We return to Book I, Chapter 3 of The Lord of the Rings to find Frodo, Sam, and Pippin still in high spirits as they stroll through the Shire. Before long, though, they realize that they’re being followed by a shadowy, sniffing black rider. We talk about the “unpremeditated turn” that transformed Tolkien’s Hobbit sequel into something darker and more adult, ... Show More
Dec 2024
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - Caravan Of Garbage
<p>A mere year after the first entry in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy came The Two Towers, not simply a rehash of what came before but a vastly different continuation of the story. With the fellowship split up, Frodo and Sam making for Mordor with the one ring, Merry and Pippin ... Show More
27m 50s
Sep 2025
What the right gets wrong about Tolkien
Many far-right conservatives think The Lord of the Rings is about them. They may love Tolkien, but it's very possible Tolkien would not have loved them back. This episode was produced by Peter Balonon-Rosen with help from Ariana Aspuru, edited by Jolie Myers, fact-checked by Laur ... Show More
25m 57s
Sep 2012
The Lost Valyrian Steel (2021)
<p>We were joined by guest Tommy Pappas of the TKOK Podcast network to discuss the whereabouts of: Blackfyre, Dark Sister, Brightroar, the crown of Aegon the Conqueror and quite a few others. We'll also discuss how and why they might return to the fold... and the pages of ASO ... Show More
2h 57m
Aug 2024
There's a New Girl in Middle Earth
Ariel and Jonathan talk about stuff shown at Gamescom, a new animated Lord of the Rings spinoff film that takes some liberties with Tolkien's work (Jonathan approves), a horror comedy about the Y2K bug, and much more!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
1h 20m
Sep 2025
Gleesons Vs Skarsgårds: Dawn Of Clint Howard (ft. guests MJ Bassett; Sean Ellis & Orlando Bloom)
This week's episode of the Empire Podcast asks perhaps the biggest question ever tackled on this show: who would win in a fight between the Gleesons and the Skarsgårds? Join Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Amon Warmann, as they tackle that scenario and more. Is the wo ... Show More
1h 49m
Mar 2019
Chapter 35: We Solemnly Swear That We Are Up to No Good
Join Sam and Emily this week as they preface their deep dive into The Prisoner of Azkaban, with an episode solely dedicated to the Mauraders. A PREQUEL, if you will. Sam and Emily discuss what all we know about the Mauraders, along with some interesting facts about the foursome. ... Show More
36m 30s