My Brother, My Captain, My Podcast

Andor (2025)

Season Two Episodes 1 - 6

Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) have friends everywhere as they zoom from Chandrila to Ghorman and back again to break down the first half of Andor Season 2! We break down the show's new format, the real-world history behind the narrative, and all the great production details and story choices as we let our brain worms run free, let them run wild!

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Emily wrote a chapter in In...

Lord of the Rings Catch-Up and Andor Preview

 Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) are finally back in the Shire, ready to catch up on the latest in Middle-Earth content...which we may or may not have watched/finished. In that we talk about Rings of Power Season 2 as well as the new animated film War of the Rohirrim. But that's all besides the point - Andor Season 2 is almost here! We discuss our expectations for the fina...

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

Part 10: The Siege of Gondor

Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) push their legions and siege engines into place as they prepare for the Siege of Minas Tirith. While Sauron's forces array themselves against Gondor, Aragorn and company make for the Paths of the Dead, but turns out, the way is shut! But first, we have a belated preview of The Rings of Power Season 2!

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The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

Part 9: Dunharrow

Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) muster what forces they can at Dunharrow, though it's less than half of what they expected. Thankfully, Lord Elrond arrives with a freshly forged Andúril, which gives our hosts a chance to talk about magic swords and blades with names in fantasy and pop fiction!

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Emily wrote a chapter in In One Woman's Life: Cele...

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

Part 8: The Stairs/the Sacrifice of Faramir

Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) begin the long climb through act 2 of The Return of the King! Outside Minas Morgul, Sam and Frodo are led to some secret path by Gollum. In Minas Tirith, Denethor swears in his new Guard while searching for a captain to retake Osgiliath. But first we truly make it epic: our takes on George ...

Lord of the Rings Newsdump

 

Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) strip it down to the bare minimum to talk about the legions of news out of Middle-Earth recently. LEGO Barad-Dur, Rings of Power Season 2, and Gollum movies are back on the menu, plus we take some time to talk about some other things we've been watching!

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Emily wrote a chapter in In One Woman's Life: Celebrating Mary Brooksbank!

Get a copy here!

Become a...

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

Part 7: Assault on Osgiliath

Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) are overrun at Osgiliath! We fly back to Minas Tirith with an assist from Gandalf, but before that, we check in on some other rumblings in pop culture. Spoiler Warning we discuss Dune Part Two and Shogun (through episode 8) in today's discussion. Long live the fighters!

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Emily wrote a chapter in In One...

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

Part 6: The Beacons of Amon Din

Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) call for aid, and Rohan will answer! We soar through the White Mountains exploring one of the most majestic and viscerally satisfying scenes in the trilogy, the lighting of the beacons! But first, we dig into its real life inspiration, the Beacons of Theophilos of the Byzantine Empire, and why the Byza...

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) Part 5: Minas Tirith   Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) make for Minas Tirith, and they aren't going alone! Pippin and Gandalf arrive at the great city of Gondor to find a grieving Denethor, father of Boromir. Pippin gets a new job in the Citadel, and Frodo, Sam, and Gollum arrive at the Dead City, Minas Morgul! --- Emily wrote a chapter in In One Woman's L...

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

Part 4: The Last Voyage of Arwen

Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) are back! We pick up with The Return of the King as Arwen prepares for her voyage to the West except...what's that?! BY GAWD IT'S [Unborn Future Child of Aragorn and Arwen]'S MUSIC! It's time to yell at dad and reforge the Sword that was Broken!

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Emily wrote a chapter in In One Woman's Life: Celebr...

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) Part 3: Return to Edoras   Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) raise a pint to all those fallen at Helm's Deep, as Rohan takes stock of the battle won and the war ahead. Speaking of Wars Ahead, Pippin peeps some spoilers in the Palantir, but the Palantir peeps back!  --- Emily wrote a chapter in In One Woman's Life: Celebrating Mary Brooksbank! Get a copy here! ...

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) Part 2: Isengard's New Management   Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) enjoy some well-earned comforts standing on the field of victory! Isengard has a new head honcho, and we take a look back at the roads and places we've been before the road whisks us away yet again. But first, we talk title cards! --- Emily wrote a chapter in In One Woman's Life: Celebrating...

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023) Part Two   Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) are back for one last battle with the Demon King, Ganon, deep in the bowels of Hyrule. In a spoilerific episode, we discuss the story and endgame of Tears of the Kingdom, and how it stacks up against other Zelda titles! --- Become a Patron of My Brother, My Captain, My Podcast   My Brother, My Captain, My Podcast ...

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) Part 1: The Tale of Smeagol   Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) go fishing on the Great River, only to rediscover the One Ring in its shallows! We relive the fall of Smeagol and the rise of Gollum as Frodo and Sam continue their journey into Mordor! --- Emily wrote a chapter in In One Woman's Life: Celebrating Mary Brooksbank! Get a copy here!   Become a Patro...

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) Character analysis: Aragorn   Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) inquire about the strange man in the corner, who's done nothing but stare at us since we arrived. It's the Stridersode! Today we go in-depth on Aragorn, son of Arathorn, and how his role in the text differs greatly from his characterization in the films - plus a lot of chatter about Viggo being a go...

The Lord of the Rings HEAT CHECK   Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) are two-thirds of the way through The Lord of the Rings trilogy, so it makes sense to gather the council and take stock of our coverage so far, and look ahead to what awaits us in The Return of the King! --- Emily wrote a chapter in In One Woman's Life: Celebrating Mary Brooksbank! Get a copy here!   Become a Patron of My Brother, My Captain, M...

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023) Part One   Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) go moblin mode on the newest Zelda title, "Tears of the Kingdom!" We construct some takes and fuse our brain cells together as we dive headfirst into the game's design, narrative, and mechanics. Oh, and we're back with Token Tolkien as we look at the extremely LOTR moments in Hyrule! This one's mostly spoiler free, but ...

Emily and Manu are taking a mini break in the month of June, so we are making some of our old patreon exclusives available public as we gear up to cover The Return of the King!

 

The Road Goes Ever On, and this time it circles back to Fellowship of the Ring! In our first episode about the Extended Edition scenes, we lay out our general thoughts about the Extended Edition adaptations before diving into the choicest additions to the ...

Emily and Manu are taking a mini break in the month of June, so we are making some of our old patreon exclusives available public as we gear up to cover The Return of the King!

 

We welcome our friend Wilf (@socialaskan) to discuss the study of history and the various pedagogies that inform how we conceive of the past, and how that plays out in JRR Tolkien's framing of the The Lord of the Rings and Legendarium, as well as the Peter...