WiC Watches: The Last Kingdom season 4
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Season 4: “Episode Eight”
Uhtred reluctantly prepares to take power in Mercia but secretly forms an alternate plan. Brida joins the Danes in attacking the Welsh.
Recap
The pregnant Brida leads a Dane raiding party at Llangadog (Wales). At Aylesbury, Aethelflaed disapproves of Uhtred’s lordship of Mercia, while Pyrlig plans his third baptism. In Wales, Brida urges the cautious Sygtryggr to attack Wessex. Sponsored by Edward, Uhtred is baptized. The witan is gathered and Uhtred is chosen as lord and protector of Mercia, but he immediately attempts to abdicate and name Aethelflaed as ruler in his stead. The witan chooses Aethelflaed. The insulted Edward uses his troops to take control of Aylesbury.
Aelswith counsels Edward that Aethelflaed on the Mercian throne is a good thing. Young Uhtred decides he must leave to pursue his religious calling. King Hywel returns to Wales to retake his fortress, but his army falls to a fiery trap set by Sygtryggr’s Danes. Eardwulf is captured by Brida. Leaving Finan with Aethelflaed, Uhtred, Sihtric and Osferth ride out to gather and return with the Mercian fyrds loyal to Aethelflaed. Stung, Edward relents and opens Aylesbury.
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Edward decides to trust Aethelflaed and proposes they retake lawless East Anglia with an allied army. Uhtred decides to leave Aylesbury because he cannot bear the pain of being physically separated from the now chaste Aethelflaed. As the new ruler, Athelflaed rewards Eadith for her help but, as her brother’s former mistress, she must now leave Aylesbury. Eadith joins Uhtred’s company.
Brida brings Eardwulf and a plan of attack to Sygtryggr: with Edward’s entire army currently in Mercia, the Wessex capital of Winchester is unprotected and ripe for the picking. Sygtryggr plans to march on Winchester the next morning.
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Our Take
“Episode Eight” is a fun and vital installment of The Last Kingdom because it is powered by the decisions and actions of many of the show’s most developed characters. As the fate of Mercia hangs in the balance, Aethelflaed, Edward and Uhtred plow ahead, doing what they deem best. With Father Pyrlig in Uhtred’s ear, Aelswith advising Edward and Aldhelm fast beside Aethelflaed, it all feels just right.
Uhtred’s potential lordship of Mercia inspires Aelswith to finally accept him, a little (as Alfred did). But Uhtred’s lover Aethelfaed is dismayed that Edward would install a non-Mercian in the position.
I wondered: would Uhtred’s lordship drive a wedge between Uhtred and Aethelflaed? Nope. Uhtred’s attempt to step aside in favor of Aethelflaed enrages Edward and causes a big stir in the witan. High drama ensues and the witan’s decision to establish Aethelflaed as the ruler of Mercia both humiliates Edward (again) and deflects Uhtred with her vow of chastity.
Image: The Last Kingdom/Netflix
One thing is for sure: the fledgling Uhtred/Edward bromance is over, at least for now. Despite acting in a kingly fashion by trying to give Uhtred some power, Edward is thwarted by the stubborn ideals of both Uhtred and Aethelflaed, and their popularity with the Mercian rank and file.
Yes, Edward can be petty and imperious, but he has a good heart — I hope these trials won’t drive him back to the lizard-tongued Aethelhelm, and it looks like they haven’t: humbled and finding confidence as he matures, Edward acknowledges Aethelflaed’s fitness to rule and cements their bond by suggesting an allied Wessex/Mercian army tackle the lawless lands of East Anglia side by side. Edward is a big boy now.
Image: The Last Kingdom/Netflix
We also get to see the softer (but not weaker) side of Edward we’ve always liked, especially when he begins to warm up to Aethelstan, now in the care of Aelswith, who obviously would prefer Edward’s firstborn over the child he has with his (second) wife Aelflaed.
In random notes, the showrunners are still teasing that Finan-Eadith hookup! And the lousy CGI fire on the huts at Llangadog at the beginning was oddly subpar in quality—the much ballyhooed bigger budget failed us there.
“Episode Eight” is a politics-heavy installment of The Last Kingdom, with the fate of Mercia (and Wessex) in the balance as the Uhtred/Aethelflaed/Edward triumvirate develops. It’s a blast to watch the maneuverings of these three lions as they clash with the best of intentions. What results is probably the best possible outcome for Mercia and Wessex both. And that’s a very good thing, because you know the Danes are coming.