Review: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, “Udûn” | Season 1, Episode 6

An excellent battle episode starts tying storylines together

There was always going to be a battle episode. Blame it on Game Of Thrones, blame it on Helm’s Deep, blame it on the human desire to see people with swords stabbing other people (or monsters) with swords–something like “Udûn” was in the cards from the moment RIngs Of Power was announced. It’s one of the ways stories like this are sold to wide audiences. You get the somber beauty of fantasy landscapes, deep lore, various noble characters struggling between what they want and what’s expected of them, the rising suspense of a mysterious threat, all sorts of political maneuvering and intrigue; and then, at some point (probably near the end of the season) you get the battle episode, where various crises comes to a head and we spend an hour or so watching dudes getting their faces split. 

“Udûn” is great, a thrilling, constantly swerving action-packed hour that follows the struggles of Arondir and Bronwyn as they attempt to hold the remaining villagers together against Adar’s army of orcs. T…