I think Dave's idea has merit. Obviously, it's not the only way to handle this scene (I certainly intended to show Fingon cutting off Maedhros' hand), but it is evocative.
The most heartbreaking part of the rescue is where Maedhros begs for death...and Fingon prepares to kill him. Leaving the audience 'stuck' there for a moment is probably a good idea. If we jump ahead to the part where Thorondor arrives and Fingon is rescuing Maedhros in the very next 5 seconds....the audience doesn't get to have the full reaction.
And...there's a timing issue. Fingon utters his prayer while pulling back the bow string. For Thorondor to arrive before Fingon shoots Maedhros, he has to be *right there*. And, when Tolkien first invented this story, he was; he lived in the mountains of Thangorodrim. But...we aren't having that happen, so having *suddenly, an eagle appears!* is going to be...weird. We'd almost have to cut away there anyway....but we'd be cutting back at the very second we left.
And so, I think I am fine with showing the scene with Fingon and Maedhros up to the point where Fingon utters his prayer (and possibly an eagle call is heard), and the audience is left thinking, wait, did Fingon just kill Maedhros? and then cutting back to the camps of the Noldor where *whatever tension we develop* is coming to a head...only for Thorondor's arrival to interrupt that.
...And then, in Episode 2, show a flashback of the rescue where Fingon cuts off Maedhros' hand as part of Maedhros' recovery. See, I wasn't going to give up on this scene that easily!
But it then focuses on Maedhros' maiming, since we know he's alive, and what that leaves between Fingon and Maedhros moving forwards. In that context, it's inviting the audience to think about the consequences of a desperate decision rather than the tension of the desperation itself. I think that can work.
And honestly, Nick, I think
Winter Soldier is one of the best Marvel films....and I pretty much laugh out loud at that scene in
Civil War when Cap changes his grip to show off his bicep. So, yeah, even when they're trying really hard to make you take a scene seriously, it doesn't mean there won't be inappropriate laughter from the audience.