It's understandable that Jackson would want to create more female roles for The Hobbit - without Galadriel and Tauriel present there are practically none at all. But creating Tauriel just for the purpose of facilitating a cross-species love triangle isn't just bad - it's insulting, and backwards, and negates whatever Jackson was trying to achieve. It might at the very least be palatable if the relationship between Kili and Tauriel was in any way convincing - but it really isn't. Having two people stare lovingly at each other while soppy music plays in the background isn't how you construct a meaningful relationship. This is the scene when fan's concerns were confirmed - Jackson really had nothing meaningful to offer by splitting The Hobbit into three films. Sure, there was some interesting Sauron stuff, but was it really worth the likes of this?