Session 5-01: Pre-production

Okay, so I'm starting to put the information together for the (eventual) GANTT chart for Season 5. I started with the storylines of the Men:

5House of Bëor
5.1Bëor meets Finrod and agrees to go to Nargothrond (FA 311)
5.2Encampment at Estolad
5.3Fighting at Maglor's Gap
5.4Death of Bëor (FA 355)
5.5Boromir moves to Ladros in Dorthonion (FA 410)
5.6Andreth (young woman) meets Aegnor (c. FA 380)
5.6.1Andreth (middle aged woman) and Finrod discuss Aegnor
5.6.2Death of Andreth (elderly woman)
5.7Death of Bregolas in Dagor Bragollach (FA 455)
5.8Emeldir leads women and children to safety in Brethil?
6House of Hador
6.1Enters Beleriand in multiple hosts
6.2Settles in Estolad
6.3Council (FA 369)
6.3.1Fake!Amlach and Bereg speak against joining the elven war
6.3.2Amlach joins Maedhros
6.3.3Bereg leads Men from Beleriand to Eriador, not taking part in the war
6.4Magor moves to Hithlum/Ered Wethrin (does not serve elf-lord)
6.5Hador becomes Lord of Dor-lomin
6.5.1Death of Hador in the Dagor Bragollach (FA 455)
7House of Haleth (Haladin)
7.1Conflict with the Green Elves of Ossiriand
7.2Settle in Thargellion
7.3Attack on their camp (FA 375)
7.3.1Death of Haldad and Haldar at stockade
7.3.2Caranthir meets Haleth
7.4Haleth leads her people through Nan Dungortheb
7.5Settle in Forest of Brethil
7.6Beleg assists them in fighting off Sauron's forces (FA 456)


Based on this, it seems the Human storylines will be (in this order):
Bëor
Marach (renamed Hador?)
Amlach
Bereg
Magor
Haldad/Haldar

Haleth
Andreth
Boromir
Hador
Bregolas
Emeldir

My guess is that no human will be alive for more than 3 episodes this season. So, we will have to tie all their stories together in a way that makes sense over the course of the season. Am I forgetting anyone who does something significant enough to be called out as part of this? The italicized names are more supporting characters, but will be named on screen at some point, as they all do something significant (not just born/have kids/die)
I was in the process of laying out these storylines almost exactly the same way. :) I included the Green-elves coming to Finrod to complain about the House of Beor between them meeting Finrod and moving to Estolad and Beor moving to Nargothrond with Finrod in 312 before the other two houses cross the mountains.

The date of the Athrabeth is FA 409, and Andreth dies in FA 455.

In regards to the human storylines, I suggest focusing on Marach's son Malach (a.k.a. Aradan, but we could choose just one of these names for him to go by) because he is the one who goes to live in Hithlum and serves Fingolfin. Marach could be more of a supporting character in his son's story since he remains in Estolad.

Adanel may be a supporting character to include if we want to have some scenes of Andreth with someone other than Finrod or Aegnor.

Boron of the House of Beor may be a supporting character in as much as his death is a topic of conversation between Finrod and Andreth. I'm not sure he needs to be listed here, though.

We may want to mention Haldan, who will lead the Haladin after Haleth's death. He would be 9 years old when his father and grandfather are killed and 54 when he assumes leadership. I think he would be more of a supporting character, just someone among the Haladin to whom Haleth could talk so she doesn't have to soliloquize about where she plans to lead her people, but he would probably still be named.

Barahir and Beren should be on that list since Barahir will save Finrod in the Dagor Bragollach, and I expect Beren will be with him at that time. Plus, if we do anything with Emeldir, we should have her husband and son as well.
 
The Nauglamir will be made by Zirak of Nogrod. Up until now, the dwarves of Nogrod have not had much interaction with the elves of Beleriand, so we certainly will have to tell a story of how that happens - why Nogrod and Nargothrond? What is the connection there? And why does Nogrod change its mind and decide to get involved, when prior to this, it was mostly a Belegost thing?

I don't think we'd have a reason to involve the Fëanoreans in that plotline, but we could, possibly. Finrod gets along with everyone, including Fëanoreans, Men, Sindar, Dwarves, etc.
From the Season 4 scripts I have written, we have:
  1. Norn mentioning in Episode 2 that Telchar has been visiting Nogrod.
  2. Trade in Doriath between Norn's traders and the Sindar. The Dwarves exchange both weapons and jewelry for food grown by the Elves.
  3. In Episodes 6 and 7, the establishment of trade between the Feanorians and the Dwarves. Caranthir, Curufin, and Amras, interact with Telchar and Zigli, who are both from Belegost.
  4. Celeborn obtaining an engagement ring to give to Galadriel from visiting Dwarven traders in Episode 11.
  5. Norn and a team of Dwarves beginning the work on Nargothrond and driving the Petty-dwarves out in the process (without Finrod's knowledge).
  6. Norn getting mad at Mim for wearing a carcanet that belonged once to Azaghal.
  7. Finrod giving jewels from Vailnor to all the Dwarven craftsmen when he comes to visit Nargothrond under construction
  8. Norn visiting Nargothrond after it is complete and being so impressed by what the Elves have done that he gives Finrod the name Felagund.
  9. No ban on the Noldor wearing jewelry.
Expanding on this, I think we can say based on 1, 2, and 4 that the Dwarves of Nogrod and Belegost have a fairly close relationship and already trade with each other. I feel sure the Dwarves of Nogrod already know about the Noldor, so if they haven't been interacting, it has probably been because they have been content to let trade pass through Belegost. This would make sense if the Dwarves of Nogrod specialize in jewelry. The Noldor don't need the jewelry because they make their own, but the Dwarves of Belegost might be interested in jewelry from Nogrod, so they would trade the things they acquired from the Noldor for it.

If we want to keep this up, we could have the Dwarves of Belegost send the jewels Finrod gave them to Nogrod to be made into the Nauglamir then send the Nauglamir to Finrod. Or, we could have the Dwarves of Nogrod establish some kind of relationship with Nargothrond, obtain Valinorean jewels, then make those into the Nauglamir and give it to Finrod.

Some possible reasons for a relationship to start up between Nogrod and Nargothrond:
  • The death of Telchar, the greatest Dwarven smith ever, may have created a vacuum for high-quality/magical weapons, which the Dwarves of Belegost are filling with weapons made by the Noldor. Noticing this, the Dwarves of Nogrod decide to initiate trade with the Noldor.
  • Eol brings the Dwarves news about Beleriand, and the feast he is at when Aredhel and Maeglin decide to leave is in Nogrod, which suggests that he is on good terms with the Dwarves of Nogrod. Maybe he could say something about the Noldor that would encourage the Dwarves of Nogrod to initiate trade.
  • After Eol's death, the Dwarves of Nogrod seek another point of contact with Elvish civilization, which ends up being Nargothrond.
  • Zirak initiates the contact because he is like the Norn of Nogrod.
  • Zirak initiates the contact because he wants to learn from the Noldor because he has hopes of becoming a great smith like Telchar.
Some possible ways for the Dwarves of Nogrod to obtain the jewels for the Nauglamir:
  • The Dwarves of Belegost trade the jewels Finrod gave them for stuff from Nogrod, so the Dwarves of Nogrod end up with the jewels.
  • Finrod just gives jewels to the Dwarves of Nogrod when he meets them.
  • The jewels are what the Noldor use to pay for goods from Nogrod.
I think any combination of these could work, but my favorite is what I first mentioned, having the Dwarves of Belegost commission a necklace from Nogrod for Finrod. It could be inspired by the Carcanet of Azaghal that I mentioned in 6, and the story would involve both Dwarven kingdoms, even if we keep mostly the Dwarves of Belegost interacting with the Elves.

I suggested involving the Feanorians because I saw it as a way to connect them to an existing plotline or plotlines rather than adding another, and it didn't seem impossible for them to be involved.
 
From the Season 4 scripts I have written, we have:
  1. Norn mentioning in Episode 2 that Telchar has been visiting Nogrod.
  2. Trade in Doriath between Norn's traders and the Sindar. The Dwarves exchange both weapons and jewelry for food grown by the Elves.
  3. In Episodes 6 and 7, the establishment of trade between the Feanorians and the Dwarves. Caranthir, Curufin, and Amras, interact with Telchar and Zigli, who are both from Belegost.
  4. Celeborn obtaining an engagement ring to give to Galadriel from visiting Dwarven traders in Episode 11.
  5. Norn and a team of Dwarves beginning the work on Nargothrond and driving the Petty-dwarves out in the process (without Finrod's knowledge).
  6. Norn getting mad at Mim for wearing a carcanet that belonged once to Azaghal.
  7. Finrod giving jewels from Vailnor to all the Dwarven craftsmen when he comes to visit Nargothrond under construction
  8. Norn visiting Nargothrond after it is complete and being so impressed by what the Elves have done that he gives Finrod the name Felagund.
  9. No ban on the Noldor wearing jewelry.
Expanding on this, I think we can say based on 1, 2, and 4 that the Dwarves of Nogrod and Belegost have a fairly close relationship and already trade with each other. I feel sure the Dwarves of Nogrod already know about the Noldor, so if they haven't been interacting, it has probably been because they have been content to let trade pass through Belegost. This would make sense if the Dwarves of Nogrod specialize in jewelry. The Noldor don't need the jewelry because they make their own, but the Dwarves of Belegost might be interested in jewelry from Nogrod, so they would trade the things they acquired from the Noldor for it.

If we want to keep this up, we could have the Dwarves of Belegost send the jewels Finrod gave them to Nogrod to be made into the Nauglamir then send the Nauglamir to Finrod. Or, we could have the Dwarves of Nogrod establish some kind of relationship with Nargothrond, obtain Valinorean jewels, then make those into the Nauglamir and give it to Finrod.

Some possible reasons for a relationship to start up between Nogrod and Nargothrond:
  • The death of Telchar, the greatest Dwarven smith ever, may have created a vacuum for high-quality/magical weapons, which the Dwarves of Belegost are filling with weapons made by the Noldor. Noticing this, the Dwarves of Nogrod decide to initiate trade with the Noldor.
  • Eol brings the Dwarves news about Beleriand, and the feast he is at when Aredhel and Maeglin decide to leave is in Nogrod, which suggests that he is on good terms with the Dwarves of Nogrod. Maybe he could say something about the Noldor that would encourage the Dwarves of Nogrod to initiate trade.
  • After Eol's death, the Dwarves of Nogrod seek another point of contact with Elvish civilization, which ends up being Nargothrond.
  • Zirak initiates the contact because he is like the Norn of Nogrod.
  • Zirak initiates the contact because he wants to learn from the Noldor because he has hopes of becoming a great smith like Telchar.
Some possible ways for the Dwarves of Nogrod to obtain the jewels for the Nauglamir:
  • The Dwarves of Belegost trade the jewels Finrod gave them for stuff from Nogrod, so the Dwarves of Nogrod end up with the jewels.
  • Finrod just gives jewels to the Dwarves of Nogrod when he meets them.
  • The jewels are what the Noldor use to pay for goods from Nogrod.
I think any combination of these could work, but my favorite is what I first mentioned, having the Dwarves of Belegost commission a necklace from Nogrod for Finrod. It could be inspired by the Carcanet of Azaghal that I mentioned in 6, and the story would involve both Dwarven kingdoms, even if we keep mostly the Dwarves of Belegost interacting with the Elves.

I suggested involving the Feanorians because I saw it as a way to connect them to an existing plotline or plotlines rather than adding another, and it didn't seem impossible for them to be involved.
To tie Eol to all this, perhaps Curufin bumps into him on one of his business trips?
 
I was in the process of laying out these storylines almost exactly the same way. :) I included the Green-elves coming to Finrod to complain about the House of Beor between them meeting Finrod and moving to Estolad and Beor moving to Nargothrond with Finrod in 312 before the other two houses cross the mountains.

The date of the Athrabeth is FA 409, and Andreth dies in FA 455.

In regards to the human storylines, I suggest focusing on Marach's son Malach (a.k.a. Aradan, but we could choose just one of these names for him to go by) because he is the one who goes to live in Hithlum and serves Fingolfin. Marach could be more of a supporting character in his son's story since he remains in Estolad.

Adanel may be a supporting character to include if we want to have some scenes of Andreth with someone other than Finrod or Aegnor.

Boron of the House of Beor may be a supporting character in as much as his death is a topic of conversation between Finrod and Andreth. I'm not sure he needs to be listed here, though.

We may want to mention Haldan, who will lead the Haladin after Haleth's death. He would be 9 years old when his father and grandfather are killed and 54 when he assumes leadership. I think he would be more of a supporting character, just someone among the Haladin to whom Haleth could talk so she doesn't have to soliloquize about where she plans to lead her people, but he would probably still be named.

Barahir and Beren should be on that list since Barahir will save Finrod in the Dagor Bragollach, and I expect Beren will be with him at that time. Plus, if we do anything with Emeldir, we should have her husband and son as well.
We could give a role to Galathil being the spokesperson who gives the Green Elves' grievances to Finrod.
 
I was in the process of laying out these storylines almost exactly the same way. :) I included the Green-elves coming to Finrod to complain about the House of Beor between them meeting Finrod and moving to Estolad and Beor moving to Nargothrond with Finrod in 312 before the other two houses cross the mountains.

The date of the Athrabeth is FA 409, and Andreth dies in FA 455.

In regards to the human storylines, I suggest focusing on Marach's son Malach (a.k.a. Aradan, but we could choose just one of these names for him to go by) because he is the one who goes to live in Hithlum and serves Fingolfin. Marach could be more of a supporting character in his son's story since he remains in Estolad.

Adanel may be a supporting character to include if we want to have some scenes of Andreth with someone other than Finrod or Aegnor.

Boron of the House of Beor may be a supporting character in as much as his death is a topic of conversation between Finrod and Andreth. I'm not sure he needs to be listed here, though.

We may want to mention Haldan, who will lead the Haladin after Haleth's death. He would be 9 years old when his father and grandfather are killed and 54 when he assumes leadership. I think he would be more of a supporting character, just someone among the Haladin to whom Haleth could talk so she doesn't have to soliloquize about where she plans to lead her people, but he would probably still be named.

Barahir and Beren should be on that list since Barahir will save Finrod in the Dagor Bragollach, and I expect Beren will be with him at that time. Plus, if we do anything with Emeldir, we should have her husband and son as well.
How do we want to set up the order of the deaths of Aegnor and Andreth? Aegnor is KIA in the Dagor Bragollach, but Andreth's death is concurrent with the battle. Do we want to take any sort of plot line with this?
 
Certainly, we will want to do something with that. We will likely show both of their deaths, or at the very least heavily imply both of their death, in the episode about the Dagor Bragollach.

Whether Andreth dies before or after Aegnor dies (and the manner of both their deaths) is something we will have to work out when we discuss their storyline later in pre-production.
 
How do we want to set up the order of the deaths of Aegnor and Andreth? Aegnor is KIA in the Dagor Bragollach, but Andreth's death is concurrent with the battle. Do we want to take any sort of plot line with this?
I would prefer that the last we see of Andreth be escaping among the refugees of Dorthonion with Emeldir to suggest that she is not killed in the battle, but dies a natural death later on. While we could depict this death, I feel like showing the death of Andreth in an episode about the Dagor Bragollach, where lots of other people are dying, would undermine the emotional impact of it, and I think it is more important to convey the irony of the Human outliving the Elf.

Andreth could hear that Aegnor is dead as she is fleeing Dorthonion, but I do not think Aegnor and Andreth should interact or see each other again later in Andreth's life. It may be frustrating to viewers who want more closure to their story, but I think the lack of closure perfectly encapsulates their relationship: nothing comes of it and they both end up unhappy and alone.
 
I would prefer that the last we see of Andreth be escaping among the refugees of Dorthonion with Emeldir to suggest that she is not killed in the battle, but dies a natural death later on. While we could depict this death, I feel like showing the death of Andreth in an episode about the Dagor Bragollach, where lots of other people are dying, would undermine the emotional impact of it, and I think it is more important to convey the irony of the Human outliving the Elf.

Andreth could hear that Aegnor is dead as she is fleeing Dorthonion, but I do not think Aegnor and Andreth should interact or see each other again later in Andreth's life. It may be frustrating to viewers who want more closure to their story, but I think the lack of closure perfectly encapsulates their relationship: nothing comes of it and they both end up unhappy and alone.
Well, how many episodes will the Dagor Bragollach be encompassing? Right now, I see two: The rivers of fire seem to be in Episode 12 (maybe they begin the episode) and the Fall of Fingolfin for Episode 13.
 
Well, how many episodes will the Dagor Bragollach be encompassing? Right now, I see two: The rivers of fire seem to be in Episode 12 (maybe they begin the episode) and the Fall of Fingolfin for Episode 13.
Personally, I'd like the Rivers of fire to be a cliffhanger at the end of episode 10, episode 11 be the bigger portion of the battle, some of the aftermath and fall of Fingolfin in 12, then use 13 to wrap/set things up a bit for the next season (Fall of Minas Tirith, Barahir/Finrod oath, Barahir's men going to Dorthonion, the resettling in of the Feanorians after the attack, tease what Mairon will be up to next season, Fingolfin's burial, Fingon taking the kingship, etc) I'd like to do that in theis season, rather than trying to cram it into the beginning of S6.
 
Personally, I'd like the Rivers of fire to be a cliffhanger at the end of episode 10, episode 11 be the bigger portion of the battle, some of the aftermath and fall of Fingolfin in 12, then use 13 to wrap/set things up a bit for the next season (Fall of Minas Tirith, Barahir/Finrod oath, Barahir's men going to Dorthonion, the resettling in of the Feanorians after the attack, tease what Mairon will be up to next season, Fingolfin's burial, Fingon taking the kingship, etc) I'd like to do that in theis season, rather than trying to cram it into the beginning of S6.
We've mostly been planning around having the fall of Fingolfin as the season finale. You'll have to do some persuading as to why that should not be the case.
 
Personally, I'd like the Rivers of fire to be a cliffhanger at the end of episode 10, episode 11 be the bigger portion of the battle, some of the aftermath and fall of Fingolfin in 12, then use 13 to wrap/set things up a bit for the next season (Fall of Minas Tirith, Barahir/Finrod oath, Barahir's men going to Dorthonion, the resettling in of the Feanorians after the attack, tease what Mairon will be up to next season, Fingolfin's burial, Fingon taking the kingship, etc) I'd like to do that in theis season, rather than trying to cram it into the beginning of S6.

A few things about this bother me: One being that there is already a gob-ton to fit in this season without lengthening the climax. Another is the somewhat anti-climactic nature of a season-end wrap-up episode. Generally, the way this is normally handled is by having a longish denouement at the end of the episode. I'd be happier with making the finale a two-hour episode to give us that extra time.
 
I think that is one of the most important topics to deal with in the first session - how do we want the battle to play out?

I don't want to try to squeeze everything into a single episode, but I think that is the default starting point. Separating the battle into Episode 12 and the aftermath into Episode 13 is the first way to break things up. Stretching it out to 3 or 4 episodes runs the risk of compressing the earlier parts of the season.

But that means...we do have to figure out what the earlier parts of the season look like.
 
Thoughts on the early parts of Season 5: what do we want Angrod to be doing? We campaigned to keep him alive until this season, so we should have him do a few things. Maybe he discourages Aegnor from pursuing a marriage with Andreth? Perhaps he's the first major character to bite the dust in the Dagor Bragollach? And when Aegnor does break things off with Andreth, where should our sympathies lie?
 
One way to look at this is...what news will set Fingolfin off on his reckless course of action? What is the final bit of clarity that leads him to conclude that the Noldor have truly lost and there is no hope? Obviously, this is about the breaking of the Siege and the loss of the battle, but that isn't what makes him get on his horse and ride off to Angband. So. . . What does? Answering that question should help to shape the final episode.
 
One way to look at this is...what news will set Fingolfin off on his reckless course of action? What is the final bit of clarity that leads him to conclude that the Noldor have truly lost and there is no hope? Obviously, this is about the breaking of the Siege and the loss of the battle, but that isn't what makes him get on his horse and ride off to Angband. So. . . What does? Answering that question should help to shape the final episode.
Well, let's start off with what he's going to be aware of regarding deaths. Hador and Gundor are the closest and he's going to be well aware of them, but Angrod and Aegnor are further away, and Bregolas is killed. The Sons of Feanor suffer no significant casualties, but much of East Beleriand is taken, which could conceivably allow the forces of the Noldor/Sindar to be flanked and the forces of Morgoth push them into the Sea.

I think that it's the realization that he underestimated what Morgoth was able to bring to bear through sheer numbers and force (Dragons and whatnot) and that the Siege was doomed from the start.
 
Well, let's start off with what he's going to be aware of regarding deaths. Hador and Gundor are the closest and he's going to be well aware of them, but Angrod and Aegnor are further away, and Bregolas is killed. The Sons of Feanor suffer no significant casualties, but much of East Beleriand is taken, which could conceivably allow the forces of the Noldor/Sindar to be flanked and the forces of Morgoth push them into the Sea.

I think that it's the realization that he underestimated what Morgoth was able to bring to bear through sheer numbers and force (Dragons and whatnot) and that the Siege was doomed from the start.
To add on: he might realize that he's barely made a dent in Morgoth's plans and decides to cause as much damage as he can: through single combat.
 
Well, how many episodes will the Dagor Bragollach be encompassing? Right now, I see two: The rivers of fire seem to be in Episode 12 (maybe they begin the episode) and the Fall of Fingolfin for Episode 13.
I think two episodes would be good for conveying the battle. Personally, I would like the breakdown to be something like the following:

Episode 12
The Silmarillion says, "Many of the stoutest of the foes of Morgoth were destroyed in the first days of that war, bewildered and dispersed, unable to muster their strength." I think this episode should focus on the suddenness and deadliness of the attack in these first few days. It should include the rivers of fire and the attack led by Glaurung and the Balrogs on Dorthonion; major casualties among the House of Beor; the deaths of Bregolas, Angrod, and Aegnor; the beginning of the House of Beor's evacuation; and, if there is room for it in the episode, Fingolfin, Finrod, and the Feanorians receiving news of what is happening in Dorthonion and trying to reach the battle.

Episode 13
This episode should focus on how grievous the Noldor's losses in the Dagor Bragollach are, the transfer of power to new rulers, and set-up for Season 6. It should have a longer timespan, perhaps a few months, and include Fingolfin trying to get to Dorthonion but being "sundered from his kinsmen by a sea of foes; the deaths of Hador and Gundor so Galdor has to assume lordship of the House of Hador; Barahir being recognized as lord of the house of Beor; Finrod's arrival in Dorthonion, his rescue by Barahir, and subsequent oath; the losses in the Feanorian lands; and Fingolfin's duel with Morgoth. I suggest ending the episode right after Thorondor delivers Fingolfin's body to Turgon and Fingon learns of Fingolfin's death (maybe through Rochallor?). Depending on how much of the Feanorians we want to show, this may need to be a 2-hour episode.

Thoughts on the early parts of Season 5: what do we want Angrod to be doing? We campaigned to keep him alive until this season, so we should have him do a few things. Maybe he discourages Aegnor from pursuing a marriage with Andreth? Perhaps he's the first major character to bite the dust in the Dagor Bragollach? And when Aegnor does break things off with Andreth, where should our sympathies lie?

Angrod will interact with the House of Beor when those Men come to live in Dorthonion. He has been serving as the Noldor's ambassador to Doriath, so he could be present along with Finrod for some of those scenes in The Silmarillion where Thingol expresses his disdain for Men. Angrod, along with Aegnor, will be in favor of attacking Angband when Fingolfin proposes it. I think we could also focus on Angrod's relationship with Orodreth, Finduilas, and Gil-galad this season.

I think Aegnor should be his own worst enemy in terms of his relationship with Andreth, and his decision to not marry her should be his own, not something his older brother bullies him into. In Season 4, I tried to set up Aegnor as the most war-focused of the brothers. I think Angrod should definitely know about Aegnor and Andreth because if Finrod knows about it, why wouldn't Angrod? However, I am not sure exactly what his opinion on it would be. Angrod lost his wife, so, on one hand, I could see him being and example for Aegnor of the grief he would feel if he were to marry Andreth and she die. On the other hand, Angrod and Edhellos could be an example of why Aegnor should marry Andreth, and Angrod could advise Aegnor, as he advised Orodreth, to seek joy while he can.

Perhaps Angrod could express to Aegnor that one of his strongest motivations for fighting Morgoth is to avenge Edhellos, which would help Aegnor "in every stroke that he deals [see] the Enemy who long ago did [Andreth] this hurt."

When Aegnor does break things off with Andreth, I think our sympathies should lie with both of them. We should understand exactly why Aegnor leaves Andreth but also how much this hurts them both.
 
I think two episodes would be good for conveying the battle. Personally, I would like the breakdown to be something like the following:

Episode 12
The Silmarillion says, "Many of the stoutest of the foes of Morgoth were destroyed in the first days of that war, bewildered and dispersed, unable to muster their strength." I think this episode should focus on the suddenness and deadliness of the attack in these first few days. It should include the rivers of fire and the attack led by Glaurung and the Balrogs on Dorthonion; major casualties among the House of Beor; the deaths of Bregolas, Angrod, and Aegnor; the beginning of the House of Beor's evacuation; and, if there is room for it in the episode, Fingolfin, Finrod, and the Feanorians receiving news of what is happening in Dorthonion and trying to reach the battle.

Episode 13
This episode should focus on how grievous the Noldor's losses in the Dagor Bragollach are, the transfer of power to new rulers, and set-up for Season 6. It should have a longer timespan, perhaps a few months, and include Fingolfin trying to get to Dorthonion but being "sundered from his kinsmen by a sea of foes; the deaths of Hador and Gundor so Galdor has to assume lordship of the House of Hador; Barahir being recognized as lord of the house of Beor; Finrod's arrival in Dorthonion, his rescue by Barahir, and subsequent oath; the losses in the Feanorian lands; and Fingolfin's duel with Morgoth. I suggest ending the episode right after Thorondor delivers Fingolfin's body to Turgon and Fingon learns of Fingolfin's death (maybe through Rochallor?). Depending on how much of the Feanorians we want to show, this may need to be a 2-hour episode.



Angrod will interact with the House of Beor when those Men come to live in Dorthonion. He has been serving as the Noldor's ambassador to Doriath, so he could be present along with Finrod for some of those scenes in The Silmarillion where Thingol expresses his disdain for Men. Angrod, along with Aegnor, will be in favor of attacking Angband when Fingolfin proposes it. I think we could also focus on Angrod's relationship with Orodreth, Finduilas, and Gil-galad this season.

I think Aegnor should be his own worst enemy in terms of his relationship with Andreth, and his decision to not marry her should be his own, not something his older brother bullies him into. In Season 4, I tried to set up Aegnor as the most war-focused of the brothers. I think Angrod should definitely know about Aegnor and Andreth because if Finrod knows about it, why wouldn't Angrod? However, I am not sure exactly what his opinion on it would be. Angrod lost his wife, so, on one hand, I could see him being and example for Aegnor of the grief he would feel if he were to marry Andreth and she die. On the other hand, Angrod and Edhellos could be an example of why Aegnor should marry Andreth, and Angrod could advise Aegnor, as he advised Orodreth, to seek joy while he can.

Perhaps Angrod could express to Aegnor that one of his strongest motivations for fighting Morgoth is to avenge Edhellos, which would help Aegnor "in every stroke that he deals [see] the Enemy who long ago did [Andreth] this hurt."

When Aegnor does break things off with Andreth, I think our sympathies should lie with both of them. We should understand exactly why Aegnor leaves Andreth but also how much this hurts them both.
@Octoburn has voiced concerns about putting the taking of Tol Sirion into Season 6 and putting too much into the Beren and Luthien season. How do we want to handle this?
 
A few things about this bother me: One being that there is already a gob-ton to fit in this season without lengthening the climax. Another is the somewhat anti-climactic nature of a season-end wrap-up episode. Generally, the way this is normally handled is by having a longish denouement at the end of the episode. I'd be happier with making the finale a two-hour episode to give us that extra time.

Yes, but my issue is with the following season. Beren and Luthien. And at the end, The Nirnaeth. The Nirnaeth is easily worth 3 episodes, if you include the build up/setup between Maedhros and others, as well as some of the aftermath. I just feel that with a story as crucial as B&L, we don't need to front load that season with all of this stage setting (some would be okay, but at least some of it can be done in S5, IMO. A 2-hour episode 13 would work perfect for that. Game of Thrones managed the post-climax, wrap-up-episode pretty well, it's first four or five years (Ned's beheading, Battle of the Blackwater, Red Wedding, Battle at the Wall were all antepenultimate episodes, with a setup episode afterwards)

One way to look at this is...what news will set Fingolfin off on his reckless course of action? What is the final bit of clarity that leads him to conclude that the Noldor have truly lost and there is no hope? Obviously, this is about the breaking of the Siege and the loss of the battle, but that isn't what makes him get on his horse and ride off to Angband. So. . . What does? Answering that question should help to shape the final episode.

The feeling I get from reading the book is that he's a bit misled by reports of what's happened, or at least the severity of it. He believes that it is "the utter ruin of the Noldor" and "beyond repair" as I believe the text says, but they really are not. The Feanorians recover fairly well (at least Himring does) Gondolin and Nargothrond are still secrets, Barad Eithel still stands, and until after his death, Minas Tirith is not captured. There's obviously a lot of death, and Dorthonion and the watch towers/guards on Ard Galen are lost, along with the Pass of Aglon. But the situation is not as dire as Fingolfin seems to believe
 
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One way to look at this is...what news will set Fingolfin off on his reckless course of action? What is the final bit of clarity that leads him to conclude that the Noldor have truly lost and there is no hope? Obviously, this is about the breaking of the Siege and the loss of the battle, but that isn't what makes him get on his horse and ride off to Angband. So. . . What does? Answering that question should help to shape the final episode.
I don't think there should be a single piece of news that causes Fingolfin to 'snap.' I think he should receive the news "that Dorthonion was lost and the sons of Finarfin overthrown, and that the sons of Feanor were driven from their lands." Then, I think he should reflect on how this collectively represents the defeat of the Noldor and decide to challenge Morgoth. There doesn't necessarily have to be dialogue involved in this; it could be conveyed in something like Fingolfin gazing out from Barad Eithel across the hordes of enemies and blazing fires with the peaks of Thangorodrim rising in the background before he sets out. I think something emphasizing that many factors are influencing Fingolfin's decision would be much better than Fingolfin setting out after hearing that Glaurung has attacked Keep Helevorn and driven Caranthir away or something like that.

I don't want the news Fingolfin receives to contain any misinformation or exaggerations of the severity of the situation because I don't want there to be any sense of "If only Fingolfin had known XXX, he wouldn't have fought Morgoth" or "Too bad Fingolfin didn't learn about XXX in time." Fingolfin's decision to challenge Morgoth should be an informed one.

The Silmarillion says that Fingolfin was "filled with wrath and despair," and I think it is important to convey both of these elements.

I think despair is what sets Fingolfin's reckless charge apart from Feanor's reckless charge. Feanor was overconfident and mad at Morgoth for killing Finwe and stealing the Silmarils. Fingolfin, on the other hand is not simply mad. I think an important element of Fingolfin's character, one that makes him a better king than Feanor, is that he focuses more on the people he rules, and the Dagor Bragollach is a blow to this in two ways. First, while I think Feanor's overconfidence was more in himself, which is why he tried to charge to Angband alone, Fingolfin is confident in the Noldor as a whole and their ability to withstand whatever Morgoth can send at them. Second, Fingolfin wants to protect his people. The Dagor Bragollach shows Fingolfin that he was wrong in his belief about the strength of the Noldor and that he is incapable of protecting them. Moreover, I think that seeing Morgoth crushing the Elves without a sign from Valinor causes Fingolfin to lose hope that the Valar will intervene on behalf of the Elves. He might conclude that if they want to defeat Morgoth, they will have to do it themselves (which makes it ironic that he is compared to Orome).

I think wrath is what makes Fingolfin's fight with Morgoth more than a hopeless suicide. Fingolfin may not have expect the Noldor to recover from this defeat, but he is not going to just give up and die either. He is angry at Morgoth for the destruction and slaughter, and he wants to express this directly to Morgoth himself. Fingolfin should have some hope that, even if he cannot kill Morgoth, he can exact revenge for some of the wrongs.
 
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