Why does everthing connected with Aule seem to go bad? Why did so many of his followers and students turn to evil? What's the problem with Aule? Our hosts wrestle with these and other Aule related questions in today's episode.

Tolkien loved dragons. These creatures played a sizable role in his writings. In today's episode, our hosts explore the origins of dragons. They compare and contrast Tolkien's depiction with ancient mythologies and modern depictions. They also address the question of why we like dragons so much.

Today our hosts continue their discussion of villians in Middle-earth. In this episode, they discuss some of the lesser, yet still powerful beings. These include balrogs, Sauruman, and the Ringwraiths.

What were the characteristics of the villains in MIddle-earth? What did they have in common? What made them different? In today's episode, our hosts discuss the character traits of Melkor and Sauron.

In today's episode, our hosts examine the kinds of qualities that characterize the heroes in Tolkien's writings.

Welcome back, Jon! In today's episode we continue our covnersation about happily ever after. Jon adds his thoughts to the conversation. We also explore the idea of eucatastrophe, as well as good endings versus happy endings. We wrap up with a conversation about heroic traits in Tolkien's writings.

Sadly, Jon couldn't make it today, so Ron and Jasmine had to carry the episode without him (a tall task, indeed). Does Tolkien not like "and they lived happily ever after?" Ron and Jasmine have a conversation about where Tolkien does and doesn't incorporate this motif into his stories. They speculate about possible reasons why Tolkien's stories rarely resolve with a truly happily ever after conclusion. How does this tendency grow out of the "leaf mould" of his life?

Are there Christological characters in Middle-earth? What kind of traits would make them such a character? Which characters fit this category? These are the questions our hosts wrestle with in today's episode.

How well does Aragorn of the movies compare with Aragorn of the books? Ron and Jasmine debate this point in detail. From there, Jon expresses his disappointment with the portrayal of Faramir in the movies.

With the start of the new year, according to the Gondorian calendar, season 2 begins for The Last Homely House. After a brief discussion about the new Gondorian calendar, our hosts discuss their favorite characters from the Lord of the Rings and how well or poorly they were interpreted in the most recent movies.