This podcast special was recorded live at the recent Popular Culture Association Conference in New Orleans, USA, April 2025, where Alex was delighted to be asked to participate in a roundtable discussion on Amazon’s prequel series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Patrick McKay & J.D. Payne, 2022-). In a detour from our usual format, Alex is without Chris but joined by two fellow panelists, Alicia Fox-Lenz and Tim Lenz (both stewards of the Mythopoeic Society), alongside an enthusiastic room full of popular culture scholars taking part in a freewheeling and open discussion about the show. Listen for conversations on world-building, adaptation, concerns over representation in relation to the show’s depiction of race, gender, and sexuality, and plenty more. **Fantasy/Animation theme tune composed by Francisca Araujo** **As featured on Feedspot’s 25 Best London Education Podcasts**