Galadriel and Gandalf: A Not So Romantic Story

Can I complain about something? Ever since the teaser trailer for The Hobbit came out last December, people have been freaking about the scene where Gandalf and Galadriel are standing on some balcony in Rivendell, and Galadriel reaches out and touches Gandalf's hair. The scene can't be more than three seconds long, but people are reading all kinds of innuendo into it.

Gandalf and Galadriel in the Trailer

*Gasp! Is Peter Jackson going to have Gandalf and Galadriel fall in love? That never happens in the book! WHAT CAN HE BE THINKING???

To find out if these two old folks are really about to "share a moment" read on:

For a small sample of the mass hysteria that's hit Hobbit fandom, check out this article from Wired.

Now, if Peter Jackson had filled the original LOTR movies with steamy moments between Frodo and Arwen, or Merry and Eowyn, I might be able to understand the panic that is gripping everyone. But he didn't. In fact, he was remarkably true to the books, in which the characters behave like normal human beings used to before the advent of Hollywood and Soap Operas, when suddenly every relationship had to have a potential sexual side. No really, it's true. Weird as this may sound, good friends in Lord of the Rings actually hug just to show they care. Bizarre. And when people are suffering or worried in the stories, their friends step in and try to comfort them . . . and not the dirty kind of comfort.

Gandalf and Galadriel are thousands of years old and they've known each other for thousands of years. Isn't it possible that they might share a deep bond of friendship? And since neither of them was ever shown to be duplicitous in the slightest, can't we give Ol' PJ the benefit of the doubt and assume that Galadriel might just be trying to help Gandalf through a difficult moment? I would imagine so.

The funny thing is, there was a scene exactly like this in the extended edition of FOTR, and nobody has ever gone all weak-in-the-knees about it. Check it out below:

Galadriel and Aragorn

Remember this part? The Fellowship is about to take off down the river Anduin and Aragorn is feeling some doubts about a lot of different things: the death of Gandalf, his role as future king, his ability to lead the Fellowship and his desires for a future with Arwen. I mean, the guy has a lot on his plate at the moment. And what does that flirt Galadriel do? She actually reaches up and touches his cheek! Gross! He probably got major cooties from that one. What was she thinking? Doesn't she know she's Arwen's grandma??

Just in case you didn't believe that lump of dark hair is Aragorn

There you have it from another angle folks. And come on, all joking aside, there is nothing flirtatious about this moment. Aragorn is down in the dumps and Galadriel is trying to help him out. Thats it.

Plus, has anybody thought through the ramifications of Galadriel and Gandalf going out on the town together? Elrond is married to Galadriel's daughter, Celebrian . . . wouldn't that make all those White Council meetings awkward? Plus, Arwen would have to deal with the emotional damage of watching her grandparents break up . . . not to mention the fact that Gandalf is her betrothed's best friend. And then there's poor Aragorn who'd have to deal with the fact that his best bud, Gandalf, is hooking up with his potential Grandma-in-law. Weird . . .

Clearly, outside of an episode of  Days of Our Lives, the notion of Gandalf and Galadriel being in love is just too silly to even think about. So stop. Now.

Well, that's it for this week.

Next time: Bilbo Baggins, Burglar Extraordinaire