Summary: Aethelwulf is defeated and he retreats. Ecbert renounces his crown to Aethelwulf and stays behind while the others leave. The Vikings attack Ecbert’s villa and capture him. Bjorn agrees to let Ecbert die his own way and in exchange the Vikings are granted land to farm. Ecbert kills himself. Tanaruz kills Helga. Ivar wants to lead raids and kills Sigurd in a heated argument.
The Good: Linus Roache puts in a really good performance here, and he pretty much saves the episode. His farewells to his family were surprisingly touching, and I did feel something when Ecbert died. I like that Ecbert, much like Ragnar, got to play one last con on his way out since his word means nothing now that Aethelwulf is the real king. The Bad: The show is still pretty boring. The conflicts that have risen up in the wake of Ragnar’s death have all been shallow and uninteresting and that remains true to this episode. Floki’s confusion is a horrible story because we’re given no context for why he feels this way. Helga’s death is a perfectly stupid end to the horribel Tanaruz storyline. The moment has no impact because the storyline leading up to Helga’s death is atrocious. Furthermore, her last words are useless and fall under every trope you can think of. Ecbert’s story is still problematic. For one, the show throws all logic out the window by having Ecbert fluently speak with the sons of Ragnar somehow (a perfect example of how little care is put into this show now). But more importantly, it’s unfathomable to me how Bjorn is fine with killing Ecbert with him being the only person who can verify that the deal to give the Vikings land was actually made. With Ecbert dead, it would be really easy for the Englishmen to go against the decree that was made and attack the Vikings anyways. Sigurd’s death was a real shock but it had no emotional impact at all. For one I hardly knew anything about Sigurd. I didn’t even know he loved to play music until this scene! The show has done a laughably poor job of developing the sons of Ragnar so that this moment can mean something. The Unknown: Who is the new character introduced at the end? What happens in the wake of Sigurd’s death? I really don’t care to get any of these questions answered honestly. I’m done with this show. Best Moment: Ecbert’s death. Character of the Episode: Ecbert. Conclusion: This season finale was just like every other episode since Ragnar died. It was simple, boring, and gave me no reason at all to care about what was happening. After watching how pitiful these last 5 episodes were without Ragnar, I’m done with the show. There is no reason to keep watching, and I have no reason to think that the show will improve from here. For more thoughts on why I’m dropping the show and for my overall thoughts on season 4, click here for my review of season 4. Score: 51
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Summary: Egil attacks Kattegat but is defeated. Egil reveals that Harald sent him. In England, Harald kills Vik. Ellisif tries to kill him but Halfdan kills her. Aethelwulf leads an army to fight the Vikings. Ivar convinces Bjorn to tactically scout the battlefield. The Vikings position themselves in an advantageous position and prepare to battle Aethelwulf.
The Good: The one thing that this show still does well is action. The battle sequences in this episode were really good. I especially liked the twist that the Repton attack was all part of Ivar’s plan. The reveal was really well done, and was the only moment in this episode that invested me in the drama. The Bad: There are way too many scenes with the Englishmen in this episode. It’s harder to invest in the Vikings’ storyline when we spend such little time with them. Instead we get our time wasted with boring scenes in Wessex. The show is a melodramatic mess right now. Every storyline is flat and simplistic and provides nothing more than cheap thrills. Helga’s story remains perplexing and stupid. The Harald thing feels right out of a soap opera, just with some gratuitous violence when Vik and Ellisif die. The attack of Kattegat is difficult to invest in and has no emotional stakes whatsoever. The Torvi death fake-out was an incredibly cheap moment that highlights how desperate the show is to try to keep its audience watching with Ragnar gone. The Unknown: Is Lagertha going to fight Harald now? How will she respond when he returns? Who will win the ending battle? I noticed that the Vikings are standing in the mud. Was that another intentional tactical play made by Ivar? Best Moment: The reveal that Ivar intended for Aethelwulf’s army to go for Repton. This is why we need more scenes with Ivar, but the show hasn’t focused nearly enough on him. Character of the Episode: Ivar. Conclusion: This episode had some fun action, but the storytelling continues to be flat and uninspired. This is another weak and disappointing episode. Score: 52 Summary: Bjorn declares he will lead the army. Ubbe marries Margrethe but agrees to share her with Hvitserk. Harald meets his princess again but finds she has married someone else. Aethelwulf confronts Ecbert about being a bad father and king. The great army arrives in England and defeats Aelle’s forces. Aelle is killed via blood eagle by Bjorn.
The Good: The scene between Ecbert and Aethelwulf was really good, and the acting on display here stole the show. I like the idea of Ecbert facing up to his mistakes, becoming overcome with doubt after living such a self-absorbed life. It parallels how Ragnar drastically changed as he got older. Seeing Aelle die brutally was always going to be satisfying, and the final visual of Aelle’s body hung up over Ragnar’s grave was excellent. The Bad: This was incredibly rushed. I was so disappointed to get nothing from the great army. We didn’t see what went in to assemble this huge host or any of the deals that had to be made with the Earls and Kings to get them together. Furthermore, Ragnar was not well-liked when he died, so surely there would be resistance to avenging him. But the show ignores these ideas and lazily spawns a massive host of Vikings without even giving us a sense of how many there are. Worse is how the show is handling the sons of Ragnar. These are the characters that should be fleshed out in the wake of Ragnar’s death to keep us invested in the show. Instead they are hardly developed and given no time in this episode. All we see from them is a terrible storyline where Ubbe decides to share Margrethe in Hvitserk, and Bjorn and Ivar arguing in a storyline that felt like an afterthought. The invasion of England also sucked. We don’t even see the invasion from the perspective of the Vikings, so I felt like an outsider as they extracted their revenge. Cutting the battle out was a terrible choice, and it made Aelle’s death fall flat emotionally. There should have been so much more to Aelle’s fall, but instead it was rushed. I was also perplexed by the directing as we never got to see any shots that compared the scale of both armies, making it difficult for me to understand how badly outmatched Aelle was. Harald’s storyline is bad. It's been so long since his introduction that I no longer care about him at all. His story bored me, and the character is entirely unengaging. The sacrifice scene was also underwhelming. It’s nothing new for the show, and meaningless brutality is not a replacement for storytelling. The Unknown: Is Lagerthe okay with Astrid and Bjorn having sex? Why? Will the great army be able to overcome Wessex? Best Moment: The final visual of Aelle’s dead body. Character of the Episode: Ecbert. Conclusion: This episode was rushed and disappointing. The show has failed to build its characters after Ragnar’s death, and the emotional payoff of the Vikings getting revenge was non-existent. This episode has made me want to stop the show after season 4 if this is all we are going to get. Score: 44 Summary: Rollo goes back to Paris. Bjorn returns to Kattegat and stops Ivar and Ubbe from seeking vengeance on Lagertha. Harald and Halfdan meet Egil and plot with him. The Vikings assemble an army to go to England. Judith warns Aelle to prepare for the impending attack.
The Good: Rollo being sent back to Paris was fine television, and I’m curious to see what’s next for him. Ecbert’s scene with Alfred was pretty good, mostly thanks to Linus Roache. Ivar and Floki’s relationship is fun to see and their interactions were the highlight of the episode. The Bad: Much of this episode was really weak. The best scenes were mostly flat, and there was not much emotion here. The character conflicts are simplistic and melodramatic. Bjorn’s problems with Torvi are not interesting to watch, and the final scene when he goes to Astrid made me roll my eyes. I’m tired of “Vikings” being so melodramatic. Ivar and Ubbe looking for revenge on Lagertha is probably the best storyline, but it has a stupid ending with Bjorn returning with conveniently perfect timing and somehow stopping Ubbe and Ivar with one line of dialogue. What a weak resolution. Bjorn’s arrival destroyed all of the tension that had been built up. Ivar tried to kill Sigurd in this episode, and surely this should be a much bigger deal than it was treated as. Again, the dialogue in this episode is terrible. Without Travis Fimmel’s acting talents, the poor dialogue is more noticeable than ever and it detracts from every single scene. The Unknown: What is Egil going to do? Will Harald and Halfdan ever have something of significance to do? Best Moment: Floki showing Ivar the chariot. Character of the Episode: Ivar. Conclusion: This was a flat transitional episode with weak character work and conflicts. The show is already suffering from Ragnar’s absence. Score: 47 Summary: Ivar declares he will kill Lagertha. Bjorn’s group raids in Spain on the way to the Mediterranean. Helga kidnaps a child and wants to adopt her. The sons of Ragnar learn of their father’s death.
The Good: It’s far too late, but at least Lagertha acknowledges how Kattegat has no defenses and does something about it. I really liked Ivar’s challenge for Lagertha. Despite being a cripple, Ivar is an imposing threat, and the Seer confirming that Lagertha will be killed by a son of Ragnar only adds to the tension of this story. The Mediterranean raid is classic “Vikings” with plenty of violence. It’s still really good television to see the protagonists of this story murdering innocents. The style of the show is still superb. The temple sequence with Floki, the ending sequence and Lagertha seeing Ragnar were really nicely shot scenes. The Bad: The new direction with Floki and Helga is really bad. Are we seriously supposed to believe that Floki respects the Islam religion? That is nothing like the Floki we know. Also what happened to his story of becoming the next Seer? This new storyline feels right out of nowhere and is inconsistent with Floki’s character. Helga’s story is even worse. Apparently she waits for 10 years before telling Floki she wants another child. He initially refuses and instead of continuing to convince him, she decides to kidnap a muslim child who doesn’t even speak their language? What the hell? That’s the stupidest thing I’ve seen in this show so far. Lagertha and Astrid are a terrible couple. Astrid is a shallow character and it feels like this relationship only exists for the sake of having gay characters in the show. I’m not sure if I’m missing something about Islam, but will they all seriously continue praying if the leader gets decapitated in the temple? Not one person freaks out? Really? The ending sequence with the avatar of Odin appearing was well shot, but the show got too cute with this idea. Whenever the show outright acknowledges the existence of gods it feels out of place and cheesy. This is one of those cases; the scene is too much. The Unknown: How will Aethelwulf prepare for the impending invasion? Will Floki appreciate Islam? Is the show setting up for Harald and Halfdan to turn against Floki and Helga? Which son of Ragnar will kill Lagertha? When will it happen? Was the guy at the end the reincarnation of Odin or somebody else? Best Moment: The Mediterranean raid. The Ivar/Lagertha scene is close, but the show’s poor dialogue brings it down. Character of the Episode: Lagertha. Conclusion: This episode had a pretty equal mix of good and bad. It’s an okay episode in the end. Score: 57 Summary: Ragnar tells Ivar he must seek vengeance on Aelle and Ecbert. Ivar is sent home. Ragnar is taken to Aelle in a cage. Aelle tortures Ragnar. Ecbert walks in secret to witness Ragnar’s death. Ragnar gives a final speech and is killed by being thrown into a snake pit. Ivar returns to Kattegat with news of Ragnar’s death and learns of Aslaug’s death.
The Good: Ragnar’s death has finally arrived and it was handled superbly. The episode was directed magnificently, with excellent editing, cinematography, music and acting. This was a superbly presented episode. Emotionally, it delivered too. Ragnar’s final scene with Ivar was really good, and the reveal that Ragnar still wants revenge on Ecbert is fascinating. Ragnar views Ecbert as a friend still (why else comfort him with knowledge of Athelstan choosing the Christian god), but even then he can’t forgive what happened to his settlement. Having Ecbert witness Ragnar’s death was a fantastic choice and added to the power of the moment. You can feel Ecbert’s sorrow as he watches his friend die, but Ragnar’s look sends another message to us. Once again, Ragnar is a few steps ahead of his opposition, a fitting final bit of triumph for the character as he dies. I also really enjoyed how this episode treated Ragnar’s faith. He has always had visions beyond that of his peers, and it manifests here when he admits to not believing in the existence of any god. The hallucination of the seer was a brilliant scene with a lot of layers to it. It also added complexity to Ragnar’s final speech as he says words that he no longer believes to ensure that he will be avenged. The character writing for Ragnar in these last five episodes has been terrific. His death was really powerful. Ragnar’s eye (nice parallel to Odin with Ragnar’s one eye being shut) glowed bright blue as it did back in the early seasons, adding that extra bit of emotion as he closed his eyes for the final time. It’s also lovely to see Ragnar becoming a martyr in death, a nice callback to him never understanding what a martyr was when talking with Athelstan. I wonder if he has figured it out now. The Bad: The final few scenes of the episode feel out of place. It is important to build for the future, but this was Ragnar’s episode and it should have ended with his death. Ecbert walking all the way to Ragnar’s execution is entirely unbelievable. There’s no way this would have happened. However, Ecbert’s presence did add a lot more emotion to Ragnar’s death, so it doesn’t bother me much. Again, this is a dialogue-heavy episode so there are a few cheesy lines. The Unknown: Who is the one-eyed guy heading to Kattegat? What will happen now with the sons of Ragnar seeking revenge for both of their parents? Best Moment: Ragnar’s speech and death. Character of the Episode: Ragnar obviously. He had a magnificent death. Conclusion: This was the best episode of the show and I doubt it will ever be topped. Ragnar’s death was handled perfectly and respectfully, getting the most emotion and depth out of the character’s final days. I’m uncertain about the future of this show without Ragnar, but I have to say, Ragnar’s final arc was brilliantly executed and provided the best television of the entire series. Score: 73 Summary: Lagertha kills Aslaug and takes over Kattegat. Sigurd and Ubbe find out and are angry. Ragnar and Ivar are apprehended and Ragnar is caged. Ecbert returns and he spends the night talking with Ragnar. In the end Ragnar convinces Ecbert to give him over to Aelle and to let Ivar go.
The Good: This was all about the relationship between Ragnar and Ecbert and it was brilliant. Their scenes together were the best the show has ever done. These two have such a fascinating relationship. They are the only ones of their respective people who are capable of seeing past the blidn norms of their religion and asking questions, so they have this respect and admiration for each other that they can share with nobody else. And yet Ecbert did betray Ragnar so they are still bitter enemies. The love/hate relationship that they have is unlike any you will see on television and it is explored beautifully in this episode. Spending a whole episode on them talking about things was unexpectedly powerful, and it was a rare dialogue-filled episode that I thought was written decently well. But what really made this work were the performances from Travis Fimmel and Linus Roache. Both characters look so old and weathered down as they have aged, and they add so much to every moment. It is fascinating to see two men past their prime reflecting on their life, their beliefs and their future. These interactions had a spark that you don’t often see in television. I believed that Ragnar still cared about Ecbert despite his actions, and I believed that Ecbert did not wish to kill Ragnar. The emotion was there for this episode. I also really liked Ragnar meeting Alfred and immediately knowing he was Athelstan’s son. Aethelwulf telling Ragnar he doesn’t like him was a hilarious callback to when Ragnar told Aethelwulf the same thing in season 3. The Bad: Lagertha killing Aslaug was a surprise, but it completely fell flat. I explained in the last episode why this storyline hasn’t worked, and the flaws continue into this episode. Sigurd and Ubbe are boring characters so far so I don’t care about their revenge. Again, “Vikings” is not a show with great dialogue so there are bound to be several sloppy lines in an episode as dialogue-heavy as this one. The Unknown: Will Ubbe and Sigurd still seek revenge? What happens now with Lagertha in power? What was the point of Magnus if he’s not Ragnar’s son? Will Ragnar’s plan work out or will Ivar and the others seek vengeance on Ecbert anyways? Why didn’t Ragnar tell Ecbert about Athelstan picking the Christian god before he died? Will this be the end of Ragnar? Best Moment: Ecbert and Ragnar talking about the ridiculous nature of Valhalla and Heaven, and then the conversation turning to Athelstan. The scenes were beautifully written and acted. There is a ton of analysis you could do on these interactions that I unfortunately do not have time to do in this review. Character of the Episode: Ragnar and Ecbert both. Conclusion: This was a great episode, one of the show’s finest. The Lagertha story was still awful which brings this down, but everything in Wessex was terrific, easily the best television this show has produced so far. Ragnar’s death feels inevitable now so all of his scenes are packed with emotion. I’m excited to see how the show sends off its best character. Score: 68 Summary: Ragnar and Ivar wash up in England. They kill the remaining raiders and go to Ecbert’s villa on foot. Bjorn’s group makes it to Rollo and Bjorn asks for safe passage. They are imprisoned at first but Rollo lets them pass and chooses to go with them. Lagertha attacks Kattegat.
The Good: This half season has been the Ragnar-Ivar show. Their storyline in this episode is outstanding, and their interactions are a blast to watch. In just three episodes, these two have one of the best relationships of the entire show. They have a really funny dynamic and their banter is really nicely written. It’s also great to see Ragnar come around on the son he once tried to kill, accepting that Ivar is the son that is most like him. This is the kind of relationship I’ve wanted to see from Ragnar/Bjorn for a long time. Meaningful storytelling mixed with fun familial banter. Rollo’s return is an exciting development, and it’s interesting to see him interact with his former friends. It should be fun to see what happens now that Rollo has joined up with the Vikings on their journey. The Bad: Lagertha’s sudden hate for Aslaug feels so forced and unbelievable. I’m not enjoying this storyline at all. I hate seeing Lagertha attack Kattegat. If she wants to rule these people, why is she killing them? Furthermore, does she think they will just accept her now? These people were happy under Aslaug’s rule and killing them would turn them against her. Lagertha was ruling almost 20 years ago and Kattegat has expanded substantially. Hardly anybody will remember her. Furthermore, how does Lagertha launch a surprise attack? Does Kattegat have no defenses? Was it really only Ubbe and Sigurd that Lagertha had to worry about? That’s bad writing. The deterioration of Rollo's relationship with Gisla was bad. The dialogue was atrocious, there was no emotion, and it was very rushed. The Unknown: What will Ecbert do when he meets Ragnar again? What will Ragnar’s fate be? What will come of the showdown between Lagertha and Aslaug. Will the Vikings accept Rollo in this journey? Best Moment: Ragnar telling Ivar he is special and admitting that he was wrong. Character of the Episode: Ragnar and Ivar, they were a single unit in this episode. Conclusion: The scenes in England were some of the best that the show has ever done, but their effect was dampened by the weaknesses everywhere else. That being said, this is still a solid episode. Score: 63 Summary: Ragnar is not loved anymore so he has to bribe people to join him on his raid. Harald and Halfdan arrive to join Bjorn. Lagertha comes to Kattegat and tells Aslaug she plans to overthrow her. Ragnar and Ivar go on the raid but their ships are capsized in a storm.
The Good: As usual, Ragnar’s story is the best part of the episode. It’s great to see him come to terms with being despised by everyone, and it’s sad to see him turn to bribes to get what he wants. Seeing him give away his buried treasure is quite sad, and it suggests to us, like his comments to Floki in the last episode, that he either knows he’s not going to Valhalla or he no longer believes in it. Ragnar also has an excellent scene with Aslaug as he expresses gratitude and tries to do what he can to atone for his poor treatment of her. Ivar is a compelling character with a lot of nuances. On one hand, it’s easy to support a determined cripple, but on the other hand, he’s also a bit of a psychopath. Add in a crippling fear of water that makes him seem like just a scared child, and he’s a surprisingly complicated character. The storm sequence was really nicely shot and was a good spectacle. The Bad: Obviously Ragnar and Ivar aren’t dead so the cliffhanger ending doesn’t work. Ragnar’s farewell to Bjorn felt shockingly empty. The show has consistently let down this relationship, and it couldn’t even get much emotion out of what’s probably their last scene together. I’m not a fan of Sigurd, the character is annoying and petty, and we’re given no reason to like him. Margrethe suddenly backpedals as a character. She was manipulative last episode but now she’s just a scared cliche of a character. The Lagertha/Aslaug story is awful. Why is Lagertha suddenly so hateful of her? Where did this come from? Why is she suddenly so determined to get Kattegat back after something like 15-20 years? And why on Earth would she telegraph her plans to Aslaug? This story didn’t get much time but it still managed to have a boatload of stupidity. The Unknown: Will Ragnar and Ivar survive? (yes) How is Lagertha planning to depose Aslaug? Why was Aslaug bleeding in the storm scene? Best Moment: Ragnar’s gratitude for Aslaug. Character of the Episode: Ragnar. Conclusion: Once again, the Ragnar and Ivar scenes are great but everything else is really weak. Score: 56 Summary: Ragnar announces his intention to return to England and gets few supporters. He says goodbyes to Floki and Lagertha. Ivar gets his brothers to let him sleep with Margrethe, a slave girl they have been sharing, but he is incapable of having sex. Ivar agrees to go with Ragnar to England.
The Good: Ragnar’s farewells are brilliant. His farewell to Floki is especially poignant with Ragnar admitting he is unsure if he will go to Valhalla. Ragnar saying “I love you to FlokI” was a sweet moment, and Floki’s sheer joy was powerful. The farewell to Lagertha was also terrific. They were able to reflect on the past and move forward with their lives, both of them imagining what it could have been between them. These scenes work especially well because it feels likely that Ragnar will not return from England. Ivar was the standout of this episode. His struggles as a cripple were unique and I thought that the show neatly captured the insecurities that Ivar would feel in his situation. The final scene between Ragnar and Ivar was good, and I’m excited to see them go to England together. The Bad: Not explaining what Ragnar did over the last ten years was extremely disappointing. I don’t think the show is going to tell us, and this is a big mistake. Ragnar’s character arc has been badly disrupted by this timeskip. This episode is put together strangely. It’s painfully slow paced and has far too many short scenes, making it feel jarring. This is a rare time where I’m disappointed with the show’s editing. The Unknown: Where did Ragnar go? Why did he try to hang himself? What is Lagertha planning? Is Astrid her lover? That’s a really awkward development. Will Margrethe tell others about Ivar? How will he react? Best Moment: Ragnar and Floki’s farewell. Character of the Episode: Ragnar. Conclusion: This episode had some really good moments surrounding Ragnar and Ivar, but the poor editing and slow pacing brought this down. Add on the perplexing decision to not tell us where Ragnar has been, and this episode is somewhat disappointing even with the good scenes. Score: 55 Summary: Ragnar and Rollo go into battle against each other. Rollo’s forces are victorious and Ragnar has to retreat. Rollo’s victory is celebrated in Paris. 10 years pass, and Bjorn and Floki prepare to go to the Mediterranean. News arrives about what happened to the Wessex settlement and the sons of Ragnar discuss it and their father. Ragnar left after his defeat in Paris. He returns at the end of the episode.
The Good: The build in the opening minutes was outstanding. It was really suspenseful and made me really excited for the upcoming battle. The action sequence was terrific, and there were many great moments. Rollo’s speech, Bjorn firing the arrow at Rollo and Ragnar and Rollo’s overly dramatic (yet fitting and satisfying) showdown were highlights. This worked really well as a spectacle to end this half season. I also really liked Charles’ scene. His character arc was quietly building up to this ruthless decision, and it was tremendously satisfying to see him kill off the remaining uninteresting Paris characters. Rollo’s return to Paris was another fantastic moment. This is the glory Rollo has been working towards his entire life, and it’s great to see him finally achieve it. Surprisingly, I don’t entirely hate the timeskip. It was needed to age up Ragnar’s sons so that they can become compelling characters. It was nice to introduce them by seeing what they all think of Ragnar. Bjorn preparing for his trip to the Mediterranean was exciting, and I’m looking forward to this storyline. Ragnar’s return was a really well acted scene. The Bad: The action sequence had issues. Focusing on just the one boat was smart, but the battle seemed to end after just one boat was taken. That’s very unrealistic and it feels like the Vikings didn’t even try. It was unsatisfying that after all of this build-up, there wasn’t really a decisive victor in the battle. The timeskip has some big issues. Bjorn never learned that his daughter died. We never got to see the aftermath of Ragnar’s defeat or how his people reacted. It also interrupts Ragnar’s character arc to skip over his key decision to leave after his defeat. Also, did nobody ever ask about the settlement in the ten or so years since they left England? Did nobody visit it? That’s highly unbelievable. The Unknown: Where did Ragnar go for all of those years? How has he changed? Why is he returning now? What has happened to Lagertha, Ecbert and Rollo during the timeskip? Who else will go with Bjorn to the Mediterranean? Best Moment: Ragnar and Rollo fighting it out on the ship. Character of the Episode: Ragnar. Rollo is a close second. Conclusion: This was a really strong episode. The action and the timeskip had issues, but overall the story still worked and the episode was entertaining with some unexpected twists and turns. The first half of season 4 was mixed, like every other season. This was probably the slowest 10 episodes of “Vikings” yet. Everything surrounding Ragnar worked pretty well, but the other storylines were problematic, especially Wessex and Paris which had far too many terrible scenes. The end of this half-season promises a change in the show, which I’m excited to see, but it was a rocky road to get here. Score: 65 Summary: Harald and Halfdan murder a Frank family. Lagertha loses her baby. The Vikings make it close to Paris and enter the water. Torvi kills Erlendur. Ecbert is crowned King of Wessex and Mercia and breaks his alliance with Aelle. Sigurd finds that Siggy has died.
The Good: The raid on the farm was excellent. Harald and Halfdan haven’t done much since their introduction, but this was a good use for them, showing us that they aren’t like Ragnar and are pure Vikings at heart. The raid was brutal and horrific, even if we didn’t see exactly what happened to the family, only the aftermath. It’s the kind of stuff I expected to see from a show like “Vikings”. With so much time being spent in Wessex and Paris, it’s been surprisingly rare to see Vikings plundering and pillaging lately. The production value on this show remains excellent. It was especially noticeable in this episode with Alfred’s arrival in Rome and the parallels between Alfred and Ecbert. The Pope was a great presence, and with a clever little detail, he was portrayed by the same actor who plays the seer. The religions in this show aren’t so different after all. Lagertha losing her baby was fittingly sad and a good scene. Rollo being disgruntled at not being able to have sex with Gisla while she’s pregnant was hilarious. The Bad: Charles sleeping with Therese feels so random. I’m not pleased that the Paris politics are continuing. The Wessex storyline is good but it lacks heart and emotion as usual. The biggest failing of this episode was Erlendur’s storyline. I haven’t mentioned it in a while because it was never worth mentioning and it is resolved here in a fittingly awful way. Nobody cares when he dies, which is inconsistent (usually there is a trial). The situation of his death is stupid too. He knows he has no friends, so why does he try to directly kill Bjorn? Surely he knows he will be executed for that. He is blackmailing Torvi, but surely he knows that Torvi could just as easily kill him instead of Bjorn. And that’s exactly what happens! The idea of this storyline is stupid, it’s played for shock value, has no heart at all because Erlendur is a bad character and in the end it had no bearing on the show at all. What a trainwreck of a storyline. The Unknown: What is the significance of meeting the Pope? What are these visions of Aslaug telling Floki? Who will win the upcoming battle, the Vikings or the Franks? Who will die? Best Moment: Bjorn and Ragnar sharing a moment with Lagertha after she loses another baby. Character of the Episode: Lagertha. Conclusion: This episode had some solid scenes and it set up the midseason finale well enough, but the woeful Erlendur storyline drags it down. Score: 58 Summary: Ragnar decides they will carry their boats to the other side of the forts. Yidu threatens to give away Ragnar’s secret so he kills her. Odo’s death is ordered by Charles and Roland kills him. Rollo takes his position. Kwenthrith learns of Ecbert taking her crown and tries to kill him. Judith kills her. Aslaug learns Harbard is cheating and confronts him. Harbard leaves.
The Good: Seeing Yidu, Kwenthrith and Odo die in one episode was very satisfying to me because I hated all three of them and they were useless characters. Their deaths will only be a good thing for the future of the show. I liked Ragnar’s boat plan a lot. It was clearly not predetermined, furthering the story of Ragnar not being himself this season. It also shows us that Ragnar still has a brilliant brain even when he is at his worst. The Bad: All three deaths fell flat in terms of the story. Yidu was a pointless character in the end. Her potential was never fully explored, she felt out of place, her relationship with Ragnar went nowhere, and now she is dead. What a waste of time. Kwenthrith’s death had more purpose but its execution was sloppy and Judith killing her had no impact since Judith is a poorly conceptualized character. Odo’s death was at least satisfying, but I didn’t care enough about the Paris storyline to feel anything from it. It still fell flat. Aslaug as a character has suddenly got really bad. She was pretty flat before but now she is a caricature of her former self and is utterly unengaging to watch. It would have been nice to see more details on how the Vikings set up the system to move the boats. Instead the idea is glossed over and the show simply tells us that they just did it. The Unknown: Is Floki with Ragnar now after Ragnar saved him? Will Ragnar’s boat plan work? What will Torvi do about Erlendur’s intent to kill Bjorn? What is going on with Harbard? Is he a god or just a guy? His return this season was nowhere near as good as last season. Best Moment: Ecbert telling Kwenthrith that she will no longer be the queen of Mercia. Character of the Episode: Ecbert. Conclusion: This episode was a disappointment. It had 3 big deaths but none of them had any impact at all. Score: 48 Summary: The Vikings fight Rollo’s forces and are soundly defeated. Ragnar decides to retreat and starts to lose his mind. Ecbert is given the crown of Mercia by Wigstan.
The Good: This was a really exciting episode with lots of action. The battle is brilliantly executed and is brutal. It’s very affecting to watch Rollo coldly order the destruction of the Viking forces. Seeing the heroes easily defeated was powerful and there were several great moments like Ragnar choosing to save Floki and Ragnar shouting to Rollo, reminding him that he saved him when nobody else would have. I thought that this defeat was necessary for the story, and it seems to have fractured Ragnar’s mind even more. I’m interested to see what’s next for Ragnar. The Wigstan/Ecbert scene was well written and it was satisfying to see Ecbert successfully take Mercia for himself. The Bad: Floki’s vision of Aslaug is strange and feels really out of place. Floki should be feeling grief over what happened to Helga, replacing that with a nonsensical vision of Floki having sex with Aslaug was a poor decision. The Unknown: Is Helga going to die? Is Ragnar’s retreat just an impulse or is this all just another plan he has already made? What the hell was that Floki vision scene? Is this part of his story of becoming the next seer? Does Wigstan have any ulterior motives for making Ecbert the king or is he earnest? Best Moment: Ragnar shouting at Rollo as he retreats. Character of the Episode: Ragnar. Conclusion: This was a climactic and exciting episode with some really great story beats. The best episode of the season so far. Score: 65 Summary: Ragnar announces the Paris raid and they leave. On the way, Raganr has visions of the past. The Vikings see that Rollo has joined the Franks. Odo reveals his ambitions to Therese. Charles begs Rollo not to leave. Ecbert sends Aethelwulf and Alfred on a pilgrimage. Harbard returns to Kattegat.
The Good: Unlike the previous episodes this one has some forward momentum with the Vikings leaving for Paris and Rollo finalizing his preparations. The final scene where everyone sees what has become of Rollo is excellent, both because of Ragnar and Bjorn’s rage and because of the unyielding dedication on Rollo’s face. What makes this episode work is not the plot, but it’s Ragnar’s story. It’s becoming clear that Ragnar gets no joy from raiding anymore and that he just misses being a farmer. The vision he had of his old family was heartbreaking, and Travis Fimmel was incredibly captivating in his portrayal of Ragnar’s desire to go back to them. This season is telling a tremendous story with Ragnar, showing us that being king is not everything and that Ragnar now just longs for a simple life, one that he can never have again. The episode also does a magnificent job of showing us why Ragnar is doing drugs. He has nothing left, Athelstan and Gyda are dead, Bjorn grew up, Lagertha wants nothing to do with him, Floki hates him and Rollo betrayed him. Ragnar has nothing left, and this season looks to be setting up a really tragic conclusion for Ragnar. So far it has been tremendously captivating. The Bad: Despite how much I like Ragnar’s arc, Yidu is still strange to me. We don’t know what everyone else thinks of her or what they think about her interactions with Ragnar, which is problematic. It makes me confused about what the importance of the character is if everyone else ignores her existence. We also need to know what Ragnar’s people think of his current failings as a king but we are not shown it. Despite the slow pace of this season, key details like these have been ignored. And once again too much time is spent in Wessex and Paris. The pilgrimage means nothing to me so those scenes fall flat. Odo is given yet another sex dungeon scene which yet again pissed me off. I’m not enjoying Aslaug’s story this season. The character has inexplicably changed to become more evil and it hasn’t been done well. I’m not sure what to make of Harbard’s return yet, but I’m not too excited. The Unknown: Who is the blind man that will see Ragnar when he dies? Is it the seer? What will happen during Alfred’s pilgrimage? Why is Ecbert leading the army to Mercia? Does he have a plan? Is Lagertha actually pregnant or did she make it up? We know she won’t be giving birth to any more kids. Best Moment: Ragnar seeing a vision of the family he once had. One of the most powerful scenes of the entire show. Character of the Episode: Ragnar. Conclusion: This was a mixed episode. On one hand, it was mostly set-up and the side stories were terrible. But on the other hand, there is an outstanding story here with Ragnar and it has provided some of the show’s most compelling content so far. It’s difficult to score this one. Score: 60 Summary: Ragnar gets closer to Yidu and they go on a drug trip together. Gisla comes around on Rollo and they become a close couple. Ecbert successfully drives a wedge between Aelle and Judith when Aelle comes to visit to discuss Mercia. Bjorn kills the berserker and takes Torvi to Kattegat. A new king, Harald, visits Kattegat.
The Good: Ragnar and Aslaug’s disdain for each other is a decent story, certainly much better than the melodrama from seasons 2 and 3. The Wessex storyline is still bland but Aelle’s presence makes it more bearable. Rollo and Gisla being heard while having sex was hilarious. Harald’s introduction at the end of the episode gives the season some much needed momentum. The Bad: Gisla coming around on Rollo so suddenly was absurd and not earned at all. The believability of Gisla was hurt badly in this episode by poor writing. Bjorn’s fight with the berserker sucked. It was shot well but made no sense logistically and got too ridiculous and gratuitously violent. Ragnar and Yidu’s storyline is weird and I’m not sure that I like it. Ragnar’s not curious enough about Yidu for my liking and I’m not invested in Yidu. The Yol celebration was cool to see but felt like a background detail without any heart. The Unknown: Is Floki the new seer now? Will Aelle turn on Kwenthrith because her son is Ragnar’s? What was the drug that Yidu gave Ragnar? Who is King Harald? What does he really want? How does he plan to achieve his goals? Also since when are there multiple kings? I still don’t know what being a king means in the context of the show. Best Moment: Harald’s introduction. Character of the Episode: Aelle. Conclusion: This episode wasn’t very interesting overall and had some poorly written moments. If not for Harald’s introduction, it would be a dud. Score: 53 Summary: Floki learns that Angrboda died. Ragnar and Ecbert have visions of Athelstan. Ecbert accepts he is dead. Ragnar decides to show mercy and cuts down Floki. Kalf and Erlendur send a berserker to kill Bjorn. Bjorn fights off a bear in the wild. Rollo tries to learn Old French.
The Good: Rollo’s scenes in Paris are a lot of fun. Watching him try and fail to assimilate is fresh, different, and really funny. Floki’s suffering in this episode was difficult to watch and really well done. His reaction to Angrboda’s death is really powerful and you can’t help but sympathize with him and Helga. I was relieved to see Ragnar free him. Bjorn’s storyline is really well done. Watching Bjorn tough it out is making me really attached to the character. The show is always better without dialogue, and it helps Bjorn a lot to give him a storyline away from the horrible romance stuff from the last two seasons. The visions of Athelstan were superb. I love the parallels between Ragnar and Ecbert, and they both received different, but equally significant messages from him. This episode was slower but it took time to explore the characters more, which “Vikings” typically doesn’t do. I really appreciated it. The Bad: Kalf and Erlendur still suck. It’s incredibly dumb of Erlendur to send an assassin with direct connection to him, and for a contrived reason. It’s blatantly obvious that Bjorn will survive, connect the dots and ultimately kill Erlendur to take Torvi for himself. It’s not that the story itself is bad, but the use of such unoriginal tropes makes it incredibly easy to know what happens next, making me appreciate the story less. Unfortunately Wessex is still terrible and I wasn’t invested in anything outside of Athelstan’s appearance. Ragnar desperately needs to return there to make things more interesting. The Odo/Therese/Roland story is one of the worst that the show has ever done. I just don’t care. The Unknown: Who is the girl Ragnar has been eyeing since episode 1? She’s Asian so I wonder if that’s what is fascinating Ragnar so much. Best Moment: Ragnar and Ecbert seeing Athelstan. This scene was shot tremendously well and had a lot of power to it. Character of the Episode: Bjorn. Conclusion: This was another slow episode, but it had enough strong character work to give it a solid emotional core. Unfortunately, not every story was given this emotional core. Score: 60 Summary: Helga frees Floki but he is captured and refuses to admit his wrongdoing. Ragnar sets up a torture for him. Floki’s daughter gets sick and dies. Judith gets Ecbert to teach her illumination. Aethelwulf rescues Kwenthrith and Magnus after they get captured by rebels. Rollo continues trying to fit in in Paris. Bjorn survives in the wild.
The Good: Ragnar’s judgement of Floki remains really compelling. He’s looking for an excuse to go easy on Floki, but Floki refuses to give it to him, frustrating Ragnar. Floki’s torture is quite creative. I like that this season is spending more time exploring Ragnar’s distaste for Aslaug after she ignored his kids to have sex with Harbard. The action scene in Mercia is well choreographed and fun to watch. Visually this is a really nice episode with some lovely shots following Bjorn and Floki. The Bad: This episode feels empty. There are too many storylines and not much is going on in them. The Wessex scenes still suck because they are completely uninteresting. I enjoy Ecbert but there’s not enough interesting stuff going on with him to justify so much time spent with him and Judith (who I do not enjoy at all). I dislike Aethelwulf and Kwenthrith so even though the action sequence was well executed, I was never invested. The Paris storyline is inching forwards so slowly and it’s pretty dull. I’m not liking these new characters being introduced with their own storylines. I don’t care about any of them, just show me more scenes with Rollo. This show is developing a problem of spending far too much time with characters that we don’t care about. I was engaged with the scenes involving Ragnar, Floki, Bjorn and Rollo, but all of the other scenes without them bored me to death. The Unknown: When will Helga tell Floki about his daughter’s death? Will Odo be deposed by Roland? Will I care? Best Moment: Ragnar lashing out at Aslaug after she tries to defend Floki. Character of the Episode: Ragnar. Conclusion: This was a nothing episode. Some storylines were good but too much time was wasted with uninteresting storylines that I couldn’t care less about. Score: 52 Summary: Bjorn arrests Floki while Ragnar is sick. Upon waking up Ragnar isn’t pleased about this. Bjorn decides to live on his own in the wilderness to prove himself. Lagertha and Kalf return to Hedeby where Kalf murders Einar and his supporters. Rollo allies with the Franks and kills the remaining Vikings camped outside Paris.
The Good: I like that this episode spent a lot of time on the Ragnar/Bjorn relationship. Bjorn is finally starting to become compelling as he takes on more of a leadership role to arrest Floki, but fails to have the foresight Ragnar wants him to have if he is to rule. Bjorn’s decision to go survive on his own to prove himself to Ragnar is excellent, and it shows us that even if Bjorn isn’t as smart as Ragnar, he intends to make up for it with grit and determination. I’m glad the show is finally spending time on this relationship. Floki’s arrest is a strong moment, and the brief scene between Ragnar and Floki was terrific, especially Ragnar understanding that Floki is hiding behind the gods excuse to hide his own jealousy. The death of Einar is the first good thing to come out of Hedeby. The Bad: I wish Bjorn had developed into his leadership role better in the last season. His arc would feel much smoother, and it would be easier to buy into his motives if they were set up earlier. Rollo’s decision to kill off his camp was played for shock value and that took away its impact. We know Rollo was unable to betray his friends with good conscience back in season 2, so we needed to see what has changed about his mindset that makes him capable of doing it without guilt this time. The Unknown: What were those visions in the opening scene about? Will Aslaug eventually rule? How will Ragnar deal with Floki? Will he kill him? Will Rollo have the conviction to fight against Ragnar this time? How long will it take for Ragnar to return to his full health? Will he ever be back to full health? He is getting old. Best Moment: Ragnar and Floki’s scene. Travis Fimmel is so immersive with everything he does. Character of the Episode: Ragnar. Conclusion: This was a solid premier. There’s nothing too exciting here but the story has been set up for season 4. Score: 60 Summary: Ragnar returns from Paris but he is changed. He starts doing drugs to cope with his pain. Eventually the Vikings return to Paris and learn that Rollo betrayed them and married Gisla. There is a battle and the Vikings are defeated. Ragnar vanishes for 10 years. Ecbert continues his machinations and becomes king of Wessex and Mercia, killing Kwenthrith. After 10 years, Ragnar returns with plans to go to England. His son Ivar accompanies him. Ecbert captures them both and frees Ivar, but Ragnar is given to Aelle and is killed. Bjorn sails to the Mediterranean but after hearing of Ragnar's death, he returns. The sons of Ragnar create a great army and attack England. Aelle is defeated and killed. Aethelwulf is defeated in battle and has to retreat. Ecbert gives himself up to the Vikings and dies. Ivar kills his brother Sigurd after an argument.
The Good: True to the first three seasons, Ragnar is the best part of this season. This season did a great job of portraying how the main characters have changed as they have aged, and the best example of this is Ragnar. In this season he is completely adrift, far from the charming cunning man that he was in previous seasons. Following Athelstan's death he has lost his purpose, and being a Viking doesn't give him the joy that it once did. The show does a tremendous job of showing us Ragnar's true desires: to return to his old family and to escape from his current reality with a wife he hates, and a destroyed settlement that he feels guilt about. This is a compelling idea that's much more complex than anything else that "Vikings" has done, and I think that it's executed magnificently. Travis Fimmel also adds a lot to this story. The dialogue in "Vikings" has always been bad but Fimmel does a tremendous job of not letting me notice it due to his electric performance. It cannot be understated how much Ragnar's presence improved the show, and it became immediately evident that there is not much more to "Vikings" once Ragnar was gone (see: The Bad). But while Ragnar was there, the stories were good. The first half of the season is spent building up to the return to Paris where a Ragnar vs Rollo battle awaits. This conflict is very engaging and it is built up really well. I've discussed how Ragnar's change was handled well, and I think that the show did a solid job of displaying how Ragnar's men felt alienated from him in the first half of the season. Ragnar's change had an effect on the story, and it was written pretty well. I think that this is a big reason for Ragnar's loss when he did battle Rollo, and that is really good storytelling. Ragnar lost because his heart wasn't in it anymore, and his men suffered the consequences of Ragnar's choices in this season. Alternatively we have Rollo who was a lot of fun in his new role as Duke of Normandy. There is a lot of humour in the Paris storyline which is a pleasant surprise. "Vikings" has never been a funny show, but it put in effort to make Rollo's antics entertaining to watch. I thought that Rollo's transformation was executed well enough, even if it wasn't particularly great, and I did buy into him sticking with the Franks during the battle. The season built up a lot to this confrontation between Ragnar and Rollo and I think that their confrontation delivered for the most part, and it was one of the most memorable parts of the season. But what really stood out about this season was what came next. The Ragnar vs Rollo story was good, but it became apparent that Ragnar's time on the show was coming to an end. And as Ragnar got closer and closer to his death, the quality of the show got better and better as it celebrated the characters and his relationships before his inevitable demise. The episodes leading up to Ragnar's death were not only the best of the season, but the best of the entire show. If there's one thing that this show has been lacking, it's emotional impact. Killing the main character of the show, the one character I actually care about, is bound to have a big impact on me. And thankfully, Ragnar's death was handled with the respect it deserved. After seeing Ragnar reduced to a shell of who he once was in season 4, I was worried that he would get a death that would not fit the character. However, what we got was damn near perfect. Ragnar's final invasion of England saw him resolve the tensions he had in his relationships with Ecbert, Floki, Bjorn and Lagertha while simultaneously grooming Ivar to take over after he's gone. But more than that, Ragnar resolved his own inner conflict at long last, accepting that the gods likely do not exist, and instead of spiting that fact, he makes his peace with it. In doing this, Ragnar is allowed to be himself one final time as he spends a night of contemplation with Ecbert before performing one final con to ensure that Ecbert does not get away with the destruction of the settlement. It's a brilliant final storyline for Ragnar and it is acted to perfection by Travis Fimmel and Linus Roache, the two best actors on this show. Ragnar's death itself was done perfectly, and I'll never forget the final visual of Ragnar's bright blue eye staring up at Ecbert from within the snake pit. The episode "All His Angels" is a striking and powerful piece of art, the likes of which I thought I would never see from a show like "Vikings". The achievement of that episode should not be overlooked, regardless of what I think about the rest of the season. Outside of Ragnar, this season had a few other good elements. As always, the action is awesome. If there's one thing that has been consistent since season 1, it's that. The writing and dialogue may be pretty bad at times, but the action is always excellent. Some characters were given decent storylines. Linus Roache gave some life to the bland Wessex storylines, and I enjoyed King Ecbert all the way until the end. Bjorn had his best season so far, likely because this one wasn't stuffed to the brom with terrible romance. I really enjoyed his time in the wilderness, and I maintain that "Vikings" is at its best when there is no dialogue. The question of what to do with Floki early in the season was really engaging, and his torture was horrifying to watch. The character writing was pretty strong early in season 4. Lastly, of all the new characters, Ivar is by far the best. Alex Hogh Anderson does a great job bringing the character to life and he has shown surprising depth. Ivar is a determined cripple, but also a scared boy, a genius tactician and a frightening psychopath. He's such a unique character and I hope that he is given more to do because he wasn't utilized well enough this season. The Bad: The Good was almost entirely about Ragnar, and I stand by the fact that everything with Ragnar was good. The problem comes when you realize that Ragnar's scenes are only about 30% of this season. In watching this show, I've learned that the creator Michael Hirst has some very major flaws in how he tells stories, and this badly hurt the show in every storyline outside of Ragnar's. Unfortunately, season 4 sees Hirst give in to all of his worst habits. These habits include dedicating far too much time to uninteresting storylines, failing to create interesting new characters, giving main characters with no direction a nonsensical storyline, turning to needless melodrama whenever possible, and spending far too much time making characters argue with each other instead of building relationships properly. Let's start with the decision to spend far too much time with uninteresting storylines. If you look back to my season 3 reviews, one of my complaints was how slow and plodding the scenes in Wessex were after the Vikings left. I criticized those scenes for not featuring interesting characters and for being painfully uninteresting. Unfortunately for season 4, just about every single episode continued this trend. This first half of the season is especially guilty of this as eight out of the ten episodes wasted time in Wessex for a needlessly complex story about Ecbert also becoming King of Mercia. I think that Michael Hirst finds these storylines far more interesting than we do because there is no reason for us to spend this much time on a storyline that is so far removed from the main plot and so unbelievably boring. Kwenthrith, Judith and Aethelwulf are horrible characters and spending time with them immediately put me to sleep. It badly hurts the quality of every episode in this season when a sizeable amount of time is wasted in Wessex, killing the episode's momentum. And there's more to this issue too! The politics in Paris were even more boring than the Wessex scenes because they didn't even feature Ecbert. Watching Roland, Therese and Odo make their moves was as tedious as watching paint dry, and every visit to Odo's preposterous sex dungeon made me want to turn the TV off. That Hirst chose to spend so much time on these storylines is baffling to me. This flaw extended to the final five episodes of the season too, but I'll discuss that more later. Another big failing of the show is its inability to create engaging new characters on a consistent basis. This has been a notable part of the previous seasons too, but the success of the early conceived characters like Ragnar, Rollo, Floki, Ecbert, Athelstan, etc. has disguised how bad this show has been at establishing new characters. But it has always done a terrible job. I can't think of a single character introduced since season 2 outside of Ecbert and Ivar that has been compelling. Everyone is either flat, boring or frustrating. The side characters introduced in Wessex and Paris are laughably bad, but the most egregious failure in characterization comes from the new additions to the main cast. The new sons of Ragnar are boring. There is nothing about Ubbe, Hvitserk and Sigurd that ever made me care about them. Just as bad is Harald and Halfdan who have been around for 15 episodes and yet I couldn't tell you a single thing about their personalities. The inclusion of these two new characters is a perplexing choice because they have done nothing and added nothing to the show ever since their arrival. The handling of the main characters this season has also been poor. Outside of Ragnar, Ecbert and Rollo, I dislike everyone far more than I did going into this season. Well also Bjorn, but the only reason I like him more now is because he was so awful in season 2 and 3. Season 4 Bjorn is only a minor improvement and I'm still not at all convinced by Alexander Ludwig's acting ability (or lack thereof). Besides, Bjorn's biggest storyline this season was also pretty bad. His conflict with Erlendur should have been resolved in 1 or 2 episodes, but it was stretched out until the ninth episode and it never became compelling. And yet, all of the other major characters somehow had storylines worse than this one. Floki is adrift for the entire season and the writers never seem to know what to do with him after Ragnar frees him from his torture. At one point he's joining Harald to turn on Ragnar but this is never explored. Then he is friends with Ragnar again and this decision is never explored. He's also apparently going to be the next Seer, but this storyline gets dropped as abruptly as it came up. And then finally, the show completely destroys the character of Floki by having him be fascinated by Islam. Floki simultaneously did everything and nothing this season, and the character's credibility was thrown off a cliff with how poorly he was written. Helga fared no better. She has never had much to do as a character herself, but killing the character would mean something. However, her story of wanting a child so badly that she desperately kidnaps an Islamic orphan girl was embarrassingly bad, and it made her death into a fittingly stupid moment to end a stupid storyline. Lagertha also has a terrible season. Her story with Kalf ends in the most bland and predictable way, and then Lagertha inexplicably decides that she despises Aslaug now and she takes over Kattegat. Nothing interesting was done with Lagertha this season and the show continually has her kill people in badass ways as an attempt to use the character well. This doesn't work and it makes Lagertha feel more like a badass woman trope rather than an actual character. This isn't helped by the fact that Lagertha surrounds herself with other shallow badass woman archetypes like Astrid and Torvi. Lagertha's murder of Aslaug has to be one of the season's weakest moments. Aslaug became almost comically evil this season and her death was as unsatisfying as it could possibly get. Lastly we get to Kwenthrith and Yidu, two poorly conceived characters who were given an unsatisfying storyline with deaths that had no impact on me. It's fascinating to me how badly this season handled every single character not named Ragnar, Ecbert or Rollo. The last of Hirst's troubling storytelling methods comes from his obsession with inserting melodrama into places where it does not belong. So much of this season was bogged down by meaningless melodrama. Much of the time we spent with the new sons of Ragnar was melodrama. It was either some stupid conflict over who gets to have sex with Margrethe or some generic arguing about who leads the great army. None of it had any depth. Worse were the scenes with Rollo and Gisla. All of their arguments had no depth to them whatsoever. As much as I enjoyed Rollo this season, his scenes with Gisla were pretty bad. This show has an obsession with characters cheating on each other and that being passed off for drama. Something like Bjorn having sex with Astrid for no reason is a perfect example of how this show inserts melodrama where it does not belong for no good reason. It's very frustrating to see the show refuse to commit to any interesting direction with its characters in favour of doing these cliched melodramatic scenes. But this season went beyond Michael Hirst in terms of being awful. The final five episodes of this season were so poorly done in every possible aspect that it's impossible to blame Michael Hirst's style of storytelling for their failure. These episodes were simply terrible. Believe me when I say that nothing about what happened in these episodes was satisfying. The sons of Ragnar are terrible, shallow characters and they do nothing but bicker for these five episodes. We learn nothing about them and so we don't care at all about their conflicts. Furthermore, instead of exploring these characters and the logistics of raising the great army, we spend far too much time in England with the English characters. In fact, if you don't count the battles I am certain that we spend more time with the Englishmen than the Vikings which is downright ridiculous. Once again, Hirst wastes so much of our time on the boring Wessex scenes instead of giving us what we actually want to see. Not focusing on our new characters after Ragnar's death was a stupid move and it ensured that we have no emotional connection with anything that happens now. This is a big reason why I've decided that I will drop the show now. There is no reason for me to keep watching, no characters that I want to see more of, no stories that I'm excited to watch. Everything interesting about the show is dead now, and these last 5 episodes indicate that all that is left is more melodrama, more empty action, and more shallow, simplistic character arcs. The show no longer has a story that is worth telling. Best Episodes: E07 The Profit and the Loss: This episode was helped by some excellent action as Ragnar and Rollo battle for the first time this season. Ragnar's brutal defeat is really dramatic and well done, and there are several genuinely tense and powerful moments in this episode. E10 The Last Ship: Another epic action sequence, and this one is the big climax of the first half of season 4 as Ragnar and Rollo directly fight each other. It's an exciting and fun action sequence. The episode also pulls out a great surprise by having a timeskip halfway through, setting up the second half of the season in a really unique and exciting way. E14 In the Uncertain Hour Before the Morning: This episode was highlighted by the fascinating conversations between Ragnar and Ecbert. In a lot of ways, this relationship was the emotional core of the entire series, and I'm so glad that it got an entire episode to itself. E15 All His Angels: The best episode of the whole show. Ragnar's death is a hugely powerful moment, and the entire episode masterfully builds up to it. This was a superbly directed episode that gets the most out of Ragnar's final episode. Worst Episodes: E08 Portage: This episode had 3 major deaths (Kwenthrith, Yidu, Odo) and none of them had any impact. This was such a flat episode. E17 The Great Army: This episode made it abundantly clear that "Vikings" can't survive without Ragnar. The story was flat and filled with melodrama the entire time. E18 Revenge: After another dull hour of boring melodrama, the revenge on Aelle was so rushed and unsatisfying that it ruined what should have been an emotional high point of the series. This episode was a poorly executed disaster. Character of the Season: Ragnar obviously. Nobody else comes close. Conclusion: This season was divided into 3 parts that I feel very differently about. The first half of the season was decent. It started fine enough and the Ragnar/Rollo stories were consistently entertaining all the way through. The issue was that everything else was really weak, particularly all of the other events in Wessex and Paris. However, this part of the show was still decent enough and I liked it about as much as season 3. The next 5 episodes would be the pinnacle of the whole show. Showing us such rich relationships between Ragnar and the rest of the cast was riveting and it made his death into an outstanding moment that provided the single greatest episode of the show to date. After the success of these episodes, I was optimistic again. But then it all came crumbling down as the final 5 episodes had very little that was worth watching and they're somehow even worse when you look back at them after finishing the season. This could have been a good season, and it definitely had the plot beats to be the best of the series so far. But the terrible execution of the story resulted in this being the worst season yet, one that completely dissolved any interest I had in continuing to watch this show. The season's average score is a 57 which I think is about right. There was some great stuff here, but there was so much bad stuff that there was no chance of this season getting a good score. And with that, I'm done watching "Vikings". Summary: The Franks give treasure to the Vikings but notice they haven't left due to Ragnar's state. The Vikings request Ragnar be given a Christian burial and they will leave. Ragnar's dead body is brought into the city, but it is a ruse. Ragnar jumps out, takes Gisla hostage and allows the Vikings to sack Paris. The Vikings return and Rollo is left behind. Rollo makes a marriage alliance with the Franks by marrying Gisla.
The Good: Ragnar's "death" was handled well. The best part of it was seeing Lagertha, Rollo and FLoki say their final words to him. All three were given standout scenes that I really enjoyed. It's fascinating to think that Ragnar was closely listening to these three conversations the entire time. The twist of Ragnar being alive is really well executed and feels like a triumphant moment. The plan makes sense and it's much better executed than the twist at the end of season 2. Rollo's marriage alliance is a really good development and promises something big for Rollo next season. His introduction to the princess with his goofy grin saying "hello" in French was really funny. The Bad: Unfortunately the show sacrificed a lot of good storytelling for the sake of this twist. Bjorn becoming more of a man should have been a major focus but it's overshadowed for shock value. The story itself did not have much to it since so much time was wasted setting up this one twist. I was also incredibly disappointed to not see the Vikings raid Paris. Once they get in the show cuts to after the raid. That's very anticlimactic and I was angered to get no pay-off after so many episodes built up to the raid. Odo's whipping scene was needless, disgusting and barbaric. Why on Earth was this scene necessary to show? It's gratuitous violence that has no place in this episode. I'm disgusted by its inclusion. The Unknown: Will Rollo turn on Ragnar again? What will Ragnar do with Floki now that he knows what he did to Athelstan? Best Moment: Rollo's introduction to Gisla was a really nice moment. Character of the Episode: Ragnar. Conclusion: This episode had a great twist but sadly not much else. A lot of the heart of this episode was sacrificed for this twist and I don't think it was worth it. For my thoughts on season 3 as a whole, you can access my review of the entire season here. Score: 57 Summary: The Vikings attack again and manage to get into Paris but are driven out. Siegfried is captured and killed. Sinric is captured and used to make a deal with the Vikings. A dying Ragnar makes a deal that the Vikings will leave if he is baptized and they are given a lot of treasure. The Franks agree. Judith sleeps with Ecbert. Aslaug has a Christian missionary murdered.
The Good: The second attack had more of the same exciting action from the previous episode. Rollo in particular was allowed to shine with how he stopped the spike trap. The capture of Sinric leading to dealings between the Vikings and Franks made sense and was engaging to watch. Seeing Ragnar's injuries worsen was a surprise and added some intrigue to his actions in this episode. There was also a really good hallucination scene as Ragnar suffers in a pool of blood surrounded by fire. Earl Siegfried getting the other guy's hand cut off was one of the funniest moments of the show for me with how unexpected it was. It's a shame he died right after doing that. The Bad: It's really difficult to care about anything happening in Wessex or Kattegat right now but the show continues to waste our time with these storylines. Judith and Ecbert hooking up is disgusting and their dynamic is not fun to watch at all. Ecbert is a lot less interesting to me without any other good characters to play off of. The Kattegat storyline was entirely pointless. Maybe there's a symbolic meaning to it, but the story has no other value to the show. The Unknown: Did Ecbert intend for Aethelwulf to die? Does he intend to protect Judith or is she just a means to an end for him? Is Ragnar actually dying? Is the baptism all part of his plan? Or is he just desperate to see Athelstan again now that he knows he is dying? Best Moment: Ragnar's speech reminding everyone that he is king. The character is so much fun to watch. Character of the Episode: Ragnar. Conclusion: The Paris storyline progressed nicely in this episode with several good moments. Unfortunately the other storylines put me to sleep. Score: 61 Summary: The Vikings attack Paris but fail to get in. Bjorn and Ragnar suffer serious injuries. Floki is shaken by his defeat and alienates Helga, who leaves him. Lagertha hooks up with Kalf after he saves her life.
The Good: The battle sequence was excellent. The production was tremendous and it was a blast to watch. I was also really pleased that the logistics of the battle made sense and there weren't any major holes like you would see in some of the battles from "Game of Thrones". The defeat of the Vikings was really well done, and moments like Floki panicking while the tower burns around him, Rollo sinking into the river and Ragnar finding Bjorn near death were really chilling. This was a really exciting episode to watch and I enjoyed the battle. Floki losing Helga and Ragnar's speech to Athelstan were nice moments to end the episode. The Bad: I can't buy into Lagertha wanting to have sex with Kalf, it's just ridiculous. She should despise him with all of her being. It was strange to not check in with Floki or Rollo after they had scenes that suggested they might die. We just casually see them after the battle. The battle itself was really cool and well constructed but it didn't have the heart it needed. I enjoyed what I was watching but there was limited emotional investment. The Unknown: How will Ragnar conquer Paris? What is Ragnar's hidden agenda for Floki? Did Porunn just leave Kattegat? Are Floki and Helga done as a couple? Best Moment: Ragnar's speech to Athelstan at the end of the episode. Character of the Episode: Ragnar. Conclusion: This episode featured an epic battle that was tremendously entertaining to watch. The episode was lacking a bit in emotional investment, but it was a fun spectacle to watch. Score: 66 Summary: The Vikings arrive at Paris and set up camp. Ragnar puts Floki in charge, they form a battle plan and Floki builds siege towers. Emperor Charles decides to stay in the city and orders Count Odo to prepare the defenses. Ecbert plans to turn on Aelle. Aethelwulf is sent to treat with Kwenthrith after she murders Ecbert's men.
The Good: Shifting gears to Paris is exciting. It's a new storyline so there are plenty of possibilities for where the story can go. The new characters haven't gripped me yet but they have potential. The Ragnar/Floki dynamic is really good. Ragnar is his usual fascinating self and you get the sense that he knows what Floki has done and is setting Floki up for failure by putting him in command. Floki being so happy to be close to Ragnar again is really well portrayed and I liked his gleeful revelation of the siege towers. The Bad: It was disappointing that we didn't get more fallout from Athelstan's death. This episode didn't have much going for it as it was purely set-up for the upcoming siege. The scenes within Paris are promising for the future but they don't make for compelling viewing right now. I was bored during most of these scenes. I was also incredibly disappointed that no Vikings showed any sort of wonder upon seeing Paris. So much for all the hype Athelstan was giving. The Wessex scenes are awful. I'm not invested in that storyline with the Vikings gone, and the focus on Aethelwulf was awful. I don't care about him at all. Kwenthrith still sucks. The Unknown: Why doesn't Charles want help from his brothers? Why did Ragnar put Floki on charge? Does he know he killed Athelstan? What's Ragnar's plan? How does Ecbert plan to turn on Aelle? How important will Magnus be? Another son of Ragnar should be a big deal. What will Porunn do with Siggy? Best Moment: Floki's joy at being put in command by Ragnar. Character of the Episode: Ragnar. Conclusion: This was a set-up episode and it very much felt like it. There were several boring scenes and the episode never found any momentum. Nothing from the story was particularly bad, but this episode just felt very uninspired. Score: 51 Summary: Porunn gives birth and the child is named Siggy. Ragnar learns what happened in Wessex from a single survivor but kills him to keep it secret. Athelstan rediscovers his faith and is reviled by everyone. Ragnar protects him. Floki receives a sign from the gods, and having had enough, murders Athelstan in secret. Ragnar buries his friend. Judith is punished for her infidelity but is forgiven by Ecbert because it was with Athelstan.
The Good: A lot happened in this episode. Ragnar learning of what happened in Wessex was fanatstic and his sudden murder of the man he was consoling mere minutes ago was a chilling and fascinating moment that embodied the brilliantly unpredictability that I've come to love about Ragnar. Athelstan's story was mostly well done. While the sudden rediscovery of his faith felt cheesy (see: The Bad), it was done in a very artistic scene, and the drama that followed was excellent. Ragnar tried to protect him but it was only a matter of time until somebody snapped, and of course it had to be Floki. The sequence where Floki murders Athelstan was masterfully executed with the intercutting between the Vikings ritual and Athelstan praying, and the soundtrack built beautifully to the moment where Floki lets out all of his pent up rage to kill Athelstan. I also appreciate Athelstan embracing death, showing that being a fearless Viking is still part of who he is. Even better was Ragnar burying Athelstan afterwards. While the show didn't quite nail this relationship (see: The Bad), I really felt for Ragnar and Travis Fimmel was outstanding. This was one of the best scenes of the show so far, and it marks a clear turning point for Ragnar. The Bad: The show is still really bad with these time skips. How is Porunn already giving birth? Athelstan rediscovering his faith happened unbelievably suddenly to the point where it didn't feel real. I could understand him choosing to go with his Christianity, but not this suddenly. This show continues to be poor at extracting good drama out of a character's choices. I thought that Athelstan's death didn't have the impact that it should have because we haven't seen enough of him and Ragnar together, and the show was too busy trying to push the plot along to really show us what made these two such close friends. Had this been shown to us better, Ragnar's emotional speech would have hit far harder. As it stands, Athelstan's death was impactful, but did not have the impact it should have had. I was disappointed that Bjorn's feelings for Athelstan were never really explored. The show has always ignored Bjorn as a character and it continues to disappoint. Judith's torture scene felt gratuitous and unnecessary. Aethelwulf even knew that she cheated with Athelstan! The scene only happened because the writers wanted violence. The Unknown: And another affair has happened with Bjorn hooking up with Torvi. Will this go somewhere? What will Ragnar do now? Does he plan to somewhat adopt Christianity for himself? What is he apologizing to Athelstan for? What is his plan? Will Floki spread word about the destruction of the Wessex settlement? He also heard the news. Best Moment: Ragnar's speech to Athelstan. Beautiful acting. Character of the Episode: Ragnar. Conclusion: The final 15 minutes of this episode were executed perfectly, but the emotional core hadn't been developed enough to make them as powerful as they could have been. The rest of the episode was solid and had its moments. This ends up being a good episode, but one that had potential to be great. Score: 64 |
Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
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