About Where the Shadows Lie: A Rings of Power Podcast
An analytical, fannish space for all things Rings of Power, with Kat and Wren.
Join us as we delve into the world-building, art and design, and character development of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. On this podcast, you'll find in-depth discussions of both canon and original characters, meta analyses of the show's thematic choices, and thoughtful engagement with the series' transformational choices, which often build on and interrogate the works of J.R.R. Tolkien.
Most of all, we hope our discussions inspire your own interpretations of the show and deepen your experience of the series’ content and themes, all while appreciating the artisans, performers, and crew whose labor has made this return to Middle-earth possible.
Subscribe for notifications about our hiatus episodes, where we'll be taking deep dives into specific characters, themes, and aspects of the lore.
Ep. 17: Discussing The Rings of Power, "Shadow and Flame"
Send us a textAfter 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 lik...
28 Sept 2024
Ep. 16: Discussing The Rings of Power, "Doomed to Die"
Send us a textWhat a moving episode of The Rings of Power. 2x07 "Doomed to Die" delivered in every way we were hoping and in some ways we weren't even expecting, from Charlotte Brändström's stunning battle direction to the excruciatingly beautiful emotional scenes. We tried (but failed) to get through this recording without weeping, diving into Celebrimbor's tragic victory over Annatar’s prison of illusions, Arondir's return to the action (and terrifying deathbait scene) and That Kiss. We als...
22 Sept 2024
Ep. 15: Discussing The Rings of Power, "Where Is He?"
Send us a textWe don't want to brag, but this might be our highest level episode of the podcast yet. Rings of Power 2x06 "Where is He?" still has us thinking of analysis we want to add. But it's good we can't, because this episode is almost 2 hours long! As usual, we're talking most about Númenor. We examine the beautiful tension expressed between Eärien, Elendil, and Míriel, as well as the implications of the Sea Trial for our beloved Queen of the Sea. Kat also gives a detailed themati...
14 Sept 2024
Ep. 14: Discussing The Rings of Power, "Halls of Stone"
Send us a textWhat a powerhouse episode of The Rings of Power! Season 2, Episode 5, "Halls of Stone," is definitely ramping up this season's plot, and in our podcast conversation, we dive into all of it, from the escalation of the Dwarven plotline by means of Sauron's ring, to the nitty-gritty political drama of the Númenóreans. Of course, we must use part of this episode to give a loving tribute to one of our favorite original characters, Valandil -- exploring the scope of his role on the sh...
8 Sept 2024
Ep. 13: Discussing The Rings of Power, "Eldest"
Send us a textWe're already at the midpoint of the season! Rings of Power 2x04, “Eldest,” provided some of the most Tolkienian moments in the series so far. This week, Kat supplies Isildur's Tragic Lore Dump, Wren gets so excited about Arondir she speaks at warp speed (don’t worry, we slowed it down), and we both defend Estrid with our lives. We also dive into all the lovely moments with the Stoors, the Ents, and THE Tom Bombadil, and explain why the Barrow-wight scene missed the mark for us.
4 Sept 2024
Ep. 12: Discussing The Rings of Power, "The Eagle and The Sceptre"
Send us a textWe've got a lot to gab about from Episode 3 of The Rings of Power Season 2. "The Eagle and the Sceptre" was chock-full of stellar character moments, from Miriel and the Númenóreans to the Middle-Earth Monster Slayers. We're so excited about the complexity and political agency given to the Hill Troll Damrod and the Orc Glug, and let's be honest, we're just psyched to have so many our favorite characters back on screen. Arondir and Theo, Earien and Elendil, Miriel and Valandil, oh...
2 Sept 2024
Ep. 11: Discussing The Rings of Power, "Where the Stars are Strange"
Send us a textWe're continuing our discussion on the first three episodes of Season Two with Episode 2.02: "Where the Stars are Strange." In this podcast ep, we get deep about our love for Disa, dive more into the overarching themes of the show and how they relate to Tolkien's work, and celebrate the small stories of Middle Earth. Stay tuned for our Episode 3 discussion before Episode 4 drops this Thursday!
31 Aug 2024
Ep. 10: Discussing The Rings of Power, "Elven Kings Under the Sky"
Send us a textWe're so back, baby! The first three episodes of The Rings of Power Season Two are now out on Prime Video, and we're diving into each one with our usual passion and obsessive detail. In this episode, we discuss the Season premiere, the wild reveals about Sauron's backstory, and the compelling Elven conflict that is already festering over Celebrimbor's newly forged rings. Our podcast entries for Episodes Two and Three will be released in the next few days. Stay tuned!
13 Aug 2024
Ep. 9: Season 2 Speculation
Send us a textIn this episode, we analyze all the released promos, cast panels, and behind-the-scenes featurettes to try to parse what we might be in for in Season 2. Please note, this episode was recorded on August 1st, so we don't include every up-to-date piece of information in our discussion. There have been several new reveals in the interim, including photos of the Stoors and track titles from Bear McCreary's soundtrack. This episode will also not include information from the August 14t...
19 Feb 2023
Ep. 8: Discussing "Alloyed"
Send us a textIn our final wrap-up episode of Season One, we don't hold back. We usually try to keep our episodes under an hour, but this is an unapologetic hour and a half as we discuss season finale wins and losses. Which moments made us cry the most? What cliffhangers did we wish had been not so cliffhanger-y? And WHAT did we think of the controversial Halbrand reveal? All this and more awaits in Episode 8. If you've been following along for this ride, we salute you! Thanks for spending so...
15 Jan 2023
Ep. 7: "The Eye"
Send us a textIn this week's episode, we look deep into "The Eye." Join us as we discuss the traumatic aftermath of the creation of Mordor, give our thoughts on the Celeborn discourse, and proclaim our undying love for Cynthia Addai-Robinson's Miriel.
1 Jan 2023
Ep. 6: Discussing "Udûn"
Send us a textIn this episode, we go deep into the spectacle of “Udûn.” Tune in to hear our takes on the climactic battle of the season, our favorite moments from Galadriel, Adar, Elendil, and Aronwyn, and why this episode nearly ended Wren’s life.
1 Jan 2023
Ep. 5: Discussing "Partings"
Send us a textIn this episode, we get a little emotional about "Partings." Join us as we discuss some epic soundtrack moments, the Isildur of it all, and the problem with Waldreg. Heads up: the audio quality for this episode is not ideal. We were still figuring out our Zoom audio set-up when recording this episode and Wren’s mic was not well calibrated. But don’t worry - by Episode 6, it gets much better!
13 Dec 2022
Bonus Episode: Casting Announcements!
Send us a textBONUS EPISODE! For our very first special episode, we discuss recent casting announcements! Listen to the ep, then send us your new character hopes, dreams, and theories for Season 2—we’d love to hear from you!
4 Dec 2022
Ep. 4: Discussing "The Great Wave"
Send us a textIn this week's episode, we meet "The Great Wave." Tune in as we discuss The Power of Disa, the “elf workers are taking our jobs” controversy, and our appreciation for this new interpretation of Middle Earth Orcs.
20 Nov 2022
Ep. 3: Discussing "Adar"
Send us a textIn this week's episode, we dig deep into "Adar." Join us as we discuss our favorite Númenórean moments, weep over Arondir, and explain why we think the Harfoots having a complex culture is good, actually.
6 Nov 2022
Ep. 2: Discussing "Adrift"
Send us a textJoin our table as we discuss The Rings of Power Episode 2: "Adrift." In this week's episode, we fangirl over The Wyrm, chat about the culture of Khazad-dûm, and explain why we prefer our elves a little stupid.
23 Oct 2022
Ep. 1: Discussing "A Shadow of the Past"
Send us a textIn our first full episode, we discuss the pilot of The Rings of Power, "A Shadow of the Past," including our favorite character moments, the Big Scenes, and why we think people whining about short-haired elves are boring.
23 Oct 2022
Ep. 0: Introduction and Roadmap
Send us a textIn this introductory episode, we briefly introduce your hosts, Kat and Wren, explain our interest in The Rings of Power and the Tolkien fandom in general, and tell you what we're planning to do (and what we're NOT planning to do) on this podcast.
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