Odola, recall that Lúthien travels from Doriath to Tol Sirion via Nargothrond, thanks to Celegorm.
Octoburn, I agree that we should make use of Sauron's necromancy while Finrod is imprisoned. If Sauron interacts with more dead elves, it follows up on his story arc thus far. No eavesdropping necessary! Also, the well needs more souls....
I see that there have been other messages typed since I started typing this. At this time, we do not have any planned scenes in Brethil, but if we can fit in a reason to go there, we could include it. For instance, the episode that focuses on the choices of Beren and Lúthien in the aftermath of the fall of Tol Sirion requires them to rest up in a place of safety for a time - we could work that out to be Brethil. If it were Brethil, that would bring in mortals in the story again (Beren is the only human character after the deaths of Barahir's band in Episode 2...for this entire season.) So, there could be a scene between Beren and Emeldir, we could see Narsil, we could hear how the sons of Galdor were lost in the fighting, etc. Do we have time for this? Uhhh, this season is very tightly packed, and that 'resting' episode really does need to focus on Beren's decision to leave Lúthien for her own good. If that's what the time in Brethil accomplishes, great! But if not....no, we can't.
I know it should seem that a linear narrative focusing on two main characters would be straightforward and not be overcrowded. But....here's what we have for the early episodes so far:
Generally speaking, the 'A-plot' is the main storyline that we follow through the episode. That is the focus of the climax, that is the POV character's agency, etc. We typically have room for two scenes in each act for the A-plot (ie, 8 scenes total to tell this story).
The B-plot is a story with an arc over the course of the episode. It can take place in a different location and involve different characters from the A-plot, but it is a more 'minor' storyline. We typically have room for one scene in each act for the B-plot (ie, 4 scenes total to tell the story).
The C-plot is another story element that we need to include, but does not have an arc over the course of the episode. Typically, this is a self-contained scene or two that will relate to a plot-line in another episode. The dwarves besieging Keep Helevorn in Episode 3 is a perfect example of a C-plot. We will show it happening in one scene, but there will be no progress nor development throughout the episode.
Generally, the Frame is the D-plot. It has two short scenes bookending the episode. Occasionally, we can have an additional full scene in the episode dedicated to the Frame story. We can also use the 'D-plot' for a plot point that only shows up in the tag of the episode (not a full scene, no dialogue).
Looking at the above - we have a lot more than that going on in Episodes 1 and 2. We have (essentially) two separate B-plots in Episode 1, as well as three distinct C-plots. This means that our 'A-plot' is really just a B-plot with an exciting intro/climax. Likewise, in Episode 2, some of the A-plot will be shown from the point of view of the band of outlaws, so we are blending our A- and B-plots.
(As you can see, we've already done the script discussions for episodes 1-2; the others have some question marks on point of view, what will be the major plots, etc.)
