Lord Of The Rings: 10 Persistent Plot Holes FINALLY Debunked

The Claim: Frodo and Sam ‘easily’ infiltrate Mordor and waltz right into Mt. Doom, the only place where the Ring could be destroyed. Wouldn’t a door and a lock have been a good idea?

Well, if by ‘easily’ you mean infiltrate a stronghold that has only three entrances – the front gate, which is impassible, the road that goes past Minas Morgul, home of the Witch-king, and the last, which goes through a giant spider’s lair; a stronghold that is home to hundreds of thousands of Orcs; is one of the most inhospitable places in Middle-Earth, and is a challenge to even get to, especially unseen, then yes, you could call it easy.

Furthermore, Sauron had specific defences in place.

Five garrisons of Orcs patrolled Gorgoroth, the plain between Mt. Doom and the Mountains of Shadow (Mordor’s western boundary) and had set up fires to spot any intruders.

To quote the book: “If it had been its (Sauron’s) purpose to defend the mountain against all approach, it could scarcely have done more.” It was only when Aragorn’s march against Sauron pulled some of those forces away that Sam and Frodo were able to cross.

Thus it was team-work, immense courage, and luck, that undid Sauron’s security, security that was most definitely not lax.