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
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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: 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. Summary: Horik tells Floki he has to kill someone important to be trusted. Floki kills Torstein with poisonous mushrooms. Bjorn and Porunn confidently hook up. Horik turns on Ragnar and attacks with his men but Ragnar expected it. Lagertha murders Horik's wife and lets Ragnar's men kill his daughters. Torstein is revealed to be alive and both Floki and Siggy betray Horik. Horik is mrudered by Ragnar and Erlendur is captured. Ragnar becomes the king.
The Good: It's fun to have an episode centered around Floki, and there's some good tension in watching to find out who Floki will kill. The end of the episode was very good. The deaths of Horik and his forces were excellent and it was very satisfying to realize that Horik was never able to manipulate anyone and that Ragnar was always ahead of the game. I also really liked seeing Ragnar get the threesome he always wanted, and the prayer he did with Athelstan. The Bad: Ragnar becoming the King is meaningless since I have no clue what the difference is between a King and an Earl. Horik never became a compelling enough villain for this story to work. He was an idiot, his dialogue was poor, and the character had no depth. This all combined to make his death feel somewhat disappointing in how empty it felt. The Floki betrayal twist is painfully predictable. And on top of that, the episode spoils it by having Floki tell Bjorn about his loyalties before the big reveal anyways! Since we already knew the twist, the big reveal did not work. Also how the hell is Torstein alive? The show doesn't even care to explain how his death was faked. Lots of details with the betrayal don't work. Floki is somehow the best actor ever when setting up Horik. Siggy's motives make no sense and I have no clue why she chose Ragnar over Horik. Some parts of the episode were rushed. Lagertha vehemently refused to sleep with Ragnar before, yet she agrees to it here for no reason and the moment is thrown away offscreen. Athelstan hardly gets anything to do in this episode, just like the last one. It's disappointing to see him relegated to the background after having such a compelling arc. Bjorn and Porunn's romance sucks and is cringeworthy. Lastly, the episode is incredibly confusing. I have no idea what the purpose of the mushrooms was, I had to google to find out what had happened to Horik's family, and a lot of the time I wasn't sure why certain events were happening. I was hugely disconnected with this episode. Best Moment: Ragnar violently murdering Horik. Conclusion: This finale was totally disappointing. After a pretty strong season, we got a flat ending that was poorly written, left too many questions, and did not feel satisfying at all. The last two episodes gave this season a really disappointing end. For thoughts on the season overall, I've written a whole review on it that you can access here. Score: 52 Summary: The Vikings meet Ecbert in battle and are soundly defeated, Rollo is fatally injured but Athelstan saves him. Ecbert sends Athelstan to offer terms to the Vikings, giving them land in exchange for them being mercenaries for Mercia. Ragnar accepts, Rollo is returned and Athelstan chooses to go back with the Vikings. Aslaug makes Porunn a free woman.
The Good: The set up for the battle is really well done, and as usual we got a lot of great action once it actually started. I like that the Vikings felt mortal in this one as they are finally defeated and Rollo almost dies. As nonsensical as his survival is, explaining that the gods let him live is fitting with the world this show has established. Ragnar and Athelstan's scenes are wonderful, and they have one of the better relationships on the show. I like that Ragnar understood why he stayed with Ecbert, and I thought it was nice to see Athelstan choose to return with the Vikings. The mystery with Floki is developing nicely and I'm curious which direction the show will go in with this storyline. The Bad: The battle wasn't one of the show's best since it was shot with far too much shaky cam, making it hard to tell what was happening. The dealings with Ecbert were stunningly short and simplistic, and I can't help but be disappointed by how anticlimactic the conclusion was. I wish Athelstan's choice had been fixated on more because he mostly made it offscreen which is a horrible waste of the character. This is such a compelling conflict and I'm stunned that we didn't get to see its resolution. I'm hugely disappointed by that. Porunn becoming a free woman does nothing for me. I don't care about her. Best Moment: Ragnar and Athelstan's conversation. Conclusion: Once again this episode had some good moments, but so much of it was disappointing and needlessly simplistic. I expected more from this episode. Score: 56 Summary: Ragnar's next son is born with deformed legs. Ragnar wants to leave him but Aslaug saves him. The Vikings leave for Wessex with Floki growing closer to Horik. Ecbert hosts Kwenthrith from Mercia. Upon arrival, Ragnar sends Torstein to set up a meet with Ecbert. Aethelwulf meets with the Vikings and makes a deal with Ragnar. However, Horik has secretly laid a trap and murders everyone in Aethelwulf's group except him.
The Good: The birth of Ragnar's monster son Ivar was horrifying and it led to some decent exploration of a unique conflict. I thought the scenes with Ragnar and Aslaug were pretty well done. Everything surrounding the next raid is as fun as ever. The many departures were fascinating and carried a lot of weight, giving a lot of finality to this upcoming conflict. I like that the Ragnar/Horik conflict was furthered in Wessex and how it will likely be the thing that triggers all out war with England. The ending attack scene was frighteningly intense. The Bad: This feels like a transitional episode so it isn't really able to stand on its own. The birth of Ivar feels like a strange thing to focus on so late in the season. Kwenthrith was horrible and I hated every second of her when she was on screen. Best Moment: The departures were really well shot and featured some really good interactions. Conclusion: This episode neatly sets up the next raid in England and has some fun moments of its own, but it isn't enough for this episode to step out of the shadow of being a transitional episode. Score: 61 Summary: Horik persuades Ragnar to delay Borg's execution until they get allies. Helga is pregnant and she marries Floki. Earl Ingstad allies with Horik and Ragnar, and she's revealed to be Lagertha. Borg is executed. Ecbert and Aelle form a marriage alliance.
The Good: There will inevitably be a Ragnar/Horik conflict and this episode sets it up well with Siggy and Floki both turning to Horik, but the show seems to suggest that Ragnar is at least somewhat aware of these events as he watches them transpire from out of sight. It could be some very clever foreshadowing. I liked the developments in this episode. Borg's execution is well done, the Ecbert/Aelle alliance feels like a big deal and Lagertha allying with Ragnar makes sense. Finally, I've been enjoying Floki this season quite a bit and I thought that his response to Helga's pregnancy was great. The Bad: The episode feels like it's stalling. The pacing is slow and both marriages aren't compelling and feel empty. It's cool that they were paralleled, but it added nothing to the story and made the episode feel painfully slow. Floki being upset with Ragnar makes no sense, I'm hoping that there's an explanation for this or that's very poor writing. Rollo is once again given the conflict of staying with Ragnar or going on his own. I'm sick of seeing this conflict. Best Moment: The blood eagle was a cool moment, and I like that Borg somehow managed not to cry, ensuring passage to Valhalla. Conclusion: This episode had good scenes, but the pacing is slow and parts of the episode feel like padding. Score: 58 Summary : Horik returns to Kattegat and demands that they ally with Borg again. Initially Ragnar is welcoming of Borg’s arrival, but at night he burns the barn where Borg's men are sleeping and captures Borg, planning to do a blood eagle with him. Ecbert gives Athelstan a new job of copying scrolls left behind by the Romans. Lagertha returns to Sigvard who has her beaten. The next day Sigvard tries to humiliate her but she kills him and his men turn on him as well.
The Good: Athelstan's arc is still one of the best parts of the show. His scenes with Ecbert are excellent, and I'm still compelled by his conflict. I especially loved that he saw Floki's face in the reflection, emphasizing that he shouldn't be so at peace as a Christian when he should be more loyal to the Vikings. The end of the episode is the other highlight and it saves this episode from mediocrity. It becomes apparent that Ragnar is up to something, and seeing everyone turn on Borg and his men is remarkably tense and dramatic, providing a perfect climax. Ragnar's flamboyancy as he declares that Borg will be executed via blood eagle is a wonderful character touch, and the moment provides that satisfying bit of vengeance that the previous episode did not provide. The Bad: I was disappointed not to see what happened to Horik in England. Furthermore, I'm confused why he needs Borg so badly. He's a king, surely he can recruit several more Earls. It's not like Ragnar is the only one loyal to him. Borg's story about his wife and her skull feels tacked on to make the character more interesting. It didn't work. Lagertha's story remains atrocious and it comes to a nonsensical ending. It really begs the question of why she didn't kill him earlier. What's worse is how Sigvard's own men turn on him after he dies. Why didn't they turn on him before then? Why wait until Lagertha killed him? This makes no sense at all and fails to be at all satisfying. Bjorn's storyline with the servant girl is already making me roll my eyes. I pray that there will be more depth to that storyline. Best Moment: The final ten minutes as Ragnar executes his plan. The entire episode was building to this and it was a tense, chilling and satisfying sequence to watch. One of the better sequences the show has done so far. Conclusion: This episode was a slog for most of its run time, but those final ten minutes were superb. Score: 63 Summary: Ecbert uses Athelstan to get a better understanding of the Vikings. Ragnar and Bjorn sneak into Kattegat and burn the food supplies to draw out Borg. They meet in battle and Borg is routed. Bjorn performs a sacrifice and chooses to stay with Ragnar. Lagertha leaves to go back to Sigvard.
The Good: There were more reunions in this episode and they were really enjoyable to watch. I liked the plan to draw out Borg and I thought it was put on screen pretty well. The battle scene provided more of the same action that the show does so well. Athelstan has been put in an interesting position. Before he was telling the Vikings about Christians, and now he is doing the opposite in service of Ecbert. The Bad: It was dumb to send Ragnar in to burn the food. He's the most valuable person there. The battle is actually a bit disappointing since there isn't anything to make it stand out above any of the others. Ragnar and Borg never come to blows and it doesn't feel as satisfying as it should. Having Lagertha announce her choice to everyone felt needlessly melodramatic and took me out of the story being told. The show tried to present it as a huge moment but it never felt like one. The episode also highlights the show's problem with a lack of subtlety. Usually it isn't too bad, but there are so many scenes here that would have benefitted from the show being more subtle. Best Moment: Athelstan's hallucination of the devil. The show is doing a great job showing this character dealing with his inner conflict. Conclusion: This episode continued the story in a decent way and had some good moments, but a lot of it felt empty and unsatisfying. Add on some writing issues and this is easily the weakest episode of the season so far. Score: 57 Summary: Ragnar meets with Ecbert and they make a deal. Ragnar gets news of what happened in Kattegat and immediately leaves. Horik chooses to stay. Ecbert takes advantage and attacks, killing many men. Athelstan is captured and crucified but Ecbert spares his life. Ragnar finds where Rollo has kept his family and wants vengeance. Lagertha asks Sigvard to go help Ragnar but he refuses. Lagertha and Bjorn go anyways and they reunite with Ragnar.
The Good: The dealings between Ragnar and Ecbert are thrilling to watch and both actors are commanding in their scene together. Their conversation is tense and fascinating. I really like that Ecbert took the opportunity to attack when Ragnar left, and Athelstan's fate was horrifying, yet fitting for a character that turned against his Christian roots. I'm really intrigued to see what's next for him. I enjoyed seeing Ragnar reunite with Bjorn; the scene was really sweet and emotionally satisfying. Seeing Floki, a boat builder, express his fear at watching other boats sink in a storm was a fantastic character detail. Floki is still a really engaging character to watch. The Bad: This episode suffers from having too many storylines, making the episode feel messy and unfocused. It's impossible to believe that Lagertha would end up with a husband like Sigvard who would try to rape her. Did she really just marry whoever she could? It makes no sense. It also makes no sense that she somehow turned up at the end of the episode with an army anyways. Aslaug was really annoying in this episode as she complains about living in a poor household. Best Moment: The tense conversation between Ragnar and Ecbert. Conclusion: This episode continued the story in logical and interesting ways, but the unfocused nature makes this feel like more of a transitional episode in spite of some really good scenes. Score: 63 Summary: The Vikings attack Winchester and find its treasure with Athelstan's help. Athelstan finds a priest and a young monk that reminds him of himself. The monk is tortured but Athelstan gives him a mercy killing. Ecbert sends an envoy to meet with Ragnar and Horik. Horik wants to fight but Ragnar resolves things diplomatically. Borg attacks Kattegat out of vengeance and Rollo organizes the defences while leading Ragnar's family away. Elsewhere, Lagertha has married the Earl Sigvard who Bjorn despises.
The Good: The two action sequences in this episode are outstanding. The Viking raid of Winchester is tense, dramatic, brilliantly choreographed, and filled with heart as it explores Athelstan's conflict. A particularly striking scene is when Athelstan encounters a fellow monk in the exact same position he was in when he was found. Athelstan was the best part of this episode. The ending action scene was also fantastic as Borg's surprise attack is an unexpected development and that builds up tension that makes you wonder if Rollo can fight him off. Ecbert proves to be a more intelligent and interesting foe, and the selection of his envoy was a joy to watch. I'm excited to see where this storyline goes. The Bad: The Lagertha storyline was awful unfortunately. Sigvard is a woeful character and I have no idea why Lagertha would ever marry him. It seems like a huge oversight for Ragnar to not expect Borg to retaliate after he was excluded from the raid. Surely somebody as smart as him would have foreseen this. Best Moment: Athelstan being unable to watch the priest get tortured. His inner turmoil is shown very well, and his choice to intervene and give the priest a merciful death with a Latin prayer is very telling about where the character is, and this decision is bound to have consequences. Conclusion: This was a really strong episode that explored meaningful conflict, had engaging action and nicely set up the Ecbert storyline. I'm excited to see where the season goes from here. Score: 66 Summary: 4 years have passed and Ragnar has two sons. Ragnar decides it's time to raid again and Rollo asks to go with him. Horik and Borg arrive in Kattegat for the raid. Horik convinces Ragnar to not allow Borg to come. Ragnar also prevents Rollo from coming but acknowledges him as a brother again. Borg goes to Rollo for vengeance but is rebuked. The Vikings reach England but a storm sends them off course to Wessex. They make camp and are attacked; one of Horik's sons is killed. Athelstan proves himself in the battle.
The Good: I like how the Ragnar/Rollo conflict has evolved after the last episode. Now Rollo seems more loyal and eager to prove himself, and his rejection of Borg's offer is wonderful. Athelstan had a great episode as well after being absent in the first. Seeing him embrace being a Viking is great, and watching how he fared in his first battle was really engaging. I really enjoyed the voyage and the storm. Sailing is an essential aspect of Vikings, so I think it's fitting to show us more of it. I really liked how the threat of the storm was portrayed. The battle was far better in this episode, and the Wessex men were a definite threat as they got the jump on the Vikings. There was genuine tension in this episode. The Bad: The timeskip further supports my argument that "Brother's War" should have been the season 1 finale. It feels jarring to happen in the second episode of a season. The conversations between Ragnar and Aslaug were far too melodramatic. This is a Viking show not a soap opera. Everything with Aslaug didn't work in this episode since the show hasn't explained the society well enough to give context to her struggles. Siggy is annoying in this episode, and the character's over-reliance on playing Lady Macbeth makes her dull to watch, Best Moment: The battle sequence. Conclusion: I enjoy watching Vikings in action and when the show is focusing on that, it's great. But when the show shifts its focus elsewhere, flaws start popping up and that's what happened here. Still, this is a really enjoyable episode with a lot of momentum. Score: 65 Summary: Borg and Horik go to war with Rollo and Ragnar on opposing sides. There's a battle and Rollo kills Arne and badly injures Floki, but stands down when faced with Ragnar. After the battle, both groups meet up and Ragnar organizes a truce where all parties will raid England together. Ragnar returns to Kattegat where Bjorn has told Lagertha about Aslaug. Rollo is judged by the lawgiver, who Ragnar pays off in secret to spare Rollo. Aslaug arrives pregnant to Kattegat. Ragnar tries to arrange a peace between her and Lagertha, but Lagertha chooses to leave and Bjorn chooses to go with her.
The Good: The action here was over-the-top, but very entertaining to watch, aided by the weight of Rollo fighting against Ragnar. I like that Rollo regretted his choice and it was interesting to watch what would become of him. Ragnar paying off the lawgiver was a lovely touch. Ragnar's inner conflict was done well in this episode as he deals with having two women that he wants to be with. I also liked the scene where he grieved for Gyda. Aslaug's arrival was a great event that shook things up and it built up to a surprisingly sad scene as Ragnar has to say farewell to his family. The Bad: Too much stuff happened here and the structure is strange. This episode concluded all of the conflict set up in the season 1 finale and makes me question why this wasn't the finale instead. It's also very jarring for so much to be resolved in such a short period of time. The show spent all of last season building up to Rollo's turn, so it is wholly unsatisfying that he ends up going back to Ragnar's side anyways by the end of the episode. The Ragnar/Aslaug/Lagertha story had a bit too much melodrama for my liking and the character details didn't add up. Bjorn telling Lagertha about Aslaug is inexplicable, Lagertha being so against polygamy even though it's established that Earl's can do this is awkward and never explained, Ragnar leaving Aslaug behind is never explored so her arrival is more confusing than anything, etc. Lots of details fall out of place when you look closer. Also the action sequence ended up being pretty goofy with some absurd shots that would never pan out in a real battle. Best Moment: The sad ending as Ragnar watches Lagertha and Bjorn leave. Conclusion: This was a fast-paced and action-packed premier that felt like a monumental episode, but the execution in a few places was flawed and detracted from my enjoyment. Score: 62 Summary: Ragnar and Rollo battle but Rollo finds he can't fight his brother. Ragnar orchestrates peace between Horik and Borg, agreeing to raid England together. Lagertha learns about Aslaug and leaves Ragnar with Bjorn. After a 4 year timeskip, Ragnar finally decides to raid but leaves Rollo behind. Borg is also not allowed to come. The Vikings raid Wessex and come into conflict with King Ecbert. Ragnar organizes a deal but urgently leaves when Borg attacks Kattegat. Horik's men are slaughtered by Ecbert and Athelstan is captured. Ragnar finds his family and routes Borg with the help of Lagertha, now an Earl. Horik wants Ragnar to make peace with Borg for their next raids. Ragnar kills Borg and his men anyways. Athelstan becomes more familiar with Ecbert who forms an alliance with Aelle. Horik starts manipulating Floki to turn him against Ragnar. The Vikings return to Wessex for another raid. Ragnar wants to come up with a deal but Horik doesn't and attacks Ecbert's men. The Vikings are defeated and Rollo is almost killed. Athelstan and Ragnar arrange a truce between the parties. The Vikings are allowed land but will not raid and can only battle as mercenaries for King Ecbert. Horik doesn't like the deal and plots to turn on Ragnar. However, Floki and Siggy turn on Horik and he and his men are killed. Ragnar becomes king.
The Good: The biggest takeaway from this season is that the action is phenomenal. Season 2 really stepped up on this front with battles happening much more frequently with higher stakes and more meaningful conflict. There are plenty of battle sequences, but none of them ever feel out of place or forced. The show naturally builds up to these sequences and does a terrific job of making them feel different from each other to avoid becoming repetitive. There are Viking vs Viking battles, battles in the forest, open field battles between the Vikings and the Englishmen, and plenty of other variations that keep things feeling fresh. These sequences for the most part are also very well directed, capturing the grittiness and brutality of battle in really neat ways while also highlighting character conflict. For example, the battle in "Brother's War" highlights Rollo's inner conflict, while the battle in "The Choice" is more about the disagreement between Ragnar and Horik. Merging conflict with battle makes it far more interesting to watch and is a big reason why the action in this season was so memorable. "Vikings" is also impressing with how artistic its visuals are. For a show about Vikings, you never expect it to be tackling very many deep ideas with memorable visuals. Yet that's what this show tries to do, and it works surprisingly well. The season has a very unique style to it, with an emphasized use of hallucination-based visuals to explore a character's inner conflict. While the conflicts themselves could have been better (see: The Bad), the artistic depiction of them on-screen is magnificent and gives the show a cinematic flair through its use of visual storytelling. Season 1 had hints of this style, but season 2 doubles down on it, including a uniquely filmed, almost dream-like sequence in just about every episode. As for the character work this season, it's a bit hit-or-miss but it has some definite highlights. Ragnar is still a tremendously fun main character. He doesn't feel quite as vibrant and charismatic as before, but the character is still portrayed with such fierce yet sheepish energy and is always a joy to watch. His scenes remain the best parts of the show, and his eccentricities are still quite amusing. Ragnar was given conflicts with a lot of characters this season: Horik, Borg, Rollo, Ecbert, Athelstan, Floki, Lagertha, Aslaug, Bjorn. While not all of these were great, it meant that there was always something interesting for him to do this season and the story never felt like it was getting stale. The highlight storyline for this season has to be the England one. Season 1 spent precious little time in England, and thankfully that changed with this season. The introduction of King Ecbert was fascinating, and he's proving to be a far more competent and interesting antagonist than Aelle. His scenes were always a highlight, and I thought that his conflict with the Vikings took some surprising turns with how diplomatic he was willing to be. On top of this, integrating Athelstan into the England storyline was a fantastic move. Exploring Athelstan as a man torn between religions was stunningly powerful and unique, and it made the character shine far more than season 1 did. I'll have more details on his arc in my episode-by-episode reviews, but I often found his scenes to be a highlight of the season, and I just wish that more time was spent on him, particularly towards the end of the season. A lot of the best moments this season featured Athelstan and Ecbert. Another great conflict that served as the main driving force this season was the Ragnar/Horik/Borg conflict. This conflict was fresh with twists and turns in every episode, and the fact that there were three different players involved gave the season a sense of predictability since you would never know when alliances could be formed or broken. This conflict gave the season momentum, something that was missing for much of season 1. Since I was intrigued by these characters and their ideals, I was invested in finding out where the characters would end up. Would Ragnar and Horik stay allied? Will Borg really take the peaceful option or will he attack? Will Ragnar actually forgive Borg for what he did? These were all key questions poised to us throughout the season, and it was fascinating to find out what the answers were. Lastly I want to draw attention to Rollo, who had a much better season this time around. The character was given a lot more variety in his story, whether it was openly fighting against Ragnar at the start, or proving his worth to protect Ragnar's family during Borg's invasion. The character was given a pretty solid redemption arc, and I thought that he was utilized well this season. The Bad: Unfortunately the show lost that brilliant sense of momentum after Borg was executed. The trifecta of Ragnar/Horik/Borg gave the show a sense of unpredictability which was lost quickly after Borg's execution. After that, the story felt remarkably predictable and uninspired until the end of the season. It became obvious that the Ragnar/Horik conflict would take center stage and that it would end in Horik's death. And because of that, it was painfully obvious that Floki wouldn't be betraying Ragnar and that this was part of the plan. I appreciate the subtle hints that were thrown in to suggest Floki and Ragnar were conning Horik, but they didn't end up working because the twist was so obvious that I could see it coming from a mile away. It felt similar to Haraldson's death being inevitable in season 1, with the Ragnar/Horik story having the same type of blandness. I'm disappointed that the last 3 episodes of the season were wasted trying to set up such a predictable twist. Furthermore, Horik completely failed as a villain. The character was really interesting and cunning in season 1, but that isn't followed up on in this season. Horik seems to have become a selfish moron off-screen for no reason, and he ended up being a completely flat, uninteresting character with no depth whatsoever. Hell, we didn't even get to explore what it meant for him to be a king which was I think was a massive failure. After 2 seasons I still have no idea what the difference between King and Earl and Jarl is, and that prevents me from properly understanding the Viking society and the seriousness of the conflict between Ragnar and Horik. It also makes me ask questions, like why doesn't Horik have more loyal men since he is the king? Surely Ragnar isn't his only loyal vassal. Plus, this lack of understanding of the significance of being a king makes it completely fall flat when Ragnar becomes king at the end of the season. What does this change? I have no idea, and that highlights the failure of the show to make us understand the governing system of the Vikings. I mentioned in "The Good" that the show is excellent with its artistic style, and that it nails scenes of visual storytelling. Unfortunately, artistic style isn't enough to make a conflict compelling. We need to see the character grapple with this conflict and make choices which will have consequences. The show would often spend too much time being artistic, that the most important part of characters making decisions is often glossed over, making the storylines fall flat in the end. This is most prominent in Athelstan's story, which has a really disappointing resolution because the show does not give enough focus on Athelstan's decision to stay with Christianity or to return to a Pagan lifestyle. Another issue with this season is the dialogue. The show is fantastic when there isn't any talking going on, with epic action scenes and gorgeous artistic sequences. But whenever the characters start talking, I often ended up rolling my eyes with how awful some of the dialogue was. This is a historical show, yet some of the dialogue feels like it was ripped from a 2000s era soap opera. It's embarrassingly bad at times, and there are many scenes this season where the dialogue takes me out of the episode. Some examples include Bjorn and Porunn's romance, Horik's attempts to manipulate Floki, any scenes of Siggy playing the role of Lady MacBeth and Ragnar's conflicts with Aslaug. Lagertha didn't have a very good season unfortunately. The character is still enjoyable to watch but her story really sucked. The character of Sigvard is a simplistic embarrassment, and every second he was on screen was painful. Even worse was how rushed Lagertha's ascent to Earl was; the lack of context in this storyline left me scratching my head wondering how Lagertha becoming an Earl was even possible. The story was rushed and had no depth to it at all, making it fail spectacularly. The switch to adult Bjorn was a little jarring for me. He honestly does not feel like the same character anymore and I don't think that I like the new actor as much as I liked the child one. Unfortunately, Bjorn doesn't have a whole lot to do this season and I think I actually like him less at the end because of how awkward that transition from kid to adult was. I hope he gets more to do next season, because I wasn't happy with his portrayal and story in this season. Lastly, the pacing of this show still feels incredibly strange. The show speeds up and slows down at perplexing times and it makes the story often feel jarring. I'll go into more detail in my episode-by-episode reviews, but I often found that the show's timeskips felt out of place (particularly at the start and end of the season), and that the show would often waste its time on storylines that it should have sped through instead. Oh, and also Kwenthrith was awful. That's all I need to say and that's all I will say. The Unknown: What will Ragnar do now that he is king? Will anybody oppose him? Will the alliance with Ecbert last? Will the Vikings help Ecbert conquer Mercia? Will Ecbert turn on Aelle eventually? Will Aelle turn on the Vikings? I feel like there's still enough hatred between Aelle and the Vikings that some conflict will arise there. Will Athelstan stay with Ragnar or will he go back to Ecbert? Will he ever find inner peace by picking one particular religion, or will he have to find a different path going forwards? Erlendur was allowed to live at the end of the season. Will Ragnar regret leaving one of Horik's sons alive? Will Erlendur try to depose Ragnar? Best Episodes: E02 Invasion: This episode had the best battle of the season and also saw the return voyage to England. As a fan of watching Vikings doing Viking things, I really enjoyed this one. E03 Treachery: Athelstan was focused on heavily in this episode, and his conflict was fascinating. This episode also saw some tense build-up to conflict with King Ecbert and a surprisingly intense ending as Borg decides to raid Kattegat. Worst Episodes: E09 The Choice: On paper, this should be a really good episode with a lot of drama to it. However, the execution is flat with a lot of key moments of conflict and character being glossed over, and a battle that didn't quite hit me as hard as it should have. E10 The Lord's Prayer: This was a completely flat and predictable end to the season. The Horik storyline ended with a weak whimper, and there were loads of frustrating moments throughout this episode that made Horik's eventual demise so unsatisfying when it should have been a monumental moment. Character of the Season: Athelstan. Conclusion: Season 2 was a definite improvement over season 1, tightening up the show's directing with action scenes and visuals, and having a much improved pacing and plot. But the season wasn't without faults. While the first half of the season was strong, the show stumbled quite a bit towards the end with some of the storylines falling flat. As a result, this season is an improvement, but it's still a mixed bag that could have been a lot more had there been some tighter writing and more interesting storylines building up to Horik's death and the peace between Ecbert and Ragnar. In my review of season 1 I claimed that "Vikings" was great junk food television. After watching season 2, I have to change my mind on that. The show is certainly trying to be more than just bland television, and it succeeded at that a number of times in this season. I think the best description of season 2, and the show as a whole, is that it's a show that tries to be more than just your average TV show, but it doesn't have the writing or storytelling ability to quite fulfill its lofty goals. Still, I will be watching the next season to see if the show can continue to improve. Summary: Ragnar's group meets with Borg and Ragnar tries to orchestrate a deal. Ragnar is shown around the place and meets Aslaug who he has sex with. Bjorn is unhappy and gets Ragnar to stop. Floki meets with Horik who declares he will not compromise with Borg. Borg gets Rollo to join him against Ragnar. Ragnar returns to Aslaug in the night. At Kattegat, a sickness spreads through the camp killing Thyri and Gyda.
The Good: The negotiations were a lot of fun in this episode. Ragnar was his usual charismatic self and there was tension from the indirect dealings between Borg and Horik which looks to be heading into an exciting war next season. This episode was quiet and without much action but I appreciate that decision. I thought some character dynamics were well done. Ragnar's dilemma between staying loyal to Lagertha and pursuing the possibility of sons with Aslaug was poignant and it built up nicely to his choice at the end of the episode. Rollo finally choosing to turn on Ragnar was a long time coming but it was nice to finally see it happen, and his choice was nicely intercut with Ragnar's. I really like that the Seer was given a bit of a character detail as he expresses annoyance at always having to deliver news of sorrow. The Bad: Rollo's arc got too repetitive so his choice had me feeling more like "finally!" instead of trying to connect with the character. The sickness storyline at Kattegat wasn't built up well and fell pretty flat. None of the deaths had any impact and it felt like a waste of time. "Vikings" has never been particularly strong without any action. While I respect the choice to have no action, the show's characters are not strong enough yet to have a particularly good episode with no action. Best Moment: The final 5 minutes with Ragnar and Rollo making huge choices that will likely have massive consequences. Conclusion: This was a slow-paced, character-driven episode which was a surprise for the season finale. While it didn't play to the show's strengths, I thought the episode was still pretty good and ended with some critical moments for the story. I've written a review of season 1 already. Click here to read it for more thoughts on season 1. Score: 63 Summary: The Vikings go on a yearly pilgrimage to Uppsala. Ragnar intends to sacrifice Athelstan to the gods, and Athelstan slowly realizes what's happening. However, Athelstan is still holding on to Christian virtues so he can't be sacrificed. Leif volunteers to be sacrificed in his place. King Horik comes to Uppsala and meets with Ragnar. They form an alliance and Horik gets Ragnar to be his emissary to help prevent a conflict.
The Good: I liked the visual style of this episode and I thought that Athelstan's realization throughout the episode was well executed. The sacrifices at the end of the episode were also surprisingly affecting and powerful. I credit the expert cinematography and style for that. The introduction to King Horik was really well done and I was surprised and pleased with his unique portrayal. The Bad: The time jump to kick off this episode was really jarring, and once again I think it robbed the story of its weight. We never got to see Athelstan renounce Christianity and we never got to see Ragnar learn that his child died. These were huge moments for the characters that disappointingly happened off-screen. Athelstan was focused on a lot in this episode but since I didn't buy into him converting to the Vikings' culture at all (because the show didn't show this happen), his storyline fell flat for me. I just wasn't invested in his conflict or his fate. The sacrifice was a well shot sequence, but it's hurt by the fact that a side character who I didn't know at all was the one who died I didn't have any reaction to this at all. Best Moment: Athelstan's adherence to Christianity being discovered was an outstanding moment, well-acted and scary. Conclusion: This episode had some good moments but the time jumps skipping over crucial character development really hurt the show here. This episode feels awkward in its placement and none of the character moments landed the way they should have. It's a shame that the story was so dependent on these character moments, and since they failed, the episode was not very good. Score: 52 Summary: King Aelle sends his brother Aethelwulf with an attack party to fight the Vikings but the Vikings attack the camp during the night and take Aethelwulf hostage. Ragnar and a small party treat with the King and they come to a deal: Aelle gives them 200 pounds of gold for his brother's life. Aelle violates the deal and sends a party to attack the Viking camp but is defeated and Aethelwulf is killed. Aelle caves and gives the Vikings the gold but swears he will have revenge on Ragnar. Back in Kattegat, Lagertha miscarries.
The Good: This was a really well-paced, well-structured, intense and exciting episode that felt like a complete experience. The action was the best of the series with genuine suspense and tension since Aelle is a far greater threat than anything else the Vikings have taken on so far. But the story is told beautifully and the Vikings come across as devilish monsters with their fighting ability and comparatively barbaric nature. I really adored the scenes in the King's hall as they were dripping in intrigue and suspense. This episode was fantastic for Ragnar. I really grew attached to him in this episode as he comes off as a wild and unpredictable man with endless charm and charisma. This episode made me completely rethink Ragnar and appreciate his mysterious nature so much more than I did before. There were some small things I liked. I really enjoyed the way that the show subtly and effectively switches between the Vikings speaking English and Pagan between scenes to make it easier to follow along. I enjoyed the Floki/Rollo conflict and I thought that it provided some really nice character development for both of them. I love how religion is consistently being portrayed as important to the characters in this show. Lastly, I loved the ending of this episode as it feels ominous and exciting, building up a lot of anticipation for the next Viking excursion into Northumbria. The Bad: Lagertha's storyline feels tacked on and out of place. It has no impact to kill off a baby who was only introduced an episode ago. The time jumps in the previous episode definitely hurt the story. Best Moment: The scenes in the King's Hall were fascinating, highlighting the differences between the Englishmen and Vikings. Conclusion: This episode was all action and it made me really fall in love with the charm and charisma of Ragnar. It's no all-time great episode, but it's a great experience that is easily the best episode of the show so far. Score: 69 Summary: Haraldson agrees to Ragnar's challenge. They meet in combat and Ragnar is victorious, taking the position of Earl for himself. Haraldson is given a big funeral. Lagertha tells Ragnar she is pregnant. Rollo asks Siggy to marry him. Athelstan learns about Ragnarok. Ragnar returns to Northumbria for another raid.
The Good: This needed to happen. It was good that we finally got to see the tragedy of Haraldson's story before he died. The single combat was pretty well done, and Ragnar's ascent to Earl was an event that needed to happen. I enjoyed the Ragnarok sequence as it was the best and most stylistic look into Viking culture we have had so far. The Bad: This was another poorly structured episode. The climax was in the middle of the episode, and this episode had far too much clutter, making it by far the worst paced episode so far. The time jumps throughout the episode are incredibly jarring and it prevents us from fully enjoying what we are watching. Haraldson's story was a failure. His monologue was poorly written and unoriginal. We should have seen this story play out on screen instead of having the show attempt a sympathy monologue for Haraldson right before he died. I had no emotional reaction to his death. The character was boring and his fate was predictable. Rollo's release made no sense, why didn't Haraldson keep him? Siggy murdering the other Earl also makes no sense. Surely that should have consequences! Aelle's snake pit murder was ridiculous and it is laughable that he would wait months before murdering this man, who also happened to be the only person who has fought the Vikings before. It's a stupid move to kill him. Lastly, I was disappointed to see that the show skipped over the change in Ragnar's life now that he's an Earl. This should have been when we learned more about how leadership roles work in Viking culture. Instead that's deemed too boring for the show so we skip several months to a raid instead. Best Moment: The Ragnarok moment. Conclusion: This episode was extremely disappointing. Haraldson's storyline flopped, and the transition of Ragnar becoming Earl was rushed and had no substance to it. This episode was not handled well at all. Score: 48 Summary: Haraldson attacks Ragnar's village and nearly kills him. Ragnar escapes with his family and heals up at Floki's. Haraldson chooses to marry Thyri to another Earl. Rollo attends the wedding and Haraldson cuts a deal with him. Upset by Rollo's betrayal, Haraldson ends up capturing and torturing him. Torstein informs Ragnar of this and Ragnar decides to challenge Haraldson to single combat.
The Good: Haraldson's attack on the village is really intense and we get some strong action. It's also nice to see Ragnar get badly injured as it sells that he isn't an invincible protagonist. I liked the build-up to Ragnar's decision to challenge Haraldson at the end of the episode. The Bad: The structure of episodes in this season has been strange. The last two seasons have had climactic moments at the start of the episode rather than the end which creates an unnatural flow to the episode. Ragnar's escape was ridiculous and I can't buy at all that he would get away with those wounds. After making Ragnar look mortal, they give him all the plot armour in the world to get him to escape. Thyri's wedding didn't work at all. It was purely done for shock and for the plot, it had no impact on me. Best Moment: The start of the attack was surprisingly brutal and got me invested in the drama very quickly. Conclusion: This was an okay episode. The structure didn't work well but there was fine, unspectacular drama throughout the episode. Score: 58 Summary: The Vikings raid another town in Northumbria. Lagertha kills Knut when he tries to rape her. On their way back, the Vikings encounter a group of Englishmen waiting to fight them, and they murder them. One survivor returns to king Aelle, who is displeased. Upon returning, Haraldson puts Ragnar on trial for killing Knut. He tries to get Rollo to betray Ragnar and testify against him but Rollo doesn't do it.
The Good: The action was again the highlight here. It was intense and a whole lot of fun to see the Vikings murdering the frightened Englishmen who haven't seen anything like this before. I liked the conflict that was given to Rollo in this episode and there was weight to his decision since it was going to impact the story in a big way. The Bad: A lot of moments of poor writing hurt this episode. Ragnar not telling anyone his plan to attack when the Englishmen are in church was predictable and typical of boring television. He only hid this plan because the writers wanted the surprise. The action was flawed since it's hard to buy that the Englishmen were stupid enough to not go around the shield wall and just charge head-on. Athelstan has been given no development whatsoever so it's incredibly awkward to see him be so loyal to Ragnar and caring for his family. He was a slave an episode ago! Ragnar taking ownership for Knut's death is absurd. Why would they not plan out how to handle this before meeting with Haraldson? They could easily have said Knut died in battle without any questions asked. Furthermore, it's hard to believe Lagertha would be so against Knut raping an English woman. These are Vikings, rape is what they do. Rollo's conflict is hurt because we don't know how important brotherhood is to the Vikings. We would be able to understand his conflict more if we knew the importance of being loyal to your brother. The ending attack was awful. Not only is it completely unclear who was attacking, but we got a death scene for a complete nobody of a character. It was really poor. Plus, is there going to be no justice for this? Ragnar killed Knut and there was a trial, yet this attack can happen without any prompt and the society just accepts it? That's completely at odds with what was established before. Best Moment: Rollo choosing to side with Ragnar was a welcome surprise. Conclusion: This episode had fun action, but everything else that happened was nonsensical and the stakes were always unclear. This episode should have been much better. Score: 53 Summary: Ragnar returns to Kattegat and Haraldson confiscates all of the treasure he brought back. Ragnar keeps a monk, Athelstan, as a slave. Haraldson buries the treasure. Ragnar speaks with Haraldson who agrees to let him go back to England, but he has to take Knut with him. Lagertha goes as well. When they arrive in England, men of the king are waiting for them. A fight breaks out and the Vikings win.
The Good: I like how the characters are motivated in this episode. The Vikings were not moral, complex characters and that is depicted here. All of the characters are assholes motivated by simple things like greed, faith, and lust for power. The second voyage ended up being set up pretty well and the action scene at the end of the episode was a lot of fun to watch. The Bad: The show is already starting to feel repetitive with the raids since we already get to see another one only half an episode after the previous one finished. I was unhappy with Haraldson murdering the child for his own gain. The show seems to care more about brutality than fleshing out this character. I thought that the bond between Ragnar and Athelstan was very rushed, and as such I can't buy into Ragnar leaving him in charge of his children. Best Moment: The tense confrontation between the Englishmen and the Vikings which broke out into an epic action sequence. Conclusion: This was another simple and fun episode with some good action, though flaws are starting to pop up within the show. Score: 62 Summary: Ragnar's group sails west and they reach England where they raid a monastery, murdering most of the monks and taking the rest as slaves. Olafur informs Haraldson of Ragnar's intent to leave but is killed when Haraldson loses trust in him. Knut becomes Haraldson's spy in Olafur's place.
The Good: This is exactly what I wanted from the show. Showing the Vikings setting sail, going on the journey, and concluding with the raid of a holy village was exactly what I had hoped to get from this show. I enjoyed the little things like Floki's mannerisms, the sense of wonder when they finally reached land, and the remarkable brutality with which the Vikings murdered the monks. I'm also pleased that Ragnar isn't shown to be unusually sympathetic for a Viking; he's just as brutal as the rest and sees no problem with it. The Bad: Haraldson's storyline felt like a lot of senseless brutality and did not do much for the character. I thought that more details should have been acknowledged with the Viking voyage, such as food. I also think it's strange that nobody seems to think about what would happen to their families while they are gone and what would happen when they come back after disobeying the Earl's direct orders. Best Moment: The confrontation in the church which patiently turns into a massacre. Conclusion: This was a fun episode that gave me the action I wanted. There's nothing special about the show yet, but I'm having fun watching it. Score: 64 Intro: This is the first of my new shortened episode reviews. For more thoughts on the show, you can read by seasonal reviews. These episode-by-episode reviews will contain brief thoughts on each individual episode.
Summary: Ragnar's son Bjorn becomes a man at a Viking ceremony. Ragnar decides to sail west on his own despite not getting permission from the Earl. The Good: The most interesting aspect of the episode was the look into Viking culture. Things like the Viking events, the sun board and stone that Ragnar used and the focus on religion and gods was really interesting to watch. I also really liked that the show immediately tackled how justice worked in this world. The Bad: For a pilot, this wasn't very memorable. It didn't do anything horribly wrong, but it did nothing to grab my attention. The episode is slow and doesn't connect me to the characters very well. The premise of the show isn't deep enough for me to feel very excited about what's coming next. Best Moment: The suggestion of conflict between Ragnar and Haraldson. Conclusion: This episode was fine enough to watch and didn't do anything wrong, but it was far from a gripping pilot episode. Score: 60 |
Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
March 2024
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