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LotR: 5 Lovable Yet Hate-able Characters

With the new year comes the final Lord of the Rings blog post in our series. You can check out our previous posts, 5 characters we love and 5 characters we hate if you need to catch up. I’ve recently begun reading Tolkien’s The Silmarillion and it’s been interesting learning about the history of Middle Earth. Maybe Peter Jackson will make a movie about it next?

For now, here is our third list, which discusses the top five characters from the trilogy that we know we’re supposed to love but who seriously test our compassion. Some of our reasons may seem trivial, but trust me, when you’ve read the books and seen the movies as many times as we have certain things start to get really annoying. So without further ado, SPOILERS AHEAD!

 1. Gollum. Pretty obvious choice here; Gollum is even on Gollum’s list of lovable yet hate-able characters (too soon?). Gollum is a pitiful character: so pitiful that you just want to cuddle him and tell him that everything is going to be okay. Is that just me? Even so, you can’t help but root for the little river hobbit. And then want to just wring his little river hobbit’s neck. You root for him through the whole series, and he continually screws everything up. Even his death (which admittedly brought about the end of the ring) was purely accident and his wasted life ended with him on the dark side. Whether he’s singing a soulful fish-tenderizing lullaby, spitting in Sam’s coney stew, or purposefully leading our heroes into Shelob’s Lair, Gollum’s mix of pitiful cowering and conniving obsession earns him the top spot on the list of lovable yet hate-able characters.

 2. Boromir. We want to like you so much! Why do you keep trying to take the ring from Frodo? We know it’s hard, but Aragorn resists it, Faramir conquers its pull; even characters like Galadriel or Gandalf, who stand to gain everything by taking the ring, overcome the desire. I know one does not simply resist the ultimate ring of power, but as the resident hero of Gondor it’s your responsibility to be a cut above the rest. At least you die a hero, saving two of our most lovable characters.

 3. Eowyn. You’re kick-butt awesome action girl. We know you are no man (even though Merry’s calf-stab to the Witch-King is what really killed him) and that you’re fearless in battle.  But Aragorn is number one on our most lovable characters list, and you seriously wouldn’t leave him alone.  If he’s still wearing the necklace his lost elf maiden gave him, then he’s probably not ready to move on. Take a hint. There are plenty of strapping Rohirrim homeboys for you to flirt with, and we wholly approve of your wedding with Faramir. While giving all repressed LotR women a massive lift, your annoying flirtations place you square in the middle of our list. 

 4. Galadriel. You’re creepy. That may be the only thing that annoys us. You’re super powerful, and in the movie you’re played by Cate Blanchett, which is very cool. We kind of didn’t know what to think of you; first you’re all sad that Gandalf died, then you’re going all inception on everyone’s mind, then you’re giving out gifts and seducing dwarves, then you’re turning into Hulk-Galadriel and showing Frodo the doom of the Shire. There’s a lot of stuff going on, and it was difficult for us to get a read on you. In the end, you are pretty cool and help Frodo, and you rock one of the Rings of Power, so you’re lovable enough.

(As an aside: WHY are you stroking Gandalf’s face in The Hobbit trailer?  I really hope Mr. Jackson doesn’t go for a love story there; Gandalf totally isn’t your type.)

 5. Elrond. We know that we may be committing LotR-nerd treason here, but this is more of a judgement on the movie version. All props to Elrond; mad three-quarters elf-warrior, wise Ringwraith-wound healer, complete package kind of guy. He even urges Isildur to destroy the Ring (and let’s be honest: Elrond was a tackle away from ending evil from the beginning). But your father skills are a little wack. It’s not like Arwen was pining for Boromir; she was pining for freaking Aragorn.  Are you seeing a trend of how characters who slight Aragorn find their way onto our hated list? If there is ANY guy worth perhaps missing an eternity in the Grey Havens for, it’s Aragorn. Elrond, we know you were just trying to protect your daughter; but there’s some bigger stuff going on here. End of the World/Final Battle and Judgement type of stuff. Like we said, you’re a great guy and a pretty awesome elf. If you had just manned up and considered your daughter’s happiness, you wouldn’t find yourself here at the end of our most lovable yet hate-able characters list.

Honorable Mention:

- Treebeard: Let’s be honest, very very cool character. However, your Entmoot decision not to help the hobbits was a little hasty. C’mon, not helping Merry and Pippin? Forsaking Middle Earth? Not cool. You still redeemed yourself in the end; we appreciate your help in washing the filth of Saruman away.

And there you have it, a list of the most lovable and hate-able characters from LotR. We’ll see you next year after The Hobbit premieres! ;)

This post has been a collaboration between myself, Jason and Michael. The list was created with the help of Amie and Danielle.

(Photo sources can be found here: Gollum, Boromir, Eowyn, Galadriel, Elrond)

  1. purplelephant posted this