Yesterday, I watched Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. It is my favourite film of all time. In my opinion it does justice to Tolkien’s works, as it really fleshes out the characters. There’s a great moment, near the beginning, when Merry and Pippin are being taken south by the Uruks.

Pippin: You’re hurt
Merry: Don’t worry, it was just an act… See, fooled you too, Pip.

I love this moment. It shows just how much Merry cares about Pippin, not wanting him to worry about him. In my mind, the greatest relatinship shown in the LotR franchise is the relatinship between Merry and Pippin. Most people would say the Aragorn-Arwen relationship or the Aragorn-Eowyn one. If you have a good sense of humour, you might say the bond between Legolas and Gimli. But I don’t look for romance, or a budding friendship.

I instead look at Merry and Pippin, and am drawn in by the brilliant portrayal of their friendship, a friendship that has been around for years.

After all, its our oldest friends that mean the most to us.