WiC reviews the final 10 episodes of Vikings
By Corey Smith
Image: Vikings/History
Season 6, Episode 15: “All At Sea”
We’ve officially reached the halfway point of the final block of Vikings episodes. And “All At Sea,” is emblematic of the issues that the show can have from time to time. There are more than a few game changing moments in this episode, and while wonderfully acted by the cast, the execution left me wanting. The issues might have been due to budgetary issues, but they’re still somewhat glaring.
But let’s begin on a good note as the tensions in Iceland finally erupt into bloodshed. Kjetill and his minions refuse to share the beached whale on his property. How on Earth Kjetill expected to eat a literal whale before it wasted away is beyond me, but the resulting fight is quite a lot of fun. Ubbe quickly joins the fray, but is lost in the shuffle as Kjetill takes center stage. Adam Copeland’s fury is a sight to behold, and apparently is sufficient to drive away Ubbe and his allies despite their superior numbers. Ubbe and company set to sea for parts unknown as Kjetill savors his victory alone, king of nothing.
Back in Russia, we finally see the end of the whole Kiev affair as Ivar, Hvitserk, Dir and Igor make their move on Oleg. And it’s here I have my biggest problem of the episode: Oleg simply gives up and gets killed by Igor. When this whole plotline began, Oleg was an intriguing villain played with gusto by Danila Kozlovsky. Just last episode Oleg teased a massive showdown with Ivar, and the whole thing just fizzles out.
Given how much time was invested in Oleg, Igor and the rest of the Rus and Oleg’s hand in killing Bjorn, I would have liked to have seen the Prophet go out in a blaze of glory. Instead, a despondent Oleg simply allows himself to be shot by Igor after his army sells him out to Dir. Oleg’s fall from his balcony was a thing of beauty, and Kozlovsky acts the hell out of the scene, but ultimately it seemed rather tame in light of the havoc Oleg wrought.
With Oleg dead and Igor safe, Ivar decides it’s time to leave Kiev and head back home to Kattegat. Even with Katia pregnant with Ivar’s child, Ivar and Hvitserk depart in a rather touching scene. As Hvitserk notes, Ivar has been changed by his love for the young Prince Igor, and given that Alex Høgh Anderson typically spends his time scowling and raging his way through scenes, it was refreshing to see the actor play happy for a while.
Finally, we’re back in Kattegat where Erik, Gunnhild and Ingrid are still
plotting
deciding what to do with King Harald. Ingrid opts to marry Harald despite their past, but Gunnhild goes another way. In another beautifully shot scene, Gunnhild refuses Harald and dives off the marriage altar into the seas surrounding Kattegat and vanishing beneath the waves.
Vikings tends to bunch their character deaths together, and this episode continues the trend. What Ivar’s return to Kattegat will mean for Harald remains to be seen. Ubbe’s future is also up in the air.
The episode left me wanting more. Perhaps earlier in the series I could have accepted Oleg’s meager death, but with only five episodes to go, I expect everything to be bigger and better. Hats off to the performers, as everyone from Copeland to Peter Franzen (Harald) acts their asses off, but it’s hard not to imagine what could have been.