Don Marshall

So that's how you can picture Isildur's son, is very much like Aragorn.

While that's a note from Professor Tolkien, I want to add something that Christopher tells us in the introduction to the book.

This is more of a meta thing.

This isn't anything to do with the story itself.

This is the spot in the story where, quote, a good typescript incorporating many changes to the first draft breaks off, and the rest of what we're covering is from that earlier rough typescript.

Even with that said, Christopher points out, the editorial hand has here had little to do.

It's as complete as an unfinished tale gets, apparently.

Right.

This is all that we're getting.

We then switch back, though, to Isildur's view now for the rest of this reading and the next.

He is said to have been in great pain.

Again, a reference perhaps to the pain of wearing

the one ring, but also maybe just connected to the anguish of heart here.

I mean, since he's literally just lost two of his sons, he knows his eldest will likely die soon, along with the other 200 men.

He's got to be facing quite a lot of guilt at having done what he has done.

Yeah.

I mean, he didn't want to leave.

He felt like he couldn't leave unless his son commanded him to leave, which he did.

And he knows that this is a result of his pride.

That's why at the end of last episode, the highlight was him saying, forgive me and the pride that has brought us to this.