We've arrived at the fourth and final episode of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power's massive season 3 premiere block. Across its first three installments, season 3 largely sprawled ever outward, introducing new locations and characters with each episode. Here at last, the focus sharpens as we hit the mid-season climax, paying off several key storylines while setting the stage for an even more intriguing back half of the season to come.
As the title implies, "Gundabad" primarily centers around Galadriel (Morfydd Clark), Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova), and Marnûkh's (Adam Young) arrival at the Orc fortress, where they hope to find the last Elven smith and prevent Sauron from gaining her secrets. Several other storylines also feature heavily in this episode, providing points of closure and cliffhangers more or less across the board for the first half of the season.
FULL SPOILERS ahead for The Rings of Power season 3 episode 4.
Fell beasts and "betrayals"
"Gundabad" picks up right where episode 3 left off, with Sauron's Orcs trying to saddle a fell beast so that he can fly across Middle-earth in time to catch Galadriel. This provides Sauron (Charlie Vickers) a nice opportunity to give us a bit of lore, revealing that the fell beasts were once eagles, before the original Dark Lord, Morgoth, twisted them into the current forms. It also turns out the reason the Orcs couldn't get a saddle on the monster is because they were feeding it the wrong thing: carrion, instead of living "foul meats," as Sauron's right-hand Orc finds out to his grisly dismay.
The fell beast itself is visualy striking, especially in the close-up moment where Sauron pets its head. These creatures are utterly iconic in the on-screen Lord of the Rings history, thanks to their appearance in Peter Jackson's films, and the visual effects team did a fantastic job recreating them while putting their own eerie spin on the flying terrors for this earlier age.
With Sauron's fell beast saddled, we cut to Gundabad, where Marnûkh is leading Galadriel and Arondir into the fortress while they pretend to be his prisoners. At least is seemed like they were his prisoners, until he hands them over, they learn he's a general rather than a lowly Orc peon, and the rest of the Gundabad Orcs spirit them off in separate directions.
We learn later in the episode that this was a bit of misdirection for Marnûkh, who is actually still loyal to Galadriel and Arondir. But in the moment, it's hard to be certain, which is a testament to how well The Rings of Power constructed Marnûkh as an unpredictable gray character.
Trial by love and combat in Khazad-dûm
Episode 3 left the Dwarven political drama in Khazad-dûm by the wayside, and if I'm being honest, I didn't miss it. We're back with the Dwarves in episode 4, and this storyline continues to be my least favorite part of the season. King Durin IV (Owain Arthur) and Queen Disa (Sophia Nomvete) are dealing with the fallout of their decision to hand Marnûkh over to the Elves; namely, a bunch of angry Dwarf-Lords who think he just condemned them to enter the war with Sauron. If only they knew that Durin's brother Thráin (Eddie Marsan) was already doing the Dark Lord's will right before their eyes.
As the debate reaches a fever pitch and Durin insists the Seven Dwarven Rings must stay locked away, on account of how just one of them drove his father mad, Thráin springs his trap by asking if Durin was named heir to the throne while their father was wearing said madness-inducing Ring. The Dwarves have a law that any decrees made by a king not of sound mind are invalid, and despite the clarity of Durin III's decision to name Durin IV as his successor, the law remains firm. Thráin takes the opportunity to challenge Durin to a trial by combat for the throne.
In private, Disa fumes at the fact that Thráin has been scheming for the throne. Durin has never won a contest with his brother, because Thráin has a way of getting under his skin and flustering him as only an older brother can. Nonetheless, their conversation ends on an optimistic note. Durin faced a Balrog, after all; how much worse could Thráin be?
The answer remains to be seen. Thráin summons Disa to meet him in a tavern with his own offer: if she can convince Durin to give him the Seven Rings, he'll withdraw his claim to the throne and leave Khazad-dûm for good. It's here that the motive from Sauron starts to become clearer. Of course, the Dark Lord wants those Seven Rings, and has no doubt offered Thráin one of them in exchange for retrieving them from Durin's care. Disa, unsurprisingly, refuses — and Thráin threatens to use their history together as a way to throw Durin off his game.
Once more, The Rings of Power does something I've enjoyed immensely this season, and has people simply talk about things in a straightforward manner. Disa goes straight home — where Durin has already deduced that Sauron is backing Thráin and that he's after the Rings. She sits Durin down, and tells him that she hooked up with Thráin once many years ago when they were on a break. It's a mature conversation, and seems to bury the hatchet well enough for Durin to focus on the task ahead.
At least, that was the way things were going. Until the trial is about to start, and Durin's son, Gamli (Lee Braithwaite), tells his father that he saw Thráin standing intimately with Disa on the night he returned to Khazad-dûm. Disa doesn't get a chance to explain, and Durin immediately charges in and attacks his brother, setting himself up for failure.
The fight itself is...weird. The direction and camerwork go for a chaotic yet somewhat comedic angle, utilizing intense close-ups of the Dwarves faces as they grapple and bellow at each other. Unfortuantely, it doesn't work exceptionally well, robbing the scene of its tension in an almost comedic way. It's a shame, because there are a lot of things the scene has going for it otherwise, including some exceptional scoring from Bear McCreary and performances from Arthur and Marsan.
The ultimate resolution of the scene is compelling, if a downer. Durin is so discombobulated that Thráin manages to knock him out, securing his place as the King of the Dwarves. The fallout from this shift will spill into the back half of the season, but for now, it's enough to know that the Dwarves are now in their most precarious position yet, vulnerable to Sauron. It's worth noting, however, that Thráin had the chance to kill Durin, and pointedly chose not to; it gives me the feeling some sort of redemption may not be completely off the table for him before all's said and done.
The Valar keep their own counsel
While the Dwarves and Galadriel's prison break take up a sizable amount of the episode, "Gundabad" also moves Númenor forward marginally as well, which feels like just the right amount to not detract from everything else going on. Elendil (Lloyd Owen) rides as a prisoner in a carriage with Kemen (Leon Wadham), bound for the capital. This gives them an opportunity to actually speak, filling in some of the blanks about Kemen's parentage that explain why he isn't already Pharazôn's heir. His mother was a prostitute, and this has hung over him like a shadow at court.
Elendil surprises the young man by trying to encourage him to join the Faithful, something Kemen flatly refuses. However, his confidence is short-lived. Anárion (Andrew Richardson) soon arrives, turning the tables by freeing Elendil and capturing Kemen in his stead. I guess the Faithful weren't in that much danger from this trap, after all!
While this is a short sequence in terms of the overall episode, I really liked how it showed the valorous side of Elendil, offering his enemy a path to grace rather than being combative. Lloyd Owen remains a top-tier casting in this part; he is so believable as an ancestor of Aragorn.
As with the last episode, this serves primarily to set up storylines yet to come. But it's an intriguing turn that rather than the Faithful being at a disadvantage, it will be the King's Men, who will have to deal with the fact that Pharazôn's son is now a captive.
Elrond and Gil-galad are going on a voyage
The final storyline we have to check in with before we had back to Gundabad is the Elves. Despite the fact that the war with Sauron is at its height, The Rings of Power has largely made the keen decision to leave most of the actual battle off-screen, catching up with characters like High King Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker) during their aftermath insead. This has both saved the show's budget for more important moments, as well as given the likes of Gil-Galad and his companion, Círdan the Shipwright (Ben Daniels) better opportunities to exchange poetic dialogue rather than dole out sword blows.
Gil-galad is desperate to give the beleagured Elves a glimmer of hope that the war against Sauron can be won. And as fate would have it, the answer plops directly into his lap in the form of Elrond (Robert Aramayo), who fought his way around the Orcs in the latest battle to seek an audience with the High King. Elrond declares that it is time to ask Númenor for aid, only to discover that Gil-galad and Círdan have already done so, and had their request turned down via letter by Pharazôn.
But here's where Elrond's political savvy kicks in. Of every Elf we've met, Elrond's superpower is that he's an exceptional negotiator who understands other people and races. Where Gil-galad sees rejection, Elrond sees a veiled desire to join the war. He believes that if Gil-galad goes to Númenor in person, Pharazôn's ego will be swayed and he will sail to the Elves' defense against the armies of Rhûn and Mordor.
Of course, Gil-galad shouldn't go alone. Círdan volunteers Elrond to go with him, since he understands Men so well — and because Elrond bears an uncanny resemblance to the founder of Númenor, none other than his brother, Elros. The relationship between Elrond and Elros has been hinted at multiple times this season, and hopefully it won't be much longer before the show finally digs into the heart of it. Elrond has largely been in the background in season 3, but with a trip to Númenor on the horizon, he should have much more to do in the weeks ahead.
The escape from Gundabad
That brings us all the way back around to Gundabad, where Marnûkh promptly springs Arondir from the clutches of his Orc captors. This odd couple pairing have finally started working together, and they manage to make it at last to their destination: the cell holding Maitalle. Unfortunately, she's been dead for months, meaning they can't rescue her. Fortunately, that means she cannot tell Sauron what art of Celebrimbor's he's missing to forge his One Ring.
This surprising twist is met by another: in the cell across from Maitalle, another Elf begins speaking to them, trying to convey who he is and why they should care enough to rescue him. It's none other than Celeborn (Jamie Campbell Bower), Galadriel's husband! But Arondir has no idea who that is, and he nearly leaves Celeborn to rot in his cell so they can make good their escape. Celeborn, however, is a very useful friend to have. He knows all the secrets of the prison, even those Marnûkh is unaware of, thanks to his years-long absence. This finally convinces Arondir to free the other Elf.
Despite being a prisoner for centuries, Bower infuses Celeborn with an almost child-like energy. Every line reading, the little glances and gestures and facial ticks, it all feels so fun. Celeborn's presence is like an immediate breath of fresh air for the show, which is made all the stronger when he and Galadriel come face-to-face for the first time in so long.
Their tentative reunion is cut short, however, by the need to escape. The party fights its way to the roof of Gundabad, evading Orcs and Nazgnagôl, so that Galadriel can set off a signal for the Prince of the Eagles, Landroval, to come get them. Between this appearance and the fell beast, I'm loving how much the eagles are featuring in this episode.
The final fight on the roof is another thrilling one, solidifying the Gundabad escape as one of the better action sequences of the season so far. The Elves and Marnûkh seem as though they'll fight their way to freedom...until a Nazgnagôl appears. He cuts down Marnûkh, approaching like an unstoppable tide of steel and darkness. Rather than flee, Arondir holds his ground, preparing to buy the rest time to escape.
It's then that The Rings of Power drops its big, mid-season gut punch. The Nazgnagôl tries to warn him away, before removing his mask, revealing Theo (Tyroe Muhafidin) beneath. Theo is a full-fledged Ring-servant now, with terrifying strength and an unbreakable bond to the Dark Lord. In spite of this, it almost feels like Arondir might get through to him. But then Sauron joins them, ordering Theo to kill, and the young Nazgnagôl does so without hestiation, unable to resist such a direct command from the Dark Lord.
Arondir's death and the appearance of Sauron jolts Celeborn into action. He grabs the screaming Galadriel, and they leap off the building and onto Landroval's back. The eagle carries them away, while Sauron watches on the roof. Behind him, Arondir bleeds out on the cold stone, while the camera takes a long, final zoom on the Elf's face.
While not a character from Tolkien's legendarium, Arondir has been a key part of The Rings of Power since the very start, where he was simply a love-struck Elf scout in the Southlands, trying to find a way to be with a human woman, Bronwyn — Theo's mother. He represents the single biggest character death of the series, wiping out a key player who has been along for the entire journey so far. It's hard to imagine The Rings of Power without him.
Verdict
"Gundabad" is a strong way to end the first half of The Rings of Power season 3, as well as the show's opening block of episodes. From its thrilling action to Celeborn finally entering the scene, things coming to a head in Khazad-dûm, and the Elves and Númenóreans setting up for the future, there's a lot going for this episode. The death of Arondir and reveal of Theo the Ring-servant serve as a fitting capstone, driving home that we've truly reached a point of no return in the series as the conflict with Sauron moves ever closer to the day where he succeeds in his goal of forging the One Ring. With these four episodes behind us, we have plenty to chew over until episodes 5 and 6 premiere next week.
Episode grade: B+
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