WiC Watches: Vikings season 6
By Corey Smith
Episode 6×07 “The Ice Maiden”
Last week’s episode saw the tragic death of Vikings’ longest running characters (at least until Floki returns), as Lagertha — former queen of Kattegat and ex-wife of Ragnar Lothbrok — was murdered by one of Ragnar’s sons, Hvitserk. In “The Ice Maiden,” Vikings pulls out all the stops for the funeral of arguably its most interesting character. We do check in on some of the show’s other plotlines, but the focus is rightfully on Lagertha and her journey to Valhalla.
With Lagertha’s funeral looming over all, it’s hard to feel engaged with much else, and quite frankly I would have not minded if the episode had focused entirely on Kattegat. As it is, we pivot to Harald, whose reign is off to a rocky start. Despite pledges to his fellow kings and jarls, Harald doesn’t seem inclined to keep his promises, and has King Olaf thrown in prison. In turn, Olaf refuses to acknowledge Harald as King of Norway. It all feels rather predictable after all the talk of changing Norway’s future.
It’s also more of the same in Kiev, as Oleg, Ivar and Igor continue their backstabbing ways. Ivar receives word that Dir will lend his support when the time is right, Igor does some ice skating, and Katia/Freydis takes a hot bath. It’s mostly pretty milquetoast, although the group discussion about religion was kind of interesting. Oleg, it seems, would love to return to his mother’s womb, and both Oleg and Ivar believe in reincarnation.
I suppose this is the show’s attempt to explain Katia/Freydis, which continues to defy all logic. Reincarnation implies a soul returning from the afterlife to inhabit another body, not THE EXACT SAME BODY. Now there is a belief — and damn the show for making me research this — that a person can be reincarnated in the same body, but even that fails to explain how Freydis could be reincarnated in the fully grown body of Katia just months after her death.
So the show continues to insult our intelligence and I’d much prefer they simply went full-on crazy with the whole thing. You want to bring back a dead character thousands of miles away and have her meet her former husband? Don’t try to explain it with logic, because it just won’t work.
Anyways, let’s return to Kattegat and Lagertha. From the jump, it’s clear this will be a funeral to end all funerals. Even Ragnar, the show’s main character until his death, did not go out as epically as Lagertha does. From the moment Lagertha’s body is discovered sadly, but peacefully, alone in the snow, Kattegat and its citizens are in shock. Perhaps none are more affected than Torvi, who always had a strong relationship with Lagertha, perhaps even more so than her son Bjorn.
Torvi is dealing with more than Lagerhta’s death however, as she makes the now quick journey to Lagerhta’s farm to discover her son Hali’s death. I’ve been openly critical of the show’s lackadaisical approach to the death of children, but I’m happy to say Torvi gives Hali’s death some weight. Whether Hali’s father Bjorn acknowledges his death is another story, but the show’s track record there doesn’t give me much hope.
When Torvi does return to Kattegat with Gunnhild, which is again now strangely close to Lagertha’s farm, she is among the crowd of shield maidens eager to accompany Lagertha to Valhalla via ritual sacrifice. It’s a touching moment to see a hall full of shield maidens unanimously choosing to serve Lagertha in death. One “lucky” maiden, Gyda (named after Lagertha’s long-dead daughter), is chosen, and it’s here that the show’s mystical elements rear their head.
Gyda, who prepares for Valahalla by first having sex with a group of priests, is killed by the Angel of Death. It’s not clear if this is a mystical being or just another priestess, but her coal black eyes suggest the former. The Angel of Death is fairly creepy, but it’s only the beginning.
As to the question of who murdered Lagertha, Hvitserk’s madness making him a natural suspect (at least to anyone with half a brain). We then get another mystical moment when Ubbe has a full-blown conversation with the long dead Seer. Much like Bjorn’s conversation earlier in the season, it’s too involved a talk to be explained by anything other than either magic or insanity. The Seer ominously points out that while it was not Ivar who killed Lagertha, he is responsible in his own way.
Hvitserk fled to the forest after Lagertha’s death, and yet no one initially finds this suspicious. Sure, Hvitserk might be mad as a kite, and might have fled Kattegat the same night Lagertha died, but hey, there’s nothing to see here, according to Torvi and Ubbe. Like Bjorn’s inability to believe Harald might try to kill him in last week’s episode, it’s baffling that intelligent characters can just stare past the evidence in front of their faces. Judging from next week’s preview, Bjorn might not be so block-headed, but it was still annoying.
Anyway, Lagertha’s funeral boat is prepared, complete with horse blood, gifts from Torvi, Ubbe and Gunnhild, and the timely return of Bjorn. It’s through Bjorn that I most felt Lagertha’s loss. Others looked up to and admired Lagertha, but for Bjorn, this was his mother and his strongest supporter throughout his life. Bjorn does not quite lose it, but as he says, nothing will ever be the same, and it’s clear that BJorn is shaken to his core. Bjorn naturally swears revenge, which could get all kinds of twisted when Bjorn discovers his own half-brother did the deed.
After everyone says goodbye, the show itself gives Lagertha one last farewell as her body drifts to the bottom of the sea after her funeral boat is set on fire. As Lagertha descends to the ocean floor, a host of Valkyries accompany her as she settles beside the form of Ragnar, who is made of sand. It’s a touching moment as Lagertha is reunited with her true love before turning to sand herself. As the two scatter, it’s hard not to think back on their time together. The moment is very powerful. My only issue is that it feels strong enough to close out the series itself, rather than end a mid-season episode.
Lagertha leaves behind a legacy of strength and fearlessness that will be hard to live up to. For six seasons, Katheryn Winnick turned in a powerhouse performance, a standout among the show’s large cast. Luckily, the show doesn’t have long to go before the end, so we won’t be long without Winnick. Regardless, Lagertha’s death will have strong repercussions for every remaining character, and while it was sad to see her go, it’s exciting to think what might come of her death.