Vikings Season 4 Episodes

[ohva]

My thoughts on Episode 2--

Last night in chat we were all unhappy with the amount of time devoted to Paris and England, in particular the soap opera aspects of them. I still am. I understand how all the stories ultimately tie in together, but I feel like the original cast that we all tuned in to see are now secondary characters to the characters in England and Paris. I want a series from the perspective of the Vikings, not a series that is over 50% about the French and English royals, with their occasional perspective on Vikings.

To me, every scene that we watch from those two storylines should somehow relate directly back to the original Vikings storyline, and not vice versa.

What about Helga and her heartbreaking story, a couple minutes and a few sentences. We never saw Floki taken to the cave, his agony rated about 5 seconds. We spent zero time getting to see the personalities Ragnar's sons, where this series supposedly will lead. We never saw Lagertha (!). We are never introduced to new Vikings, but are constantly introduced to new French and English royals.

On the good side, the scenery in the Bjorn and Floki stories is breathtaking. I was amazed with the Floki chase scene and how athletic Gustaf is. It's hard to run over rocks like that, as fast as he did. You can't fake that. I thought the battle scene at the end was great, even without Vikings. Primitive combat is pretty brutal.

Maybe when we get to do the marathon of 20 episodes next year, these side stories will have a better context in the whole, and not feel like we are watching filler once-used storylines from Hirst's Tudor series.

[ohva]

tvshowpatrol.com/interviews/maude-hirst-vikings-interview/

Maude Hirst of ‘Vikings’ on Helga’s love, loss

Curt WagnerFebruary 25, 2016

Interviews



Maude Hirst probably wouldn’t have stood by her man as long as her character in History’s “Vikings” has, but the actress understands that loyalty.

Hirst plays Helga, who remains the devoted wife of devout boatmaker Floki (Gustaf Skarsgard) despite his many bizarre actions over the years.

“I’m not sure I would’ve been able to bite my tongue as much as Helga has done throughout the years, especially when Floki, last season, properly lost it,” said Hirst, whose father is show creator Michael Hirst.

At the end of Season 3 of the hit series, Floki killed Athelstan, the Christian monk whom Floki thought was wielding unhealthy influence over his friend and Viking king, Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel). Floki’s arrest for the murder has strained his marriage to Helga, but also causes a horrible tragedy involving their daughter, Angrboda.

During a recent call with reporters, Hirst talked about the tragic events in “Kill the Queen” and what’s coming up for Helga. Here’s an edited Q&A.

[Spoilers ahead if you are not caught up and have not seen Season 4, Episode 2!]

Is Helga 100 percent behind Floki or does she have doubts and think maybe he’s just a bit crazy?

Interesting question. I think up until the end of Season 3 she genuinely was 100 percent behind him but it’s so complex. He does struggle with mental health. … I think she really wants to be 100 percent behind him but until the very end of Season 3, actually, it’s even too much for her. She does have a switching moment that she questions what he’s doing and how far he’s willing to push himself and the people around him. That’s going to be continued to be explored this season. Whether she does stay loyal or not is to be revealed.

What kind of a change should we expect in Helga, and what challenged you the most?

I don’t want to give too much away, but I will say that there are dynamic changes. … Until this point Helga looked like she was more dependent on Floki, and that dynamic is going to switch because he realizes, I think, that actually together, they’re a lot stronger than he can possibly be by himself. He can’t really deal with his own emotions, so I think having me as his prop to lean on and as a partner is very important to him. That definitely adjusts our dynamic going forward.

How does the relationship between Ragnar and Helga evolve this season?

Yes. The first few episodes it gets explored. It was really interesting, and I think it comes out of the blue, but they do have a bond. They have a real love for Floki. They’re the only two people I think that could understand the love for him, and so I think they bond over this understanding.

He understands what she’s been through, really, more than any of the other characters because he sees Floki’s whole journey as well. They have a real male love, I think. So he reaches out to her and it’s been great to explore that both as the character, and working with Travis is amazing.

The burial of Angrboda is so brutal. Was there anything behind that scene where Ragnar relates because of his loss with Gyda?

That’s a huge turning point for Helga this season. For him, it will bring back all those memories of the pain that he went through for his loss of a child. … I think it would bond any human with somebody else who understood how horrendous that would be.

What was the hardest scene that you had to shoot?

The burial scene, by far, was the hardest not only emotionally and putting yourself in that position, it’s practically impossible to know how a human being will deal with that. On top of that, we were in a hailstorm. It was just like everything was against us that day, which I guess helped get into the mood of it, but it was definitely one of the toughest days of filming that I’ve had.

How much input have you had on Helga’s journey?

Now, four years in, you feel very connected to your characters, and you all want to have your say. I think there are definitely parts of me that come out in her, and I definitely had a say in the past. But we have to also respect the writing and just go where the characters are taken, so I guess tiny bits of me and my ideas come through.

Do you ever read your scenes with Floki and think, how as Helga am I going to react to what Floki put me through?

I think it does show Helga’s strength, but it has been difficult, I think on her journey, to keep level-headed, especially when he admitted that he murdered Athelstan. That was quite a shocking moment for Helga. It’s been really interesting to go through her journey.

What do you relate to so strongly with Helga?

I think Helga and I feel very empathetic toward people. I’m fascinated with how human beings work. I try and always look for the positive in people rather than jump to conclusions. I think Helga’s quite like that and quite an observer. She has relationships with people but it’s almost silent. She bonds with people. It’s not necessarily about big dialogue moments, but I think the empathy through both of them is what connects us. I definitely think we differ in some ways.

Shooting the series is always physically challenging, but was there anything in particular this year that you had to go through that was a little worse than previous seasons?

With the extended season this year, it’s just been through all the months of the year and Irish weather is so unpredictable. We normally filmed over the summer, which had its problems anyway, but we’ve been filming through the winter here as well. Weather here is crazy and having whole days outside and on boats and all you have to cover you is just your costume, really. Yes, it’s hard; it’s freezing cold.

Floki is a very traditional Viking and really rooted in tradition and culture while Ragnar represents modernity. How are the female characters negotiating this transition to a more modern culture?

I think the show in general is so interesting because there are so many pretty strong female characters, but they’re completely different from each other. I think Floki and Helga’s relationship is interesting because it has always been on a very level playing field. They are both complete and equal in their relationship.

Going forward from this, I think the women just become stronger. The Vikings generally, were hugely forward-thinking with how they treated the women. The women could own land. … Christianity came in and actually changed that, so I’m interested to see if the series continues, where that would go.

Why is she still loyal to Floki?

I think they have a real fundamental bond. They both connect in a real spiritual level, and they have ever since they met. I think that’s something that she can’t walk away from and something that keeps pulling her back. I think there is a lot of love there. … I don’t think he’s ever necessarily treated Helga badly, and I think she feels almost as if she can fix him by being there; she makes him better. I don’t know how far he’d have to go to push her away, but it’s definitely a complex relationship. Fundamentally, there’s just a lot of love between them.


Did you ever see Helga as an outsider herself, and that’s part of the reason she might have been attracted to Floki?

Yes, absolutely. I think that’s why and how they met, actually. I don’t know if you remember back in the first season where they first met. We were just in the hut, in the middle of the woods that later became our home. Helga’s definitely a bit of an outsider. That’s, I think, one of the bonds that they have over the years that they are both just a bit different from everybody else.

As you continue to explore the character, is there anything you found that you’re surprised to learn about yourself as an actress?

It’s always terrifying when you read a script and you’re confronted with something that in life you haven’t actually gone through. You want to do it such justice, especially when it’s things about children and what real people go through and how much their lives would be affected by it. You need to really do your research … It’s always shocking and then when you do it, you feel it so much. It’s amazing that humans can understand other humans like that and get into a different headspace.

What do you feel is about the series that it resonates well with viewers?

I think it brings two different things. It brings the family aspect of Vikings, which is never been seen before, and it still has the fighting. It still has all the brutality of what the life would’ve been, but also humanizes all the people. It’s a world that I don’t think has really been discovered that much.

Also each of the characters has a lot of complexity and growth every season. I hope that all the fans have seen that and grown to love each of the characters and wanted to continue following their journeys.

One of the things your father does amazingly well is create strong, complex female characters. At the beginning of Season 4, the ladies are all separated. Are they going to come back together at some point?

There are a lot of unexpected friendships this year and not necessarily just with the women but throughout the whole cast. There are a lot of friendships that crop up that you’re not really expecting.

 
That’s all from Maude Hirst for now.

[ohva]

https://www.instagram.com/p/BCQv59mSh4-

[christine73]

That was a great interview with Maude. LOL and love the pic. Rollo may be a traitor...but damn Gisla is a mean girl.

[ohva]

[christine73]

Get ready for an exciting night of Vikings

[christine73]

'Vikings' Season 4 Spoilers: Athelstan Visits Ragnar And Ecbert In Episode 3 Sneak Peek?

Christian Saclao , Design & Trend
Mar, 03, 2016, 09:41 PM

Ragnar (Travis Fimmel) and Ecbert (Linus Roache) are getting a mysterious visitor in tonight's episode of "Vikings."

In a sneak peek clip from season 4, episode 3, which debuted on Zap2it, both the King of Denmark and the King of Wessex seemed stunned by whoever it is who visited them late at night. Interestingly, however, only Ragnar gets his feet washed by the mysterious stranger.

Although the sneak peek footage doesn't reveal the identity of the visitor, the preview clip for the episode reveals that the stranger is actually the late Christian priest, Athelstan (George Blagden).

"I've waited for you my friend," Ecbert tells Athelstan in the video.


ENTERTAINMENT

'Vikings' Season 4 Spoilers: Athelstan Visits Ragnar And Ecbert In Episode 3 Sneak Peek?

Christian Saclao , Design & Trend
Mar, 03, 2016, 09:41 PM
0 SHARES TWEET
TAGS : TV SERIES, VIKINGS, TRAVIS FIMMEL, LINUS ROACHE, GEORGE BLAGDEN
George Blagden
(Photo : Getty Images/Alberto E. Rodriguez) Athelstan (George Blagden) visits Ragnar (Travis Fimmel) and Ecbert (Linus Roache) in season 4, episode 3 of "Vikings."
Ragnar (Travis Fimmel) and Ecbert (Linus Roache) are getting a mysterious visitor in tonight's episode of "Vikings."

In a sneak peek clip from season 4, episode 3, which debuted on Zap2it, both the King of Denmark and the King of Wessex seemed stunned by whoever it is who visited them late at night. Interestingly, however, only Ragnar gets his feet washed by the mysterious stranger.

Although the sneak peek footage doesn't reveal the identity of the visitor, the preview clip for the episode reveals that the stranger is actually the late Christian priest, Athelstan (George Blagden).

"I've waited for you my friend," Ecbert tells Athelstan in the video.


TV Guide also reported that the "familiar face" helps Ragnar decide Floki's (Gustaf Skarsgård) fate. Will the shocking return of Athelstan push Ragnar to kill the shipbuilder? Or will the departed monk convince Ragnar to have mercy for Floki?

"[Ragnar] knows in a way that he ought to kill Floki for [murdering Athelstan]," series creator Michael told TV Guide. "[But] he finds it incredibly difficult to do so."

"He's looking for a way out," Hirst continued. "[But] he can't think of a way out himself, because he knows what he ought to do and it's another burden of power. It would need some deus ex machina. It would need some other unexpected force or intervention that would allow him to release and forgive Floki. So the only way that Floki can survive this situation is some unexpected and outside intervention into the situation."

Do you think Ragnar will kill Floki in tonight's episode? Vote in our poll and share your thoughts in the comments below!

www.designntrend.com/articles/71382/20160303/vikings-season-4-spoilers-athelstan-visits-ragnar-ecbert-episode-3-sneak-peek.htm

[christine73]

Vikings ‘Mercy’ Season 4, Episode 3 recap and discussion



We don’t have a budget like The Revenant so we can’t make a CGI bear, we got to use a real one!

The notion of mercy was not common in the world of the Northmen of History’s drama Vikings, where Kings went back on their word to each other and slaughtered their people in battles for land and dominance.

Even in the Christian lands, mercy was a concept more revered on paper than in real life.

In Wessex, we see our Judith (Jennie Jacques) studying with a reluctant Prudentius (Seán T. Ó Meallaigh), the Frankia monk ordered by King Ecbert (Linus Roache) to allow her to be “free.”

Judith pumps the monk for details on the Viking raid, which like an ancient game of telephone she relays to an amused Ecbert.

Egbert, like Ragna far away, is really missing the late monk Athelstan (George Blagden) and loves talking about him with Judith who knew him intimately and gave birth to his son.

“You are God’s sacred vessel,” Ecbert says to Judith. “Chosen to deliver the holy man’s child.”

Meanwhile Ecbert’s son Aethelwulf, who is married to Judith, returns from Mercia with Queen Kwenthrith (Amy Bailey) and Magnus son of Ragnar. These two are already making love with their furtive stares as Aethelwulf goes to Kwenthrith’s bed to consumate their lust.

These women are being passed around like a hot potato as Ecbert’s one-time lover Kwenthrith is bedding Aethelwulf while Aethelwulf’s wife Judith is Ecbert’s main squeeze.

“I think the most challenging part was definitely the conditions. The weather was pretty rough and pretty cold but in terms of the bear, most of it is real. We don’t have a budget like The Revenant so we can’t make a CGI bear so in a really exciting way, we got to use a real one and it was a very, very incredible experience to work with such a beautiful and amazing animal.”- Alexander Ludwig, phone interview from March 1.

Gisla’s growing antipathy (Morgane Polanski) towards Duke Rollo (Clive Standen) is demonstrated in her outbursts as she demands a divorce, much to her fathers chagrin.

However, Rollo is important to Paris as he is the insurance plan they all have to thwart any further Viking attacks.

Count Odo (Owen Roe) arranges for Rollo to have a language teacher, though it does not go too smoothly.

Meanwhile Earl Kalf (Ben Robson) and Earl Lagertha (Kathryn Winnick) are in a tricky relationship as Kalf wants to perhaps have a child and she swore she would kill him someday.

The Seer’s prophecy that she would never have a child again weighs on her as well.

Meantime Kalf plots with Erlendur the son of Horik to assassinate Bjorn Ironside.

However, Bjorn has already gone to the interior to prove his survival skills so they sic a big ol’ Berserker to murder him.



Things are tough for our Floki and his wife Helga

In the village, Ragnar sits with Aslaug (Alyssa Sutherland) and tells his sons about the ferryman Harbard and the god Thor.

The name “Harbard” is a stab at his suspicions about Aslaug’s infidelity, yet she and Floki (Gustaf Skarsgård) think that Harbard was an earthly appartition of Odin.

Ragnar cannot stand his Norse god fundamentalist wife. He misses the sense, wisdom, worldiness and soul of Athelstan.

Ecbert and Ragnar each have visions in dreams of Athelstan, who like Christ washes Ragnar’s feet and says ‘mercy.” It is time for Ragnar to cut Floki free.

During this episode Bjorn (Alexander Ludwig) has his wits tested as he kills a bear enduringhis self imposed exile.

A real freaking bear, no CGI. Take that, Leonardo DiCaprio!

TV critics April Neale and Ernie Estrella discuss this poignant episode:

Ernie Estrella: We start the episode with Floki being tortured, much like the norse god, Loki was, bound to three rocks, with a serpent’s venom falling onto his head drop by drop. Loki’s wife, Sigyn feeling pity for her husband shielded him and empty bowls of the venom.

Here we see Helga doing the same as she is the only one still crying for Floki and sadly must endure as much pain and suffering as her husband.

April Neale: Boy here I am part Norwegian and you are smoking me on the Norse gods knowledge! Shame on me.

Well, good wives are worth their weight in gold, and Helga hanging in there for Floki earns her stripes in the wife of fame section of Valhalla.

EE: That’s how deep this show gets to me. I love looking beyond the show and seeing what’s true, what’s fiction and what inspires Michael Hirst.

I’ll say this though, Loki’s torture… looks like a helluva effective diet. Gustaf Skarsgard is ripped in this episode!

AN: Right? Imagine if we only ate what was caught, killed and foraged! And never sat down in front of a computer working all day.

I need to check out that Paleo Norse water torture, running and gunning diet, that will skinny you down.

It is hard to see your loved one suffer and Helga truly loves this crazy guy. And at the end of the episode, thankfully Ragnar sets his mind to release them with some tender mercies.

EE: So Bjorn gets to dance with a big bear in “Mercy” and let’s give some proper kudos to Alexander Ludwig who shot all of these scenes in isolation.

And that it wasn’t a CG bear, that was an effing-real-bear, April! Leonardo DiCaprio ain’t got nothing on Ludwig. F The Revenant!

AN: Alexander Ludwig IS The Revenant! That bear scene was intense and real as we found out on the conference call with him this week, and he really trained hard to get all of these scenes turned in with such authenticity.

He smoked Leo in the acting chops as far as his endurance test in the Nordic wilds…

EE: Some big things are coming Bjorn’s way and while we see the circle of Kattegat split up and having their own journey this season, I’m sucked into what Bjorn is proving to himself though.

Again, I love how brave this series is to look beyond the main character and understand there is a large part of the Viking Age that is carried on by Ragnar’s sons but to actually play it out on TV takes some balls.

AN: Ludwig deserves an Emmy, Globes and Critics’ Choice nomination for his turn this season, fellow TV critics are you hearing us? This was WILD what he accomplished.

No CGI. Real freezing cold intense physical demands, his return to civilization and mother Lagertha was incredible too but I don’t want to get ahead of myself…

EE: I agree. By the time this season ends, I have a feeling that Ludwig will have a big reel to show off. Now April, you’ve waited a whole week and here’s your chance to talk about that Berserker that’s been sent after Bjorn during his vision quest.



AN: The Berserker! I have been dying to talk about this one. I want one. Seriously! My own Berserker.

They were a real race of special Norsemen (aka big scary white boys) who were completely, well berserk!

They went into battle nearly naked in that freezing cold and they freaked out their enemies so much by their size, fierce DGAF attitudes and battle skills, they were Natural Born Killers!

EE: Yeah, we get why Kalf is making a play for Lagertha but Bjorn? He’s raiding the wrong family…

AN: Freaking Kalf, I hope Bjorn goes a bit berserk on him…

EE: Now Kalf is trying to seduce Lagertha into thinking, that he is thinking of a long road ambition with her. But he’s obviously trying to sugar her up while also enjoying great sex.

Do you think she’s buying it? I mean the last thing she wants to do is have another kid, much less try to appease another man with a family, when she knows she probably can’t have one, even if she wanted one.

AN: At this point, Lagertha is trying to establish a secure spot for herself, she’s well past the wanting to make a baby years (though not impossible she could get pregnant despite what the Seer sees) and is now thinking about her place/retirement if you will so that she is relevant, safe and secure.

Women are all about security.

EE: However, when Lagertha had her miscarriage, we’re led to believe she can’t have children anymore, right? Or perhaps more accurately, she believes she can’t have another child?

AN: They were all guessing, there was no real doctor or ability to see what was really going on up in her plumbing but I believe that’s what she believed.

EE: The thing with this extended season is that we get bigger storylines for everyone, but at times it feels like we’re not getting enough of everyone or any one character.

Sadly we only get a tiny bit of Lagertha again, but as we said, Bjorn’s getting the spotlight.

Now, to the another family member, it’s another rough go for Paris’ new Duke, Rollo, but I love how he doesn’t quit, how he keeps at it.

I know he’s getting played by the French king and Count Odo, but again, I’m a big fan of what he’s trying to do for himself. He’s figuring out to be his own man and what kind of things he can excel at.

AN: It seems to be Rollo and Bjorn-heavy this season, and they deserve it, but you are right about Rollo has some stamina and tenacity! He has his dickish qualities, like the slaughtering of his people in the camp thing, but his ardor for Gisla is pretty solid.

He likes being in the French court, the civility and all the trappings are suiting him despite his tough time with the language…

EE: Okay, what do you make of the conspirators in the French regime, Count Odo’s whipping girl and his steward.

AN: Every court has its kink thang, and Odo is Charles’s Iago, and cunning connivers usually have that weirded out sex drive thing where they can control and subjugate supplicants in the court to get their jollies.

He’s par for the course then. King Charles is kind of a religious stiff, unlike Ecbert who is also a sexual libertine.

EE: We get an interesting turn of events in England as Ecbert doesn’t have to use his power to get his… well, daughter-in-law in bed with him.

This round anyway. It’s a fascinating dynamic considering he could have anyone in his kingdom but this somehow gets him closer to the late Athelstan…

AN: Right? This is a weird homosexual-tinged proxy sexual congress where they both get off in their shared obsession with Athelstan.

It’s creepy! Ecbert is such a manipulator anyway and he bores quickly in the sack, but Judith is like the best looking woman around in the court right now, so tag… she’s it…



EE: [Laughing] And that brings us to the side-by-side dreams that Ragnar and Ecbert have of Athelstan. That he’s able to speak to both and set them on their right paths.

I’ve got to admit, in my own wandering thoughts of this show, I fever dream about Athelstan too. I miss him and what he brought to the series that much.

AN: Athelstan is deeply loved and missed by both men and Judith who bore his son, as he fired their imaginations to what can be, what is possible beyond their kingdoms, what loftier aspirations they could live up to as they learned so much from him.

They drank him up – remember there was no internet, TV or newspapers, everything was spoken word, stories and the few books available that were so precious, they forbid women to read or learn from them.

Athelstan was a conduit to the enlightened larger world, beyond their cold dark kingdoms, and he had an inner peace and energy that drew people to him.

He is missed for sure by viewers and the cast in their roles.

EE: Speaking of strange hookups, Aethelwulf and Kwenthrith… I thought he was a complete dud but he’s got a pulse and Princess Kwenthrith as we know has a real appetite. She’s not easy to keep up with.

AN: She’s a kooky hot mess, and thank goodness she’s such a randy goer that Judith can keep on keeping on with her father-in-law as Kwenthrith does the business with a very enthusiastic Aethelwulf.

He’s still the Vikings’ version of Ted Cruz. Awful man. What a weird sexual setting is King Ecbert’s court!

EE: It is an interesting contrast with what’s going on in all three kingdoms, they’re all different from each other, but each has its own trouble brewing underneath.

Any thoughts on Ragnar’s campfire story about Thor and the ferryman, or better yet Aslaug’s reaction to his story?

AN: That was his warning to her, in my opinion, that Harbard and her indiscretion are revealed, and she is now on notice that he is done.

Meaning his love for her has really expired and he is now looking for a sexual partner outside the marriage and will not tolerate her “My father the King…” lippy little holier than thou stories.

EE: That really is her go-to retort. I’m hoping we get some more dimensions out of Aslaug this season. She tells her kids all about her father, and she’s a devoted mother, and now we get this interest from her about this vision by the Seer but it all seems very passive.

She’s at her most interesting when she unleashes the fundamental, purist side to her, taking her fate into her own hands.

However, we’ve never seen the Seer be wrong, and wouldn’t things take a turn if he is wrong, because we know the greatness that’s coming in Bjorn and his step-brothers.

I don’t think Lagertha would stand in the way of Bjorn ruling if it came down to that. But since the Vikings have a transitional period from Paganism to Christianity at some point, the gods fail the Vikings.

I wonder if they’re building to that moment for Aslaug, because she’s such a devout Pagan. One wonders.

AN: I hope they give Aslaug a bit more rope to hang herself with personally. I miss Lagertha, and I like Lagertha as a character more than Aslaug. Both women are devout norse gods believers too.

EE: I always feel so exhausted breaking these episodes down but there’s so much to talk about, they’re juggling a lot right as the Viking Age keeps expanding out of Scandinavia and you can feel all the transition of power, religion, and more.

It’s time to step away from “Mercy” and next week, we’ll talk about slaves and kings, and my man, Duke Rollo starts speaking English, which you know what that means…

AN: Look out Gisla, Rollo’s got a brand new thang….

Next week’s episode of Vikings is Yol and airs March 10.

What did you think of Episode 3? Let us know in the comments!

www.monstersandcritics.com/vikings-mercy-season-4-episode-3-recap-and-discussion/

[ohva]

sikanapanele.tumblr.com/post/140692063431

[ohva]

This is certainly an interesting picture!

azryal00.tumblr.com/post/140751687667/alexanderludwig-the-gangs-all-here



alexander–ludwig:


The gang’s all here.

[christine73]

Floki has some WILd eye makeup going on there.

[ohva]

Vikings' Season 4, Episode 4 Review: Mistletoe, Madness, And True Love


Erik Kain
Forbes
3/10/16


Vikings keeps up its strong momentum in its fourth episode, “Yol.” Thursday night’s episode follows two themes: Love and Madness. Perhaps the two are not so different.

We’ll look to madness first, and to Floki and Ragnar who perhaps both embody it more than any other characters.



Floki

Floki visits the Seer, who tells him he’s been waiting for him a long, long time.

“What do you mean, waited a long time?” Floki asks.

“Hundreds of years, while I lay in the wet ground,” the Seer replies. “Waiting in the space between life and death.”

“Waiting?” asks Floki.

“You know exactly what I mean,” the Seer says. “Don’t play games. I have waited and I understand. Show me that you understand. Show me who you are.”

Floki licks the Seer’s hand and then starts giggling. They understand one another. I’m just not sure I do.

My best guess is that the Seer sees in Floki a successor, someone who can carry on his mystic mantle after he’s gone perhaps. He sees the Old Gods in Floki, and Floki is, in that moment, validated. His beliefs, his actions, the murder of Athelstan and his doubt in Ragnar, all verified as true and good.

When Aslaug later visits him and asks him to teach Ivar the ways of the vikings, Floki becomes truly cast in his role as the anti-Ragnar, unquestioning in his faith. Ivar’s rebuke of Ragnar earlier in the episode, while Ragnar tried to get him to hang mistletoe, to join in with the others, and Aslaug’s condemnation of Ragnar only solidifies this.

Ragnar and Yidu

Meanwhile, Ragnar embarks on his own spiritual journey, though it’s as much a sexual one as anything. The new slave, Yidu, is foreign and exotic so of course Ragnar takes a shine to her immediately.

Aslaug, perhaps to save face but also, I suspect, to distract Ragnar, offers Yidu up to him as a gift. She doesn’t mind if he wants to sleep with her. “If that is what you want,” Ragnar says, like a little boy.

In any case, Ragnar and Yidu take hallucinogens in Ragnar’s weird little snake-filled shack. We get a lot of Crazy Ragnar—his wild eyes, putting a snake down his throat (rather foreboding that), and so forth. He frees Yidu from bondage, then makes a rather Ragnar-ish play for her.

I honestly don’t know what to think of all this. Ragnar is so crazy this season. He’s not as wily and clever and ambitious as before. It’s always either anger with Aslaug, or just this fierce wildness that makes me think he’s trying too hard to appear insane. If so, why?

Bjorn


Bjorn, played by Alexander Ludwig, cr_ Jonathan Hession

Bjorn finally returns from his walkabout, but not before two pretty momentous moments. The first takes place in the wild, against the assassin berserker Yol.

This was one of the best moments in the episode, a harrowing, brutal fight ending in one of the most graphic kills we’ve seen in the show’s entire run. Bjorn uses hooks and rope to bind the berserker to a tree, the hooks digging into the man’s face, before disemboweling him and taking the ring Kalf and Erlendur gave him. It’s gruesome but also pretty great.

When Bjorn then shows up in Kalf and Lagertha’s hall, you can see the fear in both Kalf and Erlendur’s eyes. Bjorn looks scary, and he looks like he knows perfectly well who sent the assassin. He doesn’t do anything about it directly, but he does make off with Erendur’s wife, Torvi.

It’s a bit of a bittersweet moment, though. It’s wonderful to see that weasel Erlendur humiliated, and equally great to see Kalf squirm in his chair. But Torvi has to leave her son behind to go with Bjorn. You know she’s in a very bad place if she’s willing to do that.

England

In England, we only get a glimpse of the two torrid affairs taking place in Ecbert’s court. First, there is Aethelwulf and Kwenthrith, who betwixt the two of them make for a seriously tricky time in the realm of spelling names. And then there is Ecbert himself, and Aelle’s daughter Judith, who is married to Aethelwulf.

Truly, these are the days of our lives.

Anyhow, not much gets past King Aelle, however grotesque he may be. The man is as shrewd as he is bellicose. And he spots the way Judith and Ecbert act around one another, and he isn’t happy about it. Judith’s response to his chastisement is tough on the surface, but I wonder how brittle her resolve truly is.

Rollo and Gisla

Ironically, the only truly happy, genuinely affectionate pairing in the entire episode is between Duke Rollo and the Princess Gisla, who up to this point has at once hated every fiber of his being, and secretly had the hots for him ever since she saw him storming the walls of Paris.

It turns out, despite his throwing tutors about like sacks of grain, Rollo has learned to speak French! I’m going to forgive this leap—adults don’t learn languages this quickly—and just assume that the timeline in France has not run parallel to the timeline elsewhere. That the years that have passed in Ragnar’s storyline had not passed in Rollo’s by last week, and that instead we’ve been watching two very different periods. I will assume that there was a very long span of time between last week’s episode and this one in France, whereas only a short period passed between last week’s episode and this one in England and Denmark.

In any case, it’s this newfound ability to express himself in Gisla’s native tongue that finally gets Rollo the girl, staving off an annulment at the very last moment.

Of course, Rollo not only gets the girl, he gets her over and over again. The two are barely able to keep their hands off one another, resulting in a pretty hilarious Christmas dinner scene in which the sounds of their lovemaking in a nearby room carry easily to the Emperor’s dinner table, where his guests sit awkwardly over their plates. It’s a beautiful moment, and it’s genuinely good to see Rollo so happy and in love. It may be the first time we’ve seen him truly happy since the start of the show.

He’s still a murderous traitor, but he’s just doing what vikings have always done: Take what they want to carve out a better world for themselves. Rollo’s victory here is priceless.

Aslaug and Harald Finehair

Finally, another viking king sails to Kattegat. It is Harald Finehair, king of Norway. The last time a king sat under Ragnar’s roof, it didn’t end so well for him. Horik paid the ultimate price for going up against Ragnar. Will Harald pay the same?

It turns out that Harald and Aslaug know one another. Once upon a time, Harald even sought to woo her. But he wasn’t important enough and she would have none of it. Now he’s king of Norway, an important and charming man. Someone who can play with her children and tell stories and who at least seems charismatic and beloved by his men and her children alike.

When Ragnar shows up, you can almost reach out and touch the tension. “And who might you be?” our favorite crazy viking king asks, as the screen cuts to black and the credits roll.

Verdict

Once again, a very strong, very high-calorie, meaty, dense episode of Vikings to chew on. I wish the timeline hadn’t been quite so confusing with Rollo. He should have started learning French in the first episode of the season at least, because his suddenly speaking it was a bit weird. I’m also not sure why Ragnar has to be quite this crazy all the time. Like when Floki went off the deep end last season, I sort of miss the old Ragnar. It’s quite miserable to watch him with Aslaug, and I’m sort of hoping Harald just sneaks off into the night with her never to be seen again. Then Ragnar can just stay single and date whoever he likes. He has plenty of sons.

But other than that, I’m really enjoying the season so far and this was no exception. The berserker fight, in particular, was fantastic. And Floki’s new road, one that seems to be leading him toward a deeper mysticism and further away from Ragnar, is intriguing to say the least.

What did you think?

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[ohva]

www.tvinsider.com/article/78367/vikings-floki-gustaf-skarsgard-interview/


Vikings: Does Floki Deserve Your Sympathy? Gustaf Skarsgård on His Character's 'Tough Year'




Warning: mild spoilers ahead about last night's episode.

In his first full episode of freedom this season, Floki (Gustaf Skarsgård) skulked the outskirts of Kattegat as an outcast, still reeling from the physical and emotional torture he’d endured. But two conversations from last night’s episode—first with the mysterious Seer (John Kavanagh) and then with Aslaug (Alyssa Sutherland) and Ivar (James Quinn Markey)—may have given him the spiritual validation he needed to find a new path forward.

We talked to Skarsgård about what Floki has been through so far in Season 6, his undeniable air of mysticism and what’s coming up on Vikings as the series moves through its 20-episode season.

What was it like filming the scenes where you were chained up and being tortured?
It was kind of tough. I mean, the toughest part was just preparing for it. It really is all about suffering in the first three episodes for Floki. So that was obviously tough on me because I had to bring it to the character, just trying to imagine what you would feel like getting the news that your child was dead, and all the other hardship he’s going through. So that was very demanding.

Ragnar’s (Travis Fimmel) punishment for Floki was based on a story from Norse mythology in which the gods bind Loki in a cave, with venom dripping on his head. Have you studied those mythologies?
Oh yeah, for sure. I’ve really read into their religion, the Old Norse religion and the sagas. I was interested in it even before I got the part, but then as I got this job, I definitely read more of that.

When did you start reading the mythology?
I never studied it per se, but being Swedish, we would learn about the Vikings and their culture and religion in school. And I did a couple of essays on Vikings and stuff like that when I was in high school, just because I was interested. So that history has always been appealing to me.

In last night’s episode, we saw that Floki has become something of an outcast. How would you describe his relationship with Ragnar at this point?
Oh, it’s very complicated. Very complicated. It’s almost masochistic in the sense that he still longs for Ragnar’s love, and he always will, but he also resents Ragnar for having put him through the shame and the pain of the punishment. I think a part of him is just like, “Why didn’t he just kill me?” He’s definitely not grateful that [Ragnar] spared his life, because from Floki’s perspective, he hasn’t done anything wrong. From Floki’s perspective, he actually saved Ragnar from the influence of Athelstan and this false God of Christianity, so he [doesn't] realize that he would deserve a punishment in any way.

Now that his daughter is dead and his relationship with Ragnar is strained, what would you say Floki’s motivation is moving forward? What’s his goal now?
I would say that he’s very lost, especially in Episode 4. When we first pick up with him, he’s very lost. He doesn’t know where he’s going. I never understood why he stuck around in Kattegat anyway and didn’t just take off, but I think there’s that weird longing that he still wants Ragnar’s love back. As much as he resents him, and as complicated as it is, he still longs to get back to that love and that relationship they once had.

Queen Aslaug has brought Ragnar’s son Ivar to Floki to learn to love the Norse gods and to hate the Christian God. Is this something that gives Floki a new sense of purpose?
Definitely. I think he’s very flattered by that recognition from Aslaug. That someone has actually recognized what Floki is about and what he’s been trying to do—the act of killing Athelstan as a way to protect Ragnar and to protect the old ways for these people—there’s definitely a sense of recognition in that. And this will also form a close relationship with Ivar forever. I can’t say how much we actually get into that tutoring, but at least we establish that that has happened. Floki has taught him about the old ways and the old gods.


Does it anger Ragnar that Aslaug has brought Ivar to Floki instead of to him for that kind of teaching?
I’m not sure if that’s ever actually commented on. I can’t remember that from the episodes, but I don’t think it is. I think that is done secretly, without Ragnar knowing it.

Floki has a mysterious encounter with The Seer in this episode. The Seer claims to know who Floki is, and that he has been waiting for Floki for hundreds of years. What does it all mean?
I don’t want to answer that question, because by answering, I think I would simplify it. And I love the mystical element of it, that we don’t exactly comprehend what that could mean. I don’t want to simplify it by giving an easy answer, but that is definitely something to appeal to people’s sense of fantasy, what it could mean. That is nothing we will reveal easily.

In the past, The Seer’s predictions have been mostly true, but very cryptic.
Yeah. I think, especially for Floki emotionally, it’s also a recognition of who he is. The same way that he’s also recognized by Aslaug, by her bringing Ivar to him, now he gets this recognition from The Seer. Whatever he means by this, there’s definitely a recognition of Floki and who he really is, and I think that kind of ignites Floki again after all the hardship that he’s been through. It’s a reason for him to go on, to live on.

So his religion and devotion to the gods is all that’s keeping him going?
Yeah, you could say that. He’s always been devoted to the gods, having done what he did, killing Athelstan and then facing the failure in Paris and then being prosecuted and tortured by his best friend. Now here, he has two people who actually come to him and recognize him as something almost holy. I think that is exactly what he needs at this moment in time.

The Seer might be beyond explanation, but will we get any more answers about Floki’s mysticism before the end of this season?
I don’t know. The thing about that element of the show that I really like, the mysticism, is that it’s more about portraying the subjective beliefs of these people. There are many, many types of potential interpretations. Is Floki the incarnation of a god? Is he someone who just needs to hear that he’s special in this moment in time? I just like the fact that all those questions are raised and not necessarily answered. With spiritual things, I think that’s often the case, that you don’t exactly know. This is the realm of the unknown, and as soon as you start choosing one interpretation, it loses its spirituality and thereby its truth, in a sense. So I think that the paradox and the multiple potential interpretations are part of the point in these matters.

This is a 20-episode season, so there’s still a long way to go. Where is Floki going as the season moves on?
I can tell you that there’s more trouble ahead. It’s definitely a tough year for Floki in every way. Yeah, Floki goes through a lot this year, and he’s just being hammered with more and more horrible experiences, really. It’s been tough.

Do you think that’s an attempt to get people to sympathize with Floki again? He nearly crossed the line into being a villain last season.
I’m not sure if it’s that easy. I just think that it’s the course of the story. I’m not sure how manipulative or conscious that would be from [series creator] Michael [Hirst]’s part, to win the sympathy back. He usually isn’t that sentimental. He’s kind of raw with his characters, and if you like it, you like it and if you don’t, you don’t. He kind of presents them the way they are, which is something I really like. But if sympathy might be a consequence of that? Maybe.

Vikings, Thursdays, 10/9c, History

[ohva]

I thought the episode on Thursday night was about the best of the season.

Both the synopsis and the interview with Gustaf discuss Floki's encounter with the Seer. My impression at the moment was that the seer saw Floki as a successor. I didn't think of him as seeing Floki as a god. I do know that anything the Seer has said to someone has come forth in reality later. We will see.

Then Aslaug brings Ivar to Floki to educate in the old ways. We have a link of the challenged in the community committed to preserving the ancient ways--the Seer in his blindness, Floki in his mental illness, and Ivar with no legs. I wonder what this means.

The interviewer asked if Ragnar cared that Aslaug has Floki teaching Ivar. Ragnar hasn't interacted that much with Ivar and probably doesn't see him as a warrior. I wonder if he cares one way or another. It reminds me of a family giving a child to the priesthood.

Does the change of Floki's eye make-up in the picture above indicate a change in his status?

[christine73]

Thanks for posting those ohva. This weeks been nuts. I agree, I think this week was one of the best episodes of Vikings this season yet. Mainly because there seemed to be a decent balance in the stories. I know we have all said, many times these episodes are leaning heavily towards the English/French history, and while yes it is a part of Viking history, lets create balance, and this episode achieved that balance nicely. Worlds really are on a collision course, and you can understand the theme of betrayal more and more. So many have an axe (no pun intended) to grind with Ragnar. You bring out some very good points ohva regarding the seer and his blindness, Floki and his mental health issues, and Ivar being crippled. Sometimes it is the one with the most cards stacked against them that is the greatest of surprises. They have to make up for their physical or mental disabilities in other ways. Perhaps Folk's educating Ivar is what leads Ivar to greatness.