I delayed in writing this review for two reasons. The first is because I was hoping to make a little announcement to accompany it, which you will find at the end. The second is that I really wanted time to process the episode.
In all honesty, after first watching the episode, I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. A fellow reviewer tweeted me that night to ask me if I had loved it, and I waited almost a full day before I could get back to her. Where did my hesitation come from? In thinking about it, I realized that I did really love the episode, for a lot of reasons which I’ll discuss a bit later, but my hesitation came from feeling that it was just so short.
Of course no shorter than any other episode of Vikings, but the only reason I was having mixed feelings about the whole thing was really that it was such a strong, intense episode that when it ended I wanted more.
The standout of this episode had to be Floki. As someone rightly pointed out in the comments last week, Floki never really betrayed Ragnar but was actually playing King Horik the whole time. It seems obvious now looking back on it, but the thought hadn’t occurred to me till it was suggested last week by the commenter. One of the reasons the betrayal worked, in a sense, is that it seemingly came out of nowhere. The thought that Floki could betray Ragnar was so jarring and upsetting, that I didn’t stop to think it was all a rouse. Now of course there are probably many others who disagree and saw the deception from the beginning, but it did not cross my mind at first.
The show certainly went a long way to prove this week that Floki was indeed betraying Ragnar. His reaction to seeing his daughter for the first time was unsettling, and of course his murder of Thorstein was another heart breaking moment. Even though it was revealed that all his actions were actually helping Ragnar, even if it had gone the other way, it would have made sense. Floki had reason to send Helga and his daughter away. He had reason to hate Rollo and attempt to get rid of him. And he’s show on more than one occasion how he feels about Athelstan. The storyline worked because either way it could have gone, for King Horik or for Ragnar, could have been justified on some level.
Of course, I am happy that Floki sided with Ragnar in the end, and we finally saw the end of King Horik. His death was one of the ones this season that impacted me the most, both emotionally and visually. It was a culminating moment, and extremely satisfying, knowing how he was planning on slaughtering everyone in Kattegat.
Travis Fimmel deserves some serious praise for his work this season. Ragnar spoke only in one scene this episode, reciting the Lord’s Prayer with Athelstan, but his presence permeated the entire episode. All season long, Fimmel has told such a story with just his eyes and facial expressions alone. Each inflection of the voice, each awkward smile, and every carefully chose phrase have helped to move this season and this character along, in the most subtle of ways. It’s been fantastically done, and I’m incredibly eager to see if Ragnar will continue to rise in Season 3, or if that will be the season that sees him start to stumble. He is a King now, which will bring new complications.
I also very much enjoyed Alexander Ludwig’s performance this season as Bjorn. The time jump at the beginning of the season was a good thing, and Bjorn grew into a character that was not only likeable but incredibly interesting. His relationship with Porunn went to the next level this episode, although I’m wondering if those two will make it, since Bjorn is supposed to marry the daughter of a King according to the Seer. Maybe one of King Horik’s daughters?
Porunn would be a far more interesting choice, partly because she, like Lagertha, is a fierce and independent woman on the show. The show in general is to be commended for the inclusion of female characters that are multi faceted and engaging, and can also kick some serious butt. All of the woman on the show this season have done an incredible job. Lagertha, Aslaug, Siggy, Helga, and Porunn all got considerable storylines, and all showed that Viking women were not to be messed with. I hope this is a trend the show continues with next season.
We didn’t see King Ecbert in the finale, but I don’t think his story is over. He was a strong addition to the story, so I hope to see more of him next season. I would love to see him interact with Athelstan again, since their relationship was incredibly fascinating.
As for Athelstan, we didn’t see him too much this episode, and I hope we see another arc for him next season that was as compelling as this season's arc. We did see that although he’s back with the Vikings, he still hasn’t forgotten his Christian faith. Perhaps he will finally find a balance between the two. And maybe Ragnar will continue to integrate the teaching of ALL the Gods into his own beliefs.
And so we end another incredible season of Vikings. It went by too fast, and we’ve a long time to go before season 3 starts up, but I’m sure there will be plenty of discussion and speculation between now and then!
Oh and I promised an announcement didn’t I? I will be chatting with actor George Blagden who plays Athelstan this friday, so if you have any burning questions about the finale or the season in general, please feel free to send them to me at trinarego@spoilertv.com and I will do my best to get them in! Please get your questions in by Thursday! Send those questions!
So for one last time this season, Viking’s Fans, sound off below! What did you think of the finale? What was your favorite storyline from the season? And what do you hope to see next season?
