In Defense of “The Rings of Power”

                I know what you are thinking; “It’s woke crap and should be shunned.” I partially agree with you, but it’s woke in the right way. Allow me to make my case. Don’t stop reading there, I think I can convince you. If you know anything about my blogging, you know I try to think about what I’m writing about well before typing out the words. I have been sitting on this for a week and after rewatching the first episode last night, I’m convinced my initial impression was wrong. In fact, I think I may have fallen into a bit of “mass formation” with how I viewed the show before it was ever released. Let’s discuss.

                So first off, the main issue was the casting decisions. There seems to be some worry from both normies and the narrower (race) minded individuals for some very different reasons. Let’s steel man the argument before I tear it apart. The worry (other than from the actual racists) seems to be that if the show is so lassaiz faire in it’s casting regarding the characters then there is no way they are going to be faithful to the source material and this is all just a big cash grab. Well, I’m sure they want to make money, so let’s set that critique aside, because duh. Let’s spend some time on the first portion of that argument. I also felt that way. When I saw the trailer and the fight scene with the snow troll it seemed to me that the series would be campy and unserious. I was wrong. The casting decision, from a strictly external and visual POV seem out of place, based on Tolkien’s description of the races of Middle Earth and Ardor. 

                This superficial look at the casting becomes mute once you think about it for more than 30 seconds. The main argument against wokeism is that it no longer looks at the content of one’s character, but instead focuses on immutable characteristics. Yes, when you look at these casting decisions and complain about actors being cast in roles that they are capable of playing, because of the color of their skin, then you don’t really care about the idea of skill or talent. You are making a decision based on the color of one’s skin, an immutable characteristic. So, for one second, let’s assume that the writers, casting directors, director, and the whole supporting cast loves Tolkien and that instead of searching for the perfect look, they hired those who wanted to act the part.

                Tolkien is a very Eurocentric writer, especially coming out of WWI, where he created most of what would later be LOTR and The Hobbit. It only makes sense that he envisioned characters that looked like him at least in hue. We in America live in a much more diverse country, and our media is diverse, and everyone is just out there in all their splendor and beauty. Americans have been feeling a little split lately. The continental United States has never been a purely white country. Europe on the other hand is where white people come from. So, Tolkien making characters of fair hue and pasty skin seems to make sense. 

                Europe is also home to many black people who in some cases fled the horror of slavery after it was outlawed in the UK. Much of that talent descends from former slaves who, as I always said growing up in Texas, “Got the hell out of Dodge”. They grew up in the homeland of Tolkien and appreciate the lore and characters as much as I do. 

                Why then, shouldn’t Ismael Cordova, who plays Arondir, be able to play the hell out of a Sauron hating elf. Why shouldn’t Sophia Nomvete play Princess Disa? Neither are major characters in the Silmarillion, and neither take away from the story. In fact, I find Sophia’s performance of Disa pretty awesome. The accent, the attitude, the entire package. It’s wonderful. Arondir has yet to show his true purpose and potential, but aside from the initial reaction, he has pulled it off. His sorrow at cutting down a tree could be felt. What’s more elf than that? There are other minor characters that at initial glance seem out of place. Maybe it’s time to make “judge me by my ability and not my skin color” more than just a catch phrase. Maybe, just maybe acting is pretending to be something you are not, and that’s what is happening here.

                Yes, I think it’s safe to watch The Rings of Power, set aside the petty skin-deep character judgement, and to allow yourself to enjoy a piece of work that is obviously created by fans. The condensed timeline seems to be holding true to the spirit of Middle Earth, with minor changes to prevent a story from arcing over thousands of years. I recommend it. If you fell for the bait, then I try to shed some cognitive dissonance and watch it for what it is, a story that holds true to Tolkien’s spirit.