NFL
By Keith Richards
The moment we have all been waiting for is here! Yesterday, HBO Max released the first teaser trailer for the Harry Potter and Philosopher’s Stone TV series. For better or worse, this is one of the most highly anticipated TV series in recent history. We still have not seen a single episode, but the Philosopher’s Stone series has already divided Potterheads. However, that’s not what I’m here today.
Today, I’m here to talk about what I think and the things I would like to see. To understand where I’m coming from, though, you must understand my level of Potterhead. The general consensus is that there are three types of Potterheads:
- Purebloods – The book purists
- Halfbloods – The fans who equally like the books and movies
- Muggleborns – The fans who only like the movies and/or have never read the books
Which one am I? I am an unapologetic pureblood. Don’t get me wrong. Potterhead loyalty is the highest loyalty. So, most of the movies I saw were at midnight. However, overall, I despise the movie. The books are so pure. Yes, there are some areas I disagree with, but not many. From the Philosopher’s Stone to Deathly Hallows, Rowling tells an almost flawless story. There is so much changed by the movies or intentionally left out.
As a pureblood, I cannot let it go, which is why I’m excited by the possibilities of the Philosopher’s Stone HBO series. There are many wrongs I would like to see righted. However, though I despise the movies, there are things they got right. The HBO series cannot ruin that either. So, without further ado, here are five things I need to see in the Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone series this Christmas.
Peeves
This first one might seem so simple, inconsequential even, but it is important to us purebloods. The lack of Peeves in the Harry Potter movies is unacceptable. Regarding the Philosopher’s Stone, the need for Peeves is not as high. However, in later books in the series, Peeves plays a serious enough role that removing the poltergeist altogether was questionable at best.
J.K. Rowling’s writing is intentional. There are few characters or details that are irrelevant to the overall story. Peeves may not seem important, but he is. In the Philosopher’s Stone, in particular, he gives the students a rude awakening about life at Hogwarts. He’s just one of the side characters you can’t leave out. He needs to be in the HBO series.
Professor Severus Snape
Professor Severus Snape will obviously be in the series. That’s not the issue. The issue, if you want to call it that, is that Professor Snape in the Philosopher’s Stone is an African American. *gasp* If you’re here for outrage and pearl clutching on that subject, I advise that you move on. On the topic of Snivellus Snape, I need to see the real Snape in the HBO series.
As with Peeves, this need rings truer in later books. However, it’s still important to show the real Severus, and it starts with Philosopher’s Stone. In my opinion, the movies took the edge off Snape. Book Snape is cold with even less mercy than portrayed in the movies. I know many people believe Snape was a good guy in the end and had redeemed himself, but I don’t. Reading the books, there are aspects of Severus Snape that are irredeemable. We don’t see a lot of that in the movies, not really. I need to see it in the series.
The Golden Trio
Again, though I despise the movies, there are many things they got right. The Golden Trio (Harry, Ron, and Hermione) is, without question, the best part of the Harry Potter movies. The casting was spot on, and their chemistry was undeniable. If the Golden Trio does not shine together in Philosopher’s Stone, the whole project itself could fall apart. That’s how important the Golden Trio is.
While Harry does have many scenes that don’t include Hermione and Ron, most of his scenes include at least one of his two best friends. Hermione needs to be snarky and self-righteous. Ron needs to be burdened with proving himself in a large family. Harry needs to exhibit the pressure of living up to his name. Visually, the casting looks near perfect. However, it’s the acting that will matter.
Quidditch
One of the most criminal omissions of the Harry Potter movie franchise is Quidditch. That is not to say there was no Quidditch. There was not enough Quidditch. One of the cornerstones of the greatest rivalry in the story (Harry and Draco) is heavily based on Quidditch. From the Philosopher’s Stone to the Prisoner of Azkaban, Quidditch was the battlefield that Potter and Malfoy used to prove who was the best.
Furthermore, Quidditch was one of the few ways Harry could connect with James, his late father. At Hogwarts, Harry learns that James was a star Chaser for Gryffindor. Quidditch is to the wizarding world what football (soccer) is to the United Kingdom. You ask Ron Weasley what matters most to him, and Quidditch would make the top three on the list. We need more of it, starting with the Philosopher’s Stone.
The Dursley’s
This may be my greatest need from the Philosopher’s Stone series. If you’re a Muggleborn Potterhead, you don’t quite grasp how important the relationship between Harry and the Dursleys is. I don’t mean important in the sense that it gives you the warm and fuzzies. I mean, important in the sense that they were awful to the Boy Who Lived. The Dursleys in the movies are cold. In the books, the Dursleys are borderline evil.
From the teaser trailer, we already see something that we don’t see in the movies: the bullying of Harry Potter. In the books, Dudley Dursley and his gang make Harry’s life hell. His Aunt Petunia (a moment also seen in the teaser) was horribly abusive to Harry. In the movies, you get a sense of how the Chosen One is mistreated. However, the books explain it in much more detail.
It may not seem important to many. In addition, it may seem like it’s best to leave such dark material out. However, I could not disagree more. Harry’s abuse helps to mold one of his greatest personality traits: His compassion for those he loves. Because he never felt love as a child, when Harry finally finds those who love him, he returns that love in ungodly proportions. Sometimes, his compassion is even a fault, but it’s what makes Harry who he is.
It’s all because of the Dursleys. Philosopher’s Stone and the series that follows cannot gloss over the abuse. Is it uncomfortable? Yes, but it’s vital to the story and its titular character. We need to see it and all its ugliness.
What did you think of the teaser trailer? What are you looking forward to, or dreading, with the Philosopher’s Stone series? Let us know!
