The Hobbit Read-Along discussion

Mirkwood! What do you think of Middle Earth’s darkest forest, and the challenges it presents for our adventurers? (For example, hunger, the enchanted river, the spiders, etc.)

Bilbo’s really stepping up as a heroic force in these chapters, and comes to the rescue of his dwarvish companions a few times. What changes have we seen in Bilbo’s character from the first chapters? Do you think his character development was handled well/naturally by Tolkien?

The Elvenking (aka Thranduil). What do you think of the king of the wood-elves, especially his relationship with Thorin and the dwarves? And the wood-elves in general, how would you compare them with the elves of Rivendell?

We see a few pretty significant differences between the book and the movie in these chapters. What do you think of the way Mirkwood was portrayed in the movies? And how does the addition of Legolas and Tauriel change the elf sequence?

In my opinion, Mirkwood was excellently portrayed in the movies (even if the butterflies were black and Bilbo couldn't see the Lonely Mountain once he climbed the trees, ha!). I also like the Legolas' presence there. Tolkien didn't create his character yet, when he wrote The Hobbit, but it's more than possible that he was actually there. Concerning Tauriel, I think she could be put aside along the story, but I can't help but loving her character.