Vikings Season 3 Finale: Normandy

An excellent season 4 finale of Vikings tonight - even though I predicted some kind of union between Rollo and Gisla - see my reviews of the past few episodes - and even though I didn't believe for a moment that Ragnar was dead.   But it was still great to see this played out on the screen.

There was also some important development of French characters in this episode, especially Odo, who we discover is into a little sadomasochism, in this case, whipping a woman.  So our French court, in this spirited rendition of history, is peopled at this time by both Joan of Arc (Gilsa) and the Marquis de Sade (Odo).   But that's ok - indeed, it adds spice to this narrative - and the weak king, insecure grandson of Charlemagne, is portrayed accurately enough.

So what have we seen in terms of real, geopolitical history?  Vikings finally did good on the historical sacking of Paris, which left the city still standing.  And in Rollo's going to the "north," we have the beginnings of Normandy (Norse or North Man).  There's great  history to follow in all of this, including Rollo's descendants led by William the Conquerer vanquishing Ecbert's descendants and taking over England.   May Vikings last as long as is necessary to show that.

Meanwhile, there's unsettled business, to say the least, with Ecbert and the Vikings.   Will Ragnar let Ecbert's destruction of the Norse settlement go unanswered?  One of the problems and advantages of this series is that Ragnar is as much myth as he is real - unlike Rollo, who really did set up a dynasty in Normandy - so we can never know for sure what will happen with Ragnar.  That's why, although I felt in my gut that Ragnar couldn't be dead, and I expected some kind of clever ploy by him, as we've seen in the past, I couldn't be 100% sure he was alive until he jumped out of that coffin.

As a series, Vikings has no coffin to jump out of - it is more alive and vital than ever, and now that the 3rd season is concluded, I'd say it was the best.  That first battle for Paris was, as I said in my review, worthy of the Two Towers in Lord of the Rings.

And I'll be back here in 2016 with reviews of Season 4.

See also Vikings 3.1. Fighting and Farming ... Vikings 3.2: Leonard Nimoy ...Vikings 3.3: We'll Always Have Paris ... Vikings 3.4: They Call Me the Wanderer ... Vikings 3.5: Massacre ... Vikings 3.6: Athelstan and Floki ...Vikings 3.7: At the Gates ... Vikings 3.8: Battle for Paris ... Vikings 3.9: The Conquered

And see also Vikings 2.1-2: Upping the Ante of Conquest ... Vikings 2.4: Wise King ... Vikings 2.5: Caught in the Middle ... Vikings 2.6: The Guardians ...Vikings 2.7: Volatile Mix ... Vikings 2.8: Great Post-Apocalyptic Narrative ... Vikings Season 2 Finale: Satisfying, Surprising, Superb

And see also Vikings ... Vikings 1.2: Lindisfarne ... Vikings 1.3: The Priest ... Vikings 1.4:  Twist and Testudo ... Vikings 1.5: Freud and Family ... Vikings 1.7: Religion and Battle ... Vikings 1.8: Sacrifice
... Vikings Season 1 Finale: Below the Ash

 
historical science fiction - a little further back in time

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but hey, if Viking fiction is your goal, check out Rune Warriors