Merry at the Black Gate
 

Was it really needed to have Merry march with Pippin to the Black Gate? Did this bug anybody else? PJ even made Merry hold his arm after stabbing the Witch-King. You think he could have kept him in the Houses of Healing...geez.

I think it would have been great if Pippin just went, like in the books. I also think they should have let Pippin slay a troll. It was his shining moment as his growth from a "Fool of a Took" came full circle...

Fair point but it makes it worthwhile when we see the two hobbits charge together following Aragorn before anyone else, for Frodo....!

also, Movie Pippin is given more of a role in ROTK to beef him up a bit, but again, I would have liked to see the Troll attack too.

no
 

No merry and pipin belong together. they always have been together. so they should have both went to the gate. otherwise people would have wondered why merry didn't go.

This is a wonderful example of what happens when a director tries to do what the book says and what he wants to do at the same time. If PJ wanted Merry at the Black Gate he shouldn't have made him get wounded, and vice versa.

Emotion...
 

It does make sense in movie terms, as there is the added emotional power of all the remaining Fellowship travelling to the last battle together for Frodo's sake. Leaving Merry behind removes this emotional fulfilment and completeness.

I don't see why having Merry at the Black Gate is a big deal, to be honest...when you cut out the scenes at the Houses of Healing, it would have been too confusing to not have him around. He would have just disappeared for large chunk of the film. People probably didn't even think twice about him being wounded--they probably assumed, that with so many wounded, Aragorn & co. would have just rounded up anyone able to stand.

I certainly agree that Pippin should have had the opportunity to slay a troll, and can't imagine why they didn't. They are, after all, big on "character growth," and the audience would have loved it.