Lord Of The Rings Memes

Saruman accuses him of not consulting with the Order sooner:

The hour grows late and Gandalf the Grey rides to Isengard seeking my counsel.

and in the next scene:

The hour is later than you think.

Gríma echoes this to Théoden:

Late is the hour in which this conjurer chooses to appear.

Azog in The Desolation of Smaug says he should have come to Dol Goldur sooner:

You have come too late, Wizard! It is done.

And he arrives at Helm's Deep in the very late stages of the siege, though it was precisely when he meant to.

A wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins. Nor is he early; he arrives precisely when he means to.

Gandalf was not late, only delayed.

Is that not foreshadowing, or at least a deliberate narrative choice? Frodo knows that Gandalf made a big deal about not being late, so the fact that he was late means some serious shit must have gone down.

I thought this is just how all old dudes do things

He arrived exactly when he meant to

shortly thereafter...

Wasn't it like decades later?

Is delayed late though?

He's the late Gandalf now.

He was delayed in water.