S05.E16: The Buddha

[Hannah94]

6 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

With Judith not being aged up in looks at all, most of her scenes with Alfred have more of a husband/wife Lady Macbeth vibe than mother/son. It’s super weird. 

Right! They did an excellent job aging Ragnar and Bjorn. Judith looks like the same 20 year old that took Athelstan to pound town 20 years ago,.

[patty1h]

I think I'm starting to ship Alfred and Ubbe, like I shipped Ragnar and Athelstan.  I like their friendship/bromance - it's become the only bright spot for me in this dark, violent show.

[raven]

11 hours ago, Kite said:

Æthelred's hissing at Judith I found truly terrifying. To me that showed how he was not to be trusted, that he still craved power, that he was still garnering support. But also overall that he was weak, if he had been strong perhaps Judith would have been not quite as strong in her favouritism of Alfred. (Interesting but irrelevant mythological fact: "Alfred" means "elf counsel".)

Judith's favoritism towards Alfred goes back to childhood because he came from the sainted sperm of Athelstan or whatever.  She's a caricature to me now.   She also went against the express wishes of her favorite son, the King, by murdering Aethelred after Alfred told her to basically drop her obsession with the conspiracy.  Alfred would be justified to take any action against her that he sees it, assuming he finds out the truth of what happened.

If Judith had a hint of smarts, she would have kept Aethelred around to further monitor any possible conspiracies.  She should know that any apparent weakness of the King will be cause for gossip and dissent and she needs someone in her corner.  If she were smart, should would have worked on Aethelred in this manner, but she is dumb, so she murdered him. 

I was glad that Aethelred finally stood up for himself to his harpy mother.  Of course he then ended up dead so maybe he should have gone back to being the weak one whose bravery only saves the King on the battlefield.

[connieinnc]

Judith is truly AEllas' daughter. 😇

[PatsyandEddie]

On 2019-01-03 at 5:28 PM, Babalooie said:

Apparently, it was a real thing.  I guess that Michael Hirst had read this story a few years ago.  Kattegat is now a big trading center.

https://www.lionsroar.com/the-buddha-statue-found-in-an-ancient-viking-hoard/

 

Thanks for that Babalooie! Very interesting that it was such an intricate carving and carried for miles. 

I loved the battle scenes so kudos to all involved from the choreographers, extras and the actors. It was quite exciting! Great choices with the use of slow motion and Alfred’s blood soaked face narrating. 

Athelred was the weak one. He was easily manipulated by the nobles and priests who realized that under Alfred, they would not be in control. 

Ivar and Freydis will implode with the birth of her child. There will be something about the child that proves it is not Ivar’s. Ivar will go off the edge afterwards. 

Edited January 7, 2019 by PatsyandEddie

[Captanne]

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

[TaurusRose]

On 1/2/2019 at 10:43 PM, magdalene said:

Ubbe’s happiness over receiving the land was lovely.

 

It really was. At least one of Ragnar’s sons is putting down roots and trying to savor a violence free life.

On 1/3/2019 at 12:10 AM, LittleIggy said:

I want Judith to die a horrible death. I never have liked her, but this pushed me other into loathing.

I love Torvi. Bjorn didn’t deserve her.

I’ve always loathed Judith and I’m ready for someone, ANYONE, to kill that bitch. The actress is beyond tiresome with all the exaggerated emoting.  Also, I  agree that Torvi has always been Bjorn’s and Lagertha’s MVP. I hope Ubbe makes her happy.

On 1/4/2019 at 9:51 AM, MaggieG said:

Ivar's reaction to Hvisterk going all Buddha had my rolling. He had this incredulous look on his face and just goes "what?!" It was hilarious, I rewound it a few times. 

This was by far my favorite scene of the episode. Ivar’s “What?!” and expressions were priceless.

On 1/6/2019 at 9:34 AM, raven said:

I was glad that Aethelred finally stood up for himself to his harpy mother.  

This. I wish he had pushed her face in. 

Edited January 16, 2019 by taurusrose