Exploring Tolkien

Exploring Tolkien is a weekly show that dives deep into JRR Tolkien and all the ages of Middle-earth. Jonathan Watson and Michael Grumbine are your hosts as they read through Tolkien’s works, interview other Tolkien enthusiasts and authors, and critically examine how Tolkien’s world is being treated by mega-corporations like Amazon.com and Warner Bros.

Episodes

150. Tolkien’s Battle Tactics – The Hobbit #35

November 11, 2025

Did Tolkien "earn" The Battle of the Five Armies, or is the surprise enough to justify its existence?

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149. Bilbo’s Honest Betrayal – The Hobbit #34

October 28, 2025 • 56 mins

Bilbo completes his betral

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148. Bilbo Doubles Down on Burglary – The Hobbit #33

October 15, 2025 • 49 mins

We look at Chapter 16 of The Hobbit, where Bilbo makes his most controversial choice-—handing the Arkenstone over to Bard and the Elvenking.

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147. Is Thorin Gold-Sick or Just Sick of the Elves – The Hobbit #32

September 30, 2025

Thorin shrugs off Bard's 3 reasons for having a claim to the treasure... is Thorin really gold-sick? Or does the elves presence affect him?

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146. Smaug’s Hydrophobia – The Hobbit #31

September 16, 2025

You'd think the death of the dragon is is the climax of The Hobbit... right?

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145. Is the Arkenstone a Silmaril? – The Hobbit #30

September 4, 2025 • 52 mins

Smaug is gone, so the Bilbo and the dwarves finally reach their treasure--but Bilbo makes a choice to REALLY become the burglar when he sees the Arkenstone.

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144. Never Laugh at Live Dragons – The Hobbit #29

August 19, 2025

Smaug is finally fully revealed as Bilbo finally comes face-to-face with the unassessably wealthy dragon

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143. Playing Tales of the Shire So You Don’t Have To

August 7, 2025

The new game, Tales of the Shire was released last month after numerous delays... so, I took a bullet for the team and played the game.

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142. Size Matters to Every Dragon – The Hobbit #28

July 22, 2025

Bilbo finally becomes a real burglar in this chapter, venturing alone into the heart of the Lonely Mountain.

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141. An Interview with Elijah Wood

July 11, 2025

In this interview--just before The Return of the King was released--Elijah wood reflects on the journey of becoming Frodo Baggins.

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140. Into the Mountain’s Throat – The Hobbit #27

June 24, 2025

In this episode, we discuss one of The Hobbit’s quieter chapters, where Bilbo and the dwarves finally reach Erebor’s hidden entrance.

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139. The Problem with Thorin – The Hobbit #26

June 10, 2025 • 46 mins

As Thorin and company finally reach the Lonely Mountain, reality sets in—and it doesn’t smell so pleasant.

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138. What Tolkien Really Thinks About Politicians – The Hobbit #25

May 27, 2025 • 43 mins

Tolkien makes it pretty clear what he thinks about politicians in this chapter.

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137. Do the elves have ANYTHING valuable to trade? – The Hobbit #24

May 13, 2025

Bilbo and the barrel-sealed dwarves make it to Laketown--with most of them barely alive!

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136. The Lowest IQ Elves of Middle-earth? – The Hobbit #23

April 29, 2025 • 44 mins

In this very special episode, we reveal the exact barrel music sung in Thranduil's halls as the dwarves were tossed into the river!

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135. The Greedy and Petty Elves of Mirkwood – The Hobbit #22

April 15, 2025 • 46 mins

Bilbo fully embraces his role as hero and finds a way to save the dwarves.

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134. When Bilbo Became the Hero – The Hobbit #21

April 1, 2025 • 60 mins

Bilbo is the only one left to save the dwarves--and to his own surprise, he's up to the task!

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133. Ainulindalë – A Reading in JRR Tolkien’s Voice

March 18, 2025

Here is an approximation of Tolkien's voice reading Ainulindalë from The Silmarillion that we put together including some of his idiosyncratic pauses and speech patterns.

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132. Evil or Elves or Both… Terror in Mirkwood : The Hobbit #20

March 4, 2025 • 54 mins

In this first half of chapter 8 of the hobbit--Flies and Spiders--Jonathan and Michael discuss the evil enchantment of Mirkwood, and if the elves might have a small part in it.

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131. The Weirdest Chapter in Middle-earth (with dancing bears!?) : The Hobbit #19

February 18, 2025 • 64 mins

With talking animals, animals serving food and dancing bears, this may just be the oddest chapter in all of Middle-earth!

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Exploring Tolkien

Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}150. Tolkien’s Battle Tactics – The Hobbit #35

.css-r6mb8g{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:1;overflow:hidden;}149. Bilbo’s Honest Betrayal – The Hobbit #34

148. Bilbo Doubles Down on Burglary – The Hobbit #33

147. Is Thorin Gold-Sick or Just Sick of the Elves – The Hobbit #32

146. Smaug’s Hydrophobia – The Hobbit #31

145. Is the Arkenstone a Silmaril? – The Hobbit #30

144. Never Laugh at Live Dragons – The Hobbit #29

143. Playing Tales of the Shire So You Don’t Have To

142. Size Matters to Every Dragon – The Hobbit #28

141. An Interview with Elijah Wood

140. Into the Mountain’s Throat – The Hobbit #27

139. The Problem with Thorin – The Hobbit #26

138. What Tolkien Really Thinks About Politicians – The Hobbit #25

137. Do the elves have ANYTHING valuable to trade? – The Hobbit #24

136. The Lowest IQ Elves of Middle-earth? – The Hobbit #23

135. The Greedy and Petty Elves of Mirkwood – The Hobbit #22

134. When Bilbo Became the Hero – The Hobbit #21

133. Ainulindalë – A Reading in JRR Tolkien’s Voice

132. Evil or Elves or Both… Terror in Mirkwood : The Hobbit #20

131. The Weirdest Chapter in Middle-earth (with dancing bears!?) : The Hobbit #19

Popular Podcasts

150. Tolkien’s Battle Tactics – The Hobbit #35

149. Bilbo’s Honest Betrayal – The Hobbit #34