The company reaches Isengard and discovers that property values have tanked in recent months, and it's no wonder why when they see how poorly Saruman's been maintaining his yard. Holes in the ground fume and glow with unnatural light, the place is...
Waiting for the Ents to make a decision turns out to be an exercise in patience for Merry and Pippin, until Treebeard mercifully excuses them from the proceedings. He leaves them in the company of Quickbeam: a younger, hastier Ent who's about as...
At Wellinghall, Merry and Pippin learn more about the Ents' hope for the future (in song form!) and get some sleep — horizontally — before leaving in the morning for Entmoot under the protective bough of Treebeard. We call The Council together as we...
After hearing Merry and Pippin's account of their recent adventures, Treebeard starts talking (and doesn't stop) about wizards, ecopolitics, and "the one that got away". Unfortunately, spokesplants for Fimbrethil and the Entwives have not responded...
Merry and Pippin travel deeper into Fangorn Forest with a guided tour (really more of a picked-up-and-carried tour) provided by Treebeard. Soon they arrive at Wellinghall, where he sets them down and offers them jars of some potent drink that we can...
Escaping from mortal danger into deadly peril, Merry and Pippin wander into Fangorn Forest. The place seems more strange than scary, but it's far from welcoming; and an offhand comment by Pippin about almost liking the forest attracts the attention...
Now ringed in by the Rohirrim, the Orcs wait for reinforcements, all the while continuing their civilized parliamentary deliberations. Grishnákh seizes an opportunity — and the prisoners — but Pippin thinks quickly and devises a Tookish (and very...
The Hobbits continue their zero-star walking tour of Rohan, trudging along with the Orcs in an endless tunnel of misery with nary a pub nor a B&B in sight. We wonder about Orc parents’ baby naming practices, revisit The Fall of Gondolin, and imagine...
Looks like meat's back on the menu as we pick up the tale of Pippin and Merry and their delightful hosts: an army of Orcs on their way to Isengard. We learn way more about Orkish medicine than we ever wanted to, offer a sidebar on the history of the...
The Fellowship are ready to leave Lothlórien. After an epic picnic on the grass, Celeborn — typical dad — gives directions, and Galadriel gives the Company “personalized” gifts that prove exactly who her favorites are.