I just watched season one for the second time and listened to these episodes for the second time as well. Love these hosts and their obvious love of the literature and “good tv.” Can’t wait for season two!!

I would say I have average knowledge of Earth. This podcast was perfect for me. I learned a lot, and both guys do a great job at talking to their wide audience.

Great podcast, This is exactly what i needed for a after watch show. Must listen, funny and informative! Thanks for giving us a great podcast!

Both of you made the Rings of Power come to life for me. You tied the episodes back to Tolkien’s works in a positive way. You were very positive about the show but brought up some good ideas to think about. After listening most of the time I went back and watched those portions you both highlighted. Please keep your discussions going even though we have to wait for Season Two.

So nice to have a podcast that doesn’t focus on the negative!

These two have great chemistry, honest takes and keep it light & fun. I recommend it to anyone looking for a weekly deep dive. Pumped for season 2!

Hosts aren't knowledgeable about the show or the lore. Claiming that Tolkien wrote the Silmarillion as world-building backstory for himself and not for publishing is inaccurate (see Carpenter, Letters of JRR Tolkien). Not knowing or bothering to remember Arondir's name after the first two episodes is sloppy.

My introduction to Middle Earth was through the movies & I’ve done Hobbit on audio book so I sought out podcasts to understand more of Tolkien lore. I love that this podcast provides context but no major spoilers. But my favorite is that these guys aren’t hate watching! I tuned in to a couple other podcasts and it was riddled with complaints and whining. So thank you for discussing & enjoying the show for what it is and not endlessly complaining about what it isn’t.

Glad I found this pod! The hosts are knowledgeable and you can tell they’re big Tolkien fans. The Facebook group is also worth checking out to chat with likeminded Tolkien nerds. 5/5!

The hosts are having fun and make for a great recap of each episode

One of the better podcasts following the Ring of Power series. Both hosts are true fans and we get interesting perspectives from JR who has read all things Tolkien and from Jay who is a huge film fanatic. What I enjoy most about this series is how open-minded the discussion is. Unlike other podcasts I’ve listened to, these hosts can appreciate that LOTR is public art and with that comes new characters, new storylines, and so on. They don’t bash Rings of Power because it isn’t EXACTLY like Tolkien’s work and can appreciate creative liberties. I also find their theories interesting and agree with their evaluations of most of the characters. Most importantly they don’t have obnoxious voices and for me that’s important with a podcast. They have good rapport, banter, and I feel like I’m listening to a convo with my friends.

If you’re a fan of the show and looking for an episode-by-episode breakdown, this isn’t the show for you. One of the co-hosts is fine. The other seems to be hate-watching the show. He’s critical of nearly everything. If you’re enjoying the show, don’t let his contrarian takes ruin it for you. Find another podcast.

I’m planning on trying out a few podcasts linked to the series, and this is the first I have listened to. I like these voices, not pretentious at all, kind of blundering along with the rest of us whose memory of Tolkien’s history is a little spotty. I’m hoping they take more input from listeners in the future, only because the most interesting parts are the new theories introduced about how things will link up with the 3rd age eventually.

Really enjoying this podcast. I like listening to the guys recap the episodes and especially like the fan theories on who certain characters could be. I read LOTR, Hobbit and others, so I have a good grasp on the world, but don’t have a textbook like memory for the world. Looking forward to more episodes as the show goes on.

I love this show! The hosts are knowledgeable but don’t treat it like a dissertation presentation. I love Jay’s enthusiasm and LOVE JR(R?)’s ability to articulate the Tolkien scholar opinion in a very digest-able way. This is the best Rings show there is!

I never read Tolkien, but I wanted to hear from people who did, but I did not to be overwhelmed by Middle Earth history though. A dab’ll do ya. This podcast is perfect. These guys straddle the space between the movies and the books/writings. I’m looking forward to the show’s Episode 5 and the podcast’s Episode 5.

Give them a listen.

Fun, insightful, personal, and informative. With a focus on the positive, while acknowledging whatever else, this podcast is a great companion to the series.

True to the Front Row Network brand, this podcast offers insights and opinions without nitpicking. If you like Rings of Power, you’ll love this podcast.

To hear your ‘upward nose sniff’. I’ve read GRM and JRRT. I watch both, they are not the same. One is high fantasy and the other is high drama. ROP is mystical and mystery and HotD is political intrigue. I do like the outline format of your podcast .

This pod is a miss. I thought the NPR logo meant we would be getting some thoughtful and intelligent analysis. This is not the case. One dude, who seems to be the Tolkien expert, is pretty annoying, always talking over the other guy, and digressing into boring personal anecdotes. The other guy, who is less annoying, just doesn’t have a lot of insight to offer in unpacking the episodes. Not a fan.

I’m neither a Tolkien expert nor a fanatic. I did read his books including The Silmarillion, but it was years ago. I’ve also watched the Peter Jackson movies and original animated movies. Your first podcast wrap-up episode was good, but I don’t think you gave a fair take on the negative reviews about this Amazon series. You seemed to shrug them off. The negative reviews are deserved in some respects. Apparently, Amazon froze the show’s IMDB rating. And, the show is going up against The House of the Dragon, which has received praise. I had difficulty following the first few episodes of The Rings of Power. It took me multiple attempts just to get through them. I almost gave up on the series. These episodes could be considered boring. There were too many characters with minimal character development, and the acting was mediocre. After three episodes, it seems like the show is finally starting to hit its stride a bit. I agree the cinematography is fantastic.

Excellent analysis of The Rings of Power! I was not going to watch this show, but when I heard about this podcast, I bit the bullet and turned on my tv. I have to say, I wasn’t super thrilled with the series, but I’m going to give it a shot and see how it turns out. I just had to buy a copy of The Silmarillion for reference. I can’t wait to hear future podcast episodes as the series unfolds!