Category: The Hobbit

Bard is not just an ordinary smuggler. Well, to be honest, he is not a smuggler at all, but a man who is willing to risk his own life and freedom for the chance to help the Dwarves cross the Long Lake. Even with spies surrounding his usual routes and his home, he is able to sneak the Dwarves into his home, welcoming them into the privacy of his own dwelling, so as to keep them from being discovered.

The Dwarves have finally reached Lake-town, a little cold, a little smelly, a little frustrated, but all in all safe. Whatever their escape route now is they need to follow Bard in order to remain as inconspicuous as possible. It would not bode well for Bard to be seen smuggling Dwarves, given his reputation with the Master. Nevertheless, upon risk for his own life, he takes these Dwarves into his custody.

The wide shot of Lake-town reveals a staggering amount of work the digital wizards of Weta Digital have conjured up. It is not only intricately done in houses’ placement, level of deterioration due to water, or the destitute look of it all, it has also an atmosphere that is mysterious as well as unwelcoming.

The Dwarves have boarded the barge. Bard has taken on the risk of his life and his livelihood to help the Dwarves cross the lake by way of Lake-town. An impenetrable fog lies over the lake making it impossible for the Dwarves or Bard to navigate clearly and safely through it. The fog also gives an atmosphere of mystery, sailing into the unknown as it were. The world of Men and their kingdoms on land differ greatly from the town they are about to enter. 

After having helped the Dwarves escape their lands by protecting them from Orcs, Tauriel and Legolas return to their kingdom in order to interrogate the one Orc they left alive for just this purpose. It is important for them to know why this particular Orc pack was following the company. On the surface of it all, it does not make much sense to them.

The company has reached “safety”. Though they cannot see an Orc pack behind them does not mean they are out of immediate danger. They are wet, cold and unarmed, sitting ducks for the Orcs. 

While the Dwarves are busy floating around in their barrels, in hopes of outrunning the Orcs, Gandalf is facing an evil that if left untouched will take over Middle-Earth. The quest for Erebor would then be just a dream a company of Dwarves once had. In his capacity as quest instigator Gandalf had fallen short, leaving the Dwarves to their own devices, which have landed them in cells of the Woodland Realm.

Drinking Elves. For a race that holds itself above all others in grace, beauty, and wisdom, it is hard to imagine they would take to such worldly pleasures as drinking wine. The Feast of Starlight does not appear to be just a celebration of celestial wonders but of earthly as well. It is not that their power diminishes with our knowledge of their wine drinking, but their reputation cannot hold them as the infallible immortals they are.

Thorin has insulted King Thranduil with his style of rhetoric and simultaneously rejected his offer of freedom from subsequent incarceration in return for the White Gems of Lasgalen. Because of his pride and stubborn countenance his entire company has been incarcerated into the jail cells of the Woodland Realm. The one they have not captured and of whom they know nothing about, will soon become a thorn in their side. 

The Woodland Realm. Not the fairy tale place of graceful Elves that one would have imagined it to be. Somehow the atmosphere is much more tense, much darker and devoid of any kind of magic. Bilbo is not in the light yet to give his opinion of the place, but I’m sure Thorin would have one to share with anyone who would listen. While all the members of the company are locked in their cells, Thorin stands alone before King Thranduil.