# "You Are Tracking The Footsteps Of Two Young Hobbits" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 10, 2003, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-tracking-the-footsteps-of-two-young-hobbits/200827 "2003-09-10T19:39:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![tanstaafl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2003, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-tracking-the-footsteps-of-two-young-hobbits/200827/41 "2003-09-11T20:23:49Z")
OK, y’all have forced me to [link to this again](http://thcnet.net/error/404.php). ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2003, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-tracking-the-footsteps-of-two-young-hobbits/200827/42 "2003-09-11T22:06:12Z")
Weirdest hijack ever. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2003, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-tracking-the-footsteps-of-two-young-hobbits/200827/43 "2003-09-11T22:15:46Z")
So, meanwhile, back at Gandalf and Saruman… ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2003, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-tracking-the-footsteps-of-two-young-hobbits/200827/44 "2003-09-11T22:24:17Z")
So that means that all that time that Merry and Pippin were being schlepped around by Treebeard, they knew that Gandalf was still alive. You’d think they’d chirk up a bit with that news, notwithstanding that the suspense had to be preserved for the movie audience. ---
**Author:** ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-tracking-the-footsteps-of-two-young-hobbits/200827/45 "2003-09-12T00:13:33Z")
Well, not _all_ that time, **pugluvr**. Not in their first encounter with Treebeard. When the hobbits first met up with Treebeard, they didn’t know. And I’ll have to watch the movie again to be sure, but I _think_ that the next time we see them (Entmoot?), Aragorn and friends have already met up with Gandalf. ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-tracking-the-footsteps-of-two-young-hobbits/200827/46 "2003-09-12T00:38:28Z")
Yes, Merry and Pippin knew, but they didn’t have anyone to tell…they don’t meet up with Aragorn and Co. again. I suppose they could have had a conversation between themselves like: “So! Gandalf was reincarnated! How about that! The boys at the Green Dragon are never going to believe that one!” ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-tracking-the-footsteps-of-two-young-hobbits/200827/47 "2003-09-12T04:28:16Z")
No one is ever cheerful in the Two Towers; it is quite a bad time for every-one. Gandalf’s alive? Great. Everyone else is probably dead, and the Ring lost to one of the Two Towers. I don’t think even Hobbits are that resilient. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-tracking-the-footsteps-of-two-young-hobbits/200827.md?page=2)