Podcasts about old man willow

The first REAL dangers outside of the Shire were cut from the films... but did that decision improve them?

In today's episodes, our hosts discuss a recent rumor that Tom Bombadil will make an appearance in the Rings of Power? Who is Tom Bombadil? How do we feel about his exclusion from the movies? How might he be used in TRoP?

We are thrilled to announce that our online store, AnUnexpectedJourney.shop. is now open! If you love the podcast, please consider supporting us. We have a lot of fun plans for the future so stay tuned. Become A Subscriber. The hobbits rise before dawn the next morning. Leaving a message for Gandalf with Fatty, they set out, riding sturdy ponies. Led by Merry, they pass through a high hedge, and enter the Old Forest, where "the trees do not like strangers." They walk a ways into the silent forest, along a path going gently uphill, feeling they are being observed, and disliked. Merry notices that the trees have shifted since the last time he was in the wood. Crossing over a hill, the path begins to take them on a downward path, toward the Withywindle valley—a place with a sinister reputation. Yet, this is the way the path leads, and before long they find themselves at the Withywindle River. The way is difficult, and soon they become very tired. At the base of a large willow tree, Frodo, Merry, and Pippin fall asleep, and Sam feels himself beginning to drift off as well. Before he descends into slumber, however, he is awakened by small noises. Frodo has fallen in the water, and Merry and Pippin have become trapped in the willow tree's great trunk. Frodo and Sam yell for help, which comes in the form of a jolly old man—Tom Bombadil—who sings a song to Old Man Willow. Tom's song causes the tree to give up its captives. Tom invites them to his house for supper. They follow his lead toward the house, where they hear singing. The Fellowship of the Ring: Written by J.R.R. Tolkien. Soundtrack composed by Howard Shore. Audiobook narrated, produced, and edited by Phil Dragash. Art by Jian Guo.

Who will forge the cockrings of power? Not me! Welcome to another episode of Fubar Ferret with me, YemmytheFerret! In this episode I talk about who is the best Hobbit in the Lord of the Rings series and apologize profusely. Thanks for listening on all platforms! Tom Bombadil is a character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He first appeared in print in a 1934 poem called The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, which also included the Lord of the Rings characters Goldberry, Old Man Willow and the Barrow-wight, from whom Tom rescues the hobbits.

After many preparations, the hobbits finally get on the road, walk a few miles, then start cooking sausages. Black Riders, Elves, Farmer Maggot, Old Man Willow, Tom "Not Appearing in the Movie" Bombadil, then more sausages. Bill and Sean discuss it all, explain what they can, make lots of jokes, but they don't get any sausage.

Kyle and Dan, from The Babylon Bee, along with Jonathan Watson, from TheOneRing.Com where you can join a growing fellowship of Tolkien fans, get to one of their favorite chapters of The Lord of the Rings: In The House Of Tom Bombadil! Who the heck is this weird guy dancing and singing in the old forest? What did Tolkien say about who Tom is and what does he have to teach us? How is this detour in the old forest to Tom’s house essential to the story? Tom Bombadil is awesome and by the end of this episode, we think you’ll agree. Chapter 7 summary: The hobbits enter the house and seem to be enchanted by Goldberry. Frodo even bursts into song when he sees her. Frodo asks her who Tom Bombadil really is and she tells him that Tom is simply Tom: the master of wood, water and hill. He has no desire to own anything and he has no fear. Frodo asks Tom if he had heard their cry for help or if he had just happened to come by at the right time. Tom said that he had been expecting them. They eat and go to bed. The Hobbits all have nightmares, except Sam. Frodo dreams of man on a tower taken away by a large eagle and then black riders, Pippin is back in the willow tree, and Merry thinks he is about to be drowned.The next day it rains, so Tom begins to tell them stories. He tells them about the old forest and the trees like Old Man Willow. He warns them about the barrow downs and the spirits. The Hobbits lose track of time. Frodo once again tries to find out who Tom Bombadil is by asking him directly. Tom asks Frodo to show him the Ring. He is completely unconcerned about the ring or Sauron. He teaches them a rhyme to call him for help and tells them they must leave the next day. Topics Discussed Who the heck is Tom? "Tom was a paradoxical creature, one moment defeating ancient forces with hardly an effort, the next capering and singing nonsensical songs."  "Eldest, that's what I am... Tom remembers the first raindrop and the first acorn... He knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless - before the Dark Lord came from Outside." “He is Master of wood, water, and hill.” But he doesn’t own it! “That would be a burden,” says Goldberry. He also “just is as you have seen him” and is “not afraid.” Tom always seems preoccupied about his own business and seems to forget the needs of his guests. ‘Tom, Tom! your guests are tired, and you had near forgotten! Who the heck is Goldberry? She is full of joy and laughter and is described as “enthroned.” The paradox of Bombadil in that he is good but is not concerned with the shadow vs the Hobbits "you cannnot shut the world out forever" Kyle’s tweet thread about his favorite passage in Lord of the Rings: (though he reserves his right to say that a lot over the course of this show) Dan thinks it is odd that Tom just happens to have a feast set, four mattresses, four pairs of hobbit slippers, vessels of cold and hot water just waiting for the hobbits in the guest room. Tom says he was waiting for them.  “Farmer Maggot, whom he seemed to regard as a person of more importance than they had imagined. ‘There’s earth under his old feet, and clay on his fingers; wisdom in his bones, and both his eyes are open,’ said Tom. It was also clear that Tom had dealings with the Elves, and it seemed that in some fashion, news had reached him from Gildor concerning the flight of Frodo.” Our zeitgeist and its need for big, epic heroes, and its intolerance of quirkiness and things that are uncool. Whether the morning and evening of one day or of many days had passed Frodo could not tell. He did not feel either hungry or tired, only filled with wonder. ‘Who are you, Master?’ he asked. ‘Eh, what?’ said Tom sitting up, and his eyes glinting in the gloom. ‘Don’t you know my name yet? That’s the only answer. Tell me, who are you, alone, yourself and nameless? But you are young and I am old. Eldest, that’s what I am. Mark my words, my friends: Tom was here before the river and the trees; Tom remembers the first raindrop and the first acorn. He made paths before the Big People, and saw the little People arriving. He was here before the Kings and the graves and the Barrow-wights. When the Elves passed westward, Tom was here already, before the seas were bent. He knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless – before the Dark Lord came from Outside.’ Tom holds up the superweapon of Sauron and laughs at it like it’s child’s play. And can even make it disappear??? Tom can see invisible Frodo? Some stuff from Silmarillion is mentioned like Valar and Maiar and hopefully the slides on the video help. Tom doesn’t fit any established category in Middle-Earth. Is Tom Bombadil right to be unconcerned with fighting evil? Subscriber Portion We “solve” who Tom really is (become a subscriber)Tolkien’s own words about Tom Bombadil Subscriber Questions, fan theories, and tattoo suggestions for Kyle The Hobbits’ dreams in the house of Tom Bombadil

Kyle, Dan, and Jonathan Watson, of TheOneRing.Com, guide you to Crickhollow, where Samwise Gamgee’s conspiracy is unmasked, and then on to a spooky ancient forest that tries to kill the hobbits. Then, as Kyle puts it, a “cracked out hobo” comes to rescue them. It’s two chapters this week on The Babylon Bee Reads The Lord of the Rings! Chapter summaries: Frodo, Sam, Pippin, and Merry make it to the tucked away house in Crickhollow and also meet Fatty who with Merry has been getting the house ready. The three travellers all bathe together and sing (in separate tubs), eat food, and Frodo finds out that his friends have known all along about the conspiracy to get the ring out of the Shire. Their plan is to sneak out through a small gate in the hedge that separates Buckland from the Old Forest. We learn that the Forest is very much alive and at enmity with the “colonizers” of Buckland. The four hobbits going through the Old Forest quickly find the forest against them! Old Man Willow causes the hobbits to fall asleep, traps Merry and Pippin within its cracks, and almost drowns Frodo.  A cracked out hobo in the woods comes to their rescue! Some questions or themes: The fellowship seems to be borne in Chapter 5. Merry and Pippin refuse to let Frodo rush off into danger without them coming too. The stouthearted loyalty of the hobbits in their friendship The Forest being alive and at enmity and able to react to the trespassers Intro to Tom Bombadil MAILBAG

Having been saved by Tom from Old Man Willow's clutches, the Hobbits enjoy a welcome break at his house. There they have a chance to rest up and learn a little more of the Master of the House and Hill. Not all their questions are answered though, and perhaps more are raised as a result... READING BEGINS AT 2:38.  If you don't absolutely hate what you hear, and are in a position to be able to do so, please think of sending some spare pennies to the following fundraiser: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/equity-benevolentfund

The Old Forest - The hobbits rise before dawn the next morning. Leaving a message for Gandalf with Fatty, they set out, riding sturdy ponies. Led by Merry, they pass through a high hedge, and enter the Old Forest, where "the trees do not like strangers." They walk a ways into the silent forest, along a path going gently uphill, feeling they are being observed, and disliked. Merry notices that the trees have shifted since the last time he was in the wood. Crossing over a hill, the path begins to take them on a downward path, toward the Withywindle valley—a place with a sinister reputation. Yet, this is the way the path leads, and before long they find themselves at the Withywindle River. The way is difficult, and soon they become very tired. At the base of a large willow tree, Frodo, Merry, and Pippin fall asleep, and Sam feels himself beginning to drift off as well. Before he descends into slumber, however, he is awakened by small noises. Frodo has fallen in the water, and Merry and Pippin have become trapped in the willow tree's great trunk. Frodo and Sam yell for help, which comes in the form of a jolly old man—Tom Bombadil—who sings a song to Old Man Willow. Tom's song causes the tree to give up its captives. Tom invites them to his house for supper. They follow his lead toward the house, where they hear singing.

Who is Tom Bombadil? In all of the Middle-earth legendarium, there is no other figure as puzzling and strange. From his interactions with Old Man Willow to his relationship with the One Ring, Tom proves he is one of the most powerful beings in Middle-earth.  But where did he come from? And what is his significance for the larger story? Join us, as we explore the Bombadil Engima. On this episode we are joined by Keith Mathison. Earlier this year, Keith published an article on his blog entitled “The Bombadil Enigma”. It’s a fascinating exploration of what we know about Tom Bombadil, and Keith’s theory on the meaning of Tom Bombadil is one we think you’ll find very interesting! Please patronize the Tolkien Road: https://patreon.com/tolkienroad For more on this episode and The Tolkien Road podcast, please visit TolkienRoad.com or Facebook.com/TolkienRoad. Also, follow us on Twitter via @TolkienRoad. This episode is executive produced by Kaitlyn of Tea With Tolkien! Special thanks to the following patrons: Shannon S Brian O Emilio P Zeke F James A James L Chris L Chuck F Asya V Ish of the Hammer Teresa C David of Pints with Jack Jonathan D Eric S Joey S Eric B Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien Matt L Johanna T Ms. Anonymous Sam N

As I re-trace Frodo and Sam's journey from the Shire to Mordor, I'm revisiting the book and the movie. Join me as I discuss the story in detail. In this instalment, we travel from Buckleberry Ferry to Rivendell. We'll meet Tom Bombadil, Strider, and either Glorfindel or Arwen, depending on what medium you're enjoying the story through. ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven. I’m Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars And I am a nerd.   This is episode 27 of the podcast. Today, I’m doing part 2 of my Lord of The Rings Read, Walk, and Watch Series.   I’ve been using the Walk To Mordor App, and a fitbit, to retrace the steps of Frodo and Sam on their epic journey from Hobbiton to Mordor. As I walk the story, I’m also revisiting both the book and the movie and discussing the story.   We pick up this second installment at Buckleberry Ferry. So let’s talk about Lord of The Rings. So Frodo and his companions cross on the Buckleberry Ferry and make their way to Frodo’s new home at Crickhollow - the next milestone on my walk.   Its strikes me that Hobbits take such joy in simple pleasures. Frodo sings his favourite bath song. Favourite, implying there is more than one song 1 specifically dedicated to baths.   Frodo learns that Merry and Pippin know a good deal more about his current situation than they’re supposed to. It seems Sam has been feeding them information. Frodo is conflicted about this. He’s a little hurt and almost feels betrayed, but he’s also amused. Sam reminds him that Gandalf told him to take a companion he could trust with him on his adventure. “But it does not seem that I can trust anyone,” Frodo says.   And Merry says “It all depends on what you want. You can trust us to stick to you through thick and thin  - to the bitter end. And you can trust us to keep any secret of yours - closer than you keep it yourself. But you cannot trust us to let you face trouble alone, and go off without a word. We are your friends , Frodo. Anyway, there it is. We know most of what Gandalf has told you. We know a good deal about the ring. We are horribly afraid - but we are coming with you; or following you like hounds.”   One of the strongest themes that comes through this story, to me, is that of friendship. If there’s one thing that Hobbits are good at, it’s friendship. Sam, Merry and Pippin demonstrate true dedication to their friend.  Sam especially. I think that’s one of the things we all love so much about this story. Because we all want a friend as true as Sam. and perhaps we all aspire to be a friend like Sam.   In any case, it gives Frodo great joy to know his friends will not let him embark on this journey alone. And it gives me great joy to read about it.   So they finally leave the borders of shire. They’re really out of their element now. The hobbits have a real fear of the forest. I may not fully appreciate this fear of the woods. European woods are very different to the Australian bush. As I understand it, they’re more closed in, dark, and claustrophobic. A far cry from the wide open spaces Australia is known for. And this is where we get our first hint at the idea of sentient trees. These plants are not mindless. They have thoughts. Wills.   And this brings me to my next milestone. Old Man Willow. Old Man Willow is pretty darn creepy. This ancient tree with a mind of its own, and seemingly malicious intent entices them to sleep, and then traps Merry and Pippin, and tries to drown Frodo.   Enter Tom Bombadil. Now, Tom Bombadil has always come off as a little bit silly to me. The hobbit’s propensity to sing doesn’t bother me in the same way as Tom’s. Why is that? Is it the nonsense words? Or does it just seem out of place?   When they ask Tom who he is, his first reply is “I am.” I can’t help but see this as a biblical allusion. In the bible, when asked the same question by Moses, God identifies himself as “I am” In English, we translate this as yahweh. Is Tom claiming to be God here? Tom says he is the master of wood, water and hill. And now I can’t help but liken him to Adam. Not me, Adam & Eve. Adam was tasked with tending the garden. Caring for the earth. I’m not saying there’s any direct allegory here. Tolkien has been quoted saying he didn’t like direct allegory. But there’s got to be some of his Christian influence coming out in Tom Bombadil.   The more I read of this, the more convinced I become that, yes, the nonsense words really do annoy me. All this “Derry Dol Dillo.” It bugs the snot out of me.   The next day, in Tom’s house which is my next walking milestone, he tells the hobbits stories of wonder. But we don’t hear those stories. So we’re kind of left in the dark about what’s so great about this odd fellow. We learn the trees, like Old Man Willow, have grown old and hateful because of the destruction wreaked by people. (and by people I suppose I mean all humanoid sentient beings, such as humans, elves, dwarfs, hobbits.)   Tom indicates that he was first. Older than everything. This seems to confirm that he is this world’s Adam. It actually reminds me of Lorien in Babylon 5 - the first sentient being to arise in the universe. (and of course, the name Lorien is likely a Lord of The Rings reference) Lorien was a fascinating wondrous character. I was entranced by him. Tom Bombadil could have evoked similar wondrous feelings in me, but he just ruins it with his silly name and all the rhymes and prancing about. That kills the wonder, in my opinion.   But one of the most fascinating things about him is that he seems to be immune to the ring’s powers. Which raises the question, why doesn’t HE take it to mount doom?  We’ll address this question a little later.   So, they leave Tom’s house and get caught in a fog. Again, fog and mist are much more intimidating in the UK than here. We get a little bit of fog, and it means you have to turn your headlights on. Big deal. And my hometown sits in a valley, so we can get some decent fog sometimes. But it has very rarely been bad enough to cause me any anxiety. To make it impossible to see where you’re driving, or even walking. I’ve heard that in Wales, fog can be terrifying and quite dangerous, because you really can get lost and not be able to see your hand in front of your face. So I have to read this passage with that knowledge in mind.   At my next walking milestone, the hobbits are captured by Baron Wright. This whole passage feels pretty weak. We don’t even really see the character. It’s just. Oh, Frodo bumps into someone. Now he’s in a cell. And then they’re immediately rescued by Tom, who they summon with a song. He appears instantly. It seems old Tom can teleport. Tom sings, and the door opens. And just one more biblical reference for you, this reminds me of Peter’s escape from jail in the books of Acts.   This whole sequence feels completely pointless to me. Just Filler.   But we learn that Tom’s powers are limited to the region where he lives, where he is master. So that explains why he can’t take the ring to Mount Doom.   I remember reading all of this for the first time, after I had already seem the movie. And thinking to myself, I can see why they left all this out. It really doesn’t add anything to the story.   And then, they arrive in Bree, my next milestone. It’s dark, cold, and wet. The comfort of the inn seems very inviting.   They use some great camera tricks in the movie here to make the hobbits look smaller. It’s very basic stuff, using odd angles to shoot, but it’s surprisingly effective.   Their joy at arriving at the inn is tempered by the fact that Gandalf isn’t here.   Pippin’s reaction when he learns that beer comes in pints is priceless. A nice example of character-based humour. But Pippin still doesn’t understand the gravity of their situation. He forgets to keep the name baggins secret.   We get our first mention of Rangers, as they are so called by the people of Bree. they are thought to have strange powers of sight and hearing. It’s said they can understand animals. They wander about and are rarely seem.   One thing I love in the book is the mystery about what happened to Gandlaf. He was supposed to meet them in Hobbiton but he never showed. And all this time, they’ve still had no word from him. As Frodo’s anxiety buits, we can’t help but wonder, what has become of him? Will we ever see him again? If we don’t, what is Frodo to do?   And again, Tokien has this ability to make a hot meal and a comfortable bed feel like the most desirable things in the world. Things we take for granted in the modern world, but in a world like middle earth, and indeed in most of human history, these things were treasured, dreamed of by those who suffered the hardships of travel. We just don’t appreciate that in today’s world.   Once, they’ve been shown their room, and given a meal, the hobbits are invited to join ‘the company’. The movie presents a pub setting that’s quite familiar to us. Individual tables. People sitting in their own groups, talking with those they know. Maybe a few sitting at the bar getting to know each other. But that’s not what Tolkien describes in the book. All those who are staying at the inn that night are gathered together in a room, all talking and getting to know each other. It’s quite an alien concept to me. But it makes sense. There’s no TV. No phones to look at. What did people do of an evening? They met other people and talked with them.   I like the tension of trying whether or not to trust Strider. They don’t know if he secretly means them harm. He claims to know Gandalf, but ultimately, he’s a stranger.    But they get a letter from Gandalf. They at least know he was here. This letter, plus the revelation of Strider’s true name, Aragon, seems to put to rest any distrust of Strider. And, they’re pretty much at a loss by themselves right now, without Gandalf to lead them. So it seems like Strider or no one.   But they still don’t know where Gandalf is, or what he’s up to.   The way they shot the sleeping scene is clever. We get shots of Frodo and Sam sleeping, cut with the Riders in the room the hobbits were supposed to occupy. And then we see the pillows.   So they set off toward Rivendell. And we learn that the ring wraiths were once the kings of men, who were given the 9 rings. But those rings are ruled by the one ring, so they were corrupted by it.   And that’s when we get the famous second breakfast scene, which is just delightful. It’s funny, but also revealing of character. I know this scene has spawned a billion memes on the internet, but let’s just appreciate  the scene in it’s original form.  It’s great.   We pass through my next two walking milestones, midgewater marshes west, and midgewater marshes east. There’s not a lot to talk about here. Plenty of complaining about bugs. I don’t blame them. I’d probably be complaining about the bugs as well.   Souron orders Saruman to build him an army. This is where we see them clearing the forest and constructing a factory deep in the earth, while Gandalf is trapped on top of the tower.   The factory senes are great. We get to appreciate the visuals as the camera swooops around, being the eyes of the butterfly. They’re making weapons, but they’re also making soldiers. The scene where the Uruk Hai is born out of the mud looks amazing. Very creepy, and very alien.   As they walk toward weathertop, Frodo tightens his belt. He notes there is less of him. Welll, it’s working for Frodo. Will it work for me? It hasn’t yet. But we’re not at Weathertop. This milestone represents 386.23 Kilometres. That’s a lot of walking. The difference is, Frodo has done it over the course of a couple of days I’ve been doing this for months. I’ve definitely been going out to walk a lot less during the COVID-19 lockdown. We ARE allowed to leave the house to exercise, but honestly, I’ve just been really busy. I need to step this up a bit and try to get in more steps per day.   Strider tells them the story of Beren and Lúthien. And it’s very briefly mentioned in the movie. They were, of course, a human and an elf that fell in love. It’s quite fitting that Strider tells this story, given his relationship with Arwen, as we’ll see later. As I understand it, the story of Beren and Luthien is told in more detail in The Silmarillion, which I should read some time. But there’s some cool tidbits I hadn’t noticed before, here. Strider talks of The Great Enemy, of whom Souron was but a servant. Now That’s interesting. And we learn they stole a jewel from the the enemy’s crown - a silmaril. So that’s where the Silmarillion gets its name. A Silmaril is a type of jewel. All very interesting, the stuff Tolkien just drops in here casually.   The same carelessness from Pippin and the others, that we saw in the pub , also leads the nazgul to the fortress where they sleep. Their fry-up does sound good, but they’re trying to go under the radar.   So Frodo gets stabbed.   The flight to Rivendell after the stabbing is much more dramatic in the movie. It heightens the severity of Frodo’s condition. In the book, he’s awake and chatting with the others. I just don’t get the same sense of how much danger he really is in.   So we pass through the Trollshaws and encounter Mr. Bilbo’s Trolls. These are my next two milestones. Finding the stone remains of Bilbo’s trolls is a nice little nod to the previous book.  It does make sense they’d stumble upon them, because they’re following the same path to Rivendell that the party did back in The Hobbit. And this scene briefly appears in the extended cut of the movie.   Then they meet Glorfindel at 632 km. And he helps them get Frodo to Rivendell quicker, so he can receive medical attention from the elves. Of course, in the movie, it’s Arwen. I can see why they did that. First of all, it saved them casting another character for a relatively minor role, but it also allowed them to introduce Arwen’s character a little earlier and establish her relationship with Aragorn.   They reach the Ford of Bruinen, my next milestone, with the ring wraiths hot on their tail. Glorfindel / Arwen uses magic to call the rushing water to sweep the wraiths away. I love how this is visualised in the movie, galloping horses makde out of water. It looks great, and adds to the magical aspect of it.   And so that brings us to Rivendell. 737 km into my walk. That’s quite a distance. This is also the end of book 1. No, not the physical book, Fellow of The Ring. This is Tolkien’s original division of the story into six books. The publisher, of course, chose to publish the story in three volumns, each containing two books.   So next time, we’ll see the formation of the fellowship, and we’ll truly set out, on our journey to Mordor. I’d better get out there and do some more walking.

Wow. This was a fantastic episode. Bringing back Riker and Troi wasn't just a nostalgia stunt. These character were very well used to fantastic effect. This is a beautiful character episode that adds more depth to Riker and Troi's characters than was done by any of the TNG movies. This episode is packed with scene after scene that makes you feel a variety of emotions. Let's dig in and geek out over this wonderful piece of television. ----more---- This is episode 17 of the podcast. Today, we’re talking about Star Trek Picard episode 7 - Nepenthe.  I’m away at Ulverstone in North-West Tasmania for a church family camp. So you might hear some rolling waves or even a fairy penguin or two in the background of this episode, because Star Trek waits for no one.  And wow, what an episode we have to talk about!  The description on Memory Alpha reads Picard and Soji transport to the planet Nepenthe, home to some old and trusted friends. As the rest of La Sirena's crew attempt to join them, Picard helps Soji make sense of her recently unlocked memories. Meanwhile, Hugh and Elnor are left on the Borg cube and must face an angered Narissa.  The episode was written by Samantha Humphrey and Michael Chabon It was directed by Douglas Aarniokoski And it first aired on 5 March 2020.  And of course, it guest starred Jonathan Frakes and Marini Sirtis.  Make it so.  Man, I loved this episode. It exemplified what Star Trek Picard is, when it’s at it’s best. It was a slow-paced deeply character-driven story.  This week’s flashback takes place just 3 days ago, taking us back to Episode 3 of the show. We get to see a little of what went on between Commodore Oh and Agnus. She asks a few questions about what Agnus told Picard and then she says she’ll show Agnus what will happen if Synthetic lifeforms are allowed to exist. And she performs a mind meld with her. So up until now, my assumption has been that Oh is a Romulan posing as a Vulcan. But can Romulans perform mind melds? We know they are an offshoot of the Vulcan race, and we know that mind melds are a very ancient Vulcan practice, but to my knowledge we have never seen, in any canon or non-canon source, a Romulan perform a mind meld. Raffi and Maddox both believe there are Starfleet officers complicit with the Zhat Vash behind this whole thing, so maybe Oh really is a Vulcan, just working with the Romulans. It seems pretty obvious to me that she knows Rizzo is a Romulan. We don’t know exactly know what she showed Agnus. A few rapid flashes of images. I believe there was an exploding planet in there. We don’t have a full enough picture to see what exactly it was to change Agnus’s mind so completely, to drive her to betray Picard and murder Maddox. It had to be really compelling. So far, we haven’t seen any compelling motivation from the bad guys in this show, other than, “they hate synthetic life”, which is pretty weak. Did Oh convince her, or mind control her? We don’t know enough. In fact, this flashback doesn’t really tell us anything new, other than a mind meld was performed. Anyway, Oh gets Raffi to swallow a tracking device, which will come back later in the episode. Back in present day, The La Sierenna is caught in a borg tractor beam at the artefact. And poor Hugh is being interrogated by Rizzo. I am so ready for her to die! Rizzo says she can’t kill Hugh because as a Federation citizen, it would be a treaty violation. She doesn’t strike me as the kind of person who cares about treaty violations. Her real motivation here is to get Hugh to talk. She can’t get the information out of him that she needs if he’s dead. So instead, she starts killing ex borg. Knowing how much Hugh cares for them. When Hugh refuses to talk, she let’s the La Sierra go, but sends Narak out to follow them. Elnor stays behind to help Hugh. This is where he is needed. MY biggest question is, where was Elnor while Hugh was being interrogated. Why didn’t he just jump in and behead Rizzo right then and there. What I like here is that the people in this show are not stupid. Rios thinks that Raffi hacked the tractor beam, because that’s what she was trying to do, but within seconds, they realise that’s not the case. They know this is suspicious and they have their guard up from that moment on. That brings us to the planet Nepenthe, which is very earth-like. Looks like a bit of a paradise planet. Picard and Soji emerge from the Sakarian gateway thing and are immediately confronted by a warrior armed with a bow and arrow. Quick aside. Am I the only one terrified that the borg now have the technology to beam a drone onto a planet from lightyears away? One drone is all it would take to cause an apocalypse. And they’re using it solely as a means of escape for the queen. That seems … illogical. Anyway. I love how Picard points out that his heart is solid durateneum. I think this is the first time it’s been made clear to new audiences that Picard has an artificial heart. Of course, it turns out the warrior is a child, and that Picard knows her, and her parents. By this point, I’m sure we’ve all guessed that her parents are Riker and Troi. I love that they named their daughter Kestra, after Deanna’s older sister, who tragically died when she was just Deanna was just a newborn. That story is told in one of the few really good Lwaxana episodes that TNG did “Dark Page”. DS9 did several good Lwaxana episodes, and one bad one. Anyway, I Think that’s a wonderful tribute to her sister. We’ll learn later in the episode about Will and Deanna’s other child, who also has a significant name. Through a nice conversation between Soji and Kestra, we find that Soji trusts nobody, including Picard. After what she’s just been through with Narak, and the shock of finding out her entire life is a life, I really don’t blame her. The way Picard breaks the news to Soji that she’s an android was really sloppy. He should have handled that with a lot more delicacy. He should have put off Kestra’s question, and taken the time during the walk to break the news to Soji as gently as he could. Personally, I think that discovering you’re not a “real person” but are actually artificial, would be a massive shock, and quite a difficult thing to accept. But this is all another case of Picard being a good man, but not perfect. Sometimes he stumbles, even just on the little things. And I love that about this show. He kinda stumbles again when he tells her that Dahj WAS real. That implies that Dahj is dead. She assumes this whole thing is just another mind game. Again, I don’t blame her. And we get our first glimpse of Troi. I love the look of joy on her face when she sees Picard. She knows immediately he’s in trouble. And then she just clouds over as she senses the depth of what Picard has been through, and is still going through. Because, of course, she’s an empath. Marina Sirtis is absolutely fantastic in this episode. It’s a good reminder of what a great actor she is. Something Star Trek didn’t always give her the opportunity to show. When Picard introduces Soji and Dr. Soji Asher, she says “just Soji.” She’s just learned that her doctorate, and her surname are both lies. Nice touch. Then we get to see Riker for the first time. He may not have his wife’s empathic abilities but he can either see in Picard’s face, or just knows he wouldn’t show up for a social call. And so Riker says “Shields Up!” That’s such an iconic Riker line. Loved it. And I just love that Riker has shields on his house. He’s prepared for all eventualities.  I thought he said “we’ve had some problems with the Xindi, would have been a nice nod to Enterprise, but no, it’s the Kzinti. Have you heard of them? Top points if you recognise the name. I didn’t. But they’re a race of aggressive felines that were previously seen in Star Trek The Animated series. So that’s a pretty deep cut. Deanna recognises the emotion on Soji’s face and acknowledges that she’s been through genuine trauma. But she can’t sense those emotions. This makes me wonder if she could sense Data’s emotions once he installed the emotion chip. The movies never answered that question. Either way, Troi respects the truth of Soji’s emotions, artificial or not. Picard tells his friends that he is in over his head. I think this is the first time he’s slowed down long enough to truly realise that. He’s lost his crew, and his plan was not as fully formed as he’d thought. He was so focussed on finding and rescuing Soji, he hadn’t given any thought to what he’d do once he found her. He needs a place to regroup and formulate a new plan. And where better than he with his most trusted friends. Will Riker, his right hand, and Deanna Troi, his conscience. I’m loving the relationship the Rikers have with their daughter. It seems like a very happy family. And that’s probably, partly because of, rather than just in spite of, the tragedy we’ll learn about later. From what we see of it, Nepenthe is a beautiful world, but I would have liked it if it were just a little more alien. Apparently they have venomous animals called bunnicorns, but they look exactly like rabbits. The name bunnicorn is a bit on the nose. Actually, a lot on the nose. I know they don’t have infinite budget, but I’d have liked it if they’d used a CGI creature, just to add a little alien-ness to the planet. At least in TOS they put horns on the dog. Kestra is fascinated that Soji is Data’s daughter. She asks her if she plays the violin or likes Sherlock Holmes, two things we know about Data. That’s a very kid way to approach it. Kestra is more fascinated with the little human details about Soji, than the superhuman things. The fact that she has mucus fascinates her. This reminds me of the time Julian Bashir met Data. He wasn’t impressed that Data had super strength and speed. He was fascinated that Data breathed and had a circulatory system. Soji doesn’t understand in what sense Data could be her father. She was created long after Data died. Picard really needs to take some time to explain this whole neuronic clone thing to her. I like the relationship that is developing between Kestra and Soji in this episode. There are so many great character scenes. It’s just one after another after another. I like the subtle little moment as Deanna sighs before opening the door to Thad’s room. We learn that the Rikers had a son. Had being the operative word. Last week would have been his 18th birthday. So that’s a very sad development. I love the photo of Picard in uniform holding baby Thad.  Picard has such a smile on his face. By this point in his life, he’d mostly gotten over his fear of children, but this was just any child. This was the child of his dearest friends. Of course he’s gonna have a huge smile plastered all over his face. I love the acknowledgement from Picard that as Kestra’s aching for her brother slowly fades, it brings a whole different ache to Deanna and Will. I love the writing in this episode. Their son’s name was Thaddeus Riker. Thad was likely named after Colonel Thaddius Riker, an ancestor of Will’s. He fought in the American Civil War during the 1860s and was named Old Iron Boots by his fellow soldiers. Will knows this story well, and was shocked once to learn that Colonel Riker was rescued by a Q posing as a human. It’s doubtful he remembers this detail, however, as he was transported to the USS Voyager in the Delta Quadrant to give evidence in a trial against the Q, before being returned to the alpha quadrant with his memories erased. Rios has figured out that somebody is tailing them. Again, the crew are not stupid. Another thing Rios and Raffi are noticing is that Agnes is not herself. Agnes makes a comment about wanting to be the fun crewmember who suggests hiding in a comet that turns out to be a giant gormagander. This seems like a bit of a Star Wars reference, referring, obviously, to Empire Strikes Back, where the Millennium Falcon hides in a cave in an asteroid, that turns out to be a giant space worm. But it’s also a reference to something that was introduced into Star Trek lore by Star Trek Discovery. The gormagander is a space wale. A sentient animal that flies through space. They were on the endangered species list in the 23rd century, so the fact that Agnes is making this comment suggest that maybe they are a little more plentiful in the 24th. Which is cool. Agnus is really out of character at this point. She suggests abandoning the mission, abandoning Picard and abandoning Soji. She was so excited to meet a real living synth, and now she wants no part of it. She’s getting really bad at hiding her true feelings. I love the little shorthand between Rios and Raffi. With just a look, she says “Leave it to me, I’ll work on her.” And with a look of his own, Rios says, “Go for it, she’s all yours.” That demonstrates the shared history of two old friends better than Raffi’s use of JL as a nickname for Picard. Not that I particularly mind the JL thing. Next we get yet another wonderful scene. This time between Picard and Riker. Picard is still trying to protect the Rikers from all this and he thinks the best way to do that is to tell them nothing about his situation. Riker’s comeback is both stinging and heartbreaking. “I was just thinking about how great it would be if ignorance of danger was all it took to keep it away from the people we love.” It’s a very personal statement for Riker, as we see him choke up while he says it. The soil on Nepenthe has regenerative powers. Things grow really well here. It’s why they came here. It seems Captain Riker gave up his Starfleet career to move here to Napenthe for the sake of his son’s health. He and Deanna thought that maybe it would help. Soji is exhibiting more and more android traits. Now that she’s activated, she’s found she can read a 300 page book in a few seconds. And she gives a little head tilt. I recognised that as very Data long before Riker called it out. I’m sure you did too. Riker shows Picard how foolish he’s been trying to keep everything to himself, but essentially recounting the entire story of the show so far. He’s not an idiot any more than Rios and Raffi. And he reminds Picard that he’s not the captain of a starship anymore. He’s dealing with a teenager. Something Picard has no experience with. But Riker does. We get some interesting insight into Thad. He grew up on Starships, mostly, on the USS Titan presumably. He never felt like he had a homeworld. His mother was from Betazed. His father was from Earth. Thad didn’t feel like either of those planets was his home. He was a child of space. But he was fascinated by the idea of a homeworld and invented his own. Ardani. He came up with various different cultures and even whole languages. It’s very creative. I can so identify with that as a writer. Already, this boy that we’ve never seen on screen has so much more depth than half the characters on Discovery. Interesting that. I hope it doesn’t sound like I’m bagging out Discovery. I like Discovery, but I must admit, I’m loving Picard more. Eventually, when they came to Nepenthe, for Thad’s health, it became his homeworld, and he loved it. He had Manadaxic neurosclerosis, a silicon-based virus. The heart-breaking thing is that it was curable, using positronic technology, which of course was banned after the synth attack on mars. The machine that could have saved Thad’s life was made illegal. I wonder if Riker and Troi tried to get their hands on it through illegal means to save their son. This ties into an interesting discussion which starts with a comparison of grown verses replicated food, and culminates in the question of whether real is always better than synthetic. You know what I love about this scene. It’s allowing Troi to be a counsellor again. Her character was used pretty badly in most of the TNG movies. She got to be a counsellor for one brief but fantastic scene in Generations, and then that was it. Voyager gave her the chance to do a little more, but it’s been a long time since we’ve really seen Troi being so awesome in her field. It’s fantastic. But Soji still doesn’t trust anyone. All these friendly faces, these people being caring, just when she needs that more than ever, it could just be another mind game like the one Narak played on her in the meditation chamber. Again, I don’t blame her. And yet I know these people. I know she can trust them. Picard responds to this with bluntness. As Riker said, Picard’s not so great with teenagers. He may not be up to the challenge. But then Troi calls him out and says he had it coming when Soji shoves him. “To you, the idea that this could be some kind of subterfuge or simulation is preposterous, but to her, it would be more of the same.” And then she makes a great suggestion. Pretend our dinner table is the ready room of the enterprise, or more accurately, the conference lounge. I really love Troi and Riker in this episode, but especially Troi. So Hugh is determined to take the cube from the Zhat Vash. He wants to protect the Xbs. As we established last week, they are victims. Hugh is one of the few people who care about them. Sadly, the stupid-face Rizzo appears at that moment. And here we run into that problem. No matter how good you are with a sword, you’re useless against a phaser. At least a lightsaber can deflect blaster bolts. But Elnor just carries a metal sword. Fortunately for him, the Zhat Vash have a duelling tradition of hand-to-hand combat against the Qowat Milat. If that weren’t the case, Elnor would be dead now. But in some ways, this is subterfuge on Rizzo’s part, and there is a cost. Tragically, that cost is Hugh. What sucks the most is that Elnor fails to kill Rizzo because she beams out at the last second. Oh man. I’ll be cheering when Elnor finally chops off her head. I can’t believe Hugh died. That’s so sad. This show has quite a high body count. At least died a hero, trying to save the Xbs from the Zhat Vash. I hope Elnor can fulfil his legacy by saving them in Hugh’s name. You know what upsets me the most about Hugh’s death here. We’ll never get to see him meet Seven. I was sure those two would share scenes together in this show. And we’ll never get to see him reunite with Geordi, his first friend. I feel like both Descent and now Picard have robbed us of that reunion. Which is sad. Raffi is trying to draw out what’s bothering Agnes. She thinks it’s just the pain of losing Maddox. But then Agnes absolutely breaks down. She can’t hold in all the stuff that she’s hiding. But before they can really dig deeper into this, Rios announces that Narak is back, still following them, which doesn’t seem possible. Remember that tracking device Oh had Agnes swallow? I like how Riker just casually calls Troi Imzadi like a pet name now. Back in TNG, they would use this term sparingly, only on special occasions. But they, they’re been married for 20 years. They’re extremely comfortable with one another. Imzadi seems a natural pet name to use at this point in their relationship. WE get a classic Star Trek conference scene, but it has pizza! I’ve missed these scenes. So having one again, with Riker and Troi, but also their daughter and Dahj. That was so cool. And did I mention pizza? I also like how Kestra makes a worthwhile contribution to the discussion, but not in a way that feels unrealistic for a child of her age. I really like Kestra. Rios is playing an interesting game with Agnes. I don’t for one minute think he truly believes that Raffi is being tracked, on purpose or otherwise. Given the strange way Agnes is acting, I think he suspects she has something to do with it, and he’s trying to draw her out by expressing his fake suspicions of Raffi. Remember, he already knows that Raffi was doing down on Freecloud, and why she returned to the La Sirena. And it kinda works. She admits, “it’s not her.” And then we get a very dark scene. Agnes replicates a neutron-toxin. It appears this is a suicide attempt. Is this just because she feels guilty, or does she think killing herself will stop Narak tracking them? Maybe this is part of her mission from Oh. I think she is probably trying to prevent Narak from tracking them, from the way she kind of psychs herself into it, saying “you can do this,” which was horrifying, by the way. I wanted to reach into the screen and stop her. But I couldn’t She injects herself. And then she collapses. And then she starts foaming at the mouth. This was horrific. And my theory is proven true, because once she starts to die, Narak suddenly loses the signal. The EMH gets reactivated and manages to save her life, but she’s stuck in a coma. I wonder what Rios’s idea was, the one Raffi wasn’t gonna like. We never actually get to find out. That’s an odd bit of storytelling. I wonder if that will come back later. If not, why include that line at all? Meanwhile Elnor finds a tag and presses it. It activates a Ferris Ranger SOS. I guess he’s calling Seven of Nine to come help him. Cool!. But what on earth was it doing hanging here in a Borg cube? That’s kind of weird. Now that they’re not being tracked, the La Sirena can finally meet Picard on Nepenthe. I kinda laughed when Picard said his new crew carry way more baggage than the TNG crew ever did. Because, of course, Rodenberry wouldn’t allow them to have baggage. Riker makes it clear he’s still on active reserve with Starfleet, but it would take a very good reason to get him back in uniform again. We have another nice scene between Picard and Riker as they sit by the pond. We do see an interesting rock formation in the background, that lends a little alien-ness to this planet. But then we get an awesome scene between Soji and Kestra. It seems Soji has lost one sister, only to gain another. And I LOVE how Kestra talks about what got her through her hard times was her parents. As a parent myself that affects me deeply. I think the hope of every parent is that their child might be able to say those words to someone. She urges Soji to let Picard be that support to her, a father figure. Those two have a bit of work ahead of them to really let each other in. In noticed in the credits that Jay Chattaway was credited as having written Lullaby #2 in this episode. Not sure what that piece of music was. Jay Chattaway was a regular composer on Star Trek back in the 90s. Especially on Voyager. Maybe it was just a little music queue that they referenced in the score of this episode. I’m really not sure. This was a phenomenal episode.  It gave me such a Star Trek: The Next Generation feel, and yet, it was very much not TNG. TNG only ever tried to do a character episode like this one. Family. This show takes the best of what we remember nostalgically, but does something very new and fresh with it. I’ve really enjoyed Star Trek Picard up until now, but if I didn’t already, Nepenthe has definitely made me love it. Well done to everyone involved in bringing this beautiful chapter of the story to our screens. Next week’s episode is called Broken pieces. I wonder what it will bring. A quest to find Soji’s homeworld, no doubt. It’ll be very exciting.   As for my walk to Mordor, I got a whole lot of steps in yesterday. Packing for our trip and then walking along the beach with my daughter.  I just encountered Old Man Willow, and my next milestone is Tom Bombadil’s house. That’ll be a trippy experience. Stay tuned for the next episode of the Nerd Heaven Podcast. Please consider giving the show a review wherever you listen to podcasts, or if you are watching on youTube, click that like button. Also, if you’d like to support what I’m doing here, you could buy me a hot chocolate. Just go to buymeacoffee.com/adamdavidcollings. Have a fantastic week. Live long and prosper. Make it so.

Everything begins to transition in episode 6 of Star Trek Picard. Jean-Luc finally meets up with both Hugh and Soji. What starts as an investigation turns into a daring rescue as Narak finally makes his move against her. Picard also has to confront his haunted past as a former Borg drone. Everything changes after this episode. Join me as we dig in deep to geek out over this one. ----more---- Transcript   Welcome to Nerd Heaven. I’m Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars, and I am a nerd.   This is episode 16 of the podcast.   Today, we’re talking about Star Trek Picard episode 6. The Impossible Box.   Oh, and I guess I should say happy leap day, because I’m recording this on the 29th of February.   The description for this episode on memory alpha reads Picard and the crew track Soji to the Borg cube in Romulan space, resurfacing haunting memories for Picard. Meanwhile, Narek believes he finally found a way to safely exploit Soji for information.   This episode was written by Nick Zayas. That’s a name I haven’t seen associated with the show up until now. It was directed by Maja Vrvilo And first aired on the 27th of February 2020.   Make it so.   I really enjoyed this week’s episode. There was plenty I liked in last week’s episode as well, but it was pretty brutal. This episode allows us to take a little breath. But there’s still a little for us to chew on.   This week’s flashback is not so much a true flashback, as it is a nightmare of Soji’s childhood. Which we know must be implanted data, because she didn’t have a childhood. She creeps through a dark hallway on a stormy night, into a workshop where she sees her father. He yells at her and she wakes up.   And despite his accusations against her two weeks ago, Soji is still in a relationship with Narak. I kinda got the idea she was gonna give him the boot, but then what couple don’t have arguments.   Narak’s perspective that “everyone is hiding something, whether they know it or not” is so very Romulan. But it’s specifically true for Soji. She’s hiding her true nature, a nature she knows nothing about.   Let’s think for a minute just what an incredible job Maddox must have done to create an android that believes she is human. All the little details. It’s not just the emotions. It’s the physical things. She’d have to eat, as Data did, but she’d have to taste. She’d feel sensations on her skin. She’d get hungry. She’d experience tiredness. There’s all the sensations and experiences related to her sexual relationship with Narak. And, if it’s not too delicate to say … She’d have to go to the toilet as well. There are so many little things that could give away her true identity if they were not present. She’d also have to pass scans. I’m reminded that Picard thought that Soji was created out of flesh and blood, not machine parts, but still with an artificial positronic brain. Kind of like the humanoid cylons in Battlestar Galactica. So that goes a long way. But still, it’s a mind boggling achievement, significantly greater than anything Noonian Soong did.   I guess it’s also possible that there is programming within her that actively makes her ignore certain facts that should give away her true nature. Narak talks about this later in the episode.   So Romulans have a true name they only share with the one they give their heart to. That’s very Doctor Who.   Then we cut to the La Sirena and have to deal with the corpse in the room. How is Agnes going to get away with her murder of Bruce Maddox. During that scene in sickbay last week, I thought it very odd that the EMH wasn’t on. He’s their medical officer and they definitely had a medical emergency. Some viewers thought that Maddox was under the medical care of Agnes. And there’s a reason for that. It’s revealed in the Book The Last Best Hope by Una McCormack, but in the show itself, that Agnes was a qualified medical doctor before she met Maddox and began studying under him for her doctorate in robotics So anyway, that makes a bit more sense. I’d forgotten this detail. I thought she was just in the room in the capacity as Maddox’s friend and lover. So that makes a little more sense. That’s why she can now bluff her way out of it all, by telling Picard that Maddox died of his injuries and she was unable to save him. As long as nobody talks to the EMH. I’m finding there’s a lot in this show that wouldn’t make sense if you haven’t read the extended materials. And that’s a bit of a problem.   But I’ve also got a bit of a problem with her backstory. If we assume that Agnes Jurati is the same age as her actor, Alison Pill, then she’s only 34. The synth ban happened 14 years ago. That means she was 20 when the synth ban happened. She met Maddox and began her robotics studies 2 years earlier. So that means, she was a fully qualified doctor, out of medical school as a teenager. She must be some super genius. That just doesn’t seem realistic to me. I guess Agnes must be older than her character (much like Picard is a lot older than Patrick Stewart). But that’s a little hard to swallow as well. I think she already looks younger than her 34 years. I guess, 24th century medical advances and all that. After all, that’s how I explain Picard.   We don’t learn in this episode why Agnes killed him. What her deal is, but her relationship with Maddox gives her a perfect excuse for all the painful emotions she’s struggling with.   And then Elnor comes in and asks what the Artifact is, then realises it’s none of his business and that he should out-but. I missed that little joke on my first viewing. But I like it. This is a particular type of humour that I really enjoy. When people say something not quite right because they’re in a fish out of water situation.   I said in episode 3 that I was really liking Agnes as a character. She was the wide-eyed innocent who was just thrilled to be on board, who balanced out the other world-weary characters. Well, we say how that turned out. She sure isn’t innocent anymore. And her innocence after rmeeting Oh was all an act. But it seems that Elnor is now filling that hole. I’ve heard people say that they don’t really like Elnor. He’s too child-like. But more and more, I think Elnor is playing out the Australian sense of humour. Evagora isn’t writing the lines of course, but there’s something very Aussie about the way he’s delivering those lines. We Aussies have a very self-deprecating sense of humour. And that’s all over his performance as Elnor. And I’m loving it.   Agnes raises a good question. Why would Maddox send Soji to the artifact, of all places, to learn the truth about the synth ban? I’d very much like to know the answer to that.   This episode forces Picard to confront something from his past that still haunts him to this day. We’ve seen this in every Borg story Picard has taken part in. We saw in First Contact, that the emotional pain of his assimilation was as raw and fresh as the day he was taken. Back in I Borg, Picard tried to convince Troi, and himself, that he was all good now. That he was fully recovered. But now, as an older and wiser man, he’s got no pretext. He hasn’t set foot on a Borg Cube since he was assimilated. The borgified Enterprise engine room was a close approximation, but not the same. By going aboard that artifact, Picard is going to have to confront his deepest fear.   I’ll admit I had to look up the word metastasize. It means to spread through the body like a disease, causing damage. That’s a good description of what the Borg do.   Even though Elnor is clueless about the culture around him, he’s got a keen sense of insight into people. He can see that Agnes is haunted by something she wants to forget. And then we get a call back to that joke as he asks if he was in-butting.   Patrick Stewart is really selling Picard’s anxiety about the Borg. It’s absolutely wonderful. And then. Finally, he says it. “Computer.” For the last few episodes, characters have been giving verbal instructions to the ship’s computer, but they never actually begin by saying “computer.” It was very glaring by its absence. So I cheered out loud when he said that. I think my wife may have rolled her eyes at me. But that’s ok. I’m a nerd.   There’s lots of nice visual callbacks in the image search result that Picard runs. He sees Hugh as he first knew him, and as he looks now. They like to do this weird camera shot where you see people through the translucent holographic screens, and their face blends with another. It’s strange But in this case, it’s very effective, as we see the image of Locutus merge with Picard’s face. That’s chilling.   Of course, for the shot to work, the original image has the borg implants on the wrong side of Picard’s face. Which is wrong. As I nit-picking? Actually, it occurs to me now, that image of the borg not have been Locutas at all. It may have been a borg drone. Which makes it work.   There’s a shot in the opening credits that looks like the end of a Dalek eye stalk. I assume it’s meant to be some kind of Borg implant. But every time I see it, all I can think is Dalek.   As the La Sierra heads toward Romulan space, he learns, officially, that the neutral zone no longer exists.   In movies and TV shows, people’s emotional pain somehow morphs into romantic or sexual feelings. Which makes zero sense to me. If I was in the kind of pain Agnes is in, sexy fun times would be the last thing on my mind. But people do sometimes turn to pleasure as a way to comfort themselves when they’re hurting, so I guess I can understand Agnes in this scene. It sure makes a lot more sense than that weird turbolift scene between Spock and Uhura in Star Trek 2009. But what I like here is that Agnes verbally acknowledges that this is a mistake. And that it will not really help her in the long-term. At best, it’ll take her mind off her troubles for an hour or two at most. This is a more grown-up approach to sex than Star Trek is known for.   The Romulan puzzle box not only acts as a symbol to demonstrate the difference in personality and approach between Narak and Rizzo, but also foreshadows Narak’s attempt to kill Soji later in the episode. Finally we have a conversation between these two weird erotic siblings that actually moves their story forward. The last two times we’ve seen them together have been pretty pointless. Just rehashing the same old lines. This time, we get some insight into Narak’s investigation. He is making progress. He is gaining insight into Soji. He has a plan.   So Narak addresses what I was talking about earlier. How can Soji not know she’s a machine? Narak points out that all day, every day, there are probably little hints that she has to ignore. Maybe she’s actively programmed to ignore them. But as he says, “that cognitive dissonance must go somewhere.”  In her dreams, she’s reconciling the sides of herself. This is a vulnerability he can exploit.   He can gain access to the information they want out of her, such as the location of her homeworld, without triggering her self-defense mechanisms, as they did with Dahj.   So Romulan space is still called Romulan space, and it’s still a violation of treaty for a Federation citizen to violate it without authorisation. Raffi calls in an old favour from a friend to get diplomatic authorisations for Picard. Or more specifically, blackmails the old friend. But she got the job done.   There’s a nice character scene between Raffi and Rios, as she tells him about her estranged son, and the granddaughter she’ll never get to know. I can’t imagine the pain of never getting to know your grandchild. I’m not a grandparent, but I’ve seen how special that relationship is to my parents. I’ve always known that relationship is special, from having my own grandparents, but now I’m seeing it from the other side in my parents.   Soji tries talking to her mother, actively trying not to fall asleep. She succeeds briefly.  When she wakes up, she scans all her belongings. They are all 37 months old. Everything in her life is fabricated. She knows this now. Her entire life is a lie. Can you imagine how that must feel?   Picard beams in, and he’s standing there alone, in the dark, on a Borg cube. He sees the regeneration alcoves. He hears the noises of the cube. That would be terrifying. We get to see a lot of rapid flashes, all from First Contact. And sound effects too from that movie. It’s great. They go by pretty quick, but if you’re paying attention you’ll see corridors of the Enterprise E, even the Borg queen herself. And you hear the queen.   And finally Picard gets to meet Hugh again, after all these years. This was a great moment. And I love how happy they both were to see each other. And Hugh is instantly willing to do whatever he can for Picard. That was heart-warming. If there’s one person who can understand how Picard is feeling here, it’s hugh.   The reason the freed borg refer to themselves as XBs is that, as Hugh puts it, a new name can sometimes be the first step to a new identity. That’s a lesson he learned on the Enterprise. Which of course, ties in beautifully to I Borg. Especially that scene when he says to Picard, “No, I am Hugh.”   Seeing these drones is a good reminder of what the borg are underneath. They’re victims, not monsters. Despite what he said earlier, about the Borg collectively, Picard has compassion for the individual drones. They were all people once. But not everybody does. Hugh reminds us that ex borg are still among the most hated people in the galaxy. I’m still not sure I buy that. But whatever.   Narak is going to use a Romulan meditation technique to help unlock the answers in Soji’s unconscious. But this meditation is forbidden for non Romulans, or round-ears as they are called. A slur of sorts. But man, Narak has a lot of sway on this cube. Narak begins to cement more of her trust by telling her his true name. Narak teaches her to take control of the dream. To look in directions other than what she’s always done. They do this with a window as practice, but this will be necessary once she gets into the lab. Soji can’t see her father’s face. I guess because there’s no data to draw on. Her father doesn’t exist any more than her mother does. And then, she sees herself on the work table as a wooden doll. And Narak instructs her to look up at the skylight. She sees two moons. They may have uncovered enough data to locate her home. Wherever it was that she was assembled.   Hugh asks who Soji really is, and Picard says “there’s no time.” presumably so we don’t have to listen to exposition about stuff we already know. But Soji is being hidden from sensors, so they just have to sit around and wait. I assume during this time, Picard would explain the whole story to Hugh. It would certainly make no sense for him not to.   And now that he’s got what he wants from her, Narak is ready to kill her. But he doesn’t just shoot her, he locks her in the chamber and leaves the puzzle box to release a fatal radiation. Why do bad guys always use such elaborate ways to kill people, giving them a chance to find a way to escape? It makes no sense. But we can see, Narak is still fighting his feelings. He’s made the decision to kill her, that’s what he knows he’s supposed to do. And yet, You can see it’s bothering him. He does have some form of feelings for her.   And of course, she uses her android strength to rip the floor open and escape. Which allows Picard and Hugh to detect her. Now it’s a race. Who will get to her first? Narak or Picard and hugh?   And finally, finally, Picard meets Soji. He doesn’t have time to explain everything, but he explains enough to earn Soji’s trust. She doesn’t have many options, so it seems logical to go with this stranger. Hugh has discovered a special emergency escape device obtained after the borg assimilated the sikarians. This is a nice deep cut into Voyager’s history. Voyager encountered the Sikarians during their first year in the delta quadrant. They had extremely long-range transporter technology. Technology that could have helped them get all the way home to the alpha quadrant. That’s really sad that they were assimilated. But not surprising. Every race in the Delta Quadrant is at risk.   Anyway, this technology is used to allow the queen to escape a cube. They’re going to beam themselves to a planet called Nepenthe. And then Elnor arrives to protect them from the Romulan guards. Picard thanks him for disobeying his orders to stay on the ship.   The Romulans guards will just follow them through unless Elnor stays behind to fight them off to give Hugh time to hide the room. But Picard can’t leave Elnor behind again. This is a nice little healing moment in their relationship. But Picard can’t convince him to come.   So Elnor and Hugh remain behind on the cube. I have no doubt we’ll see them again. They’ll both want to find Picard and help him. So the episode closes on that awesome line. “Please, my friends. Choose to live.” I love that about Elnor. I love that he always begs him enemies to choose to live, rather than force him to kill them. He has a respect for life. All life.   We have officially hit the midpoint of the story now. In story structure, the midpoint is an important moment. It’s a transition from ractivness to proactiveness. In the first half of a book, the protagonist is reacting to the events of the first plot point. But in the second half, he or she is trying to be more proactive. To go on the offensive, rather than just being on the back foot the whole time. The rescue of Soji feels like a similar transition. No longer is Picard stumbling around, trying to figure out where Soji is, and why the Zhat Vash are after her.  Now, he has rescued her, and they will be working together, the hunted has become the huntress. Of course, the protagonists attempts to go on the offensive usually fail. After all, there’s still half of the book to go. But there’s a shift of attitude, and a little change of power.   The story is in full force now. We’re gonna start seeing a lot of things happening. Everything changes from here on. And that’s very exciting.   Next week’s episode eis called Nepenthe. So we’ll be seeing what Picard and Soji get up to when they arrive on that planet. Nepenthe sounds kind of Klingon. Similar to Rure Penthe.  That’s logical, given that both the Klingons and Romulans exist in the beta quadrant. So...I wonder … will we be seeing Klingons next week? Everyone was a little nervous about what Klingons might look like in Picard, Would they look like discovery Klingons? And if so, what would that mean for worf? Alex Kurtzman confirmed a while back, that if we ever see Worf, he will look the way he as always looked, explaining that just as there are different looking romulans, there are also different looking Klingons. A lot of people really wanted to see some more variation in the Klingons in Discovery. A few TNG style Klingons in the background, just to show they still exist. Once again, Picard has learned from some of Discovery’s mistakes. We’ve already seen that with the Romulans. Picard has actually added to canon, explaining the disparate appearances of Romulans throughout the history of the franchise. so...I’m included to trust them on this. If we do see Klingons next week, I suspect there’ll be a mix of discovery style and TNG style.   Anyway, this is all just speculation based on a planet name. It’s entirely possible I’m completely wrong about any Klingon connection.   We’ll find out next week.   Now I haven’t been updating you on my progress in my walk to Mordor. I’ve just passed Crickhollow and my next milestone is Old Man Willow. I have 2981.2 km to reach the end of my adventure. And a friend of mine has joined the walk as well. If you want to travel this journey with me, be sure to add me as a friend. You’ll find me as “Adam David Collings”   Don’t forget to subscribe to Nerd Heaven, wherever you listen to Podcasts. And please consider leaving a review. It would certainly help me out.   I’ll see you next week. Live long and Prosper.   Make it so.

The Fools discuss Frodo and his gang truly setting out on their adventure to bring the ring to Rivendell.  Tom Bombadil makes his first appearance as well so you know this episode is gonna be great.  

Follow us on Twitter. We want to include everyone in our absurd but enlightening conversations! Remember, don't be an Old Man Willow, be a Tom Bombadillo!Today, the lads ride down the Withywindle and explore whether they are thinkers-then-speakers or speak-to-think-thinkers. Those phrases are canon now. Pat eats chips to keep an ideal glycemic rate. Johnny goes to not one, not two, but three different corners, bouncing from fired actors to the original Grammar Nazi to performing 25% of the macarena. Apparently, it's weird to check the weather. Johnny keeps his wallet in his back pocket. Imagine If presents a vicious moral quandary that needs your input. Pat finds hidden gold in the Amazon product questions--hint: don't use a fan to blend pancake batter. The lads close out the show with their Tolkien Item: Which orc is best?Have a question, segment idea, or story you want to share?Email: sfhpodcasts@gmail.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/sfh_podcast/Twitter: https://twitter.com/sfh_podcast

It’s nap time in the Old Forest as our heroes gradually succumb to the power of an ancient and angry willow. Sam rolls a natural 20 to resist the spell and manages to save Frodo, but Merry and Pippin are trapped inside the enormous tree. Just when all seems hopeless, a merry old fellow comes hopping along with a unique fashion sense and some very delicate lilies. We remember J.R.R. Tolkien’s brother Hilary and speculate about Old Man Willow; we’ll also answer all your questions about the enigmatic figure in the blue jacket and yellow boots… just not today.

We're back for series three! Like a run down syphilitic bus. What's happened in our absence? Not a whole lot. Creative Review has gone to the paywall, Charlie Higson got stuck in a twisty maze of passageways, all alike, Fonts got all, like, look at us, we're fonts, we're so academic. And Hellboy is coming to a tabletop near you. This week we talk digital tipping jars: Patreon, Kofi and the like. Rob's considering throwing his flat cap onto the cobbles and asking for donations. Jon works his monocle into his mean little eye and turns his snooty nose skywards. Pies are tested as usual, but no LOTR this week. Old Man Willow stole our books.

We're back for series three! Like a run down syphilitic bus. What's happened in our absence? Not a whole lot. Creative Review has gone to the paywall, Charlie Higson got stuck in a twisty maze of passageways, all alike, Fonts got all, like, look at us, we're fonts, we're so academic. And Hellboy is coming to a tabletop near you. This week we talk digital tipping jars: Patreon, Kofi and the like. Rob's considering throwing his flat cap onto the cobbles and asking for donations. Jon works his monocle into his mean little eye and turns his snooty nose skywards. Pies are tested as usual, but no LOTR this week. Old Man Willow stole our books.

Join us as we follow our adventuring Hobbits into the Old Forest. We talk through their travels and travails as they come face-to-face with Old Man Willow, who seems to be a sort of guardian spirit of the forest. This week the Heads discuss how it feels to have no idea how to respond to […]

In this episode the Nicks discuss what it's like to be the house guest of the biggest enigma in literary history - as Nick likes to say. Nicholas asks about potentially bad habits of being a house guest, and together they try to uncover some clues about Tom Bombadil and his wife Goldberry - the River Woman's Daughter. Maps Map of Middle-earth  LoTRproject.com interactive map - Caution: spoilers for new readers! Notes for this episode Last Time - In the Lord of The Rings:Frodo, Pippin, Merry, and Sam have reached a safe haven…. Or have they?!  After a dizzying experience in the Old Forest and a harrowing brush with death at the roots of Old Man Willow our hobbits are invited to the home of a strange man who seems to have saved them from danger with mere song.  Who is this “Tom Bombadil, Tom Bombadillo”, and was it mere chance that he happened on them just in the nick of time?   The Story in this Chapter: They are greeted by Goldberry, Frodo is stirred into a sudden outburst of song. The hobbits can’t help but SING when they are in the HoTB Song is everywhere in the HoTB!  Everywhere. They bathe and are treated to an amazing dinner where they all drink sing together. Dreams - each of the hobbits has a dream (Except Sam). Frodo clearly dreams of a tower that we may or may not have talked about in the prologue series… and an old man with white hair wielding a staff. The hobbits are all comforted back into sleep by the words spoken earlier by Tom and/or Goldberry. Tom tells stories by speaking and singing -- as he tells them the hobbits lose themselves in his words. They learn all about Old Man Willow. They also keep losing him and then catching up with his song/tale. Tom tells them he came before. He is “Eldest”.  What could this mean? Notable Difference(s) from Films: “Gnawing, biting, breaking, hacking, burning.” is a line given by Treebeard in the films when he describes creatures that come into the woods.  This line here is spoken by Tom when he is telling the Hobbits about the ways of trees. New Characters: Tom Bombadil Goldberry What to Watch for in the Next Chapter: The Barrows! Links greendragonlive.com Twitter Facebook Special thanks to our friend Harry Murrell for the use of his music. Listen to more and subscribe to his channel here.  

The Nicks discuss walking in the woods and being scared in real life. The Hobbits come in close contact with the menace of the trees, Old Man Willow, and a stranger called Tom Bombadil. What Happened Last Time?: Frodo, Pippin, Merry, Sam, and Fatty Bolger have finally met up in Frodo’s new house at Crickhollow. After a bath, and some supper, the friends talk about what has happened on their journey through the Shire. Frodo, though reluctant, is finally put on the point of telling his friends that he is leaving the Shire altogether, but, as it turns out, he doesn’t have to because they already know a good deal of the story themselves. With Sam gathering information the friends have helped Frodo by conspiring to help him on his journey toward Rivendell. With final preparations in order, a quick night’s sleep is all that separates these Hobbits from their adventure into the Old Forest and beyond. Where Are We in the Narrative?: Frodo has finally made it to his home at Crickhollow in his attempt to disguise his departure from the Shire, his mission to take the Ring to Rivendell is about to start. His friends have conspired to help him, which is very welcome to Frodo especially as Gandalf is still conspicuously missing! Though none of them fully understand the dangerous road they are embarking on... they at least have each other. The Story in this Chapter:  Waking up at 4:30 AM is hard to do On the road by 6:00 AM Through the Hedge When trees attack The menace of the trees With ears to hear The Clearing - “Bonfire Glade” Still empty of trees - a safe place? The trees really can move, and the trail on the other side. Can they erase trails or just move them around? Do created things count differently? Capital ‘P’ Places The bald hill Speaking the plan out loud All roads lead to Withywindle Down and to the right until you get to the river The Barrow’s effect in the River, and on the forest? The Lullaby of Papa Willow Words in the wind Suspicious Sam The Revenge of Old Man Willow -or “Get off my roots!” Sam saves the ponies And Frodo OTHER SOURCES: See #1 Deep rooted laughter -or- Feeling the heat “He’ll squeeze me in two” The voice of Tom Bombadil Stops Frodo and Sam in their tracks “...they stopped short as if they had been struck stiff.” Much more to come next time An invitation to supper, a lawn, and a brick-lined path. Other comments or observations: A kid teaches us how to make a grass whistle LoTRO Tom Bombadil theme Notable Difference(s) from Films: All of this forest is missing from the movie, the only parts that survive in the extended cuts are lines given to Treebeard and a tree that attacks Merry and Pippin in the same way Old Man Willow does. Locations/Distance Traveled/Distance apart: The Old Forest The River Withywindle The House of Tom Bombadil New Characters: Old Man Willow Tom Bombadil Goldberry Info/History from Other Titles/Sources: The Complete Tolkien Companion 3rd Edition - Entry: “Old Man Willow” More next time from the Letters What to Watch for in the Next Chapter: Possibly the strangest creature in all of Middle-earth has just invited the hobbits to his home - what effect will he have on the hobbits, the journey, the Ring? Links - If you enjoyed this episode please consider rating and reviewing us on iTunes. Your support helps us grow the show and make more of it. Thank you for being here, use the links below to find more about us and get in touch! greendragonlive.com Twitter Facebook Special thanks to our friend Harry Murrell for the use of his music. Listen to more and subscribe to his channel here.