THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING MOVIE REACTION (PART 2)

[@JOVONO]

Frodo is the protagonist however Tolkien went on to say that Sam was the hero and that he based Sam on the “good soldier type” who he served with in the First World War

[@lorddeath6300]

So Tolkien had a Sam in his life

[@jimchabai3163]

When JRR Tolkien was in WWI, he was an officer, I believe, and officer's were assigned an enlisted man as a servant or sidekick of a sort. This story is totally based on that relationship, even if Tolkien would deny allegory. JRR Tolkien also lost a finger in the war.

[@Schwazoom]

@@jimchabai3163 Tolkien did not believe in allegory, but only because he found it too blatant. He preferred to have his story have wide applicability. So while he was inspired by the officer and his servant, he wrote Sam as a servant who cultivates the deepest of friendship with his master.

[@di3486]

@@jimchabai3163 That wouldn’t be allegory, not even metaphor, that would be historical fiction.

[@Sage2000]

1- the Ride of Rohirrin 2- “I can carry you” 3- “you bow to no one” Tears every time

[@ruinsane100]

Yes to all of the above! The Grey Havens scene when the music swells when Frodo and Sam say goodbye... I sob. And the whole coronation scene is nonstop tears for me.

[@Stark-Raving]

For me I'd add "The Eagles are coming"

[@florianerdmann2950]

white shores and beyond a far green country under a swift sunrise.

[@Azhureus]

When Aragorn said ''My friends, you bow to no one'' thats a tear bending on highest level !

[@legoguy2554]

Mine is "go home sam" and "if I can't carry it for you; I can carry you"

[@terpcj]

There never was a truer or more loyal friend than Samwise Gamgee.

[@TheR15C]

“But I can carry you!”

[@ChillyCucumber]

“I’m going alone, Sam!” “‘Course you are, Mr. Frodo! And I’m going with you!”

[@shozanhanma2709]

@Brian Dawson I've had dogs I've taken care of turn on me, but Sam would not

[@qu1nnc]

Never forget that Sam bore the ring, even for a short time but he is still a ring bearer and has a place in the Western Lands for him.

[@luminatrixfanfiction]

@@TheR15C Fun fact: the actor who played Sam, his daughter was actually his real daughter at the end of the movie.

[@bradwright9477]

Sam is the true hero of Lord of the Rings, but I think we don’t give Frodo enough credit for the suffering and sacrifice he had to endure to save the world.

[@17thknight]

Yeah, the quest `100% fails without Frodo. He had the will to resist longer than anyone else would have, even Sam.

[@playermartin286]

Furthermore he’s way more awesome in the books

[@TheR15C]

One to resist, one to push forever forward and one lost forever. You could argue this group of individuals is the only possible way to destroy the ring. Especially considering the ring is supposedly only able to be destroyed unintentionally (the one lost forever).

[@bradwright9477]

@@17thknight Exactly. Frodo never would have gotten there without Sam, but Sam couldn't have endured the ring as long as Frodo did.

[@AgntFL]

You’re correct that he often doesn’t get enough credit, but I think the reason is because ultimately he failed. Frodo succumbed to the ring at the goal line and as was previously stated: its destruction was an accident. But Frodo was necessary to even get the ring as far as it did and he deserves all the credit for that alone

[@IcedEarth426]

"Can they go back to normal life after what they'd been through?" That's one of the main points of the tavern scene as well as why Frodo had to leave at the end of the movie. You come back home after a long, traumatic experience and home doesn't really feel like home anymore. The weight of your experiences changes you to the point where you don't really feel like you can go back to how things used to be. Tolkein was a World War 1 veteran and, like many other veterans of the Great War, knew all about horrors of violence and combat and how those experiences effect you. It used to be called Shell Shock, but back then it still wasn't really scientifically understood. We know it today as PTSD.

[@stt5v2002]

Well said. This is an interesting exploration that takes place after the major events are over. Most movies would have cut this for time, but it adds a more complex dimension to the characters. It also explains why Frodo decides to leave and travel over the sea with the elves. As in the real world, traumatic experiences change the hobbits. Even if a person does not develop what we might call PTSD, he or she cannot go back to a simple sheltered life as if none of it ever happened.

[@Jaasau]

And it is these more complex themes of the LOTR that elevate it above just mere trope fantasy. When you watch these movies you don’t see a fantasy. You see “human” characters.

[@juzujuzu4555]

I think PTSD aka Shell shock is not the same thing as "being able to continue your life" even though PTSD also makes it hard or impossible. To me seeing and knowing evil changes you completely and you cannot get enjoyment anymore from things that you used to. Also you can't connect with people who don't share your experience. To me Frodo made unbelievable sacrifice by saying he would take the ring to Mordor. He had already kept the ring for weeks, and knew it's power. So I think he knew he might not come back. Also his pitty towards Gollum is what allowed the ring to be destroyed. Sam got slightly corrupted by only being with the ring with couple of hours. So they really needed Gollum in any case.

[@joshuawiedenbeck6944]

Tolkien lost almost everyone he knew while taking part in WWI. That war was also far more horrible than people today are familiar with. The leading cause of death wasn't from the fighting. It was from frostbite, disease, and starvation.

[@mrcydonia]

Viv: "Kill him!" Gandalf: "Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement."

[@Kanglar]

Gandalf brought 3 eagles to get them, one was for Gollum.

[@chriskelly3481]

@@Kanglar Yikes! You are right! ...That's super sad.

[@shozanhanma2709]

@@Kanglar no bs. I never noticed that. Good on Gandalf

[@ruinsane100]

And Smeagol/Gollum did have a part to play in the end, and it was for good.

[@danhalstead705]

Correct. If they had killed Gollum, the insurmountable strength of the Ring means that Frodo and Sam would have been at odds over it at the end, and there's no good outcome there. The ring was so evil and so powerful that it could only be overcome by something immensely, unexpectedly good. There was no expected way to defeat it, which is why Gandalf called it "only a fool's hope." But by sparing Gollum's life, they essentially opened the smallest of holes in fate itself, and that was enough.

[@dbaum23]

It wasn't in the video but the part where Gimli says to Legolas "I never thought i'd die side by side with an elf". And Legolas says "What about side by side with a friend". "Aye, I can do that". Is one of the best lines from the movies.

[@VPortho]

13:00 "They deserve happy ever after.." Remember, she gave up her immortality and the ability to be with her kin to be with Aragorn. That is a huge gift. This is what happened in Tolkien's writings: Arwen arrived at Minas Tirith after Aragorn had become King of Gondor and Arnor, and they married on Midsummer's Day in the year TA 3019, after the end of the War of the Ring. She became Queen of the Reunited Kingdoms of Arnor and Gondor. After marrying Aragorn, she bestowed upon Frodo Baggins a gift; her place on the ships to Valinor. She bore Aragorn's son, Eldarion, and several unnamed daughters, some time during the Fourth Age. In the year 121 of the Fourth Age, after Aragorn's death, Arwen died of a broken heart at Cerin Amroth in Lórien, and was buried there one year after the death of Aragorn, to whom she had been wedded for 122 years. She was 2901 years old.

[@Dash277]

The scene where they all bow to the Hobbits gets me every time. The real heroes. Not the strongest, wisest, most powerful. Not incredible warriors. Just honest and good hearted. Unable to be fully corrupted by the ring, because they don't crave power. Fighting to save their simple and beautiful shire.

[@placebo5466]

I love that scene too. Especially if you look at Pippin, he has that smirk on his face like "About time I got some damn respect!"

[@alphawolf1183]

I love that scene so much too because while hobbits may be small, they were the tallest and looking over everyone else in that scene. So good

[@Valendax]

Sean Astin(Samwise) said that scene gets him every time, too. :)

[@enrique7208]

In the books when Sam has the ring and is going to rescue Frodo it goes really into detail how the ring is corrupting him in such a short time. And Sam pictures himself as ruler of middle earth using the rings power and making all of middle earth one giant garden and making everyone tend to it. But then he stops and says no, he doesn’t want any of that. He doesn’t want to rule over people, have massive lands and wealth. He just wants his own garden and nothing more. Hobbits are pure and don’t seek power or titles or wealth like men, elves, or dwarves. No one else could have endured the corruption of the ring for as long as Hobbits did(Sméagol for several hundred years, Bilbo and Frodo for decades, in the book at least, Frodo for over a year in the movie).

[@jcgacio94]

You put it perfectly. Cheers from Spain, my man.

[@toodlescae]

Frodo had to go. The wound he got and what the ring did to him could never heal on Middle Earth. If it helps, I've been told that once Sam is a widower and his children grown he joins Frodo in the undying lands as he was also briefly a ring bearer.

[@thomasfort1013]

@Abdur Rehman Ali nope. After when Sam left for Valinor only Legolas and Gimli sailed West. When Merry and Pippin grew old they journeyed back to Rohan and Gondor and when they died the were laid to rest next Aragorn at Minas Tirith.

[@thomasfort1013]

@Abdur Rehman Ali no worries.

[@enrique7208]

@Samuel Astic why would Sauron want to destroy the ring and kill himself???

[@Hesher93]

@@enrique7208 It's more about that no one could destroy the ring willingly, not Frodo, not Sam, not even Elrond or Gandalf, thats why Gollum was so important and why Frodo not really failed his tasks.

[@delko-c6m]

@@Hesher93 He may not have failed in a litteral sense. Like, nobody was supposed to be able to destroy it willingly. But I bet he for sure feel guilty for not being able to hold on, at the very end of the journey. He feels like he failed, even though there was no way he would cast it into the fire.

[@ReadingOne]

The best part about the ending scene is the fact that Sam's daughter was played by Sean Astin's oldest daughter.

[@thetorresons297]

I didn’t know that!🥰

[@rainsongt189]

And Sam's youngest child was played by Rosie Cotton's (Sarah McLeod) real life son.

[@stt5v2002]

In the books, Sam eventually also sails over the sea and rejoins Frodo. Sam's brief period as a ring bearer confers long life on him, as it did to the others who carried it. Sam lives a long happy life in the Shire until his children are grown and Rosie eventually dies. He then sails over the sea and reunites with Frodo and Gandalf, as the last of the ring bearers.

[@Tilion462]

Yeah, 13 kids and seven-times mayor of the shire later, when Rosie died he sails as the last ringbearer, rejoining the rest of the fellowship across the sea, passing on the Red Book of the Westmarch to his eldest daughter Elanor.

[@thesurvivorofhathsin8486]

Too bad Boromir died then. For 15 seconds, he was a ringbearer too!

[@postaled]

Sam is a hero yes. But for some reason, everyone seems to forget Frodo being stabled by the Morgul blade. He sacrificed himself before the journey even started, and still carried the ring all the way. Remember in Fellowship. Him grabbing the ring, taking ownership and saying, 'What must I do?'

[@marine6680]

They are both heroic characters. Even though Frodo failed, it does not lessen his bravery. And yes... Frodo failed, he succumbed at the last second to the ring's temptation. That was the point of the story, that some evil can not always be overcome, but it will eventually be undone by its own machinations. The corruption of Gollum lead to the conflict that destroyed the ring. Had the ring not continued to call to Gollum as an effort to stop Frodo, it would not have been destroyed.

[@postaled]

That's why it's all so great.

[@marine6680]

@@postaled Tolkien is a literary beast... Not only an amazing story with meaning under the surface... But a depth and consistency of world building that few if any have approached since. Consistency tends to be the hardest for many to maintain... Though few have the overall depth either. I know only the barest amount of it all... Serious lore nerds know so much more than I.

[@noxi8766]

I don't want to make anyone cry...but three eagles came... the third one was for gollum , Gandalf thinking in the end he helped them 😭

[@nicholasmedich7493]

Not true - at least in the book. The third was for Gandalf.

[@amberanime]

I was wondering if this is canon, or headcanon that became popular. Nothing against headcanon, but I do like to know the difference. Harry potter suffers a lot from headcanons being treated as canon as well.

[@ruinsane100]

Although the "third eagle for Gollum" wasn't mentioned in the books, I do believe PJ took the liberty with the story and intended it to be interpreted as just that. PJ, in his interviews, has a real soft spot (as many of us do) for Smeagol. Can't remember if he mentions it in the extras but it is completely fathomable that he would have added that profoundly wise and compassionate embellishment to the story. It brings Gandalf's words to Frodo in Moria back full circle. I think it's brilliant.

[@clarkbarrett6274]

@@amberanime It's pure headcanon with nothing anywhere to support it.

[@brianlafrazia8237]

One of my favorite aspects of this story is that when the 4 hobbits return to the Shire, none of other hobbits realize what they did - they have no idea these young hobbits just saved literally all of them and are real heroes. They not only left the safe seclusion of the Shire, but ventured out into the wider world and did things none of them could imagine. Unsung heroes to the very end.

[@robertdendooven7258]

Not the case in the book. The movie skipped the whole chapter of "Scouring of the Shire" from the book.

[@lazyshoggy]

I love the way the old hobbit sweeping in front of his door look at them when they go back, something like "geez, youngsters nowadays ..."

[@christophernelson24]

@@robertdendooven7258 it is unfortunate that they didn’t do the scouring of the shire. But I think in the end it is better for the movies. It’s complete. And even though the hobbits dont feel at home again it is back to a life of peace. Some kind of semblance for them. Finally over with it.

[@whengrapespop5728]

@@christophernelson24 PJ did intentionally leave a tribute to it, though, when Frodo looks into the water with Galadriel.

[@Jerome616]

I love Elijah’s acting at the volcano. You can really see he’s trying to let it go but is ultimately overpowered by the ring.

[@Metal_Auditor]

With the witch king, the movie does lead you to believe that Eowyn being a woman was a loophole to the prophesy, but the truth of it is that it was Merry stabbing him with his dagger (given to him by Tom Bombadil in the book, but by Aragorn in the movie). Merry's dagger was a Barrow-blade, an ancient weapon with an enchantment that could overcome the Nazgul's protective spell. By stabbing the witch king in the knee with it, he broke that spell and made it possible for Eowyn to finish him off with her sword.

[@susanmaggiora4800]

stalrunner Yeah, this is almost always overlooked by both reactors & people in the comments. I don’t think I’ve seen a reactor acknowledging Merry’s bravery in that instance, or even noticing that he did anything for that matter..

[@mikelarsen5836]

Unfortunately many fans of the movies have never read the books so have no idea how stupid some of their comments are 😄

[@enrique7208]

@@susanmaggiora4800 in fairness, the movies don’t put as much emphasis as the books do into the Nazgul’s greatest weapon. Fear. In the movies the Nazgul would screech and it made it seem like men just couldn’t stand the noise. In the books it tells you about how men would instantly be deprived of all hope and be full of fear at the very sound. It’s just one of the unfortunate casualties that movies have compared to their books.

[@imaginarycorgi7312]

If you wished to know the fate of the others, the book describes this: After visiting places of meaning to each other Gimil, Son of Glóin, and Legolas Greenleaf left Middle Earth for the Undying Lands, in a ship they built together after years of friendship and Fellowship. Aragorn son of Arathorn lived a long wonderful life; feeling that his final days were upon him he gave his crown and scepter to his son Eldarion. Aragorn’s wife Arwen stayed with him to the end, after his passing she died of heartbreak. Merry and Pippin visited Rohan and Gondor for some time afterwards. They eventually lived out the rest of their days in Gondor and when their time passed they were entombed beside King Elessar (Aragorn). And last but certainly not least Samwise Gamgee became mayor of Hobbition for several terms alongside his wife Rosie Cotton. After his wife’s passing, Samwise entrusted the Red Book (Bilbo and Frodo’s book) to his daughter Elanor. He then left from the Grey Havens towards the Undying Lands to reunite with Frodo.

[@victorsixtythree]

"The Return of the King": eleven Academy Award nominations...eleven Academy Award wins.

[@bigfudge2031]

And Sean Astin (sam) didn't win anything smh.

[@Pixelologist]

"After all this?!" They've brought the ring to the only place where it can be destroyed.....which is also the epicenter of its power. The Ring's corrupting influence is virtually impossible to resist here where it was forged. Isildur also succumbed to its all-consuming will here at this precipice. This is the last and greatest reason why the Ring had heretofore never been destroyed.

[@steffgriffiths6105]

I've been looking forward to this

[@Cappaj2]

My powers have doubled since the last time we met count

[@JC-js3er]

Good!!! Twice the pride, double the fall

[@sokandueler9578]

Two things about Eowyn killing the witch king. First, The prophecy was no “no living man CAN kill him,” but “you shall not die the blade of any mortal man.” The witch king, thus, took that and ran into battle without fear because war is the man’s theater. Eowyn did not kill the WK because she was a woman but because she wasn’t a man. Second, she delivered the final blow, but the mortal blow was delivered by Merry, who had a blade of Cardolan which was crafted specifically to defeat the wraiths because the men of Arnor (Arthedain and Cardolan, Rhudaur fought with the witch king) were the first to go to war with just the witch king.

[@Matej_Sojka]

It is questionable which blow was the lethal one. I think I would give it to Eowyn, though Merry and his enchanted blade from Arnor hurt him greatly.

[@sfodd1979]

I always understood it as Merry's enchanted blade released the enchantment that prevented the Witch King from being harmed, and Eowyn delivered the killing blow, making it seem like the prophecy was fulfilled. In fact the prophecy wasn't accurate, or was an exaggeration of the Witch King's powers. It doesn't sound like something that should be taken literally to me, "No man can kill him" to me says don't fuck with that guy not find a woman for help, not that there aren't tough women. That was even the context in which the prophecy was given as Glorfindel was warning others to not chase after the Witch King, when he said it.

[@tauriqabdullah6130]

@@sfodd1979 I thought "man" means no one from the race of mankind (ie. man) can kill the witchking. Meaning elves, dwarves, eagles can kill him.

[@sfodd1979]

@@tauriqabdullah6130 Nope, the way I understood it, the elf that spoke the prophecy was shown the Witch King's death by the elves' God and was commenting on Eowyn's gender. Technically he could have been killed by anyone, Merry using the enchanted blade first is what was important, the prophecy was just explaining that he would not be killed by a man, even though he could.

[@racernatorde5318]

It was a pleasure watching your reaction to these movies. You have a very good sense for picking up the connections and things going on in movies, which makes your reactions so good. Kinda surprised though to not see a single tear, not even in the final scene!

[@Сайтамен]

"It was Sam!" Technically, it was Gollum, but we got it.

[@onslaughtvanquish]

I dont know how you watched this movie without being emotional. I weep like an infant everytime i watch the end of this movie.

[@mep1990]

There's a deep reason for the feeling of the multiple endings, specially the departing of Frodo and Bilbo to Valinor (which would be like a heaven-continent where elves and the gods live out their inmortal lives). It shows the lasting effects of some traumatic events, like having been the ring-bearers, and that some scars don't heal. No matter how much the world around them is back to normal and relative happinness, Frodo has been changed and he simply can't go back to normal. He can't heal his inner wounds and live a normal live, that's why he, together with Biblo, is given the choice to go to the immortal lands of Valinor, the only place where he can have some healing and inner peace. Actually, in the books, Sam, after a long time with his family also chooses to go to Valinor, because even for the brief time he had the ring, it also affected him. It is like, "all we have fought for was to save a world that is precious to us, but, even if we have succeded, we have sacrificed and changed so much, that it is impossible for us to enjoy what we have fought for... we have succeded so others can enjoy it, but we can't". It's a bittersweet but also beautiful and much deeper ending than most stories. Let's not forget that Tolkien fought in World War I, so he knew first hand the lasting scars such traumatic events can have on people.

[@phj223]

I don't know if you mentioned it, but this seems like the threatrical version. If you get a chance to go back and just watch the extended scenes somehow I highly recommend it, there are some real gems in there. Especially when Eomer finds Eowyn lifeless on the battlefield, his outcry of sorrow and pain is just otherworldly.

[@williamr.s.5693]

There’s a reason these are my favorite movies… 😢 So amazing.

[@Lothiril]

You're probably the first with a first-time-reaction that I've seen who actually gets what Frodo is going through and understands what he's going through. Hardly anyone in reaction videos acknowledges how hard and actually impossible this task was for Frodo, so this is an nice change and much appreciated. And thank you overall for a sweet and passionate reaction. 😊👍🏻

[@unseenentity326]

"...Sam turned to Bywater, and so came back up the Hill, as day was ending once more. And he went on, and there was yellow light, and fire within; and the evening meal was ready, and he was expected. And Rose drew him in, and set him in his chair, and put little Elanor upon his lap. He drew a deep breath, 'Well, I'm back,' he said." -- J.R.R Tolkien

[@stanmann356]

I understand why it was left out of the movies, but to me the best part of the books was when the hobbits finally returned to the Shire. Grima didn't kill Saruman at Isengard in the books. Gandalf broke his staff and took all his magic, except his natural powers of words and persuasion. Saruman had already been doing business with the Shire, as evidenced by the barrels of South Farthing pipe weed Merry and Pippin found in the storeroom. When the hobbits returned to the Shire they found it had been taken over by bands of human bandits. They weren't well armed, having only clubs and such, and were far outnumbered by the hobbits, but the Shire hobbits didn't know how to fight and were afraid of them. After everything the Fellowship hobbits had been through they just laughed at the brigands and quickly organized a revolt. After a couple of small battles they went to confront the leader who turned out to be Saruman, who still had Grima following him like a broken willed dog. Frodo talked the hobbits out of killing him, saying it was worse for him to have to live as a beggar an exhiled him. Frodo told Grima he could stay, since he had been a puppet of Saruman as well, and Grima seemed to be seriously considering it. Saruman told the hobbits of some nasty things Grima had done in the Shire, and that's when Grima snapped and stabbed him in the back. So the final stroke of the War of the Ring fell on the doorstep of Bag End. This was my favorite part of the books, that after all their experiences, they could be heroes in their own land without any help from anyone. It's also why they were revered in the Shire after that. Otherwise no hobbits would have cared much about stuff they did that happened "away South" as they called it

[@juliell2139]

Remember that Frodo and Sam still thought Gandalf had died in the mountain. They had no idea he was alive so when Frodo woke up in the end and saw Gandalf, it was extra joyful.

[@powreful4972]

We’re all forgetting the true MVP...Gollumn. Mans knew the way into Mordor. I’ll intentions? Hell yes! But still he knew the way. Gollumn played his roll as Gandalf predicted. Also if Bilbo never wondered off in Gollumns cave, the ring would have been lost still. It’s all amazing

[@sgtpaloogoo2811]

Truly

[@ttie5453]

Man Viv I have no clue how you got through this without crying lol, so many scenes in the latter half always get me!

[@brianmurphy8811]

It's so true that Sam was a vital part of the Fellowship, but so to, was the sacrifice that one of them...Frodo, had to make. Without Frodo continuously absorbing the evil from the ring, sparing everyone else in the group from it's poison...nobody would've made it. Also, Frodo was dying from the combination of the Witch King's stab wound from Weathertop, the Ring's Poison, and the stab from Shelob (the spider). That's why when he stepped on the boat, you saw him smile for the first time. The magic of the elves and of the blessed isles was healing him of those wounds. Oh, and another happy note, before his own death, Sam too sailed to the Blessed Isles. An honor afforded to Ring-bearers.

[@jean-paulaudette9246]

I note, that when Frodo is feeling his most dejected and defeated, exhausted beyond all endurance, the one and only thing that can get him up and running is the threat of Gollum stealing his precious.

[@17thknight]

"He's not dead is he." Nope, he's MEGA-dead.

[@cirdantheshipwright8172]

Great Reaction! Sam’s loyalty and love really do shine through in the story, but no one had a harder road then Frodo who held it together for so long. In the end as Gandalf said, the pity of Bilbo did indeed rule the fate of many and his sparing of Gollum meant that Gollum was there and the ring was destroyed. Compassion and kindness, self sacrifice and courage, and the love they demonstrated saw them through.

[@Cinthianunezcernadas]

I don’t know if you watched the extended version of this as I didn’t see any extender version scene, but, if you watch it, when Aragorn says “for Frodo” it just makes SO much more sense than if you watch the normal version, I never understood why he said that until I watched the extended edition of the movie, highly recommended!

[@Cinthianunezcernadas]

Also, when Aragorn says it and starts running, the elvish song you can hear says “if by my life or my death I can protect you, I will, you have my sword” and that’s what he told Frodo when the fellowship of the ring was established 😍

[@kibavee3295]

This series always picks me up when I'm feeling down. It's full of darkness amd suffering, but no one ever gives up hope. :)

[@telynns8490]

When you said 'It was a team effort' you have to include Gollum. All the times you (and the rest of us) wanted him to go away or die, the ring would not have been destroyed except for him.

[@sgtpaloogoo2811]

Bilbo's pity ruled the fate of all.

[@johnperkins5013]

Just as an FYI the ring you see on Gandalf's finger at the end is one of the three Elven rings Narya the ring of fire although it's true he is no elf but the elf that gave it to him knew he was worthy and could be trusted with it the only reason you don't see it other times is because the rings are invisible to all except for the bearer and other ring bearers and when in the presence of another ring but at the end since the one Ring was destroyed all rings end hence why Galadriel said the power of the three rings has ended.

[@CarrotHawk]

I am brought to tears nearly every time. When they all bow to the Hobbits, this depicts the biblical theme that the “first shall be last, and the last shall be first.” In the first movie we are told by the narrator that even a creature as small as a Hobbit can change the fate of the world, and that’s exactly what we see.

[@tilltronje1623]

Sam's little daughter is called Elanor. We don't see it in the movies but in Lothlorien (where they met Galadriel) there are fields of golden flowers. And Sam, as a lover of flowers, named his daughter after those beautiful golden flowers

[@deke76]

"You bow to no one" starts my waterworks every time.

[@alexstorr5511]

Finally! Return is a fantastic film and a great end to the trilogy. Glad you enjoyed them so much, great reaction. Merry Christmas 🎅 🎄

[@charlesedwards2856]

You can see the words of Galadriel coming true at the end of this. The quest claimed Frodo’s life. He couldn’t go back to his old, carefree life after what he witnessed and lived through. It took everything from him, which was Tolkien’s way of connecting the lives of WWI veterans to Frodo and the Hobbits. None of them wanted power, they just wanted to help save the world.

[@custardflan]

The scene in the pub at the end makes me think of our veterans. No one really knows except them. There's an element of classism in the story, which Tolkien is emphasizing, because Sam doesn't get the credit from the other characters although the reader gets it. Sam's character is based on Tolkien's aide he had as an officer during World War I. You should read the books.

[@adamalucard4655]

"he's manipulated and influenced by everything like the ring and gollum,he's not himself at all" and with this line proves you are smarter than many many watchers

[@sgtpaloogoo2811]

Yeah, not many people realize that

[@TheKyfe]

"He's not dead, is he..." Runs off a giant cliff. "Oh, never mind." Had me laughing out loud for real, haha.

[@emPtysp4ce]

Quite impressive that someone of his age was able to run that distance in 15 seconds flat while on fire

[@raimat66]

@@emPtysp4ce Yes indeed! From the tombs to the battlement where he falls down it's about half a mile. ;-O

[@smallvillefan72]

I’m so glad you do these videos. So much fun to see your reactions and observations. Adore you!! 🥰

[@MovedbyTruth]

Your reaction to The Lord of the Rings was great. From beginning to end the story is incredible. Probably the best story of fiction ever written. If you read books I highly recommend them. There are a lot of differences between them and the films. They are very well, and beautifully, written.

[@napoleonwhitehorse971]

The Lord of The Rings Trilogy is the best one!! I am grateful I got to experience this in Theaters in my day of ages!! I’m not old but I was 10 years old when The Return of The King came out!! But I am grateful that you got to witness The Trilogy!! Don’t feel bad that you live under the rock!!

[@chosenone76]

Also I know you hate Smeagol (Gollum) but I found him to be one of the most interesting and fun characters. He was corrupted for hundreds of years by the ring, and he actually was pivotal (and Galdalf hinted he would be) in Sam and Frodo getting to Mordor to destroy the ring. He’s a pitiful, and often times evil little guy, who winds up being pretty important.

[@anon8079]

The way you think outloud is so intelligent and endearing! You are amazing at reacting!!

[@davebalrock1199]

I can't believe you haven't shed a tear in the whole trilogy, I've seen it like 100 times and still crying like the first time. Best trilogy of all times!

[@eddipl5055]

Can you react to The hobbit: an unexpected journey. The hobbit: the desolation of Smaug. The hobbit: the battle of the five armies. Thank you Viv

[@Fuzz32]

When he said “No man can kill me.” It actually has a double meaning. Man is both a race and a gender in this case. Merry is a hobbit and Eowyn is a woman. Therefore, no “man” killed him.

[@sangeetaporuri5794]

This movie is so incredibly good. Definitely my favorite out of the three. Also, I really enjoyed your reaction to this and I am so glad you finished watching lord of the rings!

[@NickplaysDrums96]

the Hobbit reaction maybe?

[@sailiealquadacil1284]

The scene where Éomer finds his "dead" sister on the battlefield gets me every time, and it's hard for me to believe that wasn't part of the theatrical cut. I thought it very interesting that you proposed solving the "no living man can kill the Witch King" by bringing the Dead into play ^^ I don't think I've ever heard of anyone else making that kind of connection.

[@flamingmuffin666]

A very cool thing to note about eowyn and the with-king, is that the prophecy was stated by Glorfindel in the book as the one who calls themselves “No Man” will be the one to kill the witch-king, which the witch king never understood. BUT because Tolkien was a master of languages and how they change throughout history, and specifically how English has changed in time, he was playing a linguistic game between “man” and “Man”. In old English, “Man” just meant human (wereman was the word for a male human, wifeman was the word for female human, a modern usage we still sort of have is in the word werewolf - technically making a female werewolf is a wifewolf), so one way to look at is is that the witch-king heard “no Man may kill me”, meaning no human can kill him, where it was actually meaning “no man may kill me” meaning no male human would kill him. Thus the witch-king misunderstood prophecy due to a misunderstanding in language. Which is a massive worldbuilding point to me that, like our language, the language of middle earth has had changes in words and definitions just because time has passed, and that someone from a 600 years ago speaking English may speak the same words as us, but we wouldn’t be speaking mutually intelligibly to each other.

[@Amaranthos2]

See, I knew you were good-people. Thank you for not skipping one of the greatest moments in cinema history and actually reacting to The Charge And merry Christmas

[@patricktrinh5933]

I think you're one of the few reactors that is appreciative of Frodo and understands what he's enduring. By far your reaction to ROFTK is the best I've seen so far 👍

[@thunderstruck5484]

Hope you had a Great Christmas thanks for sharing your reactions!

[@jimmysmith5418]

It always really scared me as a kid when I watch this just those mountains behind cirith ungol it’s just really scary to know that probably no one has ever ventured up them before.

[@princesadelaos]

it drives me insane when people only compliment sam as if frodo didn't sacrifice his own life to carry the ring and bring it to mordor

[@toodlescae]

Neither Merry nor Eowyn was a man. It actually took both of them to kill the witch king. A Hobbit and a woman.

[@jeffburnham6611]

@toodlescae but Merry was a man, his dagger thrust into the Witch King didn't kill him, it only distracted him long enough for Eowyn to shove her blade into the slit on his helm.

[@toodlescae]

@@jeffburnham6611 nope. Merry was a hobbit not part of the kingdom of man. From what I was told by book readers it makes a big difference.

[@mudpeeyk6587]

Frodo carried the ring for 6 months 24/7, and audience are like 'Frodo cannot even make through the 9 hrs movies, he sucks'

[@daxk9160]

I was like number 1000! Thanks for the reactions Viv, they’re always fantastic, entertaining and emotional when they should be. Lord of the Rings is my favorite film series and books, so I am so glad you chose to watch them in their extended form. Can’t wait for whatever comes next 🤙🏽😁

[@SpectreSpook]

Samwise Gamgee is the most wholesome character in all of fiction. Period. If I ever have a single friend half as good as Sam I’ll count myself BLESSED.

[@thomasfort1013]

Sam's daughter that ran to him at the end of the movie is Sean Astin's(Samwise) actual daughter. Also we learn in the Appendixes that Sam and Rosie had 13 children and four of them were named after Sam's closest friends. Frodo, Merry, Pippin, and Bilbo.

[@sethkarcher8013]

I’m not trying to disappoint women out there, but Eowyn was not able to kill the Witch King because she was a woman. She was able to kill the Witch King because the blade that Merry stabbed the Witch King with destroyed the magic that Saroun infused into the Witch King. With that gone, it made the Witch King weakened which resulted in why Eowyn was able to destroy the Witch King.

[@FoxyKing93]

You should watch extended versions of this movie because they added lots and lots of important scenes in this version.

[@shawnabraham7740]

There’s something that the movie doesn’t cover, when Merry stabs the Witch-King, he actually stabbed him with an enchanted dagger that Merry picked from a mass grave in the first book, and it was specifically designed to harm the Witch-King.

[@johnochiltree1170]

The last ships leaving middle earth are going to Valinor and it’s described in the book as ‘white shores, and beyond, a far green country under a swift sunrise.’ The same why Gandalf described death to Pippin during the siege of Minas Tirith.

[@legoguy2554]

You thought the movie was emotional?!! the book is filled with love stories, great heroic battles and friendship😭😭😭😭😂😂😂😂😃😃my favorite book ever

[@jimmysmith5418]

Those statutes at cirith ungol WATCH TOWER are called watchers, should an intruder trespass by them their eyes will turn red and they will screech louder than a hawk.

[@jaysinjaymesbrown7819]

Not a single tear..... cold. 🤣

[@tearsoflight]

Crazy I just watched this and the 3 hobbit movies.... Was soo good seeing it again. If you haven't seen the 3 hobbit movies I recommend them next especially now that Mandalorian and anything star wars won't be out for a while.

[@dashlaru2]

J.R.R.Tolkien, who wrote the book, was a veteran of WWI, which was a brutal war. He based the relationship of Frodo and Sam on a bond that formed between many officers and their men, many who came from their own villages. It was often the stalwart wisdom of these men whom their officers needed in times of crisis. Another film more direct to this theme is 1917, highly recommend.

[@saretheldair8640]

I bet Viv is one of those people that seem quiet and reserved or even distant at first (like she seemed while she watched The Fellowship of the Ring), but once she trusts and cares and loves someone, they'd get attached and emotional (like she does in this vid)... It is amazing to see someone grow better and learn, and I bet this trilogy did that for her. Well done Viv, here's my like and subscription.

[@joonas4944]

"Hobbit there and back again" next???

[@Acebets70]

After Sam`s wife died a ship was sent for Sam(since he was a ring bearer) and he sailed to join Frodo!!! Also Mary and Pippen were buried next to Aragon

[@cluelessclown6562]

Denethor wasn't always such an awful person. In the past he was a really nice dude overall. But he used the palantir to fight again Sauron for a long time and through it Sauron tormented his mind and brought him to madness.

[@luvlgs1]

the human drama and underlying values make this so much more than an FX extravaganza. that last scene makes sense psychologically too, that Frodo could never go back to his whole life after his ordeal. i guess hobbits can get PTSD too. keep on rockin

[@luvlgs1]

you'll love the books too

[@rossmccarthy1188]

I’ve watched every one of your reaction videos so far to date Liv and I’ve got to say they’re my favourite reaction videos! Keep them coming, keep up the good work

[@ayethein7681]

I did enjoy watching your reaction and comments. I have lived with LoR from the books through the making of the films and seeing you (and others doing this) makes me eel like I'm watching it afresh too.

[@janlerl7076]

... btw. the loophole when Eowyn kills The Witch king of Angmar is the fact that Merry a "hobbit" stabbed him first. And (it is not in the films) but the sword Merry (and other hobbits) has is made especially against the realm of Angmar (not sure if by Dunadains or elfs specifically).

[@folcotook3049]

"I want to hear more about Samwise the Brave. Frodo wouldn't have gotten very far without Sam." - Frodo Baggins ;)

[@CJR-wv8kc]

Since you liked the friendship between frodo and Sam, I think you would appreciate what the books says happens many years later, Sam lives a long and happy life with Rosie but once she passed away Sam himself left the shire and built a boat and followed frodo as he was a ring bearer for a short time he was allowed to. Also after many years legolas and gimli take that very same journey, normally dwarves would not have been allowed but his friendship to legolas and galadriel allowed it.

[@Grizzlox]

Return of the King... the greatest movie in cinema history.

[@K4316]

The reason Frodo and Bilbo left for Valinor (Undying Lands) is because the effects of the One Ring still linger on them despite it being destroyed plus Frodo was stabbed by a Morgul blade which will never heal so because they were ring bearers, they were allowed to to leave for Valinor where they were likely healed from the magic of the One Ring. Also since Sam was briefly a ringbearer when Frodo was captured at Cirith Ungol, he also was allowed to travel to Valinor later on in life and reunite with Frodo.

[@firecat4529]

Are you going to watch the Hobbit trilogy next (the extended edition)?

[@Naylte]

The March of the Ents and the Slaying of the 'Witch King' were Tolkien's response to Shakespeare's use of prophecy in the Scottish Play.

[@JuanFromH-Town]

the last 30 or so minutes was just perfect!

[@JoeBLOWFHB]

"Samwise the Brave...I want to hear more about Sam" , Frodo knew who Sam was from the beginning. Sam took the ring because he was going to finish the mission alone after he thought Frodo was dead .Now you need to watch the Hobbit....and start playing Dungeons and Dragons🤗.

[@the_naturenerd]

The Hobbit Trilogy is next, right Viv?! Happy New Year!

[@hollyjaw3303]

Please no

[@johnmuse6626]

This reaction is the one I've waited for from you since I found your channel. It was all I expected and more. You're so very good at this. Sam is set up to be the hero but as you correctly pointed out, it was because Frodo had to carry the weight of the ring. He basically made the journey with a 1000 pound millstone around his neck and a constantly troubled mind. His soul was so pure that he was the only one capable of doing it without total corruption. Frodo left for the undying lands, along with Bilbo. Sam takes the journey once he's old and Rosie passes away. Only the immortal and those who bore the ring with good will were allowed there.

[@imperatoraugustus2897]

The Hobbit trilogy is next?