Season 1, Episode 6 Review

[Note: Spoilers for The Rings of Power: S1, E6 Udûn]

The Rings of Power: Udûn is a culmination of the Númenórean and the Southlands storylines in one of the best episodes of the season thus far. Rather than moving at a breakneck speed to deliver 3 to 4 plotlines, Episode 6 slows down to focus on exclusively 2 plotlines. Despite recurring seasonal shortcomings in Udûn, this narrow focus allows for the best character work since Episode 1 in the middle of a battle for life or death.

Due to Ostirith being a fort, I was under the impression that the battle in Episode 6 would have evoked the Battle of Helm’s Deep from The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. How pleasant it was when the showrunners had different ideas in mind for The Rings of Power. Arondir’s plan to topple the watchtower of Ostirith on the Orc army to retreat to a village was a clever diversion. Even in the excitement of villagers defending themselves from two waves of Orc attacks, minor issues continue to drag on otherwise excellent sequences.

The battle is dramatically satisfying while also being frustratingly under thought out. Surely the script dictates that Arondir and the Southlanders must triumph over Adar and his Orcs, but it also needs to be believed that for a moment that the defenders will not come out victorious. Unfortunately, this battle lacks that sort of tension. When a slightest bit of this tension does build near the climax of the battle, Udûn cuts to a shot of Númenóreans riding to the Southlanders to save them. Despite there being several minutes left of Adar terrorizing the villagers, this single shot to the riders undercuts any belief that a main character will not make it out alive.

Fortunately, Galadriel arrives to claim this battle a victory with the capture of Adar. The remaining Orcs are corralled and Adar held away from his soldiers in a barn. Galadriel interrogates Adar in a scene that delivers the most character work for her since the pilot. Through this interaction, the audience is able to see the darkness that King Gil-galad feared Galadriel was keeping within. 

Only two episodes remain for Season 1 of The Rings of Power. The second half of this season has been much stronger than the first half. Let’s hope this upward trajectory can be kept going into the final episodes of the season.