Riddles in the Dark
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Join the Tolkien Professor, Dave Kale from the Middle-earth Network, Mythgard student Trish Lambert, and Laura Berkholtz from Secrets of Middle-earth, along with special guests, for discussion of the upcoming Hobbit films. Every two weeks, Professor Olsen will apply his intimate familiarity with The Hobbit and Tolkien’s other works to interpretation of evidence released by the production in New Zealand! It’s a not-to-be-missed rare chance to hear The Tolkien Professor talk about Hobbit movie news from a detailed academic standpoint.
Episodes
All four Riddles in the Dark co-hosts assembled within hours of the release of the first trailer for The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug. And spent three hours discussing the two-minute video. This is the first-ever video episode of the RITD franchsie.
Did You Remember to Pack the Trebuchet?
Trish Lambert and Laura Berkholtz summarize listener and analyst views on Bard the Bowman. Is he more like Robin Hood or Zorro? Listen and decide for yourself!
Trish welcomes Breana Melvin to talk about her compilation of Jackson’s video logs and what it might indicate for Movie 2 in a bonus Digest episode.
Your co-hosts Trish Lambert and Laura Berkholtz tally up everyone’s opinion on who lets the dwarves out of the Elven King’s Hall, and pose a new conundrum.
Digest 2.05: Who Let the Dwarves Out?
How will The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug open? This is the episode’s riddle, and there is a lot to talk about around each choice.
Trish Lambert and Laura Berkholtz summarize your predictions for the Elf-Dwarf meeting in Mirkwood, and pose a new conundrum. Don’t make me call you Tomnoddy! Listen to this episode!
Digest 2.04: Legolas to the Rescue…or Not
Corey Olsen, Dave Kale and Trish Lambert meander around Sauron’s precincts, considering (among other things) Azog and how he and his “little” boy will appear in Jackson’s second Hobbit movie.
Laketown, the Master, and Bard. Corey Olsen, Dave Kale, and Trish Lambert talk about how Bilbo and the Dwarves will fare on this stage of their adventure in Jackson’s movie.
Spiders and Black Harts and Elves, Oh My! Trish Lambert and Laura Berkholtz wonder how the elves keep evil at bay in Mirkwood and pose a new conundrum.
Digest 2.03: Black Spiders and White Harts
It’s time to cross the bridge into the realm of the Elven King. Our co-hosts mull over Elves, Dwarves, antlers, barrels.
Thrain where are you? Trish Lambert and Laura Berkholtz ponder the fate of Thrain, Thorin’s missing Father.
Beorn and more Beorn! Trish Lambert and new Digest co-host Laura Berkholtz talk about all things Beorn.
Digest 2.01: Flogging a Dead Beorn
And how about those spiders? How will the Company encounter them, and how will they be freed from their webs? Inquiring minds want to know!
What will the Company find in their travels through for forest? Professor Corey Olsen, Dave Kale, and Trish Lambert discuss the possibilities.
What’s up with Thrain? Professor Corey Olsen, Dave Kale, and Trish Lambert toss around some ideas about Thorin’s father. And Corey adds in a surprise twist at the end.
Professor Corey Olsen, Dave Kale, and Trish Lambert kick off the countdown to The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug by considering Beorn, his role in the book, and possible role in the movie.
If you surpassed Corey Olsen’s performance in predicting how Peter Jackson would translate elements of The Hobbit (the book) to The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (the film), your winner certificate is ready!
Here it is! The Riddles in the Dark Scorebook for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Download this PDF, enter your answers to all the riddles and conundra, and take it to the movie with you to see how you did! (The last three pages are screen shots of the grid you will find on the RITD main page. You might want to save ink and not print those.)
Professor Corey Olsen, Dave Kale, and Trish Lambert review a year of riddles in preparation for the premier of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Some riddles have had to be tabled as a result of expanding to three films, and some already seem to have pretty clear right answers, but by and large the riddles have held up pretty well!
The White Council gets its own episode as Prof. Corey Olsen and Dave Kale consider its role in Peter Jackson’s first movie. Saruman and the presence or absence of malice is the focus of this episode’s riddle
Tra la la lalley and Snap! Crack! Prof. Corey Olsen, Dave Kale, and Trish Lambert consider the songs and poems of The Hobbit–in the book, in the animated feature and in the soon-to-be released movie.
Prof. Corey Olsen, Dave Kale, and Trish Lambert discuss some of the recent media coverage of The Hobbit:An Unexpected Journey and then go on to consider the Rings of Power and how they will figure in to Peter Jackson’s script.
Of the Rings of Power and the First Film
Dave Kale and Trish Lambert review Orcs, Radagast, and toy figures in this digest episode, among other things. A collage of Comic-Con interview excerpts with Richard Armitage gives rise to this episode’s condundrum.
Digest #9: Orcs, the Brown Wizard, and Thror
Talk turns to the bad guys in this episode. After checking out the most recent movie scroll, Prof. Corey Olsen and Dave Kale (with Trish chiming in from time to time) consider the Goblin-infested poster as well as the toy sets of the “Goblin King,” Bolg, and Grinnah. Then it is on to the Big Bad himself and how he will be portrayed on screen in the first movie.
Keep listening in the archive of Episodes
Prediction Game
See everyone’s guess in the Predictions Grid
About
Want to know more about the folks bringing you the Riddles in the Dark podcast series and predictions? Read the press release – and learn about our pundits here.
- Dr. Corey Olsen
The Tolkien Professor
President, Mythgard Institute
- Dave Kale
“Big Data” hacker
Founder Alumnus, Middle-earth Network
- Trish Lambert
Marketing consultant and business coach
Mythgard Student and Incurable Tolkien Enthusiast
- Laura Berkholtz
Secrets of Middle-earth
Proud Silmarillionaire
Community