The 200th Episode 24-Hour Harry Potter Commentary Marathon (Page 11 of 14)

I- I- I don't understand what's going on...

You're not even gonna like... call me a fag or anything? I just- convinced you? Not even gonna maybe...like... insult my mother or something??

This is so weird.

-whew- Thanks Trey.

Thought I was losing it for a minute there.

Finally, a polite discussion that actually has a conclusion.

Mark this day, ladies and gentlemen, for it will never come again

I didn't think Ron was particularly funny in the books. If anything, Rupert gave him a bit of life, at least in the first three films. Regardless, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more useless sidekick in all of fiction.

Your four examples come from book 1 and book 7, and at least one of them he actively tried to get out of doing. Merry & Pippin bring the ents, light the signal fire to bring the Riders of Rohan, and help Eowyn kill the Witch-King, three of the most important events in the story.

And Hermione doesn't do a whole lot? What do you mean? She has the answer to everything and casts nearly all the spells outside of fights. Except for the fact that she has all the courage of a little old lady, one could rationally argue that Harry and Ron are HER sidekicks.

Last edited by Zarban (2013-12-02 21:53:37)

SS: She (misguidedly) sets Snape's robes on fire. She figures out most of the mystery. She immobilizes Neville. She beats the plant guardian and the potions challenge.

CoS: She creates the polyjuice potion. She solves the mystery despite being paralyzed for months.

PoA: She punches Draco in the nose. She fights by Harry's side in the Shrieking Shack. She fixes everything with the time turner.

GoF: She helps Harry with the challenges. She keeps Victor Krum from winning the tournament that he is clearly best suited for by distracting him with--one assumes--blowjobs.

OotP: She starts Dumbledore's Army. She arranges the Quibbler interview that changes people's minds. She tricks Umbridge into going into the forest. She fights by Harry's side in the Ministry of Magic.

HBP: She mostly gives Harry bad advice but does help fight off the Death Eaters in the school at the end.

DH: She does all the prep and most of the advanced spell-casting. She makes the polyjuice potion to get them into the Ministry of Magic. She helps find the locket and destroy the diadem. She fights by Harry's side repeatedly.

Last edited by Zarban (2013-12-02 23:03:44)

I'm with Darth Praxus on this one, Ron is not useless by any stretch of the imagination, but I don't think he's there to serve the same kind of purpose you want to judge him by Zarbs.

He is there as, not a foil, but at least a sounding board for how screwed up Harry's existence is inside the magic world. Along with being the only one of the 3 who has street knowledge about the wizarding world, (Harry and Hermione both being raised in the Muggle world. Granted he's a bit of an idiot sometimes about some stuff, but hey we all have that friend), he's also the only one that can really give a bit of perspective to us (the reader) about Harry and his fame. He's the friend that always get's shafted because his friend is famous, he always gets shafted because his family is poor. He always get's shafted because he's a bit of an idiot. And there's an incredible amount of tension there that obviously comes to a head in DH, but there's also a very strong friendship there.

So while he might not do much to progress the "plot" of the story, he doesn't have too, he gives us a lot of perspective about the world and the other 2, and in a lot of ways is the most sane of the three. He's, to get incredibly cliched, the heart of the group. Hermione is the brains obviously, and Harry is the courage, but without Ron I think they tend to get very wrapped up in their own heads, Hermione because she is so intellectual and Harry because he is so confused, Ron is always the one that brings the problem back down the dirt level.

Sorry bit of a wandering path of thought in this one, hopefully it makes sense.

Here is what Ron actually does. I'd like some examples of Ron bringing the other two down to earth, because I think that's wishful thinking, an attempt to invent a role for him, especially since he literally abandons his friends in 4 and 7 and somewhat in 6, when he spends time with Lavender.

SS: He befriends Harry and introduces him to the Wizarding World. He knocks out the troll. He beats the chess challenge.

CoS: He helps rescue Harry from the Dursleys and gets him to school in the flying car. He helps discover Draco is not the heir of Slytherin with the polyjuice potion. He helps Harry escape the giant spiders.

PoA: He does pretty much nothing but help stun Snape in the Shrieking Shack.

GoF: He mostly abandons Harry but does warn him about the dragon challenge.

OotP: He joins Dumbledore's Army but little else until he fights by Harry's side in the Ministry of Magic.

HBP: He mostly gives Harry bad advice but helps fight off the Death Eaters in the school at the end.

DH: He mostly abandons Harry but does help destroy the locket and diadem [edit: and cup]. He fights by Harry's side in the second half.

Last edited by Zarban (2013-12-02 23:39:05)

He also stands by Harry when the whole school turns against him in Chamber and OotP. If you like, he serves as Harry's emotional support, and Hermione is his intellectual support. Loyalty like Ron's is nothing to sneeze at, which is a point that Rowling hammers home.

Hermione does almost nothing in 4 as well, save helping Harry practice his Summoning Charm. Her distraction of Krum did nothing to stop his winning in the end; Moody/Crouch would've Imperiused him either way. And in 5, he helps Ginny, Luna and Neville escape from the Inquisitorial Squad whilst Hermione and Harry keep Umbridge busy.

But he always came back. Han Solo did no better.

Last edited by Abbie (2013-12-02 23:38:09)

From DH, Chapter: The Silver Doe

"There was a pause in which the subject of Ron's departure  seemed to rise like a wall between them. Yet he was here. He had returned. He had just saved Harry's life."

And then later in the scene, after they killed the Horcrux.

"'After you left,' he said in a low voice, grateful for the fact that Ron's face was hidden, 'she cried for a week. Probably longer, only she didn't want to see me. There were loads of nights when we never even spoke to each other. With you gone...'
    He could not finish it; it was only now Ron was here again that Harry fully realized how much his absence had had cost them."

Paragraph later.

"'I'm  sorry,' he said in a thick voice. 'I'm sorry I left. I know I was a- a-'
    He looked around the darkness, as if hoping a bad enough word would swoop down upon him and claim him.
    'You've sort of made up for it tonight,' said harry. 'getting the sword. Finishing off the horcrux. Saving my life.'
    'That makes it sound a lot cooler than it was,' Ron mumbled.
'Stuff like that always sound cooler than it was," said Harry. 'I've been trying to tell you that for years.'
    Simultaneously they walked forwards and hugged, Harry gripping the still sopping back of Ron's jacket.' "

Han Solo was specifically presented as a mercenary without loyalty. His return hailed the completion of his change into a loyal friend.

Ron's return serves mostly to point out that Hermione is, in addition to being smarter and more capable, also more loyal than he is.

I denigrate Ron largely because I believe Rowling denigrated him. She subconsciously wanted Ron to be weak, insecure, capricious, poor, and dumb so that he was not a threat to Hermione's independence in any way. She constructed the "perfect" marriage partner for her avatar to make up for her own abusive marriage.

Perhaps.

Testing is great. Failing that test twice demonstrates that his loyalty is not unwavering. How many times does a husband need to cheat on his wife before it's considered infidelity?

Last edited by Zarban (2013-12-03 00:48:18)