155. The Infamous Messenger Moth : Film Changes #39, #40, and #41
We’re back to going through ALL the changes in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings! This week we discuss Aragorn’s sword substitions, changes at Weathertop, and that infamous messenger moth: Was Arago...
22 Jan 0s
154. Tolkien Wrote the Ultimate Retcon – The Hobbit #38
Most people haven’t read how Tolkien actually wrote how The Hobbit precisely connects to The Lord of the Rings. In The Quest of Erebor (first published in Unfinished Tales) Tolkien explains precisely...
6 Jan 59min
153. The Christmas Eucatastrophe (and is The Lord of the Rings a Christmas movie?)
We turn our attention from The Hobbit to a long-hidden Tolkien gem: his 1936 Christmas poem, “Noel.” We take a look at the history of the poem’s rediscovery, its deep-rooted Tolkien-esque imagery, an...
23 Dec 20250s
152. Tolkien Ties up EVERY Loose End (we’re done!) – The Hobbit #37
In this episode, we wrap up The Hobbit with “The Last Stage” and reflect on Bilbo’s road home, the petty (now less petty?) Rivendell elves, the unexpected return to Bag End, and how Tolkien so thoroug...
12 Dec 20250s
151. Eagles Didn’t Win the Battle – The Hobbit #36
Three dwarves lost and a shape-shifting berserking bear unleashed—the aftermath of the Battle of the Five Armies reconciles Bilbo to Thorin and gives us a completely different Elvenking than what you ...
26 Nov 20250s
150. Tolkien’s Battle Tactics – The Hobbit #35
Did Tolkien “earn” The Battle of the Five Armies, or is the surprise enough to justify its existence? In this episode, we look at Tolkien’s climactic battle from The Hobbit, comparing how it unfolds o...
11 Nov 20250s
149. Bilbo’s Honest Betrayal – The Hobbit #34
Bilbo owns up to his burgling — a betrayal that drives Thorin to the brink of killing him. But Bilbo isn’t cowed… and the armies of elves and men aren’t cowed by Dain’s special forces. But maybe the...
28 Okt 202556min
148. Bilbo Doubles Down on Burglary – The Hobbit #33
We look at Chapter 16 of The Hobbit, where Bilbo makes his most controversial choice-—handing the Arkenstone over to Bard and the Elvenking. Is Bilbo a traitor to the dwarves, or the only one thinking...
15 Okt 202549min
