The White City

In this episode of The White City Podcast, Philip, along with co-host Mark and guests Jared Stonefield, Nathan Danneker, and Maverick Dickson from A Lost Plot podcast , extensively reviews the Season 2 finale of "The Rings of Power." The group dissects the tightly packed storylines such as Numenor, Eregion, the Dwarves, the Harfoots, and Isildur’s crowd. They highlight the show's high points and c...

Philip brings back Jared Stonefield to discuss the Rings of Power Season 2 Episode 7. There are some worldview similarities with the Sauron and Celebrimbor storyline but a grave difference with The Kiss between Galadriel and Elrond. Highlighted moments include a parallel between the battle of Eregion and the battle of Helm’s Deep, revelations about Annatar as Sauron, and Gil-galad's awesome combat...

Philip brings back Nathan Danneker to discuss the 6th episode of The Rings of Power, Season 2. They explore multiple storylines including the dwarf and elf relations around Sauron, the harfoots and the stranger, and Sauron's manipulations. Other points of interest focus on the worldview coming from #ROP and the Stranger’s rambling storyline. Research Links: Visit Our Website - Find every podcast e...

Philip brings on Jared Stonefield, who has a deep knowledge of the Middle-earth lore, to discuss ROP episode 5. This episode begins to ramp things up with Numenor, build on the relationship between Celebrimbor and Annatar, and show the beginnings of a dwarven ring's affect on King Durin III. This is a wholesome analysis on the Rings of Power. #lotr #lordoftherings #amazonprimevideo #middleearth #l...

Cool scenes are rushed and too much time is given to cheesy plotlines. In this episode, Philip and Mark discuss the lore on screen for the first time, along with the moments that were great and the moments that need improvement. #theringsofpower #lotr #lordoftherings #tolkien #tombombadil #ents #entwife #amazonprimevideo #lore #rushed #rop 00:00 Overview 01:07 Introduction 02:18 Elves and the Barr...

There are lore accuracies and inaccuracies in The Rings of Power Season 2, Episodes 1-3. Philip and Mark will be discussing what they enjoyed and didn't enjoy about these epiodes and how impressed they were with the storylines, but what also let down. Furthermore, it appears there are changes in characters such as Gil-Galad and Galadriel. 00:00 Method of Reviewing The Rings of Power Season 2 00:45...

The SDCC and Official Trailers for The Rings of Power Season 2 have come out and Philip and Mark give a breakdown and review of the trailers. They discuss the excitement around new characters like Tom Bombadil and the Entwives, the portrayal of lore characters, and major plotlines such as The Fall of Eregion and Sauron's deception. They also explore personal excitement for the upcoming season and...

Philip brings on Nathan Danneker to discuss Rachel Maddow's reference to Lord of the Rings as a 'right-wing favorite' and how the conservative label misrepresents the iconic series. 00:00 Introduction 01:13 Learn About the Guest, Nathan Danneker 02:30 What Makes Lord of the Rings Special? 04:56 Fans from A Lot of Different Backgrounds Enjoy Lord of the Rings 05:29 LOTR FAN as a Political Label 07:...

Philip, Matt, and Mark give their reactions and commentary on The Rings of Power Season 2 teaser trailer, discussing its general fantasy feel, potential storylines, and character portrayals. They express mixed feelings about the show's direction and quality, with specific critiques on writing and aesthetic elements. They also touch on adaptations in other franchises and potential future improvemen...

In this episode, Philip, Matt, and Mark talk about courage, most prevalently concerning Rohan. The horse riders are an unrelenting force fueled by ferocity and righteousness. Sam's faithful courage is also touched upon. 'What can men do against such reckless hate?' 00:00 Introduction 01:14 Rohan Doesn't Look Back 07:30 Defining Courage and Tolkien's Experience 09:38 Deaaattthhh!!! 12:28 An Unrelen...

Philip, Matt, and Mark discuss the different aspects that influenced Tolkien's work, such as his Christian worldview, historical and mythological inspirations, and timeless themes. They also explore Tolkien's unique ability to weave these elements together into compelling narratives that continue to captivate audiences. 00:00 Introduction 00:41 Setting the Stage 01:31 The Timeless Appeal of Tolkie...

Matt and Philip dive deep into different characters’ varying resilience to the One Ring's influence in Tolkien's Middle-earth. Starting with the enigmatic Tom Bombadil, who remains unaffected by the Ring's power. The narrative then explores the ring's different temptations and impacts on characters like Galadriel, Sam, and other races of Middle-earth. The episode provides a detailed compariso...

Matt and Philip delve into the theme of swearing oaths in J.R.R. Tolkien's works. They analyze the consequences of these oaths through characters such as Feanor and his sons, who swear to retrieve the Silmarils, and the Men of the Dead, who are bound by an oath to Isildur until released by Aragorn. The discussion explores the implications of swearing oaths, the motivations behind them, and their i...

Philip and Matt bring on a guest, Albert, who advocates for a real Middle-earth that existed far back in our history. In so many words, Albert argues that Tolkien didn't realize he was writing on true stories.

Many fantasy authors have taken ideas from J.R.R. Tolkien, since he was an excellent story writer and a fabulous world builder. Christopher Paolini, the author of Eragon, mimicked Tolkien in language and maps but didn't do so well with quality of writing.

Many characters in Tolkien's work go through redemption, by their own actions , or by someone else's. Catholicism teaches penance, which focuses on what someone does to find forgiveness for their actions. In a way this makes sense why so many characters in The Lord of the Rings find redemption through their own ability. Does Galadriel go through redemption in both The Rings of Power and The Lord o...

There are lessons to be learned from Tolkien's stories, but how practical are those lessons? Frodo's journey with the One Ring may be the most 'relatable' part of Lord of the Rings. It's just not easy to find commonality with a wizard or an elf. Here's our opinion on the matter.

J.R.R. Tolkien wrote his books on Middle-earth from a Christian worldview, not necessarily because he wanted everyone to take that from his work, but because that's how he sees the world working. It isn't blatently obvious that The Lord of the Rings has Christian themes, but you don't need to look hard for them. Middle-earth is enjoyable to people for numerous reasons, and the Christian world view...

Evidentally, Amazon could have done some things better in The Rings of Power season 1. Aspects of the first season, such as story telling and the main protagonist, could have been improved. The story line would have been improved by speeding up the pace and instead of Galadriel as the main chracter use Celebrian or Isildur. There are strategies that seem obvious for Amazon to use for season 2 in l...

There are three big influnces on Tolkien's writing. One is his Christian worldview, one is the epic poetry of the Medieval Ages, and the other would be his life experiences. We mill into the details about each of these very inspiring topics. Just remember, Tolkien isn't about allegory.

Epic fantasy would contain magic, dragons, beasts, and wizards, just to name a few things. Middle-earth isn't infested with magic, but along with the other worldly characters in the story you can tell it's very different from the world we live in today. Matt puts it well, 'They (Amazon) wanted to make a modern fantasy show set in the Lord of the Rings universe.'

The Middle-earth lore can be dense and boring, so maybe this made it difficult for Amazon to create a show that really captivated the audience. On the other hand, what seems to stand out in The Rings of Power is the lack of truly good characters, truly evil characters, and characters who struggle with doing what is good or evil. Arguably, ROP only has characters who fit the last category. We think...

Misconceptions abound around how many fans watched  The Rings of Power  and thought the show worth watching. The poll created by Philip was meant to capture this idea, not necessarily how many fans watched all of the first season. The results may not be what you would expect, and maybe there’s something else to tell about ROP’s success/failure than not sticking to the lore.

It's tough to tell a modern themed story in Middle-earth since the lore contains themes that are timeless. It's very unclear how many fans watched the show and would recommend it, so Philip started a poll to find out since A stat came out on the completion rate of the show. This poll hopefully speaks to whether fans thought the show would be worth watching.

Good leaders are people you want to follow. In the Rings of Power, Gil-galad seems a little harsh and Galadriel a little too kick butt. Maybe this just works for the show...? It's not exactly like the books, and a lot more Elven leaders are good.