The Battle of the Pelennor Fields [Return of the King, Ch.6]

Oh boy – what a finale. I don’t think we’ve ever been this excited for an episode, even Maggie’s recap feels like a spirited campfire reenactment of the chapter. The Witch King rises to previously unknown heights, eclipsing Smaug and Saruman and almost retaking the power of Tolkien’s almighty fire imagery – but then Éowyn shows up and ruins his whole day. The power of light and gold (and Aragorn) show up, the heroes wrestle control of both fire imagery and water imagery, and Tolkien recedes into the realm of impressionistic metaphor to describe the terrific violence that ends this battle. Éomer also takes charge of a new “grey company,” Tolkien makes his strongest statement yet about history and songs, and we finally see the value of all the geopolitical alliances that our heroes have been building up. Feedback & Theories: [email protected] Instagram: @secondbreakfastpod YouTube: https://bit.ly/2OT6RP3