Vikings: Valhalla season 1—All episodes reviewed and explained

Episode Eight: “The End of the Beginning”

“The End of the Beginning” is a perfect title for the season finale, which gives us all the twists and turns Vikings fans have come to expect, including an enormous battle and an open-ended ending that proves there’s still plenty of life left in this series.

The episode begins in England, where Queen Emma is summoned into the throne room only to learn that her duties are no longer needed and that she is to be sent back to Normandy with her brother. It turns out that Forkbeard’s intentions have completely changed and he now sees Aelfgifu as the rightful Queen of England. This most likely comes down to Aelfgifu’s leverage in having Canute’s huge Danish fleet at her command. Of course, Emma is distraught about the decision and it’s clear she will do everything in her power to try and reverse it.

While Emma sails away, Forkbeard is ready to get down to business. In return for making Aelfgifu the new Queen, he demands that she tell him the whereabouts of Canute’s fleet.

Although Aelfgifu is now the Queen of England, she has yet to convince Sweyn Forkbeard that she’s a capable leader, which Godwin advises her to do. Accordingly, she requests that she travel to Mercia in the hopes that she can make them pledge their full support to Forkbeard. Forkbeard is unconvinced that she’ll succeed but still lets her try.

Things go pretty well. Aelfgifu gets what she came for. However, upon returning to London, she’s greeted by Emma, who’s sitting on the throne. After all her work Forkbeard has betrayed her, as all he wanted was to learn the whereabouts of Canute’s fleet. Yikes!

In Norway, the battle for Kattegat is afoot. Before any blood is shed, Harald meets with his brother Olaf and Christian leader Kare to share some information that may bolster their chances of coming out on top. I was surprised to see Harald switch sides so quickly without much reason, especially since he’s in a relationship with Freydis.

Harold wants peace, so he suggests that they discuss the possibility of coming to a diplomatic agreement with the people of Kattegat. A parley is set up, and it’s cool to see Freydis and Kare come face to face during it; the tension and hatred between them are palpable.

Olaf says the only way his army will back down is if Haakon will allow everyone inside Kattegat to get baptized as a Christian. It’ll come as no surprise that Haakon is completely against this idea.

And then the battle commences. Right at the start, Kare instantly takes down Harald and prevents him from joining the fight. Even after Harald switches sides, there’s still no trust between them.

I liked the tactic where a bunch of empty boats appeared on Kattegat’s harbor; it seemed pretty obvious that the army would arrive by sea, so sailing an empty fleet was an effective distraction for Kattegat’s army. Meanwhile, Kare’s army arrives at the front gate. Perhaps the greatest tactic of all comes from Olaf, who deliberately holds his army back to let Kare’s army get defeated. By the time he sends his army into the fray, Kattegat is in complete disarray.

As expected, the battle sequences are super fun. In terms of scope, this battle is just as good — if not better — than anything Vikings offered us over six seasons. I can’t see fans being disappointed. Nobody is safe, either. Midway through the battle, Haakon gets shot twice by arrows and she’s down, as quick as that. Seeing her die so abruptly really took me by surprise.

Inside the Great Hall, Freydis finally meets Kare and they have a fight to the death. It was a nice change of pace to focus on a duel rather than the huge battle. It was a close one too. Freydis is a new shield-maiden who hasn’t fought much in her life while Kare is a skilled fighter. This results in a pretty bloody fight. Freydis is beaten senseless, but she still just about manages to come out on top.

By the end of the battle, Haakon is dead, Kare is dead, and Olaf is the only one remaining to claim the throne of Kattegat. However, despite his premature celebrations, the battle doesn’t end there. In the final moments, Forkbeard sails into Kattegat with Canute’s fleet and instantly ends all Olaf’s hopes. What a twist!

So where are our three protagonists at the end of the finale? Harald and Freydis escape Kattegat together, their destination unknown. Leif, enraged after losing another one of his fellow Greenlanders, continues to fight in Kattegat.

Verdict

This was another fantastic installment. Brutal, gory, epic, emotional…everything you’d expect from a Viking battle. I’ve particularly enjoyed the religious elements. Whether they’re worshipping the Norse Gods or the Christian one, religion complicates everything. The writers utilized it excellently as a plot device. They kept us guessing, and I’m sure fans will continue to guess all the way up to the next season.

Looking ahead to season 2, I’m curious to see how things develop in England. Thanks to Forkbeard, a lot has changed in Canute’s absence. I wonder how Aelfgifu will react when she meets Canute and tells him how Emma has claimed the throne? Will we see Canute take two wives, similar to Ragnar? As for Harald and Freydis, how will his betrayal affect their relationship? And where are they headed? Will Leif begin to explore the world, as he does in Viking legend?

Vikings: Valhalla has a 24-episode order from Netflix. Things are far from over. The ending of season 1 really lived up to the title, “The End of the Beginning.”

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