Lord of the Rings Newsdump Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) strip it down to the bare minimum to talk about the legions of news out of Middle-Earth recently. LEGO Barad-Dur, Rings of Power Season 2, and Gollum movies are back on the menu, plus we take some time to talk about some other things we've been watching! --- Emily wrote a cha…

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) Part 7: Assault on Osgiliath Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) are overrun at Osgiliath! We fly back to Minas Tirith with an assist from Gandalf, but before that, we check in on some other rumblings in pop culture. Spoiler Warning we discuss Dune Part Two and Shogun (through episode …

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) Part 6: The Beacons of Amon Din Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) call for aid, and Rohan will answer! We soar through the White Mountains exploring one of the most majestic and viscerally satisfying scenes in the trilogy, the lighting of the beacons! But first, we dig into its real …

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)Part 5: Minas Tirith Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) make for Minas Tirith, and they aren't going alone! Pippin and Gandalf arrive at the great city of Gondor to find a grieving Denethor, father of Boromir. Pippin gets a new job in the Citadel, and Frodo, Sam, and Gollum arrive at t…

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) Part 4: The Last Voyage of Arwen Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) are back! We pick up with The Return of the King as Arwen prepares for her voyage to the West except...what's that?! BY GAWD IT'S [Unborn Future Child of Aragorn and Arwen]'S MUSIC! It's time to yell at dad and reforg…

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)Part 3: Return to Edoras Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) raise a pint to all those fallen at Helm's Deep, as Rohan takes stock of the battle won and the war ahead. Speaking of Wars Ahead, Pippin peeps some spoilers in the Palantir, but the Palantir peeps back! ---Emily wrote a chapt…

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)Part 2: Isengard's New Management Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) enjoy some well-earned comforts standing on the field of victory! Isengard has a new head honcho, and we take a look back at the roads and places we've been before the road whisks us away yet again. But first, we talk…

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023)Part Two Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) are back for one last battle with the Demon King, Ganon, deep in the bowels of Hyrule. In a spoilerific episode, we discuss the story and endgame of Tears of the Kingdom, and how it stacks up against other Zelda titles!---Become a Patron of My Br…

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)Part 1: The Tale of Smeagol Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) go fishing on the Great River, only to rediscover the One Ring in its shallows! We relive the fall of Smeagol and the rise of Gollum as Frodo and Sam continue their journey into Mordor!---Emily wrote a chapter in In One Wom…

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)Character analysis: Aragorn Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) inquire about the strange man in the corner, who's done nothing but stare at us since we arrived. It's the Stridersode! Today we go in-depth on Aragorn, son of Arathorn, and how his role in the text differs greatly from his…

The Lord of the RingsHEAT CHECK Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) are two-thirds of the way through The Lord of the Rings trilogy, so it makes sense to gather the council and take stock of our coverage so far, and look ahead to what awaits us in The Return of the King!---Emily wrote a chapter in In One Woman's Life: Celebrating Mary Br…

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023)Part One Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) go moblin mode on the newest Zelda title, "Tears of the Kingdom!" We construct some takes and fuse our brain cells together as we dive headfirst into the game's design, narrative, and mechanics. Oh, and we're back with Token Tolkien as we look at…

Emily and Manu are taking a mini break in the month of June, so we are making some of our old patreon exclusives available public as we gear up to cover The Return of the King! The Road Goes Ever On, and this time it circles back to Fellowship of the Ring! In our first episode about the Extended Edition scenes, we lay out our general thoughts about…

Emily and Manu are taking a mini break in the month of June, so we are making some of our old patreon exclusives available public as we gear up to cover The Return of the King! We welcome our friend Wilf (@socialaskan) to discuss the study of history and the various pedagogies that inform how we conceive of the past, and how that plays out in JRR T…

Succession (2023)Series Finale Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) convene the board one last time to give our final thoughts on the Succession series finale! Roman goes back to Mommy, Kendall angles himself for the crown, and Shiv's new grasp on power looks a lot like her old one. ---Become a Patron of My Brother, My Captain, My Podcast…

Succession (2023)Season 4 Episode 8: America Decides Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) try to keep the wasabi out of their eyes as they watch the latest presidential election turn into a fascist trainwreck! ---Become a Patron of My Brother, My Captain, My Podcast My Brother, My Captain, My Podcast Reference GuideMy Brother, My Captain,…

Succession (2023)Season 4 Episode 7: Tailgate Party Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) get each other scorpions because .... ??? it's funny??? Roman works on r*tfucking Mattson while placing Con as ambassador to a non-nuclear power, and Kendall looks to take to the crown for himself as he publicly faces off with Lukas on the night befor…

Succession (2023)Season 4 Episode 6: Living+ Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) attend the investor's meeting for Living+, the new physical social media for the real world championed by Kendall Roy and his late, video-edited father. Elsewhere, Roman decides to fire key personnel because he had to commit to the bit, and a game of Bitey b…

Succession (2023)Season 4 Episode 5: Kill List Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) hop over to Norway for the GoJo retreat, wearing our compression socks all the way there! Lukas Mattson plants himself firmly in the Roy territory as he changes his bid for ATN, causing Kendall and Roman to take stock of what they actually want as Royco CE…

Succession (2023)Season 4 Episode 4: Honeymoon States Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) attends Logan's wake, which turns out to be a feudal battle over the Roy kingdom and fiefs! The familial heirs make a play by supporting the eldest son Kendall (err, sorry Con, would you like this castle in recompense?), while the vassals fight to e…

Succession (2023)Season 4 Episode 3: Connor's Wedding Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) get pulled away from Con and Willa's wedding by a phone call from the f*cky-sucky brigade to let them know that Logan Roy is feeling ill! This momentous third episode allows us the opportunity to talk about television episodes and seasons in form an…

Succession (2023)Season 4 Episode 2: Rehearsal Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) terrifyingly mosey through the latest Succession episode as Logan gets more involved both at the office and with his family. Con is hoping Willa hasn't sunk to the bottom of the river ahead of their bum-fight wedding, and Kerry makes an audition tape which…

Succession (2023)Season 4 Episode 1: The Munsters Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) randomly show up at Logan Roy's birthday party with the gaudiest handbags imaginable! We dive into the kids trying to steal Pierce out from under father's nose, while the Disgusting Brothers Tom and Greg adjust to their new roles in the family. Hopefull…

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)Part 20: Two Towers Wrap-Up Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) have fallen through Khazad-dûm, ridden with the Rohirrim and marched with the Ents, and are finally ready to look back at the great stories of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers! We start with the film's closing tune, Gollum's S…

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)Part 19: The Great Stories Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) believe there is some good in this world, and it's worth fighting for! We come to the final scenes of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers with a focus on editing - how did the film handle it's disparate storylines and cut them tog…

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)Part 18: Helm's Deep Part Two Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) ride out and meet the Uruk-Hai as the Horn of Helm Hammerhand rings through the keep, one last time! We wrap up events at Helm's Deep, from the King's courageous ride to Gandalf's triumphant return, with a continuation of the mil…

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)Part 17: Osgiliath Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) are besieged along with the soldiers of Gondor at Osgiliath, the military outpost defending the river from Mordor. Orcs attack from the opposite shore (whichever shore that may be!) while a Nazgul sweeps in to city. But before we do that, w…

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)Part 16: Last March of the Ents Hroom! Hroom! Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien)'s business is with Isengard tonight, with rock and stone! As the forests of Fangorn to Isengard come against, we look at the influence of William Shakespeare on your hosts as well as JRR Tolkien - then it's onto o…

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)Part 15: Helm's Deep Part 1 Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) man the walls of the Hornburg as Saruman's army descends on Helm's Deep! The great battle of the film starts here with a detailed breakdown of the labor, writing, and craftwork that went into bringing it to life. But first, we talk…

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)Part 15: The Entmoot Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) arrive for a gathering...but of what?! Something is about to happen that hasn't happened for an age, and we discuss the film's adaptation of the Entmoot, as well as popular historical and fictional moots! ---Emily wrote a chapter in In On…

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)Part 15: Fortifying Helm's Deep Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) ride hard for Helm's Deep, only to encounter Saruman's army, ten thousand strong, heading the same direction! We take a tour of Helm's Deep with Theoden and Aragorn as we prepare for the oncoming battle. But first, we go big as…

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)Part 14: Henneth Annun Book Analysis Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) are Token Tolkien for an entire episode, here with the rangers of Ithilien. Faramir puts his hostages, Frodo and Sam, to question about their journey and their secret purpose, so far from their homes in The Shire. Faramir …

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)Part 13: Henneth Annun Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) are led blindfolded into the guerilla outpost in Ithilien, the Window on the West. Faramir, Captain of Gondor, speaks to the doom of Men coming on two fronts before speaking to the two Hobbits, whose fates will govern the doom of Men. M…

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)Part 13: Middle-Earth Intermission Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) head to the lobby to get their selves some treats! The middle of The Two Towers acts as an intermission for the film and the trilogy, so your hosts sing songs about their favorite theater going experiences and moments. Then …

Andor (2022) Season One Discussion Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) sacrifice everything to bring you one last look at Andor season 1! We reminisce about our favorite moments and characters, answer listener questions, and finally dive into some of the broader political and cultural discourses that have sprung up around the hit show. T…

This was our very first Patreon-exclusive released in October 2022 - as a special holiday treat, we are releasing it to the public! Patreon exclusive episodes are available to all $10 patrons and come out monthly! See link below to sign up! Our very first Patreon episode! Emily and Manu take some time to just shoot the breeze, learning more about e…

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)Character analysis: Faramir and Eowyn Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) meet in the Houses of Healing to focus in on two of the newest additions to the cast in The Two Towers: Eowyn, shieldmaiden of Rohan and Faramir, captain of Gondor. We dive into their character histories, their thematic i…

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)Part 12: The Caravan to Helm's Deep Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) take time on their travels to Helm's Deep to think about "adaptation;" different approaches to adapting books to screen, where they succeed and where they fail, and then apply it to these Lord of the Rings films as well as …

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)Part 11: Ithilien Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) are FAMISHED for some quality Lord of the Rings content, so we feast on the Jackson films for the first time in a long with with Sam, Frodo, and Gollum in the lands just west of Mordor. As Sam makes some stew, we talk over the foods of Middl…

Andor (2022)Episode 12: Rix Road Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) are lifted by the dead as Maarva's funeral turns into a call to arms for the people of Ferrix. Our core cast descends on the scrapping town as everyone looks for Cass, Cass looks for Bix, and Luthen looks to put an end to Cass's life. We love this show more than anythin…

Andor (2022)Episode 11: Daughters of Ferrix Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) need to tell everyone about what's happening on Narkina 5 as Cass and Melshi finally get off planet. But it's what happening on Ferrix that drives this episode: the death of Maarva. As preparations are made for her funeral, both Empire and Rebels look to clos…

Andor (2022)Episode 10: One Way Out Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) have only one way out of the prison facility on Narkina 5, a leap of faith towards freedom lead by Cass and most of all Kino Loy, as Andy Serkis delivers a performance for the ages. Elsewhere, Mon Mothma runs up against the traditions of her own Chandrilan people, an…

Andor (2022)Episode 9: Nobody's Listening Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) have gotten into the flow of things at table 5, but efficiency does not breed happiness as Cass and Kino learn about what happened to the prisoners on Level 2. Elsewhere, Mon Mothma's family continues to amaze, between Perrin's obliviousness and the arrival of …

Andor (2022)Episode 8: Narkina 5 Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) are sentenced to six years at Narkina 5, an Imperial Factory Facility where faces old and new ask Cassian about what's happening with the Rebellion. Lots, actually, as Mon Mothma, Luthen, Vel, Cinta, and even Maarva plan their next moves as the Empire's fist tightens!--…

Andor (2022)Episode 7: Announcement Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) are off to the podraces as they do their first full episode on Andor, the Star Wars series currently streaming. In Episode 7, we see how the Aldhani heist is echoing through the galaxy, and the political and personal stakes it raises for our ensemble cast, rebel and …

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022)Episode 8: Alloyed/Andor Episodes 1-6 Surprise! We find out who Halbrand and The Stranger are in the season finale of The Rings of Power, which Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) opine on to open the episode, and look at where we are leading into a second season. But at the 39:30 mark, we …

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022)Episode 7: The Eye Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) try to escape the fumes of the Orodruin, like much of our cast here in Middle-Earth. But against all authority, we chart our own discussions on trusting your audience and how ideology in film production cannot be eschewed. Oh and we hav…

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022)Episode 6 Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) bring down the tower at Ostirith, revealing discussions about high-fidelity filmmaking and easter egg discourse in franchise media. Plus, a discussion on how the Black Lands of Mordor were created. Udûn it now!---Become a Patron of My Brother, M…

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022)Episode 5 Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) teach the Stranger of perils, make preparations to sail for Numenor, and solidify the defenses at Ostirith in our recap of the fifth episode of The Rings of Power!---Become a Patron of My Brother, My Captain, My PodcastMy Brother, My Captain, My…

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022)Episode 4 Manu (@ManuclearBomb) and Emily (@JRRTweetien) convince the leaders of Numenor to allow them passage back to Middle-Earth, joining Galadriel, Isildur, and company. Elsewhere, Elrond investigates why Durin has been avoiding the Celebrimbor forge project, and Arondir meets the one they call "A…