"Udûn" is the sixth episode of the first season of the American fantasy television series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The series is based on J. R. R. Tolkien's history of Middle-earth, primarily material from the appendices of the novel The Lord of the Rings (1954–55). The episode is set thousands of years before the novel in Middle-earth's Second Age. It was written by Nicholas Adams, Justin Doble, and showrunners J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay, and directed by Charlotte Brändström.
"Udûn" is the sixth episode of the first season of the American fantasy television series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The series is based on J. R. R. Tolkien's history of Middle-earth, primarily material from the appendices of the novel The Lord of the Rings (1954–55). The episode is set thousands of years before the novel in Middle-earth's Second Age. It was written by Nicholas Adams, Justin Doble, and showrunners J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay, and directed by Charlotte Brändström.
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"Udûn" is the sixth episode of the first season of the American fantasy television series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The series is based on J. R. R. Tolkien's history of Middle-earth, primarily material from the appendices of the novel The Lord of the Rings (1954–55). The episode is set thousands of years before the novel in Middle-earth's Second Age. It was written by Nicholas Adams, Justin Doble, and showrunners J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay, and directed by Charlotte Brändström.
The series was ordered in November 2017. Payne and McKay were set to develop it in July 2018. Filming for the first season took place in New Zealand, and work on episodes beyond the first two began in January 2021. Brändström was revealed to be directing two episodes of the season that May, including the sixth. Production wrapped for the season in August 2021. The episode-long battle for the Southlands is the culmination of several character arcs, bringing key characters together for the first time and featuring them in multiple action sequences. It ends with the eruption of Mount Doom, created through visual effects, which turns the Southlands into the dark land of Mordor.
"Udûn" premiered on the streaming service Amazon Prime Video on September 30, 2022. It was estimated to have high viewership and received positive reviews, with praise for its narrative focus and the execution of the action sequences. Multiple critics found it to be the best episode of the season. "Udûn" received several awards and nominations, including a Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Award nomination for its sound editing and two wins at the 21st Visual Effects Society Awards.
Plot
An army of Orcs and their leader, Adar, march on the tower of Ostirith searching for humans from the village of Tirharad. They find the tower abandoned, and Arondir triggers a booby-trap that collapses it on many of the Orcs. The humans, who are back in Tirharad, celebrate. Meanwhile, Galadriel and Halbrand make their way towards the Southlands by ship with Queen Regent Míriel of Númenor and her soldiers. Galadriel meets Isildur and learns from his father, Elendil, that Isildur's mother drowned.
Development
Amazon acquired the television rights for J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings (1954–55) in November 2017. The company's streaming service, Amazon Prime Video, ordered a series based on the novel and its appendices to be produced by Amazon Studios in association with New Line Cinema. It was later titled The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Amazon hired J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay to develop the series and serve as showrunners in July 2018. Justin Doble joined the series as a writer by July 2019, and Charlotte Brändström was set to direct two episodes of the first season by May 2021. The series was originally expected to be a continuation of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings (2001–2003) and The Hobbit (2012–2014) film trilogies, but Amazon later clarified that their deal with the Tolkien Estate required them to keep the series distinct from Jackson's films. Despite this, the showrunners intended for it to be visually consistent with the films. Amazon said in September 2019 that the first season would be filmed in New Zealand, where Jackson's films were made.
Writing
The showrunners wanted to explore the Second Age in surprising ways and then show an evolution to the way things are in the Third Age. An example of this is the eruption of Mount Doom which turns the Southlands into the dark land of Mordor. McKay said the writers wanted to have a "major centerpiece moment that we
Arondir attempts to destroy the broken sword that the Orcs are seeking, but is unable to with conventional tools. He tells Bronwyn that he is going to hide it as Theo watches on. Arondir helps the town prepare for the next assault. He professes his love to Bronwyn and promises a life together with her and Theo after the battle. That night, the Orcs enter Tirharad. The Southlanders trap and kill them, but soon realize that many of the enemies they just killed were actually humans who joined Adar.
Orc archers shoot at the Southlanders, killing and wounding many. The survivors retreat inside the tavern where Theo and Arondir cauterize a serious wound on Bronwyn's shoulder. Adar and the Orcs enter the tavern and demand the broken sword, killing more people and threatening Bronwyn. Theo reveals that he knows where Arondir hid the sword and gives it to Adar. The latter orders the rest of the humans to be killed, but is interrupted when the Númenóreans arrive on horseback. Adar gives Waldreg a task before attempting to flee; he is chased down and captured by Galadriel and Halbrand. The Númenóreans kill or capture the remaining Orcs.
Galadriel interrogates Adar, discovering that he is an Elf who was corrupted by the first Dark Lord, Morgoth, and turned into one of the first Orcs. He claims to have killed the second Dark Lord, Sauron, and is now focused on creating a home for all Orcs. A celebration is held where Halbrand is hailed as the King of the Southlands. Theo realizes that the broken sword is missing: Waldreg has it, and uses it to unlock the dam beside Ostirith. Water rushes through the Orcs' tunnels to the mountain Orodruin, entering a magma chamber beneath the mountain. The resulting pressure causes an eruption that covers the Southlands in lava, ash, and smoke.
The series is set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, thousands of years before Tolkien's The Hobbit (1937) and The Lord of the Rings. Because Amazon did not acquire the rights to Tolkien's other works where the First and Second Ages are primarily explored, the writers had to identify references to the Second Age in The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and its appendices, and create a story that bridged those passages. The first season focuses on introducing the setting and major heroic characters to the audience. Written by Nicholas Adams, Doble, Payne, and McKay, and directed by Brändström, the sixth episode is titled "Udûn".
