LotR1-FotR-Seq06

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Rain cannot dampen all flames.

The hand of Saruman almost caresses the palantir with claw-like hands as he pledges fealty to his Lord Sauron. The toady in white awaits the orders from the Eye. And Sauron commands him to build an army "worthy of Mordor." Not sure what the loquacious Eye said there at first - can an Eye clear its throat? Saruman meditates on the deed, then with the help of his new henchmen - smaller orcs with a penchant for piercings - he begins the reshaping of Isengard.

What is strange is the question from the 'Orc with nose-bridge rings.' It doesn't ask, "What are your orders, m'lord?" but "What orders from Mordor, my lord? What does the Eye command?" Was the orc eavesdropping on Saruman's conversation? Were the orcs sent by Sauron to assist Saruman? I guess it could be possible that after Saruman got off of the phone that he sat around for a few weeks just thinking over the task.

"Should I use a white hand logo or something with more flair? Should a platoon consist of 20 or 24 soldiers? And would a Mordor-worthy army include a brass band?"

Decisions, decisions.

Anyway, so as Saruman sits there thinking the orcs travel from Mordor to Nan Curunír. The orc leader is told to consult Saruman regarding new orders once they arrive. And what does the second orc statement say in regards to all present in the room? I interpret it as all are beneath the pharaonic Sauron; none of his servants or slaves is of any consideration.

Smart thinking there, Saruman. You should have been asking Gandalf for help with your codependency.

So the orcs start their revamping of the grounds. They don't hack the trees down, but pull them over with chains in a very coordinated operation. I won't even go into all of the fun that these little orcs would be having doing that.

Ahh...yes I will. I've pulled out old tree stumps, and they're not that easy. Now, I'm no dendrologist, and really haven't a clue what type of tree that is that the orcs are working on, but it looks to have a root system more like a pine (more surface roots) than a maple (deeper roots). But this is quibbling. Peter Jackson makes sure to note that these are not real trees, and that they used one or two fake ones to shoot the whole scene. He also states that one of Tolkien's themes is that "industry destroys nature" and that Tolkien would have been appalled if real trees had been used.

Like all of the energy (jet fuel, petrol, electricity), textiles (props made of plastics), hardware (computers, cameras), humans (tramplings, waste products), horses (see humans) had no effect on the environment. But at least two trees weren't added to the list.

But back to the theme. Was it Aulë who said that the Children would need wood to burn? And burning trees is bad, yet burning nicotine-laced leaves is good? My point is that I don't think that Tolkien thought that all industry was all bad, but that care was needed so that it didn't devolve into orc work.

All of deforestation noise awakes Gandalf, who was sleeping off his vertigo. But at least he's in time for a shower. Is that a pentagram etched into the floor of Orthanc's roof? And in regards to the tower itself, wasn't Orthanc constructed to allow wise men to gaze at stars? Pretty silly design, then, as there are four points by which one's viewing is occluded.

And just how did Gandalf get up there? Is there cunning stonework involved where a trap door opens in the floor? Or do we have steps encircling the outside that just happen to be out of view?

And what foresight by Saruman! As he left Aman, surely he requested that his staff be shaped to look like...say...some tower in the center of the Angrenost. "Nah, I don't have any plans to set myself as a Power..." he said to Cirdan as he stepped ashore.

Middle Earth is just a magical place. Somewhat like Camelot, here the rain falls only on the protagonists. And Saruman wearing one of those plastic hair nets might look out of place - unless he were short, then it would be a great gag - and so it was lucky that the rain never hits the ground folk.

As the hacking begins, Gandalf finds what comfort he can out of the wind, sitting with his back to one of the spires. Truly a moment where Gandalf appears to despair, though those of us who know him well know that he's not 'done for' or 'done in' yet. Maybe what keeps him going is thinking that Frodo has found safety in Bree, and may even have found some help unlooked for there. Surely if the Ring had fallen into enemy hands, there'd be some sign by now. Could Frodo even be on his way to Rivendell?