My sacrifices haven’t pleased the gods. September has started and there is no return date for Vikings. There is however, a lot of clickbait claiming to have a release date (don’t fall for it.) As we wait for “Fall”, I’ll touch upon some of memorable moments from Season Four. Let’s start with “A Good Treason” and “Kill the Queen!”
Bjorn returns to all his half-brother being much older than in Season Three. As he tries to put faces to names, Ivar growls, “IVAR!” We won’t be forgetting him anytime soon. Man, I can’t wait to see him growl as an adult.
Bjorn arrested Floki while Ragnar was recovering. Ragnar awakens to a lackluster welcome from his wife. He quickly has to deal with the consequences of being king and having an impetuous son. After being told Floki had escaped, Ragnar quips “Of course he has. Well?…Go get him! (eye roll)” Poor Ragnar, he’s surrounded by idiots now. He really regrets not getting through the gates of Valhalla in that opening dream sequence.
I loved the look Lagertha gives Kalf when they arrive in Hedeby. Kalf welcomes Lagertha back into the fold and announces that he saved her life. The daggers in Lagertha’s eyes quickly made Kalf qualify that she, too, saved his life. We all knew he was a goner long before this scene, didn’t we?
After Rollo realizes he and his new bride can’t communicate and be alone at the same time, Sinric, his interpreter, decides he’s been in Paris too long. Sinric wanders off, as wanderers do. I wonder how Rollo will treat him if he shows up again. Poor Rollo. It doesn’t seem like he has much of a plan at this point.
With Floki on the run, Ragnar asks Helga if she helped free Floki. The shift in all the old relationships really hits home in this scene. At first it seems Ragnar wants to place blame, but Ragnar admires Helga for her loyalty to her husband during the hard times. Helga is the only constant in these changing times.
I am hoping we see more great fights in the second half of the season. “Kill the Queen’s” tower battle has been the best fight this season. We finally see Kwenthrith’s killer instinct in action, with her signature dark humor. As the last soldier falls, she scoffs “What took you so long?” to Aethelwulf. And we thought poison and feigning damsel-in-distress were her only tricks.
Up until Floki is captured, we aren’t sure how far Ragnar will take things. But once Floki is back in custody, Ragnar becomes cruel, doling out punishment and publicly taunting him: “The great Floki. Captured by mere children.” Even though he didn’t want to deal with Floki originally, the duties of a king are more important to Ragnar. (Remember when he bought off a judge to save Rollo? Ragnar could have worked out something for Floki. Just saying.)
As proof that he is already cracking under the pressure of being the king, Ragnar goes further than I believed he ever could. He’s the golden boy after all. He storms off and complains to Aslaug about Floki. But when she sides with Floki, Ragnar hits her hard enough to knock her to the ground. I’m still in shock. Then he calls Aslaug and Floki disloyal and unapologetically storms off.
In an attempt to prove his loyalty to Emperor Charles and his new wife, Rollo kills off all his own men. Eirik, his wife, and son, personify the betrayal of this ambush. I still wonder how this action will play out for Rollo. Rollo now has no warriors who are loyal to him alone. Paris has no players who are loyalty to anyone. Even Gisla and Charles don’t even trust each other.
The last moment this week is the death of Floki’s daughter. (Sniff. Go back and look at how damn cute that child is! This is when I realized Mr. Hirst was a horrible, cruel, evil man, willing to do anything for a storyline.) Ragnar asks how Angrboda died. Helga, ever in the present, snaps, “What does it matter?” It’s at this point that Ragnar realizes how much his punishment has affected others. Does he blame himself for an innocent death? There may have been some hope for him at this point.
Next week we’ll continue Season Four highlights. Trust me, as soon as a release date is mentioned, it’ll be the first line in this space!
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