The quest has never been more grim, grimy, or urgent. Cam and Maggie argue that this gauntlet is the first time that Sam and Frodo have ever truly, fully shared the burden of their mission – Frodo carries the Ring and Sam keeps hope alive for them both. We discuss the many loaded structural echoes that contribute to the dread and drama of this chapter, and Cam makes a comparison [shockingly] to Doctor Faustus and the nobility of perseverance in the face of not just failure, but absolutely certain, overwhelming odds. Maggie revisits her theory about the light / fire / ash cycle in Tolkien’s work. Then we take a moment to admire just how terrifying the Black Riders still are after all this time, and ask Santa to bring us a final, bloody confrontation with the Nazgul before this journey is over.

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At one point, we compare this chapter to The Revenant. The quest has never been more grim, grimy, or urgent. Cam and Maggie argue that this gauntlet is the first time that Sam and Frodo have ever truly, fully shared the burden of their mission – Frodo carries the Ring and Sam keeps hope alive for them both. We discuss the many loaded structural echoes that contribute to the dread and drama of this chapter, and Cam makes a comparison [shockingly] to Doctor Faustus and the nobility of perseverance in the face of not just failure, but absolutely certain, overwhelming odds. Maggie revisits her theory about the light / fire / ash cycle in Tolkien’s work. Then we take a moment to admire just how terrifying the Black Riders still are after all this time, and ask Santa to bring us a final, bloody confrontation with the Nazgul before this journey is over.

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