Behind-the-scenes images from The Last Kingdom season 5 hint at plot

Aside from a key bit of casting, details have been scarce on season 5 of Netflix’s hit medieval drama The Last Kingdom, but thanks to Gazette Live, we now have our first images from set. And boy, do they leave us with questions.

If you want to avoid potential SPOILERS for The Last Kingdom season 5, best depart now. But if you’re as obsessed as we are, head below and check out some very interesting images!

These images come from a shoot at Blackhall Beach in the UK. Below, we see a very interesting trio of characters. First we have the cunning Viking warlord Haestan (Jeppe Beck Laursen), along with Uhtred’s cousin and current Lord of Bebbanburg Wihtgar (Ossian Perret), and finally, fan favorite Hild (Eva Birthistle).

First and foremost, we have to say how marvelous the trio look. From Wihtgar’s new lordly threads to Haestan’s yellow and brown number, the costumes look stunning. But what could bring this seemingly random trio together?

Haestan and Wihtgar’s meeting is the easier to explain. As enemies of Uhtred, it makes sense that the pair might join forces. Season 5 is based on two of Bernard Cornwell’s Saxon Stories novels: Warriors of the Storm and The Flame Bearer. In the former novel, Haestan continues his streak of signing up with any warlord who will have him, but that doesn’t appear to be what’s going on, at least based on these pictures.

You’ll notice from multiple images that Haestan is standing beside Hild, on the beach away from Wihtgar’s forces. We initially see Wihtgar’s men coming toward Hild and Haestan, so I’m guessing the meeting comes as a surprise. There also appears to be two chests behind the pair, which indicates a gift of some kind. Uhtred making peace with his cousin Wihtgar seems like a long shot, but then we wouldn’t have pegged Hild and Haestan for a team either.

The crates and bags seems scattered about. There’s also a shot of the crew tossing some debris into the waves. Perhaps this hints at a shipwreck? Perhaps Hild and Haestan find themselves shipwrecked together and at Wihtgar’s mercy. Obviously, Hild would never betray Uhtred, but that still doesn’t tell us why she was sailing with Haestan in the first place.

Also notable is that Blackhall Beach was used in season 4 to film scenes where Scots were battling Bebbanburg’s forces. That along with Wihtgar’s presence suggests that we’re looking at the same location.

As for my favorite shot, it’s a toss-up between the guy randomly walking his dog through set…

…and the cast members gathering for lunch on the beach.

You can check out the full gallery here, and perhaps you’ll come up with a better idea of what’s going on. Either way, hopefully filming wraps soon, because we could all use some shield walls in our lives.

Destiny is all!

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