Gollum and Eagles: Deux ex machina?

[The Saucepan Man]

Originally Posted by alatar

I'd say a lot. The eagles helping Gandalf save Frodo and Sam are D E M, and not E. Still, that's a late night thought...

Might it depend upon the reaction that they provoke in the reader? Logically, the Eagles seem to me to fit the description of Deus Ex Machina in most, if not all, situations in which they appear. Yet, emotionally, their arrival has always provoked joy in me. This became clear to me when watching the films when the screech signifying their imminent arrival was (on both occasions) sufficient to reduce me to a blubbering jelly.