I think it's important to remember that Tolkien fought in WWI. Frodo's ending echoes the physical and spiritual turmoil of the wounded soldiers who made it home. He saved his world, and gave everything he had to do it. He was in pain, and could never find peace in Middle Earth; but there was hope for peace and rest in the lands beyond. It is sad, but "not all tears are an evil."

The laminated map, magnifying glass, and figurine is not too much. It's perfect.

It is so nice to see you go from "I am not a Fantasy fan and don't care for it"  to  be fully invested in Lord of the Rings and cry too.

I speak for everyone when I say we would gladly watch you react all over again to the extended editions.

Frodo left for Valinor because the ring caused physical, psychological, and emotional trauma that couldn't be healed in middle-earth. He was also severely wounded by the morgul blade, left with a injury to his soul that would never fully heal. he could not find peace in the shire. Sam became mayor of the shire and had 13 children with Rosie. After she passed away, Sam (as a privilege granted to another ringbearer, albeit temporarily) also left middle-earth and was reunited with Frodo in the undying lands.

It's hilarious how Mike talks about the map like you guys are in a car trying to drive to Mordor, getting lost and arguing over the best route lol.

If I ever start a band, I am 100% calling it Sour Ron and the Nazgoons.

the line "you bow to no one" always gets me...

Frodo shows mercy to Gollum because Frodo recognizes that Gollum is what Frodo himself may become.  He needs to save Gollum so that he can believe that he can save himself.  In short, compassion and hope.

Gandalf is a Maiar, an "angel". He is tasked by the creator, Eru NOT to interfere unless absolutely needed and only as little as possible at that. Hence, no magic.

I loved when Gandalf said, "It is physically impossible for you to move over this bridge!"

Frodo wore the embodiment of evil around his neck for 2 years. His soul was corroded, eaten, nearly destroyed. There was no healing or medicine in Middle Earth that could have helped him to heal or ease his suffering. The only way for him to live any life was to go to the grey haven and bask in divinity. It's heartbreaking, but it reinforces the weight of his sacrifice. Gents, it's been a pleasure to see you absorb these films, there's nothing else like them. I'm sorry to tell you that everything else in the same genre is going to fall short in comparison.

I especially love how deeply invested you guys were in Arwen and Aragorn's love story - a lot of reactors view it more as an afterthought, so it was really sweet to see you getting swept away by the romance.  :)

You guys have no idea how heartwarming it is to see you guys openly crying in every movie, especially since both of you were skeptical before starting this journey.

The reason Gandalf doesn’t just spam magic throughout the movies is that he isn’t really a “wizard” in the D&D sense. He’s one of the Istari, essentially a Maia (a spiritual being) sent to Middle-earth to guide and inspire its people to resist Sauron, not to personally overpower every threat.

The Istari were specifically forbidden from simply dominating Middle-earth with their power. That’s actually part of what went wrong with Saruman—he became obsessed with power and eventually tried to dominate others rather than guide them.

Gandalf absolutely has some serious supernatural power, but he uses it selectively. His purpose is to help the people of Middle-earth find the courage and strength to defeat Sauron themselves. That’s why you see him doing things like fighting the Balrog, breaking supernatural barriers, wielding fire/light, etc., but he isn't just walking around blasting everything with “spells.”

Basically, Gandalf's job wasn't to be Middle-earth's strongest weapon. His job was to help Middle-earth become strong enough to defeat Sauron.

Tolkien's reflection on Frodo's failure to destroy the Ring will always live with me.

"Frodo undertook his quest out of love – to save the world he knew from disaster at his own expense, if he could; and also in complete humility, acknowledging that he was wholly inadequate to the task. His real contract was only to do what he could, to try to find a way, and to go as far on the road as his strength of mind and body allowed. He did that. I do not myself see that the breaking of his mind and will under demonic pressure after torment was any more a moral failure than the breaking of his body would have been – say, by being strangled by Gollum, or crushed by a falling rock."

This was one of the few films in history to sweep the Oscars. 11 nominations, 11 wins. Those awards were considered to be a nod to the whole trilogy, which is easily the best trilogy ever put to film.

Thank you for letting us go on this journey with you! Forth Eorlingas!!

The Lord Off The Rings - The Return Of The Map.

Greetings from Germany

The Lord of the Rings was, is, and will always be the best thing I have ever seen.

And here's what happened next to the main character:

Frodo was badly wounded by the sword of the Nazgul, so the wound tortured him every day. But more importantly, the ring left its mark as well, his soul and mind could never be normal again. So he went to the Elven Undying Lands with Bilbo (kinda equivalent of Heavens) where there is no pain and no suffering.

Aragorn ruled for ~120 years as a King, then passed a crown to his son, and died ~100 years later in age ~300. Arwen died less than a year after him. Gondor became a great kingdom once again, many lands were united. They had two daughters and a son, Eldarion, who became the next king after his father, and his reign was known as the Golden Age of Middle-earth. Aragorn was buried with honors in the Tomb of the Kings, for the first time in many centuries.
Faramir and Eowyn married and became important nobles and functionaries on Aragorn’s reunited kingdom.

Pippin and Merry became chieftains and leaders of their tribes/houses. They served both Aragorn and Eomer and helped rebuild Gondor and Rohan. Years after their deaths, their bodies were moved to be laid beside Aragorn in the Tomb of the Kings. The only Hobbits to have received such an honor.

Eomer (the Rohan guy) became the King of Rohan.
He married the Princess of Dol Amroth who was descended from Elves of Lothlorien. They named their son Elfwinë (Elf-friend).

Gimli became Lord of the Glittering Caves. Legolas was the Prince of Woodland Realm of Elves from the start. They traveled together for years, sharing what they found most beautiful in Middle-earth. Over time, it became difficult for Legolas to be in the mortal world, melancholy overcame him, and he decided to go to the Elven Undying Lands but didn't want to go without Gimli. Galadriel convinced the "gods" to let Gimli go with him. Gimli is the only Dwarf to receive such an honor.

Sam married his childhood sweetheart Rose. He was elected Mayor of the Shire many times. They had 13 children. His daughter Elanor became the honorary handmaid to Queen Arwen. Aragorn honored Sam with the Star of the Dunedain (a thousand-year-old relic of honor). After Rose’s death, Sam gave the Book to Elanor and sailed West to see Frodo again in the Undying Lands.

PS:
Two main villains, Sauron and Saruman (and kinda demon Balrog), are Ainurs (semi-divine beings, like Gandalf), so they can't really "die"—only their mortal bodies can. They exist as incorporeal spirits, too corrupted to make new bodies (unlike Gandalf, who was reborn), wandering Middle-Earth unable to act or influence the world as before to go home to "gods realm" to be reborn.