049 - Fire, Fear, and the Fall of Hope in "The Siege of Gondor"

This week we discuss book 5, chapter 4: The Siege of Gondor from "The Return of the King". The walls of Minas Tirith are tested, Denethor fully loses the plot, Faramir gets sent into a nightmare, and the Witch-king arrives at the gate like Middle-earth’s final boss. Conversation TopicsPippin’s first day in the Tower Guard and his uneasy place inside Minas TirithFaramir’s return, his encounter with Frodo and Sam, and Denethor’s fury over the RingGandalf trying to piece together Frodo’s fate, Aragorn’s Palantír move, and Mordor’s timingThe fall of Osgiliath, Faramir’s doomed retreat, and the rescue by Prince Imrahil and the Swan KnightsDenethor’s collapse, his grief over Faramir, and the horrifying funeral pyre planGrond, the Witch-king, and Gandalf’s stand at the broken gateShadowfax, Rohan’s horns, flaming bananas foster, and the chapter’s massive cliffhangerTimestamps00:00 Welcome back for “The Siege of Gondor”08:30 Faramir flees Nazgûl, and Gandalf rides out15:28 Gandalf pieces together Mordor’s attack timing23:07 Gandalf returns as Faramir holds the rear30:25 Mordor surrounds Minas Tirith with fire38:26 Pippin discovers Denethor’s funeral pyre plan43:05 The Witch-king faces Gandalf before Rohan arrives49:42 Pippin sees Faramir’s nobility and sorrow56:26 Denethor, Boromir, Faramir, and the Ring1:05:26 The crew considers Denethor’s possible Palantír1:13:22 The Witch-king terrifies, but Shadowfax stands firm1:18:46 Food for Thought brings flaming bananas fosterToday's "Food For Thought": The Flames of GondorThe amount of fire in this chapter was brutal. So of course, I had to use fire in my treat! Right? During the episode, I sort of followed this recipe: https://kitchen-catastrophe.com/kitchen-catastrophe/kc-155-bananas-fosterIt failed because I tried to leave out the alcohol for RJ, spoon out her portion, and then add the alcohol for the rest. I think you need the alcohol to get the right consistency for the sauce. ----------------------------------------------------Thanks for watching! If you enjoyed todays episode, give us a like and subscribe and share this video with someone who likes The Lord of the Rings. Content Warning: ExplicitSupport the pod on Youtube! @FoolofaTookPodcast Instagram: (https://www.instagram.com/foolofatookpodcast/)TikTok: (https://www.tiktok.com/@foolofatookpodcast) Original music for the show composed by Chris NewhardGot a question? Email us [email protected] the fools on IG:Chris (https://www.instagram.com/chrisnewhard)Robbie Jean (https://www.instagram.com/robbiejean815)Pat (https://www.instagram.com/rolling.seas2023)Laura (https://www.instagram.com/kennylaura525)Listen on Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fool-of-a-took-podcast/id1770780731)Listen on Spotify Link (https://open.spotify.com/show/0e3myYq2eUbKMMtiV7qAl7)