Have you ever stopped to consider—what if The Lord of the Rings series transformed into a musical? The beloved books by J.R.R. Tolkien have been adapted into movies, a TV series, and even a board game… Why not a show full of song? Well, you have to wonder no longer, at least in part. Because during Saturday Night Live‘s season 51 finale, Will Ferrell transformed into a Hobbit to perform a musical act that’s clearly a Lord of the Rings parody. Unfortunately, Will Ferrell’s singing Hobbit isn’t quite as trustworthy as the Hobbits we’ve come to know in The Lord of the Rings over the years. He wants to save his own hide… and live an Orc life with an Orc wife. Honestly, as Uruk apologizers, we understand. You can check out Will Ferrell’s singing Hobbit ways in the SNL The Lord of the Rings parody video, “Bobbin’s Sacrifice,” linked below.
At first, it seems like the Hobbit Bobbin couldn’t be a more loyal soul in “Bobbin’s Sacrifice.” He volunteers to head out to blow up the bridge that stands between the Kingdom of Men and the army of Orcs and, in doing so, destroy himself. His Fellowship commends him on his sacrifice. There’s a Gandalf look-alike, Fandorf, a Galadriel, a Legolas, a Gimli, and an Aragorn. Bobbin, of course, is somewhere between a Bilbo and a Frodo. But, mournful celebration turns to confusion… And song, when Bobbin’s true colors come out in this fake Lord of the Rings musical.
You see, unlike in the actual Lord of the Rings books, Will Ferrell’s Bobbin is no loyal Hobbit in this SNL musical parody. Instead, he’s just trying to save his own neck. His ditty, “I’m Switching Sides,” is very catchy, though. Sadly enough for the treacherous Bobbin, these are no The Rings of Power-under-Adar Uruk. These orcs take what they can get from Bobbin in “Bobbin’s Sacrifice” and then put his head on a pike. Sadly, he takes down fake-Gimli with him. But we guess everyone else will die anyway. The age of Men appears to be over in “Bobbin’s Sacrifice,” and the time of the Orc has arrived. SNL‘s The Lord of the Rings parody isn’t very hopeful, but it sure is a lot of fun.
Additionally, SNL may or may not know it, but this “Bobbin’s Sacrifice” musical skit actually touches on a fairly controversial aspect of The Lord of the Rings. When The Rings of Power talked about Orcs having wives and families, there was a huge amount of blowback. But we firmly believe that Orcs deserve both. And so, we’re glad to see “Bobbin’s Sacrifice” unexpectedly support us with its talk of happy Orc lives and Orc wives.
Ultimately, SNL‘s “Bobbin’s Sacrifice” skit makes a strong case that we should have a Lord of the Rings musical in our lives. And maybe Will Ferrell can come back to play the role of the Hobbit Bilbo. We can see it very clearly. Your move, Broadway.
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