Three episodes into the chapter, we finally meet Sméagol… and the other fellow sharing his brain. Sam jumps the creeping, crawling creature at the bottom of the cliff, which goes about as well for Master Gamgee as one might expect. Fortunately...
Upon entering the Golden Hall, Gandalf is challenged once again; this time by Wormtongue, the king's counsellor who may not exactly have Rohan's best interests in mind. Gandalf puts the worm in its place (before Gimli can dissect it for smack...
Our heroes ride up the long and winding road that leads to Théoden's door, but first they have to get through two sets of guards. They'll be allowed into Meduseld itself just as long as they check their weapons at the door... their ancient...
The three remaining members of the Fellowship of the Ring (as far as they know) prepare Boromir for his last journey down the Anduin, and as the son of Denethor floats away they eulogize their fallen comrade... in song form! Aragorn steps into the...
Still searching for Frodo after the chaotic events of the previous chapter, Aragorn is interrupted by the sound of Boromir's horn. He arrives on the scene just in time to bid farewell to the fallen hero, and for Shawn to atone for all the Boromir...
And the number of the towers shall be two. Or three. Or... five? If it's not clear yet, we'll clear it up in this introduction to Book III of The Lord of the Rings. We also look back at the story so far, plus, what we did over our summer break!
Frodo awakens, wounded and bewildered, after the attack on Weathertop. Believing they’ve been led into a trap, Sam is certain (again) that Strider is not to be trusted, but the Ranger proves himself useful (again) by treating the wound with athelas...
In January, Alan and Shawn were honored to be the keynote speakers at Signum University’s second annual Texas Literature & Language Symposium (“TexMoot”) in Waco, Texas! Our talk, recorded live, explored podcasts as modern-day mead-halls providing a...
Alan and Shawn are celebrating their eleventy-first episode with a party of special magnificence! But instead of inviting you to a feast and risking a possible appearance by the Sackville-Bagginses, we’re looking back at a few dozen of our best...
Before turning to The Lord of the Rings, Alan and Shawn gain some needed insight with a look at Tolkien’s influential essay “Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics.” Tolkien’s response to the prevailing theories of his day about the Old English poem...