WiC reviews the final 10 episodes of Vikings
By Corey Smith
Image: Vikings/History/Amazon Prime Video
Season 6, Episode 19: “The Lord Giveth…”
Well folks, we’re almost there. Unsurprisingly, Vikings seems headed for a bloodbath or two, and you don’t have to be the Seer to know that not everyone making it out of the series alive.
And yet I’m not entirely sad to see them go, maybe because so many of them make Valhalla sound like a 24/7 party. That’s not to say I’m unmoved by their deaths, but just not quite in the same way as I am on other shows.
At any rate, the penultimate episode of the series is a doozy, so let’s get the bad out of the way. In Kattegat, Erik’s chosen slave debates with his partner how to kill Ingrid as Ingrid herself continues to usurp Erik’s authority. I don’t care about this storyline and it’s a pain to even have to recount it here. Thankfully, Ingrid decides to end the whole thing for us and has Erik and his slave assassin executed. Thank the gods.
Moving on, in England, Alfred is making plans to engage the Vikings despite objections from nearly everyone, including his wife Aelswith, who is just as difficult as she is on The Last Kingdom. Regardless, Alfred and the Vikings finally meet for a thrilling, fog-enshrouded battle. Ivar has laid a lot of traps in advance, so the Vikings enjoy an advantage. Wessex is forced into a retreat, but not before inflicting a major casualty.
With the battle largely over, we rejoin King Harald as he attempts to find his way back to his army through the fog…and gets a sword driven through his chest by one of Alfred’s men. Harald’s death had been teased by everyone from Ivar to Harald himself, so it comes as no surprise, and the sequence is actually quite beautiful.
Harald, knowing he’ll enter Valhalla, does not appear concerned. When his brother Halfdan (who Harald killed), appears in a vision to ferry him onward, Harald is downright overjoyed. That joy gives Harald the strength to kill his attacker before collapsing to sing a Norse hymn with Halfdan. A raven caws at the moment of Harald’s death, a nod to Odin, whom Halfdan has told Harald is waiting for him (Odin has long been associated with ravens).
Finally, in the new world, we’re treated to one of the seasons’ biggest moments. Last we saw Ubbe and crew, they were surrounded by Native Americans. Here, they quickly turn from hostile to friendly, and the two groups begin to establish a friendship. The closer the groups get, the more apparent it becomes that Ubbe and company are not the first Vikings the natives have encountered. Beyond that, Ubbe is in wonder about his new home, although some in his group aren’t content with merely discovering a new land.
Ultimately, it all leads to Ubbe being brought to meet the “crazy man,” who turns out to be none other than Floki himself. After a long absence, the return of Gustaf Skarsgard to my screen made quite an impact. We even got a trademark Floki giggle! This was a moment that many fans (including myself) have been waiting for since we last saw Floki in the cave on Iceland. With only one episode left, we don’t have much time with him, but it was wonderful to reunite.
Between Harald’s death sequence and Floki’s return, “The Lord Giveth…” is a momentous episode. With Harald gone, the focus now shifts largely to Ivar. It leaves us on the edge of our seats unable to wait to see what happens next.