Vikings: Valhalla season 1—All episodes reviewed and explained

Episode Two: “Viking”

What does it mean to be a Viking? Episode two gives us a pretty good idea. It continues exactly where it left off, with Jarl Hakkon and King Canute deciding what punishment to give Freydis for the murder of Gunnar. As expected for Vikings, death is a popular option.

The politics here are arguably even more interesting than in the original series because you’ve got an army of Christian Vikings debating against those who worship the Norse Gods. Olaf is very keen to execute Freydis for her actions. However, Harald has an idea that will perhaps benefit everyone. Rather than kill Freydis, he suggests that they instead force her brother Leif to join the siege of London, to which Leif agrees.

With Leif obliged to join Harald’s army and attack England, the Vikings prepare to set sail. I’m surprised at how faced-paced this series is. It’s only episode two and the Norsemen have already got a huge army. In the main series, one of the biggest criticisms was how long it took the Vikings to leave Kattegat.

While out at sea, even more politics come into play. Jarl Gorm (Julian Seager) has an issue with Leif. I suppose this kind of thing will happen when you cram a bunch of hot-headed Vikings with different beliefs aboard a cramped ship for an extended period of time. The sense of cabin fever and claustrophobia is palpable.

It doesn’t take long before the tension reaches a boiling point. When Gorm believes that the ship has blown off course, he loudly blames Leif. Gorm goes on a rampage and kills Birger, a Christian. Of course, Leif doesn’t stand for this; he stabs Gorm in the chest and kills him. That’s already one kill apiece for Leif and Freydis since arriving from Greenland. Nobody is safe.

The fight between Leif and Gorm is pretty entertaining. There’s limited space to duel, so it’s over fairly quickly. And we learn that Gorm is the first-ever person Leif has killed. How will this affect him mentally?

Meanwhile, back in England, we’re about to witness a changing of the guard. King Ethelred has fallen terribly sick. Bedridden, he proposes that his young heir, Prince Edmund (Louis Davison) take over for him.

Queen Emma (Laura Berlin), who incidentally is the great-granddaughter of Rollo, sees that Edmund is dispatched to Mercia to gather allies. I like how Emma disregards Ethelred’s idea to bargain with the Danes; she’s got her own agenda and she sticks to it. She intends for England to gather an army of its own.

Edmund was my favorite character in this episode. He’s the cliché child who is not prepared to be King and he plays the part really well. He worries about making the wrong decisions, but when he arrives at Mercia and deliberates with Eadric Streona about raising an army, he comes into his own and talks his way into getting Mercia’s support.

Verdict

One big thing I’ve noticed about Vikings: Valhalla compared to Vikings is how much faster the plot moves forward. Things happen at a breakneck pace. It’s wasted no time in setting the Vikings on their voyage to England, and we’ve already seen Ethelred pass the crown to Edmund.

Additionally, I’m seeing a lot less of the spiritual side of things. In Vikings, characters were seeing visions of the Gods, among other things. This spinoff feels more grounded.

Looking forward, the Vikings have a tactical advantage: the English assume that the Vikings will raid from the north, but the raiders have already decided that they will surprise the English by raiding from the southern marshes. It’ll be very interesting to see how this plays out!