Exploring Tolkien

Exploring Tolkien

Exploring Tolkien is a weekly show that dives deep into JRR Tolkien and all the ages of Middle-earth. Jonathan Watson and Michael Grumbine are your hosts as they read through Tolkien’s works, interview other Tolkien enthusiasts and authors, and critically examine how Tolkien’s world is being treated by mega-corporations like Amazon.com and Warner Bros.

Episodes

135. The Greedy and Petty Elves of Mirkwood – The Hobbit #22

April 15, 2025 • 46 mins
Bilbo fully embraces his role as hero and finds a way to save the dwarves.
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134. When Bilbo Became the Hero – The Hobbit #21

April 1, 2025 • 60 mins
Bilbo is the only one left to save the dwarves--and to his own surprise, he's up to the task!
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133. Ainulindalë – A Reading in JRR Tolkien’s Voice

March 18, 2025
Here is an approximation of Tolkien's voice reading Ainulindalë from The Silmarillion that we put together including some of his idiosyncratic pauses and speech patterns.
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132. Evil or Elves or Both… Terror in Mirkwood : The Hobbit #20

March 4, 2025 • 54 mins
In this first half of chapter 8 of the hobbit--Flies and Spiders--Jonathan and Michael discuss the evil enchantment of Mirkwood, and if the elves might have a small part in it.
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131. The Weirdest Chapter in Middle-earth (with dancing bears!?) : The Hobbit #19

February 18, 2025 • 64 mins
With talking animals, animals serving food and dancing bears, this may just be the oddest chapter in all of Middle-earth!
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130. Where did Beorn Originate (and what was Tolkien’s inspiration)? : The Hobbit #18

February 4, 2025
Bilbo, Gandalf, and the Dwarves are dropped off on the Carrock, and find themselves in the company of a man who rather doesn't like dwarves--but who loves a good story!
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129. Tolkien Loved Eagles (too much?) : The Hobbit #17

January 21, 2025 • 52 mins
Stuck in trees with fire at their heels, the company find themselves surround by intelligent wolves and taunting orcs.
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A Song of Ice and Fire

January 14, 2025
Life took an unexpected turn this week with the fires in Southern California this week.
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128. A Courageous Hobbit and Disloyal Dwarves : The Hobbit #16

January 7, 2025 • 40 mins
Bilbo makes it out of the Misty Mountains with more courage than ever before, while the dwarves prove their disloyalty.
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Revisiting Tolkien’s Lost ‘Noel’ Poem

December 25, 2024
This poem, Noel, was written by J.R.R. Tolkien before The Hobbit was published, and only just discovered in 2013. Here’s how that happened!
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127. Where War of the Rohirrim went Wrong – In Depth Review

December 24, 2024 • 69 mins
We all had high hopes when War of the Rohirrim was announced a few years ago. Are those hopes realized in this anime Lord of the Rings film?
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126. Why Did Tolkien Change The Hobbit (and what did he change)? : The Hobbit #15

December 17, 2024
Once Tolkien finished writing The Lord of the Rings, it became clear to him that The Hobbit needed to change--particularly Bilbo and Gollum's interaction.  But what exactly did he change?
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125. Bilbo Trembled and Found Pity : The Hobbit #14

December 10, 2024
The 2nd half of "Riddles in the Dark" is the most rewritten part of The Hobbit in the 1951 rewrite!  And it's where Bilbo takes a giant leap (so to speak) into the future of his adventure.
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124. Miserable Riddles in the Dark : The Hobbit #13

November 26, 2024 • 51 mins
"Riddles in the Dark" is not only the most memorable event from all of Middle-earth -- it's also the turning point that ultimately let to The Lord of the Rings.
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123. Nightmare in Moria : The Hobbit #12

November 19, 2024 • 46 mins
The goblins of moria grab the dwarves (and hobbit) who decided to camp out on their "front porch", leading to some real terrifying moments!
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122. The Real Misty Mountains : The Hobbit #11

November 12, 2024
The first part of Chapter 4, Over Hill and Under Hill, is unique for it's direct correlation with Tolkien's own past.  We discuss: Tolkien's hiking experience and how it influenced this section of The Hobbit VERY obviously. Stone Giants... are they even necessary or part of Middle-earth? And what ARE they? What's the significance of Bilbo's dream? In our extended episode (available for our members) we talk about: What we...
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121. Tolkien Gave Up on Fixing The Hobbit : The Hobbit #10

November 5, 2024 • 45 mins
When Tolkien attempted to rewrite the Hobbit in 1960, he just gave up halfway through Chapter 3. In this episode we look at: Changes in time and distance Changes in Prose and style Why he gave up His detailed notes on timeline and itinerary that outlined his changes to The Hobbit In our extended episode (available for our members) we talk about: What are the least Lord of the Rings/Middle-earth type events in The Hobbi...
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120. Where the Children’s Story Ends and the Epic Story Begins : The Hobbit #9

October 29, 2024 • 42 mins
In the second half of Chapter 3, A Short Rest, Tolkien seems to start a shift from a children's story to more of an epic quest.
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119. The Rings of Power Leaves us with Dwarf Politics and Randomly Shouting Elves

October 8, 2024 • 128 mins
The final episode of The Rings of Power (season 2) wraps up by revealing Dwarf politics, Númenorean politics,
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118. Yes. Elrond kissed Galadriel.

October 1, 2024 • 135 mins
The Rings of Power abandons all lore to satisfy their dumbest desires.
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