LotR3-RotK-Seq05

[alatar]

I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain. - Dune by Frank Herbert


Tea time for two, not three – that’s what Sam hopes in this next scene. Gollum informs the hobbit that there will be no tea on this stage of the journey. Frodo suddenly stops dead in his tracks – what?!? No tea? Somehow the thought of tea, or maybe just the sight of the evil-looking Gollum, make Frodo think that this is it. This is his last journey, and there will be no “back again.” Does he strictly mean physically, or does he also include his soul that the Ring is chewing away, and that by the end of the quest, no small piece of Frodo will remain?

Sam checks these morbid thoughts as the Shire theme plays. Frodo’s faithful servant promises that they too, like Bilbo, will return. I think that, from the expression on Sam’s face, that this may even apply to Frodo’s soul. Sméagol had no (or murdered his) Sam and so was lost.

Note that I like the change in scenery. It’s not jungle -but there are jungle-type sounds in the background, so I’m not exactly sure what kind of forest that we’re seeing here. But it’s good, nonetheless.

The three come upon a statue of a seated King, and it has been vandalized. Taggers existed even in Middle Earth… Just like in the books, off to the side they find the King’s head crowned once more, both with flowers and the rays of the westering sun. Hope springs eternal at the sight…that is until the clouds come, and the mood falls back down to Middle Earth. Gollum hastens them away as the darkness approaches.

I still note that they aren’t being very stealthy.

Back in Minas Tirith, Gandalf smokes on the balcony. Seems that even in the Third Age smoking was restricted to certain specified areas. Pippin examines his new costume and hopes that it’s all just play. Gandalf brings him up short, explaining to young Peregrin that he’s in the service now, and that he will be expected to do whatever is commanded of him.

By the by, is there a point to Gandalf’s sputtering with his pipe? Are we being given another clue to show that the White Wizard is becoming more feeble? I don’t remember any such problems when he smoked with Bilbo many days and miles back in the Shire. Or maybe the herb master gave him leaf that was too green. Pip brings the coughing old man a cup of water, and so has inadvertently taken a few steps closer to the realm of Mordor. Mount Doom booms in the distance, the only light in the sky. Pippin notes the quiet and the dark – no stars – and realizes that it’s “game on.” He speaks for me in that waiting sometimes is worse than the actual event, as there’s nothing to do except to imagine the millions of ways that the event will turn out poorly. Thankfully, PJ doesn’t try to yuck-up the scene, and it’s a touching moment as the old wizard leans next to the small hobbit.

Pippin in this scene is even thoughtful enough to ask of Frodo and the Quest. Not much hope there, but Gandalf states that it was only a fool’s hope. Which is just why it might work. That’s not only a literary device, where a foolish plan is so silly that it confounds the wise, but at times it bears out in practice. From my own experience: I’ve played on volleyball teams where it was a group of people that decided that they should play together for a specific weekend tournament. Our team played opposite disciplined college teams, and you’d expect, on paper, that our ragtag team would be at a large disadvantage. But no, we routinely did the unexpected (sometimes by design, but mostly due to lack of ability ), and so would screw up the opposing team, who wouldn’t be expecting our miss-plays. They’d trained to take on very disciplined teams so much that our more chaotic style took them out of their game. We won.

Sauron expected to be attacked by a large army lead by a new Ring Lord. He could handle that. But to sneak the Ring into Mordor via a witless Hobbit and his gardener with the goal of destroying it? It’s so foolish that it just might work. Go Gandalf!

Note that here Minas Tirith, unlike in the magical realm of Rivendell, balconies are made higher than an elven knee.

Gandalf narrates the grand plan of Sauron while we see the forces approaching. Gandalf, I think, paints a bleak picture as I assume he wants Pip to jump. Even when Pippin states that surely a wizard on this side of the ledger should be an asset, Gandalf simply turns his head. Was he afraid that others might be listening and so does not want to tip them off to the extent of the power hidden beneath his cloak? Or has Ian already filmed the dreaded Witch-King confrontation scene and so knows that, for him, all is lost? This lack of confidence, while a great Gotcha! by PJ, is just too much. Doesn’t Gandalf wear Narya to inspire the Free Folk? Isn’t he THE opponent of Sauron? Is the wizard sliding into the pit of despair? Does he see Minas Tirith’s doom because, well, Pip’s here and so he knows it’s going to get ugly?

Gandalf again narrates as we see Mordor’s new product line – the Witch King version 2.0, complete with all new accessories (available in toy stores now!). Is that a Helm of Wizard Warding that is placed on his invisible head? Now I assume that this is one of the same Nine that Arwen drowned two movies ago, and so I’m not sure why Gandalf fears the leader of Sauron’s armies so much (hint to Gandalf: flood the Anduin! If it worked once…) We learn that this is a foe that “no living man can kill.” That, if you think about it, doesn’t limit the possible contenders for the Witch-King’s head very much. Not “living man” includes dead men, elves, dwarves, hobbits, women, animals, large rocks, horses, mûmakil, carnivorous rabbits, Ents, etc. Likewise, Gandalf is a wizard, and though he looks human and male, has died at least once, and so surely that puts him in the ‘can kill the Witch-King’ set.

We’re not told why Gandalf, who owned a Balrog, would fear this adversary that was chased away by Aragorn holding a sword and a flaming brand. If the Witch-King were powered up, as some say, then we’re not told much about it and are left to our imaginings/musings as the narration turns to the Witch-King’s lair – Minas Morgul.