WiC Watches: The Last Kingdom season 4

Image: The Last Kingdom/Netflix

Did we like Season 4?

Absolutely. The Last Kingdom season 4 delivered everything we expect from the show: gripping melodrama, romance, armored action, conspiracy, dangerous Danes and wanderlust. Powered by strong and reasonably complex characters, the narrative generally sails from one storyline to another with ease. Uhtred was once again discouraged from further pressing his claim on Bebbanburg (after the early disaster) and dragged back into the Saxon/Mercian/Dane political labyrinth to save the day.

The Last Kingdom kills off characters, and this season was no exception: we lost Aethelred, Eardwulf, Aelfric, Steapa, Beocca, Cenric and potentially Aelswith, among others. I really didn’t see the Beocca death coming, and that was rough. This willingness to accept heavy losses among the characters (with the exception of Uhtred, of course) keeps the audience on edge in a good way, and we hope the showrunners continue to commit to the painful consequences of their violent world. As they mature, too many shows get too attached to their main casts and stop offing them, which reduces the fresh perils inherent in the drama.

Image: The Last Kingdom/Netflix

I was sorry to see Steapa go. He was a borderline favorite of mine, borderline only because he rarely got much screen time. I was always waiting for his man-at-arms character to be folded into the story the way Leofric had so successfully been, but alas, it never came to be. There are also some great characters that have been shuffled to the edges and remain undeveloped, such as Hild and Sihtric; hopefully they’ll get some more stuff to deal with in season 5. The fan-favorite Finan did sparkle in the spotlight this time around, serving as Uhtred’s closest buddy and also sharing romantic glances with newcomer Eadith.

Of course, it was difficult to wedge all the recurring minor characters into a 10-episode season where screen time was consumed by extensive and gorgeous battle sequences, and by a barrage of new (or emerging) potentially important players: Sigtryggr, Stiorra, Young Uhtred, Father Pyrlig, Aethelstan, Eardwulf, Eadith and Wihtgar, to name a few. It’s difficult to juggle so many characters, especially so many new ones, but it all worked wonderfully most of the time.

Image: The Last Kingdom/Netflix

The end of Season 4 left fans hungry for more. Uhtred is once again unmoored from Wessex and pondering Bebbanburg and his future. Aethelflaed is now a Mercian warlord, allied to the desperately virtuous but inconsistent King Edward as they seek to unite England and complete Alfred’s dream. The Dane threat has both a new face and an old one: the powerful but diplomatic Sigtryggr arrived to make peace, but the savagely unpredictable Brida is spoiling for trouble … and there is always a fresh Dane invasion force coming over the Northumbrian horizon.

All in all, season 4 of The Last Kingdom did a superb job guiding us through its late 9th century world and the struggles of its characters. If you love the show I don’t see how you could have been disappointed.

Season Grade: A

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