A hatedHarry Pottercharacter had a rare moment of helpfulness in the books, and this is something HBO’s TV remake must include. Redemption is one of the major themes of the series, and this is reflected in a variety of smaller stories set within Harry’s adventures. We see this overtly with Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape, but there are some quieter statements about morality and redemption as well.
It’s frequently emphasized inHarry Potterthat people aren’t inherently good or bad. Their morality is based on their choices, and throughout the series, we see dozens of characters who make a combination of good and bad decisions. Naturally, theHarry Pottermovies didn’t have time for all these more nuanced book moments. So, the conversation on morality was somewhat diminished.
HBO’sHarry PotterTV remakehas an intriguing opportunity in this regard. The upcoming series has been advertised as a “book faithful” adaptation, which means we should finally see some of those cut movie moments. Still, it remains to be seen whether those impactful themes from the books will carry over. For example,will Rita Skeeta’s subtle participation in the themes of morality be included?
The Harry Potter Movies Cut Rita Skeeter’s Single Good Deed From The Harry Potter Books
Rita Skeeter Was Actually Helpful In Order Of The Phoenix
Rita Skeeter was a pretty despicablecharacter in both theHarry Potterbooksand movies—there’s no doubt about that. She showed up inHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, made a mess of things for the sake of juicy journalism, and gave no thought to the repercussions of what she wrote in the Daily Prophet. Overall, there’s really nothing to like about Old Skeeter.
In theHarry Pottermovies, Rita essentially disappeared afterGoblet of Fire, though we see that she wrote some additional, bothersome works later on. In the books, however,this journalist made a couple of reappearances, one of which actually saw her help Harry outin a significant way.
In theHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenixbook, Hermione had the bright idea of Harry giving an interview to clear things up about Voldemort’s return. This was immediately after the mass breakout at Azkaban, when the Wizarding world first began to suspect that the reports from the Ministry and Daily Prophet weren’t entirely honest. Hermione saw this as the perfect opportunity to reveal the truth.
After all Rita Skeeter had done to hurt Harry, her article ended up changing the tides of public opinion.
Harry andHermione recruited the improbable help of Rita Skeeter to make this interview happen. The woman agreed to write a story about everything that Harry hadactuallyseen and done in the graveyard, and Xenophilius Lovegood agreed to have it published in the Quibbler. After all Rita Skeeter had done to hurt Harry, her article ended up changing the tides of public opinion.
HBO’s Harry Potter Remake Can’t Cut Harry’s Big Quibbler Interview
This Plotline Adds Complexity To Rita Skeeter’s Character (Serving The Themes Of Harry Potter)
On the surface level, I can see why theHarry Pottermovies cut Rita Skeeterand Harry’s interview inOrder of the Phoenix. With limited time, it wouldn’t have seemed too important to the central story. Even HBO’s remake could feasibly cut the whole thing, especially given thatOrder of the Phoenixis the longestHarry Potterbook, and even a longer TV format might not be enough to capture everything.
Still, I would argue that this story is critical to many of the themes inHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and that HBO’s remake can’t afford to leave it out. Sure, said and done, Rita Skeeter was still a pretty despicable character. She didn’t do Harry’s interview out of genuine desire to be helpful. She just wanted to be the one to capture this great story—but that’s sort of the point.
Harry Potter consistently argues that a person’s choices define them, but we also see a recurring question: what if someone makes a good choice for the wrong reason?
Harry Potterconsistently argues that a person’s choices define them, but we also see a recurring question: what if someone makes a good choice for the wrong reason? Snape became a double agent, but onlyafterasking Voldemort to murder James and Harry and leave Lily alone. Dumbledore protected Harry, but only so he could die at the right moment.
The above examples are more major, butRita Skeeter’s single helpful moment inHarry Potterillustrates the same point. Hermione, who considered Rita her sworn enemy, tolerated the woman from that point on because she had been helpful to them. Still, Skeeter went on to write more slanderous articles. Her motivations were corrupt, but isn’t a good deed still a good deed? It’s a question for audiences to ponder, but they can’t do that if HBO cuts the story.
The Harry Potter TV Show Will Have To Adapt Another Story Before Rita Skeeter Can Be Redeemed
Skeeter’s Quibbler Article Was The Resolution To Her Battle With Hermione
Of course, Rita Skeeter’s interview with Harry wasn’t the only aspect of her story that theHarry Pottermovies cut. To include her bigOrder of the Phoenixscene, Skeeter’sGoblet of Fireending must be restored as well. In the books, Hermione became fed up with Skeeter’s articles and took matters into her own hands, capturing the journalist and holding her captive.
Yes, that’s right, Skeeter was once Hermione’s prisoner. This came about because Hermione discovered that Skeeter was an unregistered Animagus that could turn into a beetle to spy on people.Hermione trapped the woman in her beetle form and blackmailed her to ensure that she never again wrote a negative article about Harry.
Skeeter’sOrder of the Phoenixarticle was the big resolution to Hermione’sGoblet of Fireultimatum. Following this moment, Skeeter continued to be a problem in the Wizarding world, but she (mostly) left Harry and his friends alone. Sure, thisHarry Pottercharacteris still pretty despicable. However, she wasn’t entirely without usefulness—or maybe even goodness.
