S04.E05: Promised

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

 

Vikings Teaches A Tough Lesson On Respectful Premarital Behavior
Lagertha shows us that Viking women know how to play a long game.

[Ohwell]

She seems to love not just her children but other peoples (one kid with a hatchet in his head not withstanding).

 

Soooo...except for the poor little kid who got axed in the head, she seems to love the other kids.  Alrighty then.  That's funny, but sad.  Or sad, but funny.

Edited March 21, 2016 by Ohwell

[SingleMaltBlonde]

Soooo...except for the poor little kid who got axed in the head, she seems to love the other kids.  Alrighty then.  That's funny, but sad.  Or sad, but funny.

I would argue that Ivar was  too young to understand the nature and consequence of his actions.  I would argue that like idiots who give modern toddlers access to firearms whoever gave Ivar a working hatchet was to blame.

 

Aslaug is just an early self esteem parent...it's not little Ivar fault, the other boys were being mean...blah, blah....

[Ohwell]

Oh, I'm not blaming Ivar at all; he's just a little kid.  However, I do blame Aslaug and possibly Floki.

 

My point was that I disagree about her "love" for other kids.  Her own?  Yes.  Other kids?  Not so sure about that. 

[SingleMaltBlonde]

This is just the oddest thing to think about...when my brother was 2 we were at my grandparents and he was in the backyard playing with my grandfathers tool box...my mother warned Grandpa to not let him play with the tools...my grandpa was sure it wasn't a big deal...my brother took a brick out of the house.  My grandfather wasn't mad...he had been warned but he was also a little proud...and I think Floki/Aslaug and probably Ragnar are going to be a little proud here even if it's more than a little twisted.

[Giselle]

I would argue that Ivar was  too young to understand the nature and consequence of his actions.  I would argue that like idiots who give modern toddlers access to firearms whoever gave Ivar a working hatchet was to blame.

 

Aslaug is just an early self esteem parent...it's not little Ivar fault, the other boys were being mean...blah, blah....

 

 

I agree but I also think that living in that day and age Ivar would have seen a hatchet used to dispatch animals for food and rituals and known end result of a swing. I do believe that he lashed out and  swung in frustration and as you said was too young to understand the consequences.   

[basil]

One thing to [Aslaug's] credit and to the writers -- she's been handled much more subtly than Floki who is crazy like a sledgehammer and, therefore, boring, cliche, and a disappointment.

 

 

Floki is indeed an over-the-top character, but if he is truly an incarnation of Loki (as the writers seem to imply - at least to me, given the way they wrote the seer's recent reaction to him), his behavior is spot on.

Loki loved him some chaos.

[Captanne]

Yep.  The name was a dead giveaway, at least to me.

[basil]

Yep.  The name was a dead giveaway, at least to me.

 

 

A bit on the nose, from the get, I thought, honestly. I just didn't think they would go there. Question is, IS Floki Loki, or does Loki just "work through him"? In other words, is Floki a follower that Loki inhabits sometimes or is he the god himself?

[Babalooie]

Basil, My first thought after the scene with Floki and the Seer was that he is indeed Loki, but my hubby and others on here believe that he is the Seer's replacement because the Seer said that he had been waiting a long time for him.  I guess we'll soon find out.  I know that some can't stand Floki, but I just enjoy the acting skills of Gustaf Skarsgard.  What a talented family!

[basil]

My first thought after the scene with Floki and the Seer was that he is indeed Loki, but my hubby and others on here believe that he is the Seer's replacement because the Seer said that he had been waiting a long time for him.  I guess we'll soon find out.

 

 

Honestly, I had never even thought about that. Good point. The Seer aside, the other comparisons to Loki were Floki's capture in a stream, and his water torture as punishment, in which his wife holds a bowl over his head to spare him (though in Loki's case, it was serpent venom). There may be more I haven't noticed.

[green]

Actually, I like Judith--and am fascinated with Eckbert--does he really love her, because it appears he does. It's not a believable story line with her touching scriptures only meant for monks, but hey--it's ok.  I like Wessex a hell of a lot better than Frankia,

 

I've liked Judith from the get go and still do.  I think she is this season's version of Athelstan with the more advanced for her age pov.  I think Ecbert does love her for real ... as much as Ecbert is able to love.  She is his female Athelstan (the only other person he seemed to ever love) who gave him Alfred who is a combination of the two people he loved and his hope for the future. 

 

Would he throw her under the bus for power?  Sure.  We just saw him throw God under the bus for same in this episode.  But he probably doesn't want to have to do that with her.  Wessex is getting very very interesting.  Love that whole story line big time.

[gwhh]

So WHO is the father of Lagertha baby? 

 

I doubt it was the husband to be she just knifed at the alter.

 

Love how all the shield maiden come around her after she made the announcement.  Take about the woman getting together to show the men who boss! 

Edited March 23, 2016 by gwhh

[hincandenza]

I'm sick of Ragnar's drug trips.   Judging by this episode, it's only a matter of time until the other Vikings journey upriver to find him strung out in the critter cabin whispering, "The Horik, the Horik." 

 

LOL!  My only response to that comment. :)

 

I kind of agree with the thread; I think what's hurting this season is I haven't figured out the overall context.  We have some villains/potential villains, some machinations and subterfuge... but no overarching context into which these actions would all be set.  In season one, it was Ragnar's ascension and glory in pillaging England; in season 2, defending his new role and becoming a true king; in season 3, the Paris adventures.  In each case, all the subplots and character development took place against an overarching backdrop... but I don't know what that backdrop is this year, even though we're 5 episodes in.

 

For example, if Ragnar is once again playing the long con with his mid-life crisis/out-of-touch leader schtick (although at this point, I'd think that the typical Johann Q. Viking-on-the-street would be a pretty unabashedly huge fan of Ragnar even with all his weird and mysterious quirks; the guy has turned a small village into a fairly rich and powerful area, with numerous highly successful raids), it means nothing if we don't even have a clear indication of what he might be long-conning against.  Obviously Finehair, Aslaug, and the Chinese ex-slave are going to be- together or separately- gunning for the "old man", but we don't even have a hint of their general plan.  Compare to Horik, and how while we didn't understood until season's end how Ragnar had been playing the fool on purpose- with the help of his loyal double agents- we at least knew there was conspiracy afoot, and challenges to his kingdom.

 

I know we're getting a double-sized season this year (with the split 10/10 episode count), but we're halfway through the first half and I still don't know what the basic back-of-the-napkin plot of season 4 is.  I still enjoy watching, the acting is usually great, the scenery beautiful, the settings/costumes fantastic, but it'd be nice if we gelled up quickly into some kind of coherent larger story arc into which these individual character arcs have a place to fit, and thus become more interesting.  To put it another way, toast might just be a glorified delivery system for butter, but you aren't going to enjoy eating just butter by itself. Well, unless you're Homer Simpson.

[Babalooie]

GWHH,  If you believe the prophecy of the Seer, NO ONE is the father of Lagertha's baby because he told her that she would no longer be able to bear children.  If that is true, then the news was just a fake-out.  Maybe she wanted Kalf to die a happy stabbing victim.

[whoknowswho]

GWHH,  If you believe the prophecy of the Seer, NO ONE is the father of Lagertha's baby because he told her that she would no longer be able to bear children.  If that is true, then the news was just a fake-out.  Maybe she wanted Kalf to die a happy stabbing victim.

Yeah--I don't believe she's pregnant, I think that was a total fake-out. She had that bad miscarriage and back then, that probably was a bigger deal than now.

She's had another husband, and Kalf, and Bjorn has grown up since then, so it's the passage of quite a few years-- she has to be in her late 30s  or somewhere in her 40s, not such a big deal now but likely a big deal back then.

Pure speculation on my part, but I believe the Seer is usually right in his visions.

[jnymph]

I think (hope) we can safely assume that Lagertha is not pregnant.

 

Another somewhat superficial gripe about this episode.  I really hate when they put modern make-up on Katheryn Winnick.   It takes me out of the moment.   Besides, she looks drop dead gorgeous without it.   

 

I want shield maidens to surround me and chant their support at my current job.  :\

[NorthstarATL]

I think (hope) we can safely assume that Lagertha is not pregnant.

 

Another somewhat superficial gripe about this episode.  I really hate when they put modern make-up on Katheryn Winnick.   It takes me out of the moment.   Besides, she looks drop dead gorgeous without it.   

 

I want shield maidens to surround me and chant their support at my current job.  :\

I concur. They should totally stick with the period-accurate make-up they use on Floki.

The last bit with Lagertha was almost worth slogging through the acid trip that was the rest of the episode.

[TobinAlbers]

Maybe I missed it, but why kill Kalf now? Did she know about his deal with Erlunder? If not, I don't get the timing unless it was just one of those 'when you least expect it' ploys. And I get forcing his hand by saying I'm pregnant, but dang I felt for Kalf. He thought he had achieved it all only to have it pulled out from under him. Not that she didn't warn him.

Bjorn was so channeling his papa with his mannerisms during the talk with King Finehair and I'm loving it. He walks with a swagger that is earned and he wears it well. Did have to snicker at Ragnar all sulky and critical with pursed lips at Bjorn for not being a good daddy.

Subtle thing in the Wessex scenes that I thought was cute was while Ecbert and Kwen were arguing after seeing Aelle off, in the background Aethelwulf was scooping both boys out of the wagon with Judith then taking them both off herself. If we hadn't seen him self-flagellation minutes earlier and her cozying up to Ecbert you could mistake them for a cute family.

I know Aethelwulf can be not so great but I don't think he deserves to see his dead momma's ring on his wife's hand knowing his daddy gave it to her as a token of his love/commitment.

[green]

I know Aethelwulf can be not so great but I don't think he deserves to see his dead momma's ring on his wife's hand knowing his daddy gave it to her as a token of his love/commitment.

 

Since Ecbert said his wife died in child birth (Athelwulf's I assume) and that he has never used her ring since I would say Athelwulf wouldn't know what the ring was.

[toolazy]

Why?

Not everyone wants to watch soft core porn. I don't equate violence with sex--they are two different things. 

Early on first season--Lagertha and Ragnar were having sex and asked Athelstan if he wanted to join in. He declined.  At that time it was very early in the show and gave you an idea how Ragnar thinks.  He's not "like us", he's a Viking. He fights and kills and thinks and loves, but I really can't see him going all "9 1/2" weeks with a Chinese Emporer's daughter slave. It didn't work, it makes him look weak, and not like a Viking.

 

Wanting to please a woman makes a man look weak?  

[whoknowswho]

Wanting to please a woman makes a man look weak?  

In this case, yeah--it does. She's nobody to him. A slave. 

[basil]

Wanting to please a woman makes a man look weak?

 

 

In this case, yeah--it does. She's nobody to him. A slave.

 

 

I don't understand your reasoning. She's still a woman. He's still a man. Pleasuring her does not make him weak or subservient to her, imo.

Edited March 28, 2016 by basil