The beginning of TTT

[Marileangorifurnimaluim]

I think we'll see Merry and Pippin with the orcs and Uruk-hai, just to emphasize how awful their experience is. It's also crucial character development. Without their war-like experience there, you can't possibly imagine them sword-sworn to Gondor and Theoden respectively, or bold enough to take a slice out of the Nazgul king.<P>That's another reason Frodo wasn't shown standing up to the Nazgul at the fords, since we weren't shown his first moment of bravery against the Barrow-wight. <P>I think they'll skip the fight between the Mordor and Isengard orcs, but show Pippin's escape attempt. I also think they will simplify it as an escape attempt, instead of a pre-planned tossing of the Lorien cloakpin, and show the pin fall by accident. I suspect they'll want us to really despise Saruman, and this is a good way to do it.