Every single episode of The Last Kingdom, ranked worst to best
(15) SEASON 2: “EPISODE SEVEN”
“Aethelred faces humiliation after his blunder in London backs Alfred into a corner. Her loyalties shifting, Aethelflaed makes a dire appeal to Uhtred.”
Recap
Uhtred, Beocca and Aethelred return to the Saxon camp at Lunden to find Thyra alive but Aethelflaed gone, kidnapped by the Vikings led by Erik and Sigefrid. Uhtred returns to Coccham but sends spies to watch the Vikings at Beamfleot. Aethelred must return to Winchester and inform Alfred of Aetheflaed’s abduction. Alfred has no choice but to call upon Uhtred to save his daughter.
At Beamfleot, Erik is kind to Aethelflaed and the two develop an unlikely romance. Seeing the attraction, Sigefrid does his best to separate the two. In Winchester, Alfred holds a witan that Uhtred attends, and the king sends Aethelred and Uhtred to negotiate with the Danes.
Meeting with Alfred, Odda the Elder suggests that Aethelflaed find a way to commit suicide, because the huge ransom paid by Wessex and Mercia for her return will be used to fund a massive Viking invasion force. Alfred refuses to consider anything less than the rescue of his daughter.
Uhtred and Aethelred travel to Beamfleot to discuss the ransom with Erik and Sigefrid. When Uhtred sees Aethelflaed alone, she begs him to help her and Erik escape into the hinterlands.
Our Take
If you were underwhelmed by episodes five and six, you have to be thrilled with “Episode Seven.” With the stakes established, this is where the second season really takes off, as Uhtred strides out of Alfred’s witan on his way to rescue Aethelflaed. Characters are forced to make difficult choices, as when Erik turns against his Danish brother for the love of a Saxon princess, the devout Alfred and Aelswith turn to the pagan Uhtred to save their daughter, and Odda the Elder realizes that what is best for Wessex might not be what Alfred, weakened by Aethelflaed’s predicament, plans to do.
There are so many wonderful little moments here, like when Aelswith comes to Alfred in the night, terrified for her child, and desperately argues that Uhtred, a man she suggested killing the previous episode, should be brought back to rescue their daughter. Despite their haughtiness, Alfred and Aelswith become profoundly human when their children’s lives are in danger.
Beocca’s misery at the prospect of losing Thyra and his unbounded joy at discovering her alive is a tremendous start to the episode. The scene where Odda the Elder, a man who is always committed to “the good of the kingdom,” suggests Aethelflaed’s suicide to Alfred is gut-wrenching. The scene between Uhtred and Aetheflaed at the end of the episode, where she begs him to free her and Erik and save the kingdoms of Wessex and Mercia, is a great setup for the season finale.
QUOTE: “Good king, although I would usually prefer him miles away at Coccham, would it now be appropriate to recall Uhtred to Winchester? I accept that he will never know god.” (Aelswith, to Alfred)