{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"","title":"#79 - The End of All Things: Return of the King Pt 2 Review","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/6633b23319f78300126c652e/1775377531487-b05bfe99-3691-4a84-b725-f7042cf36693.jpeg?height=200","description":"

Here it is. The final march. The last stand. The emotional, slightly overlong, absolutely iconic conclusion to our Lord of the Rings deep-dive series.


In Part 2 of our Return of the King review, we pick up from the chaos of Pelennor Fields and charge headfirst into everything that follows: the battles, the sacrifices, the speeches that make you want to run through a wall for Gondor… and yes, every single one of those endings. All of them. We’re counting. We’re judging. We’re emotionally recovering.


This is where it all comes together. Character arcs reach their breaking points, the stakes hit their absolute peak, and we finally answer the question that’s been hanging over this entire series like a suspiciously sentient ring:

is Return of the King actually the best of the trilogy?


With Fellowship setting the gold standard and Two Towers wildly overperforming in our rankings, this finale has a lot to live up to. Do our long-held, rose-tinted memories hold strong… or does reality sneak in like Gollum at 3am and ruin everything?


We break down the final acts, give our final scores, and lock in our definitive ranking of the entire trilogy. No take-backs. No rewinds. This is it.


And with that… Middle-earth closes its doors for now, as we prepare to leave behind epic fantasy perfection and step bravely, questionably, into the world of… Twilight. Pray for us.


FULL SPOILERS FOR LORD OF THE RINGS THE RETURN OF THE KING IN THIS EPISODE. You have been warned.


If you have any things you want to discuss about this film or Lord of the Rings in general, email us at thirdreelpod@gmail.com or through our socials @third_reel_pod

https://linktr.ee/thirdreelpod


Support our Patreon for more TTR! https://patreon.com/thirdreelpod


All music used in this podcast is for commentary and review purposes under fair use. We give full credit to the original composers and right holders, and acknowledge that we do not own any of the music featured.


TIMESTAMPS

00:00:00 - Preamble

00:08:45 - Review: Act 2

00:51:05 - Review: Act 3

01:42:44 - Closing Thoughts & Scores

","author_name":"Daniel Ashfield, Rachael Davis and Dale Stewart"}