more selfishly. But still it was left to him, it was his decision.

Not sure what scene is best for portraying her enlightenment. Maybe she can wander off alone among the trees and then report her conclusion to Galadriel.
 
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The problem is the comparative lack of weight in Arwen's decision. Deciding she might not go to Valinor at an indeterminate time is not nearly as heavy or stressful a decision as what is happening in the main story.
 
Agreed that we will have trouble making the audience care about Arwen's decision.

Arwen will not renounce Valinor until her engagement to Aragorn 38 years from now.

The idea that she has a purpose here in Middle Earth to fulfill is rather nebulous, and she is going to discuss this with Celeborn, one of the most static characters. They can have this conversation at Cerin Amroth, and possibly pull the tale of Nimrodel into it, but. ..

It is certainly a challenge!
 
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Ok I agree the urgency is difficult to show. What I meant is she realizes she has to make the choice herself. And she realizes that now, not in 38 years. She imagines what it would mean to let family and friends go and stay behind.

At the end of episode 13 Feanor also has to consider leaving Valinor for getting back the silmarils, forshadowing season 3. Different reasons though.

So wouldn't it be enough for the frame to put that question of choice in the room, and let it be answered by the many decisions in the main story?

As Nik points out it will be difficult to match the pace and urgency of decisions of the main story. So we should not even try to that.
 
Ah....allow the Frame to be the 'what to do with the time that is given to you?' contemplative reminder about all the action that is happening? That could work.
 
I just saw a hitchhiker yesterday (with a car full to the brim) in Banff on the road out of town, holding up a handwritten cardboard sign that said "HITCHHIKE" and nothing else.
 
It would be possible to shift some of the Episode 12 frame into Episode 13.

So, we could focus on Galadriel as exile in Ep12, and then in the first half of Ep 13, have Arwen make the offer of 'well, you could always take my place'. That would bring up some tension as Galadriel would be unhappy to hear that Arwen is even considering *never* going into the West (vs just putting it off a bit longer or something). Then, the second half of the episode could focus on her relationship with Celeborn, and him saying how he feels that Middle Earth has always been and always will be his home, and he has no desire to ever leave. So, that would give Arwen the opportunity to voice the idea of her 'purpose', while Celeborn would acknowledge that should Galadriel ever return to the West, they would be parted, and that then (and only then) would he have to choose between his wife and Middle Earth. He is content to have both...for now.
 
Just checking in to say life is getting complicated again in the short term... it is my fervent hope that it will end relatively soon with more free time to devote to this project, as well as more money in the bank.

Gonna try to at least listen to the podcast tomorrow, but I probably won't be present for any Saturday roundtables in March.
 
We likely won't need to have any roundtables in March, so go ahead and take a break and focus on real life for a bit....you won't be missing much. The gap between the seasons is probably a good time for independent creative work (art, music, script writing) rather than collaborative work, anyway.

I'll polish up and send off the Outlines for Episodes 9-13 this evening, unless anyone has any objections.
 
Personal creative work is indeed one of the many other things I really need to get cracking on outside of this project... I really do need that extra time. A novel should not take in excess of three years to finish, however many words in length it happens to be.

Edit: And your work is unimpeachable as always, Marie. Thanks for keeping this train running on time.
 
Ah, shoot, I never did finish updating that thread to include all the links in one place. They did discuss them, so no doubt there were changes, but I'd have to re-listen to remember what all the issues were. So, short answer is, "Yes, but listen to the podcast" 😉

Here's the final podcast on script outline review for Season 2 (Episodes 9-13): https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.podcast/TolkienProf/TolkienProf341.mp3
(Give it 15 minutes of intro/announcements before getting to the script review part).


Episodes 1-6 are pretty well laid out in this other thread, but I never did get the rest of them updated, sorry.
https://forums.signumuniversity.org/index.php?threads/season-2-script-outlines-approved.570/
 
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