My Brother, My Captain, My Podcast

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) Part 18: The Departure of Boromir   Manu ( @ManuclearBomb ) and Emily ( @JRRTweetien ) are finally here, at the end of all things Fellowship. It's an action-packed episode, with memorable set pieces and heartbreaking moments abound. With all these swords and tears, it's a perfect opportunity to talk about this film's take on masculinity, a s...

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) Part 17: Parth Galen   Manu ( @ManuclearBomb ) and Emily ( @JRRTweetien ) take the Great River down past the Argonath and make camp at Parth Galen, where their course turns east to Mordor. This gives your hosts an opportunity to discuss the adaptive choices informing this film's finish, and then we witness as the Ring takes Boromir! --- Supp...

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) Character Analysis: Legolas   Manu ( @ManuclearBomb ) and Emily ( @JRRTweetien ) declare HIMBO RIGHTS! as we break down Legolas of the Woodland Realm! We wrap up our look at Elvish cultures in Middle-Earth and discuss Legolas's father, Thranduil, King of the Mirkwood Elves. Lastly, we discuss Orlando Bloom, who was only 20 when cast for thes...

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) Part 16: Lothlorien Part 2   Manu ( @ManuclearBomb ) and Emily ( @JRRTweetien ) bask in the magic of Galadriel, in all her terrible beauty! We look inside the mirror with Frodo to see scourings and hellfire, before jetting over to Isengard for the unleashing of the Uruk-Hai! But first, we continue spelling out the Elvish kingdoms and culture...

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) Part 15: Lothlorien Part 1   Manu ( @ManuclearBomb ) and Emily ( @JRRTweetien ) seek refuge in the woods of Lothlorien, by the grace of the Lady Galadriel. As we introduce one of the prominent figures in the history of the Legendarium, we begin our multi-part discussion laying out the history of the Elven cultures of Middle-Earth! --- My Bro...

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2021) Super BowlTrailer Reaction   Manu ( @ManuclearBomb ) and Emily ( @JRRTweetien ) have an in-depth discussion on the new trailer for Amazon's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power! We give our overall thoughts on the trailer and set our expectations for this show before going shot-by-shot through the new footage to sleuth out what we might expect!...

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) Part 14: Moria Part 2   Manu ( @ManuclearBomb ) and Emily ( @JRRTweetien ) welcome Emmett Booth ( @PoorQuentyn ) to help guide us out of the horrors of Moria; orcs, trolls, and Balrogs, oh my! We discuss the film's biggest moment, Gandalf vs the Balrog, which is perhaps the peak of blockbuster cinema in this century. But first, we talk to Em...

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) Character Analysis: Gimli   Manu ( @ManuclearBomb ) and Emily ( @JRRTweetien ) find time in the halls of the Dwarrowdelf to talk about Gimli, son of Gloin! As the lone dwarf in our company, he is our lens into Dwarvish cultures now and then. We also look at how dwarves have historically been depicted in fantasy and what that reflects about o...

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) Part 13: Moria Part 1   Manu ( @ManuclearBomb ) and Emily ( @JRRTweetien ) begin the cold, long march through the Mines of Moria. We first dig into the Dwarf cultures across the continent and how Moria came to be settled before finding our own way into the Dwarrowdelf. But take care, there's the something following us...   Support My Brother...

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) Part 12: The Fellowship Marches   Manu ( @ManuclearBomb ) and Emily ( @JRRTweetien ) speak as friends as the Fellowship enter Eregion on their journey south towards Mordor! Emily breaks down the tongues of Middle-Earth before we dive into the Fellowship's first hurdles on their quest to destroy the ring. There's a lot of ground to cover, so...

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2021) Teaser Trailer Reaction   Manu ( @ManuclearBomb ) and Emily ( @JRRTweetien ) react to the teaser for Amazon's new The Lord of the Rings television show, "The Rings of Power!" We discuss the changing stewardship of the Legendarium, what the goal of this show is, and what sort of stories we may be in store for from Middle Earth's Second Age! The conte...

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) Part 11: The Council of Elrond   Manu ( @ManuclearBomb ) and Emily ( @JRRTweetien ) take a seat at the Council of Elrond, where the Doom of Middle-Earth is to be decided. We break down the Council scene in full, to the tiniest costume and musical flourishes. But first, we talk about the Enemy and his long history of terrorizing Middle Earth....

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) Character Analysis: Boromir   Manu ( @ManuclearBomb ) and Emily ( @JRRTweetien ) take a break from their normal coverage to go in-depth on Boromir, captain of Gondor! We go through his personal and familial history prior to joining the Fellowship, as well as how his character was evolved by Tolkien over the years. Finally, we talk about his...

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) Part 10: Rivendell   Manu ( @ManuclearBomb ) and Emily ( @JRRTweetien ) have finally arrived at Rivendell, the Last Homely House East of the Sea! We heal our wounds while catching up with friends, old and new, by the grace of Lord Elrond. Plus, we give our thoughts on the whole "the Eagles should fly to the Ring to Mordor!" debate.   Support...

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) Part 9: Arwen's Midnight Ride   Manu ( @ManuclearBomb ) and Emily ( @JRRTweetein ) wrap up the first book (no, not that one) of The Fellowship of the Ring, as Arwen makes a harrowing escape with Frodo to the Ford of Bruinen. This gives us a chance to discuss how Tolkien divided up his three-volume saga, and discuss how these films broadly ha...

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) Part 8: The Caverns of Isengard   Manu ( @ManuclearBomb ) and Emily ( @JRRTweetein ) return to Isengard after the fall; the trees are upended and the earth scorched as the White Wizard builds Sauron an army worthy of Mordor. Join us as we dissect how camera work and costuming are used to create Saruman's war machine!   Support My Brother, My...

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) Part 7: Weathertop   Manu ( @ManuclearBomb ) and Emily ( @JRRTweetein ) seek refuge at Weathertop, an ancient stronghold of the fallen Northern Kingdom. We deconstruct the climax of the film's first act where Frodo suffers a morgul wound, and then we go deep on the Kingdom of Arnor!   Support My Brother, My Captain, My Podcast by subscribing...

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) Part 6: Strider   Manu ( @ManuclearBomb ) and Emily ( @JRRTweetein ) stop for some ale at the Prancing Pony, only to discover they are being intently watched by a man in black, smoking in the corner. Aragorn strides into our narrative at Bree, arriving just in time to save the Hobbits from the Nazgul!   Support My Brother, My Captain, My Pod...

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) Part 5: Merry and Pippin, Nazgul   Manu ( @ManuclearBomb ) and Emily ( @JRRTweetein ) take a shortcut through Farmer Maggot's crop to get to Merry and Pippin, the last two Hobbits of our quartet. But death is on their tail as the Nazgul pursue them out of the Shire. Buckleberry Ferry, follow me!   Support My Brother, My Captain, My Podcast b...

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) Part 3: Saruman and Orthanc   Manu ( @ManuclearBomb ) and Emily ( @JRRTweetein ) put on their floppy hats and grab their magical staffs to discuss the world of wizards! Saruman and his fortress Orthanc take center stage as the list of allies grows thin for our heroes. But first, we run down the production of these films and discuss the ideol...

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) Part 3: Isildur's Account   Manu ( @ManuclearBomb ) and Emily ( @JRRTweetein ) discuss our first looks at Mordor and Gondor, before diving into Gandalf's return to the Shire and Frodo setting out on his mission. But he won't be alone! Samwise Gamgee gets his proper introduction here, and he's been dropping no eaves, honest!   Support this po...

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) Part 2: The Shire   Manu ( @ManuclearBomb ) and Emily ( @JRRTweetein ) arrive to The Shire exactly when they mean to, ready to break down the Hobbit homeland and introduce three major players: Bilbo Baggins, Frodo Baggins, and Gandalf the Grey! Grab some pipe-weed as this will be a podcast to remember!   My Brother, My Captain, My Podcast on...

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) Part 1: Introduction/Prologue   And two...two mics were given to Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@EmilyRobinsonPT), who above all else, desire to celebrate The Lord of the Rings film trilogy! As this cinematic landmark approaches its 20th anniversary, we've perceived our time has come to lay out our love for all things Middle-Earth. In this...