Summary

HBO's Harry Potter should avoid Hermione's SPEW storyline like the movies to prevent potential fan dislike.
Featuring more house elf storylines could make the TV adaptation unique and fresh for Harry Potter fans.
HBO can still develop a significant storyline involving Hermione and the house elves while staying true to the character and adding depth to the series.

HBO's Harry Potter will have a lot of pressure on it to feel unique from the movie series in a quest to give fans a fresh perspective on JK Rowling's iconic stories. There's no shortage of ways that can be achieved, whether it's due to casting, such as hiring an American in John Lithgow, or by adding characters that weren't featured, like Peeves.

Another way HBO could make the television adaptation of Harry Potter feel different would be to include many of the storylines that weren't placed in the movies. However, regarding Hermione Granger, there is one situation where HBO should opt to copy what the film series did completely.

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By Matthew Wilkinson

HBO's Harry Potter Should Avoid Hermione Granger's SPEW Storyline Just Like The Movies

Hermione Granger Looks To Save All Of The House Elves In Hogwarts

Dobby the house elf from the Harry Potter series

House elves played a key role in the Harry Potter movies, but that was predominantly done through Dobby. However, there are far more house elf storylines in the books, with Hermione being at the heart of one of the most significant as she creates SPEW (Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare). The storyline occurs throughout the series, with Hermione attempting to improve the working conditions of the house elves within Hogwarts, seeing this as a significant situation that she wants to solve. She wants to free as many of them as possible, including by knitting various clothes to achieve that feat. It's a quest she takes on alone for the most part, as most of her friends question why she's doing it in the first place. It does add to Hermione's character quite a lot, because she becomes a victim of bullying due to this situation. Still, it also highlights her compassion and the fact that she's always willing to stand up for what's right.

However, despite this being a genuine passion project for Hermione throughout the books, it was nowhere to be seen in the Harry Potter movies. It was one of various plots from Rowling's books that had to be cut due to time constraints, but that's a problem that HBO won't have to deal with because each book gets a full season. However, even though HBO's Harry Potter has the benefit of time, that doesn't mean that the SPEW storyline needs to be added to the television series as it could provide some problems.

HBO Would Be Risking Harry Potter Fans Disliking Hermione Granger

Many People Have Criticized This Storyline From The Harry Potter Books

SPEW is one of the most divisive storylines from the Harry Potter books, as a lot of people didn't enjoy it. It gave Hermione a tone-deaf savior complex that many fans have complained about, as the house elves do make it clear that they don't actually want to be "saved" or defended by Hermione. While Dobby is happy to accept the sock from Harry Potter in a bid to no longer be trapped working for the Malfoy family, the same cannot be said for all of the house elves. Serving people is their entire life purpose, and many of them feel like doing anything else would be completely wrong, making this so problematic. Hermione is supposed to be one of the most important heroes in the Harry Potter story, and while SPEW proves she has a kind heart, she's ultimately made to be seen as quite annoying at times in this plot. Giving Harry Potter fans the potential to dislike Hermione might not be the greatest idea just to add a unique storyline to the television series.

HBO Could Still Feature A Big Storyline Between Hermione Granger And The House Elves

HBO Tweaking Things Would Make The Harry Potter Television Show Fresh

Hermione Granger Cropped — Hermione Granger

Featuring the house elves in a bigger way is something that Harry Potter fans would like to see because there's a lot of potential to be explored with those characters. HBO should look to give people more than just Dobby to focus on, and showcasing the way they essentially run Hogwarts from underneath the school would be a lot of fun. This would allow the series to showcase a new area of the school that the movies ignored while adding several new characters to the world of Harry Potter that weren't part of the films.

This could also focus on Hermione, allowing her to have a key subplot throughout the series that makes her the focal point away from Harry. Fans want to see more of Hermione, and becoming passionate about anything she puts her mind to is an integral part of her character. However, there could be other ways to achieve that, possibly having Hermione help the house elves with a particular problem they might be dealing with. This would add something fresh to HBO's Harry Potter without risking alienating fans and making them feel uncomfortable.

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