[BibChr]

Oh, yes again! I know one person whose first impression of Merry and Pippin was, "Oh, great; they've been turned into Jar-Jar!", because they're more comic-relief than in the books, and their whole motivation was downplayed. But that's one of the scenes that puts the stake in the heart of the whole Jar Jar comparison -- how torn with grief and rage their faces are as they bring all of their, what, four feet to charge the (relatively) giant loathesome orcs.

Dang! Tearing up again! Stop it! I'm at work!

Dan

[RosieCotton]

"...how torn with grief and rage their faces are as they bring all of their, what, four feet to charge the (relatively) giant loathesome orcs."

Oh man...that gets me every time. And then that brief moment when we see their faces as they're carried off...they KNOW there's nothing they can do, and that Boromir is giving his life for them.

Pardon me while I join the tear-fest. Ai! Poignant stuff!

[JenB]

I love Merry and Pippin, always have, and I think that although heroes in TT and RotK - their parts really expand later, too. I think that the look on their faces when Boromir gets shot is probably worth their entire salaries, not to mention their futile charge...

[2Jedismom]

I don't know, the scene at Bucklebury Ferry was pretty intense for the two young hobbits! Merry shows a great deal of spunk with no questions asked. And Pippin really is pretty funny and does actually say in the book "I shall go, unless they chain me up. There must be someone of intelligence in the party" to which Gandalf replies "Then you certainly will not be chosen, Peregrin Took!" I never thought that was all that funny until seeing it the way Jackson portrayed it. Now I read it and laugh.