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The fourth episode, Gundabad, tightens the plot in an episode that both shocks and surprises. The production values remain exceptional, the performances reach new heights, and the narrative decisions carry real weight. What unfolds inside the icy stronghold of Gundabad delivers spectacle, character depth, and a sense of irreversible change that will affect the series going forward.
The episode opens with Sauron preparing to pursue his quarry. His orcs struggle to saddle a fell beast, a creature once an eagle twisted by Morgoth into its current monstrous form. The scene is brief but insightful, showing the Dark Lord’s impatience and the casual cruelty he directs towards those who fail him. One unfortunate lieutenant is fed to the beast when it refuses dead flesh and demands living prey. Charlie Vickers continues to inhabit the role with quiet menace, every measured word and glance underscoring the calculated evil that drives the story forward.
Meanwhile, Galadriel, Arondir and the orc Marnûkh arrive at the fortress of Gundabad under the classic ruse of a jailer and his prisoners. Marnûkh’s status as a general rather than a common soldier is revealed early, creating immediate tension. The fortress itself is in stark contrast to the Elven and human structures: cold stone corridors, dripping ice, flickering torches and the constant presence of orcs create an atmosphere of dread that never lets up. The group’s objective is the Elven smith Maitalle, believed to hold knowledge that Sauron requires to complete the One Ring. Their hopes are dashed almost at once when they discover she has been dead for weeks.
Yet in the neighbouring cell there is a surprise. Out of the shadows steps Celeborn, Galadriel’s long lost husband, played with quiet intensity and light humour by Jamie Campbell Bower. The reunion between husband and wife is handled with restraint and genuine feeling. Years of separation, grief and uncertainty fall away in a few charged moments. Morfydd Clark conveys Galadriel’s shock, relief and lingering guilt with remarkable subtlety. The scene avoids melodrama and instead offers a quiet reconnection amid the surrounding darkness.
The escape that follows cranks up the tension. Marnûkh proves more complex than his initial appearance suggested, aiding the elves even as suspicion lingers. The action sequences inside the fortress are swift and brutal. Arrows fly and blades clash as the heroes try to fight their way to the roof of the fortress. Ismael Cruz Córdova brings physical grace and emotional commitment to Arondir’s every movement. The character has always been defined by loyalty and quiet strength, qualities that now face their ultimate test.
Meanwhile, in Khazad-dûm the struggle for the throne reaches a decisive point. Thráin bests Durin in combat and seizes power, tilting the Dwarves closer to Sauron’s influence. The political manoeuvring is grounded in personal history and ambition, giving the mountain scenes real stakes. Owain Arthur and Eddie Marsan deliver performances full of wounded pride and calculation. The marriage of Durin and Disa continues to provide some of the series’ most affecting quiet moments, even as external pressures threaten to tear it apart.
Among the Elves the leadership of Elrond, Gil galad and Círdan gathers in measured discussion over the pressing need to seek aid from Númenor. The conversation carries the weight of long experience and careful calculation as the three consider the dwindling strength of their own forces against the growing reach of Sauron. The island kingdom itself stands deeply divided, its once proud unity fractured by competing visions of the future. Ar Pharazôn confronts determined internal resistance from the Faithful, a faction that has taken his son as a prisoner in a bold act of defiance. That capture creates a significant distraction at a moment when focused attention on the wider threat might have altered the course of events. These threads receive only brief appearances within the episode yet they serve an essential purpose, showing that the conflict with Sauron has extended its influence into every corner of the known world and that no realm remains untouched by the spreading darkness.
The climax of the episode returns to Gundabad. As the group reaches a high platform and a Great Eagle approaches, a Nazgnagôl appears and cuts down Marnûkh. The masked figure removes its helmet to reveal Theo, now grown and bound to one of the Nine Rings. Tyroe Muhafidin plays the moment with a mixture of residual humanity and emerging darkness. Arondir refuses to abandon the young man he once protected. He pleads with Theo to remove the ring and leave with him. For a heartbeat it seems possible. Then Sauron appears. The command is simple and final. Theo obeys and runs Arondir through with his sword.
The death is shocking due to the shows attention to their shared history, of Arondir’s protective instincts and Theo’s slow corruption under Númenórean oppression and Sauron’s offer of power. The camera holds on Arondir’s lifeless eyes as snow begins to fall. Ismael Cruz Córdova’s final moments are among the most affecting in the series. Celeborn forces Galadriel over the edge. The eagle carries them away while Sauron and Theo remain on the roof above the fallen elf. You feel the weight of the loss without it having to be hammer home. Arondir’s arc has always centred on protection and connection across races. His refusal to abandon Theo, even after the young man has become an instrument of darkness, is consistent and heartbreaking. The episode allows that consistency to carry the emotional force.
Characters make choices that cannot be undone. Alliances shift. Power changes hands. A relationship that once offered hope ends in irreversible violence. The episode doesn’t rush it’s choices. It allows each beat to land fully, with the performances and the accumulated history of the series making it all work. The balance of power in Middle-earth has shifted. Galadriel has regained her husband but lost an important allieally. Sauron has secured another servant and eliminated a persistent threat. The Dwarves stand closer to the Dark Lord than the Elves. The Elves prepare to seek help that may not come easily.
This is a high point for the series. The direction, the script, the performances, and the production design all working together. The episode ends on a note of genuine loss tempered by the slim possibility of future resistance. The story of the Second Age continues with renewed urgency and deeper shadows, and this episode marks a significant turning point that will resonate through everything that follows.
Where to watch The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power – Season 3, Episode 3: Gundabad: