The Hobbit: 10 Things You May Have Missed In The Battle Of The Five Armies

2. The Sackville-Baggins

In stark contrast to The Return Of The King's many endings, The Battle Of The Five Armies rounds itself off rather quickly, barely letting the aftermath of the conflict sink in before the credits roll. The final scene sees Bilbo at long last return home, only to find himself presumed dead and his possessions being auctioned off. He should have called ahead. Not only is this a humorous moment, more in keeping with the tone of the book than much of the film, but it's also the visualisation of a much hinted at sub-plot through the entire series. Back in the Extended Edition of The Fellowship Of The Ring, Bilbo is seen hiding from the Sackville-Baggins, some less than favourable relations, and in the opening of An Unexpected Journey he and Frodo discuss explicitly their attempts to attain Bag-End and how they've been caught running off with his possessions. And, in Five Armies, when disrupting the auction, Bilbo name-checks one of the Sackville-Baggins, revealing that this is the moment that's been at the back his mind since the very start of the story. Now that's closure. The Sackville-Baggins and their obsession with Bilbo's riches is often misappropriated as the final chapter of The Hobbit, but is actually introduced near the start of The Lord Of The Rings - the first few pages of Fellowship are consistently included in republications of the shorter prequel. Including the scene here will no doubt further the confusion.