5 Reasons Why Tauriel Is The Best Addition To The Hobbit

4. A Third Elf Makes Elven Society Three-Dimensional

In The Lord of the Rings, Legolas was "the elf." That was basically his entire personality. Elven societies were seen very little, and they were passed through quickly by the Fellowship. We don't really know much about Lothlórien or Rivendell, except that they're Elven territories. Mirkwood is different. It used to be called the Greenwood, but isn't anymore. It's filled with giant spiders which the Elves can't keep under control. The Elves live in a cave carved to look like a forest. They worship starlight that, living underground, they never see. Tauriel is unusual for having walked in the starlight, for wanting something beyond the caves. A conflict between Thranduil and Legolas would have been contained within one division of Elven society. It would have seemed like a King-Prince power struggle, and a father-son thing. Adding Tauriel to the mix - an Elf of a different race, with motivations and desires beyond the ruling caste of Mirkwood - changes things up. Tauriel cares about the world beyond the forest, something Thranduil does not and Legolas has never considered. She occupies a different place in Elven society, one outside the ruling caste: something we've never seen before. Personally, I had no idea before I saw this movie that there were other kinds of Elves, or that there would be a problem if a blonde and brunette Elf wanted to get together (I have since started the Silmarillion: do not judge me, fanboys and fangirls). Tauriel occupies a different social and political position than the other elves, and she illuminates some of the struggles taking place within the Elven community. But she also occupies a different racial position, and when emotions are added to that - emotions that violate taboos of Elven society - it makes for some very interesting drama.