Category: Character Stories

SAMWISE GAMGEE, TWO

As I was reviewing the second part of the “Adar” episode of The Rings of Power I inadvertently referenced Enneagram numbers for some beloved Tolkien characters. Let me explain my thinking.

One of the hallmarks of a Man Two is his collection. For Sam, he collects . . . condiments! Haha. He carries his Shire salt all through Mordor. When he’s home, he’s a gardener. His flowers, all the things that make life beautiful and delicious, are his collection.

His devotion to Frodo is another Two indicator. In the brief moment when he carries Sting and the Ring, fighting Shelob and rescuing Frodo, he’s the hero. He immediately relinquishes this role as soon as Frodo is himself, though. Sam is a follower. The glory is not about him.

It would be easy to see Sam as a Nine. He doesn’t seek conflict and, with Frodo a Six, they would share an intriguing strength/weakness relationship. Sam is not a squire, though. He’s not a knight in training, he’s a servant. As a Heart Type Sam should exhibit some form of Envy. It’s not toward Frodo and his quest to carry the Ring, though; it’s toward Gollum. Sam is eaten alive by Frodo’s friendship with Smeagol. Sam made a promise, Mr. Frodo, a promise. He’s to take care of Frodo. Gollum tries to replace him, but he’s a false servant. This drives Sam crazy, partly because it’s unfair and dangerous, but also because he’s been superseded. That Envy makes it painful for him to lose Frodo’s favor. 

I’ve never particularly liked Jackson’s decision to have Sam abandon Frodo and descend the staircase of Cirith Ungol. It’s a storyteller’s manipulation to build tension for Gollum’s betrayal and Frodo’s seeming death to Shelob. However, looking at Sam as a Two, I don’t hate this plot twist so much. His Envy tricks him into an emotional breakdown, into leaving his master and friend. I can see the justification for it in his Enneagram. And because he’s Sam, he quickly recovers and returns to Frodo’s side in time to save the day. Sam changes after that moment, becoming more confident, and leads Frodo through Mordor. It’s — gulp, I’m forced to admit — a good character choice!

FRODO BAGGINS, SIX

As I was reviewing the second part of the “Adar” episode of The Rings of Power I inadvertently referenced Enneagram numbers for some beloved Tolkien characters. I was comparing Frodo and Sam to Nori and Poppy, a juxtaposition I believe the showrunners want us to make. Nori, especially, has the wide-eyed, trustful face that Frodo has before he’s given the Ring. They’re very different, though, and the comparison muddies Nori’s character. Nori is possibly a Three, or any of the other take-charge Enneagram numbers.

Frodo, on the other hand, is not your typical hero. He’s quiet and unathletic. He prefers a simple hobbit life and isn’t looking for adventures. Unlike Bilbo, who unexpectedly thrives after Gandalf knocks at his door, Frodo never changes. Who we see at the beginning of “Fellowship” is who we have at the end, with layers of suffering added on. Merry and Pippin step into the roles of soldiers; when they return to the Shire, those abilities and the desire to wield them continue. They’ve changed and arced. Frodo hasn’t. Frodo has diminished.

This is why I immediately jumped to Six in my “Adar” breakdown. Only the Trooper, a non-hero number, can take the torture Frodo sustains and continue onward. He will do his duty, even with the Wheel of Fire spinning in his mind and the Ring dragging him to the ground. He doesn’t just persevere because he’s a hobbit; it’s his Enneagram.

LUCY LIU’S DR. WATSON, SEVEN

Joan’s a surgeon who quit after a patient died on the table. This is the doctor part of Elementary‘s Watson, and it’s good. However, if she’s serving as Holmes’ Sober Companion, why didn’t they make her a psychiatrist? Her medical background is acceptable at first, but as time ticks down and Sherlock’s father refuses to extend her employment, it’s harder to believe a surgeon would stay for Holmes’ own good. She starts to look codependent and she’s required to lie to him. Why can’t she admit she likes solving cases with him? 

As the seasons continue, this misstep is resolved and Watson feels more solidly like a Seven. She’s competent and calm, professional and curious. Her abrupt change of career is very Seven. However, her costuming is problematic — those uber-high heels and cocktail waitress skirts. It doesn’t suit her and it pulls too much focus. What did she wear as a surgeon? Business casual seems closer to her personality and is probably what she’d already have in her closet.

With this Holmes and Watson we have Five/Seven, Strength and Weakness numbers. A lot of conflict and similarity is possible here. By Season Two the showrunners start to utilize this interplay. It’s no longer codependency, but cooperation. Joan’s firm boundaries for her personal life become established — very Seven. She’s more than Sherlock’s assistant, in her own mind and in reality.

The clothing, though, doesn’t change and it really bothers me. I see that Liu needs extreme heels so that the full shots have her at a comparable height to Miller, but they’re so ridiculous and ugly. How does a detective in four-inchers and a short skirt manage to investigate a crime scene? The costuming continues to contradict her practical and efficient character. It’s a silly complaint, but I refuse to give it up.

JONNY LEE MILLER’S HOLMES, FIVE

From the first moments of Episode One of Elementary, this Sherlock behaves like a Five. He’s much more serious and less fun than the archetypal Seven Holmes. His super-smartness also comes with a weariness because he must explain everything to the peons around him. (A Five hates to explain; a Seven loves it.) Also, his drug addiction is a result of emotional turmoil. His substance-usage is to forget his despair. The Seven Holmes partakes because it’s stimulating and fun.

We still have a Head Type Sherlock, but this is a darker version. There’s no twinkle in the eye with this Holmes. It’s a valid choice with interesting possibilities, but the showrunners need to stay on point. A Five isn’t going to lean close and sniff the rug, for instance. A Seven loves that kind of sensory input, but a Five would find another way to follow the clue. A Five wouldn’t invite hookers in. He would recoil from the need to touch and interact with a stranger. A Five can just shut that tap down, so to speak, and become celibate. A Seven is the Holmes who would explore all avenues, including sexual. I believe the show is playing with different parameters of Sherlock, but it slides back sometimes to the old portrayals.

By Season Two, this Sherlock is firmly established. His clothes, with the high-buttoned collar and bland styling, are very Five. He’s eccentric, but he likes an ordered world. Watson must live in his house so they can work at all hours. He’s more than disdainful of those who don’t understand, he’s actually pained. Everything borders on over-stimulating for him. It’s a complete and beautifully acted portrayal of a Holmes with a different Enneagram.

KOMARAM BHEEM, NINE

This is our other RRR hero, the tribal leader. He’s such a Nine. Unbelievably powerful, and yet never seeking conflict until it knocks on his door, Bheem is like a boy when in the city. Raju is much more confident and worldly, taking Bheem under his wing. 

When Bheem is roused, though, he is stronger than anyone else — physically and mentally. He is the perfect protector for his people. His indomitable sense of justice, even to the point of extreme suffering, is the only thing that can break Raju’s purpose. Throughout much of the film it’s hard to see how these two men can remain friends when all the truth is out, and yet they do.

Don’t let their energetic and glorious dance sequence deter you from appreciating the craft of the acting and filmmaking. Their jacked handsomeness is plot- and character-driven, I assure you. This is classically epic storytelling — reality is secondary — and these protagonists are the movie stars this genre deserves.

RAMA RAJU, EIGHT

This movie, RRR, has two heroes. Raju is in the military during the end of the British Empire in India. He investigates the other hero, befriends him unwittingly, and leads a surprise double life throughout. Both men play complex characters. The movie introduces us to them in separate over-the-top, fabulous action sequences that resonate during the rest of the story. I can’t recommend this film enough.

Okay, so who is Raju?

He will finish his mission, no matter how difficult. His opening scene hammers that trait home, lol. However, his secret mission with the military, which is more mental than physical, is also unstoppable. He was forged as a child and has become an indefatigable man.

Given almost superhero strength and agility, is Raju a Body Type? Oh, look at that. He’s an Eight. It’s his willpower. When so many forces press against him — loss of family, career, and country — he won’t bend. He won’t give up.

He also has a great joy in being with his friend. He has every reason to hold back, to stay unengaged, yet he jumps in. That lack of worry, of rolling in the moment, is very Eight. The only thing that thwarts his mission is a display of genuine compassion by Bheem, something that an Eight respects as a strength move. Physical dominance just makes Raju fight back harder, but Bheem’s acceptance of suffering moves Raju to sympathy.

JAVI GUTIERREZ, TWO

A multi-millionaire with his own island in Mallorca, Javi is just a guy who loves the acting of Nick Cage. He even has a room dedicated to memorabilia. He hires Nick for a birthday party with the intention of convincing him to star in his spec script (which is probably not very good). Meanwhile, he may be a ruthless mob boss; that’s for Nick to discover.

What makes this fun is the chemistry between Pedro Pascal and Cage. I could watch these two riff off each other for days. It’s a buddy film, which delighted me.

So who is this very rich man who is a dedicated Nick ‘stan?

Well, haha, he’s a Two. He collects Nick Cage, figuratively and literally. He’s also a happy man with a tender heart. The Two/Four dynamic between the men is very successful. Strength/Weakness Enneagrams support and challenge each other. The choice of portrayals (or natural chemistry) these men create turns an awkward plot into a tour de force. Star power is worth money, if there was ever any doubt.

NICK CAGE, FOUR

Just because Nicolas Cage plays himself in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent doesn’t mean that this character is the same as the real man. Any discussion of his Enneagram assumes that Cage is much too good to give us a simple version of who he is. This Nick is a mash-up of possibly real characteristics and all the heroes he’s played on film. It is, unsurprisingly, a delicious performance.

So who is Nick?

He’s intensely committed to acting. He insists on giving a line reading to a prospective director, terrifying him. He thrives on jobs that interest him rather than paycheck gigs. However, he’s broke from living in a high-priced hotel. (When Nick became divorced and moved out of his home is unclear.) In order to pay his bills, he agrees to perform for one million dollars at a birthday party on a private island.

So, lol, not a One (no money acuity). Not a Six (no worries), not a Nine (loves conflict), not a Five (too risk-oriented).

When he arrives he’s approached by the CIA. He’s the only one who can get onto Javi’s island, and they suspect a kidnapped girl is held there. That means he plays a double game during his visit. The ease with which he lies to his host suggests he’s not a Two.

Although he loves his work and is a master craftsman, Nick is probably not a Three. Too intense, too variable in his success.

If you’re keeping track, we’re left with Four, Seven, and Eight. I want to jump immediately to Four. Although all of those numbers can be intense, Nick is pretty extreme. Nicolas Cage’s career is defined by how volatile his characters are. I think I know already what Javi is, and their friendship is the surprising treasure of this movie. Four is going to be a good choice for Nick.

NEMO, SEVEN

An independent child, Nemo (as in Little Nemo from the classic cartoons of Winsor McCay) is left alone at the lighthouse with her father’s full trust. She loves stories and dreams, basically creating her real life into the tales her father tells her at bedtime.

I honestly don’t need to delve very far to see a Seven. Her competency and confidence, her imagination and lucid dreaming, and her determination to macgyver a way back to her father after she’s sent to live with Uncle Philip speak of an innovative Head Type. Fear will not stop her and despair will not rule her. Also, her lack of balance and reason, her willingness to go to the edge of safety and sanity, call out as the Seven’s dark side. She feels consistently written and is a pleasure to watch as our heroine.

We also have a sweetness in knowing that Nemo and Philip are both Head Types. Although the beginning of their relationship is tragic and painful, they will be fine together. They will come to understand each other. The Enneagram tells us so.

And one more thing I must mention. Nemo has a stuffed pig toy she sleeps with in the real world. In slumberland, the pig is alive and the animation is some of the most wonderful CG work. I am biased toward cuddly pigs, but this is an empirically adorable creature. 

I will not, however, be checking its Enneagram.