S6.E11: King of Kings

[nodorothyparker]

Streaming 2020.12.30

Quote

Ubbe discovers the truth about Kjetill in Iceland and must make a difficult decision. The battle against the Rus leads to grave consequences.

Episodes of the final half season will be streaming on Amazon Prime.

[Crashcourse]

I cannot describe how PISSED I am that this isn't on History Channel!

 

[thuganomics85]

At long last, Vikings is finally back!  Well, kind of.  Depends if you have Amazon Prime, now.  Luckily for me I do, but this still seems to be an odd decision, and it sucks for those who have been watching this since the beginning on the History Channel.

Anyway, the big "deaths" in the midseason finale months ago were actually fake-outs as both Bjorn and Harald start out actually not being totally dead after-all in this episode.  Of course, for Bjorn's case, he was really just on borrowed time and now he is totally dead for sure!  At least he went out like a boss: taking three arrows like a champ and a) freaking out the Rus army enough to throw them off their game and b) inspiring the Vikings to apparently kick ass and push the Rus army back.  Fare thee well, Bjorn.  You weren't always a likable man (especially with the way you treated the women who you claimed to love), but you've earned your spot alongside your dad and mom in Valhalla, I think.

As for Harald, he gets captured by the Rus, and kept alive by Oleg to be used as a possibly bargaining chip/trophy.  But then he escapes?  How?  Was this Ivar's doing, somehow?

King Olaf might have been a showboating blowhard for most of his time, but he certainly didn't flinch at all over being burned alive!  Will miss Steven Berkoff's booming voice and over-theatrical performance.

Ivar's still going to somehow come out ahead, right?

Gunnhild's still awesome.  Ingrid is still annoying.

Erik is clearly being set-up to becoming a major player going forward.

Ubbe preps for his next journey, but now knows what Kjetill really did to the rival family, which I'm sure is going to cause some conflict.

Curious to see how this series will end!

[nitrofishblue]

9 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

At long last, Vikings is finally back!  Well, kind of.  Depends if you have Amazon Prime, now.  Luckily for me I do, but this still seems to be an odd decision, and it sucks for those who have been watching this since the beginning on the History Channel.

Anyway, the big "deaths" in the midseason finale months ago were actually fake-outs as both Bjorn and Harald start out actually not being totally dead after-all in this episode.  Of course, for Bjorn's case, he was really just on borrowed time and now he is totally dead for sure!  At least he went out like a boss: taking three arrows like a champ and a) freaking out the Rus army enough to throw them off their game and b) inspiring the Vikings to apparently kick ass and push the Rus army back.  Fare thee well, Bjorn.  You weren't always a likable man (especially with the way you treated the women who you claimed to love), but you've earned your spot alongside your dad and mom in Valhalla, I think.

As for Harald, he gets captured by the Rus, and kept alive by Oleg to be used as a possibly bargaining chip/trophy.  But then he escapes?  How?  Was this Ivar's doing, somehow?

King Olaf might have been a showboating blowhard for most of his time, but he certainly didn't flinch at all over being burned alive!  Will miss Steven Berkoff's booming voice and over-theatrical performance.

Ivar's still going to somehow come out ahead, right?

Gunnhild's still awesome.  Ingrid is still annoying.

Erik is clearly being set-up to becoming a major player going forward.

Ubbe preps for his next journey, but now knows what Kjetill really did to the rival family, which I'm sure is going to cause some conflict.

Curious to see how this series will end!

I just watched this episode and was happy to see it back even if this is the last horay. A bit of a gut wrenching watch as people died. Bjorn went out like the king he was. Will be watching the rest everyday until I have to give it the final good-bye

[Ezinaz]

This episode was well done.  I loved the respect that Hvitserk and Ivar gave to Bjorn in the end.

I would have liked to have seen Bjorn finally win a battle based on his military strategy.

Olafs "I'm in no rush" response to Oleg was hilarious.

[LittleIggy]

I cried over Bjorn. He was a 💩 husband to Torvi and Gunnhild, but he loved his mom and was a great warrior. Bjorn was one of the original characters whom we watched grow from boy to man. He did indeed go out like a boss as did Olaf of the Long Earlobes. 
Gunnhild is my new queen now that Lagertha (why didn’t anyone mention her?) is gone. Ingrid can FOAD.

Was Hakon part of the plan or was he really a traitor?

So glad Vikings is back.

[benteen]

Sad to see Bjorn go but glad that after a season of making him look like an absolute failure that he went out like an absolute champ.  Well done show and enjoy Valhalla, Bjorn.

Really strong season opener.

Oh and Bjorn FINALLY acknowledged Little Siggy and her death, though not by name.

Berkoff got a very memorable death scene and without getting into spoilers elsewhere, that is not the first time he has played a character who suffered that fate.

 

Edited December 31, 2020 by benteen

[magdalene]

I found Bjorn's death kind of bizarre. Especially the way he was buried. Of course all my reactions to the character are totally colored by my contempt and dislike of Bjorn.  I felt bad though for Gunnhilds heart break and loss. The poor woman loved him so much. She was way too good for him.

I was more touched by King Olaf's death. Now that was so heroic.  And that rat bastard Oleg's reaction to it...

Words cannot describe how much I loathe Oleg and what he is doing to that poor boy.

Edited January 1, 2021 by magdalene

[Ravenya003]

I've been dipping in and out of this forum since season three, but since it's the last hurrah I'm going to make the effort to comment on every episode. It's been (mostly) fun guys!

I should have known better than to believe the fake-out that was Bjorn just dying in his bedchamber. I can't say I liked him that much, but in the Viking spirit he certainly deserved a bombastic death. Not sure what the deal was with his tomb though. How did they position his body like that? And on his horse no less? I had the bizarre thought that it was a wax sculpture before remembering what time period we were in. Good job Alexander Ludwig, and I hope you shaved off that beard post-haste. 

I'm not hugely interested in Ubbe's plot beyond the fact that I'm glad at least ONE of Ragnar's son has his shit together. Interesting comment he made that Odin and the Christian God were one and the same. There's certainly some eerie similarities between Norse mythology and Christianity, from the three days Odin spent hanging on a tree, to the correlations between Loki and Lucifer.  I've heard that this is a theme that's explored throughout the season, so I'm looking forward to that.

For all his tediousness, Olaf also went out like a boss - though has there been any indication that he was a Christian before? That he didn't scream in agony or even look particularly afraid was an interesting choice, though I noticed that Oleg was NOT impressed when that little prince looked around to get Ivar's permission to light the fire. He's definitely realized that they're in cahoots. 

I'm not as down on Ingrid as most people are - if memory serves, there was a scene in the first half of this season that revealed she was Olaf's daughter, and had seduced Bjorn on HIS instructions, and I definitely got the sense that she just doesn't want to be there (but has nowhere else to go). I liked her conversation with Gunnhild, and Gunnhild's promise that she would slit Harald's throat for what he did to Ingrid. Fingers crossed that she gets to keep that promise. It reminds me of Lagertha and Aslaug back in the day, before the (IMO) character assassination went down . I just like moments of female solidarity, even if the two women are rivals. You have to admit, that was a pretty cool visual of the two women on the thrones. 

If Gunnhild has ideas about going to join Bjorn in the afterlife, I hope Ingrid can talk her off the ledge.

Also, are we going to see the Wessex crew this season? Ivar and Alfred have unfinished business.

[magdalene]

I miss King Alfred.  I would have rather spent more time on that story instead of the endless lets watch Oleg be a sadist and psychopath.  Especially since that character seems to be mainly there to make Ivar come off better in comparison.

[MoldySpiceGirl]

On 12/31/2020 at 11:17 PM, Ravenya003 said:

For all his tediousness, Olaf also went out like a boss - though has there been any indication that he was a Christian before?

I'm fairly certain that all the "I feel a presence" stuff was 100% to psyche King Crazypants out.  To sow just enough doubt to be an annoying little fly in his ear for the rest of the season.

It's the kind of shenanigans Olaf was good at.  Jovial screwing-with-your-mind-ness.

[dbell1]

Well, damn. There goes Bjorn. Poor guy got stabbed and then used for target practice. I appreciated his not having a giant deathbed scene. No clue why he has a tomb and not a longboat bbq. And that random fresco on the ceiling. Just bizarre.

I forgot he had a second wife. Poor Gunnhild can’t catch a break. 

I really need Harald Finehair to die soon. Dude is way past his 9 lives by now.

[foxfreakinmulder]

On 12/31/2020 at 11:17 PM, Ravenya003 said:

I should have known better than to believe the fake-out that was Bjorn just dying in his bedchamber. I can't say I liked him that much, but in the Viking spirit he certainly deserved a bombastic death. Not sure what the deal was with his tomb though. How did they position his body like that? And on his horse no less? I had the bizarre thought that it was a wax sculpture before remembering what time period we were in.

I know I'm late to the party but HULU just dropped the second half of season six this month. I guess the beach was a fake-out too, him laying there like he was dead at the end of episode 10. And, I don't think it was Ivar that ran the sword through him on the beach because he would've been bragging about it and the fact that he was there on the beach didn't make sense.

WTF was up with that tomb, no way could you get a body to position like that and the horse was dead too right, cause I didn't see it move. Like you I was thinking it was a sculpture maybe out of wood but why would they bury it in a tomb? And did they bury the Kings sword with him too? And no sacrifice slaves to go with him or extra horses or anything?

I'll miss Bjorn because his character was the only one of the original characters we had left but he was a terrible father and husband so I didn't have a lot of love for him. But that was a bad ass ending for him.

How did the Russ know to capture Harald and Olaf? Because Red took Harald's crown so why pick those two out of everybody?

Why doesn't someone just kill Ivar's horse ( I can't believe I just said that) but then he wouldn't be able to get away and you could kill him once and for all.

Was that a plan to have that Viking guy go to the Russ and tell them Bjorn was dead? Did he know they would kill him and did he sacrifice himself?  

I only have Ubbe, Torvi, and Gunnhild to cheer on now.

 

 

 

 

[Maisiesmom]

Finally got to watch this- about time, History Channel!! Poor Bjorn-he had a good run but it seemed to take forever for him to die-someone wipe the guys face, for Pete's sake! But it was pretty badass how he met the Rus-those guys were totally freaked out. And how was he entombed with his horse? Was there someone around who would know how to do that? Pretty strange. I feel sorry for the kid-it seems Oleg is messing up his mind on purpose. Anyway, it was good to see everyone again-it made me realize how much I missed the show.

[Crashcourse]

2 hours ago, Maisiesmom said:

Finally got to watch this- about time, History Channel!! Poor Bjorn-he had a good run but it seemed to take forever for him to die-someone wipe the guys face, for Pete's sake! But it was pretty badass how he met the Rus-those guys were totally freaked out. And how was he entombed with his horse? Was there someone around who would know how to do that? Pretty strange. I feel sorry for the kid-it seems Oleg is messing up his mind on purpose. Anyway, it was good to see everyone again-it made me realize how much I missed the show.

I agree, it's about time!  I was so mad waiting for this season, but it's here now.

Bjorn propped up on that horse immediately reminded me of the movie El Cid, played by Charlton Heston, where his corpse was propped up with an iron frame on his horse to lead the soldiers in battle.  Of course, Bjorn was still alive and there was no iron frame but maybe that's what they used to prop him up in the tomb?   I loved how he freaked out the enemy though.  He went out like a big, bad, boss.

Speaking of freaking out the enemy, I love how King Olaf sat quietly and peacefully burned, while Oleg looked freaked out, pissed off and disappointed, all at once.  LOL

 

[iMonrey]

Imagine my surprise to find these episodes on my DVR, and imagine my greater surprise and anger to discover they'd dropped on Amazon Prime six months ago. Arrrrgh! I didn't even realize these were new episodes until four of them had piled up. Why don't I get an alert somewhere??

ANYHOO . . . it's been so long since 6A I needed a refresher course and I'm still having trouble placing some of the characters, like Eric the Red. I had to find a good recap of 6A online and History Channel did a pretty good hour-long recap of the series thus far. I had forgotten how good this show was, to be honest. I got totally caught up in the story all over again, once I found my bearings. Great scene at the end with Bjorn on his horse and yes, the death was kind of poignant and well done. I think  the purpose of the burial mound versus the typical burning of the body is a  nod to some of the Viking graves or tombs found in England. Must have been a custom reserved for the most revered warriors or those that were considered "gods."