Session 4.02 - Season 4 Episode Outlines

[Alcarohtar]

Also we need something for Amrod (or was it Amras?) to do.
Where did he end up last season? I want him to meet and talk to Maedhros after he's been rescued. Maybe he is one of the reasons Maedhros gives the highkingship to Fingolfin?
Maybe Amrod/Amras also have something to do with the rumours spreading through the Sindar?
What's his story this season and the next ones

 

[MithLuin]

Yes, I am a bit concerned about dropping the Feanorean storyline completely after the Feast of Reuniting. Like, okay, those guys went east...let's just ignore them. That...doesn't really work. They certainly don't have to be key players this season, and we can work them into other storylines (like the battles and the dwarves ). But we shouldn't just forget about all the internal tension we've created there, either.

 

[Haakon]

Which are the most important storylines this season? And which can be considered secondary? The primary ones can’t disappear out of focus for more than an episode at the most, but others will probably have to wait perhaps more than two episodes without progress. We can’t press every thread into every episode.

 

[Ange1e4e5]

Which are the most important storylines this season? And which can be considered secondary? The primary ones can’t disappear out of focus for more than an episode at the most, but others will probably have to wait perhaps more than two episodes without progress. We can’t press every thread into every episode.

The establishment of the Kingdoms of the Noldor is the overarching theme I’m getting, and the fallout over the Kinslaying.

 

[MithLuin]

I will go on record as saying that this season is the Finrod and Turgon show. They are the primary storylines, as far as I'm concerned. That is where Ulmo is, so it's the most important thing going on this Season .

Thingol and the dwarves are actors in their storylines, so they are part of that, not secondary to it. But any separate dwarf storyline would be secondary.

Galadriel/Celeborn is a secondary storyline this season.

The bad guy storyline is always a secondary one.

And Eöl is a secondary storyline tied to the dwarves this time.

And, well, the Fëanoreans are down to tertiary levels...as is Fingolfin.

But yes, the *primary* story is the conflict between the Sindar and the Noldor as the Noldor establish themselves in Beleriand, and the secondary story is the conflict between the Dwarves and the Petty-dwarves.


I know the Fëanoreans won't be in every episode; I don't expect them to be. I just don't want to drop them like a hot potato the second they move into the east, either. I want to see them throughout the season, see their ongoing tension (particularly as it relates to the Thingol/Noldor storyline and to the dwarf/petty-dwarf storyline). I think we can do that. Let me update my chart to include episode numbers....



Huh. I had to add one more column in to round out 13 episodes. I'm fairly confident we have the right number of episodes for 8-13. What has me stuck is where to place the Feast of Reuniting? I was thinking it should be 3-4, but then I realized that Thingol doesn't even know the Noldor have arrived in Middle Earth, and we've had no contact between the groups. It's going to take a lot to get to the point we need (with Thingol learning of the Noldor, granting kingdoms, and then having the Noldor build those kingdoms). I am now thinking we should push back the feast to Episode 5.

 

[Haakon]

I’d like to add the Noldor council at which Caranthir yells at Angrod to e3.

I wonder about the timing of the moment when Angrod tells Thingol about everything. We need the rumours before that. Are we going to have the rumours be spread at the feast and be content with that?
Edit: But I guess we can be effective and tell that story in the same episode.

 

[Alcarohtar]

How much do we want to show of the petty-dwarves? Are they kind of eastereggs for later so people can go back when watching the Túrin season and say "oh they were here all the time!", or fully developed characters this season? Do we show their conflict with the other dwarves?
I think maybe they could be introduced when they're cast out of Nargothrond or when the feanoreans accidentally hunts them. Maybe they hunt them and appologises to the dwarves of the blue mountains, but they aren't sorry because they were petty-dwarves?

 

[amysrevenge]

Here's a thing, while I'm thinking of it. A string of events.

1) Kinslaying happens
2) Galadriel confesses the whole story to Celeborn in the early stages of their budding relationship
3) ***
4) Galadriel and Celeborn disappear into the East

Could 3) be Celeborn admitting to Thingol that he already knew about the Kinslaying but didn't mention it? If it was at the right(/wrong) point in Thingol's decline, it would turn out... poorly.

 

[Ange1e4e5]

How much do we want to show of the petty-dwarves? Are they kind of eastereggs for later so people can go back when watching the Túrin season and say "oh they were here all the time!", or fully developed characters this season? Do we show their conflict with the other dwarves?
I think maybe they could be introduced when they're cast out of Nargothrond or when the feanoreans accidentally hunts them. Maybe they hunt them and appologises to the dwarves of the blue mountains, but they aren't sorry because they were petty-dwarves?

Maybe when the Feanoreans hunt them. It’ll give the Feanoreans something to do.

 

[Haakon]

I think the Petty-Dwarves are going to have to be more of an easteregg this season. There’s not going to be room for a real story. They appear mostly as a device to show the attitude of regular Dwarves towards them, and how that spreads to Elves.

 

[Alcarohtar]

So we're showing that they exist and the other peoples' attitude towards them, but not introdusing any named characters or seeing the "story" from their side. We save that for the Túrin season?

 

[MithLuin]

Yes, I think it would make sense to get a Dwarf-centric view of the petty-dwarves when they're introduced here, but only meet Mîm and hear his side later. We might need a named petty-dwarf to kick out of Nargothrond to be Mîm's ancestor or something, though. [The original plan called for Mîm himself to appear, but that does make him impossibly old.]

Yes, I need to add the Caranthir and Angrod conference...part of the 'so much needs to happen before we get to the Feast' issue!

Also...Eöl. When do we want him to obtain Nan Elmoth, and how does that tie in to the rest of the story?

 

[MithLuin]

So, what I have now:

Episode 1
Primary story: The Host of Fingolfin and the Host of Fëanor are encamped on opposite sides of the lake. The atmosphere is tense. Maglor is an indecisive leader who feels trapped - unable to leave, unable to treat with Morgoth, unable to save his brother. Fingolfin's people are angry, but Fingolfin is dealing with the news that...Fëanor is dead. Morgoth darkens the sky. Fingon leaves. Fingon, with a harp and a song and prayer (and the help of Thorondor) rescues Maedhros from the cliff. They return to the camp.

What else needs to happen in the opening episode? Telchar makes Narsil? Eöl reintroduced? Something in Doriath?

Episode 2
Círdan arrives on the scene as an emissary of the Sindar. There is a language barrier and much confusion, but still some greeting of long-lost relatives. Some older members of the Noldor's host might remember Círdan or Celeborn? They sort out their confusion to at least answer the question 'why are you here? how?' The Noldor give a vague answer...'To fight that!' and point to Thangorodrim.

Meanwhile, Maedhros has recuperated from his ordeal and gets the Fëanoreans in line. They are not all happy to see him again, but Maglor is relieved and Amras is whatever-passes-for-overjoyed-in-a-chronically-depressed-person. Maedhros discusses what he owes Fingon with Maglor only.

The Noldor have a convocation(?) to discuss leadership. It is expected that the Host of Fingolfin will select Fingolfin and the Host of Fëanor will select Maedhros and there will be a permanent split into two separate people. Maedhros surprises them all (well, not Maglor or Fingon) by declaring Fingolfin the heir of Finwë and thus ceding his own claim as his father's heir. [Ie, he'll never use the name Nelyafinwë again....] Fingolfin is acclaimed as High King by all the Noldor

The bad guys are very much alarmed by Thorondor's involvement in Maedhros' rescue. Morgoth suspects that the Second Children have awoken?

Episode 3
Círdan prepares to send his news to Thingol, and intends to bring a spokesman of the Noldor with him. Finrod sends his younger brother Angrod*, with advice and warnings about being a diplomat and watching what he says. Angrod might be quite angry and have personal grievances against the Fëanoreans, but now is not the time for that. Galadriel and Celeborn meet.
When Thingol hears the news of the arrival of the Noldor in Middle-earth, he is surprised. He sees how well armed the Noldor who entered Doriath are, and he has some concerns, but he greets them courteously and invites them to make themselves at home, while respecting the Sindar who were there first.
Angrod brings this message back to the Noldor and they hear it in conference. Caranthir is immediately angry, and wants to know who said Angrod could speak for all of them? Maedhros throws him out, and then flippantly dismisses Thingol's 'permission' by saying 'a king is he who can hold his own.' He clearly sees Thingol as ruler of Doriath, not Beleriand.
Fingolfin gives the Noldor some kingly advice about establishing themselves in Beleriand and staying on good terms with the Sindar.
Maedhros decides that the Fëanoreans will need to go to the East. It's the area that's hardest to defend from Morgoth, and it's far away from everyone else. He says goodbye to Fingon before they go, and they have some meaningful conversation about the hand that was cut off and the rescue that was supposed to be a mercy killing.

Episode 4
Of Beleriand and its realms. Lots of building. But more importantly, Galadriel goes to Doriath to become Melian's pupil. Círdan returns to the havens.
Eöl is outraged at his new Noldor neighbors.
Death of Norn?
Establish courts and see the first Noldor/Sindar interactions. Rumors about the arrival of the Noldor spread through the Sindar.

Episode 5
Feast of Reuniting in Nevrast. Turgon's court hosts Fingolfin's party. A 'false peace' exists, as the Sindar don't know the truth about the Noldor, and the lack of activity from Angband makes some people consider the sun to have conquered Morgoth's orcs.




*Is our Angrod too angry and personally grieved by this whole kinslaying thing to be a diplomat here? Do we need to send someone else? If he is up for forgiveness and leaving this in the past in light of Fëanor's death, then we need to show that during the crowning of Fingolfin.



I know that Episode 4 is weak. It needs a storyline, so all the realm-building can happen in the background.

Also, we may very well have completely different takes on some of these events; I just wanted to get them all in here, even if we go in a different direction later. For instance - Fingolfin becoming High King...there's a lot of political spin and interpretation there. How we present it is something that will be discussed when we talk about Episode 2(?) I included the description to remind us of what's involved, rather than to pretend that any definitive choices have been made on these topics.

 

[amysrevenge]

I've become enamoured with the notion that Galadriel tells Celeborn about the Kinslaying early. Ep4 could revolve partly around that - whether or not he's going to tell Thingol. And more generally it could be the genesis of their relationship.

 

[Haakon]

Perhaps we can push the introduction of Eöl to sometime later in the season? Or are there storytelling rules that says no intros later? I think that, since Aredhel-Eöl doesn’t happen until next season, and he hasn’t got a lot to do now, it would make some sense to tie his intro closer to next season.

 

[Haakon]

My idea with Galadriel and Celeborn was that he’d understand, much like Melian does shortly after, that she’s carrying “a woe”, but she’s afraid to tell him and he doesn’t push her.

 

[Alcarohtar]

Why is the Feast of Reuniting in Nevrast and not at Ivrin?

 

[Ange1e4e5]

Why is the Feast of Reuniting in Nevrast and not at Ivrin?

I believe it’s because it’s a place of mixed population between Noldor and Sindar.

 

[amysrevenge]

And also because we need to introduce Nevrast as a setting, to prepare for later, while we don't really ever need Ivrin again.

 

[MithLuin]

The Pools of Ivrin will appear in Túrin and Tuor's stories (that's the place where they overlap - it's significant in Túrin's story, but the only significance in Tuor's story is that he sees Túrin there).

Corey Olsen suggested Nevrast as the location for the Feast because it's a way to slip in 'Of Beleriand and its Realms' and introduce Nevrast (really, Vinyamar) in the background of something else.

Tolkien likely chose the Pools of Ivrin because it's a lovely setting and more-or-less centrally located (if you aren't a Fëanorean).

I don't think the shift will have any significant impact on the story, and we will have opportunities to show Ivrin later - probably when Orodreth is living in Minas Tirith. We can have his wedding to his Sinda bride happen there, if we want to show it this season. However, if we've pushed the Feast back to Episode 5, we would have a chance to introduce Nevrast in some other way, if people can think of something there.




Speaking of Orodreth's marriage....

There's something interesting going on with the House of Finarfin, and I want to make sure we tell that story well. Finrod, of course, will never marry - we saw that he left his Vanya girlfriend behind in Valinor. Angrod is already married. We have not introduced Eldalotë as a character yet, but she's almost definitely with them in exile. She's Noldo. Then, with the arrival in Middle-earth, we get the Galadriel-Celeborn and Orodreth-some Sinda lady romances. Both of them marry one of the Sindar. Obviously, this shows them getting along with the Sindar swimmingly, but also perhaps makes some of the other Noldor look at them askance. After all....Finarfin was the prince of the Noldor who married one of the Teleri. This willingness to marry the Sindar (along with Thingol's continued welcome of them in Doriath) could be seen as an indication to the other Noldor that the House of Finarfin is 'going native' or aligning itself more closely with the Sindar than the rest of the Noldor. There should be some distrust/scorn expressed over these marriages (though obviously not be everyone). It would be tempting to make Turgon one of the judgmental ones, but I'm not sure that fits.

The point of all this, of course, is that when Aegnor then falls in love with a mortal woman, it brings up the same issue, but much more sharply. Like, what, just because your brother and sister married into the Sindar, you think nothing of marrying someone from a different species!? And of course Aegnor won't marry her, but Finrod can't be the only one who knows about that relationship. I know we are using Aegnor/Andreth to introduce the possibility of a mortal/elf marriage before Beren and Lúthien, but I'd also like it to be the culmination of the story of the House of Finarfin being all too eager to marry outside the tribe.