057 - Frodo Is Running on Empty in "The Land of Shadow"

Frodo and Sam are finally inside Mordor as we discuss “The Land of Shadow,” Chapter 2 of Book Six of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

After escaping the Tower of Cirith Ungol, Frodo and Sam make their way deeper into Mordor, only to discover that the Morgai blocks their path toward Mount Doom. Forced north through the Land of Shadow, they struggle with exhaustion, dwindling food and water, Gollum secretly following them, and the growing weight of the One Ring. Sam finds a moment of hope in a single star above Mordor, while Frodo finally sees Mount Doom and the enormous armies of Sauron standing between them and their destination.

We break down Sam’s devotion to Frodo, the incredible star scene, Sauron’s war machine, Orc infighting, the Nazgûl, Gollum’s return, Frodo’s growing despair, and one of the worst forced marches imaginable. Plus: Orc serial numbers, “Quick, Sam!” vs. quicksand, Mordor vs. murder, Orc traffic jams, and another completely serious discussion of Tolkien’s masterpiece.

Fool of a Took is a Lord of the Rings book club podcast following four friends through Tolkien’s Middle-earth, one chapter at a time. Come read along with us as we discuss the story, characters, lore, themes, food, drinks, and all the ridiculous things we notice along the way.

Timestamps00:00 Welcome to The Land of Shadow 03:41 Recapping Sam’s rescue of Frodo and the escape from Cirith Ungol05:03 Frodo and Sam enter Mordor with a Nazgûl hunting them10:28 Trapped between the Mountains of Shadow and the Morgai18:55 Dawn breaks over Mordor and terrible news reaches Sauron23:20 The hobbits find desperately needed water25:39 Sam sees a star above Mordor and finds hope in the darkness28:28 Frodo finally sees Mount Doom and Sauron’s enormous armies38:28 Two Orc trackers reveal Gollum is still following the hobbits43:10 Frodo learns what Sam endured to rescue him50:14 Frodo and Sam are trapped on the road as an Orc company approaches53:56 The hobbits are mistaken for deserters and forced into an Orc march55:26 An Orc traffic jam gives Frodo and Sam their chance to escape58:39 Are the Nazgûl actually terrible hunters?1:01:08 “Mordor was a dying land, but it was not yet dead”1:05:28 Frodo’s gratitude and Sam’s incredible devotion1:20:26 Frodo and Sam’s escape vs Merry and Pippin’s capture1:24:14 Food for Thought

Today's "Food for Thought": The Last of Faramir's Provisions

In this uplifting chapter, we watch Sam and Frodo slowly starve. They ration out their lembas and the cured meat and dried fruit that Faramir gave them wayyyy back in the day.

In solidarity, I made roasted cured meat and dried fruit appetizers. I paired prosciutto & fig and salami & mango, wrapped the meat around a chunk of fruit, secured them with toothpicks, and roasted them at 350F for 15-20 minutes or until they started to brown and crisp. I also made a few unroasted ones just in case. They came out delicious!

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Original music for the show composed by Chris Newhard.

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