The Rings of Power Season 1 Episode 6: In “Udun,” the sixth episode of “The Rings of Power,” we return to the Southlands for the impending battle between the shadow army and the light’s vanguard.
Arondir and Bronwyn were doing everything possible to keep Adar and his troops at bay as the Numenoreans approached.
The battle scene in “The Rings of Power” reminds me of “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy’s depiction of the Battle of Helm’s Deep.
Although the action scenes were beautifully directed, I was left unsatisfied with the film’s attention to detail.
The fight scene lacked the cinematic buildup and symbolic approach that made the film so compelling.
As a result, you felt invested in the story and like every outcome was part of something greater than yourself, regardless of whether you won or lost.
There are exciting parts to “The Rings of Power,” but they are too fleeting and scattered to build to a satisfying climax.
Let’s take a look at what Episode 6 has to offer and what it reveals about the bad guys’ plans.
The Rings of Power Season 1 Episode 6 Release Date
On Friday, September 30, 2022, the sixth episode of The Rings of Power will be released. Amazon’s weekly episode drop timing is every Friday at 12:01 a.m. Eastern (or 9 p.m. Pacific).
The Rings of Power Season 1 Episode 6 Recap
Adar’s orcish army was poised to unleash havoc on the Southlands.
The orcs rarely showed such respect for a human being. Adar attempted to implant morality and compassion into the cruel, emotionless animals.
He was attempting to teach them the value of loyalty and fraternity. He hoped they would carry out his orders out of a desire for retribution. He didn’t want them to indiscriminately annihilate the land of Middle-earth.
He addressed them as his “children” and exhorted them to give their otherwise aimless activities some meaning. Every orc in his army had a name, and he knew them all.
Adar’s goal wasn’t just to extinguish all light; he also wanted the darkness to flourish. He desperately wanted to provide for his kids a stable home and an end to their hardships. This demonstrated that he treated them like family rather than faceless slaves.
The orcs were the unfortunate ones in Adar’s account. Since they had suffered under Sauron’s rule for so long, he reasoned, they deserved to be treated honestly.
The orcs advanced on the tower of Ostirith, where Arondir, Bronwyn, and the people of the Southlands had taken refuge.
As a result of their small numbers, Arondir realized that they would need to carefully plan each move and take advantage of the environment if they hoped to defeat Adar and his army.
Within moments of the orcs’ arrival, Arondir causes the tower to collapse on top of them. Underneath the debris, several orcs were killed. With this respite, the locals could get ready for the next showdown.
To get things rolling, they journeyed to the adjacent settlement of Tirharad. Bronwyn’s son Theo was terrified and worried they might never see the light of day, but his mother reassured him that the darkness was temporary and would ultimately win out.
By ancient Elvian custom, Arondir sowed the seeds of Alfirin before the decisive fight. It was meant to represent resistance in the face of death.
The orcs would be surrounded on all sides by fire, making it difficult for them to escape, allowing Arondir to easily overwhelm his foes.
Adar, though, was a cunning plotter. Arondir, he reasoned, must be plotting something. So, instead of actual orcs, he dispatched men in orc costumes. All of them were killed by Arondir before he realized they weren’t orcs but humans.
The actual orc army arrived before Arondir could figure out what was happening. They sneaked into the villager’s fortress and caught them by surprise. The Hilt was requested by Adar, who subsequently had Arondir hand it up to him. He threatened to kill everyone if he didn’t get what he wanted. The only difference was that Arondir didn’t flinch.
His commitment to the cause remained unwavering. For the greater good, he was willing to give up anything. However, Theo could not bear witness to his mother’s torture. He revealed the Hilt’s hiding place to Adar.
As he grasped the Hilt, Adar knew he would soon succeed in his ambitions. But at that very moment, the ground began to shake. Even on the surface, the tremors were noticeable. The people of Southlands were saved by the Numenoreans. As rapidly as they could, Galadriel and her soldiers rode to Tirharad in time to save the day.
Adar attempted to flee, but Galadriel and Halbrand apprehended him. Arondir and Bronwyn’s hope was reignited when they saw the golden-haired “Commander of the Northern Armies.” Theo confided in Arondir that he felt like a great warrior when he grasped the Hilt.
Arondir knew that beings of evil could easily overpower him. It was not the kind of authority he would want to have, he said to Theo.
Arondir pleaded with him to return the Hilt to the Numenoreans so that they could finally destroy evil.
The Rings of Power Season 1 Episode 6 Review
The sixth episode of the show feels like it could be the last. Galadriel and Arondir’s meeting brings their individual stories full circle.
When a villain is well-executed, he or she becomes wholly captivating.
The eruption of a volcano alters the landscape of Middle-earth irrevocably. To top it all off, an epic battle between the Orcs and the Southlanders takes up the bulk of the film and wouldn’t be out of place in a Peter Jackson production.
The distinction between cinema and television has been totally erased in this installment of the Rings of Power franchise.
I’m jumping the gun here. Adar, played by Joseph Mawle with fascinating reserve, starts the episode by encouraging his Orcish offspring. Former slaves, he claims, are now free.
They’re ready now. There is no need to stay in the dark any longer.
And yet, Arondir has created a trap; the humans have fled to a nearby village, where they have prepared yet another ambush. There’s mild rejoicing as they see Adar’s soldiers being blown to smithereens, but they know there’s still a battle ahead.
Even though Bronwyn’s address to the soldiers was disappointingly cliche, her comments to Theo shortly afterward resounded well with a Tolkien-esque theme of light triumphing over darkness.
In the meantime, Isildur and Galadriel have their first conversation as they travel from Numenor to Middle-earth by boat. It’s Elendil. They are under orders to hurry up from her.
It’s a solid introduction with a couple fantastic lines but not much else to get excited about.
But as Gandalf would say, this is the moment of the calm before the storm. Then, suddenly, mayhem breaks out, with Arondir and Bronwyn fighting off a swarm of Orcs, with Arondir taking on a particularly huge fellow.
Even though the Elf is just one of the primary characters, the fight is shot so that it feels tense, as if he could be killed at any moment. Victory is achieved thanks to Bronwyn’s valiant efforts to rescue him.
In a lesser program, the disagreement would have been resolved at that point. As though a scene was ending, that’s precisely how it seems.
In this way, the Southlanders conclude that they have been murdering members of their own kind while disguised as Orcs. The Orcs have returned with another horde.
The (good) people seek refuge in the keep, where Bronwyn takes a fatal arrow to heart. It is violent, tense, and utterly engrossing.
Adar enters the barn and begins slaying Southlanders with ruthless efficiency. A more vulnerable Arondir will sacrifice Bronwyn to protect Sauron’s weapon.
Theo, though, finally gives up and hands over the gun to Adar. At the end, when all seems lost, a surprise: Galadriel actually did hurry. The Nmenorians, like Éomer’s horsemen at Helm’s Deep, charge headfirst into battle.
Charlotte Brändström masterfully directs the exhilarating, relentless action, but there are some slightly superfluous shots of slow-motion horses (it works better here than in episode three, though it’s still a curious decision).
A battle provides the series with much-needed unity by tying together its various plotlines. And there’s no letup in The Rings of Power. As Adar runs away, Galadriel and Halbrand give after, with Halbrand nearly murdering the villain by spearing his horse before being stopped by Adar.
At this point, Halbrand interrogates. Adar sneers a resounding “no” in response. (Is it because Halbrand is secretly Sauron in disguise? Probably.) Is it possible that you have forgotten who I am?
It’s a chilling scene demonstrating Adar’s mettle as a formidable foe, becoming abundantly apparent as the dust settles.
Galadriel walks over to the barn, where she sees Adar shackled. Galadriel is a figure I struggle to like, and Adar has nailed why: her speech, that of an unwavering, battle-hardened commander is dogmatic.
He’s right in calling her Morgoth’s reflection. Things have not been going well for Galadriel on her journey. She cares not who she kills on her mission to free the earth from Orcs.
Indeed, in the pilot episode, we witnessed her own party of soldiers turns against her, the group not willing to risk their lives because of her hunch about Sauron. Is there another way she could have handled the situation, or should she have?
Galadriel’s persona is more nuanced than ever because of her exchange with Adar. Everything looks menacing and unsettling because of the dutch angles at which it was shot.
In contrast to Tolkien’s black-and-white The Lord of the Rings, the more contemporary The Rings of Power operates in a morally ambiguous space that better reflects the current state of television. And that’s not all Galadriel has in store.
The sexual tension between her and Halbrand reaches a boiling point as soon as she sits with him. Could it be love, the feeling that sent them to war together? It’s going to be difficult when she learns that Halbrand killed her brother (yeah, I’m double down on him being Sauron).
Theo discovers that the sword Adar was trying to find is missing during the Southlanders’ celebration.
The weapon was stolen by one of the villains who escaped. To make matters worse, the sword is not simply a weapon; it also serves as a key to the dam far above the Southlands.
Even worse, releasing the dam would cause a massive outpouring of water across the land and down into the earth’s core, eventually igniting a volcano that history will remember as Mount Doom.
Galadriel stands and watches the dust settle around her. A frightening, stunning, and cinematic sight to end on.
The Rings of Power offers its most excellent episode to far by telling a focused tale and bringing characters together, and if the program maintains its high standards, this could be the episode that convinces skeptics to give the show a chance.
This is a startling declaration of intent for episodes 2 and 3. (and the already-confirmed four seasons beyond that).
The Rings of Power Season 1 Episode 6 Cast
- Joseph Mawle as Adar
- Geoff Morrell as Waldreg
- Ismael Cruz Cordova as Arondir
- Nazanin Boniadi as Bronwyn
- Peter Tait as Tredwill
- Tyroe Muhafidin as Theo
- Maxim Baldry as Isildur
- Charlie Vickers as Halbrand
- Morfydd Clark as Galadriel
- Lloyd Owen as Captain Elendil
- Cynthia Addai-Robinson as Queen Regent Míriel
- Anthony Crum as Ontamo
- Alex Tarrant as Valandil
- Phil Grieve as Bazur
- Miranda Wilson as Southlander Wilson
- Rob McKenzie as Archer
- Jesse Turner as General Orc
- Michael Homick as Skirmish Orc
The Rings of Power Season 1 Episode 6 Release Date, Review, Cast, Recap (Udûn) (Prime Video)
Director: Wayne Yip
Date Created: 2022-09-30 20:08
4.5
Pros
- The Rings of Power offers its most excellent episode to far by telling a focused tale and bringing characters together, and if the program maintains its high standards, this could be the episode that convinces skeptics to give the show a chance.
Cons
- Adar's goal wasn't just to extinguish all light; he also wanted the darkness to flourish. He desperately wanted to provide for his kids a stable home and an end to their hardships. This demonstrated that he treated them like family rather than faceless slaves.
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