S05.E03: Homeland

[formerlyfreedom]

Celebrations are cut short in the aftermath of the battle at York; Ragnar Lothbrok's sons are pitted against each other as tensions reach an all-time high, and each one is forced to choose a side.

[patty1h]

I wonder which son Ragnar would've sided with in regards to the Saxons -- would he want to keep fighting or be ready to make peace and take the land that was promised?

[peridot]

This episode moved things along a bit.

• Hvitserk seems to be a follower, but we still have no idea what motivates him.  I liked seeing him check on Ubbe after he was hit in the face with the knife, but nothing explains how he goes from one vastly different option to the other.
• Ubbe is ridiculously naive.  I just felt sorry for him this episode.  It was interesting to find out that the bishop knew their language.
• Nothing positive to say about Ivar.  I wasn't sure what the scene with the slave girl was about.  She had a surprisingly nice ass, though!

I forgot Astrid had that neck tattoo, she looked beautiful in the dress Finehair provided.  I guess he magically knew her size.
I'm surprised that he takes her brush offs so lightly and can joke with his "kingdom" about it.

Floki's hallucinations freaked me out.  The lady with the bees coming out of her mouth made me jump.

I just want to see the adventures of Bjorn! I liked seeing more of the background for Finehair's brother, but I forgot Ragnar's interpreter friend was still with the Vikings.

[UNOSEZ]

Slave girl did have a nice bum... Still can't stand ivar.. Hes like 90 percent horrible aspects of his parents abd 10 percent good qualities... If only ubbe and Alfred coulda talked alone... However many ppl are gonna die in upcoming episodes would all get to live... Looking fwd to bjorn in africa

[magdalene]

Ivar always winning like a sort of evil Mary Sue is already becoming tiresome to me.

Unfortunately, the people I want to root for are not being very competent right now.

Yes, if only Alfred and Ubbe could have dealt one on one with each other.

[LittleIggy]

Hvitserk looks younger than Ivar. He looks like a redneck teen trying to grow his first mustache.

 I wish one of those Saxons had shot an arrow into Ivar while he was screaming like a lunatic. 

Stupid Saxons should have known they were walking into a trap (which was pretty awesome).

What was the point of the slave girl scene (besides the gratuitous butt shot)? That Ivar is susceptible to flattery?

Edited December 7, 2017 by LittleIggy

[green]

2 hours ago, patty1h said:

I wonder which son Ragnar would've sided with in regards to the Saxons -- would he want to keep fighting or be ready to make peace and take the land that was promised?

Ubbe is obviously speaking for Ragnar beyond the grave.  Just Ragnar would have been wiser in trusting the Saxons because he had already been played by them once regards farmland.  So maybe Ubbe will learn the second time around.  But since Season 1 Ragnar has always wanted to find good farm land for his people and a new home for them to settle down in.  His fighting was more Bjorn's style.  Out to explore the world raiding; not sadistic stuff for the sake of being a death mongering little twit like Ivar.

[magdalene]

Ubbe was just a bit ahead of the times and somewhat naive, yes, by seeking to make peace so soon.   But it comforts me to know that the future does not really lie with that sadistic prick Ivar,  or with his Saxon counterpart,  that arrogant and pious ass Heahmund.  That kind of cruelty and arrogance is very flashy but it isn't  sustainable in the long run or leads to any permanence.   The future is  with the likes of Alfred and Ubbe.

Something odd happened to me  this episode - I almost liked King Harald.  I found his scenes very watchable and compelling.  Now that the actor is given some interesting material and  is no longer stuck in being an example of the the most rapey and nasty kind of Viking to make Ragnar  look especially good in comparison, I can see that this actor is talented and has a genuine presence. And his story line is performing the miracle of making Astrid almost bearable.

[benteen]

What the **** was Ubbe thinking?  Granted, I think making peace with the Saxons is a good idea but the way he went about it?  Saying stuff like "we don't want to fight anymore" made him sound weak.  Maybe something was lost in translation but I don't think that it was.  He needed more of a show of force for that kind of negotiating and he deserved all the scorn that Ivar gave him.

I admit, I've really been liking Harald a lot this season.  I couldn't stand the character prior but they seem to write him with a lot more humor now.  Like I said last week, he lost a queen with Lagertha but gained a hairdresser with Astrid.  Astrid does instead seem to be bearable with him.

Good episode with great battle scenes.  Last week was a better episode though.

Edited December 7, 2017 by benteen

[Evagirl]

I think I would enjoy the show more if they would just get rid of everybody who was closely associated with Ragnar - Lagather, Floki, Halfdan, etc.  Just move forward with the sons of Ragnar period.  Looking at the folks from the first two shows make me so aware that Ragnar is NOT there.

It looks like they may be trying to start a romance between Lagather and Ubbe.  Come on people, she killed his mother for crying out loud!!  And she has to be a witch because she hasn't aged a day in 20 years - ha!

[Ohwell]

10 hours ago, magdalene said:

Something odd happened to me  this episode - I almost liked King Harald.  I found his scenes very watchable and compelling.  Now that the actor is given some interesting material and  is no longer stuck in being an example of the the most rapey and nasty kind of Viking to make Ragnar  look especially good in comparison, I can see that this actor is talented and has a genuine presence. And his story line is performing the miracle of making Astrid almost bearable.

Yes, I couldn't believe that in this episode I actually found him kind of.....charming?  (I have the urge to throw up in my mouth a little just typing this.)  

Actually, now that I think about it, Harald and Astrid remind me of Rollo and Princess Mushmouth, in that the women initially hated the men because they were crude and brutish.  So I wonder if Astrid will thaw out like Princess Mushmouth did later on.   

Edited December 7, 2017 by Ohwell

[NutmegsDad]

11 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

 I wish one of those Saxons had shot an arrow into Ivar while he was screaming like a lunatic. 

I was waiting for a cameo from The Walking Dead. Or the 16-ton weight from Monty Python.

[nowornever]

I'm struggling with telling Judith's sons apart- which one got shot in the shoulder?  Was it Alfred or "the other guy?"  As much as I want to see Aethelwulf continue to redeem himself, for him not to see that trap was stunningly dumb.  

Alex Hogh Andersen is amazing as Ivar.  The character is terrifying and charismatic, but we now know his weakness is flattery.  The walking bit seems inconsistent, and bugs me.  How was he standing after being shot in the leg? The braces seem to suggest that he has at least some motion/feeling in his hips, and at one point, he was able to sit on the edge of a table with one leg on the floor (knee bent) and one on the table straight out in front of him. It seems like there's more than just balancing on the braces going on there.  In the last episode, when he put them on for the first time, the soles of his boots looked a little worn, but the tops were unscuffed.  I'm probably putting too much thought into this.  

Other than the fear of being seen as weak, I can't see why the majority of the vikings would hitch themselves to his wagon.  We need Bjorn back before the brothers meet again.  Although Ubbe is a good fighter, he can't stand up to Ivar alone. 

The other thing that struck me was the blue eyes when Ubbe and Ivar were staring each other down.  Same intensity as Ragnar, and I appreciate that little reminder of him. 

I also found King Harald, and to a certain extent Astrid, "almost bearable" this time around.  I honestly don't know if he's afraid of her or if he's trying to win her over, but the fact that he didn't strike back when she punched him was surprising. Her voice is the strangest thing, though.  It reminds me of a badly-dubbed version of some movie, but damned if I can remember which one.  

[BitterApple]

It was the other son who got shot with the arrow. I think Alfred made it through the battle uninjured. It's interesting to see the parallels forming where Ubbe/Alfred are thinkers who can see the big picture while Ivar/Heahmund believe in fighting it out til it's last man standing. I think Ragnar would've been the happy medium between both philosophies.

I can't get into Harald/Astrid even though I like the actor portraying Finehair. For some reason Astrid just doesn't do it for me. 

I was a little surprised when Hvitserk ditched Ubbe so he could be the Gretchen Weiner to Ivar's Regina George. I have a feeling he'll regret that decision at some point in the future.

Overall, good episode.

[green]

4 hours ago, nowornever said:

I'm struggling with telling Judith's sons apart- which one got shot in the shoulder?  Was it Alfred or "the other guy?"

Like BitterApple said it was "the other guy" hah.  Alfred has long, straight hair and "the other guy" has short hair.  I'm gonna have to go out and look up "the other guy's" name I think after this though that name is perfect for him.  The Hvitserk of the Saxons with nothing to say.

Edited to add:  Okay I looked it up.  I thought he was another Aethel-guy and he is.  His name is Aethelred.

3 hours ago, BitterApple said:

It was the other son who got shot with the arrow. I think Alfred made it through the battle uninjured. It's interesting to see the parallels forming where Ubbe/Alfred are thinkers who can see the big picture while Ivar/Heahmund believe in fighting it out til it's last man standing. I think Ragnar would've been the happy medium between both philosophies.

I can't get into Harald/Astrid even though I like the actor portraying Finehair. For some reason Astrid just doesn't do it for me. 

I was a little surprised when Hvitserk ditched Ubbe so he could be the Gretchen Weiner to Ivar's Regina George. I have a feeling he'll regret that decision at some point in the future.

Overall, good episode.

I think Hvitserk ditched Ubbe because Michael Hirst wanted someone we know to be around Ivar so Ivar doesn't have to do soliloquies or have to introduce a new warrior confident.  Hirst has paired all the known-to-us Vikings up to have someone to talk to this season if you think about it.  Not just Ivar and Hvitserk.

Looks like Ubbe will have Lagertha to talk to soon.  Halfdan was peeled off from his bro, Harold, to go with Bjourn for the same reason.  So Astrid is with Harold to provide a means of conversation for him now.  So all the main Vikings have "talking partners" that we already know well.  Some don't make a lot of sense other than for dramatic construction -- Hvitserk here and especially Halfdan and Bjorn -- but drama is half of the genre of "historical drama" I guess.  (Personally I would have put Hvitserk with Bjorn and Halfdan with Ivar but I guess for drama having all three of Aslaug's brood in civil war mode makes better dramatic sense).

I'm still not into Harold & Astrid because Astrid, like the woman Rollo married and to who she was compared to above rightly, looks way to modern.  Astrid looks like she is off of some fashion runway for stylish 20th century barbarians and that new dress just reinforced the look.  I think even Siggy was far more real period than ever she is.  Aslaug never looked like she belonged in the 800's either.

OT:  I just posted in Vikings in the Media thread that Vikings has been renewed for 20 more episodes for next year.  Also includes a link to a major new character so is a bit of a spoiler as a result.  Following the link that is.  Just putting this notice here because I know a lot of people just go to episode threads at this site and wanted people to know that next year will bring us Season 6.

Edited December 7, 2017 by green

[Babalooie]

7 hours ago, nowornever said:

Same intensity as Ragnar, and I appreciate that little reminder of him. 

To me, there are many reminders of Ragnar in all the sons.  The facial tics and tilting of heads while sneering, etc.  Either the actors had a facial tics boot camp with Travis Fimmel, or they watched lots of  clips of Ragnar at his finest.  I would wish for the first option.

[Son of the Norse]

SotN's "Homeland" thoughts:

The King, the Bishop, the Blessed Son, and the Mute:  Starting off with the new king and the over-eager christian twit, the beloved bastard, and the "other guy"...I just call him the Mute.  You could tell right away that the bishop was going to fall (or have half the troops fall), into a trap set by Ivar.  The bishop reminds me of the other new show on history about the grail hunters; mostly due to the red cross on his shield.  He is just as fanatic about the christ-god as all of those fellows were; maybe he is a precursor?  When it showed both the king and others walking on the dead and suffering soldiers in his command who were embeded on the punji sticks it seemed a little cruel, but it was the fastest route I guess. LOL The Mute, or old what's his name (Aethelred), is a pathetic character now, that the writer obviously couldn't wait to place an arrow in.  The burning smoke to blind them should of showed them that it was a trap...but alas, some people are not very smart.

 

Bjorn & Fairhair Beiber wanna be Brother:  Again we are subjected to a Bjorn reduction diet that saddens me.  Good news, I do like what Beiber Bro had to say about the difference between him and his bro.  I like the fact that he is not tied up in seeking greater and greater glory like so many men of his time.  He just wants to travel, and go viking...my kind of guy.  The not so afemanent anymore world traveler made a good point about disguising Bjorn's intentions, and just be a trader, not a raider made good sense.

 

Hvitserk the kick ass and the battle:  I was shocked!  That kid could sling a blade; I was surprised how accomplished he seemed with so little real world experience; of course it was just saxon's he was fighting, but none  the less impressive.  The battle over all was brief, but very well done.  When Ivar finally mounted "his stead" it was pretty cool looking; I did laugh my ass off though when the first guy he saw knocked him on his ass!  Looking shocked and helpless, the over confident saxon went in for the kill, only to get an ax to the face...again, and again, and again...Ivar's bloody face and screams at the hoard of saxons gathered around him was freaking awesome!  Even though he is obviously crippled, you could tell they were almost paralyzed with fear.  More on Crazy Ivar later. The twit bishop showed he is just as adept at slaying men as he is at slaying lonely widow's loins; and even Alfred the religious icon didn't do half bad in the battle.

 

Floki and the land of the Gods:  I love that Floki still thinks he is in Asgard.  Just paid attention for the first time to his tattoos...love the Thor Rune on his head.  Sulfur healed his wound (known as a healing agent), but I am sure he believes the All father healed him.  Cannot wait for more Floki in Iceland...have to ask again; spin-off please! :)

 

Finehair and Skankhair sittin' in a tree..:  From the Chum on the docks, to skankhair's reaction, I loved Fine's kingdom.  He related well with his people, and appeared a more likeable ruler than most we have seen in this show.  He did his best to spruce up ol' skankhair's appearance with a pretty dress; but only a thick set of viking beer goggles made him want "that thang"! LOL  She sat on the throne and gave a phony smile easy enough; but when it came time to feed the bear, she struck back like the Largertha wanna be she is.  I loved FH's reaction; "No luck with woman"!  More Finehair, less Skankhair please!  I can see why the ladies are warming up to that dirty stud king!  You go gals, love who you want! LOL

 

Ubbe the farm boy:  Too much old MacDonald, too much queen ginger mommy, to much eeeuuuwwww.  Viking up son!!!!  Go back to "K", try to make out with your step mommy (aka; step-mom helps son sharpen his axe, aka; www.YouViking.com), and just man up or get gone!

 

Floki Part II: Love the bee chick, love the Valkyrie waiting to carry him away on her white pegasus!  Loving it MH; keep writing more like this for our favorite "true heathen" believer!

 

Ivar the Boneless (no more)?:  Well we all saw the slave gals bedonkadonk (and found it not wanting), rather we wanted to or not.  Slavegirl; "I will do anything".  Ivar; "Take off your cloths"!  Many on this forum have already been mislead to believe the boneless one is easily swayed by praise and flattery.  I disagree.  When she kissed him, and grabbed/grouped his 'crippled' nether regions, I am sure (even if just a little bit), that Ivar was stirred!  Even if just a little bit; you could tell by the shock in his eyes, and the expression on his face that he felt a "Twinge" down below.  That is what gave him the confidence that we saw in battle, that is what makes him the bad ass that he was during this show.  It proved to himself that he truly is a "man"; not just a "Kray-seeee" cripple like snake face used to say (RIP) LOL.  He didn't want to test it further, in case his manhood wasn't up to it full duties and that is why he set her free.  Not just to show his power, but as a thank you for awaking the warrior, and even more, the man in him.  BTW; did anyone else notice that the beginning credits of the show have changed?  You can clearly see outlines of Ragnar, Lagertha, and Ivar now during the song (the 3 most beloved viking characters)...Take that Ivar-haters! LOL

 

Till next time:

More:

Ivar being Ivar

Floki being Floki

More Bjorn and Beiber

More Alfred being the true ruler (not step dad)

Less:

Skankhair

Ubbe/ginger mommy's boy

Commercials always!

 

SotN Out! :)

[thuganomics85]

Oh, Ubbe!  I get what he was going for and I respect him trying to find away to avoid bloodshed, but he really did do it in such a way that it made him look weak, and I'm not surprised that not only did Aethelwulf barely suppress snickering at him, but Heahmund would have no issues smacking him around and making him look like a laughing stock.  In a lot of ways, Ubbe thinks like his father did, but I think the difference is that Ragnar would have approached it in a way where he still would have came out looking strong and made his opponents think that their only option was to deal with him.

Since I still find Hvitserk to be an enigma, I wasn't too surprised that he ended up siding with Ivar in the last minute.  I kind of had the sense he wasn't fully down with Ubbe's ideas, and he strikes me more as a follower who goes with whoever is sitting pretty, and right now that is clearly Ivar.

As usual, the show pulls off another excellent battle scene.  Pretty much cringing during the times the Saxons feel on the spike pits, and the rest just used them as bridges... a lot times, with them still alive!

What is going on with Floki?  He's either hallucinating or really is seeing the gods now.

Harald is kind of getting interesting now.  I think the storyline is letting the actor shine more then he has in the past.

Bjorn and Halfdan are still on the ocean, I see!

Looks like the History Channel is getting a bit more lax with the nudity, because they cut all of it out in the past seasons, but apparently were cool with showing off the slave girl's butt this go around.  Times are changing!  Although, it sadly looks like History is also taking a page out of AMC's playbook where they are airing next week's previews in the middle of their new show, in a desperate attempt to "force" people to watch their shiny new toy.  Nine times out of ten, it never works.

[Ravenya003]

On 07/12/2017 at 6:01 PM, magdalene said:

Ivar always winning like a sort of evil Mary Sue is already becoming tiresome to me.

There's actually a term for this: Villain Sue as they call it on TV Tropes. See also: Ramsay Bolton (at least till the Battle of the Bastards).

Plenty of interesting stuff here, mostly to be found in setting up foils between characters. Ubbe and Ivar are the obvious ones, but also Ivar and ... er... Jonathan Rhys Meyers's character. Both are fanatical in their own way, and they both got an eyeful of each other's prowess on the battlefield. Speaking of which, Ivar holding the Saxons at bay with just his maniacal screaming was quite the scene, and not one that was lost on Ubbe. 

Interesting that Ubbe and Ivar are each one-half of their father: Ubbe has his curiosity and diplomacy but not his charisma and long-term planning; Ivar has his cunning and violence, but not his respect for others and ability to command loyalty (as opposed to just fear).

It can't have been a coincidence that Ubbe was given the "one-eyed Odin" symbolism with his closed black eye. Hmm, where have we seen that before? 

Not sure what the deal with the slave girl was, or why Ivar seemed so struck by what she told him. He's been fed the whole "you're special because you're a cripple" spiel practically from birth.

The aging (or lack thereof) on Judith is officially ridiculous. Her sons look older than she does! They couldn't have given her a few streaks of grey hair even if they couldn't bear to age her face? Also, they're going to have to do something drastic to characterize Athelred and Alfred - and quickly. I can't tell them apart, and I don't know the first thing about either of them. (Save that Athelred has visions, apparently?)

Jonathan Rhys Meyers is mercifully keeping his performance under control (just). I don't think I could endure another moment of his scenery-devouring take on Henry Eighth. 

[Captanne]

1.  Aethelred will go on to be named Aethelred "The Unready" if history plays out truthfully.

2.  Although I do not want a Floki spinoff (it's okay, I wouldn't have to watch it anyway), I think his part in the series this time around has been amazing.  Phenomenal.  However, that said, I was like, "Oh.  Okay.  He's finally dead.  Cool.  Can't happen fast enough for me and this is a nice way." and......then he revives.  Oh poot.

3.  I like the actor's choice for Ubbe to have his father's physical tics.  He overdoes it a bit, but that's okay.

4.  I love Ivar as much as I hate him.  I think that's a credit mainly to the ACTOR and also to the writers.  He's clearly a Villain Sue.  (The gods intervened or he would have been dead in the mud by the cart.  Should have been, honestly.)  I did not get the idea that he felt anything below the belt with Sunshine Roses Maiden (tm, me) but that she quoted his father back to him about his specialness.  His deformity (impotence and all) is what makes him strong.

5.  HOWEVER, I seriously felt like I had turned on the wrong show and had entered a 15 year old boy's wet dream during that scene.  Talk about pandering to your base.  Wow.  "Here, little hormonal virgin nerd boys in the audience:  have a naked maiden sit on your lap, fondle your balls, and whisper that you're 'special'  and 'different from all the rest of the boooyzzz' whisper, whisper, buzz, buzz."

6.  Seriously.  That was vomit-inducing.  BUT, it started Ivar on his way through the episode's plot line so it's all good.

Edited December 8, 2017 by Captanne

[MaggieG]

6 hours ago, Ravenya003 said:

Plenty of interesting stuff here, mostly to be found in setting up foils between characters. Ubbe and Ivar are the obvious ones, but also Ivar and ... er... Jonathan Rhys Meyers's character. Both are fanatical in their own way, and they both got an eyeful of each other's prowess on the battlefield. Speaking of which, Ivar holding the Saxons at bay with just his maniacal screaming was quite the scene, and not one that was lost on Ubbe. 

 

I wonder how many times the actor had to do those scenes. He must have had quite the headache afterwards.

I might be the only one who doesn't care about Floki's storyline. I'm bored whenever he comes on screen and I'm really only watching for the Iceland shots. They are magnificint.

[BitterApple]

40 minutes ago, MaggieG said:

 

I might be the only one who doesn't care about Floki's storyline. I'm bored whenever he comes on screen and I'm really only watching for the Iceland shots. They are magnificint.

I agree, the scenery is beautiful, but Floki as a one-man show isn't particularly interesting. I'm wondering if he didn't actually die in that one scene and when he woke up two seconds later with his hand healed he was really in Asguard. I'm trying to picture what the end game would be for him otherwise. 

[Captanne]

I was disappointed he woke up, honestly.

[MaggieG]

1 hour ago, BitterApple said:

I agree, the scenery is beautiful, but Floki as a one-man show isn't particularly interesting. I'm wondering if he didn't actually die in that one scene and when he woke up two seconds later with his hand healed he was really in Asguard. I'm trying to picture what the end game would be for him otherwise. 

Spoiler tag just in case:

Spoiler

In the preview for the season we do see him interacting with people. I assume he is still in Iceland. I truly don't know what his endgame would be either

[wlk68]

Aethelstan, Aethelwulf, Aethelred ... Aethel sure was popular back in the day.

 

Out of curiosity I googled Aethel: It's of Anglo-Saxon origin and means "noble". 

[Captanne]

Although that wiki site I quoted above (bio of Aethelred the Unready) says that it means "well advised" and that calling him "the Unready" is not literal in today's English but was a play on the meaning of his name because he was, in fact, poorly advised.

[benteen]

It's too early for Ivar to fall into the Villain Sue category (SUPER RAMSAY from GOT was the ultimate example).  I mean, Ragnar was a GREAT character but he seemed more like a Mary Sue/Gary Stu at times as Hirst didn't have him lose except if someone screwed it up from him.  Remember the disastrous loss in France that badly injured Ragnar?  A setback for Ragnar...NOPE.  It was apparently ALL a plan of Ragnar to lose that badly so he could eventually win...that was a ridiculous moment.

[Captanne]

Oh yeah -- the France SuperRagnar was kind of funny.

This show has had its hits and misses.  In the Villainy category, I think Floki's method of murder for Athelstan still takes the cake.  Shape-shifting Viking-Wolf Religious-Truther Representing The Olde Ways Hacks to Death Man Alone, on his Knees, in his Underwear, Praying Silently to his God of Peace.   That didn't do anyone any favours.

[green]

10 hours ago, Ravenya003 said:

... also Ivar and ... er... Jonathan Rhys Meyers's character. Both are fanatical in their own way ...

 

they are set up the same way Floki and Aethelwolf were in Season 2.  the two old school, religious fanatics of their culture with Ragnar and Aethelstan and Ecbert to a degree as the Ubbe and Alfred of this season.  And also to a degree, Aethelwolf who seems to have grown out of his fanatical stage and become more tolerant.

When cultures meet there is always the "I hate the 'other'" group.  The people who get beyond this are the ones who are in tune with the march of history.  The intolerant are left in the history's dust in the end though they certainly can cause suffering and misery to to lots of people short term.  But in the end history is a harsh mistress to those types and they all fail eventually.  After all the majority of the human race is basically sane and wants to make love, not war.

5 hours ago, Captanne said:

1.  Aethelred will go on to be named Aethelred "The Unready" if history plays out truthfully

 

Actually there were a number of Aethelreds so I don't think he was the one above who lived later down ye olde time stream.  Yeah the basic translation of Aethel is noble thus all the Aethelreds in the ruling families. 

The male form never really made it into modern times but the female form -- Ethel -- is still around and is still defined as meaning "noble" in baby name books to this day.  There was a vow change to a short E sound as opposed to the longish A sound (sometimes on this show it is a shorter A and sometimes a longer A) thus the change in spelling but otherwise this old Saxon name has survived in tact via "Ethel" for centuries now.

[Captanne]

Isn't he right on the timeline, though?  (To be fair, I think the lineage is different.  I noticed that in the wiki page when I looked at it.)

[green]

1 hour ago, Captanne said:

Isn't he right on the timeline, though?  (To be fair, I think the lineage is different.  I noticed that in the wiki page when I looked at it.)

Well actually you got me.  They skipped a handful of Aethel-whatevers and others already to keep Ecbert around longer and because those guys tended to only last a few years each and no sense in introducing tons of boring non crucial and short-lived rulers during a relative lull in the warfare going on between Vikings and Saxons.  Historical drama vs documentary.  So you may well be right.  I was thinking Aethelred the Unready was after Alfred but that was off the top of my head and there isn't much on the top of it at times, heh.

[Son of the Norse]

Speaking on the comments regarding Floki that CP's have made above.

Some great points.  I have not thought that he may "actually" be dead!  Personally, I don't think so, because I know the healing power of sulfur is a real thing.  But it would be cool if he were actually in Asgard; but I don't think that will come to pass.  One of the previews I believe showed him talking to other people in the future in Iceland...maybe we will find out soon.  Also, I am Re-thinking the "spinoff" comment I made earlier; now that I think about it, I am not a huge Floki fan either (even though I do appreciate his Heathen stead-fast beliefs), I too am more excited about the beautiful shots of Iceland! 

Can't wait for the next show...hopefully it picks up more steam!

Edited December 9, 2017 by Son of the Norse

[Haleth]

On December 8, 2017 at 10:12 AM, Captanne said:

1.  Aethelred will go on to be named Aethelred "The Unready" if history plays out truthfully.

Aethelred the Unready lived later and was married to (wait for it)... a descendant of Rollo, Emma of Normandy.

 

On December 8, 2017 at 2:09 PM, wlk68 said:

Aethelstan, Aethelwulf, Aethelred ... Aethel sure was popular back in the day.

 

Out of curiosity I googled Aethel: It's of Anglo-Saxon origin and means "noble". 

Yes, Alfred was really Aethelfred.

Why didn't anyone kill Ivar when they had the chance?  Ugh, he's laying there helpless, surrounded by Saxons, and no one thought to put on arrow through his psycho skull?

[Ohwell]

10 minutes ago, Haleth said:

Why didn't anyone kill Ivar when they had the chance?  Ugh, he's laying there helpless, surrounded by Saxons, and no one thought to put on arrow through his psycho skull?

The only thing I could think of is that the Saxons thought he was a demon of some sort and because of that, they were terrified, yet mesmerized, by him.   But yeah, I wish someone had just put an arrow through his skull.

[Stratego]

2 hours ago, Haleth said:

Aethelred the Unready lived later and was married to (wait for it)... a descendant of Rollo, Emma of Normandy.

 

Yes, Alfred was really Aethelfred.

Why didn't anyone kill Ivar when they had the chance?  Ugh, he's laying there helpless, surrounded by Saxons, and no one thought to put on arrow through his psycho skull?

To paraphrase:  "It wasn't in the script."

[Haleth]

8 hours ago, Stratego said:

To paraphrase:  "It wasn't in the script."

Ha!  True and history and all, but that didn't stop me from yelling at the tv.

[raven]

Have no interest in the Harald and Astrid rom-com and it still defies belief that Lagertha didn't kill him.

Ivar is fearless and Ubbe showed fear by sneaking out.  That is why the men follow Ivar and not Ubbe.  If Ubbe wants to lead, he cannot back down to Ivar, not in conversation, not in anything.  He cannot think of him as his little brother anymore.  He should have basically told Ivar to F off and that he was going to get the land they were promised.  Plus the conversation about what to do next should not have happened in front of the men.

Ragnar could use physical force or the force of his personality and brains.  Ubbe is obviously a good fighter and not a coward but he lacks the forcefulness of Ragnar; replace Ubbe with Ragnar in the scene with Heahmund and Aethelwulf and you have a much different outcome.  Ivar has the force but not the vision; he cares only about the now and not the future.  Ubbe was also thinking in the now and not planning ahead in case his offer was rejected.  

Alfred has no personality and Judith continues to annoy.  

On 12/7/2017 at 11:33 AM, nowornever said:

The walking bit seems inconsistent, and bugs me. 

I wondered about this as well and thought maybe some of the leg movements were slip ups on AHA's part; he obviously bends his knees when he rolls over to smash the guy in the face, IIRC. 

[nodorothyparker]

Starting the season late.  I'm not sure I'm loving everything they're doing or that I'm not still sorely missing Ragnar's presence but I'm definitely interested in seeing where they're going with some of this.

Count me among those who's fascinated with seeing how the sons each seems to have gotten some piece of Ragnar but none are fully the sum of his parts.   Bjorn is the restless voyager but lacks the finesse.  Ivar is the ruthless tactician but doesn't have the vision yet to do anything larger with it than kill kill kill.  Ubbe has the more conciliatory nature with an eye on the larger picture, although I can't quite decide yet if he truly wants to carve out farmland because it's own vision or because he knows that's what Ragnar was after in the longterm and believes that must be the correct answer.  Hvitserk is harder to read but he gets Ragnar's insane fighting abilities (that actor can seriously wield a blade) and tendency to constantly be evaluating and shifting alliances.  We've seen him time and time again go along with whichever brother is offering something that benefits him. 

Ubbe may have had the right general idea in wanting to press their land claim and end the endless fighting, but Heahmund correctly immediately called it that his offer didn't make sense in that it wasn't coming from a place of strength.  Ubbe wasn't showing up at their gates with an overwhelming force to dictate anything and Heahmund had already sized up that Ivar as insane as he may appear is clearly the driving force of the Great Heathen Army.  Ubbe doesn't have the forceful personality of Ragnar, Ivar, or even Bjorn to try to negotiate anything.  This outing also reminded me of the scenes from last season after Lagertha killed Aslaug where Ubbe made what felt like an obligatory challenge to what she'd done, immediately got his ass thoroughly kicked, and then basically sat around in his room and sulked until Ivar returned from England and demanded to know why he was sitting around, what had he done about it.  The bulk of the army and eventually Hvitserk choosing to back Ivar felt like they were all recognizing this too, that while they may like Ubbe well enough and respect his fighting ability, he's not leadership material.

I continue to be deeply impressed by Alex Hogh in this role.  I don't have to love Ivar or approve of everything he does as he is one of Europe's greatest villains to appreciate that in such a short time he's created such a fearsome terrifying reputation that he could cow an army from daring to move on him or shoot him when by all rights he should have been dead just by screaming and laughing at them.  My verdict is still out on Johnathan Rhys Meyers in his role.  I've had mixed opinions on him in other roles but there's something about him and his terribly modern haircut that still feels off for me in this one.

[Captanne]

I completely agree about being impressed with Alex Hogh.  He's amazing even though the Ivar character is an odd one.

[tennisgurl]

Ivar looked like a freaking Sith Lord in the last scene, with his evil smirk and black hood. He is a scary, creepy bastard, but I find him infinitely interesting. Alex Hogh is just amazing to watch. 

Ubbe was rather naive running off to get peace so quickly, and showing fear in front of his men. I do appreciate that he clearly is more Ragnar in that he isn't cruel, and prefers to help his people create a society and move past just relying on raids. If he grows as a strategist and more learns when to be nice and when to bring the ax down, I think he could be a good leader. He really does look just like a young Ragnar, although Ivar is the kid that got his super blue, intense eyes. Well, as did Bjorn. Speaking of, I want more of Bjorns adventures ASAP. Wonder what he`ll say when he sees what his brothers have gotten up to?

King Harold was actually kind of likable this time. He was clearly in his element with his people, and I could actually see a charismatic leader there, instead of just a creepy asshole. Of course, thats Vikings for you. The characters frequently jump for horrifying me to charming me depending on the episode. 

[Lugal]

On 12/8/2017 at 0:13 PM, Captanne said:

Although that wiki site I quoted above (bio of Aethelred the Unready) says that it means "well advised" and that calling him "the Unready" is not literal in today's English but was a play on the meaning of his name because he was, in fact, poorly advised.

yup, æthalræd means "noble council" and unræd a pun on his name meaning "badly advised".

On 12/9/2017 at 6:29 PM, Haleth said:

Yes, Alfred was really Aethelfred.

Actually it came from ælfræd meaning "elf council"