411 – Saruman Won’t Back Down

Well, I, I'm not sure, actually.

[laughs] I, I don't, I don't know if I wanna call this a new segment just yet.

It's more like an extended sidebar in the form of an intro.

You see, later in this episode, we're gonna learn that one of the many reasons Saruman is interested in the Shire is because he's become a bit of a pipe smoker, and he needed, well, supplies.

And pipe-weed features pretty heavily-

Mm

...

in next week's episode, too.

Yes, it does.

So since Jackson did such a great job of implying that pipe-weed has a little extra something-

[laughs] Boy, didn't he?

... we thought we'd take a minute to talk through the subject.

So pardon me when I go get my Doritos, man.

[laughs]

I got the munchies, dude.

Not already, Matt.

My... [laughs] All right.

Let's start, not with The Lord of the Rings, but with The Hobbit actually, to see if pipe-weed makes an appearance there.

And oh, well, what do you know? Pipe-weed is never mentioned once in The Hobbit, but tobacco is on five different occasions.

First, in the very famous good morning scene with Gandalf, Bilbo is asked, "Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not? Or that you feel good this morning? Or that it is a morning to be good on?" "All of them at once," said Bilbo.

"And a very fine morning for a pipe of tobacco out of doors into the bargain.

If you have a pipe about you, sit down and have a fill of mine."

Later, after they leave the Shire, we learn that Gandalf had looked out for Bilbo having brought a lot of pocket handkerchiefs and Bilbo's pipe and tobacco.

Mm-hmm.

It's also mentioned twice in Riddles in the Dark.