The Fellowship of the Ring (Pt. 2)

[00:00:01] Speaker A: Welcome to B and C Book Club. I'm Kristen. [00:00:04] Speaker B: And I'm Summer. The purpose of B and C Book Club is to bring you all the comfort and gossip of a regular book club. But just between you, me, and her. [00:00:14] Speaker A: And you may be wondering where the B and the C stand for. Well, the B stands for bitches and. [00:00:23] Speaker B: The C stands for concussions. [00:00:25] Speaker A: Okay. [00:00:28] Speaker B: I only. I honestly was thinking concussion for like, half a second before you said, and so I made it kind of plural. Fitting. Very fitting. What's going on in your life? [00:00:40] Speaker A: I'm home. [00:00:42] Speaker B: That's fun. [00:00:44] Speaker A: That's where I'm at. I've been home for a couple days, so that's good. [00:00:49] Speaker B: Anything exciting happening while you're home? [00:00:51] Speaker A: Nope, Nothing exciting is happening. I'm just have to clean. Well, I don't really have to clean. Everything was clean before I left, but now I have to put everything away. [00:00:58] Speaker B: What about you? [00:00:59] Speaker A: What have you been up to? [00:01:00] Speaker B: What have I been up to? I have not really been doing anything lately. I'm just kind of like, vibing. Just vibing through life. I've been so busy, but, like, not doing anything that is interesting. Yeah, I guess I've just been kind of like, you know, like, writing and then reading. [00:01:20] Speaker A: Okay. You know what happened? Actually, I met somebody on the airplane. [00:01:25] Speaker B: Oh, you met somebody or you met somebody? [00:01:28] Speaker A: I think he wanted to meet somebody, but I met somebody. Anyway, we were talking and he. We were talking about reading, obviously. Eventually got to reading. We talked about a lot of stuff, though. We talked for probably at least an hour on that flight. But he just randomly started talking to me, and I was like, I. I guess, sure, let's. Let's talk. Let's chat, fella. And he was probably my age. And long story short is he was like, oh, yeah, like, maybe you could help me out and, like, edit a little bit of my book. And so then he asked my phone number. [00:02:01] Speaker B: That's so funny. [00:02:02] Speaker A: So then I did give it to him, and then the next day he texted me and was like, hey, how are you? [00:02:09] Speaker B: Oh, my God. [00:02:10] Speaker A: How'd you get home? And I was like, oh, I thought. [00:02:14] Speaker B: I was just editing your book. [00:02:15] Speaker A: Yeah, but I just thought it was funny even if he didn't want to get with me, that I was like, I'm in the process of editing two potential books. [00:02:22] Speaker B: Yeah, that is really funny. I'm kind of already an editor. [00:02:29] Speaker A: By the way, your Legolas shirt. Perfect. [00:02:34] Speaker B: This is a shirt I was talking about last week. [00:02:37] Speaker A: Okay. [00:02:37] Speaker B: Legolas. Okay. It's the shirt that Katy Perry had. And she wore it to Coachella. And I, like, saw her post a picture of it and I was like, I actually love that shirt and it looks so comfortable. So I hunted it down and it was $30. And Sid got it for me for my birthday. So that's nice. That was nice. Anyway, so book two begins with many meetings. Frodo basically wakes up Gandalf fills him in on how he basically survived and talks about the Dark Riders and all of the history and lore of them. And then they have a big feast and celebrate Frodo. And then all of a sudden, after the feast, we run into Bilbo and they have a reunion. And this is where you were trying to spoil it for me last book. [00:03:25] Speaker A: Because I. Yeah, I'm sorry. I told you. I told you. Spoilers for chapter 13. Well, technically, chapter one. But, yes, Bilbo shows up at the end of that chapter and is like, hey, been here the whole time. What up? What's going on? [00:03:39] Speaker B: And, yeah, Bilbo's just there. So then the next chapter is the Council of Elrond. And this is a huge chapter. It has so much information. It's got all of this heavy, heavy lore and background. And we meet two very important characters in this chapter. We meet Gimli, the son of Gloin, who. We had Gloin on our last adventure in the Hobbit. So that was kind of a fun, like, flashback for us. And then we also meet Legolas. Obviously, he's a messenger from his father who's the king of the Elves of the Northern Mirkwood, which is really fun. Love Legolas. I actually, like, knew I loved Legolas because of, like, obviously how he is in the Hobbit movies. He's just a great character. But then, like, through this book, I got to see, like, a little bit of who Legolas was as the book character. So that was really fun. And he's kind of just like a nerd. He's like the elf nerd of the group. He's like. And I'll get more into that at the. Like, it's one of the last chapters of Book two, I was gonna say. [00:04:50] Speaker A: I feel like I barely understood any of their character ness. [00:04:55] Speaker B: Yeah, character development. [00:04:56] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:04:58] Speaker B: Well, like I said, I'll get more into, like, how he's a just an elf nerd further on. But so, yeah, we get to meet these two. Everyone kind of just starts after, obviously, the heavy, heavy lore of the Rings and everything. Everyone starts to tell their tale. First we get Gloin, who starts with the Dwarves. And then we go into Bilbo and his whole story and the Hobbit, obviously, we glance over that because we already read the Hobbit so it's not really explained much in this book. Then we get Frodo to tell his story of everything that's happened in book one up until this point. Then Gandalf comes in and he tells the tale of Gol and it explains it to the whole Council of Elrond. And then we get Legolas, who's like, hey, by the way, speaking of Gollum, he's gone. No longer our prisoner. Super sorry about that. Which I think the funniest part of this story is. Gloin then chimes in, because we know Gloin from the Hobbit, right? And he's like, by the way, remember when you took me imprisoned in your dungeons? You treated Gollum better than you treated me, and that's rude. And Legolas is like, yeah, pretty sure we're sorry about that and we've made up for it. So shut up. Yeah, I thought that was hilarious. So then we find out that the Orcs freed Gollum. Saruman the White sent for Gandalf. [00:06:30] Speaker A: No, this is. This is my. This was my favorite part. This is the only part that I was really paying attention to everything else. I was like. [00:06:38] Speaker B: What was your favorite part? [00:06:40] Speaker A: This one where they're. They're not fighting. But this is when he's like, I'm not Solomon the White anymore. I'm Saruman of many colors. Which, first of all, is just a lame name. And second of all, I just really like the way I think. This is, like, my favorite. I don't know, like, my favorite moment of this. Yeah. Moment. No. Okay. There's two parts of this side of the book that I really liked. This was one of them. The other one is later. [00:07:09] Speaker B: Yeah. So you. You like Saruman the White, or you like that? Gandalf is like, fuck off. [00:07:15] Speaker A: I like the Gand. Well, both, because Saruman is like, I don't like white. It only serves as a beginning. It could be dyed and white pages can be overwritten and, like, white light can be broken. And then Gandalf is like, yeah, but if you did any of those things, then it wouldn't be white anymore, dumbass. [00:07:34] Speaker B: So true. Yeah. I mean, I obviously did not love this part as much as you did. I was like, oh, my God. So he's also a bad guy. Also, reading the name Sauron and Saruman is like, the hardest thing for me. I'm like, Falling apart at the seams. Like, why did we have to name them? First rule I learned in college when I was taking a script writing class, storytelling class, was do not name main characters or any characters with first. You don't want to start with the same first letter of the name. So, like S and S, you know. But also you definitely don't want them to rhyme or sound like the same thing or else everyone's going to get it confused. And this really, really is confusing. And I think the only people who don't get confused reading that are people like my husband, who are just obsessed with the series. So they know the difference. Meanwhile, I don't know. [00:08:39] Speaker A: I think it's supposed to. I don't know. I'm like, oh, they sound similar. They're both probably going to be evil. And they were. They were but one, because one is a wizard and one is, like the great evil. But they're both bad. You don't have to think one is good and one is bad. [00:08:54] Speaker B: That's true. [00:08:54] Speaker A: I feel like that would be harder if, like, one was on the good side, one was on the bad side. [00:08:57] Speaker B: Yeah, that's true. That's a good point. [00:09:00] Speaker A: Yeah. But then they keep going and they say they only have a couple of options for the ring. They could, one, destroy it, but they're like, that's going to be really hard. So maybe let's not do that. Two, you can send it really far away, but Far Away is probably not going to accept the ring either. Three, to the ocean. But also, you probably won't stay lost in the ocean because Gollum found it in a river anyway. And so then they go back to destroy it. [00:09:23] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:09:23] Speaker A: After they talk around it for, like, 15 pages, they're like, okay, look at all these options. And then every single time, we're like, well, it's really hard to destroy it, but we should probably just destroy it. [00:09:34] Speaker B: I was like. I was like, this is really. This is really great. This is great. This is not putting me to sleep at all. Let's just keep talking about different options and then coming back to the exact same thing we had already decide when we started. And then. Yeah, yeah. Then the end of the chapter, they're like, okay, I'm not gonna make anyone go to Mordor to destroy this ring. And then they just sit there in silence. And then Bilbo's like, all right, guys, I'll just do it. I started this, so I should end it. But my poor book ending was gonna be like. And then they live happily ever after. And it's. It's not working out. And that makes me sad. And Gandalf is like, yeah, no, you're not going, unfortunately, you already gave up. [00:10:18] Speaker A: The ring, so it's not your problem anymore, Bubs. [00:10:21] Speaker B: Exactly. And then Frodo was like, I guess I'll volunteer. And Sam, like, comes out because he's been hiding this whole time. And Sam's like, don't send him alone. And then Elrond's like, you know what? Mr. Not invited. You get to go with him now. Okay? This council was not for you. But now that you've made yourself known and you don't want him going along, you get to go, too. And then that's it. That's it for the whole chapter. I thought we were going to create this, like, party of people. [00:10:51] Speaker A: And I. Yeah, I definitely was like, okay, we're going to make a plan. And it was like, nope, we're just going to tell everybody what has already happened and that, you know three fourths of this information. You're just getting the entire story now. [00:11:02] Speaker B: Yeah, and it was just. It was a long chapter. So now we're on chapter three after all of that. And. And they decide on who's in this company. And there's, like, some key moments here. And I even, like, quoted it because I was like, this is like, key moments. So Elrond specifically says, the company of the Ring shall be nine and the nine walkers shall be set against the nine riders that are evil with you. And your faithful servant Gandalf gets to go for this shall be his great task and maybe the end of his labor. So, like, O, straight up is like nine evil guys, nine companions, good to go. Also, Gandalf is going, and he's probably gonna die. [00:11:45] Speaker A: Yeah, basically, yeah. I mean, nine and nine. That makes sense. I understand. So it is Legolas. Well, first of all, it's Sam, Frodo and Gandalf. Those are the guaranteed three. And then they say Legolaf is gonna go for the elves. Gimli is gonna go for the drawers. And then after that, we're gonna have Aragon, son of Arathorn, who's gonna be for the men. But also Boromir is gonna accompany them. Merry and Pippin are super, super upset because they want to go. And Elrond keeps on telling them no. But then they just keep saying, well, we're gonna go anyway, even if you tell us we're not going to. So just put us on the quest because we're gonna go. [00:12:21] Speaker B: So. Yeah, exactly. [00:12:23] Speaker A: It doesn't matter what you say. [00:12:25] Speaker B: Just let us go. No. [00:12:27] Speaker A: Joey's like, fine, you get to go. I guess, Whatever. I don't think it's a good idea, but whatever. You guys are going to go anyway. Go. [00:12:35] Speaker B: Yeah. And then we get another key moment where Bilbo gives Frodo the sword that we saw in the Hobbit. [00:12:42] Speaker A: Sting. [00:12:43] Speaker B: Sting. I was supposed to say. What's its name? Like stab. Yeah. So we get Sting and then he also gives him the. The chain mail protecting that he got from his, like, hoard at the end of the Book of the Hobbit, which is also very important. And then here's another funny part is Sam insists that the sickly pony that they got before coming to Elrond's house now has to go with them. And he's not leaving this pony behind. And he named him Bill. [00:13:17] Speaker A: This pony is the pony that replaced all the other ponies who we got the entire journey about. And they. This was the pony that they bought from the dancing Prancing Pony or whatever that they had to pay an absorbent amount of money for. Which is why the guy ends up getting the other ponies back because he paid too much money for this pony even though Bill was sickly. And so now Bill isn't sickly anymore. He's actually been doing really good on this journey with them. And so Sam is like, well, he has to come with us on the rest of the journey. [00:13:44] Speaker B: Obviously. [00:13:45] Speaker A: Obviously, we get a lot of information about just that one thing. But do you know what we don't get later in the chapter? Bill's. [00:13:51] Speaker B: Bill's whole journey after they leave him? [00:13:55] Speaker A: Thank you. Thank you. [00:13:56] Speaker B: I was like, you're going to do. [00:13:57] Speaker A: It to the first one, but you're not going to do it to Bill, who name. [00:14:00] Speaker B: And like, I actually care way more for Bill than I've ever cared for another horse in this story. And you already told me what happens to all of them, but I don't get to find out what happens to Bill. [00:14:10] Speaker A: I was so mad. I was so mad. [00:14:13] Speaker B: So upset. [00:14:14] Speaker A: I was like, if you're going to do unnecessary plot points, you better do it about my man Bill. [00:14:19] Speaker B: I completely agree with that. So, yeah, that's literally the next chapter. But finishing off this chapter is they finally leave. You're fine. I totally get that. I was also very upset. So they finally leave. Aragon and Gandalf basically are like the leaders. They're choosing the paths. Gandalf is kind of the head of the group. They think the snow is like, somebody cursing them the snow becomes, like this major problem. But the humans are, like, forging a path. And then at some point, they, like, put the Dwarves on their backs and forge a bigger path so that everyone can follow. Which was interesting. [00:15:02] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:15:03] Speaker B: Legolas. There's a point where they're like, okay, we can't really get through this snow very well. Why don't we all just try to come up with our own solutions? And so the humans, like, go one way. And then you've got Legolas who, like, goes to quote, try to find the sun. And then Gandalf disappears. And then all of a sudden, at the end of that chapter, we get. Legolas comes back and he's like, guys, the sun isn't going to help us, but we're going to see sun soonish. They said, like, there's going to be a gleam of light. And then Gandalf is like, I have nothing. And the humans are like, we're fine. We're just going to keep forging. [00:15:45] Speaker A: Yeah, because they're just like. They try to forge ahead and I think they stop at one point, actually. [00:15:51] Speaker B: Yeah. Because they were like, we have to turn. [00:15:53] Speaker A: They just can't keep going. And so they decide that they're going to do something else. Because they can't. I think they were trying to get over the mountain and now they're deciding they're going to go under the mountain and go through the mines. [00:16:06] Speaker B: Yeah. So on that same note, so we finally. We ventured toward under the mountain. It's called Moria. This is when we leave our horse, Bill. [00:16:19] Speaker A: Oh, right. Because we walk to the entrance of the Mines of Moria and there's a riddle on it. And so Gandalf is trying to figure out what they're supposed to say to open up the entrance. And it turns out it's in the riddle. You just say friends. [00:16:33] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:16:34] Speaker A: And it opens it up. [00:16:35] Speaker B: And they were like, wow. The obvious answer. [00:16:36] Speaker A: But as they're about to go in then a tentacle reaches out and grabs Frodo's foot and tries to pull them back. And because of this, they're in a haste to get in. And so then they just. They leave without saying goodbye to poor Bill. And they just leave some stuff. [00:16:49] Speaker B: And then Sam cries about it. I'm pretty sure he was like crying as they're. He was like, I chose you, Frodo. I want you to know that. [00:16:57] Speaker A: It was so funny. He was like, hey, I'm really, really upset about this. I thought for a second about leaving you. But in the end, I did choose you. And you should. Very grateful. [00:17:06] Speaker B: Yeah. Okay, buddy. [00:17:09] Speaker A: But there also wasn't a lot of time for me to think about it, so. [00:17:14] Speaker B: So they're in this. Finally, they're under this mountain called Moria, and they talk a little bit about the chainmail, which we already heard all about in the Hobbit. So it's not new information for us. And then we come upon the grave of Ballin. So Gimli is very solemn about this because they've been looking for Balin for a while. And then they kind of go through it, and that leads us into our next chapter. They find this journal that. Or this book that was being written by Balin. [00:17:52] Speaker A: And can I just say that in the tunnel, they think that they see some glowing eyes, just randomly. There might be something following them. [00:18:01] Speaker B: Exactly. [00:18:02] Speaker A: Which we find out at the very end of this book what it is. But this is the first glimmer of something following them, which, I mean, that has big eyes. [00:18:11] Speaker B: They were alluding to it, and I was like, well, obviously, I know what that is. Did you? You didn't know what was following them? [00:18:17] Speaker A: No. I was like, what is this thing? I was thinking it was something else. [00:18:21] Speaker B: They alluded to it quite a few times. [00:18:23] Speaker A: They did. And I just wasn't paying attention. And it wasn't until they told me who it was that I was like, oh. All those times where I mentioned something is following them in the dark. I wonder what it is. Yeah, that makes sense, Kristen. [00:18:34] Speaker B: This whole time I was like, obviously that's the answer. Like, we all know it. Yeah. So now we're. We're. We find this book, and it's where they died. And they were, like, locked in this room. And then while they're there, they're attacked by the orcs in this giant troll thing. [00:18:54] Speaker A: And then right as they hear that, right as they read that, they hear a bunch of drums, which is what the journal also said. And orcs arrive, and also a big troll. And Frodo stabs the troll. [00:19:08] Speaker B: Yep. [00:19:09] Speaker A: And honestly, I'm explaining this really badly because this is where, like, Gandalf holds the doors. And then they're able to get out the back way. And then they keep on going. And then they get to the bridge and it's only a single final line that you can walk down this bridge. And so there's only one way to, like, fully get across. That's part of the security measures there. But this is my favorite chapter of this. I could just see this all so clearly. Yes. [00:19:33] Speaker B: I will tell you that I could See it pretty clearly. But that's because I've seen. I've. I mean, obviously I've watched this movie before, so I could see it all pretty clearly because I've been watching the scene. Basically, they. They followed this one pretty closely. [00:19:50] Speaker A: Do they? [00:19:52] Speaker B: This specific scene. Anyway, I can't say about the rest of the book. I didn't pay that much attention to the movie. But this is, like. It's a pretty big scene. So, like, obviously, I knew it was coming. [00:20:04] Speaker A: Where they get to the bridge, and then Gandalf says, you cannot pass. And honestly, I thought it was. You shall not pass. [00:20:12] Speaker B: That's what it is in the movie. [00:20:14] Speaker A: Okay. I was gonna say, is that what it is in the movie? And so that's why it's changed. Or was it this whole time just a misquote like any of the other big misquotes in movies? [00:20:23] Speaker B: No, it's so like, luke, I am your father. [00:20:25] Speaker A: Which is a misquote. [00:20:26] Speaker B: Are you saying, like, just society is misquoting it, or. Okay, so in the actual movie. And I only say this, and I know this for a fact, because Sid sent me a gift when I said. I got to. This part is from the movie. Him saying, you shall not pass. But in the book, he. And I even quoted it because I knew, like, it was playing in my head. You shall not pass. But in the book, he says, you cannot pass. I'm a servant of the Secret fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. You cannot pass. The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udon. Go back to the shadow. You cannot pass. And then stuff happens. And then one more time. You cannot pass. And I was like, wow. [00:21:10] Speaker A: Yeah. Because there's a Balrog that's draining all of his power with all this, too. [00:21:15] Speaker B: Yep. [00:21:17] Speaker A: Yeah, he said it so many times. But I was like, is. Did he actually say that? That makes more sense if they changed it. But, yeah, it cannot pass. And he said it so many times, you cannot. [00:21:28] Speaker B: Which is why I was like, why aren't we saying that in the movie? If it's such a big point in the book, it should be quoted, you know? But whatever. [00:21:37] Speaker A: Anyway. [00:21:39] Speaker B: Upset. [00:21:39] Speaker A: Anyway, breaking the bridge breaks the bridge, goes down. But it ends up wrapping its little things around Gandalf. So he goes down, too. [00:21:52] Speaker B: Yep. And then as he's falling, he. He yells, fly, you fools. Because Aragon and Boromir were like, we're not leaving you, buddy. We're not leaving. And then he dies. And he's. They're like, all right. We gotta go. [00:22:03] Speaker A: All right. We gotta go now. [00:22:07] Speaker B: So finally they leave. Gandh's dead. End of the chapter. They're all crying. Which, like, valid. Valid. [00:22:14] Speaker A: Yeah, they're just like walking and crying and just real sad. [00:22:17] Speaker B: Exactly. So then we get to the next chapter where they're walking and they're going to where Gandalf had planned for them to go. This is the last thing Gandalf had planned. Because, fun fact, they were like the whole time in the beginning, they were like, we're not going to plan past, like our next step. We're not going to plan that everything out. It's just going to be one step at a time. So this is the last thing that Gandalf had planned because he was doing it one step at a time. So they're like, okay. Aragon's like, great. He. He turns around towards the mountain and he's like, what hope do we have without you, Gandalf, you're an ass. I warned you. And then he turns to the rest of them and he's like, now we have to move forward without any hope. No hope. Let's just go. [00:23:03] Speaker A: Let's keep going, guys. [00:23:04] Speaker B: And I was like, our new leader is not being very nice. He's being very negative. Yeah. [00:23:13] Speaker A: They keep walking and then they clean up Frodo's wounds and bandages because he had. He has some chain mail in his skin after a lot of, like, the arrow didn't get past the sword didn't get past his chain mail. And so they have to clean him up and put it back on. And then again, they hear something in the woods, but Kim Lee's like, it's not a problem. And then they're at the Golden Wood or the Lothrid Loth. I don't know how to say it. [00:23:38] Speaker B: I couldn't even tell you. It's Lothlorin. [00:23:42] Speaker A: So is the Golden Wood or the Lorian, Lauren. [00:23:46] Speaker B: Yeah. Anyway, so they're there. And this is when I say Legolas is just a nerd elf. He's like, oh, my God. This is where blah, blah, blah happens. Oh, my God. This is the song. Oh, my God. He's like, I cannot wait to see the gold leaves. [00:24:02] Speaker A: He's like, apparently there's some, like, secret elves in this wood. I've never met them, but they should be really cool guys. [00:24:11] Speaker B: Like, he's just so excited. And I was like, he's just a nerd elf. I love it. [00:24:16] Speaker A: That's true. He was like that. [00:24:18] Speaker B: And then they're like in the trees when they just hear Voices. And Legolas is like, actually, they're cool. And the voices are telling us that only Frodo and I can go see them and we'll let you all know what happens. So then they go. And Sam is like, actually, I'm coming anyway. And goes with them. Which I was like, come on, dude. Come on. [00:24:42] Speaker A: He does that every single time. He's like, you think that Frodo is getting within 10ft? You're wrong. [00:24:49] Speaker B: He's my master. Like, I have. Which is still mind blowing. [00:24:55] Speaker A: Have you seen Queen Charlotte? [00:24:57] Speaker B: Yes. [00:24:58] Speaker A: I just am watching it for the first time. You know how their men have to be, like, five steps behind them at all times? That's all I can think about now is, like, how he's just a servant that's behind him who's like, I'm here for you. No, I'm not gonna. I'm actually not gonna get closer than five steps. But I'm right here. Don't worry. I'm right here. [00:25:14] Speaker B: That's actually a very accurate comparison. Yeah. So then, another funny thing is, they're like, so we're gonna bring you to meet our lord and lady, but also Gimli, because you're a dwarf, and we don't trust dwarfs. You get to be blindfolded. And Gimli's like, you know what? F you. I'm leaving if you're gonna blindfold me. But then Aragon, as the group leader, he's like, you're not going anywhere, buddy. We'll all just be blindfolded. And Legolas is like, are you kidding me? I have been wanting to see this forest and you're gonna blind me? [00:25:52] Speaker A: He's like, yep, put that blindfold on. We gotta go. [00:25:58] Speaker B: I thought that was so funny. Poor Legolas. And then finally, like, after a whole day of being blind, they're like, actually, we just heard from our lady. Apparently, she trusts you guys and everybody gets to see now. And they're like, finally, finally, at the end of this chapter, I put, go into the chapel and we're gonna meet the lady. And I have no idea why, but that, like, chapter just rejuvenated me. And I was suddenly having fun reading. [00:26:32] Speaker A: The book that's so funny was because I love chapter five. So at chapter six, I was like, bro, this is going on way too long. Nothing has happened. [00:26:42] Speaker B: Meanwhile, I'm like, yay, Chapter six. [00:26:47] Speaker A: But I mean, chapter seven, we get and we see. We're with Galadriel and Celeborn, and it's their house and they tell everybody's names. As they enter. And they're like, welcome, Frodo, son of. Blah, blah, blah. [00:27:03] Speaker B: Yeah, we know who you are. Yeah, we know you. [00:27:07] Speaker A: And then they're like, but where is Gandalf? Because he was supposed to be here. And I know that he isn't in this area because I would have realized that he was here. Gladriel's like, I would have, like, been able to read him and his thoughts and, like, his presence. And he's not here. So where is he? And so then Eragon has to tell the story of everything that has happened since then. And Sel gets, like, super mad about the Dwarves and is like, the Dwarves always ruin everything. That's because we went through the. Under the Pass of the Mountain that this is all happening. And, like, it's your fault. And Galley is like, sorry, I just. I called her Galley in my notes because I was like, I'm not gonna write Galadriel every single time. [00:27:46] Speaker B: I'm sorry. I wrote Galadriel every single time. Because I was like, I love this name. Galadriel. [00:27:51] Speaker A: No, I was like, it's me and Galley. Yeah. So Galley is like, calm down. It's not a big deal. Like, you're just being unreasonable. And then she was like, but now your quest is on a knife's edge and you can't do anything wrong or you risk fucking it up for literally everybody else. So, yeah, other than that. And I was like, well, thanks, gal pal. You're the best. That's really what we needed to hear after our friend dies is like, so now you guys are really close to fucking it up. [00:28:21] Speaker B: That's. That's really nice of you. Thank you. And then after all of that, the Dwarf, Gimli is just like, actually, I think I love Galadriel and she's the love of my life. And she's like, okay, everybody go to sleep. [00:28:37] Speaker A: Well, she offers. She looks at them in the eyes before they go to sleep. Right as they're looking in the eyes, they all feel as though she's offered them what they cannot refuse. [00:28:50] Speaker B: It's either. She gives them, like, two options. She says, you either take the dark path that you're already going on or you get your greatest desire. And everybody was like, yes, this also happened to me. But nobody voices what she offered them. They're all like, absolutely not. You're not getting inside my head. [00:29:12] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:29:15] Speaker B: So then they rest for a couple of days. They just get to laze about. And meanwhile, Legolas is off exploring the forest because he gets to see it. He's Very excited. He's nerding out and he's actually taking Gimli with him. [00:29:29] Speaker A: It was cute that later they were like, yeah. Legolas and Gimli are, like, super close now. They're like best friends. They just do everything together. [00:29:37] Speaker B: Isn't that the cutest? And I knew that happened in the. Or they're like friends kind of in the movie. But, like, they're friends in the way that they, like, have this sort of friendship where they make fun of each other and they're, like, mean to one another, but in a friendly way, you know? [00:29:56] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:29:57] Speaker B: Because I knew that was a thing in the movies. But, like, in the book, they're just like, yeah, come look at the forest with me. It's amazing. [00:30:06] Speaker A: And then just a couple days later, Galley Galadriel brings Sam and Frodo to her mirror and asks them to look inside. And again, it's just because she. She really just takes Frodo. And Sam is like, nope, I'm here. I'm also going to be right here. [00:30:22] Speaker B: Well, she wanted to take Frodo, and you could tell, but she actually took Sam because he was like, I want to see Elf magic. And she was like, you want to see Elf magic? Here you go, buddy. And he was like, actually, it wasn't great. [00:30:38] Speaker A: Don't love that. Because he sees the Shire getting destroyed and, like, burned down. [00:30:43] Speaker B: And he has a mini panic attack, and it's like, I have to go back. And then she's like, do you? And he's like, no, I have to stay with Frodo, I guess. Hold on. [00:30:54] Speaker A: And then Frodo finally looks in the mirror and he sees either Gandalf in white or he sees Saruman in white. And he's not entirely sure what it is. And he also just sees war. It seems like everything is going to war. [00:31:10] Speaker B: He sees the eye. [00:31:12] Speaker A: Everything. Then everything goes black. And he sees an eye rimmed in fire. Like a cat eye. [00:31:18] Speaker B: Yep. And then he is basically freaking out. And he's like, actually, Gladriel, would you like this ring? Because I'll give it to you. You can have it. [00:31:28] Speaker A: That she. He's like, hey, why? I feel like he can't see me. Like, he's looking at me, but I know that he can't see me. He doesn't know where I am. And Gladio's like, yeah, that's because this place is protected. And then she shows her own ring, one of the Elven rings. And he's like, hey, because you already got a ring, do you want my Ring. You're obviously already taking care of one. Here you go. Here's the next one. [00:31:48] Speaker B: You can do it. [00:31:48] Speaker A: I don't want that. Please don't give that to me. Everybody that should have it, like, quote unquote, have the power Ring. Because they would actually know how to use it or understand it. They're all like, nope, that'll corrupt me too much. And I'll just do exactly what Sauron is doing. So just keep that over there. [00:32:05] Speaker B: Keep that away from me. Which it's like, obviously, those people are the smartest in this whole world. [00:32:11] Speaker A: Right? [00:32:13] Speaker B: And then we say farewell to Laureen, which this actually chapter, I thought was, like, gonna have, like, them gone, but they don't even say goodbye till the very end of the chapter. [00:32:24] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:32:24] Speaker B: So, like, they start it by going like, yeah, we're all moving forward with this journey. [00:32:30] Speaker A: But I also want to say about the Ring, sorry. Frodo's upset because he says that he doesn't have any powers from the Ring because he feels like, oh, because Galadriel can, like, protect her own mind and also kind of look into Sauron's mind with her ring. He's like, why doesn't my ring have any cool powers? And she's like, well, first of all, you have perception with your ring because Sam isn't able to see my Elven ring, but you can see the ring that I have on. Also, you trying to use the power inside the ring is going to corrupt you. So maybe don't do that. [00:33:00] Speaker B: Yeah. She was like, you've put the ring on three times and you haven't tried anything. But also, don't do it. But that's why it's like, okay, yeah, that makes sense. Keep it off. Keep it off, buddy. [00:33:13] Speaker A: Keep it off. And also, don't try to use power with it, because that's what is making things more difficult, is when you try to use it for something. [00:33:22] Speaker B: Exactly. [00:33:23] Speaker A: But, yeah, they don't leave. They don't leave for a long time. They say, like, they tell them, like, hey, it's time for you guys to go. We're gonna give you boats. And then they still take a long time to just meet and talk about where they're gonna go. [00:33:36] Speaker B: So then they get given boats as, like, a way for them to keep going. And Celeborn gives it to them, and then they get clothes woven by Gal. Galadriel as well. Sam gets his rope, which he likes, randomly has this obsession with rope. He was like, if I don't have rope, I'm going to want and need rope. And then he doesn't have rope, and he needed rope. And then now he's like, look, there's rope. And they're like, do you want it? And he's like, yeah, I would love rope. [00:34:07] Speaker A: They're like, oh, you would have known that you liked this rope so much we probably would have taught you how to make some knots with it. But too late now. Here's some rope. [00:34:14] Speaker B: Here you go. And then they all get special little gifts. And Galadriel gives a special sheath to Aragorn a special bow to Legolas. And then she gives a little box full of dirt with a G on it for Galadriel. But she's like, you can make the G. G for garden. And it's not for now, but, like, when you get home, you can grow a really special garden. And he's like, I love this. Thank you. [00:34:44] Speaker A: He's, like, so touched. [00:34:46] Speaker B: Which is honestly adorable. And then she, like, tries to give a gift to Ghibli and he's like, no, I don't need anything. And she's like, no, I want to. And he's like, can I have three of your hairs? [00:35:01] Speaker A: He's like, it's gonna show that Dwarves and Elves like each other. Okay, that's it. I don't. What do you mean? That's not weird. It's fine. It's to show that we have camaraderie now. It's not weird at all. I'm not going to braid it and put it under my pillow every night. [00:35:18] Speaker B: So he gets hair. He gets her golden hairs. And then Frodo, lastly, gets a small crystal file that shines with the light of this. It was an arendelle star to guide him in the dark of night. And I was like. So basically, she gave him a flashlight. [00:35:37] Speaker A: That's exactly what I was thinking. I was like, is he going to be able to use this for something? Does he. Does he is. Or just a flashlight? Also, Aragorn gets a little stone that he puts on himself. I don't know what it is. [00:35:50] Speaker B: Yes, it's like a. Yeah, I don't know either. But he does get the stone. [00:35:54] Speaker A: He does get the stone. I feel like that might be something for later. So they're still trying to decide where they're gonna go because Boromir says that if they wish to only destroy the Ring they should just go alone to Mordor. But if they want to destroy evil, like evil for everybody then they should go to his place and build, like, this army. Yeah, and build an army. And that's why he keeps pushing for them to build an army and to go to Gondor is like. He's like, we just need to destroy evil altogether. Maybe not even destroy the Ring. We just need to destroy evil. [00:36:27] Speaker B: Exactly. So, like, that's the whole debate. That's saved for the last chapter. [00:36:33] Speaker A: Well. Well, they kind of touch on it here. And they literally are like, we haven't decided yet. We're just gonna go anyway. [00:36:39] Speaker B: Yeah, we're just going to keep going. [00:36:41] Speaker A: We're still not sure where we're going because. Because even, like, Celebran asked them, like, okay, so where are you guys going after this? And Boromir is like, oh, well, if we have my way, we're going to go to this place. And everybody kind of just looks around and they're like, yeah, I don't know if we're going there. [00:36:56] Speaker B: They're, like, debating it, even though. And they're just on these boats as they're debating it. And finally we get the who. We figure out who's following them. That you couldn't figure out. [00:37:10] Speaker A: No, I couldn't figure it out. Sam is like, I saw a log with eyes. And then Frodo's like, if I hadn't seen it too, I would have told you you were crazy. But guess what? It's actually Gollum. [00:37:20] Speaker B: I figured it out a while ago. And then they, like, go to bed. And then Frodo's, like, on watch, and he, like, draws his weapon. And Aragorn's like, what's going on? He's like, I think somebody's following us. And he goes, oh, you found out about Gollum? [00:37:40] Speaker A: I was like, dude, why haven't we talked about this sooner? [00:37:43] Speaker B: He's like, yeah, I've been hunting him. Kind of just like, when I can. [00:37:47] Speaker A: You know, when it makes sense, nobody knows about it. He, like, found us worried. [00:37:54] Speaker B: He found us after we came out from, like, that mountain. [00:37:57] Speaker A: So he's been here for a while. I wasn't sure if you guys had noticed or not. [00:38:02] Speaker B: Yeah. Then they. This whole chapter, really, they're just, like, in the river and they're, like, avoiding the Orcs. And they're in the river and then Orcs attack and they're in the river again. And then they scout the river and then they leave the river and then. [00:38:18] Speaker A: They'Re back in the river after. [00:38:20] Speaker B: They take all the boats out. [00:38:21] Speaker A: They take all the boats out and they walk a little bit. And then they go back to the river. And then finally we come to the Pillar of Kings. [00:38:29] Speaker B: And this is the breaking of the Fellowship. [00:38:33] Speaker A: Well, okay, so even the book says this is the quote unquote, last stage. And I'm like, okay, technically as a book, you know that this is the last stage because it's a breaking of the Fellowship. But technically, if I was in my brain with them, I would be like, why is this last stage? There's no reason for them to be breaking apart yet. Yeah, a lot of place they have. Still have a lot of. A lot of journey left to go. [00:38:55] Speaker B: That's what I was thinking. [00:38:56] Speaker A: They wake up and they're like, hey, there are Orcs nearby. Even though we're in this place. The pillar. And we're like, we gotta go soon. [00:39:03] Speaker B: Figure it out. [00:39:05] Speaker A: Yeah, where are we going? Arb. Come on. We gotta pick it. And Frodo, you have the Ring, so you're gonna decide where the Ring goes. And Frodo's like, give me an hour. [00:39:13] Speaker B: I need one hour. And they're like, fine, fine. Don't go far, because there's Orcs coming after us. But sure. And then he leaves. And he's alone and he's having an internal crisis because he really doesn't want. [00:39:28] Speaker A: To go to Mordor. If he's going to be honest, he really just doesn't want to do it. But he can't tell himself that he can't go anymore. He's now at the breaking point where he's like, I know what I should do, and I know what I shouldn't do and I know which one I want to do, but. [00:39:43] Speaker B: But it's hard. [00:39:44] Speaker A: And suddenly he's like, I feel like there are eyes on me, evil eyes on me. And then who's behind him? Boromir. [00:39:51] Speaker B: And Boromir is, like, mean. Like, he's, like, not trying to be, but he just comes up and he's like, what are you doing? Just give me the Ring. Why are you, like, confused about what you should do? Just give me the Ring. It belongs to us anyway. And then Frodo's like, all right, dude, back up. Get out of my face. And he puts the Ring on, and this is, like, the fourth time he's ever touched the Ring. And it's the fourth time he's ever used the Ring. And he uses it to run away. He's like, get out of here. And he, like, climbs this mountain, and then he's on a throne, and he's like, here I am, and I know what I need to do. [00:40:31] Speaker A: And then he's like, oh, you know what? I'm gonna do. I'm gonna use the Ring's power to look over all of this land. And he's like, oh, man, it looks like war is coming. Because basically, in every part of this land I see it seems like people are gearing up for war. And then he sees the Eye again. And he realizes that because he's searching with the Ring that the Eye can now find him. And the Eye has, like, figured out his presence is nearby and he's, like, fighting with himself and there's a voice in the Eye and he. They're fighting with each other. Suddenly he realized, like, he has the power to do whatever he wants. So he takes off the Ring just in the nick of time so that the Eye doesn't find him. [00:41:07] Speaker B: Yep. [00:41:09] Speaker A: But we go back to the Company after this. [00:41:11] Speaker B: Yeah. And we, like, go to the Company's internal debate and they're like, why are we leaving just Frodo to decide this when we should, like, influence him? And Legolas and Gimli are like, absolutely not leaving him. Will not be doing that. And then Aragon's actually like, no, you should leave him, but me and Sam should accompany him. Just the two of us. [00:41:39] Speaker A: Well, no, he said Sam, Gimli and Aragorn. Because they're like, they both. Because I think Legolas says, I would rather go to wherever Boromir is going. And Gimli is like, yeah, I would also rather go to where Boromir is going. But if Frodo decides that he wants to go to Mordor, I'll go to Mordor with Frodo. And then, like, Alessa's like, yeah, I wouldn't leave Frodo either. So I would also go to Mordor with him. And everyone's like, okay, not everyone is going to go to Mordor with him. Like, if everybody wants to go with Frodo, then it should only be the ones that are like, we can get in and out. It'll be easiest for us. Like, we shouldn't have this whole party. So it would be me, it'll be Gimli, and it'll be Sam because Sam is literally just not gonna leave him. And then that's when Pippin and Mary are like, well, what the fuck? I want to also go to Mordor with Frodo. [00:42:26] Speaker B: They're like, yeah, you can't just leave us here. [00:42:30] Speaker A: And then this is when they're like, well, where is Boromir? Where did he go? And then they're, like, kind of weirded out about where everybody is and how much time has actually passed. [00:42:40] Speaker B: And they continue their debate for, like, a little bit. And then finally they're like, actually, where is Frodo? It's been way over an hour and the orcs are pretty close. Maybe we should actually go find him now. [00:42:52] Speaker A: And then that's when Boromir comes back and is like, oop, I actually scared him. And he left. So. [00:43:01] Speaker B: Oops. [00:43:01] Speaker A: They're like, when was that? He was like, I don't know, like 30, 45 minutes ago. Could have been an hour. He's somewhere, guys. And they're like, okay, we have to split up and look for him. [00:43:14] Speaker B: So, like, Sam splits up with Aragorn and they, like, team up and go. But Aragorn is, like, you know, like, making haste and, like, going crazy. And. And Sam is like, I can't keep up. [00:43:29] Speaker A: And then he actually thinks about it for a second. He's like, you know what Frodo would do? He would. [00:43:33] Speaker B: Maybe I should use logic. [00:43:35] Speaker A: Just go and get to the boats. Because he doesn't have anything. So he kind of needs things in order to, like, get to Mordor. [00:43:42] Speaker B: So he looks and he just sees a boat just moving by itself. [00:43:47] Speaker A: He's like, ah, come back. I'm right here. And he almost makes it. He runs and he almost makes it, but he doesn't. And so he's about to drown. [00:43:56] Speaker B: He's drowning in the river now, and Frodo has no choice but to save his life because it's either save him or he drowns and dies. So he's like, obviously, I'm gonna save the guy. So he saves him and then now he's stuck with him because Sam's like, I'm not letting you leave, buddy. You're not going anywhere without. [00:44:14] Speaker A: Go back to the shore. He's like. He brings about his shore and he's like, okay. Bye, Sam. See you later. Okay, sorry about that. But, like, I gotta go now. I'm going to Mordor. And Sam's like, yeah, I know you're going to Mordor, and that's why I'm here. He's like, well, you don't even have your stuff. And he's like, I can go get my stuff right now, and we can go. He's like, well, you got to really, really hurry because everybody's about to come. He's like, yep, no problem. So he goes and gets stuff from the other boats and they ride off into the sunset. Into the sunset. [00:44:37] Speaker B: And that is the end of Book Two. [00:44:40] Speaker A: Book One. [00:44:41] Speaker B: The Fellowship of the Ring. Well, it's called Book Two. [00:44:44] Speaker A: Oh, the end of the full book One. [00:44:48] Speaker B: It's the end of the Fellowship of the Ring, book one and two. Okay, Yes. I got my little pocket. My pocket. What did I call it? Bible. My pocket Bible. Yeah, I actually just bought a special edition Lord of the Rings because I got a headache from reading this teeny, tiny font. [00:45:10] Speaker A: Makes sense. Yeah. But that's the end of it. And I don't know, I mean, I. Overall, this is slow, a slow book for me. There's a lot of plot, the stuff. [00:45:27] Speaker B: A lot of plot. [00:45:29] Speaker A: So I'm hoping that now that the foundation is laid, we basically know what's happening in this story. We basically know the history of everything. I know that we're going to get more history as we, like, walk into Mordor because there's going to be, like, this barren land around us. But I am really hoping that we're more into, like, the plot and character development for the next one, rather than a lot of history. [00:45:49] Speaker B: Yeah, agreed. I need a little bit more action, like, things actually happening. I also agree with the character development. Maybe we should, like, dive a little bit, not necessarily into the histories of the characters, but, like, see them interact a little bit more. That would be nice. I also feel like this next book, we're gonna get introduced to a lot more characters and it's going to, like, just make us a lot more confused about who's who and what's happening. [00:46:21] Speaker A: I just don't even know what could happen in this next book. Like, obviously we're not making it to Mordor yet. We're not making it, like, I'm assuming we're going to be in, like, the Dark area, but I don't know how far in our map journey we're going to be. Do you know what I mean? Yeah. And I mean, obviously, we're also going to the Land of Men with Gondor and Bormir. I'm wondering if Born Here ever gets punished for what he does. Or, like, they ever find out that he goes slightly mad because of the Ring and he gets slightly corrupted because of it. I'm not sure if this does anything later down the line. And I'm assuming that they're going to meet people when they go and try and get armies. But, like, what. What are they going to be about? Are they going to be good people, are going to be bad people? I'm assuming there's going to be a mixture of both what the conflicts are going to come up. I assume we're also going to split the story where we're with half and half because I couldn't see us just being with Frodo this entire time. [00:47:12] Speaker B: Yeah, I agree with that. My literal ending thoughts of this book were how are we gonna get enough adventure between just the two of them for a whole two more books? So obviously we're gonna have to branch out and follow different characters. I really hope he doesn't do it the way he did in the Hobbit and just like, in the middle of a sentence, like, goes over to another character in another place in time and just throw me off even further. But I feel like that's what he's going to be doing. [00:47:46] Speaker A: Yeah. I'm also wondering how Gandalf gets back because I. What does he doesn't he. [00:47:54] Speaker B: I don't know. [00:47:55] Speaker A: I'm like, they said he's dead. I don't know. I'm pretty sure he comes back. I don't know how, but I think he does. [00:48:02] Speaker B: I don't know if he does. [00:48:03] Speaker A: Frodo has a. I think he. Frodo has a vision about him. [00:48:07] Speaker B: He has a vision about him. But I don't know if that means he comes back. [00:48:11] Speaker A: I don't know. I feel like he comes back. Maybe he doesn't. [00:48:15] Speaker B: Maybe he doesn't. [00:48:16] Speaker A: I don't know. When I think about the ending of this book, I feel like everybody's okay and like, Gandalf is there and they're all happy. Do you know what I mean? [00:48:22] Speaker B: Yeah, I know what you mean. [00:48:24] Speaker A: Like, when I think about the ending of this book, I'm pretty sure that, like, most people make it out, but I actually don't know. Well, but I always thought that Gandalf survived. And so maybe it's just me being in denial about Gandalf's death, but I feel like he's not dead. [00:48:38] Speaker B: We'll have to see in the Two Towers. [00:48:42] Speaker A: The Two Towers. But we won't see next. We won't see until two weeks from now because what are we reading next? [00:48:50] Speaker B: Next we're reading the Bride. [00:48:55] Speaker A: Bride by Ali. [00:48:56] Speaker B: Actually, just Bride by Ali Haw. Yep. I'm excited. I've heard a lot about it. It's not one that I've read before. [00:49:07] Speaker A: We can talk about it next week. But I have read Allie Hazelwood before, but I have not read this book. [00:49:13] Speaker B: We'll see what happens.