Of the many characters that were changed or created for Peter Jackson's film adaptations of the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, Tauriel is possibly one of the most interesting, and also the most polarizing. On one hand, lots of fans felt that it was really important to have a strong female character in these very male-orientated stories, the main characters are 13 male dwarves, a male wizard, and a male hobbit after all. Even Smaug the mighty dragon is male, so it was definitely a more inclusive choice for Peter Jackson to add an awesome female elven warrior, who is great with a bow and arrow, skilled with blades, and also highly intelligent and witty.
On the other hand, many fans feel that Tauriel is a very problematic addition to the movies, predominantly because of the love triangle surrounding her, Kili the dwarf, and Legolas (who is also not in the original Hobbit text). Not only is the romance controversial in itself, it also creates a lot of contention with the disapproval of Thranduil, Legolas’s father, making him out to be a less than savory character, it also distracts from the story, the quest to reclaim Erebor under the Lonely Mountain, and the search for the Arkenstone. But there is one scene in particular, above all else, that made fans worldwide feel very disappointed with how Peter Jackson and his amazing creative team decided to portray Tauriel’s character.
The Battle of the Five Armies is messy, and blood-thirsty, and full of elaborate gags and un-needed drama, as the orcs invade from Dol-Guldur, a host of flying bat-like creatures spring from Gundabad, and chaos ensues. But within this seemingly random and anarchic strategy, there is a secret trap lying in wait for Thorin, Fili and Kili, the only remaining 3 heirs of Durin’s direct line. They are lured up to Ravenhill, where an uncharacteristically large and brutish orc by the name of Bolg is lying in wait.
Bolg's sole purpose is to wipe out these three dwarves, in order to weaken Erebor, and claim the kingdom for his master The Necromancer (who later turns out to be Sauron) Gandalf and Bilbo are the first to realize that it is a set-up, and foresee the danger that their friends are in, and Bilbo slips on the ring of power that he found in Gollum’s cave, and hurries up the mountain unseen by the enemy. But there is another character who has also realized the terrible trick that is being played, and rushes to the aid of the dwarf that she has begun to fall in love with.
By the time Tauriel reaches Kili at the top of Ravenhill, he has just watched his twin brother Fili be slaughtered in front of his eyes by Bolg. In a fit of rage, he pursues the orc, as does Tauriel, who gets there first and enters into a one-on-one battle with him. It is clear from the offset that Tauriel is outmatched, as Bolg picks her up and throws her against the rocks on the side of the mountain. This stunt in itself required a huge mechanism to pull the stunt double off her feet, and smash her against the large, hard edges of the set.
Although it looks very realistic in the films, many fans had trouble accepting the scene, because of what quickly follows. Bolg picks Tauriel up by the throat, and at this point, Kili arrives to defend her. Tauriel is cast aside, beaten and bruised, and can do nothing but watch as Bolg drives his massive dagger straight through Kili’s chest, killing him instantly.
This is one of the worst moments of the whole trilogy for Tauriel’s character because it is the first time in the history of watching these Middle Earth film adaptations that the audience sees an elf lose a fight or a battle, which instantly highlights Tauriel as a weaker character than any of the other elves previously portrayed. And what’s worse, not only does she fail to defeat her enemy, but it also results in the death of her closest loved one, which only adds to the blame and disappointment that people felt when they watched it.
There was a similar scene filmed for Thorin’s death, in which Dwalin, his most loyal cousin, was battling a hoard of orcs to try to reach Thorin before he could be killed by Azog. Ultimately, the ending was the same, with Thorin sacrificing himself in order to rid the world of the evil white orc, but in this version, Dwalin witnessed Thorin’s death, and could do nothing to save him because he arrived too late.
Peter Jackson and the directorial team decided to take this scene out because they didn’t want to show a dwarf failing. They felt that it didn’t fit right for the majesty of Dwalin’s character, which only makes it more frustrating that they held one standard for him, but another one entirely for Tauriel, who could have been the fierce, iconic and awe-inspiring female character she was intended as, but instead was made to be another undermined woman in the movie adaptations who fell utterly short of expectations.
