3 ms·

I don't think you can criticize "deus ex machina" as a plot device when it's, from go, literally "ex deus" - Gandalf is on a mission (/ missions) from god, and

• Ntrails 3y ago
  It's arguable whether you want to describe the wizards as 'Mortal' in the first place. The return of Gandalf never much bothered me, it fit well enough.
• croes 3y ago
  Just because it's literally ex deus doesn't make it less ex deus. Ex deus is cheap
  • morelisp 3y ago
    The more critical part is "from go" - deus ex machina is considered bad because it's a narrative rupture. In a story of wars openly involving divine beings, there's no such discontinuity. It is also usually associated with stories that wrap up a bit too tidily, and that's also not the case in LotR. Gandalf dies 2/6 of the way through the story and comes back 3/6 of the way through. His death may be the climax of the first two books, but his return is merely a plot beat and many of the remaining problems have yet to even be revealed, let alone solved.