The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (1×06) Udûn Review

For our review of the last episode of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, click here.

For those waiting for something substantial to happen on The Rings of Power, this latest episode will be an answer to those prayers. Storylines have been slowly converging towards the Southlands for the supposed endgame for the season and this episode delivers the most progress towards that goal with plenty of action to spare. Meanwhile, the big budget cinematic quality and scale return. Not that the previous episodes didn’t have it but it really showed up here. While those moments will certainly wow, the more noteworthy development is a focused storyline that allows viewers to stay in the moment and better connect with the characters as some meet others from other storylines for the first time which did not disappoint either. Though there is still plenty of work left to do, the promise is somewhat rekindled. Morfydd Clark and Charlie Vickers continue to shine, however, they are not alone this time.

It’s all about the Southlands in this episode as several dominoes began to fall as it was less time for talk and more time for action. Arondir, Bronwyn, and the remaining humans in the tower got to test their might as they prepared an offensive against Adar and his band of orcs but little did they know, Adar had a few tricks up his sleeve. Meanwhile, the Numenor delegation was on its way as Isildur (Maxim Baldry) continued to come into his own, proving himself to his father Captain Elendil (Lloyd Owen) and everyone else who doubted him.

As the battle raged on, a lot of the same high production value from the series’ first two episodes came back as the budget for this episode arguably exceeded those. The action was as exciting as it had stakes. The choreography, special effects, and camerawork were all there but it wasn’t without its fair share of casualties. In the end, it was all about Theo’s key so Adar could enact his plan. Or at least that was until round two when the moment many patient viewers have been waiting for finally arrived just in time for the series to finally get more interesting.

Bringing storylines together made for some great moments as it moves the season-long storyline forward while other character arcs come full circle. These moments also revealed some interesting background on others. Alongside Morfydd Clark and Charlie Vickers who absolutely shine in the episode’s battles, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Nazanin Boniadi as well as Joseph Mawle also get chances to shine as all deliver stellar performances. 

That being said, it wouldn’t be right unless the characters get served with one more bit of adversity when they least expect it as the battle looked over but it clearly was not. With that, the only question is what they will do to get through it. The Southland saga has by far been the best part of the series thus far. Though it should stay there, the other storylines are sure to figure in somehow soon. Making a season rather than a feature film has come with growing pains. That being said, for the most part, the series has fared well.

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.