The Lord Of The Rings: 8 Confusing Plot Holes The Movies Never Explained
5. How Did The Palantir Get In The Water (Theatrical Edition)?
If a source we dont adore becomes a movie that requires the book to really appreciate, its an incomplete piece, but if we already know the story thats a-OK. When writing The Lord Of The Rings Jackson did an amazing job of balancing both sides of the argument. But that didn't stop some confusing leaps, albeit coming from a different source to normal. The argument of whether the theatrical or extended editions of The Lord Of The Rings is better will never be really decided (in my opinion theatrical are better on their own, extended are better with the books to lean back on), but for the most part they're similar enough you can enjoy either without much difficulty. The only place where the plot really differs is at the start of Return Of The King, where Saruman either meets his end or remains trapped in Orthanc. Both scenes end with Pippin picking up the Skype-ball (Palantir if youre being traditionalist), despite its presence in the water only making sense in one. The theatrical one runs straight through with no death of Saruman, essentially making that non-canon. Its not like this was a scene that just happened off camera; he categorically didnt die/drop the orb, so theres no way for the Palantir to have got in water without extreme coincidence.
