WiC Binges: The Last Kingdom season 3

THE LAST KINGDOM: SEASON 3, “EPISODE SEVEN”

“A message from Uhtred and the machinations of Skade exploit divisions among the Danes. His health failing, Alfred wrestles with Aethelwold’s fate.”

Recap

Uhtred and company rides to Saltwic to plan the recovery of Skade. Uhtred and Aethelflaed fight off a team of Aethelwold’s assassins, and capture his man Offa. Offa spills the beans about Aethelwold’s collusion with the Danes, then agrees to carry a message of doom to Cnut. Uhtred rallies his men.

In Hunstanestun, Skade stirs the pot, encouraging Bloodhair to kill Haesten. Brida is wary of Skade. The Danes, including Sihtric, have received Offa’s message and worry about Uhtred’s attack. Brida beds Cnut. Aethelwold arrives in Winchester and is immediately arrested. Alfred haggles bride price with Lord Aethelhelm as Edward prepares to marry his daughter Aelflaed.

Uhtred and his men overnght in Crugland where they are attacked by local Mercians in league with the Danes. Aethelred travels to Saltwic where he continues to threaten Aethelflaed, but she has a powerful (and lovelorn) protector in Aldhelm. In Hunstanestun, the animosity between Bloodhair and Haesten explodes in a duel. Skade drugs Bloodhair and delivers the killing blow. Cnut leads his men to face the approaching Uhtred.

Aethelwold is brought before Alfred’s witan and attempts to further weave his web of deceit. The ailing king rejects everyone’s call for execution and decides to be merciful, deciding to blind his traitorous nephew in one eye. At Hunstanestun, Uhtred avoids a confrontation with Cnut, joins with Sihtric and rescues Skade.

Our Take

The previous three episodes (4-6) have been heavy on action and drama. In comparison, “Episode Seven” feels like something of a breather. But that doesn’t mean it’s a weak episode; “Episode Seven” flows well and turns a couple of big story screws. Plenty of treachery is afoot.

“Episode Seven” involves lots of geographical hopping back and forth between Saltwic, Winchester, Hunstanestun and Crugland. Characters are on the move and the winter scenery is beautiful. The alehouse skirmish in Crugland feels kind of tangential, as if the showrunners felt they needed a battle scene to spice up a slow stretch, but we’ll take it.

The events at Hunstanestun are particularly engaging, as the threat of Uhtred’s attack and Skade’s treachery keep the Danes off balance. They’re decimating themselves, but a Cnut/Brida coalition give them some stability. Brida taking Cnut into her bed seems like a purely tactical decision, not a romantic one. Skade’s blood ceremony with Bloodhair was another interesting look into the pagan world. Her drugging of Bloodhair was surprising, since Bloodhair was the stronger suitor, but if her ultimate goal is the weaken the Danes before returning to Uhtred, it was a smart call.

This is a big episode for Aethelwold, who finally has to face the consequences of his nefarious conspiracies against the king. But he’s never going to learn; he’s stoking unrest in the middle of Alfred’s witan even as the king is in prayer deciding his fate. Despite Aethelwold’s talent as a smooth-talker, nobody buys his story this time. Aelswith, Beocca, Aethelhelm and Edward realize that Aethelwold must be executed, but Alfred chooses to merely blind him in one eye instead.

Should we judge Alfred as a weakling at this point? His deteriorating condition is making him want to embrace “the Christian path of mercy this close to the end.” Alfred feels as if Aethelwold’s errors are partially his fault and is appalled at the idea of taking the life of his beloved brother’s son. But Aelswith, brutally realistic, is right: a living Aethelwold will always pose a threat to Edward. And a vengeful, one-eyed Aethelwold can only be worse.

Finally: mea culpa. In my review of “Episode Six,” I railed about the weakness of the whole Uhtred/Sihtric argument at Saltwic. It proved to be a sham to allow the still-loyal Sihtric to infiltrate Cnut’s Danish outfit. So…the unbelievable nature of their argument is passable because it was invented, though nobody who really knew them would have wholly have bought it (I’m looking at you, my dear Finan).

The Uhtred/Sihtric conflict works in the story because the imprisoned Danes aren’t intimately familiar with the closeness of their relationship. I blamed the showrunners for being false to their characters because I didn’t consider the idea of the conflict being a ploy, so my bad. In the end, it’s still a win for me, though, because I’m thrilled Sihtric remains with the good guys! I hope that Finan and Sihtric get a lot of screentime for the remainder of the season; they’re great characters with great stories.

Also, where the heck is Hild? She’s a favorite but her build-a-nunnery venture back in Coccham seems to have unfortunately exiled her to the story hinterlands. Her steady presence at Uhtred’s side is sorely missed. The Last Kingdom is a world of constant danger and pain and we know Uhtred’s soon going to need her.

Random Impressions

• Did you miss Saxon Stories author Bernard Cornwell’s cameo? There he is above. He’s a member of Aethelwold’s assassination team wiped out by Uhtred and Aethelflaed. Cornwell delivers his line well and dies bloody, in true Last Kingdom fashion. Stay alive out here, Bernard: we need more books!
• Edward and Aelflaed emerge as the new cute couple to beat in an episode that also spotlights including Uhtred and Aethelflaed (still flirting) and Brida and Cnut.
• If Uhtred and Aethelflaed don’t work out, wouldn’t she and Aldhelm make for the super cool power couple? That would involve terminating Aethelred (yay!). Maybe we should ship them because Uhtred’s lovers rarely survive and we really, really like Aethelflaed.
• Offa was a dead man walking as soon as he entered the Viking camp.
• Skade is going off like a grenade in the middle of Cnut’s Danish coalition.
• With Sihtric temporarily out of the picture, did odd couple Finan and Osferth emerging as the latest bromance?
• Shall we take odds on Alfred surviving to the season finale? We’re predicting he expires in “Episode Nine.”
• The show’s signature humor re-emerges in this episode, and that’s nice. It’s been dark days for a while.

To sum up: After a set of high-octane installments, “Episode Seven” slows down as the pieces realign. Grade: B+

Quote: “Wessex is a sacred place. A place of home and harvest, of kindness and pity. All that we have, all that we have built, is here. This land that is the promise of England — that is what you have put in danger.” (Alfred, to Aethelwold)