The character development of Galadriel (Rings of Power) - reupload

I've been thinking a lot about The Rings of Power and certain aspects of it specifically. I've seen the accusations that it's bad writing more times than I would care to count. I don't believe that to be true. The Prime series is one of the best-written shows I have ever seen. And the number one accusation I see people being wrong about is, of course, Galadriel.

I have something of an upper hand here as I relate to this version of Galadriel on a deep level and thus it's possible I see and understand more of her than others. But of course, just Haters being Haters is very much present here. Whatever the case I'd like to explain what I noticed about Galadriel's character.

Galadriel starts out on the show as a single-minded, vengefully driven character. Or so it seems on the surface. Those who see beneath that see that she is deeply hurt. Galadriel has an immeasurable amount of pain and loneliness in her eyes since the first scene playing out in the present. While she is single-minded and does anything to get what she wants, there's one thing people seem to miss: that's not all she is. It shows in little moments that Galadriel has a personality beyond the bitch people have labeled her as. She gives up the expedition when her crew refuses to go further, is humble before her king, and sets out on that ship (even if she does abandon it). In short: Galadriel knows there are lines and knows when she's going too far. And yes, she's attempting to cross those lines often, but she also knows when she needs to stop and can't go further.

Now I see why people are tempted to say she pulled a 180 from episode 6 to 7 (the eruption of Orodruin and its aftermath): she does act very differently rather suddenly. But that is not the whole truth nor is it as simple as just bad writing. For starters, not all of her character development happens when Mount Doom erupts.

Galadriel's character development starts in Númenor with the strict set of rules set upon her. Back in Middle-Earth, she was used to being able to get what she wanted with minimal effort. It's not like Elrond or even Gil-Galad could stop her from pursuing Sauron. Suddenly she's on an island she can't get off of, people dislike her, and she is to be confined within a single building. The lines had tightened and she couldn't seem to break through, which was a blow to her pride.

Elendil was the second step. He and Galadriel became friends rather quickly. They seemed to have an understanding of each other that even they didn't seem aware of. But if you think about it, they're both hurt and while Elendil is trying to cover it up, it's still visible in his eyes. I believe they subconsciously caught onto each other's pain and it allowed them to bond. This was an important part of Galadriel's character as much of her pain comes from loneliness. She believes that no one can understand how she feels. Even if she doesn't realize it, the comfort of someone who does understand something of her pain is real.

Halbrand, of course, is part of her character development. The truth about Galadriel persuing Sauron is that it's the only thing keeping her going. She's not letting herself heal from all the hurt, and because of that, she can't find any meaning in life, so to speak. Chasing Sauron, keeping up the fight, is an excuse to keep being in this war-like state she was in for a long time. She, on a deep level, doesn't want to let go of that hurt because it's the only thing connecting her to what she's lost, so she's keeping it alive by refusing to give up the fight. Where Halbrand comes into this is that suddenly, she's not just fighting an enemy. The fantasy she made up of Halbrand, the lost king in exile, chased from his homeland by servants of Sauron, is giving her an opportunity. Saving Halbrand and the Southlands, she now has purpose and someone to fight for rather than just aimlessly hunting someone for her own satisfaction.

The sense of purpose provided by her image of Halbrand and the companionship provided by Elendil both work to make her feel something that isn't pain or emptiness.

Míriel provides an interesting part of Galadriel's development: a challenge she can't overcome with brute force or even her iron-clad pride. Míriel is unyielding and when Galadriel tries to get her way by means of intimidation and argument, she finds herself locked up. It is then that she gets advice from Halbrand. His advice is best summed up as manipulation. He advises Galadriel to look at the queen's emotions, locate her fear and give her a means of mastering it, so she can master her. Galadriel does use this twisted piece of advice. But perhaps most interestingly, it gives her a change of perspective. She's used to viewing everything as a warrior, everyone is an opponent to be defeated. Halbrand's advice urges her to look at people as people and identify their feelings. Galadriel is an empathetic person and we've seen evidence of that even before this lovely exchange with Halbrand, but when she gets into that headspace of "nothing but the mission matters", she doesn't take those feelings into consideration. This advice encourages her to do just that and Galadriel seems to pay much more attention to the feelings of those around her afterwards.

Her new-gained sense of purpose and heroism only grows when they actually make it to the Southlands and save its people. By this point, she has also grown closer with both Halbrand and Elendil and has made a connection with Míriel as well. She is much more positively driven and when one looks in her eyes they now convey hope, caring, and a sense of purpose. They're not as lifeless anymore as they were when the story started. Then, Orodruin erupts. In episode 7, the Southlanders and Númenorians are facing the aftermath of the eruption of Mount Doom, and Galadriel specifically is accompanying Theo to the Númenorian encampment. This section holds a particularly unique part of Galadriel's character development: she realizes the problems with her way. There are two major components of this.

One is the aftermath itself. Númenorians, good people, are injured, missing, or dead because they followed her to Middle-Earth. She pushed forward without any thought as to what the consequences of her actions could be. And now she and many others, including ones she grew to care for, are left to deal with those consequences. She sees this and clearly realizes that she needs to change that.

The other is Theo. Galadriel is with this fourteen-year-old who just lost his home and potentially his loved ones as well. In one of the first scenes they share, Theo sees the orcs and declares that they need to fight them, and get vengeance. When Galadriel tells him it's over, there's no way to save the Southlands, Theo declares that for him, it isn't over, he won't allow it. Galadriel has to physically hold him down to stop him as she tells him, that he must allow it to be over. She then pauses and one can pinpoint the exact moment she sees her own reflection in the boy as she repeats her words more quietly and almost to herself this time. Theo is her reflection. Not to the full extent, but it's enough. Galadriel sees the parallels between them and thus gets an external view of her own inner world. But she also sees the things she knows Theo should and shouldn't do, like keep on fighting when there's nothing to fight for anymore, and by extension, she should and shouldn't be doing. That is why she spends the rest of their journey speaking to Theo, advising him best as she can. She sees the ways in which his pain reflects hers, and she wants to steer him away from the path she took.

Galadriel, by the time we get to episode 8 (the last episode of the season) is vastly different from the Galadriel we first met. She's more patient, aware of her actions and involvement, has more life in her eyes, and no longer looks like someone who wants to commit suicide. She also clearly accepted the fact that she needs to change and has a lot more improving to do. The final moment that was a catalyst for character development is the truth about Halbrand and his journey in her mind. When Galadriel learned the truth about Halbrand, the illusion she herself created, came crashing down. Halbrand isn't some long-lost king of the Southlands, he is Sauron himself. A world shattered in Galadriel. As established, she not only had a bond with Halbrand, but his situation gave her something to fight for and a sense of purpose. Suddenly, that was gone. It was more than a sense of betrayal. It was nothing short of an existential crisis. Not only did Galadriel rush into a battle, with no regard for consequence, that harmed innocents, but she did it for a lie. A lie she had no one but herself to blame for. And in that moment, she also lost a friend. Betrayal is a truly painful wound and Halbrand made it perhaps even worse by trying to uphold the illusion. Galadriel, in her last (for now) moment of character development, realized that not only was she charging at every obstacle without any thought, but she had also grown blind to things simply because of her pride.

Ultimately, Galadriel has several tiny pieces to her character development that are visible to anyone watching the show and willing to view it deeper than surface level. The problem is, many people aren't, so she gets labeled as a poorly written character, one-dimensional, unlikeable, and having a 180 in how her personality changes. But all these just simply aren't true. Galadriel's character was masterfully constructed with thought and executed amazingly.