WiC Watches: Vikings Season 5, Part 2
Episode 514: “The Lost Moment”
Episode 514, “The Lost Moment,” is a setup episode for what looks like a bloody battle between the forces of Wessex and King Harald’s Vikings. But that’s not to say it was a filler episode, because some important things happened.
That’s right: Bjorn and Alfred got haircuts. Bjorn now looks even more like his father Ragnar, and Alfred now looks like a hipster barista.
Jokes aside, at Kattegat, Alex Høgh really owned his role as the insane Ivar the Boneless. Think back to Game of Thrones season 4 when Iwan Rheon really let his crazy flag fly as Ramsay Bolton, and you’ll get what Alex Høgh is FINALLY doing with his character.
Not only did Ivar declare himself a god, but he sacrificed a Lagertha lookalike and hoped the ploy would fool the people of Kattegat. Of course it didn’t, but Ivar declared it a win anyway. Dude invented fake news.
Speaking of Lagertha, Katheryn Winnick’s talents were wasted yet again. Her character has basically become a side-piece for Bishop Heahmund. Her only real scenes was sneaking down to Heahmund’s quarters in the middle of the night to get a little nookie, and then later telling Magnus that she didn’t believe he was Ragnar’s son. I hate to say this, but it’s time to kill off Lagertha and let Winnick go star in something else, because she’s a straight badass who’s being sidelined.
Elsewhere, in the foggy forests of Wessex, Alfred decides he’s going to lead his army against King Harald, but he needs training first, so he asks Ubbe to help him. Ubbe throws axes at him, and Alfred’s training is complete. To war!
Meanwhile, on the eve of one of the greatest battles Wessex will ever face, Alfred’s brother, Prince Aethelred, is plotting with a bunch of idiot nobles to overthrow and kill Alfred and his pet pagans, even though Ubbe and Torvi converted to Christianity. Why are most nobles such dicks?
When the time comes to announce that he will be leading the forces of Wessex into battle, Alfred hugs Aethelred and tells him he loves him. Aethelred gets shook and calls off the assassination plot. It seems like Alfred’s new haircut is already working miracles.
Back at Kattegat, Ivar visits the old blind creepy seer, who tells him he isn’t a god and that he’s scared because all he sees is darkness. Naturally, this angers Ivar, who kills the seer. And thus ends the life of an original season 1 character. Actor John Kavanagh did a wonderful job of creeping the ever-loving sh*t out of me every time he was on screen. He will be missed.
Finally, Floki saw a ghost and banished a family from his island. His story arc just keeps getting worse.
All in all, this was a step up from the last few weeks, and did a good job setting up a huge battle to come. I’m glad Ivar is embracing his crazy, but Lagertha and Bjorn are still woefully underused. Let’s hope that changes in Episode 515, “Hell.”
