Originally Posted by pendell
If the Harfoots aren't precursors to the Shire hobbits I'm not sure what the purpose is in having them on screen at all.
Presumably out of a general feeling that a show set in Middle-Earth needs hobbits in some form, or it just wouldn’t feel Middle-Earthy enough.

I have no problem with proto-hobbits who have no direct connection with the Shire. But these proto-hobbits in particular…don’t sound great, and the few clips I’ve seen don’t alter that impression.

Originally Posted by pendell
Not to mention the appendices straight out told us the Harfoots are the descendants of Shire-hobbits along with Stoors and Fallohides.
Did you mean to say descendants, or antecedents?

Originally Posted by pendell
…the Fallohides "tend to be fair" and friendly with elves while the other two subgroups are dark and tend to be ruled over by the Fallohides.
No. Only the Harfoots are described as browner; the Stoors are described only as broader and heavier. And they are not “ruled over” by Fallohides in any overarching sense, only that some clans have Fallohide leaders. Reading objectively, it simply isn’t the racial hegemony that you seem to be implying.

Originally Posted by pendell
Maybe the showrunners saw just how easily this could go….
Both in this case and in general, I think you’re reading way too much into this.