S05:E11 The Revelation

[nodorothyparker]

Airdate 2018.11.28

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Duke Rollo arrives, causing further upheaval in a Kattegat still reeling from Ivar the Boneless becoming its king. Floki battles the elements in Iceland and his own settlers' desire for revenge to forge a colony.

Edit: Episodes were misnumbered/misnamed in program guide.

[Ohwell]

I can't wait!

[Babalooie]

It certainly seems as if they are minimalizing and phasing out Floki.  Hmmmm.

[peridot]

This was the first time that I watched an episode, and wasn't engaged with any of the characters.  The actors seem to have lost the grounded feeling of the characters. 
What was with Bjorn flailing all over the place?  I kept multitasking during the show.  Even the channel seems to have lost faith in the show, there were a lot of weird cuts to commercials.

I even forgot that Athelwulf died last season.  I'm not sure if I'll keep up with the show for much longer.

[LittleIggy]

Judith looks as if she is Alfred’s big sister. White hair doesn’t make Lagertha look old. Why do the men age on Vikings but not the women? 

I really miss Travis Fimmel’s Ragnar. He was the heart and soul of Vikings. Don’t get me wrong. I’m happy it’s back, but it will never be the same. I just can’t stand Ivar!

[LiveenLetLive]

36 minutes ago, LittleIggy said:

Judith looks as if she is Alfred’s big sister. White hair doesn’t make Lagertha look old. Why do the men age on Vikings but not the women? 

I really miss Travis Fimmel’s Ragnar. He was the heart and soul of Vikings. Don’t get me wrong. I’m happy it’s back, but it will never be the same. I just can’t stand Ivar!

I came here to rant about the women not being aged at ALL, the men are grizzled and look like they have been in constant battles for 20 years and the women are as dewy fresh now (gray wigs not withstanding) as they were 20 years ago (in terms of the show's timeline.) It drives me nuts, Lagertha and Torvi would both look like pieces of rawhide at this stage, LOL. Man I miss Travis he was so good as Ragnar.

[Steph J]

1 hour ago, LittleIggy said:

Judith looks as if she is Alfred’s big sister. White hair doesn’t make Lagertha look old. Why do the men age on Vikings but not the women? 

Because women have to stay "hot," otherwise what's the point of having them on screen.  It's dumb and gross.

Can someone please refresh my memory: has it always been known that Lagertha and Rollo had a thing and that Bjorn's paternity is in question? Because I'm honestly drawing a complete blank about any of that.

[magdalene]

The whole Rollo, Bjorn and Lagertha part of the story was complete nonsense.  I'll admit thinking back to the first season and the vibes between Rollo and Lagertha then that it is  possible that Rollo and Lagertha had a sexual relationship at one point that could have resulted in Bjorn. Though not that likely considering how in love Lagertha and Ragnar were.  

And quite frankly if Hirst wanted Rollo to go through a late in life crisis I would prefer the actual reality of Rollo  reverting back to his Pagan roots and sacrificing a bunch of Christians. Rather that than the ridiculousness of mooning over Lagertha and wanting to be daddy to Bjorn.

Alexander Ludwig's acting was off for me this episode.  Lagertha and Heahmund have zero chemistry.

I wish Freydis would kill Ivar but I know I wish in vain.

The part I am interested in is Alfred and his future interactions with Ubbe and the other fugitive Vikings.

[alvajon]

What do you suppose was so carefully placed in the fancy little bottle Rollo drank before he had a drink of something else, maybe wine, in a tall cup?

[benteen]

I really enjoyed the episode.  It's good to have this show  back.

I had heard the Rollo is Bjorn's father rumors earlier this year.  I don't like it either and I don't think Hirst did nearly as good a job setting that up.  He suggested that Lagertha might have been bedding both Ragnar and Rollo a long time ago, which I can buy.  But I don't like the idea of Rollo as Bjorn's father.  Thankfully, Bjorn's response to Rollo was perfect and that's what I'm going with.  His anger was Rollo was more than justified.

That being said, I though Rollo's storyline was the best thing about the episode.  The one-sided deal he's forced on Bjorn, his aging and regrets...well done.

Quote

Alexander Ludwig's acting was off for me this episode.  Lagertha and Heahmund have zero chemistry.

Yeah, I hate to say it but this was the first time I thought that Ludwig and even Winnick's acting was really bad.

I do continue to like all of these characters though and I'm glad they'll be returning to England.

The guy playing Alfred isn't bad but after watching The Last Kingdom's Alfred, it's hard to go back to something that will never be as good (I refer to their version of Alfred and his story).  The way Alfred became king on this show was idiotic.  Basically, it was because Ecbert had a raging hard on for Athelstan. 

The look of his show continues to be strong.

[Straycat80]

I’m glad this show is back. The non ageing of the women is bugging me too and couldn’t they have found a better wig for Lagertha to wear? It’s distracting, it looks like a dead animal on her head. 

I don’t like the Rollo being Bjorn’s daddy story either. And is it too much to hope for that Margarite (sic) kills Ivar?  I’m interested to see how the settlement goes with Floki and how the Vikings do in England with Alfred. 

[Babalooie]

8 hours ago, magdalene said:

Alexander Ludwig's acting was off for me this episode. 

That's because he is trying too hard to mimic all of Travis Fimmel's facial and physical expressions but not able to pull it off. Fimmel is the master of nonverbal acting, IMO.

Edited November 29, 2018 by Babalooie

[benteen]

50 minutes ago, Babalooie said:

That's because he is trying too hard to mimic all of Travis Fimmel's facial and physical expressions but not able to pull it off. Fimmel is the master of nonverbal acting, IMO.

That's because he is trying too hard to mimic all of Travis Fimmel's facial and physical expressions but not able to pull it off. Fimmel is the master of nonverbal acting, IMO.

100% THIS.  Fimmel's nonverbal acting alone should have gotten him an Emmy nomination.  He was incredible.

I'm glad they've aged up the characters but yeah, that wig on Lagertha resembled a mop.

[Ohwell]

Poor Hvitserk, he just can't seem to get over Margrethe.  As soon as she's back in good health, she's going to be dangerous.  He'll probably be her first victim. 

[mcjen]

1 hour ago, Babalooie said:

That's because he is trying too hard to mimic all of Travis Fimmel's facial and physical expressions but not able to pull it off. Fimmel is the master of nonverbal acting, IMO.

That's because he is trying too hard to mimic all of Travis Fimmel's facial and physical expressions but not able to pull it off. Fimmel is the master of nonverbal acting, IMO.

I hate saying this because I've enjoyed Alexander Ludwig in other things and even in his earlier years in Vikings.  But I find every time the camera holds on his face for any length of time, I find myself thinking it's as expressive as a big slab of beef.  And his eyes are pee-holes in the snow.  I just don't get a sense of anything going on there.  Whereas Fimmel had eyes that were constantly alert and allows indicators of thoughts and feelings.  I may not have known exactly what Ragnar was thinking, but I knew something was going on in that head.

[green]

14 hours ago, Steph J said:

Can someone please refresh my memory: has it always been known that Lagertha and Rollo had a thing and that Bjorn's paternity is in question? Because I'm honestly drawing a complete blank about any of that.

No his paternity wasn't per se.  But yeah Rollo confessed to being totally into Lagertha in season 1 which could be -- not concretely be -- seen as a hint he had been with her for awhile in the past.  And she said no going back and forget it in season 1 too.  Bjorn's answer proved whose son he is.  He looks totally like Raqnar, not Lagertha and totally NOT like Rollo.  Rollo is just living in a fantasy world if he thinks otherwise.  And yeah the overacting of Bjorn's character in the scene between the two men was to convince even the most casual of viewers that Bjorn was indeed Ragnar's son.

 

6 hours ago, Ohwell said:

Poor Hvitserk, he just can't seem to get over Margrethe.  As soon as she's back in good health, she's going to be dangerous.  He'll probably be her first victim. 

Margrethe won't get better.  She is as crazy as a loon.  And part of the reason she went crazy could well be that the four brothers "shared" her back in the day.  Hvitserk was always the one really into her though so maybe they can go off and be crazy together.

I was more into Alfred's story and can't wait until Ubbe gets more airtime.  Ubbe and Torvi together puts the two most sane and nicest of the Vikings remaining into a pleasant couples relationship.  (And I still miss Sigurd the Snake-Eyed, he seemed pretty nice for a Viking too damn it).

One thing about Alfred's story I didn't get last half-season and it wasn't clarified this episode either was why did Aethelred go along with renouncing the crown?  We see Gunter (?Gunner? spelling?, new character that gets to be a bishop for backing Judith's plan) involved.  (Bishop Gunter is now a problem already for Alfred too is seems).  But no explanation about Aethelred who obviously still wanted to be king.  Did Judith tell him about Gunter and he knew he couldn't stop Alfred or did he realize he was a better general than a statesmen for real?  He seems somewhat ticked off but still loyal so far but the lack of explanation as to why he decides to remain a prince for now and not fight for the crown isn't in the writing.

In other news I still miss Athelstan.  He was the gentle soul of the show just as Ragnar was the clever brains and strong heart.

Also this has been a very bad and slow write-out for Floki.

Edited November 29, 2018 by green

[Ohwell]

47 minutes ago, green said:

Margrethe won't get better.  She is as crazy as a loon.  And part of the reason she went crazy could well be that the four brothers "shared" her back in the day.  Hvitserk was always the one really into her though so maybe they can go off and be crazy together.

Oh, I agree she's crazy and a loon and probably won't get "better" that way.  I was just thinking that she hadn't been fed well before, and physically she'll be better.  If Hvitserk does take her away, I suppose she could recover mentally, but I don't care that much about either one of them. 

51 minutes ago, green said:

Also this has been a very bad and slow write-out for Floki.

I hope we haven't seen the last of him.  He deserves a better send off since he was a major character in past seasons. 

[Erebos]

12 hours ago, alvajon said:

What do you suppose was so carefully placed in the fancy little bottle Rollo drank before he had a drink of something else, maybe wine, in a tall cup?

I think it was some kind of medicine. I mean he's old and he's struggling to breathe. More importantly Ivar looked pretty interested in that, interested in a very dangerous way and Rollo making him angry with all those demands it wasn't a very good idea.

About Rollo being Bjorn's father it wasn't so shocking for me since Rollo and Lagertha had a discussion about this thing in the third season. What really shocked me is that Ivar is trusting Freydis and probably he's going to fall in love with her. I feel like she's acting like that just for power.

[Athelstan]

I read most of the comments here and I find myself having a different interpretation of the episode.

To me, it makes total sense that Bjorn is Rollo' son, simply because of his physical attributes, minus the visage. He always seemed more impulsive than his brothers, which reminds of Rollo's berserker style. Lagertha clearly knows it and produced only a faint denial. Adultery was not unusual in Vikings culture. Bjorn was right though, he's not his true dad, and Rollo acknowledges that. Rollo's death must be close (illness, potion?) and he's trying to get his demons off his conscience.

Ivar is growing on me, really loved his character from day one despite his flaws. One thing I've noticed is that he seems to be aware now of his anger issues. During the scene where he comes in the empty house to find Lagertha missing, he starts yelling then stops, like he's trying to control his emotions. Acting is on point.

I couldn't care less about Floki. He's been on my blacklist ever since he's slain our beloved priest. RIP, he died for our sins. Floki should've died on his first visit to Iceland, which would've been ''in-character'' and a good send-off with the Gods. I hate the bearded guy even more though, glad his son renounced him.

Ivar is probably right, I can see Margrethe stabbing Hvitserk-change-side-every-episode in the back very soon. Wouldn't really mind that.

The nice bum lady is back, she's obviously been waiting for an opportunity to seduce Ivar.  Didn't she first introduce herself in England while Ivar was stationed there? Anybody noticed how this is the only girl that Ivar is respectful to? She looks very innocent, which means trouble. Perhaps a spy from an unknown enemy? Ecgberth's final gift maybe?

[tennisgurl]

I needed to find a recap page, just because I couldn't remember who was trying to kill each other, and he was screwing each other (or screwing over each over) this week! Always with the drama, these guys! The whole family is a particularly murderous Jerry Springer episode, complete with baby daddy drama! I dont but Rollo being Bjorns bio dad, thats never been implied at all. I know that Rollo had a thing for Lagertha going back to season one, but she never seemed into him that way at all. I did love how Bjorns reaction was basically to roll his eyes at his uncles drama. 

I have no idea where this season is going, but I am pretty much along for the ride at this point. Should be interesting being Lagertha and company with the English, having been screwed over, of course. I always love hearing old English and old Norse and other languages being spoken on this show, its still so cool to me, language dork that I am.

I hope this isnt the end of Floki, he deserves a better ending. 

Margrethe is all kinds of crazy, no way is this ending well for poor, dumb Hvitserk. I did love Tovi looking at Ubbe like "you deal with this crazy bitch, she your problem!" when he was practically hiding from her. 

I do miss Ragnar a whole lot. I still enjoy the show, but Ragnar was the heart and soul of this show, even when he was being a dumbass and an asshole. 

[wlk68]

Add me to the list of people who would be a-okay with the Floki story line going away. I am so done with him.  

At this point, I'm most interested in the exiled Vikings in England. I like Torvi and Ubbe together and I think Ubbe looks even more like a young Ragnar than Bjorn does/did.   

Edited November 29, 2018 by wlk68

[Hyrrokkin]

-I always found Alexander's Ludwig acting kind of stiff and doesn't catch my attention,only found him interesting for a bit when they went to Africa.I like s1 and s2 Bjorn better.

-The "I'm your father" plotline is cheap and cheesy(like a line from a soap opera).I don't see a need for it.This could've been addressed before,but still it would've had the same effect on me.

-I don't like them making Margrethe go crazy just for the hell of it(I never even liked Margrethe).

-This episode as a premiere is disappointing.

-Yes,making the women always look young is weird. For a show that claims to support strong women and such, I know Lagretha has many fanboys that would hate to see her old. There's no way they couldn't find a make-up artist to achieve this if they wanted it.

-I lost interest in the Iceland plot a long time ago.

-I would've liked if they kept the Samis.

Edited November 29, 2018 by Hyrrokkin

[Ohwell]

I don't have a problem with the aging of the women.  Lagertha looks thinner, I guess they're trying to make her look frail, and the hair does make her look older; same with Torvi.  Plus, with Lagertha's high cheekbones I think it's difficult to have her with sagging skin.  

[Erebos]

About Lagertha can someone explain to me why her hair turned grey right after the battle? There is no time jump so why now? I really don't understand...

[qtpye]

48 minutes ago, Hyrrokkin said:

-I always found Alexander's Ludwig acting kind of stiff and doesn't catch my attention,only found him interesting for a bit when they went to Africa.I like s1 and s2 Bjorn better.

-The "I'm your father" plotline is cheap and cheesy(like a line from a soap opera).I don't see a need for it.This could've been addressed before,but still it would've had the same effect on me.

-I don't like them making Margrethe go crazy just for the hell of it(I never even liked Margrethe).

-This episode as a premiere is disappointing.

-Yes,making the women always look young is weird. For a show that claims to support strong women and such, I know Lagretha has many fanboys that would hate to see her old. There's no way they couldn't find a make-up artist to achieve this if they wanted it.

-I lost interest in the Iceland plot a long time ago.

-I would've liked if they kept the Samis.

Not to mention that actress would look beautiful at any age.

[Babalooie]

3 hours ago, Ohwell said:

He deserves a better send off since he was a major character in past seasons. 

Yes, I miss the original happy quirky Floki.  I hate the way he is in such a dark storyline now.

[Babalooie]

2 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

I needed to find a recap page

I don't know if this answers  your questions, but I enjoy reading the reviews from this site each week.

 

https://www.denofgeek.com/uk/tv/vikings/62073/vikings-season-5-episode-11-review-the-revelation

36 minutes ago, Erebos said:

About Lagertha can someone explain to me why her hair turned grey right after the battle? There is no time jump so why now? I really don't understand...

I believe it was from the shock of killing her girlfriend Astrid during battle.

[green]

5 hours ago, Erebos said:

About Lagertha can someone explain to me why her hair turned grey right after the battle? There is no time jump so why now? I really don't understand...

Sometimes people who go through an extremely harrowing experience have their hair turn gray overnight.  It happens for real at times.  So that was what they were going for here.  During the big battle her former lover -- forget the woman's name -- wanted Lagertha to kill her to get her out of her bad situation with Harold and pregnant through a rape (the whaler guy) and when Lagertha didn't she ran herself through on Lagertha's sword before Lagertha could stop her thus sending Lagertha into total shock.

The real off camera reason is probably no one saw any of the "subtle" attempts to age her working at all and people were complaining that she still looked way WAY too young.

Edited November 30, 2018 by green

[magdalene]

2 hours ago, wlk68 said:

Add me to the list of people who would be a-okay with the Floki story line going away. I am so done with him.  

At this point, I'm most interested in the exiled Vikings in England. I like Torvi and Ubbe together and I think Ubbe looks even more like a young Ragnar than Bjorn does/did.   

I always thought Fimmel and the actor who plays Ubbe could be related in real life - they look so much alike.  Ubbe looks like young Ragnar to me. None of the other actors playing the sons look at all like Ragnar to me.

[Erebos]

21 minutes ago, green said:

Sometimes people who go through an extremely harrowing experience have their hair turn gray overnight.  It happens for real at times.  So that was what they were going for here.  During the big battle her former lover -- forget the woman's name -- wanted Lagertha to kill her to get her out of her bad situation with Harold and pregnant through a rape (the whaler guy) and when Lagertha didn't she ran herself through on Lagertha's sword before Lagertha could stop her thus sending Lagertha into total shock.

The real off camera reason is probably no one saw any of the "subtle" attempts to age her working at all and people were complaining that she still looked way WAY to young.

 

28 minutes ago, Babalooie said:

I believe it was from the shock of killing her girlfriend Astrid during battle.

Oh I didn't know it was possible something like that. It was indeed a very sad scene. Thank you for the explanation :)

[thuganomics85]

Ivar kind of went from his normal psychotic self to a fratboy in this exchange:

Harald: "Well, we won the war, but I had to kill my brother, and I lost my wife and my unborn child to do it.  Not really in the mood to celebrate here."

Ivar: "Quit whining, man!  There are plenty of fish in the sea!  You just need to get laid, bro!"

 

Yeah, Rollo's big revelation that he might actually be Bjorn's father seems to come out of nowhere, and isn't tracking with me, since Bjorn looks too much like Ragnar.  But I guess it's a way to have Bjorn question himself going forward.  I do agree that Alexander Ludwig's acting was off in this episode.  Definitely felt like he was aiming for a performance similar to Travis Fimmel, but, if anything, it actually felt like more of a pale imitation of Gustaf Skarsgard, and I was wondering why was Bjorn turning into Floki.

I did enjoy Rollo basically demanding everything but the kitchen sink with his negotiations with Ivar, because he really does have all of the power.

Margrethe is has fully gone off the deep end, I see.  At least Ubbe and Toriv have wisely left her behind, but I worry that poor, dumb Hvisterk has no idea what he will get himself into now.

The aging process in this show really is wack, because the men do seem to age appropriately, but the show clearly seems afraid to do any of that with their women characters.  Sure, Lagertha now has white hair, but she doesn't seem to have any wrinkles or anything, Judith only looks about five years older than Arthur, her freaking son, and Torvi doesn't look like she aged at all.

Took me a bit to remember that Freyis was the slave girl Ivar freed.  I wonder what her game plan is?

Floki's Island of Adventure continues to be a bust for him, I see.

The show continues to struggle with the absence of Ragnar, in my opinion, but the battles and characters are still good enough for me to keep watching and enjoying. 

[Captanne]

Reading the tea leaves, I anticipated the actor playing Bjorn hyping his Ragnar mannerisms to lead up to his speech on the rock, "Who do I look like, who do I act like, who do I talk and tic like?  Ragnar.  So drop it."  

The point made to me here was that Lagertha questions the potential -- which means she was sleeping with both men around the same time.  For a hot second that surprised me, then I remembered that the first series was very clear about the "open bed" policy the Vikings had (recall, Athelstan was invited to join Lagertha and Ragnar long before Ragnar fell in love with him.)

 

ETA:  I didn't really see any difference in Ivar's performance or writing.  If anything, he seems to have cooled his heels a little bit.  He's not stabbing the pets or eating human entrails.  So, that's good.  I suppose.

Edited November 30, 2018 by Captanne

[benteen]

15 hours ago, magdalene said:

I always thought Fimmel and the actor who plays Ubbe could be related in real life - they look so much alike.  Ubbe looks like young Ragnar to me. None of the other actors playing the sons look at all like Ragnar to me.

Agreed.

Watching that recap that the History channel did before the season premiere, Season 1 Ragnar and Ubbe look so much alike it's scary.  A BRILLIANT job of casting by the show.

[wlk68]

43 minutes ago, benteen said:

Agreed.

Watching that recap that the History channel did before the season premiere, Season 1 Ragnar and Ubbe look so much alike it's scary.  A BRILLIANT job of casting by the show.

This. There were several instances during the recap show prior to last night's new episode that I wasn't sure who I was seeing, Ragnar or Ubbe. 

[TV Anonymous]

On 11/29/2018 at 12:10 AM, LittleIggy said:

Judith looks as if she is Alfred’s big sister. White hair doesn’t make Lagertha look old. Why do the men age on Vikings but not the women? 

At least here they still make the effort of making Lagherta looks old(er). Out there in Outlander Claire looks exactly the same as she was 30 years earlier down to the fact that her breasts are as firm and as perky as they were. 

[nowornever]

Why on earth did they even take Margrethe with them when they left Kattegat? Was is because she knew where the hiding spot was and would rat them out if they left her?  

I'm not sure what, if anything, they're setting up with the idea of Rollo as Bjorn's father.  Hivtserk mimics Rollo more- being an opportunist against his brother (Bjorn first, then Ubbe), pining for his brother's (Ubbe) wife, living in his brother's (Ivar) shadow.  It sucks to be Hvitserk.  Ubbe should have killed him when he had the chance, but either Ivar or Margrethe will probably finish him off.

[raven]

On 11/29/2018 at 1:38 AM, magdalene said:

And quite frankly if Hirst wanted Rollo to go through a late in life crisis I would prefer the actual reality of Rollo  reverting back to his Pagan roots and sacrificing a bunch of Christians. Rather that than the ridiculousness of mooning over Lagertha and wanting to be daddy to Bjorn.

Rollo just comes off looking, well, not very smart.  He sided with Ivar against Bjorn and Lagertha!!  He really thought they would run off with him?  He really has forgotten the Viking ways.  I also hate the implication that Rollo could be Bjorn's bio father, though I liked Bjorn's response to that suggestion.  Ragnar's importance/influence in both Bjorn's and Lagertha's lives can't be overstated, Rollo should know he can't just sweep that aside.  Also, Rollo should know not to trust Ivar, and to admit that he doesn't fight because he's "not allowed to" only makes him look weak.

I've always enjoyed the Floki character and I think that if does sacrifice himself, it would be a fit ending and in keeping with the character.  I just want it to be done well.

[nodorothyparker]

Finally catching up.  I'm on Bjorn's side in that the writing for Rollo here makes no damn sense and hasn't since he agreed to back the two youngest nephews he barely knows over Bjorn, who he did have a hand in raising whether he believes him to be his son or not, and the woman he claims to love.  I agree that it would have made more sense if they wanted to have Rollo back for him to be feeling torn between his adopted Christianity and his pagan roots now that he's getting older and has to be thinking about his own mortality.  Or if he just wanted to come back for a victory lap to see the kingdom his brother won and subsequently neglected before getting himself killed to let his wives and then his sons nearly tear it to pieces while as he says he's still alive to have more of anything than he could possibly want.  I actually thought Alexander Ludwig's acting wasn't terrible in that scene where he was clearly and deliberately channeling Ragnar to call him on this foolishness.  It feels like a waste for Clive Standen to have returned even if briefly if just for this.

JRM continues to feel painfully anachronistic and out of place on this show.  From his line readings to his too modern haircut, one of these things is not like the other.  He doesn't fit in and trying to sell me on the supposed great love he has for Lagertha with corny lines about what an incredible woman she is aren't doing it.  I'm going to assume he's going to make good on his offer to try to provide our exile crew with sanctuary because it's rather nihilist for this show to lure them all to England just to let them also take the Ragnar exit, although I'm still wondering what they're all thinking that fleeing to a country where they've mostly raped and pillaged now for two generations seems like their best option.  I guess beggars can't be choosers though.

Alfred's crown looks like he picked it up at the Halloween store.

I'm a little disappointed the island crew had to take a vote to still not sacrifice Floki.  You followed Floki, whose sanity was questionable on a good day.  What were you really expecting?

[Ohwell]

44 minutes ago, nodorothyparker said:

I'm a little disappointed the island crew had to take a vote to still not sacrifice Floki.  You followed Floki, whose sanity was questionable on a good day.  What were you really expecting?

That scene reminded me of an old Survivor episode.

[green]

22 hours ago, nodorothyparker said:

Finally catching up.  I'm on Bjorn's side in that the writing for Rollo here makes no damn sense and hasn't since he agreed to back the two youngest nephews he barely knows over Bjorn, who he did have a hand in raising whether he believes him to be his son or not, and the woman he claims to love.  I agree that it would have made more sense if they wanted to have Rollo back for him to be feeling torn between his adopted Christianity and his pagan roots now that he's getting older and has to be thinking about his own mortality.  Or if he just wanted to come back for a victory lap to see the kingdom his brother won and subsequently neglected before getting himself killed to let his wives and then his sons nearly tear it to pieces while as he says he's still alive to have more of anything than he could possibly want.  I actually thought Alexander Ludwig's acting wasn't terrible in that scene where he was clearly and deliberately channeling Ragnar to call him on this foolishness.  It feels like a waste for Clive Standen to have returned even if briefly if just for this.

 

Well according to a link to an interview Michael Hirst claims that he wrote this into the script because Clive Standen wanted it.  That Standen had been using this "Bjorn as Rollo's son" as his main motivating point for why Rollo acted like a real dick so much around Ragnar all these past seasons.  It doesn't fly and looked silly so now that Standen finally got that scene it is over and done and we are back to the fact that Bjorn is indeed Ragnar's son.

So it wasn't Rollo tying up loose ends and memories.  It was Clive Standen attempting to.  TV is "art by committee" a lot and this shows what can happen when you have to deal with this sort of thing.  It crashes and burns most times.

[nodorothyparker]

Was getting a guest appearance by Clive Standen really important enough to waste a chunk of an episode after a long break on a nonsensical plot like that?  I know we all miss the old crew, but that's really where Hirst as the guy whose name is on the credits for running this show in an allegedly coherent fashion should have told him thanks but no if that was the only way to get him back for a visit to tie up Rollo's story. 

So much of Bjorn's story has been about being Ragnar's son and trying to climb out of his shadow to be a man worthy of his own fame.  Throwing all of that into question when Rollo isn't even sticking around long enough for any sort of follow through on what-if is asinine.

[Tisme]

I was disappointed with this episode as I've waited for it for ages. Rollo came across as weak. His character especially in early episodes were more interesting and stronger than Ragnar. Since going to France he became a hen pecked bore. 

Bjorn I just can't tolorate his acting he's trying to hard to mimic Travis Fimmel. Ivar however is great in the role. I hope the series picks up. 

[Stallion12]

On 11/29/2018 at 1:38 AM, magdalene said:

The whole Rollo, Bjorn and Lagertha part of the story was complete nonsense.  I'll admit thinking back to the first season and the vibes between Rollo and Lagertha then that it is  possible that Rollo and Lagertha had a sexual relationship at one point that could have resulted in Bjorn. Though not that likely considering how in love Lagertha and Ragnar were.  

And quite frankly if Hirst wanted Rollo to go through a late in life crisis I would prefer the actual reality of Rollo  reverting back to his Pagan roots and sacrificing a bunch of Christians. Rather that than the ridiculousness of mooning over Lagertha and wanting to be daddy to Bjorn.

Alexander Ludwig's acting was off for me this episode.  Lagertha and Heahmund have zero chemistry.

I wish Freydis would kill Ivar but I know I wish in vain.

The part I am interested in is Alfred and his future interactions with Ubbe and the other fugitive Vikings.

It was a theory people had during season one, but there was no confirmation on the show until now abut Rollo being born father.

[theschnauzers]

3 hours ago, Stallion12 said:

It was a theory people had during season one, but there was no confirmation on the show until now abut Rollo being born father.

That’s not quite right, either. The show did not confirm Rollo’s being Bjorn’s father, only that Rollo thought so. And when Alexander Ludwig was originally cast, I noted how much he resembled Travis Fimmel in appearance if for no other reason for the show to make clear who Bjorn’s biological father was.

[TaurusRose]

On 11/29/2018 at 10:09 AM, mcjen said:

I hate saying this because I've enjoyed Alexander Ludwig in other things and even in his earlier years in Vikings.  But I find every time the camera holds on his face for any length of time, I find myself thinking it's as expressive as a big slab of beef.  And his eyes are pee-holes in the snow.  I just don't get a sense of anything going on there.  Whereas Fimmel had eyes that were constantly alert and allows indicators of thoughts and feelings.  I may not have known exactly what Ragnar was thinking, but I knew something was going on in that head.

 

ROTFLMAO

Thanks for the best laugh this week.

[motroro]

For those thinking Lagertha is not aging appropriately, the recap show included some shots of the coming episodes/season where she apparently cuts her hair short and starts losing her mind.....to what extent, we don't know yet.  All I can say is the quick shot they had of her in a future episode made her look....very un-Lagertha like (unfortunately).

[green]

18 hours ago, Stallion12 said:

It was a theory people had during season one, but there was no confirmation on the show until now abut Rollo being born father.

It wasn't confirmed.  It was shown to be totally false very very clearly and Rollo being completely delusional about same.  (See a post of mine above why it was even in the show).  I'm pretty sure the over the top acting of Bjorn's character in the scene with Rollo and this episode period where he imitated Travis Fimmel was probably dictated by the director so it would be abundantly clear that Bjorn is indeed -- and historically -- Ragnar's son.  Rollo was just shown to be full of regrets and trying to desperately cling to false hopes as he ages himself and nears his death.

[Ohwell]

I might've missed it but did Rollo ever mention Princess Mushmouth?  Is she still alive?

[nodorothyparker]

Nope.  You'd think in offering to take in Lagertha as his supposed love and Bjorn as his supposed son that the fact that he already has a wife and a son who will someday make a name for himself might have come up.

[Ohwell]

Yeah, one would think.