Well, color me surprised. I didn’t think we would be getting the Númenoreans battling with the Southlanders against Adar and the Orcs, well, ever. I was assuming that by the time Galadriel and Númenor reached the Southlands, the Men would have been overrun. But boy, was I thrilled to be wrong, as “Udûn” turned out to be the most Lord of the Rings-esque outing to date for The Rings of Power – and easily the best hour the series has offered thus far.
Now, episodes like this don’t work without the series taking the time to lay the groundwork for the various characters, points of view, needs, wants, and beliefs in the episodes prior. We know that Adar wants the broken blade – for what, we don’t discover until the epic final moments of the episode. We know that Galadriel is convinced that the Orcs and Sauron still exist in Middle Earth and that she’s willing to literally go to the ends of the world to prove that she’s right. We know that Halbrand doesn’t necessarily want to take his rightful place as king because of some dark moment – that we now know has a link to Adar – in his past. And, as for Bronwyn, Theo, and Arondir, well, I guess they just don’t want to die? This portion of the story – the Men of the Southlands – was the one piece of the puzzle where the series dropped the ball, and as such, until Númenor rode in like Rohan to save the day, there weren’t a ton of emotional stakes at play outside of the general need to see evil perish.
But wow. Sure, there was a bit too much plot armor cloaking multiple characters (outside of those we already know make it to the end of things – I don’t blame the series for putting them in danger despite everyone knowing they’ll be just fine), and the logistics of how far away the Númenoreans were and just how long the battle took were a tad murky. But I’m more than willing to overlook those elements considering the result: some incredible hand-to-hand fight sequences, great horse work, and several key characters taking major steps forward in their development – or, in the case of Galadriel, displaying some troubling characteristics that hint at the darkness to come.
One of the series’ biggest question marks thus far has been the character of Halbrand. A man with a mysterious past who carried the sigil marking him as the king who has been promised, he’s shown very little desire to take up that post and lead his people. He’s hinted multiple time that something happened in the last war with Sauron that made him believe he wasn’t fit to be king – whether that’s something he did, failed to do, or was done to him, we still don’t know. This week we discovered that Adar and he met previously, although Adar claims not to remember him. Now, in the great “Who’s Sauron? Sweekstakes,” Halbrand remains one of the key contenders. We know that at some point, some time soon, Sauron will infiltrate the ranks of Númenor, eventually leading to the downfall of the island and its people. Halbrand could absolutely be Sauron – he’s charming, he’s wormed his way into the trust of Galadriel and Númenor, his conversation with Adar could be a cover to see if the Uruk recognizes him, etc. There are plenty of clues should the show wish to go this route. He could also be exactly who he says he is – and this, for my money, is the more interesting route for the series to take from an emotional arc perspective – and be a king, but one of the kings destined to become a Nazgûl. Seeing a Man go from accepting his destiny, leading and protecting his people, to falling into the service of Sauron would be a hell of an arc – and with how strongly the series has built this character thus far, I can’t help but think this tragic tale could be one of the most powerful of the series.
Either way the series chooses to go with Halbrand, it’s clear what it’s trying to do with Galadriel – our hero is going to be going to a very dark place. And I’m here for it. Now, I know there are those out there who want their heroes to be heroes and their villains to be villains and never the twain shall meet, but I’m of the belief that introducing shades of grey within characters makes them all the more interesting. And with Galadriel, we’ve seen a bit of the darkness that could reside within her in Lord of the Rings when she rejects Frodo’s offer of the One Ring. Here, with her single-minded pursuit of Sauron, we’re starting to see just what could happen were she granted the power to inflict her will on Middle Earth. Yes, she’s on the side of good here – Sauron is evil and must be stopped, as is Adar and his Orc army – but she’s treading into some dark places to ensure she gets the information she wants and gets the personnel she needs. Getting Halbrand to go on this mission required her to force his hand. She attempted to manipulate the Queen Regent into agreeing to her mission – and was only successful because the Valnor seemed to agree with her. And she disobeyed a direct order from her King to even still be in this realm. While things have worked out well for her thus far – we know she’s going to survive that wall of fire, but I can’t say the same for the Men around her – she’s starting to slip into darkness. Despite stilling Halbrand’s hand against Adar, she was willing to slit his throat mere moments later*. And she seems willing to risk anyone and anything to complete her mission, which isn’t the best trait in a Commander. There’s a darkness to Galadriel that I certainly didn’t expect to see. But I’m glad it’s there – it’s adding a complexity and depth to her character that can only help the series.
*While it certainly appears Adar is exactly as he claims – although the claim he killed Sauron is clearly not completely true, it does give one pause to think perhaps Sauron might be working through him in some way – his ability to charm those around him with words is something to watch out for. We know Sauron takes multiple forms, perhaps this is one of them – his escape at the close of the episode is concerning. But major kudos to Joseph Mawle for crafting such a slimy but enchanting villain. Adar’s uncanny ability to get both Halbrand and Galadriel to attempt to kill him signaled there’s something more to him that we need to watch out for.
And then there was the battle itself. Excellent camera work, focus, practical hand-to-hand combat. Director Charlotte Brändström created a brilliant episode from a visual standpoint, never letting us lose sight of our key characters, keeping the light high enough to ensure we saw every move, and telling the story perfectly.* Creating compelling fight sequences is not an easy thing to do. Making sure that the story is centered within the fight is even harder – far too often, directors make the battle the story rather than allowing the battle to tell a story. Here, it was the perfect combination of visual storytelling and human drama. Just a wonderful combination – although the blood was a tad much for me while I was eating my breakfast. But that’s on me.
*Take note, Game of Thrones/House of the Dragon folks: You can have battles that are at night and not so murky that you can’t make out anyone. Also, you can hire female directors to direct battle sequences. So, you know, maybe think about that some time.
Six episodes into the eight-episode first season and The Rings of Power has surpassed everything I expected out of the series. Yes, it’s likely not the series Tolkein purists wanted it to be, but the drama, the compelling human storytelling, the epic scale of the arrival of evil back into the fabric of Middle Earth – it’s everything I could have wished for and more. With a few exceptions, this story has only become richer and richer each week as we see our heroes begin to emerge and crack under the growing pressure and darkness. There are many mysteries still to unlock in this story, but the journey thus far has been truly special.
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Writing
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Acting
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