Vikings 5.15: The Battle

Well, Vikings 5.15 showed not the battle, but one of many crucial battles in this series.  All were crucial, but this one was more crucial than most.  Because, among the highlights -

• Heahmund is killed.  My view: that's the price he paid for putting his faith above his love for Lagertha.
• Speaking of which: Lagertha has gone missing.   She saw her beloved Heahmund killed.  She can't just go back to Bjorn and live her life, same as before.  Maybe she'll end up in Iceland with Floki (we saw no sign of either in this episode).  In many ways, that would be best and most logical place for her now.
• King Harald's back on his way to Kattegat after losing the battle for Wessex.  Does that guy ever really win anything?  Why anyone would still follow him is a mystery.
• Ragnar's English son is also on his way to Kattegat.  He could make a good ally to Ivar, since they're both, in their own ways, the ultimate outsiders.
• Alfred now knows the truth about this brother - but not the complete truth, which includes his brother ultimately not going along with the coup.   What will Alfred do about him?  Tough choice, seeing as how Athelred saved Alfred's life in the battle.

So this episode has provided some interesting resolutions and shakeups indeed.  One thing I'm not sure about relates to last week's episode, and the beginning of this week's: what impact will the murder of the Seer by Ivar have on the overall story?  What impact did he have on any part of the series, except giving advice to people who took him seriously?   Who took him seriously in Kattegat before he was killed?  Maybe Hvitserk, who suspects/knows what happened - but he and Ivar were at odds before the Seer was killed, anyway,

See you here next week.

See also Vikings 5.1-2: Floki in Iceland ... Vikings 5.3: Laughing Ivar ...Vikings 5.4: Four of More Good Stories ... Vikings 5.5: Meet Lawrence of Arabia ... Vikings 5.6: Meanwhile, Back Home ... Vikings 5.7: A Looming Trojan-War Battle, Vikings Style, and Two Beautiful Stories ...Vikings 5.8: Only Heahmund? ... Vikings 5.9: Rollo ... Vikings 5.10: New and Old Worlds ... Vikings 5.11: Rollo's Son ... Vikings 5.12: "The Beast with Two Backs" ... Vikings 5.13: The Sacrifice ... Vikings 5.14: Fake News in Kattegat

And see also Vikings 4.1: I'll Still Take Paris ... Vikings 4.2: Sacred Texts ...Vikings 4.4: Speaking the Language ... Vikings 4.5: Knives ... Vikings 4.8: Ships Up Cliff ... Vikings 4.10: "God Bless Paris" ... Vikings 4.11: Ragnar's Sons ... Vikings 4.12: Two Expeditions ... Vikings 4.13: Family ... Vikings 4.14: Penultimate Ragnar? ... Vikings 4.15: Close of an Era ... Vikings 1.16: Musselman ... Vikings 1.17: Ivar's Wheels ...Vikings 1.18: The Beginning of Revenge ... Vikings 4.19: On the Verge of History ... Vikings 4.20: Ends and Starts

And 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 ... Vikings Season 3 Finale: Normandy

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

 
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