You know, for one of Tolkien's favorite characters, Faramir sure endured a lot in the films. I mean, tons of people were up in arms about the TT portrayal (yes, I was one of them) before the EE - and even after, I know I couldn't help thinking, 'Couldn't you have put in the Sons of the Steward scene instead of Aragorn's fake death? I mean, honestly, which is more relevant to the plot?'
If there's one reason for me to like FotR better than RotK, it's because when watching FotR I remember what a fantastic character Boromir is, made even better by the films. When I watch RotK, I can't quite remember exactly why I love Faramir as much as I do when I'm reading The Siege of Gondor or The Steward and the King.
All right, onto The Steward and the King (as that is what this thread is really about). I would understand its being cut if Eowyn were as downplayed as Faramir. Frankly, I don't think any movie-goers who haven't read the books care all that much about Faramir, unless they have friends who do or they really like David Wenham.
But Eowyn... Eowyn's such a good character, even in the movies. Her crush on Aragorn was staring at you in the face every time she had a scene with him. And then it's just *poof* he tells her he can't be with her and she's fine with that? Isn't that a little hard to swallow? When I read that the romance wouldn't be in the movies my inner Faramir fangirl was horrified. Then my reason kicked in and I thought, 'Wait, so Eowyn's just... alone? How can they just leave her hanging? Haven't they worked themselves into a corner?'
Now that I think about it, I'm still a bit peeved.
Okay, not that peeved. But I would have so much rather seen growth in Eowyn's character than Arwen whining about Aragorn.