The Hobbit: Is Tauriel unnecessary sex-appeal or a much needed strong female character?

When Peter Jackson announced that The Hobbit was going to be a trilogy, everyone instantly thought 'but isn't it just one book?' Jackson then made the revelation that he would be using the appendices which explain a lot of what happened 'off-page' as it were, to bridge the gap between 'The Hobbit' and 'Lord of the Rings'.

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