Must...Obey...Gremlin!

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

This thread shall concern itself with the treatment of Eomer son of Eomund by the soldiers of Rohan.

When Eomer is outlawed by Grima, he is punched and generally treated roughly by the soldiers who are obviously acting under the will of Grima, who has taken power.

In the book, of course, he was put in prison by Theoden under the guidance of Grima. However, let's stick to the film here.

Why on Middle-earth did the soldiers punch Eomer? I know, we'd all love to punch our boss but come on, this is Eomer we're talking about. All-round great guy and clearly loved by the people of Rohan. I don't think the soldiers should have been portrayed as so easy for Grima to work. I know Hama was shown as not being fond of Grima but I don't think this makes up for it. Especially considering the utterly ridiculous fight sequence when Gandalf needs to get to Theoden and Gorn, Legolas and Gimli start to destroy several of the hapless guards.

What I'm getting at here is this; I don't think the situation in Rohan was dealt with as sensitively as it should have been. Were the soldiers of the King really mindless drones staggering around Meduseld chanting "Must...Obey...Gremlin? I don't think so.

Am I nitpicking? Certainly. But get used to it, it's what I do!


*To note, just so there's absolutely no confusion, the Gremlin in question is Grima.*