I loved how this episode began with some very bad sound effects for poor Gwaihir! An unintentional laugh
But then something struck me which I've never really thought about before. When Saruman mocks Radagast as "Radagast the bird-tamer" I'd just registered this as a dig at Radagast's Bill Oddie tendencies, but really, this is a dig at Radagast's comradeship with the Eagles! I must go back to the book now and see what else Saruman mocks him for because I can't remember the full line...
Grima here sounds much more realistic as a King's adviser or counsel. He's not so overly
oily as Grima in the films (much as I enjoyed Brad Dourif's uber-Goth Grima
) and this seems much more realistic to me; you can imagine a King choosing this man as his closest adviser. The Nazgul also sound less animalistic; we hear the Lord of the Nazgul talk and he just sounds like a Man, not a cat yawling because someone's stood on his tail (or like a pig being slaughtered, which is what the Nazgul sound like in the films...). Butterbur is just great...check out The Box Of Delights which the same actor is in.
I was pleased with the music in this episode. It sounds so much more like genuine folk music than some of the horrid New Age stuff in the film soundtrack (most of it not by Howard Shore but by Enya - sorry, she's totally not to my taste). And like English music instead of Celtic music too.
And there was another funny moment where the Gaffer is being interrogated by one of the Nazgul and he pauses as though he's about to say "P.... Off" but then doesn't! If you listen to it you will know exactly what I mean!