[Bêthberry]

But the point about letting Grima go: if the writer thinks this was a serious mistake, (and wasn't just being hilariously silly) then said writer didn't get the point about Gandalf's talk with Frodo about showing mercy to Gollem.

Gandalf sensed that Gollem might still have a role to play and should not be killed. Grima, strangely enough, works into the same sense of predestination or kharma or, to use the Old English word, Wyrd. Grima does what no hero in the trilogy would consider doing: he rids Middle-earth of Saruman. He does so out of hatred, revenge, retaliation--all the wrong motives. So in fact Aragorn is not wrong to let Grima go. There are things at work in Middle-earth that no man can account for.

(Of course, said writer might be very well aware of the book and understands just how terribly PJ misappropriated them for his action flick.)

Thanks for the link, Eomer. I did laugh.