Narnian_Badger wrote:So, that being said, I can see there being a possibility of Jill forming a
crush on Rillian in that last 20-15% of the film, and Eustace feeling "totally not jealous what are you talking about... maybe a bit" in reaction.
I don't think it'd be that bad, and it wouldn't destroy the characters as long as it stays kind of understated.
You know, that's an interesting thought. One thing that's worth considering is that after Rilian is freed from the enchantment, he's an extremely courteous fellow. He shows concern for Jill after the slaying of the serpent, calls her damsel and says that she is of a high courage and noble blood. When they've left the dark castle and want to catch a gnome for questioning, Jill worries that all of them will come rushing at them as soon as they grab one, and Rilian says, "Then, Madam, you shall see us die fighting around you, and you must commend yourself to the Lion."
That's some serious chivalry right there.
I wouldn't blame any girl for looking a bit starry-eyed upon hearing something like that,
especially a girl like Jill Pole who gives the impression of someone who's been forgotten and passed over for most of her life. I could also imagine that Eustace would see the look on her face and think something along the lines of, "Bother, I already nearly killed myself jumping off a cliff to save you, and I don't remember you looking starry-eyed about
that."
The thing is, neither of those reactions are indicative of having a crush per se, though I imagine that people could perceive it that way if they wanted to do so. I'd say that it's more along the lines of Jill being touched and impressed by Rilian's courtly manner and being treated like a lady and someone of value, while Eustace is a bit annoyed and jealous because he thinks he's been forgotten. It doesn't have to be romantic at all, though it may be enough to appease Hollywood at the same time.
Meltintalle wrote:It's my opinion that even if no love triangle or romance is written, shippers will find hints of one anyway. So I'd rather go the route of characters interacting in the script, and leave any potential mushiness up to the imagination of the viewer. It'll be more convincing when it's not about what they say but what they don't say... pleaseohpleasefingerscrossed.
Ditto.
I also think that, going forward with the films, following the books as closely as possible is very important as well. That way, Eustace/Jill shippers and Jill/Tirian shippers will still see all of the "moments" that led them to adopt their ship in the first place, and the non-shippers won't be crying foul because it was already in the book. Everyone's happy!
Meltintalle wrote:Introducing a Narnian potential romantic interest for Rillian is interesting, but leaves you with the glaring question of, "But why didn't she go with the children instead of Puddleglum?" and we don't need to go there unless someone can come up with a cast iron reason why it would be utterly impractical for this hypothetical female to join the quest.
That's a very good point; I hadn't thought of that.
Well, there's the fact that King Caspian forbade anyone from going looking for his son, after so many of the questers didn't return. Still, if she loves him, you think she'd go anyway. (If she's a dryad, though, there may be a limit on how far or long you can wander from your tree before needing to return.) Plus, if the girl doesn't know about the signs, she can't be expected to try to come with them.
Also, at the end of chapter four when the owls are discussing who will go with the children, they say, "If they want to go that way—into Ettinsmoor—we must take them to one of the Marsh-wiggles. They're the only people who can help them much." My best guess is that because the Marsh-wiggles already lived close to the North and were somewhat familiar with the ways of the giants, and were also accustomed to living out-of-doors in a flat, treeless, windy expanse of land, they were especially suited for assisting Jill and Eustace on their quest. It's very interesting, though; I'd never paid much attention to that part before.