Replies

They see each other at Orthnac and I think

You are right of course...I don't remember a pipe weed reference...

I don't remember a pipe weed reference...

Well, you know what they say, if you can remember the 60s you weren't really there...

Well, there are a lot of pipe-weed references during the events at Orthanc in the Voice of Saruman, but a quick search did not find a reference to Gandalf's love of it or the slowing of his mind! The references I have found all surround Merry and Pippin smoking in the flooded ruins when the party from Edoras arrives... and the company is reunited.

Then Gandalf and company ride forward and confront Saruman.

For the record, the movie script is:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saruman: The Ring of Power has been found.

Gandalf: All these long years it was in the Shire, under my very nose.

Saruman: Yet you did not have the wit to see it. Your love of the halfling’s leaf has clearly slowed your mind.

Gandalf: But we still have time. Time enough to counter Sauron if we act quickly.

Saruman: Time?! What time do you think we have?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hmmm.... I never gave the line in the film much thought... it seemed like it was a plausible thing for him to have said in a conversation that we did not witness first-hand in the books, only heard about and imagined. I didn't find it in a brief search now, but I will be on the lookout for it.

One aspect that the movie line begins to illustrate to me is that Saruman's arrogance and airs of superiority over Gandalf is in reality good old fashioned jealousy. He not only looked into the Shire to see what Gandalf found so interesting about Hobbits, but began buying up their leaf, large quantities of it, and corrupting their business and subplanting himself as their government... His curiousity became obsession which became dominance.