All Episodes

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S1 E41 May 01, 2026

Beren And Lúthien 1: Boy Meets Girl

This week, we leave behind the hobbitry of the Third Age and consider one of the greatest of Tolkien's stories: Beren And Lúthien. How does this story help us understa...

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S1 E40 Apr 09, 2026

The Hobbit 22: Death By Comedic Misadventure

This week, we leave the Mountain and return to the Hill in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. Is this film a good film? A good sequel? Does Jackson deliver on ...

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S1 E39 Mar 26, 2026

The Hobbit 21: Cartoon Physics

This week, we battle some audio goblins to consider the complicated structure and style of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Is there an internal tension between th...

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S1 E38 Mar 12, 2026

The Return Of The Thing

This week, we wake from our enchanted-stream slumber to catch up on the rumors of The Hunt For Gollum, craft a cozy meal or two in Tales From The Shire: A Lord of the ...

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S1 E37 Jan 28, 2026

The Hobbit 20: The Archetype Of The King's Hot Nephew

This week, we return from an unexpected hiatus to embark upon an unexpected journey -- specifically, Peter Jackson's 2012 movie, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey! Wha...

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S1 E36 Dec 24, 2025

The Hobbit 19: Quite A Little Fellow

This week, we return home to Bag End and consider the consequences of Bilbo's adventure in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. Is the Shire different now? What are the signs ...

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S1 E35 Dec 17, 2025

The Hobbit 18: The Kindly West

This week, the aftermath of the Battle of Five Armies in Chapter 18 of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. Why don't we see Thorin's moment of redemption? Is his heroism enou...

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S1 E34 Dec 11, 2025

The Hobbit 17: Eucatastrophe

This week, the Battle of Five Armies in Chapters 15 and 16 of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. Is gold peculiarly evil in Tolkien's world? Does Thoring really value the Ar...

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S1 E33 Dec 04, 2025

The Hobbit 16: The King Of Friend And Kin

This week, we return to the Lonely Mountain in Chapter 15 of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, "The Gathering Of The Clouds". Are two talking birds too many? How do we dist...

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S1 E32 Nov 25, 2025

The Hobbit 15: So Long, Black Arrow

This week, we switch our focus away from the Lonely Mountain to discover what happened to Smaug in Chapter 14 of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, "Fire And Water". Does Ba...

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S1 E31 Nov 22, 2025

The Trademark of Faerie

This week, we consider the dragons of Middle-earth: Glaurung, Ancalagon, Smaug and (to a much lesser extent) Scatha. Why are dragons so significant to Professor Tolkie...

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S1 E30 Nov 12, 2025

The Hobbit 14: Lights In Dark Places

This week, Thorin and Company finally recover at least a small amount of their treasure in Chapter 13 of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, "Not At Home". What is the Arkens...

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S1 E29 Nov 11, 2025

The Bad Boy Of The First Age

This week, a Q&A special in which we consider the nature of good and evil in a world made by a benevolent God, the tragedy (or not) of Fëanor, and the Ring of the Witc...

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S1 E28 Nov 07, 2025

The Hobbit 13: Inside The Mountain

This week, we reach the Lonely Mountain in Chapter Twelve of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, "Inside Information". Is Bilbo a leader now? How do we understand the symboli...

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S1 E27 Nov 07, 2025

Ol' Blue Jacket Is Back

This week, in an extra-length episode of Shire Reckoning, we dive into the riddle of Tom Bombadil. Who and what is Tom? How do we understand his unique qualities from ...

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S1 E26 Oct 23, 2025

The Hobbit 12: Desolated

This week, we reach the Lonely Mountain in Chapter Eleven of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, "On The Doorstep". How do we understand the Desolation of Smaug? Does Tolkien...

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S1 E25 Oct 21, 2025

Who Are You, Medieval Author?

This week, we consider the textual history of Tolkien's Legendarium, from the stories told in the Cottage of Lost Play to the Red Book of Westmarch. How does Tolkien's...

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S1 E24 Oct 15, 2025

The Hobbit 11: Passive Prophecy

This week, we finally meet some Men in chapter ten of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, "A Warm Welcome". How does the book suggest the history of Esgaroth? How is the Mast...

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S1 E23 Oct 08, 2025

The Good With The Bad: The Rings Of Power, Season One

This week, we break format a little bit to talk about the (actually pretty good) first season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. What struggles does the sho...

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S1 E22 Oct 01, 2025

The Hobbit 10: Best Of Luck

This week, the halls of the Elven King in chapter nine of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, "Barrels Out Of Bond". Is this the moment that The Hobbit becomes a fantasy nove...