Spoiler-Free Review Of ‘The Rings Of Power’ Episode 6
Image Source: The Guardian
Trigger warning for this episode: Blood
If you thought the previous episodes of The Rings of Power kept you on the edge of your seat, you haven’t seen anything yet. As the season nears its conclusion, the action just keeps ramping up with no sign of stopping. Episode 6 “Udûn” is no exception. It ends with quite a bang, and is definitely more of a cliffhanger than any of the other episodes to date, which is infuriating because now we have to wait until next week!
Surprisingly, after last week’s episode involving all the storylines, this one only follows two of the major storylines. The unexpected and exciting element is that for the second time, we are seeing two major groups intersect, and it does not disappoint. We are now seeing multiple points of view come together into a unified story and not one broken up around Middle-earth and Númenor. There is not much character development as there is a lot of action happening on screen. However, there are internal struggles and perhaps a little romance woven throughout.
RELATED:
The episode jumps in on the action right away, although there are still some slower parts that are now typical of the show. The camera seems to linger for a long time on a character’s face or stay in one moment and draw it out for as long as possible. It works for a streamed series since it does not have to fit the story into the time constraints of a broadcast television show or a movie. However, for fans who are used to more fast-paced action scenes, especially in fights and the like, the long drawn-out moments and camera work can be a little tedious. Some scenes are definitely more artistic in terms of camera shots, and could be viewed as extraneous or taking too long for the average viewer. On the other hand, the ability to really hone in on some beautiful camera work and bring the fan into the moment is one of the visually stunning elements of this show.
Image Source: IMDb
As mentioned before, while there is obviously CGI, the creators were very specific in making as much as they could by hand. The sets were actually built (to a point, of course, as they couldn’t quite build all of Númenor sadly), the costumes were not enhanced by CGI, etc. The orc costumes and makeup especially look exactly like the Orcs in The Lord of the Rings movies. It is uncanny at times. A lot of work went into making this show feel like Middle-earth.
This episode also goes further in-depth into some of Tolkien’s lore. Of course, The Rings of Power is not allowed to talk about anything that is not mentioned in The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, or “The Appendices,” but the vast lore of Tolkien in those works still mentions a lot about the First Age and the Second Age of Middle-earth. This means that showrunners Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne and the writers still have a lot of available materials to bring the Second Age on screen. To an avid Tolkien fan, the lore revealed in this episode is electrifying.
Image Source: Attack of the Fanboy
Of course, the episode once again ends in quite the twist (they just keep coming up with new ones!) and leaves you wanting more while your head tries to process what you just watched. It may not always be the best-written dialogue for the characters, but the series sure knows how to tell a story. At this point, who knows what next week will bring? With all the twists and turns it has been very hard to predict anything except that whatever does happen, it is sure to be a fun time!
READ NEXT:
