[JenB]

I just get the sense that Old Man Willow is something sinking down from a higher stage, rather than a tree becoming more sentient.. something that might not always have been evil, but over time has lost interest in anything except its own hungers and desires.

[HairOfTheDog]

Or feels anger and jealousy of anything that can still move freely, if he was once freer to do so. I think he is an Ent gone treeish myself.

[Overtaxed]

Why on earth Merry, Pippin, and Frodo decide to rest against a tree after traveling through a hostile forest? Even a Took should have better sense!

[HairOfTheDog]

And notice how reserved we are being about talking Bombadil? - we are going to be with him for two weeks you know.

For me, I look forward to visiting Tom again. He has dropped off the radar screen since we have all accepted that he is not in the film. This is the first part of our discussion that will be purely the book as a subject.

And I will be needing to get ready to go meet Penny soon. We are seeing the film at the matinee in two hours.