The hobbits take a quick rest stop before the last leg of the journey down into Mordor, and in a moment of contemplation, Sam imparts some newfound wisdom about the nature of adventures and the stories that inspire us. But while he recaps the first season of the Prancing Pony Podcast, Gollum slips away unnoticed for some reason that can’t be good. All this, plus we consider Frodo’s pity towards Gollum as a parallel to Bilbo’s, offer word-nerdery on “man” and “human”, and break down Samwise Gamgee’s biggest mistake.

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Overcome by despair at the sight of the Witch-king’s army, Frodo fears that his quest has already failed. But ever-practical Samwise snaps him out of it, and Frodo continues on with determination despite his lack of hope. Gollum leads them up two sets of stairs that are definitely not up to code, and finally to a passage that… uh, might not be watched. After cooling off from this cardio session with Middle-earth’s least motivating personal trainer, we investigate Elvish pronunciation — and a Biblical allusion found in the Phial of Galadriel — in Barliman’s Bag.

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When the lights go down near the city of the Ringwraiths, Gollum is anxious to continue east as quickly as possible. Frodo and Sam follow, heedless of the danger — which is all around in this place where even the flowers are twisted and foul, the watchtower inexplicably revolves, and an evil army is about to issue from the gates any minute now. All this, plus weather-nerdery about lightning, nightmare-inducing word-nerdery about charnel houses, and your hosts’ presumptuous ideas for changes to Tolkien’s books and the movies based on them.

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A new day begins, but doesn’t quite “dawn”, and Gollum leads the hobbits down to the cross-roads. They clearly aren’t in decent places anymore, with loud noises and orc graffiti keeping them all on edge (not to mention no decent tea house for miles). But a ray of sunshine at the right time and place reminds them that not all hope is lost. We discuss Sam’s actual pipe dream and the Gaffer’s old belief that where there’s hunger, there’s hope… but first, a new installment of our collecting segment Kingly Gifts, with guest Chad High.

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Frodo, Sam, and Gollum leave Henneth Annûn and continue on their quest with Faramir’s blessing and two (not three) shiny new hobbit-sized walking sticks. Gollum is totally over that betrayal business at the pool and surely isn’t planning any kind of revenge, which is nice; and there’s nothing at all creepy about the fact that they have to stay off the road because, y’know, invisible things may be watching. Also in this episode: blindfolds, wood-nerdery (not a typo), plus, what special object would we want for our Tolkien collections if money was no object?

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Be hasty to tune in as Alan and Shawn welcome Clifford Broadway to The Prancing Pony Podcast! Clifford (also known as Quickbeam) has been on staff at TheOneRing.net since 1999, nearly from the beginning. We catch up with him for a conversation about the history of TORn, his work co-writing and co-producing the documentary film Ringers: Lord of the Fans, and the enduring legacy of Peter Jackson’s adaptations. Plus, a look ahead to Amazon Prime’s The Rings of Power series and the changing face of Tolkien fandom.

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Frodo convinces Gollum to leave the Forbidden Pool, not without some feelings of regret at his betrayal of the wretched creature. After a brief interrogation, Faramir is satisfied that Gollum knows nothing and won’t come back to this secret place, and hands him into Frodo’s keeping along with a decree that Frodo himself may walk free in Gondor for a year and a day. But the news of where the party is going next is not good, for the name “Cirith Ungol” is one of dread among Gondor’s loremasters. For the life of us, we can’t figure out why Faramir doesn’t explain this more clearly.

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Frodo is awakened by Faramir in the middle of the night to be treated to a sight he did not expect: a familiar-looking creature fishing in the pool below the waterfall. After Faramir pokes more gentle fun at Anborn’s inability to distinguish an emaciated hobbit from a squirrel or kingfisher, Frodo asks for mercy for the creature, whom he reveals to be his guide on the way to Mordor. We also speculate on the question “What if Faramir never met Frodo” and share highlights from TexMoot 2022, Alan and Shawn’s first in-person moot appearance in over two years.

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Alan and Shawn once again welcome listeners to the common room for our latest Q&A episode! This time we answer questions about themes in Tolkien’s legendarium, talk about favorite niches in Tolkien fandom, and even discuss what keeps characters going when hope fails. Also, why did it take so long for the king to return to Gondor? Why do some characters get better results out of the palantíri than others? And why are the Elves of the First Age always getting lost? All this, plus an exciting what-if about Faramir going to Rivendell instead of his brother.

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Bring a friend and come along with us for our seventh annual celebration of Tolkien Reading Day, observed every March 25 in honor of the fall of Barad-dûr. This year’s theme chosen by the Tolkien Society is Love and Friendship. We’ve selected some of our favorite passages from the legendarium to showcase the theme, including friendship that spans generations, romantic love that blooms in wartime, the loyalty of lifelong companionship, and the unlikely love between would-be enemies. Plus, a reading from outside the legendarium reminds us that it’s never too late to reach out to another in friendship.

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