After a spectacular penultimate episode, our expectations for the Season 2 finale were pretty high. And in our opinion—from the opening Balrog showdown, to Celebrimbor’s chilling final words, to the much anticipated Saurondriel confrontation—“Shadow and Flame” really delivered.
We get into all of it, dissecting how the Pelargir plot has been punching above its weight all season (and why we’re a fan of Estrid remaining behind in Middle-earth), how our favorite Númenóreans are likely to weather the coming storm, the importance of names (Gandalf is a Stranger no more!), our issues with the Rhûn storyline, the tragedy of Sauron (“some things can’t be fixed”), and what we expect from Galadriel’s journey next season.
We have some special episodes coming over the hiatus, but for now, we hope you enjoy, and thank you for listening—Namárië.
Time Stamps
00:00 - Intro, Summary, and First Takes
10:13 - Visual Feasts, Musical Moments, and Wonders of the World
25:50 - Pelargir Plotline Lovers Stay Winning
37:52 - Númenórean Endings and Eärien Defense Squad
43:56 - Arondir's Unnecessary Deathbait
47:24 - Elrond's Change of Heart
49:07 - The Horror of Celebrimbor and Sauron
57:02 - Adar and Glûg's Tragic End
1:09:09 - Never Getting Back Together aka The Saurondriel Showdown
1:26:49 - Performance Awards
1:32:14 - Dialogue Dialogue
1:39:44 - Critiques
1:47:31 - Themes
1:52:23 - Namárië
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.