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After 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 likely to weather the coming storm, the importance of names (Gandalf is a Stranger no more!), our issues with the Rhûn storyline, the tragedy of Sauron (“some things can’t be fixed”), and what we expect from Galadriel’s journey next season.

We have some special episodes coming over the hiatus, but for now, we hope you enjoy, and thank you for listening—Namárië.

Time Stamps
00:00 - Intro, Summary, and First Takes
10:13 - Visual Feasts, Musical Moments, and Wonders of the World
25:50 - Pelargir Plotline Lovers Stay Winning
37:52 - Númenórean Endings and Eärien Defense Squad
43:56 - Arondir's Unnecessary Deathbait
47:24 - Elrond's Change of Heart
49:07 - The Horror of Celebrimbor and Sauron
57:02 - Adar and Glûg's Tragic End
1:09:09 - Never Getting Back Together aka The Saurondriel Showdown
1:26:49 - Performance Awards
1:32:14 - Dialogue Dialogue
1:39:44 - Critiques
1:47:31 - Themes
1:52:23 - Namárië