Question: When Pippin and Merry are with the orcs (or uruk-hai or whatever they're called) one of the orcs keeps insisting on eating them. What does he mean when he says, "Do they give good sport?" And then he does this weird thing with his tongue to which Merry looks at him oddly. I don't know what he meant by that. (00:29:45)
Tailkinker
11th Mar 2013
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
20th Feb 2013
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Question: When it first shows the orcs carrying Pippin and Merry, Pippin shows evident concern for Merry and asks, "What about your heart?" To which Merry replies, "It was just an act. See? Fooled you too." I'm just curious as to what makes Pippin think that anything is wrong with Merry's heart. It never stated or showed anything about Pippin or Merry until this scene, and the last we see of them in FOTR is of them being carried away by the orcs, completely conscious and unharmed. However, while I have the extended version of TTT and ROTK, I only have the theatrical version of FOTR, so I was wondering if this was ever mentioned in a scene during it.
Chosen answer: You misheard, I'm afraid. Pippin says "You're hurt" not "Your heart".
12th Aug 2011
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Question: I'm just curious, but at Helm's Deep, when Legolas says to Gimli "Shall I get you a box to stand on?" or words to that effect, was that line improvised by Orlando Bloom or was it in the script?
Answer: There's nothing to indicate that it wasn't in the script. It seems in line with much of the humour displayed throughout the trilogy, so was likely there from the start.
7th May 2009
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Question: What was the point of bringing the Elves to the Battle of Helm's Deep? I don't mean in terms of the action of the film - I mean, why would the filmmakers add in something that is completely off the book? Legolas and Gimli frequently comment in the books that they wish their kinsmen would come to help them. Legolas then says that war is raging on their lands, and they will not come. Why have them come in the film?
Chosen answer: It's to show that the other races aren't just sitting back and letting the race of Men fight the battles. They could, of course, simply have had Legolas and Gimli saying that their people are fighting elsewhere, much as the books do, but it's more interesting and emphatic to actually show that the elves are participating in the battle against evil, even if it represents a change.
2nd Oct 2007
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Question: After Aragorn goes over the cliff during the warg attack, why don't Gimli and Legolas go down to look for him? Even if they thought it would be impossible for him to have survived, how could they live with not having made sure? Yes, more wargs would be coming soon, but surely these two brave warriors would not allow that to prevent them from possibly saving Aragorn's life.
Answer: They simply don't think he could have survived. Even if he did, they could hardly take the time to search for what could be miles downriver. Aragorn would want to make sure that the people of Rohan reached safety, so that's what they do, better to accompany the column to Helm's Deep, rather than abandon them in the face of possible further attacks. Also, King Theoden had given orders to leave the dead, and assuming that Aragon could not have survived such a fall, they were being ordered to leave him.
28th Aug 2007
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Question: Who or what is Helm and what is its deep?
Chosen answer: Helm Hammerhand was the ninth King of Rohan who used the caves and their accompanying fortifications (built many centuries earlier by the Gondorians) as refuge during a war against the Dunlendings. The caves, and the valley leading to them, were named Helm's Deep as a tribute.
19th Aug 2007
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Question: What is the reason for Aragorn falling off the cliff? Most people who see this movie would at least know that the next installment is called "Return of the King" so they would know that Aragorn cannot die until the third movie. I wondered whether it was just a plot device so that Aragorn could see the army of Uruk-Hai later and report their numbers to Theoden.
Chosen answer: You're quite right in that, no, I doubt anybody seriously would have thought that Aragorn was going to die, but the scene functions as a way of showing the peril that the characters are facing, plus, as you say, it allowed Aragorn to report on the approaching enemy force, putting the main characters in the thick of the action rather than having a nameless scout character make the report. Plus it also allows them to reunite Aragorn with Brego the horse.
19th Aug 2007
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Question: Why does the Eye of Sauron look so different in this movie? In 'Fellowship', it's a round eye with a thin slit but in this movie it is more oval shaped and has a considerably wider slit.
Chosen answer: The Eye gradually changes throughout the films, getting noticeably larger and more dynamic - a sign of Sauron's growing power.
19th Aug 2007
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Question: Is Sam's line "By rights we shouldn't even be here," a reference to the fact that Frodo and Sam never go to Osgiliath in the books?
Chosen answer: No. Despite various attempts to read that as some tacit admission of wrong-doing on the part of the scriptwriters, it doesn't mean anything of the sort. What Sam means is that, if things were going right in the world, he and Frodo would be living a peaceful life in the Shire, not dodging Nazguls and arrows in the ruins of Osgiliath.
12th Aug 2007
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Question: I am confused about the battle of Osgiliath. Are there orcs attacking the city, or just the Nazgul? Also, how many Nazgul are there (just the one we see or more)? When Faramir shows Frodo the way out through the sewers (Extended DVD) have the Gondorians won the battle or is it still going? And last of all, is the battle of Osgiliath in the third movie (where the orcs are coming in on rafts) a continuation of this battle, or are the orcs seen in the third movie reinforcements?
Chosen answer: Osgiliath is under attack from an army consisting mainly of Orcs, but with at least one member (probably more) of the nine Nazgul operating from time to time in the air. In the final film, Osgiliath is still under siege, but the newcomers on the rafts represent major reinforcements, more than enough to take the city before continuing on to Minas Tirith. At this point, Sauron has committed to a major offensive, so all nine Nazgul are in the fray along with his huge army of Orcs, Trolls, Mumakil and so on.
24th Feb 2006
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
15th Aug 2005
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Question: I never understood why the Elf contingent arriving at Helm's Deep was led by Haldir, the marchwarden for Galadiel and Lothlorien. But he brought greetings from Elrond of Rivendell, who wasn't really the equal of Galadriel. Did Rivendell have troops that Lothlorien didn't? And yet, there were plenty of armed Elves as the Fellowsip arrived in Lothlorien in FotR.
Chosen answer: Haldir brings the message from Elrond, who is very much Galadriel's equal, that they fight in honour of the earlier alliance - Elrond fought in that alliance, while Galadriel didn't, so it makes sense that the message would be from him. The elven forces have been sent from Lorien for the simple reason that it's much closer to Rohan - they also don't have to cross the Misty Mountains, which would be a serious problem for any group sent from Rivendell.
5th Feb 2005
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Question: In an earlier question someone asked about Brego and said it was Eomund's horse. Eowyn says that it was her cousin's horse. I thought Theodred was her cousin not Eomund. Is that true?
Answer: You're correct - Theodred, who rode Brego before his death, is Eowyn's cousin. Eomund is her late father, who married Theodwyn, King Theoden's sister.
6th Jan 2005
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Question: I think that it was excluded from the UK Extended DVD, but does anyone know where I can find 'Gollum's Acceptance Speech' on the web? It was the awards ceremony for the MTV Movie awards.
Answer: http://www.pinwire.com/downloads-file-9.html. Failing that, a Google search ought to turn it up.
27th Nov 2004
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Question: Where can I find the scene where Gimli is telling Legolas the point of a drinking game? Also why does wood elves enjoy wine but Legolas doesn't?
Answer: The drinking game scene is in the extended version of the Return of the King. As for Legolas not enjoying wine despite other wood elves doing so, he just doesn't like it; not everyone has the same tastes.
27th Oct 2004
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Question: What is Gollum? I thought he was supposed to have once been a hobbit but what happened to him?
Answer: He was indeed a hobbit, probably of the Stoor sub-race. After the finding of the Ring, he fell under its influence and he took it. The Ring kept him alive, prolonging his life far beyond the norm (he's around 500 years old at the time of the films). His physical change is related to the Ring - the precise mechanism is unclear, but it's most likely due to repeated exposure to the wraithworld that parallels our own; wearers of the Ring are transported at least partially into that world, rendering them invisible in ours. The same process happened with the kings who became the Nazgul.
16th Sep 2004
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Question: On the way to Helm's Deep, Theoden is riding Snowmane. After the battle with the Wargs and the company finally arrives inside the great fortress, Theoden dismounts off of a brown horse...where did Snowmane go?
Answer: Snowmane was presumably either killed during the battle against the Wargs and their riders, or injured to the extent that Theoden didn't want to risk riding him.
Answer: Snowmane definitely wasn't dead. He rode Snowmane to the battle of Pelennor fields.
3rd Sep 2004
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Question: Why are Merry and Pippin not surprised to see Gandalf when the company approaches Isengard? It never says that they spoke to Treebeard about him and they are not drunk enough to completely forget that they thought Gandalf was dead.
Answer: They've already seen him alive, shortly after meeting Treebeard for the first time - Treebeard takes them to see 'the white wizard' and we see the pair being dropped in front of somebody wearing white. We're supposed to assume, at the time, that it's Saruman, but, as is revealed, it's actually Gandalf.
3rd Sep 2004
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Question: Why is Brego, Eomund's horse, upset in the scene where Aragorn first meets him? Is he upset because Eomund is dead?
Answer: That would seem like a pretty plausible answer, yes. Brego's been in the middle of what was close to a massacre, with men (including his master) and presumably other horses cut down around him - enough to upset anyone.
27th May 2004
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Question: I've heard that the short film that Sean Astin directed in Wellington would be included on the Two Towers DVD. I know it's on the regular version, but I have the extended edition and I haven't been able to find it. Is it an easter egg, or did they just not include it?
Answer: It's only on the theatrical version.
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Chosen answer: "Do they give good sport" is simply a way of asking whether they're being kept alive to provide later entertainment; could they be used in some sort of organised hunt, could they serve as gladiatorial fodder in an arena fight, that sort of thing. The weird thing with the tongue really just seems to be a sort of odd tic, designed to emphasise his rather disgusting nature.
Tailkinker ★