411 – Saruman Won’t Back Down

Gollum was peculiarly fitted to survive in Moria, though at cost of great misery; Matt is also able to survive his time on the PPP with the same cost. Join The Man of the West and The Nerd of the Rings as we get a closer look at Saruman’s unenviable position in our third episode of four on The Hunt for the Ring from Unfinished Tales. Gollum doesn’t know how to open a door, Saruman discovers there ain’t no easy way out, and the Nazgûl make a new friend on the road north. We conclude that Númenor messed up Middle-earth timezones but agree they’re still smart enough not to bother with Daylight Saving Time, agree with Bret Devereaux’s conclusion that “Saruman is a dummy-wummy whose plans fail because they are bad”, and observe that we might be the only two people in the Venn diagram of sports fans and Tolkien fans. Also: Matt gets the munchies.

Recommended Reading


Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth
Tolkien, J. R. R. (Christopher Tolkien, ed.) (William Morrow, paperback)

The Silmarillion
Tolkien, J. R. R. (Christopher Tolkien, ed.) (William Morrow, paperback)

The Fellowship of the Ring: Being the First Part of the Lord of the Rings
Tolkien, J. R. R. (William Morrow, paperback)

The Two Towers: Being the Second Part of the Lord of the Rings
Tolkien, J. R. R. (William Morrow, paperback)

The Return of the King: Being the Third Part of the Lord of the Rings
Tolkien, J. R. R. (William Morrow, paperback)

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