Discussion of The Hobbit, Chapter Twelve

Join Maggie and Cam as they finally meet a dragon. Smaug's arrival provokes an extended, heated debate about pride and self-preservation. This episode explores the similarities between Smaug and Gollum as isolated mountain-dwellers who challenge Bilbo and complex characters in their own right. Tolkien pushes us to reexamine the concept of invisibility in the story as well, in addition to our ideas of greed, heroism, and corruption.

During our Second Breakfast, Cam draws parallels to a true crime docuseries that reignited his love of provocative, complicated art.

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