Captanne

I want more Anderson. I hope Jared Harris was available to do S4.

For me, taking the NW Passage cruise would merely be an "Everest" moment -- I'd do it for the history and because I can. ("Everest" moment being: "Why climb a mountain?" "Because it's there.") In other words, I'm certainly not doing it for the night life. (I was in the military for 21 years. Been all over the world. Don't need opera houses and the Copa Cabana. I want "new" and "meaningful".)

She was in real life, too.

I think Stephen Colbert should be encouraged to drop by here. He'd fit right in with the uber-nerddom (of which I am a most unworthy member).

I really enjoyed this episode. All of the threads are coming together beautifully and every main character received valid due. (Even Magnus is in the fold with a credible story line. Fuck, even the Gods and Jesus have story lines.) Loved it. All of it. PS: For me, Floki is dead. No question. Even if his body lives (which I sincerely doubt), the character has no where to go. He's gonzo.

I like Gunnhild. I think she's an interesting character -- as interesting as any of the others who are supporting roles. I think she was introduced well, she's not dependent on another character to define her own, and she's a solid viking and we could use more of those when we are littered with Ivars, the pregnant crazy Queen, Bjorns, Iceland et al, and the rabble who drool in Ivar's cult.

I told Work Colleague and he is flattered!! To explain -- my comment about the bleak prognosis was not so much about the future of the Vikings on the show (although, wow) but more about the show in a metaphysical sense. It's just sad that they have wasted so much time and energy on a third of this season. One person has to put it in a diagram on paper to figure out and the other doesn't care. Both people agree that it should be reduced to a single screen in a PowerPoint presentation. That's a bleak comment. That last paragraph, though, is poetry. For the record, Work Colleague and I are professional military historians.

I'll tell him! Actually the "devouring itself from within" part is mine. But that's essentially what he said. He doesn't give a rat's ass about the whos, the whys, and the wherefores. Just that they turned on each other and it is not the Norse God Mythological Utopia Floki thought it would be. They brought their violent humanity with them. (That's me translating again. LOL)

After a long discussion with my colleague this morning, I have concluded that the Iceland plot line suffers from two main problems. First, it has been salted sporadically on the screen over a year and a half so it's hard to remember who killed whom; and, it's been filmed in a bleak grey-scale that mutes the scenes as well as making the characters all hard to distinguish. That said, I tried to piece the story line together so I could figure out the cast of characters and their actions. Colleague said, "I really don't care. All I care about is that the Viking culture is devouring itself from within. In the case of Iceland it's vengeance. That's all I need to know." Which is kind of sad because those performances are, therefore, wasted and it all could have just as easily been done with a single text-card, a la PowerPoint, "Vikings Take Revenge and Kill Each Other. Sadness." That's hours of screentime down the tubes. I then noted, for what it's worth, the best story lines are those showing the Viking cultures assimiliating (in equal measures) with other European ones -- Ubbe and Torvi in England and Rollo (momentarily with us) in Frankia. The sad ones are in Norway (where Ivar's insanity is killing his own kingdom) and in Iceland where the revenge culture is killing their own meagre attempts at survival. That's a kind of bleak prognosis.

Also, let's not forget that Ragnar had an Asian lover for an entire season. Presumably she brought her religious relics with along with her. These things would not have been unheard of -- even within the "Vikings" timeline we've been presented.

Wasn't Aethelred called "The Unready"? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Æthelred_the_Unready (tl;dr -- yes, he was.) Personally, I wasn't that upset by the murder -- this is the 11th Century, they had just had an attempted coup, killed at least ten conspirators in the public square, and we watch the Vikings gut each other because they slight their honor (Harald and Tall Guy). Death has a very different meaning to them in that time and those cultures. Also, for what it's worth, the actress portrayed the Queen as devastated and horrified by the decision and action she took. She didn't do it lightly. (That head slam on the table must have been a shocking sight to see.) I thought the episode was a strong one. I loved watching Ubbe proud of his treasure -- realizing Ragnar's dream -- and becoming part of England. And I enjoyed Bjorn's stubborn resistance (unlike the way it was portrayed by Floki back when he killed Athelstan.) I think it's all very reasonable. Anyone know if Lagertha's actress has another gig? Maybe she's been written out for a few episodes while she does Lady MacBeth on the West End or something. Corrections: Apparently, we're watching a different Aethelred (not "The Unready"), so that point is moot. I was corrected on the century (which I had taken from The Unready) so, we're in the 9th Century not the 11th. Meaning of death is not much different, though. It's a brutal world.

I did say "Good try" and I meant it. I understand what he's going for and someone much younger than I am may go for it. But I've seen glowers before in theater, television, and film -- and because Ivar is so over-the-top, the glower is really meaningless. Also, quite frankly, overused. I think Ivar is giving us that look at least three times an episode since he lost what few marbles he had.

For me, everything about King Alfred was/is better in "The Last Kingdom" -- including the actor, although Vikings' one is getting better. (For those interested in The Last Kingdom, there is a board here at PTV.) Also, for me, Ivar represents the self-devouring of the Viking culture and to indicate how I feel about that I initially mistyped "also" as "alas." What I don't remember well enough or at all is the scene in Ecbert's hall when Ragnar blessed Ivar as the future of the Vikings. It's sad to think he was talking about his own people's ability to deify a madman.

The glower leaves me cold. I am not mesmerized, either. Good try, though.

What worried more about Ivar's sacrificial stand-in for Lagertha was that the people seemed to believe him. We know he's nuts so no surprise there -- but I was shocked that only one person spoke up (there were more, I think?) but the woman was killed anyway. (Reminds me of some contemporary global politics.) Within the episode, it was clear the Seer was on his last legs (uh, back?) so Ivar's killing there was a bit anti-climactic. I only hope the Seer saw it coming and was at peace with it, even if he couldn't be at peace with entering The Dark. I'm glad Magnus is not being taken at face value. The only problem I have with the acting stems from both Heahmund's and Alfred's brother's acting. They do this breathy gasping to indicate Drah-Mah and that is very high school. Also, when did it go from Hay-ah-mund to Hay-ACH-mund? It sounds like everyone is unsure of what they are doing over that one word and has to clear their collective throat before going on. Distracting.