For six seasons, Vikings chronicled the epic life of legendary farmer-turned-warrior Ragnar Lothbrok, as well as the lives of his sons. But the saga doesn’t end there.
Now, Netflix is bringing us Vikings: Valhalla, a spin-off set around 100 years after the conclusion of the original series. It follows an entirely new generation of power-hungry Norsemen, including Leif Eriksson (Sam Corlett), Freydis Eriksdotter (Frida Gustavsson) and Harald Hardrada (Leo Suter).
With Die Hard writer Jen Stewart taking over the reins from Michael Hirst, does Valhalla retain the magic of the popular original series? Are the new Vikings as likable as those who came before?
Let’s review every episode of the new season and find out; here’s your SPOILER warning!
Episode One: “The Greenlanders”
Bloody, shocking, political, and action-packed: these are just some of the words that have been used to describe Vikings over the years. And Vikings: Valhalla features a little bit of everything right from the get-go.
The opening scene of this episode is about as shocking as they come. We witness the show’s interpretation of one of the most brutal events in English history: the St. Brice’s Day massacre. Basically, in the 100 years since Vikings concluded, the Danes have created a large settlement in England called Danelaw. However, despite them coexisting more or less peacefully with the English for some time, King Ethelred II the Unready suddenly decides to reclaim land from the Danes. He does this by slaughtering them all in what can only be described as ethnic cleansing. It’s pretty disturbing to watch, especially since it was based on a real event!
I thought it was really effective to open the show with an event as powerful as this. It really set the tone for what’s to come: the Viking need for revenge.
Following the massacre, the show jumps ahead and we return to Kattegat — which is bigger and better than ever before — where the Vikings are preparing to once again wage war against the English. But as always, the Vikings also have to settle scores of their own before attacking their common enemy.
In Kattegat, we’re introduced to one of our three main characters, Harald Harrdrada, who is working alongside King Canute (Bradley Freegard) to gather allies to build the next Great Heathen Army — bigger, perhaps, than the army that Ragnar’s sons took to England to avenge their father’s murder. They intend to bolster their army with the help of Jarl Olaf II of Norway (Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson), although with Olaf being a Christian ruler, there are complications in getting him involved. Olaf wants to convert the Danes to Christianity en masse, an idea that is instantly shot down.
After back-and-forth bickering and some pointless fighting, Olaf and Canute finally come to some sort of agreement. I really enjoyed Harald’s involvement in getting the two armies to settle their differences. He’s a great warrior and a superb leader, no doubt.
Elsewhere in Kattegat, Vikings arrive from the Greenland settlement. One of the ships carries two other central characters: Leif Eriksson (Sam Corlett) and his sister Freydis Eriksdotter.
Freydis has the more interesting story. She’s arrived in Kattegat with only one thing in mind: to find and kill Gunnar, who visited Greenland and abused her. He raped her and later cut a cross on her back with his sword. Even though he was found guilty in Greenland, he managed to get away (I would’ve liked this to be further explained, since the reason he was able to leave is brushed over). The problem? Gunnar has arrived in Kattegat at Jar Olaf’s side, so getting him alone is a near-impossible task.
Even though getting Gunnar alone is never going to happen, that doesn’t stop Freydis. Instead, during a feast in Kattegat’s great hall, she decides to walk straight up to him in front of everyone and kill him. It’s not discrete, and Olaf demands that she be put on trial. However, he doesn’t have any power in Kattegat, and the call comes down toJarl Hakkon (Caroline Henderson).
Freydis got her revenge, but now she and the rest of the Greenlanders, including Leif Eriksson, are in trouble.
Verdict
There are a lot more connections to the original Vikings than I expected. Kattegat features heavily, and many of the characters make it known that they are direct ancestors of people we already know. Namely, Harald Hadrada (Leo Suter) says he’s related to King Harald Finehair (Peter Franzén).
I have to laugh at all of the constant in-fighting. Much like on the original series, our Norsemen spend more time fighting amongst themselves than they do working together to take down their mutual enemy. There are already some excellent little story threads going on, all wrapped up in the bigger picture of the Vikings attacking England.
Valhalla is set up to be a story of revenge, and it’s off to a fantastic start!
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!
Episode Three: “The Marshes”
The Vikings have landed in Kent on the south coast of England, and everything seems to be going according to plan. The episode opens as they raid a small village in a terrific action sequence. It’s cool to see Leif and Harald finally get their hands dirty in a battle. Especially Leif, who’s come a long way since killing his first-ever person in the last episode.
While raiding the village, they quickly learn that King Ethelred has died, meaning his son Edmund is set to take the throne. That said, their quest for revenge remains unchanged. Clearly, they would’ve liked the chance to kill Ethelred themselves, but his son will do.
In London, Edmund is convinced that he must lead his army against the Norsemen on the battlefield, even if everyone around him thinks it’s a bad idea. There’s a great scene in the courtyard when advisor Earl Godwin (David Oakes) watches Edmund practice his sword-fighting skills against the guards. He seems to be a pretty impressive fighter, but Godwin is unconvinced, so he decides to face Edmund himself, and beats him senseless.
Queen Emma is far from impressed by Edmund’s attitude, but Godwin — despite beating him up for his arrogance — believes that England needs Edmund to be King for the battle to come. Therefore, he wastes no time in preparing for a coronation.
As the Vikings make their way towards London, they camp just outside the city in the southern marshes. This isn’t ideal, but they’re hoping to take the English by surprise. At night, it is decided that Leif will take a group to scout London Bridge in order to gather intel on how best to attack the city. But as they make their way through the marshes, Leif and his group are ambushed by a bunch of English soldiers. The attack is pretty devastating; they lose six Norsemen and Leif is badly injured. This is a great little battle that again underlines how no one is safe in this show. Anyone in the army can die, except for Leif and Harald, who both have strong plot armor.
When the scouts fall back to the Viking camp, they concede that the English are probably aware of their plans to attack from the south. That’s when one lone Saxon rides into the heart of the camp, plants an ominous flag, and rides away. Now it’s absolutely clear: the Saxons are daring them to attack.
Leif and Harald take matters into their own hands and decide to infiltrate London to find weaknesses within its defenses. When they arrive at the drawbridge, they spot something that could sway the battle in their favor. What could it be? I’m sure we’ll find out during the battle.
The rest of the episode takes place in Sweden, where Freydis embarks on her pilgrimage to Uppsala but gets more than she bargains for when she and her small group come across a powerful warrior who attacks them for no apparent reason. The attacker has a strange mark on his forehead. He slaughters most of the group and Freydis only just manages to kill him by strangling him to death.
We still don’t know who this mysterious person is, but we do learn that he makes it his duty to hunt pilgrims. And he’s not the only one of his kind out there. At the end of the episode, we see his group come across the dead body. “Find them,” he says ominously.
It was hard enough to take one of them out; how will Freydis cope with a whole group of these people?
Verdict
We have ourselves another solid, super fast-paced episode here. The plot continues to thicken, and nothing about this series so far feels like it’s just there to be filler content. Everyone has an interesting story to tell. And it doesn’t hurt that we spent a lot of time with many of their ancestors in Vikings.
There are a ton of questions as we enter the next episodes, including:
- Will Freydis be pursued on her way to Uppsala?
- Will Edmund have enough courage to fight against the Vikings?
- What will come of the attack on London?
- What advantage did Leif and Harald find on the bridge?
No doubt, we’ll learn the answers to all of these soon enough!
Episode Four: “The Bridge”
For the first time this season, we get an epic Viking battle. It’s the Vikings versus the English in a tactical war of wills and wit!
I found it interesting that this entire episode focuses solely on the battle in London. We have to wait until later to find out what happens with Freydis on her pilgrimage to Uppsala. But keeping the episode in one place allows for plenty of buildup and tension resulting in an impressive payoff.
Things kick off with Leif trying to convince King Canute to follow his very meticulous plan; draw Edmund across the bridge and then trap him by destroying it behind him. Because Leif knows that if you capture the King, you capture England. I like that there’s an actual plan in place; it makes the battle more interesting to watch than if they just threw us into the sword-fighting.
However, destroying the bridge won’t be easy. Pretty much the entire first half of the episode is about a group of Vikings going full stealth mode and infiltrating London. Leif invents a new type of “boat” (it’s basically just a surfboard) that they use at night to sail under the bridge unnoticed. That’s where Leif and his small band remain, waiting, until the battle commences.
Inside the walls of London, Edmund awaits his Mercian reinforcements, led by Eadric Streona, but they’re running late. Both Queen Emma and Godwin are keen to make him see reason and wait for the full army before they attack, but Edmund wants to prove himself.
My favorite part of the episode wasn’t the battle itself, but the chat that Edmund and Canute have just before facing each other on the battlefield. King Canute rolls up at the gate and offers to talk. Edmund obliges, believing that he can waste time until the troops from Marcia arrive. Sounds simple enough, right?
Well, Canute has a way with words and knows exactly how to rattle some cages. We all know that Edmund is a coiled spring, and Canute uses all of his experience to provoke him so he acts on emotion rather than reason. I mean, Canute literally has his entire army shouting “coward” at Edmund. And it works. Following their confrontation, Edmund gets on his horse and immediately decides to attack the Vikings, totally against the will of Queen Emma and the rest of his army.
The battle itself is impressive. The congestion on the bridge leads to some great close-quarters action. They don’t hold back on the gore, either. There are lots of moving pieces. Besides the battle on the bridge, you’ve got English archers on the walls as well as Viking ships on the Thames. Then Leif is below the bridge trying to make it collapse with the help of some rope and the ships.
As the battle continues, King Edmund, believing he has the front foot, pursues the Vikings to the other side of the Thames. However, that’s when things begin to go sideways. With Edmund now on the other side of the bridge, Leif and his group destroy it, leaving the King stranded with thousands of Viking warriors.
Just as the bridge collapses, Eadric Streona and his army from Mercia arrive. But instead of joining the battle, Streona commands the army to fall back. If Edmund was prepared to fight like a hero, then he should die like one. I didn’t see this betrayal coming. It was definitely a shock.
We’re left on a cliffhanger wondering what will happen to Edmund. Will he survive? And if he does make it out of Viking custody alive, what will he make of Mercia abandoning him?
Verdict
“The Bridge” is my favorite episode of the series so far. It has everything there is to love about a classic Vikings battle, plus some more: twists and turns, betrayal, brutality, and plenty of shocks. What’s not to love?
I liked that we got to see more of Canute in this episode. He’s always been there, but more often than not the plot has seemed to completely move away from him to instead follow Leif and Harald.
What will the Vikings do to Edmund? What will come of Eadric Streona’s betrayal? Let’s keep on:
Episode Five: “Miracle”
At 59 minutes, “Miracle” is the longest episode in the series, and it’s packed with character development. It features a little of everything, from power struggles and schemes to betrayals and even the return of an old favorite!
The Norsemen celebrate their victory over the English, elated over avenging the massacre of the Danes on St. Brice’s day. King Edmund has been captured, but there’s more in-fighting between the Vikings. Harald is determined to kill Edmund to fully settle the score, while King Canute believes he should be left alive.
Meanwhile, there are some really interesting character dynamics going on in London. We get some good insight into Olaf and learn that his true desire is riches. All he cares about is seizing England’s gold reserve for himself. In fact, he’s willing to go as far as capturing Queen Emma’s children and holding them for ransom until she tells him where the gold is stored. Emma, however, is strong-willed enough to hold out even when her children are threatened. She’s strong, powerful, and intelligent; a true descendant of Rollo.
King Canute was once again the most entertaining character in this episode. He steals every scene he’s in. I love that he’s not just raided England to get revenge for his fallen Vikings, but also to take the English throne for himself. I mean, there’s no one stopping him.
Canute even thanks Eadric Streona for pulling his army out of the battle, which effectively handed the Vikings their victory. He also invites Streona to London for a celebratory feast. Canute thanks everyone involved in the raid and begins to dish out rewards. Most importantly, he tells Leif Erikson that his sister Freydis is officially pardoned for her murder of Gunnar in the premiere.
In fact, Canute declares Leif a hero for destroying the bridge, a feat he says not even Ragnar or Ivar the Boneless could achieve. For that plan alone, Lief will go down in Viking folklore. It seems Leif is keen to remain in Denmark rather than go back to his home in Greenland. Now that he’s tasted success, he wants to continue to build his reputation.
Things seem to be going fine until Canute announces that he wants to make an example of someone at the feast. We’re left wondering who it could be. It turns out that Canute isn’t as fond of Eadric Streona as we once thought. Clearly, he sees the ruler of Mercia as a potential threat to his future on the throne of England. Therefore, he promptly has Streona’s head chopped off in front of everyone. Canute is not a person to cross.
We get the impression that Canute is fond of Edmund. He admires the boy’s courage to challenge him in battle rather than hide behind his walls. In fact, he’s even willing to allow Edmund to rule by his side! How will this unlikely partnership work out?
Back in Sweden, we catch up with Freydis. After being attacked by a mysterious berserker, she finally makes it to Uppsala, where Jarl Haakon sent her on a pilgrimage to learn more about the Gods, and to learn her destiny. As all Vikings fans know, if you want to know your destiny you need to visit the all-seeing, all-knowing Seer. But the Seer was killed by Ivar the Boneless, right? Yes, but Freydis meets him nevertheless, and he tells her that she will soon be tired and that what she’s running from will catch up to her.
I don’t think any fans expected to see characters from the original series in this spinoff since it’s set around 100 years later, so this was a nice little callback. Dead or not, the Seer has a habit of showing up when we least expect him.
Verdict
This is another great installment. It very much has the feel of a “post-battle” episode, with lots of world-building and exploration of character dynamics.
Episode Six: “The Last Daughter of Uppsala”
In “The Last Daughter of Uppsala,” Freydis comes face-to-face with Jarl Kare for the first time. We finally learn more about him and what his goal is. Meanwhile, back in London, Canute implements measures to solidify his position on the throne.
Leaving Uppsala with a greater understanding of her destiny, Freydis passes the pagan village to find her friend brutally murdered. It’s not just her friend either; the entire village has been beheaded.
Christian leader Jarl Kare is waiting for her. What does he want? Well, his motivations have been shrouded in mystery since his introduction. But we know that he wants revenge on Freydis for killing one of his berserkers. Now we learn that he plans to invade Kattegat.
Aware of Kare’s plans to attack Kattegat, Freydis heads back to warn Haakon of the coming threat. While Haakon isn’t too concerned about the safety of her city, she still decides to prepare for an attack. For the time being, Freydis trains to become a shield-maiden.
In England, King Canute makes plans to ensure that he remains in power. He declares that he will stay in London and rule for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, Leif, Harald, and Olaf all head back to Norway. The war is over, after all. And they (especially Leif) head back as heroes. It’s a hugely emotional return.
Even though Canute says he will rule alongside Edmund, he is the one calling the shots. So far, Edmund hasn’t managed to get a word in. If Canute is going to fulfill his goal of creating a northern empire with England at its heart, he needs only the best advisors. For that position, he chooses Emma; she knows the country well and is knowledgable about taxes and other matters.
In his first decree to the people of England, Canute says he will restore the lands and titles to the original rulers of each kingdom, promising no more Viking raids. Then he proclaims he will rebuild the bridge, making it even better than before. Lastly, he announces his ambition to forge an empire of the north. He offers all of this in exchange for one thing: loyalty. Of course, this is pretty hard to come by when you’re asking it of people whose country you’ve just invaded.
I’m surprised at how quickly Canute has become a core character in the show. In fact, since the battle in London, I think he’s taken the spotlight off Harald and Leif.
In Denmark, Olaf meets Canute’s wife, Queen Aelfgifu (played by Pollyanna McIntosh, whom you may recognize from The Walking Dead). He tells her of the Vikings’ spoils in England, adding that her husband Canute has decided to remain there. This technically makes Aelfgifu the Queen of England. However, as he’s growing closer to Emma, it appears Canute may take another wife.
All of that said, Olaf didn’t travel to see Aelfgifu simply to tell her the news. He wishes to have her help in his attempt to rule Norway. You can clearly see where the next battle will be.
This wasn’t the most action-packed episode, but there is a scene where a crowd gathers to watch Freydis in her duel to prove herself as a shield-maiden. Even though the fighters should be holding back against each other, it doesn’t feel that way. Eventually, Freydis wins because of course she does. She is presented with a sword and officially sworn in as a shield-maiden. Perhaps, over time, she’ll become as famous a fighter as Lagertha herself.
There are echoes of Ragnar and Lagertha in the relationship between Harald and Freydis: a King and a shield-maiden. And that will ring more true if and when Harald becomes King of Norway, as Canute has promised him. I’m sure Olaf is prepared to fight for the title.
Verdict
There are so many moving pieces in this show that it’d be near impossible to wrap up every subplot in the two remaining episodes. Thankfully, Netflix has already ordered 24 more, so I’m sure everything will reach a satisfying conclusion. Let’s take a look at some of the questions I have after watching this episode:
- Will Aelfgifu assist Olaf?
- When will Kare invade Kattegat?
- Will the English be loyal to King Canute or will there be an uprising against him?
Episode Seven: “Choices”
Prepare yourselves: with betrayals, new alliances, and battle plans being laid, the tension is about to reach a boiling point!
Let’s start by talking about what’s going on in Norway because a huge battle is brewing. Olaf and Kare form an alliance in order to take over Kattegat. We learn that Kare has been pillaging every pagan village in Norway to cleanse the land of the Old Gods and spread Christianity across the north. So far he’s doing a pretty good job at it. He’s burned down Uppsala in the name of God, which we see when Freydis and others travel there. Now he’s setting his sights on Kattegat. He claims that God himself has commanded him to build a great church in Kattegat with a spire that reaches heaven.
With Kare’s army alone, conquering Kattegat is difficult, but now that he’s got Olaf’s army beside him, things will get very interesting.
With Canute away from England, his father Sweyn Forkbeard temporarily assumes the throne, making a lot of big decisions that, frankly, I don’t think Canute would agree with. It’s fair to say he’s not a very nice man. He makes his son look like an understanding, diplomatic leader. We see this when Eldorman Sigeferth requests that his house of Wessex be pardoned from paying royal taxes, as was the case under King Ethelred. However, Forkbeard has no intention of making Wessex exempt. After being denied, Sigeferth turns to Edmund with the same request, although Edmund has no reason to grant it considering that Wessex did not help in the recent battle.
Soon after we see Godwin and Edmund travel to a remote part of the countryside to meet up with other English nobles. It appears they’re both intent on gathering allies for a rebellion against the Viking rule of England. The meeting goes pretty well, with everyone pledging their allegiance to Edmund. But that’s when we get the biggest shock of the series so far. It turns out that Godwin has set up a trap for Edmund: he uses a rope to trip his horse and then kills him, making it look like a freak accident.
Over the course of the series, I’ve come to like Godwin. He’s an interesting character because while he comes across as nice and diplomatic, he’s got a dark side. He’s not afraid to stab his friends in the back to get what he wants. He kinda reminds me of Petyr Baelish from Game of Thrones.
With Edmund dead, the royal bloodline is in tatters. Now Canute has England all for himself…but he’s not in England; it’s his father calling the shots.
Also in London, Canute’s wide Queen Aelfgifu conveniently shows up to claim her rightful place beside her husband as the Queen of England. But does she really think the people will follow her rather than Emma? As Forkbeard suggests, in the eyes of God her pagan marriage is invalid. Therefore, Emma is the rightful Queen.
In Kattegat, Haakon chooses someone to sacrifice to the Gods to send a message to Valhalla, so that the Gods may be with them in battle.
Verdict
This is one of the slower episodes; it’s concerned with sliding all of the pieces into place for the fight to come. I enjoyed the politics and twists, especially Godwin killing Edmund. I did not see that coming. In many ways, I’m disappointed that we didn’t get to see more of Edmund. He was one of the strongest characters in the series. The fact that we won’t get to see him grow and develop feels like a major blow.
That said, now it’s time to move on to the climax of Vikings: Valhalla. All forces are gathering in Kattegat. Who will come out on top?
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.”
To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.
Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels