"My friends, you bow to no one"

[Anguirel]

I imagine I'll be in a small minority when I comment that I didn't really like this at all.

I could have just put up with it if it had been in the book, but it felt like an added, gratuitous feelgood moment. Like the excruciating bedroom scene with everyone laughing and crying and kissing and cuddling.

(Merry comes in.)

Frodo: Merryyyy!!!

(Gandalf comes in.)

Frodo: Gandalfff!!!

(Legolas comes in.)

Frodo: Legolas!!!!!

(Eomer comes in.)

Frodo: Er...who are you?

(Beregond, Imrahil, Glorfindel and Halbarad saunter in.)

Frodo: And who in Arda are you?

Chorus of cut characters: We will have our vengeance...hack, slash, hack...

Anyway, yup, I didn't like the bowing; it seemed superfluous, anachronistic, pseudo-democratic. Bad fanfic.

EDIT: Oh and welcome to the Downs deathscar.

[Folwren]

Gosh, Anguirel, that wasn't a very kind welcome.

That part in the movie was fair enough. Although it didn't move me to tears, it did some of my friends (much to my astonishment). I thought it was sweet, but never to the point of tears. It was a good touch, seeing what the hobbits did. In reality, Merry and Pippin didn't necessarily deserve it, but Frodo and Sam did. It would have been better still if Pippin and Merry and bowed, I think. But then Frodo and Sam would have felt really awkward. . .

Yes, welcome to the 'Downs. Hope you have fun.

-- Folwren

[Glirdan]

I must agree that it was a rather toughing moment, but I must also agree with Folwren that in reality, Merry and Pippin should be bowing as well because then it would have shown everyone who really saved Middle-Earth. But I believe, Folwren, that PJ had all four Hobbits to show that their race isn't as weak as was first thought, and for that matter, a legend. It shows us as the viewers that even the small can be powerful.

And welcome to the Down's Deathscar.

[alatar]

Have to agree with the those 'agreers' here. Would have been nice if Merry and Pippin were included in the act of respect, but I can see why PJ allows them to stand:

I guess that Pip feels worthy as he was able to trick an Ent into attacking Isengard, plus he lit the beacons which brought the Rohirrim to the Pelennor Fields. Truly heroic feats, to be sure. Merry helped kill the Witch-King, and that rates him over Gandalf, who was 'proned' by the King of the Nazgul. Plus he was able to ride from Dunharrow to Mundburg completely unnoticed, and this cone of invisibility was extended to Eowyn as well.

Welcome, deathscar. Just so you know, my keyboard habitually gets stuck in 'sarcasm' mode .

Thanks for the warm welcome folks.

The way I saw it, the rest were bowing down to Pippin and Merry, because they had as much to owe to them (for reasons you mentioned) and for the fact that this tiny race of hobbits ("they would only be children to your eyes") were so courageous and brave and "had stout hearts" and changed the world for a better course.

Whereas the race of men needed encouraging from the Return of the King.

I thought it was a nice touch personally, and definitely though it was something the book would've been better with.

I also personally didn't like the Scourging of the Shire in the book, and was glad PJ left it out.

The voice over by Frodo at the end (upon his return to the Shire) is also spine-tingling, the bit where he starts off "How do you pick up the threads of an old life...".


I will agree with you however, when you say the bed-happy scene was completely overdone.

[ninja91]

I cant stand when Eowyn screams during the charge of the Rohirrim during the battle of Pelennor Fields. The scene is one of the most powerful in the movie, but then it is ruined by Eowyn's dorky battle cry.

[MatthewM]

Originally Posted by ninja91

I cant stand when Eowyn screams during the charge of the Rohirrim during the battle of Pelennor Fields. The scene is one of the most powerful in the movie, but then it is ruined by Eowyn's dorky battle cry.

WHAT?! I must vehemently 100% disagree with you. That is one of my favorite parts! Eowyn and Merry's cry add to the emotion! Everyone has thier own opinion, but I never thought I'd see somebody say that.

Back to the topic though, I think Merry and Pippin deserve just as much bowing as Frodo and Sam! As a previous poster noted, Merry helped kill one of Mordor's most opposing forces in The Witch-King, Pippin saved Faramir, and both aided in the rousing of the Ents, as well as outsmarting the band of Orcs that had captured them long enough for the Rohirrim to come in and do their thing. They didn't go to Mt. Doom, but they still deserve to be bowed to.

[sallkid]

Originally Posted by Folwren

Gosh, Anguirel, that wasn't a very kind welcome.

That part in the movie was fair enough. Although it didn't move me to tears, it did some of my friends (much to my astonishment). I thought it was sweet, but never to the point of tears. It was a good touch, seeing what the hobbits did. In reality, Merry and Pippin didn't necessarily deserve it, but Frodo and Sam did. It would have been better still if Pippin and Merry and bowed, I think. But then Frodo and Sam would have felt really awkward. . .

Yes, welcome to the 'Downs. Hope you have fun.

-- Folwren

But there is an equivalent scene in the book, Gwaihir sings a song called "praise to the halflings" or somesuch, this could be seen as a way of doing that scene whilst peter jackson avoids putting in any of the songs that are essential to middle earth's middle-ages setting

Originally Posted by Elfchick7

True, but there were many other that did just as much if not more. For example, Eowyn and Aragorn. So, why weren't they included?

I don't think that killing the captain of Mordor is quite as incredible an achievement as rousing the ents in open warfare (remember this is an event that had NEVER happened before in the history of middle earth)

[alatar]

Could it be that, to Big Folk, all of the four looked similar? Maybe, with the exception of those that stood side by side with the Hobbits (i.e. Aragorn), many in the crowd weren't really sure which did what. So out of ignorance and politeness (and Ent-draught Merry and Pippin appear more heroic anyway ), the crowd just bowed.

[Sarumian]

Originally Posted by Folwren

That part in the movie was fair enough. Although it didn't move me to tears, it did some of my friends (much to my astonishment). I thought it was sweet, but never to the point of tears. It was a good touch, seeing what the hobbits did. In reality, Merry and Pippin didn't necessarily deserve it, but Frodo and Sam did.

Well, I think, summoning Ents into battle, saving Faramir, slaying a troll and Witch King should not be underestimated