Rings of Power episode 6 recap: Adar's war erupts in the Southlands

Meanwhile, the Silvan elf Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova) tries to protect the Southlanders hiding at the Watchtower as the armies of Orcs serving the evil Adar (Joseph Mawle) approach.

Will any of them survive the onslaught to come? Here is what you need to know about The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power episode 6, Udûn. Be warned, spoilers lie ahead...

Rings of Power episode 6 recap: Udûn

In the Southlands, Adar rummages through the soil and says: "New Life. In defiance of death."

Adar then speaks to rouse his followers in a speech and begins leading his army of Orcs and treacherous Men towards the Watchtower.

Reaching the fortress, Adar enters through the door with ease and finds the place seemingly deserted. Smelling the presence of Arondir, Adar orders the Orcs to search.

As they search, Arondir fires an arrow which triggers an explosion in the Watchtower itself which then collapses on top of the Orcs inside the fortress.

The tower's collapse also crushes many of the Orc family marching up the mountain to the Watchtower.

The Southlanders watch with glee as the plan worked, then make their way back to the village of Tirharad to prepare for a further battle against the surviving Orcs.

Meanwhile, Isildur awakens and feeds his horse on his father's ship from Númenor before walking up onto the deck as the sun rises. Elendil's son is then approached by Galadriel who encourages him to have humility as he reveals his desire to get away from what Númenor has become.

The pair discuss the approaching arrival on Middle-Earth and the battle that awaits them there, with Galadriel noting his likeness to his father. Isildur comments that he had been told he looks like his mother. Elendil then approaches and Isildur goes indoors. Galadriel asks Elendil about Isildur's mother and he reveals that she drowned.

In the cabin, Elendil offers an update to Queen Regent Míriel on their estimated time of arrival on Middle-earth.

In Tirharad, Theo (Tyroe Muhafidin) watches as Arondir leaves Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi) to hide the Hilt that Adar seeks, having been unable to destroy it.

Arondir and Bronwyn lead the villagers in preparing for the attack as many take positions around the community, while Theo stands guard for the elderly and young inside the tavern. Before they take up their tasks, Theo asks Bronwyn to tell him what she used to do when he was young and scared. She replies: "In the end, this shadow is but a small and passing thing. There is light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach. Find the light and the shadow will not find you."

As darkness arrives, the Orcs soon arrive with it and Bronwyn manages to start a fire, after a violent encounter with an Orc, in a cart that then rolls down into the village and hits some of the Orcs. After this, Arondir and archers take aim at the other Orcs after further fires trap them.

Some of the trapped Orcs fire back and one very large Orc attacks Arondir directly in brutal one-on-one combat. Arondir appears in direct danger of being killed, but Bronwyn comes to his aid and kills his attacker.

The Southlanders are victorious over the Orcs until further enemies arrive to attack, led by Adar. Many of the Southlanders are killed and some wounded, including Bronwyn, as they flee inside the tavern.

A scared Theo is forced to aid Arondir in healing Bronwyn's arrow wound as they remove the dagger and cauterise her injury.

Eventually, the Orcs make their way in the tavern and threaten the lives of the people inside - unless Arondir hands over the Hilt. When Bronwyn's life is threatened, Theo reveals the location of the Hilt and hands it over to Adar.

As all hope appears lost, a rumbling is heard as Galadriel and Halbrand lead the army of Númenor into the village and mercilessly attack the Orc hordes. Before the soldiers arrive, Adar gives the treacherous Soutlander named Waldreg (Geoff Morrell) a task.

Inside the tavern, Arondir also begins to fight back as the battle soon turns against the Orcs' favour.

Amidst the fighting, Elendil's life is endangered but, with the blessing of the Queen Regent, Isildur enters the fray and saves his father.

Galadriel also spots Adar as he flees the battle on horseback into a forest and she gives chase after Arondir warns her that Adar cannot escape with the weapon he has. Halbrand chases after Adar too, with a spear in hand.

As Galadriel speaks to her horse to gain pace and catch up with Adar, Halbrand approaches from the opposite direction and manages to trip up Adar's horse, propelling the corrupted Elf to the ground.

As Adar reaches for the hilt, Halbrand then drives his spear through Adar's hand and asks: "You remember me?"

Adar denies that he does recall Halbrand who then pulls his spear up and prepares to kill Adar before Galadriel stops him, commenting that they need him alive.

Halbrand comments that she doesn't know what he did, to which Adar asks if he caused pain to someone Halbrand loves, suspecting a woman or a child. An emotional Halbrand backs down after encouragement from Galadriel.

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Back in the village, some of the Orcs are chained as Isildur, Ontamo (Anthony Crum) and Valandil (Alex Tarrant) comment on the not-so-glamorous nature of Middle-earth and war. Ontamo notes that he has had enough of war for a lifetime and would rather help the Southlanders rebuild, while Valandil and Isildur plan to join Galadriel's company to track down the Orcs which escaped.

Inside a barn, Galadriel interrogates a chained Adar, noting that he is a corrupted Elf who served Morgoth and was the first of the Orcs. Adar comments that he is one of the Uruk. Galadriel asks Adar where Sauron is, to which Adar scoffs as he does not serve the Dark Lord.

Galadriel threatens to bring the captive Orcs into the sunlight, prompting Adar to reveal that after Morgoth's defeat, Sauron devoted himself to healing Middle-earth, bringing the ruined lands together in perfect order. Adar claims that Sauron sought to craft a power, not of the flesh, but in the unseen world.

Adar claimed that Sauron failed as there was a shadow of dark knowledge that kept itself hidden from him, despite the lives sacrificed, including Adar's "children". The corrupted Elf then claims that he "split open" Sauron and killed him. Galadriel does not believe that he defeated Sauron. Adar makes clear that the Orcs will soon have a home and the Southlands will soon be theirs.

Galadriel denies that Adar will succeed, calling the Orcs a mistake and a "mockery", vowing to eradicate the species and leave Adar alive until last to witness all of his offspring die. Adar comments that Galadriel is also an Elf who has been corrupted by darkness, noting that her search for Morgoth's successor should have ended with her own mirror.

These comments prompt Galadriel to threaten to kill him but she is halted by Halbrand. Adar calls Galadriel an Uruk, too. Galadriel departs with the Hilt before Adar asks Halbrand who he is. Halbrand is silent before leaving.

Near the forest, Galadriel sits with her blade before she is approached by Halbrand and they note how they pulled each other back. Galadriel tells Halbrand to be free of his past and he believes he can be after fighting beside her for the Southlands. Halbrand is then summoned by the Queen Regent.

In the village, the Southlanders celebrate their victory while Bronwyn is introduced to Míriel and they note the success they have both found. Míriel then introduces Bronwyn to Halbrand and the medic notes his necklace with the symbol of the Southlanders' monarchy. She asks Halbrand if he is the king that the Southland was promised. After hesitation, Halbrand confirms that he is. Bronwyn then loudly hails Halbrand, King of the Southlands.

After this moment, Galadriel hands the Hilt back to Arondir who approaches Theo, tormented by both delivering the Hilt into Adar's hands and also mourning the loss of it for himself. Arondir hands the Hilt to Theo, encouraging him to hand it over to the Númenoreans to toss into the sea on the way back home.

However, when Arondir departs, Theo unwraps the blanket the Hilt was inside and finds a plain wooden axe in its place.

Then, in the ruins of the Watchtower, we see that Waldreg is in possession of the real Hilt which transforms into a smoking sword before he inserts it into a slot in the stone and turns it.

This prompts the dam near the fortress to open up and huge swathes of water to flood down from above into the Southlands. The mass of water flows through the tunnels built by Adar's armies and devastates the land further.

Meanwhile, in the village, Elendil speaks to Isildur about how to speak to his horse and reveals he learned how to communicate with them because of Isildur's mother.

The pair and the entirety of those in the village note an intense rumbling before water begins to burst up from the wells and tunnels beneath the village.

Inside the barn, a chained Adar places his ear to the ground as the water rages through the tunnels beneath.

The water soon travels all the way through to a volcano and plunges down into the molten lava inside and the resulting pressure prompts a huge eruption which flings flames and rocks down upon the village.

Elendil races to protect the Queen Regent as Isildur searches for his horse, as many present are hit by the flying debris. Arondir and Bronwyn search for Theo, as Queen Regent Míriel and King Halbrand encourage everyone to flee.

A horrified Galadriel stands and watches as the smoke, ash and fire approach. Inside the barn, Adar is shown to have escaped.

Outside, Galadriel closes her eyes as she is engulfed by the eruption.

Verdict

Well, that was one of the most epic pieces of television in years.

As well as offering the blockbuster experience of the battle for the Southlands, we were also treated to stunning visual effects as a volcanic eruption devastated the lands and placed the entire cast present in grave danger.

The episode wisely only concentrated on the characters involved in the key battle, leaving aside the storyline with the Harfoots and The Stranger, along with Elrond's mission with Prince Durin IV.

We finally got some added texture and explanation regarding the mysterious Adar, with Joseph Mawle putting in a suitably malevolent but understated turn as the villain.

The highlight was his scene with Galadriel, played by a venomous but conflicted Morfydd Clark, as we saw that darkness can take many shapes and forms and vengeance is certainly one of them.

Despite the celebratory tone of Halbrand's informal coronation, we have to wonder what his mysterious past still is and what the connection with Adar is. Could he still be Sauron and the events he alludes to when speaking to Adar were the latter's apparent killing of the Dark Lord? Only time will tell.

It seems that despite the great efforts of our heroes, Adar's plan has succeeded and he has devastated the Southlands with volcanic turmoil, with help from pesky Waldreg.

Now, what will remain and who survives is the next question. What has the villainous Adar just created?

There are many questions as to where the series will go next and which characters will be along for the ride, but we will have to wait and see after that devastating cliffhanger to The Rings of Power's best episode yet.

Read more on The Rings of Power:

• Rings of Power release schedule: When are Lord of the Rings episodes out?
• How to watch The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies in order
• Who plays Sauron in The Rings of Power? Theories on Lord of the Rings villain
• Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power review – Dazzling prequel doesn't let Tolkien fans down
• What is Valinor in Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power?
• Who is Morgoth in Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power?
• Who is Galadriel’s brother? Meet Finrod actor Will Fletcher
• Who is Elrond actor Robert Aramayo in The Rings of Power?
• What is the Second Age of Middle-earth? Rings of Power timeline explained

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