The Tolkien Professor
658 episodes — Page 9 of 14
Ep 258Episode 258: Riddles in the Dark Supererogatory Episode 4
Corey and Trish (standing in for Laura) go over all the riddles covering the Siege (RITD Episodes 3.06, 3.07 and 3.08)
Ep 257Episode 257: Riddles in the Dark Year 3, Phase 2, Episode 3.11: The Battle of Five Armies, Part 1
Why will the Elves march to Erebor? Will Bilbo be conscious for the battle? Does Roac constitute one of the armies? These and other pressing questions are considered in this installment of Riddles in the Dark
Ep 256Episode 256: Riddles in the Dark Year 3, Phase 2, Episode 3.10: Dol Guldur Part 2 - The Black Hats
What is Sauron up to? Where are all those Orcs going anyway? And what's going on with the Nazgul? We don't have the answers, but we have LOTS of theories.
Ep 255Episode 255: Riddles in the Dark Year 3, Phase 2, Episode 3.09: Dol Guldur Part 1 - The White Hats
In a Daveless episode, Trish and Corey consider what will be happening at Dol Guldur in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, with excursions into unrelated topics
Ep 254Episode 254: Riddles in the Dark Supererogatory, Episode III
The third episode of the Riddles in the Dark Supererogatory. The Tolkien Professor addresses your comments and questions on RITD 3.04 and RITD 3.05.
Ep 253Episode 253: Riddles in the Dark Year 3, Phase 2, Episode 3.08: The Siege,Thief in the Night
Moving right along toward the Battle of (the) Five Armies, Tolkien Professor Corey Olsen and his Riddles in the Dark co-hosts actually talk about....wait for it....THE HOBBIT!!!
Ep 252Episode 252: Riddles in the Dark Year 3, Phase 2, Episode 3.07: The Siege,Laketown View
Our hosts were very talkative in this episode, starting with a rant about the new name for Hobbit Movie 3, then moving on to considering how the Siege of Erebor might look from the Laketown side of the table. And Corey got to use "abscond" in a sentence, which pleased him no end.
Ep 251Episode 251: Riddles in the Dark Supererogatory, Episode II
The second episode of the Riddles in the Dark Supererogatory. The Tolkien Professor addresses your comments and questions on RITD 3.02 and RITD 3.03. Afterwards, Corey speaks with Professor Robin Reid about her research on Tolkien's influence on modern culture.
Ep 250Episode 250: Riddles in the Dark Year 3, Phase 2, Episode 3.06: The Siege,Erebor View
Corey extols the virtues of Roac, Trish attempts to be a human sound effects machine, and Dave holds it all together as the talk centers on what the Dwarves are up to before the Men and Elves arrive in The Hobbit: There and Back Again.
Ep 249Episode 249: Riddles in the Dark Year 3, Phase 2, Episode 3.05: Smaug's Attack
How epic will the attack of the dragon on Laketown be? Will there be any red shirts among the cast? And what about that oily Master? Inquiring minds examine these and other questions about The Hobbit: There and Back Again.
Ep 248Episode 248: Riddles in the Dark Supererogatory, Episode 1
The first episode of the Riddles in the Dark Supererogatory. The Tolkien Professor addresses your comments and questions on RITD 3.01
Ep 247Episode 247: Riddles in the Dark Year 3, Phase 2, Episode 3.04: Meanwhile, Back in Laketown
What's going on in Laketown while the Dwarves are zigging and zagging around Erebor with a dragon in close pursuit? We theorize about this and other matters, and this time there are sound effects!
Ep 246Episode 246: Riddles in the Dark Year 3, Phase 2, Episode 3.03: There and Back Again - The Beginning
Saddle up the battle pigs! The RITD team go from serious to silly and back again as they consider the many ways that Peter Jackson could choose to begin the third Hobbit movie.
Ep 245Episode 245: Riddles in the Dark Year 3, Phase 2, Episode 3.02: Those Elves
Talking Elves in the second episode of the third year of Riddles in the Dark.
Ep 244Episode 244: Riddles in the Dark Year 3, Phase 2, Episode 3.01: Action and Violence
The first riddle episode of the last year of Riddles in the Dark considers how action and violence impact the first two Hobbit movies and how these aspects will show up in The Hobbit: There and Back Again.
Ep 243Episode 243: Silmarillion Seminar 35: Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age, Part 2
The thirty-fifth session of the Silmarillion Seminar, covering Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age, Part 2
Ep 242Episode 242: Riddles in the Dark Year 3, Phase 1, Episode b
The second installment of Phase 1 of Year 3 of Riddles in the Dark team sees us revisiting The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug one last time. Three key themes are considered in the context of how they will follow through into The Hobbit: There and Back Again: 1) Dark versus Light; 2) Tauriel and Legolas and how they represent the Elvish portion of the story; and 3) Return of the King, Erebor style.
Ep 241Episode 241: Riddles in the Dark Year 3, Phase 1, Episode a
The Riddles in the Dark team returns for the third and final round of the "how will Jackson tell the story" game. Phase 1, Episode a is a general look back at The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug. Corey and Dave coin new terms to describe various ways people have reacted to the films of the trilogy so far, while Trish cracks the whip to keep things on track.
Ep 240Episode 240: Tolkien Chat 17: Reactions to the Desolation of Smaug Part 2
Part 2: Professor Olsen discusses his reactions to the second Hobbit movie, The Desolation of Smaug
Ep 239Episode 239: Tolkien Chat 16: Reactions to the Desolation of Smaug Part 1
Part 1: Professor Olsen discusses his reactions to the second Hobbit movie, The Desolation of Smaug
Ep 238Episode 238: A Bit of Wookie: Riddles in the Dark Year 2 in Review
As The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug is unveiled around the world, Tolkien Professor Corey Olsen, Laura Berkholtz, and Trish Lambert review all the riddles and conundra posed in the second year of the Riddles in the Dark game
Ep 237Episode 237: Riddles in the Dark: Hail Fellow and Fewmets!
Warming up by looking at some more materail from The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug, our Riddles in the Dark co-hosts move on to talk about the extended edition of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
Ep 236Episode 236: Riddles in the Dark 2.16: You Be Dragon?
Checking out a flood of material released by Peter Jackson for The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug, with a little dissension amongst our Riddles in the Dark co-hosts to spice things up. Note: This was a highly visual episode, as Corey et al. tracked back and forth through the videos being considered. If you prefer to watch the episode rather than just listen to the audio, go to http://www.mythgard.org/?p=5060.
Ep 235Episode 235: Riddles in the Dark 2.15: Fringe Festival 2
Considering the fringe characters in The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug by way of Lego set interpretation. There is a visual companion PDF for this episode available at http://www.tolkienprofessor.com/documents/ritd2.15VisualCompanion.pdf
Ep 234Episode 234: Riddles in the Dark Digest 2.11: Blame it on the Arkenstone
Trish Lambert and Laura Berkholtz take on the weighty theme of bromance in The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug.
Ep 233Episode 233: Riddles in the Dark Digest 2.10: Ring? What Ring?
Trish Lambert and Laura Berkholtz discuss listener opinions on when Bilbo will reveal the presence of the Ring.
Ep 232Episode 232: Call-In Office Hours 5
The fifth Tolkien Professor open Skype Session, recorded on October 7, 2013. Topics discussed include invisible Ringwraiths, getting a PhD in Tolkien Studies, and more.
Ep 231Episode 231: Riddles in the Dark Digest 2.09: Barrels on the Brain
Trish Lambert and Laura Berkholtz discuss opinions on the relationship between the elves of Mirkwood and the men of Laketown in The Desolation of Smaug.
Ep 230Episode 230: Riddles in the Dark NOT 2.15: Trailer 2 Mega-Episode
A 3.33-hour discussion of the 2.5-minute second trailer for The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug
Ep 229Episode 229: Tolkien Chat 15: Ethan Gilsdorf and Noble Smith
Professor Olsen chats with authors Ethan Gilsdorf and Noble Smith
Ep 228Episode 228: Riddles in the Dark 2.14: Fringe Festival 1
Kamikaze Thrush, Bald Raven, Radish Hat, Galion the Butler, and That Girl Elf
Ep 227Episode 227: Riddles in the Dark 2.13: The End of All Things (In the Second Movie)
From what cliff will we be left hanging at the end of The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug?
Ep 226Episode 226: Tolkien Chat 14: Bernd Greisinger
Professor Olsen talks with Bernd Greisinger of the Greisinger Museum, home of the largest collection of Tolkien artifacts in the world
Ep 225Episode 225: Riddles in the Dark Digest 2.08: Smog and Thrane
Trish Lambert and Laura Berkholtz review listener comments and opinions on the start of The Desolation of Smaug.
Ep 224Episode 224: Riddles in the Dark 2.12: Smaug Smack Talk
Considering the big flying lizard in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug.
Ep 223Episode 223: Riddles in the Dark 2.11: We'll Always Have the Carrock
Bromancing the (Arken)Stone in the Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug.
Ep 222Episode 222: Riddles in the Dark 2.10: Is This a Ring I See Before Me?
The most prominent inanimate character in the Third Age of Middle-earth is discussed in the context of Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug.
Ep 221Episode 221: Tolkien Chat 13: Mythgard Takes Mythcon
Mythgard Students presented a variety of papers at this year's Mythcon in Lansing, MI
Ep 220Episode 220: Riddles in the Dark Midyear Review
Corey Olsen, Trish Lambert and Laura Berkholtz review all the riddles and conundra posed so far for The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug.
Ep 219Episode 219: Riddles in the Dark Digest 2.07: Revenge of the Zomborcs
Trish Lambert and Laura Berkholtz review reader's comments and analyst opinions on Bolg's role in The Desolation of Smaug.
Ep 218Episode 218: Riddles in the Dark 2.09: In Case of Emergency, Call the Elven King
Laketown and its socio-political-economic position in the region are examined.
Ep 217Episode 217: Special Trailer Episode: Did You Remember to Pack the Trebuchet?
All four Riddles in the Dark cohoses review the first trailer for The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug.
Ep 216Episode 216: Riddles in the Dark Digest 2.06: No Holds Bard?
Trish Lambert and Laura Berkholtz review reader's comments and analyst opinions on Riddle 2.06 on Bard's support (or lack thereof) for the Dwarves' mission to defeat Smaug.
Ep 215Episode 215: Riddles in the Dark Digest: The Bonus Episode
Trish Lambert and Breana Melvin talk through a video that Breana compiled of all of Peter Jackson's public videos (prior to release of the first movie trailer) about The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug. Breana cut and spliced to put everything into as close as chronological as she could, and she and Trish consider the meaning of it all.
Ep 214Episode 214: Riddles in the Dark 2.08: The Beginning of Desolation
Prof Corey Olsen, Dave Kale, and Trish Lambert talk about how Peter Jackson will begin The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug
Ep 213Episode 213: Riddles in the Dark Digest 2.05: Who Let the Dwarves Out?
Trish Lambert and Laura Berkholtz review reader's comments and analyst opinions on Riddle 2.05 on Bilbo's role in the escape of the Dwarves from the Mirkwood Elves.
Ep 212Episode 212: Riddles in the Dark Digest 2.04: Legolas to the Rescue...or Not
Trish Lambert and Laura Berkholtz review reader's comments and analyst opinions on Riddle 2.04 dealing with the meeting of Thorin and the dwarves with the elves of Mirkwood.
Ep 211Episode 211: Silmarillion Seminar 34: Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age, Part 1
The thirty-fourth session of the Silmarillion Seminar, covering Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age, Part 1
Ep 210Episode 210: Riddles in the Dark 2.07: Half-Baked Bolg Weirdness
Prof Corey Olsen, Dave Kale, and Trish Lambert wander around Dol Guldur and consider how Azog and his little boy will take part in The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug
Ep 209Episode 209: Riddles in the Dark 2.06: Vengeance for My Dolly!
Prof Corey Olsen, Dave Kale, and Trish Lambert talk Dale politics and consider how the enigmatic Bard will be portrayed in The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaugh