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
0 Comments
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 Summary: The Vikings return and learn about Siggy's death. Tensions arise between Ragnar and Aslaug. Lagertha learns of Kalf taking her position and she and Ragnar go to deal with him. Ragnar instead allies with him and declares that they will raid Paris. Aethwlwulf destroys the Viking settlement, angering Ecbert. However it was all a show and Ecbert was behind it.
The Good: The somber return to Kattegat was well done. There's lots of bad news and the atmosphere of the episode fits that. Rollo has a tremendous scene with the Seer where he finds himself at his lowest point, but learning that he has great destiny will presumably help him recover. Ragnar is back to his fun and unpredictable self with his unexpected handling of Kalf's rebellion. His quiet respect for Lagertha is also really funny. I'm excited to see Paris. The Wessex scenes are really good and the Ecbert twist caught me off guard. I complained before about Ecbert being too friendly with the Vikings, and I'm pleased to learn that it was all a show. Linus Roache does a great job in this episode. The Bad: This episode feels like a transitional episode as there isn't a whole lot of substance here outside of the Ecbert twist. The Unknown: When will Ragnar learn about what happened in Wessex? If he goes to Paris it might take a while. What does the Seer's prophecy mean for Paris? What is Rollo's destiny of being crowned by a princess? Will the Ecbert/Aelle alliance fall through with Judith's infidelity? What are Ecbert's real goals? Is Kalf setting a trap by allying with Ragnar? Best Moment: The Ecbert twist, including his faked anger and the subdued celebration with Aethelwulf. Character of the Episode: Ecbert. Conclusion: This episode felt like a transitional episode, but it was helped by the great Ecbert twist. At least this time there wasn't much that I took issue with. Score: 62 Summary: Floki grows more resentful of Ragnar and Athelstan as all parties celebrate the alliance with Mercia. Kwenthrith kills Burgred and takes the throne for herself. Athelstan chooses to go back with Ragnar. Aslaug has sex with Harbard and Siggy dies later trying to save Ragnar's kids from drowning. Kalf allies with Erlendur.
The Good: The Floki/Rollo conflict is really good. Floki's distaste for Christians surprisingly doesn't get repetitive because Gustaf Skarsgard gives such a good performance. The interactions at the party are pretty fun and I especially enjoyed Ragnar and Ecbert's moment of reflection. Ragnar telling Aethelwulf he doesn't like him is hilarious. The ending with Kwenthrith killing her brother was admittedly satisfying, and thought I still dislike Kwenthrith, I appreciated the moment. The Bad: The characters in this show are permanently horny now and it pisses me off. There has been so much melodrama in this season so far and it's really annoying. Kwenthrith peeing on Ragnar, Aslaug and Ragnar both cheating on each other, Aethwlwulf seeing Judith and Athelstan having sex, and more were all ridiculous scenes that don't feel like they belong on this show. This episode had a really frustrating emphasis on sex in its storylines. Siggy's death did not work for me and it was handled strangely. The circumstances of it were so weird and the aftermath was immediately glossed over. As a result, the moment fell flat and I didn't really care. Kalf and Erlendur's alliance made me roll my eyes. Great, now there are two characters I couldn't care less about trying to kill Ragnar. The Unknown: Why did Ubbe and Hvitserk go to the ice? Was Harbard somehow involved? The Lagertha/Rollo scenes were interesting. Is there more to this relationship? I swear to god if they start having sex too I will lose my mind. What will Aethelwulf do now that he knows Judith is cheating on him? What will result from the Kalf/Erlendur alliance? Best Moment: The brief Ragnar/Ecbert conversation about Ecbert's motives and if they are good men was fascinating. Character of the Episode: Ragnar. Conclusion: This episode was solid on paper, but the stupid amount of melodrama and sex really brought this one down. Score: 55 Summary: The Vikings attack and defeat Burgred's forces on the hill. Porunn is grievously injured in the battle and Torstein is killed. Ecbert visits Lagertha's settlement and they continue to grow close. Harbard arrives in Kattegat and seems to have some mysterious powers. After his arrival, people start dying.
The Good: I'm enjoying how this show is exploring the antagonism building between the king and his subjects over this Christian-Viking alliance. Both Ragnar and Ecbert have to deal with their own men turning on them and it is engrossing to watch. The Lagertha/Ecbert and Ragnar/Floki scenes are still a lot of fun to watch and all four actors do a good job. As ever, the battle was awesome and had a lot of welcome brutality. Torstein's death was a wonderful moment that was given the time it needed to have some impact. Floki's dissatisfaction over Torstein dying for a nothing cause is sensible. Harbard is a really fun new character with a lot of mystery surrounding him. The actor plays this masterful storyteller exceptionally well, making it impossible to take your eyes off of Harbard as he tells his story. The Bad: The storylines in this season aren't as interesting as last season. There's much more talking and romance, which I've already mentioned I'm not a big fan of in this show. The argument between Bjorn and Ragnar after Porunn's injury had its heart in the right place, but it fell flat because the character relationships involved (Bjorn/Porunn, Ragnar/Bjorn) have not been explored enough. Burgred comes off as a terrible character. He's wimpy, doesn't care for his man and is a piss-poor leader. I don't like him at all. Ecbert is a worse king than last season. There's no way that season 2 Ecbert would force the alliance with the Vikings onto his men like he does in this season. It's sloppy character work for him to turn on his own men because of a fling with Lagertha. Translations are of course an issue with this show. It's not realistic for any of these characters to learn a language as quickly as they do here. However, I understand the limitations and I think the show dealt with this issue as well as it possibly could. It would have been nice to see small details characters speaking in a heavy accent though. The Unknown: Who is Harbard? What are his motives? Is he causing these deaths? How did he heal Ivar's pain? Is Porunn going to die? What about Bjorn's child? Best Moment: Harbard telling his story. The guy is really entertaining to watch. Character of the Episode: Harbard. Conclusion: This was another fine enough episode. It was less flawed than the previous two and ad some good moments, but nothing as good as the high points of season 2 yet. Score: 61 Summary: Ragnar's impending attack causes Burgred's forces to flee. Torstein's wound festers and his arm is amputated. Lagertha and Ecbert grow closer, and so do Athelstan and Judith. A man arrives in Kattegat who Aslaug, Helga and Siggy have all dreamed about. Kalf becomes Earl in Hedeby.
The Good: Some little things were well done. Rollo cutting off the English captive's leg while screaming in his face was hilarious. The heads on Ragnar's boat to scare off Burgred's army was a clever detail. Ecbert and Lagertha's interactions remain fun, and Athelstan got a good moment where he declares that he loves both Jesus and Odin. Torstein finally got some focus in this episode which I appreciate. The Bad: Lagertha suddenly wanting to farm like Ragnar is inconsistent with her decision-making in season 2. Bjorn and Porunn still suck and I don't care about this relationship at all. Athelstan suddenly wanting to have sex with Judith is weird. Adding this on top of the tensions between Ragnar/Kwenthrith and Lagertha/Ecbert is too much. Too many of these relationships only exist because the characters are so unbelievably horny all of a sudden. The Hedeby storyline is woefully bad. Kalf's takeover feels rushed and it makes no sense. The show doesn't even slightly care to show us how he pulled it off. Furthermore, Kalf's plan to go against Ragnar is idiotic, and again leaves me scratching my head and wondering why being a king is such a big deal if Earls think they can defeat Ragnar alone. Even with Kwenthrith's backstory revealed, the character is still too much and doesn't really fit in the show. The Unknown: What's going on with the dreams? Who is this new visitor in Kattegat? Is Torstein going to die after his amputation? The ending scene was interesting as bloody hands were paralleled across multiple locations. What does this mean? Best Moment: Torstein losing his arm. This was done in a very Viking way with Torstein acting tough and claiming that he never even liked the arm anyways. Character of the Episode: Torstein. Conclusion: This episode had some good scenes, but overall it doesn't come together as well. Add on the atrocious Hedeby storyline and this is a weaker episode. Score: 54 Summary: The Vikings leave Kattegat after winter to go to Wessex. Lagertha is put in charge of the settlement. The others fight for Kwenthrith in Mercia and defeat her uncle's forces.
The Good: I was pleased to finally see what a winter looks like in Kattegat. The show previously skipped over the winters, so this is a nice change that includes some worldbuilding. I thought that the character interactions in Kattegat were good and did a nice job of creating tension before everyone left. The dealings with Ecbert were as fun as ever and I like his fascination with Lagertha. The action scene at the end of the episode is signature "Vikings" and was really fun to watch. The Bad: Kalf and Einar are entirely uninteresting so far. The weakness of Lagertha's season 2 storyline makes it so I know nothing about Hedeby and have no reason to care. The dialogue in this episode felt wooden and unrealistic. "Vikings" has never had great dialogue, but it really stands out in episodes like these that are so dialogue heavy. This episode also had a lot of misogynistic comments, and while they do fit with the world, they were much more annoying and cringeworthy than funny. The Englishmen in Mercia splitting their forces on different banks was a laughably stupid decision and I can't possibly buy into anyone thinking it was a good idea. The writers want us to believe that Ragnar is exceptionally smart, but they don't show us that. Instead we're shown that there Mercians are hilariously incompetent. The Unknown: Why doesn't Ragnar love Aslaug anymore? What happens to Mercia after this defeat? Will Kalf and Einar be able to unseat Lagertha? Is Ecbert interested in Lagertha? Best Moment: The action in this show is still its best part. The battle sequence was great, with the best part of it being Floki murdering Kwenthrith's uncle brutally. Character of the Episode: Floki. Conclusion: This episode was entertaining, but issues with dialogue, logistics and the new Hedeby storyline drag it down. Score: 59 Summary: The Vikings return to Wessex and fight for Kwenthrith, defeating her family's forces in Mercia. Torstein dies in the process, Porunn is badly injured and ashamed, and Floki starts turning on Ragnar. Lagertha watches over the new settlement and forms a relationship with Ecbert. Judith and Athelstan have sex and Aethelwulf finds out. Harbard visits Kattegat, takes Ivar's pain away and sleeps with Aslaug. Ragnar's kids fall through ice and Siggy saves them but she dies. The Vikings return to Kattegat and Lagertha finds out her earldom was usurped by Kalf. She wants to fight him but Ragnar allies with him in hopes of conquering Paris. Once the Vikings leave, Ecbert has Aethelwulf destroy their settlement. Athelstan rediscovers his faith as a Christian and is scorned by all but Ragnar for it. Floki kills Athelstan in secret. The Vikings go to Paris where they attack the city but are defeated. Ragnar is grievously wounded and dying. He gets baptized and once dead, he is brought into the city for a Christian burial with the promise that the Vikings will leave after it happens. However it's a trap, Ragnar is alive and allows the Vikings to enter the city and ransack it. Rollo is left behind as the Vikings go back and he makes a deal with Emperor Charles to marry his daughter. Porunn gives birth to Bjorn's baby but leaves Kattegat. Ecbert begins to connect more with Judith in an attempt to get leverage over Aelle.
The Good: Even though he received far less focus this season, Ragnar is still a really great character. By all means I should be frustrated by Ragnar now because of how he always seems to be 20 moves ahead of everyone else, but I never find myself being annoyed by it. The show has organically written Ragnar's intelligence in a way that is believable, and every plan and choice he makes is consistent with what we know about him, and it's feasible that he would figure these things out. Take the latter half of the season. Ragnar's plan to fake his death seems needlessly complex for the sake of drama, but when you remember that he heard a prophecy about Paris from the Seer, it suddenly makes perfect sense why he would fake his death and why he would hide it from the others. It also makes perfect sense that Ragnar knows Floki killed Athelstan, and he even got it confirmed when Floki gave his speech to Ragnar when he thought he was dead. The show has done a tremendous job of making this character entertaining to watch, intelligent and believable. It's the single biggest achievement of the show. The other character that was superb this season was Floki. Floki had a lot to do in every episode and we got to see some of Gustaf Skarsgard's best performances yet. Contrasting Floki's extreme dedication to the Norse gods contrasted with Ragnar who dares to question these things made for some really compelling drama. I really like how Athelstan was put in the middle of this conflict, and it was interesting to see if Ragnar truly had the best interest of the gods in mind or if he actually was becoming a little to Christian to be an effective ruler. The turning point was of course the death of Athelstan, which I thought was a brilliant moment both in terms of the scene itself being great and in terms of it having a huge impact on the show. The intrigue of the Ragnar/Floki conflict continued throughout the entire season and I'm excited to see where it goes from here. The first half of the season was centered on the Viking settlement in Wessex and I thought that this was pretty well done. The action scenes were exciting and I enjoyed seeing the development of the settlement. The twist that Ecbert always intended on betraying them after taking Mercia was really nicely executed and it caught me off guard. Ecbert was a consistently enjoyable presence in this season. The Paris storyline was mostly good stuff. Watching Ragnar's forces lay siege to the city was compelling and exciting. I was highly interested in seeing the Vikings attempt to conquer Paris, so all the scenes that focused on that idea were engaging to me. The scenes inside the city weren't good (see: The Bad), but they did their job in laying the groundwork for next season. I adored Rollo's decision to ally with the Franks because it seems like the permanent move that Rollo needed to finally get a compelling storyline after he flip-flopped from with Ragnar to against Ragnar again and again for so long. I have a few other things that I enjoyed. I enjoyed Ecbert's presence as usual. The character is a blast to watch and he was given a lot of interesting storylines including his betrayal of Ragnar's deal and his romance with Lagertha. Harbard was a curious presence early in the season and I really enjoyed the actor's performance and sense of mystery. I hope he turns up again. As usual, the action this season was excellent and we got the best action setpiece yet with the siege of Paris. I'm running out of ways to compliment the action on this show, but this season had more of what made it so great in the first two seasons. The Bad: In spite of all that this season did right, I feel like the show lost a lot of its heart from season 2. The storytelling was so simplistic this entire season and it felt like there was no uniqueness or heart to any of it. Complexity within characters was completely sacrificed, and everyone had very one-dimensional motives, and never did anything too interesting. Ecbert was probably the most complex character this season, but that's only because the show hadn't yet revealed the extent of his selfishness and lust for power until he burned down the Viking settlement. Now that the twist has happened, Ecbert has become another very simple character. Athelstan brought a majority of the complexity to the last season with the show's unique exploration of Christians vs Vikings. But with his death in this season and with the destruction of the settlement, the show seems to have almost entirely rid itself of any interesting ideas it wanted to explore. The current storytelling legs are entirely based around betrayal and revenge. Don't get me wrong, it is fun to watch betrayal and revenge, but there is nothing inherently special about any of these ideas that other shows like "Game of Thrones" have not tackled. Furthermore, the artistic nature of season 2 was mostly absent in this season. There were a few lovely scenes like the scene where Floki returns to kill Athelstan or the scene where we get to see the extent of Ragnar's injuries as he writhes in pain in a puddle of blood surrounded by flames. These were nice sequences, but I couldnt help but notice that there were far fewer of these than in season 2, and the ones that we got weren't nearly as memorable or compelling, which ties into the show's increasing simplicity. I was very disappointed with how this season handled Athelstan, Bjorn, Lagertha, Rollo and Ragnar. These are the main characters of the show and yet I feel like they had very little to do all season. Ragnar had more in the second half of the season, but he was oddly absent in the first half, continuing to hammer in how the show has zero interest in exploring what being a King means to Ragnar. The other four characters were misused badly. Athelstan did not have much of an arc in this season, and outside of the rediscovery of his faith, all he did was translate and have sex with someone. This is a huge step down from the dilemma he had last season. This season should have been about Bjorn stepping up to become Ragnar's true heir, especially considering the opening scene (Ragnar lectures Bjorn on ruling) and the final conflict (Bjorn is the only one entrusted with Ragnar's plan). And yet we get hardly any scenes of Bjorn learning to be a man and rule, there are only a few badass scenes with him in Paris. Instead, the rest of the season is only interested in exploring his romances with Porunn and Torvi; both of these storylines suck. Rollo was given literally nothing to do all season until he forms the alliance with Emperor Charles. The show uses Rollo to fill time and never gave him anything to do, which is a horrible misuse of a major character. Lagertha also wasn't used to her fullest potential. She had a better season than season 2 to be sure, but her storyline with Kalf was horrible, and her romance with Ecbert ended up being entirely pointless even if it was interesting while it was happening. Surely there should have been more of a story to tell with Lagertha in this season. One of the worst decisions of the season was to repeat Ragnar's long con at the end of season 2. This is the second time in a row that "Vikings" has sacrificed telling a complete story in favour of giving the audience a moderate surprise that they likely would have figured out well before it happened. This time around the show spends so much time trying to convince us that Ragnar is dying that it forgets to tell any kind of story with all of the other characters. And what was it for? For a single moment where Ragnar jumps out of his coffin and takes Gisla hostage. This was not worth it at all. I would take a complete story with depth and emotion over a meaningless shock any day of the week. Plus it feels incredibly repetitive for the show to use the exact same trick as last season to resolve the siege of Paris. I was incredibly disappointed by this and I thought that it was a weak conclusion to a good storyline. Speaking of Paris, it was pretty difficult to care about the scenes inside of the city, especially with the Vikings preparing to lay siege. There were plenty of interesting characters in the Viking camp, and I was frustrated that we kept being forced to see what's going on inside of the city instead of spending time in the Viking camp. Even worse are the scenes in Wessex. Once the Vikings left, Wessex become obsolete and uninteresting. I only care about what happens to Wessex so long as the Vikings are involved because they are the reason I watch the show. So why on Earth was so much time wasted in Wessex long after the Vikings left? None of these scenes were good and I was dead bored while watching them. Aethelwulf and Judith are not interesting characters and I don't care about them. Speaking of characters I don't care about, Kalf was a useless addition to the show. This character is boring, out of place and makes Lagertha look like a fool. And to make matters worse, he doesn't even do anything in this season! I seriously question his inclusion into the show because he seems completely frivolous. Erlendur is even worse. He's a bland character with an extremely punchable face that I cannot take seriously. I still can't fathom why he was left alive last season and the character continues to be an uninspired asshole. Both Kalf and Erlendur have an agenda to kill Ragnar but I don't take them seriously as a threat at all. Kwenthrith is still awful. She had more to do this season and was slightly less cringeworthy, but I still don't like her at all. The Unknown: What is Rollo going to do now that he's married Gisla? Will he betray Ragnar again? Will the marriage be successful? I assume so because the Seer said that great things will happen to Rollo. What will Ragnar do to Floki now that he knows Floki killed Athelstan? How will Ragnar deal with Ecbert and Aethelwulf? Will they be prepared for him? How will Kalf and Erlendur turn on Ragnar? Do they have any plan to take him out? Did Porunn leave Kattegat for good? Best Episodes: E06 Born Again: This episode wasn't entirely great, but the last 15 minutes were excellent. Floki killing Athelstan was one of the show's most memorable sequences, and Ragnar's speech to his departed friends is one of the show's most powerful moments. E08 To the Gates!: This episode was everything that I love about the action in this show. Sure the story was a bit shallow, but the choreography and siege logistics were terrific. As a fan of medieval-style battles, I had a blast watching this. Worst Episodes: E02 The Wanderer: Outside of Torstein's amputation, this episode was pretty empty. Also the many, many affairs were getting really annoying by this point. E04 Scarred: And this episode was even worse with the constant affairs. It felt like horny was the main character trait of everybody in this episode. This episode had a lot of Kwenthrith on top of that, which is not a good thing. Siggy's death is the other main talking point and I thought that it was a surprisingly hollow scene. E07 Paris: This was a meandering episode. The aftermath of Athelstan's death was glossed over so that we could have a slow-paced and boring set-up for the siege of Paris, complete with many sleep-inducing scenes in Paris and Wessex. Character of the Season: Floki. Conclusion: This season did some things right. The Ragnar/Floki conflict was great, the siege of Paris was a blast, and I enjoyed several parts of the first half of the season too. But in spite of this, the show lost what made it so compelling to me in season 2. The characters were simplified, the side characters were shoved into the background and there were plenty of issues with the writing, including a baffling amount of focus on storylines that ended up having no impact whatsoever on the main plot. It's because of these flaws and the lack of a compelling emotional core that season 3 ended up being a substantial step down from season 2. The show is trying to be a high quality and epic TV show, but it doesn't have the storytelling depth, the characters or the writing to even come close to accomplishing its goals. Every now and then the show will have a really strong scene, but the pieces never fully add up to create a compelling narrative. It's disappointing, but I'm afraid that we've already seen the best of the show in season 2. I hope I'm wrong, but I'm uncertain about the future of the show, and it distresses me to know that there are somehow still 60 episodes to watch after this season. I'm not sure that I will be reviewing them all. |
Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
March 2024
Categories
All
|