Caitlin's Fandom Thoughts

I’ve been a TNG, DS9 and Voyager fan for maybe 10 years but had never watched TOS until I decided that I would. And then I realised I couldn’t live with the possibility of the internet not being able to know my incoherent rambling reactions if it so desired. Most of these were written the day after I saw them but with the early ones it was later so sorry if I don’t remember your favourite.

Little Achievements - DS9 fanfic read by Alexander Siddig and Andrew Robinson. Written by Elmie K-E/almaasi

I’ve been a big fan of the Peter Jackson films (extended versions - nerd that I am) since I was about 11 and I think I know all of the big changes made in the adaptation: Arwen, Faramir, Aragorn falling off a cliff. I did read the first book around the same age (in the first of many waves of my lotr obsession) but I only really remembered Saruman of ‘Many Colours’.

However I have always wanted to properly know the book version of the story so finally started listening to an amazing full audio book reading by Steven Red Fox Garnett which I highly recommend:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwLvFU2onc7cPIEBee-_xMw

………………………………………………………………………………….

And here are my silly reactions and occasional analysis of the differences between book and film that I didn’t know about.  

The Fellowship of the Ring part six, one, two, three, four, five

The Great River:

Oh Boromir’s feeling tempted

The first time Sam sees Gollum, he tells someone (Frodo) and actually voices his suspicion that it IS Gollum. Frodo’s been seeing him since THE SHIRE, and probably suspected who it was since Moria? At least Lorien, but is like nah I’ll keep this info to myself. Oh Frodo you are too much like me.

Sam says he’ll watch for tonight but Frodo insists that he wake him during and they share the duty. I want to see more of this breaking down of class boundaries.

The build up to seeing Gollum has had legitimate tension in it that it doesn’t in the films so much as he is only seen once, or twice, I think twice. And every scene when he is ‘seen’ has been frightening, as has the Balrog and Moria in general. This is a credit to the book but I also wonder if these scenes in particular work well with the medium of audiobook. The times I have been listening to them have often been in bed at night with the lights off, so that adds to the experience.

TIME works differently in Lorien! Is this how elves experience the world? Is this how they live forever they’re just on a much slower timeline?

The third Aragorn-Boromir moment I miss from the film is when Boromir is actually trying to get Aragorn to face up to his duty to Gondor (I really love how he switches between ‘Gondor needs no king, and ‘Aragorn please come to Minas Tiriiiith it’s really preeeetty!’) and Aragorn says something like ‘I will not lead the ring within x leagues of your city.’ Film Boromir is currently filling the role of heir to the leadership of Gondor that Aragorn should be. His temptation by the ring is also a reason Aragorn is afraid of taking that role. The film not only makes Aragorn less perfect, but also weaves his and Boromir’s arcs together in a way I would’ve liked in the book.

 The Breaking of the Fellowship:

Boromir is not dead! What?! Boromir lives! Well for slightly longer than I thought, I really thought I knew all the changes like this but nope.

I mean, I probably wouldn’t really leave Frodo, the guy with the ring, alone when they know the enemy is close behind them, even for an hour but ok.

I like Boromir’s give me the ring speech, it’s similar to the film, but there is just more of it, he mostly comes off as genuinely believing his justifications rather than being power hungry, and they are pretty convincing, it’s easy to see why he would believe them. A couple of people just ‘simply walking into Mordor’ with no real plan and their most powerful and wise member of the group dead is really unlikely to work. He does eventually say that he would be king, but this doesn’t really seem to be his true motivation to me, it’s more the ring’s influence, I think he is more deeply moved by the fear that this plan will fail. I do actually love that idealism wins in the end and the message that using power, or a terrible weapon always corrupts. But I also love that Boromir isn’t strawmanned I guess, that you can see both points of view even when you ultimately only agree with one makes it a more compelling conflict.

Frodo take the ring off! Seriously though I do like that it is difficult to do that, it makes sense, and we get to hear that Frodo is fighting an invisible battle (while invisible himself hehe) when he puts the ring on, I think it is a little clearer here than the equivalent moment in the film.

It’s been way over the hour that Frodo said he needed and you still haven’t gone to see if he’s ok?!!!

Sam knows Frodo best, he knows why he would try to go on his own (for the sake of the others not in spite of them) and he also knows it’s a dumb idea and he needs someone/him. I also love that Sam is the first person Frodo thinks of when he thinks of the others he cares about, then Merry and Pippin, then ‘Strider’ I don’t think it necessarily would have been that way when they first set off.

Frodo you would be dead so many times over or just be in a cave somewhere with the ring if it wasn’t for Sam! Or really anyone, you need people. It’s interesting to look at it from a mental health lens, particularly the way the ring affects the hobbits. Frodo, was already a little bit of an outsider in the Shire, now with the ring he slowly has to battle more and more to maintain his sanity. Frodo doesn’t ask for help enough, he doesn’t tell anyone about Gollum, but Sam does (even if that person was just Frodo and not Aragorn) and now he thinks he’ll be better off on his own, with a combination of I can’t trust others, and those I do I don’t want to put them in danger, don’t want to burden them with my burden. And Sam is like, that’s not possible, no one can do that, you need people to help, especially given the burden you carry. I know that Sam is very influenced by the WWI batmen, and Frodo and Sam function as an idealised version of a master-servant relationship. But because I’m not a big fan of that I like seeing Sam’s relationship to Frodo as being that of a carer (as well as friend) in a mental health setting, through this lens he is a reminder to Frodo, the one figuratively struggling with his mental health, that you don’t have to, nor should you do it all alone.

And while I realise the reasoning of ‘I can’t go with the whole fellowship cause they’ll all go the way of Boromir’ is sound, I think Frodo takes it too far the other way by thinking he can/has to do it alone and I think we’re meant to see it that way, hence Sam.

Aragorn doesn’t see Frodo after Boromir does like in the film, although I liked this scene I think it works better without it, Aragorn letting Frodo go on his own seemed pretty unrealistic, and Frodo being assured that Aragorn can be trusted, unlike Boromir, lessens the believability of him deciding to go on his own. Here while they all give him way too much time to think given the danger, no-one seems to be saying we should let him go on his own, and they all rush off to find him when they realise he’s trying that. There’s more chaos as everyone goes off without listening to Aragorn, that’s a scene I would have liked to have seen in the film, and I think I’ll add it to my own personal collated headcanon.  

I’ve been a big fan of the Peter Jackson films (extended versions - nerd that I am) since I was about 11 and I think I know all of the big changes made in the adaptation: Arwen, Faramir, Aragorn falling off a cliff. I did read the first book around the same age (in the first of many waves of my lotr obsession) but I only really remembered Saruman of ‘Many Colours’.

However I have always wanted to properly know the book version of the story so finally started listening to an amazing full audio book reading by Steven Red Fox Garnett which I highly recommend:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwLvFU2onc7cPIEBee-_xMw

………………………………………………………………………………….

And here are my silly reactions and occasional analysis of the differences between book and film that I didn’t know about.  

The Fellowship of the Ring part five, one, two, three, four, six

Lothlorien:

I really miss the film Aragorn-Boromir interaction in the aftermath of Gandalf’s death. Where the hobbits are in shock/grief and Aragorn rouses them to go. Boromir says ‘give them a moment for pity’s sake.’ Not only does it immediately set up the unstable power structure of the fellowship without Gandalf, to me it’s one of those really interesting conflicts where both sides are right. And as a leader it would be hard to make the right call. Obviously they can’t stay long, but Aragorn’s coldness isn’t the best for morale. I also like that it is the reverse of what you might initially expect for both characters. Boromir argues for compassion while Aragorn for practicality, and yet it works to add complexity to both. I think Aragorn is probably right, as he usually is, but it’s not like Boromir doesn’t have a point. He actually has more experience with leading large groups in a somewhat kingly manner than Aragorn does, and Aragorn can learn something from that. It can seem like Aragorn is shirking some part of his leadership responsibilities, like an emotional openness, or maybe just communication. It feels like Aragorn is leading in a bit too introverted way at the beginning, or in a way that still shows his reluctance. Anyway it doesn’t have that scene.

What it does have is Boromir being the one who is most reluctant to go into Loth Lorien. He’s like I’ve heard some not so good stories of this place and Aragorn is like well your people have your facts wrong and then is like you’ll only find evil in here if you bring it with you, Aragorn is apparently the king of throwing shade at least.

Haldir! And Sam was the loud breather.

They want to make Gimli wear a blindfold into Lorien but NO ONE ELSE! Racist elves. I mean I know that’s the point but whoa.

Gollum has been following them since like, the Shire, which is a long time to wait. I like the mention of Sting not glowing even though Frodo can hear he is near, nice way to say he’s not an orc, not truly evil. It is one of the few things I really liked in the Hobbit films, the use of this visual symbolism to morally complicate things when you meet him. (Poor orcs it seems you can kill without moral consequences).

Gimli is understandably not ok with the blindfold situation, I support him. Aragorn suggests they should all wear them, I like this, it’s probably the most egalitarian solution they could do, given how much they needed their help. Good Aragorn move. I think message-wise Boromir being the one who is most resistant to Lorien rather than Gimli is better. While there has been some both sideyness in the Elve/Dwarf racism, here at least the fault seems to be more with the elves, which is a more realistic depiction of racism than it being equal fault on both sides. Although perhaps this is better referred to as xenophobia since there isn’t an active exploitation of one race by another here.

Haldir is not a jerk! Or less of one. He doesn’t believe in the blindfold policy but he is still enforcing it so…

Sam says that Lorien is ‘like being inside a song’ I keep saying Sam is musical. ’Frodo puts his hand on a tree and feels the ‘delight of the living tree itself’ rather than thinking about its uses when it’s dead. I’m here for the tree love.

Celeborn is like we shouldn’t have let the dwarf in and then Galadriel is like actually dwarfs are cool! And he’s like yeah you’re right I’m sorry. Galadriel directly calling out anti-dwarfism and then speaking to Gimli in his own tongue gives a stronger reason for him to be enamored by her than basically she was pretty.

I can’t believe I forgot Sam making a poem for Gandalf’s fireworks in the film! Given I’ve been going on about him being a songwriter.

The Mirror of Galadriel:

Frodo sees Gandalf the white aw :’( It gets to me sometimes that Frodo and Sam don’t get to know that Gandalf is alive until the task is done and everyone else (except Boromir) gets to in the second book.

It makes some more sense now as to why Galadriel says she will ‘diminish’ and why the rings tempts her since the one ring dominates the three and with it destroyed their power probably would also.

Galadriel says the ring has a ‘will to dominate’ or something like that, she says Frodo can’t see the three rings through the one because he hasn’t tried, and that if he did it would destroy him. I may not have got that exactly right but it seems like Gandalf et al in Rivendell were saying hobbits can’t use the power of the ring only wizards and elves could. But Galadriel is like no it’s only because you haven’t tried. But also don’t try cause, you know, it’s evil and all (but that goes for everyone).

Sam did you not see the scary immortal lady lit with a power of her own screaming ‘ALL SHALL LOVE ME AND DESPAIR’? No it would not be good for her to take it!

Farewell to Lorien:

Finally the Aragorn doubt that I have been waiting for! Although he’s only really unsure about going to Minas Tirith or not cause Gandalf fell and now he has to take on his role and he’s like well he didn’t tell me what to do so… But still I’ll take Aragorn unsure which way to go and using the river to procrastinate as symbolic of his uncertainty of his own destiny as king, I’ll take it. I am missing another Aragorn-Boromir convo from the film. The one where Boromir is all stressed and kind of tries to confide in Aragorn and ends up goes on about Minas Tirith oh it’s so wonderful oh it’s so beautiful, have you seen it Aragorn? ‘Have you ever been called home?’ and Aragorn is just like yeah I’ve seen it, cool story bro. There’s a 3rd bit of film dialogue before the death scene that I love and I wonder if there’ll be anything like that.

Boromir definitely doesn’t want to talk about his Galadriel vision. But it sure has made him weird.

Why did they guide them out of Lorien only to then stop them and give them gifts? I’m convinced Galadriel wanted to show off her awesome swan boat.

I guess Aragorn’s gift of a personalised scabbard is more meaning full than a random head cutting blade. But I’m still not cool with him already having the sword.

I am surprised at how many of the gifts were different in the film, I think this scene was only in the extended anyway. Sam wanting rope was built up for so long in the book that I was surprised that he got it in addition to his gift. I do like that Sam appreciated the rope though, it was still a nice payoff.

I’ve been a big fan of the Peter Jackson films (extended versions - nerd that I am) since I was about 11 and I think I know all of the big changes made in the adaptation: Arwen, Faramir, Aragorn falling off a cliff. I did read the first book around the same age (in the first of many waves of my lotr obsession) but I only really remembered Saruman of ‘Many Colours’.

However I have always wanted to properly know the book version of the story so finally started listening to an amazing full audio book reading by Steven Red Fox Garnett which I highly recommend:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwLvFU2onc7cPIEBee-_xMw

………………………………………………………………………………….

And here are my silly reactions and occasional analysis of the differences between book and film that I didn’t know about.  

The Fellowship of the Ring part four, one, two, three, five, six

The Ring Goes South:

The sword is remade already?!!!! I’m trying to be ok with this but I don’t like it. I don’t like it. In fact this and by extension the characterisation of Aragorn is the only difference I haven’t liked so far. Everything else is like I understand why they didn’t have room for this or changed that, but it works fine the way it is in the book as well, different mediums and all that.

The scene when Bilbo gives Frodo Sting and the mithril is now a nice, bittersweet scene, since Nosferatu-Bilbo is behind us. There was an air of sadness to it, like Bilbo was intentionally trying to keep his and Frodo’s spirits up, focusing on how he has to write it all up when he comes back. I felt he was trying to ignore the high likehood of Frodo not coming back. And the pain that he was sending his younger heir into danger rather than himself. In general the book has done a better job at making me care about the Bilbo Frodo relationship so far. In the film I did feel a little like I was told how much Bilbo meant to Frodo, and it wasn’t that I didn’t believe it but I didn’t feel it that deeply. In the book there is more time, and we get more of a sense that Bilbo was one of the only people Frodo felt really understood him, despite having good friends like Merry and Pippin (Sam not being as close to him YET). Frodo being a bit more of an outsider in The Shire does help explain to me why the ring messes him up so badly, metaphorically, outside of the in-universe reason that the ring just does that. In the film Frodo is shown to be quite happy and well-adjusted in The Shire, in order to contrast how depressed he is when he gets back and it works well, and always gets me in the feels (poor sweet innocent Frodo! Little does he know). But I like adding the book characterisation to flesh out pre-adventure Frodo in my mind. (Oh I’m just realising this works well with a queer reading of Frodo too).

Tolkien really wants you to know that Boromir has big, strong, thick arms.

On the mountains there is no ‘let the ringbearer decide’ which I always thought was kind silly in the film. Like he doesn’t know, and he’s not a leader, isn’t the point of a random hobbit having the ring that he doesn’t have power? Don’t go and give him a sense of power.

A Journey in the Dark:

Ok so there is some focus on Frodo’s opinion on whether they go to Moria or not but it doesn’t actually influence their decision because…

Wargs! And we don’t know if Bill will survive them, but Gandalf does some magic to protect him maybe. Bill must be protected.

Frodo doesn’t get to solve the riddle :(

It’s Borormir’s fault the kraken thing attacks.  The attack is less over the top, which I prefer, and I think this might be the case for many upcoming fight scenes. Gandalf wonders why it went specifically for Frodo hmmmm.

I think the journey through Moria so far might be the first part of the adventure where I think I’m enjoying the book version more. There is a great sense of unease, the film isn’t (and probably couldn’t be) as dark as described in the book, where only the faint light of Gandalf’s staff can be seen and everything else is just a mystery. The fact that they are there for longer also adds to the forebodingness. Whereas before the slower pace than the film somewhat lessoned the urgency, here it gives you a better sense of their ordeal.

No silly ride-the-broken-stair-and-conveniently-it’s-the-two-most-protagonisty-characters-that-are-left scene. Which I appreciate.

Frodo can sense evil and generally shady spirit things since he was stabbed by the Ringwraith! This is a cool thing I wish they kept in the films. This is some soft magic system coolness.

‘Fool of a Took!’ The Pippin Gandalf dynamic is there. I can’t wait to see how it changes when they are in Minas Tirith.

Sam wanted to learn Gimli’s song. Sam really is a songwriter! Doomed to just be a gardener because of the class system. I really like that Sam is given this character trait outside just being the amazing caring hobbit we know he is. It’s something about who he is outside of Frodo.

The Bridge of Khazad-Dum:

Ah so Balin was trying to retake Moria. That makes sense. It did seem weird that Gimli was surprised to find him dead in the film. Like Dwarf intel really moves slowly. Here he is disappointed, not surprised.

To be fair mithril is only the second most valuable and rare heirloom Frodo got from Bilbo. He’s quite protective of both.

I find the action scenes here had more tension for me than in the film. By the next two films the battle scenes had the appropriate tension and dread, but I was surprised by how much more on the edge of my seat I was listening to it described here than the film version which exaggerates the amount of orcs so much that it loses some effect (this is a credit to Steven Garnett as well).

I’ve been a big fan of the Peter Jackson films (extended versions - nerd that I am) since I was about 11 and I think I know all of the big changes made in the adaptation: Arwen, Faramir, Aragorn falling off a cliff. I did read the first book around the same age (in the first of many waves of my lotr obsession) but I only really remembered Saruman of ‘Many Colours’.

However I have always wanted to properly know the book version of the story so finally started listening to an amazing full audio book reading by Steven Red Fox Garnett which I highly recommend:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwLvFU2onc7cPIEBee-_xMw

………………………………………………………………………………….

And here are my silly reactions and occasional analysis of the differences between book and film that I didn’t know about.  

The Fellowship of the Ring part three, one, two, four, five, six

Many Meetings:

Frodo thinks he’s better but Gandalf can see that Frodo’s arm is transparent, not fully in the mortal world? Is this permanent? A metaphor for his ultimate depression/ptsd, I know the wound itself serves as that. Gandalf lies and says Frodo looks well. My poor sweet baby innocent Frodo.

Frodo knew Sam was by his side most of time rather than checking out Rivendell like he said <3

No Sam! Don’t wait on your master! Embrace being treated as an equal! Thank god he didn’t do it.

Glorfindel is sitting next to Elrond and this is enough for me to ship them.

Frodo finally meets Bilbo again, it having been 17 YEARS! This is more emotionally charged for Frodo than in the film. Bilbo does his Nosferatu impression here! Almost the first thing he says to Frodo is Sooo you have the ring? Can I see it? Can I touch it? This was SAD! That it was so soon. Then there is quite a tone shift after that, Bilbo says sorry for this burden/everything like in the film but then they keep taking, and chat to Aragorn like it never happened.

Gloin!

Some elves are racist jerks to Bilbo (although his song did go on quite a lot).

The Council of Elrond:

Boromir! So far he is much like in the film. Doesn’t say ‘by the blood of our people are your lands kept safe’ but says words to that effect. Including something like ‘we get praise but no help’ which I thought was a pretty good critique, it made me think of performative activism. Aragorn kind of seems petty when he says well rangers protect the north, the north’s not safe either! Like yes but also Gondor is RIGHT NEXT to Mordor. You can see it when you look out from Minas Tirith. I think there’s probably more servants of Sauron there even though there are many elsewhere. It felt like a whataboutism. I think Boromir’s point still stands. Perhaps this is meant to be read as a flaw of Aragorn’s but I don’t think so.

Aragorn says again that the sword will be remade, and says that he will go to Minas Tirith. That’s pretty much all but saying he will become king. He seems so far to accept that fate and be less reluctant to do it than in the film. At this point in the film I felt Aragorn knew in the back of his mind that he would probably have to fulfil that destiny, but there was still a part of him fighting it, or hoping against it. He also had doubts, fears that he would fail like Isildor, fears to take up power. In the book Aragorn himself says the line ‘I am Isildor’s heir, not Isildor himself.’ In the film this was given to Arwen who tries to reassure him. While book Aragorn certainly has humility and isn’t proud of his royalness he seems more comfortable with his destiny, and I so far find that less interesting, like there may be less of an arc for him. But it is early days and a lot more may be revealed about him. I’m especially interested in his interactions with Boromir, which, I find is one of the more interesting aspects of the first film.

Bilbo wrote the Aragorn Poem! And says it’s not that good, but it’s my favourite one so far. I think we’re probably meant to have that reaction.

Radagast! It makes a bit more sense here as to why Gandalf would go see Saruman, despite already being suss about him, given that Radagast unwittingly sent him there. I’d like to think the moth in the film is a nod to Radagast.

Saruman of MANY COLOURS! This is almost the singular thing I remember from reading the first book as a kid. As awesome as it sounds I’m kinda glad they didn’t put it in the films since it would look like queer-coding a villain.

Saruman has some rhetoric about maintaining ‘order’ which is never a good sign. He also seems to think that he’ll be able to take power from Sauron after they join somehow which, my dude, is never gonna happen.

Gandalf has a line about how despair is only for those who know the future, and we do not, and honestly that helps me with climate grief.

Apart from Frodo and Sam, (and Merry and Pippin) Elrond picks the other companions.

[Basically this]

Some random guy: Hey Socrates, wanna go to Agathon’s dinner party with me?

Socrates: Yeah Agathon’s good-looking!

Some random: We have to come up with something to say to them about why you’re here though.

Socrates: Oh yeah!

[They talk for some time about what explanation they’ll use, that they have to have a reason for why Socrates is with him etc]

Some random: How about we say that I invited you?

Socrates: Sounds good!

[They arrive at Agathon’s house]

Some random: Hey guys, Socrates is coming with me but he’s not here yet, he’s talking to the neighbours or something.

Everyone: That’s cool! Socrates is like that.

Somebody else: We should have rules for drinking.

Everyone: Good idea, drinking too much can be bad for you.

Also Everyone: So the rules for drinking are each man should drink as much as he wants.

Somebody I forget who: We should each compose a panegyric ode to the god/concept of love.

Everyone: Yeah good idea literally no-one’s ever done that before.

[I think somebody else goes first but the first one I remember is …]

Pausanias aka “Pasta Sauce”: There’s two types of love, the common vulgar type and the higher type. The lower type is the love of the body, the higher is the love of the mind.  The lower type is for child abusers and straight men. The higher type can only be experienced between two consenting ‘of age’ men cause women don’t have minds amirite?

Some men abuse underage boys and that is shameful, but also some young boys are gold diggers/just trying to get status from their older lovers and in that case they are the shameful ones.

Being in love makes you do crazy things that would otherwise be considered crazy but it’s totally fine if it’s in the name of love.

Also the Persians are bad and homophobic (and coincidentally our enemies)

[Then it was Aristophanes’ turn]

Aristophanes: Hiccup!

Eryximachus aka “Eric Maxis”: You should hold your breath, or drink some water or just wait and I’ll go first. I’m a doctor, and love is a lot like the body, since I’m a doctor by the way, all my analogies are about the body from a medical perspective. Did you know that I’m a doctor?

Aristophanes: Now I’m totally not joking when I tell you this. Once upon a time humans were two people stuck together, with two heads, four arms and legs etc. Our backs were facing the same way as our heads and genitals. We were super happy then and this annoyed the gods. We used to cartwheel (the fastest method of travel) right up to the gods and be rude to them and they were like what are we gonna do about these humans?

So Zeus cut us in half down the middle, and turned our heads around so we’d be looking at the place we were cut and be ashamed (that’s what the bellybutton is). And then everyone was sad, except when they found another person and then they’d cling to them, all the time, to the point where they wouldn’t eat and would die. So Zeus was like let’s turn their genitals around, so now when they were clinging to each other and facing each other, they could come to something of a –resolution- of their feelings. Now they ate, but still they didn’t part from each other much.

There were three types of humans before they were split; one made of two females, one two males, and one was half male half female. So the people who came from one gender wholes are only attracted to the same gender and people from a male/female whole are attracted to the opposite gender [I never expected bi+ erasure to come from ancient Greece but there you go]

The male attracted men are the best cause that’s the most masculine. Agathon and Pausanias are totally in that group. [Wikipedia says Agathon was ‘notoriously effeminate’ so my guess is this is irony].

If you happen to find the specific half that you were separated from then you’ll be super in love and this is called soulmates.

And by the way I was totally not joking, why won’t you take me seriously? Is this cause I’m a comedy playwright?

Agathon: [Agathon has in my opinion the best speech about love, he says how it can be more than just romantic love, how it can be a passion for creating art/music etc, it’s good even though I can’t remember it that much]

Socrates: Instead of telling you my actual opinion I’m just going to quote this woman who once tried to recruit me into her mystery religion cult. [Mystery religion is an actual type of religious category, Christianity was one of them, though much later]. Her name was Diotima.

Diotima: Do you know anything about love Socrates?

Socrates: Nope I’m an idiot!

Diotima: That’s cool, I’ll tell you about it. It’s not all good and beautiful like you might think, in fact it desires what is good and beautiful so the god of love doesn’t have those things. So he’s not good and beautiful, or at least he’s somewhere inbetween, shades of grey and all that. He is the child of Poverty and Invention [I think. She goes on for ages and I can’t remember].

That’s the basic understanding of love but the only way you’ll fully understand it is if you initiate yourself into my religious cult! Just go through the initiation ritual and then you’ll have all the secrets revealed!

Socrates: And that’s my speech on love.

Everyone: Well I guess that’s it, I mean we left Socrates till last for a reason, pack your bags folks, that’s all –

Alcibiades aka “Alcopop”: [crashes through the doors] Hold my amphora!

Agathon: Hey Alcibiades we were just each saying an ode to the god of love do you want to join?

Alcibiades: I am utterly drunk so it won’t really be fair- Wait [sees Socrates] WHAT is THIS man doing here?!!!

[Socrates sighs]

Agathon: Well there’s a long and convoluted story behind it, you see someone I invited invited him, isn’t that crazy? [Ok I added that bit]

Alcibiades: Good luck trying to get me to speak in praise of love, this man [points at Socrates] REFUSES to let me praise any other man but him!

Socrates: It’s really the other way around

Alcibiades: Ok ok, I’ll compose an ode to Socrates and he can sit there and tell me if anything I say isn’t true. How about that Socrates? Would you agree to that?

Socrates: Sure

Alcibiades: Well fine then.

Alcibiades: Let me tell you what this man has done to me! I tried my hardest to seduce Socrates (and it should have been the other way around btw!) I tried to seduce him at the gym, I tried to seduce him after a dinner date, then I tried the direct approach in bed but he still refused to sleep with me!!! (Except in the literal non-sex sense). He won’t love me and it is a CRIME! Ugh but he’s such a good speaker no one else can speak like him, I want his wisdom listening to him speak is the only time that I don’t feel like I’m better than everyone else. I’m in constant awe of him even when we were in the military together he was noble and thoughtful and idiosyncratic and also saved my life that one time no matter how much salt I throw at this magnificent man GOD I can’t stop being in love with him it hurts!

Also he won’t let me sit next to Agathon cause he wants all the beautiful men to himself.

Everyone: Alcibiades we think you’re less drunk than you’re pretending to be.

[Then like, everyone in the street I guess, shows up at the party cause Alcibiades left the doors to Agathon’s house open and them’s the rules. Most people ended up crashing, Socrates stayed up all night chatting to someone (not Alcibiades or Agathon) cause he apparently is a superhuman who doesn’t get drunk, feel the cold or need to sleep.]

I’ve been a big fan of the Peter Jackson films (extended versions - nerd that I am) since I was about 11 and I think I know all of the big changes made in the adaptation: Arwen, Faramir, Aragorn falling off a cliff. I did read the first book around the same age (in the first of many waves of my lotr obsession) but I only really remembered Saruman of ‘Many Colours’.

However I have always wanted to properly know the book version of the story so finally started listening to an amazing full audio book reading by Steven Red Fox Garnett which I highly recommend:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwLvFU2onc7cPIEBee-_xMw

………………………………………………………………………………….

And here are my silly reactions and occasional analysis of the differences between book and film that I didn’t know about.  

The Fellowship of the Ring part two, one, three, four, five, six

At the Sign of the Prancing Pony

There is a Hobbit called Nob.

Frodo’s reason for accidentally disappearing is far more plausible. He was already fingering the ring in his pocket (tempted by it while nervous?) and then it slipped on while he fell.

Strider:

Aragorn has the broken sword with him?!

They know Aragorn’s name already! Having the Aragorn poem with the final line ‘the crownless again shall be king’ feels a little too unsubtle to me, but it’s difficult to judge when you know what happens. And it is one of those predictable things that doesn’t take away any enjoyment from seeing how it happens. 

Mr Butterbur had adhd probably. I feel him.

A Knife in the Dark:

Luthien saved Beren form being captured! That’s cool.

Aragorn and Arwen are related? Elrond is a descendant of Luthien, but so are the Dunadan? So Aragorn too? Oh well at least they’re not first cousins like Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. 

The Flight to the Ford:

Frodo’s a lot less sick than in the film, there’s a lot less urgency. 

Sam writes songs! His song had some good rhymes. This was very sweet, I love his shyness about (not) revealing where it came from and it being Frodo who could see it came from Sam’s own head, very shippable moment.

Glorfindel I knew about. This was of course a very good change to make in the film since Glofindel does nothing else in the story, it feels very natural for Arwen to take that place, and it sets up her relationship with Aragorn. 

I’ve been a big fan of the Peter Jackson films (extended versions - nerd that I am) since I was about 11 and I think I know all of the big changes made in the adaptation: Arwen, Faramir, Aragorn falling off a cliff. I did read the first book around the same age (in the first of many waves of my lotr obsession) but I only really remembered Saruman of ‘Many Colours’.

However I have always wanted to properly know the book version of the story so finally started listening to an amazing full audio book reading by Steven Red Fox Garnett which I highly recommend:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwLvFU2onc7cPIEBee-_xMw

..............................................................................................

And here are my silly reactions and occasional analysis of the differences between book and film that I didn’t know about.  

The Fellowship of the Ring part one, two, three, four, five, six

A Long Expected Party:

Not much is too different so far, Bilbo’s birthday is also Frodo’s birthday. Gandalf knew about Bilbo’s party trick beforehand.

The Shadow of the Past:

Gandalf is very sympathetic to Gollum here and I love that. He is in the film too but there is just more of it. He even says he believes he could be cured, although unlikely, and that there is some part of him that hasn’t been completely turned to evil. Frodo’s harshness in saying Bilbo should’ve killed Gollum makes more sense here as he has just learned that the enemy got ‘Baggins’ from Gollum. Although I do think it works better for the film’s pacing to have the scene in Moria.

Also may I say of Frodo’s age, yes he is 50, but that’s 50 for a hobbit. Hobbits come of age when they’re 33, so while it’s older than he is in the films, it’s not quite the same as 50 for a human.

Three is Company:

Why is this chapter called that? Where’s Merry? I mean he’s at the house Frodo bought but there’s such a long time without him that I’m surprised he and Pippin were introduced separately.

Each time a black rider appears Frodo is separate from Sam and Pippin so there isn’t a moment like in the film when Frodo is drawn to putting the ring on and Sam stops him. I do miss that moment.

A Shortcut to Mushrooms:

Is it a black rider? Is it that guy from the Matrix? No he can’t be he’s too short. it’s Merry! That was a good scene. Merry’s entrance was worth his absence. Pippin is Pippin like in the film, but Merry is more sensible, and there isn’t that much indication of their friendship yet.

The mushrooms given to Frodo was a nice touch :) I do like the contrast with Frodo’s childhood view of farmer Maggot and the less scary reality now that he meets him as a post rascal years adult. Something that couldn’t be fit in the film.

A Conspiracy Unmasked:

Sam! You told!

The Old Forest:

There’s SO much description and I’m sure it’s lovely if you like written description but I’m over here like just say there was some trees and a hill, done.

In the House of Tom Bombadil:

Tolkien’s environmentalism showing. The trees are not vilified for trying to kill the hobbits, their point of view, seeing people come in hacking, and destroying, is explained to some extent.

Tom Bombadil says he doesn’t own the forest, he trees etc belong to themselves (although he is master of them so)

Tom Bombadil doesn’t disappear when he puts on the ring. The whole time Frodo is silently like ‘give it back give it back give it back give it back.’ It’s already affecting him, I like that.

Fog on the Barrow-Downs: