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Due to my error when creating the sequence list, this week's sequence is a special two-part thread.

Part I

Tobacco, Townsend, Tomatoes…oh my!

Here we get to see Weathertop, and for those of us who read the books before going to the movie, we know that something's about to happen.

That and the movie trailer tipped me off. Anyway...

Aragorn looks none too pleased. Maybe it's a bad omen, maybe it's from traveling with four hobbits and a pony. But we get a little bit of history regarding the watchtower of Amon Sûl. PJ and crew note that the name Weathertop is not used, but I think that it was on the map, and so some astute watchers would make the connection. As the hobbits rest their weary feet, Strider looks outward, and I guess that he's considering what to do next, where to go, where the enemy may be lying in wait or maybe just taking a poll of the weather. Next he shows up with long knives for the hobbits to use. Interesting that he gives them the knives here. One may assume that this is where he had previous stashed them, and so could only give them to the hobbits after reaching Weathertop.

Or did PJ want Strider to give the hobbits the knives now for a different reason? Was it to give the scene a different air? Remember, when we saw the hobbits last, Aragorn had gone off to hunt deer while leaving the hobbits to their own devices. They didn’t need the mini swords then, and so why now? Rangers are farsighted indeed.

Funny they didn't (1) need knives then or (2) light a cooking fire. But both things can be explained as there were no knives to give and without the deer, there was nothing to eat.

The director’s commentary goes off on some tomato and tobacco tangent, noting that neither was indigenous to the Old World. But PJ steps in and states that it’s ludicrous to get bunged up about New World fruits and plants with Balrogs, Wizards and Hobbits running about. And for once I would agree.

Frodo's nap is rudely awakened by the hobbits' excitement over their victuals. Here we 'hear' again that same tone Elijah Wood masters when he's portraying Frodo as madly panicked. It's not, "Guys, what are you doing?" it's "what are you DOING!" with that hint of nasally whine. There's just something about that tone, heard through much of the later part of FotR, that just doesn't work for me. Ahh!

We hear even more whining as Frodo stomps out the cooking fire. I guess that he just didn't like hot-cooked meals, as the level of his voice surely isn't helping keeping their whereabouts concealed from the enemy. What a Pippin!

From a distance we see the cooking fire on the hill...and then the scream! The hobbits hear it too, and as they look down they see the Nazgûl approach. Yes, I know that every minute counts, but a little more build up of the approach of the Black Riders would have gone a long way. Like in the book, you're not sure if they're seeing shadows or something far worse. Here it's a little eerie with the Nazgûl skulking through the mist, but wouldn't it have been better if the hobbits were staring out into the dark, looking for something to move, and sudden what we (they and us in our seats) thought was a shadow moves towards them?

Frodo tells the crew to run, and they draw their knives as they do. At least if the knives were acquired in the Barrows there might be a chance of us thinking that maybe one of these four had held a sword before, but alas we know that they have no chance.

And where has that Strider gone off? Maybe he'll appear with Gandalf...riding Brego...and Glorfindel and Bombadil will be there too.

Or maybe he'll just show up as we expect him to do. No chance mistaking him for a wraith.

The hobbits rush to the top of the hill and await the enemy's approach. Now, knowing that the enemy is upon them and that they are in dire straits, wouldn't it behoove the four to start shouting out for assistance? You never know if there'll be any Rangers passing by in the dark, and at this time hiding is no longer an option. An aside - nice ruins on the top of Amon Sûl, like the broken crown on a dead king’s head.

But before help of any kind arrives something else gets there first. The first Nazgûl pops out of the darkness, and so my pleading for more fading from black was heard. Frodo sees them first, and starts to back away. A long camera shot shows that five have arrived and all are armed and dangerous - the five fingers of Sauron's outstretched hand, perhaps? The Nazgûl slowly attack in synchronous fashion, and one wonders what they would do given a pool of water, bathing suits and music.

Sam shows his mettle yet again, like in Bree, and attacks them. The hooded things parry his sword swinging and cast him aside. Merry and Pippin close ranks to protect cousin Frodo, but they too are easily thrust aside.

Weren't these the same Riders that played polo with a night watchman's head? Must have been the long climb up the hill that cured their need for gratuitous bloodshed.

Frodo drops his sword and falls/trips backward. Some hero. Oh Elbereth, where are your stars now? He responds assumedly to the chanting and will of the Ringwraiths and begins to put on the Ring. You can see the King cock his head as Frodo unveils the Ring like suddenly he sees something bright that catches his empty eyes. The King draws his Morgul blade and walks menacingly toward Frodo, who scampers backwards. As the Wraith pulls back to stab Frodo, Frodo is overcome by the desire to put on the Ring and places it on his finger.

Suddenly we're in the wraith world and we get to see what these dark beings look like, which is almost like wispy angel ghosts. All have crowns and swords, and I looked for the one-eyed Wraith but I guess that his eye got better upon wraithdom . The Lord of the Nazgûl exerts more force to have Frodo do...I don't know, as Frodo already has the Ring on, and the King can see him, and he can easily stab him with the knife…and so I can only guess that he wants Frodo’s pipe.

The King stretches out a hand, similar to that of Saruman, and hovers it over the Ring. But Frodo draws back, and this just irks the King to no end and so he stabs Frodo. Now it looks to me that the stab to the shoulder was deliberate, and so I can only assume that the knife attack was not meant to kill Frodo initially. As the Wraith doesn't withdraw the blade for some time, I also assume that the knife stab was simply to fix the hobbit in one place while the Ring could be recovered or so that the Witch-king of Angmar could go through Frodo’ pockets. It was a common practice in those days to ask or attempt to find out what hobbits gots in their pocketses…

These Nazgûl must have some other plan, as the King could have easily stabbed Frodo multiple times in the heart. Again no resistance from the Ringbearer, no slashes to the cloak, no Elbereth, etc. Just a prone doe-eyed whiner. The King continues to hover over the wounded hobbit, then his attention is suddenly elsewhere as we hear another scream, but this is not one of pain. He removes the Morgul steel from Frodo and turns to meet the attack.

Isn't it interesting that Frodo can clearly see Aragorn fighting the Wraiths before he removes the Ring? Must be some proximity effect of all of those Rings or white ghosty beings in one place.

Aragorn begins chasing away the Nazgûl while Sam recovers his senses (“Don’t you leave him, Samwise Gamgee.”) and rushes to his master's aid. The pace really quickens as we get a shot or two of Sam consoling while Aragorn plays five-on-one. One Nazgûl becomes a walking torch, and the others flee as I assume as they're just too tired to parry any more of Aragorn's blows.

It was noted that this was Viggo’s first day on the set, and at this time he had very little sword training. Heard that he replaced some other actor on short notice…hmm...good decision that.

So the wraiths are in retreat, except for that tricky one who thinks that he can get the jump on our Ranger. Doesn’t he know that you cannot surprise a Ranger…well, unless you are a she-elf, that is. Not sure what the last Wraith was going to do as Aragorn sticks a torch in him - well thrown into the head, that - and drives him away. The Witch-King had Frodo pinned to the ground, the other four were idle, and so what did the lingering dwimmerlaik intend?

The dissolution of the Morgul blade was a nice touch, but sunlight and not Aragorn's touch would have been a better cause. Strider does drop it as if it were hot. He lifts and carries the stricken Frodo, and all five are off to the nearest elven hospital. Not really sure why the wound could not be healed by Aragorn, and don't think that that was adequately explained. But we're off running through the dark woods. Those Nazgûl must be really tired, as they offer no pursuit. Should have ridden horses to the summit of Weathertop.

Sam states that they are six days from Rivendell, and so Weathertop is a bit closer to Rivendell than in the books, the party can travels a lot faster than we think, or we have had some time between the stabbing and the running scenes. Why six days and not five or eleven? Frodo, having a really bad day, cries out for the one who he thinks can save him.

Gandalf. Where is he?

Part II

…Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return. Genesis 3:19

Isengard has changed a bit since we last saw the place. Talk about renovations! Choose an amount of time - a week, a month, even a year - and just think how quickly those caverns and tunnels were made. When I think about it I get time-vertigo, but whatever as the timeline is already out of sync. Saruman obviously has made the place over into a mini-Mordor, and having seen Isengard as it was helped as now we see what listening to the lies of Mordor has wrought. And the number of regular orcs has really increased, and again I assume that these were sent from Mordor to help.

There's just not that much mud in Isengard...

The camera flies over the landscape (a really detailed miniature) of metal and spikey wheels, and then we catch the flight of a grey moth, the least of things, but possibly more important that we know. It flies and flutters up to a mostly dead Gandalf, who looks to be exactly where we had left him in the last sequence, seated against the tower spire.

But Gandalf is more wary than one might expect. He catches the moth and whispers some words to it, then sets it free on some errand. I think that on the official Ian McKellen site there was a question regarding what he whispers to the moth. Think that it wasn’t anything scripted or…well, important. Anyway, for all of Saruman's planning, plotting and power, it seems that he just might be outdone by a simple moth.

If only he had installed a bug zapper.

As the moth leaves on its journey we plunge off the side of Orthanc down down down and get a glimpse of what's going on there in the basement. The orcs are working on the scimitars that will be used by the Uruks. It was noted that PJ wanted to show that these weapons were mass-produced and ugly. I would also note that they do not appear to be too sharp, and so may be intended to 'beat down' the enemy in a cruel and painful manner, which makes a lot of sense to me, movie-wise. The spike at the end of the blade can be used to pull an opponent closer. These ugly brutal weapons will fit well with their bearers. PJ states that as molten metal was difficult to fake, they filmed the scene in an actual forge and so those swords are really hot when pounded by the orcs. Some of the orcs actually worked there.

After a look over the armory, it's on to the mud womb.

The smaller orcs help resurrect/birth the larger Uruks, and dig them from their muddy homes as Saruman looks on. Gross! And this new breed comes out fighting and with really poor attitude and social skills. Happy Birthday Lurtz! We see the difference in these Maia creations when the first one strangles its nurse orc. Saruman's small smile shows his pleasure/satisfaction with these new children of a lesser god. I noted that Saruman holds back a group of the smaller orcs, and I'm not sure that he is protecting them or his creation.

Life's getting pretty interesting in ME. We have Strider carrying a wounded Frodo on to Rivendell, the birth of a new race/army of orcs and a moth on a mission. Just what will happen next?