Also called After All, Why Not? · Bilbo Keeping the Ring · Bilbo Why Shouldn’t I Keep It
Bilbo looks at something he is supposed to let go of and starts reconsidering. Use the two frames for a small possession you suddenly decide is worth keeping after all.
The change in expression turns an ordinary object into something hard to part with. The joke is the justification that appears at the exact moment you meant to give it up.
It fits clutter, saved files, and things kept “just in case.” The more ordinary the object, the funnier the comparison to Bilbo’s attachment to the Ring.
Ian Holm plays Bilbo in the 2001 film The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. As he prepares to leave the Ring for Frodo, Bilbo questions why he should give it up. His hesitation supplies the two reaction frames. [1]
A clip of the exchange was posted to YouTube in December 2013. Know Your Meme documents a May 2014 Imgur version about a borrowed pen, followed by later edits about other objects and things people are reluctant to surrender. [1]
Use the upper caption to establish the object or the attempt to clear it out. Use the lower caption for Bilbo’s “Why shouldn’t I keep it?” response.
This blank version has no printed dialogue, so add both the setup and the reply. Keep Bilbo’s eyes and changing expression visible across the two panels.
Original captions to try with this template.
The unidentified cable suddenly seems too potentially useful to discard.
The biscuits are gone, but the tin seems worth keeping.
An abandoned draft gets one more chance to become useful later.
References for this template. Example captions are original.
Identifies Bilbo’s scene and documents the early clip and borrowed-pen variation.
