Hey, we're discussing Bombadil, mostly - that's well within chapter limits. And I didn't start with the Ents. Other than Bombadil, and the Old Forest itself, there really isn't as much to debate in this chapter. We could talk about the character development, I suppose - Merry seems pretty self-assured, and Sam really doesn't like the trees much, I think.
Have fun at the movies!
At this point Merry is leading. I think as the captain of the conspirators, leaving Frodo no choice in the matter, Merry became the most in charge for this leg of the journey. And also because he knows more about the forest than the others (which is not saying much).
At least I read Merry to be leading. I will look for signs of exactly when Frodo begins to become more in charge. At this point, he has never considered that he is leading anything, he expected all along that he would have Gandalf to know what to do, and absent Gandalf, Merry appears to have a plan.