: Sheldon points out that Sauron began building Barad-dûr in the Second Age 1000, which is 600 years before the One Ring was forged, contradicting Elrond's statement in The Fellowship of the Ring .
After getting stuck on a physics problem, Sheldon is encouraged to find a distraction. He begins reading The Lord of the Rings , but his analytical mind quickly becomes obsessed with internal timeline inconsistencies within the books. This culminates in a fever dream where Sheldon envisions himself as both Gollum and Smeagol, arguing over whether "physicses" or "hobbitses" are the cause of his misery. young sheldon s03e04 r5