It has been over 20 years since the release of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King in 2003, which wrapped one of the greatest trilogies in movie history. Despite being over two decades old, the trilogy remains relevant. Not only are the movies still be watched, but discussed alongside newer releases in the wider franchise. To this end, The Lord of the Rings Reddit page remains quite popular.

One of the top posts on The Lord of the Rings Reddit page right now is a post about one specific scene. This scene confused many fans back in the early 2000s and it is still confusing fans over 20 years later.

More specifically, fans to this day are still wondering why the Palatir does not react to Pippin the first time he touches it in Isengard. And this must not be conveyed well because it is a question that has come up often over the years. In fact, the post asking this very question is one of the top posts on The Lord of the Rings Reddit page this week, suggesting many are wondering the same. And if the most hardcore fans of the series are confused by this, you have to assume it has certainly confused more casual fans of the movies.

So, what’s the answer? Well, in the books the Palantir only communicate with each other and can see if they are facing in the same direction. To this end, the fact that Pippin is seen by Sauron when he touches it later is not the rule, but the exception. In other words, a coincidence, and a big one at that as it required him to be facing both Barad-dur and Sauron. Another way of looking at this scene is that it is not the confusing one, but the scene with Sauron is the confusing one.

None of this is conveyed well in the movies, which leaves any observant viewer not deeply familiar with the books confused. In other words, it is a fault of the movies, and one that continues to trip up fans.