Vikings Season 4 Episode 5
And that’s why we love Lagertha. Though she’s been noticeably absent through much of the season, Earl Instad issues a powerful statement during the conclusion of last night’s episode of Vikings. After weeks of percolating plot points, things begin coming into sharper focus as the kingdoms wrestle with approaching storms, both internal and external. We’ve known for weeks that war looms on the horizon, but preparations have been ramped up on all sides with Paris sitting in the crosshairs of Ragnar and the Norsemen. Meanwhile, Kwenthrith convinces Wessex and Northumbria to attack Mercia and restore her to the throne, and while it’s obvious both Ecbert and Aelle are reluctant to provide arms for a woman they both deem unstable, they’ve been painted into a corner and left with little choice but to help her. The underlying relationships continue to shift, further adding to the emotional impact of these scenes as Judith rebuffs Aethelwulf, and the two engage in an angry exchange. Has Judith set her sights on the crown as Ecbert’s second wife, moving from Aethelwulf’s wife to his step-mother? Or does Ecbert’s son’s stoic behavior mask his true purpose to unite the kingdoms of Wessex and Mercia under his eventual rule? Is he that cunning? Rollo and Gisla appear poised to rule the Franks, but it’s their romantic bliss that continues to both puzzle and please. Rollo knows it’s only a matter of time before his brother returns to Paris, and with Odo, he proceeds with a plan to fortify the city. However, Gisla has ideas of her own, and when we later see Charles come across as an emotional cripple, her suggestion to kill Odo during the battle clears a path for the two of them to assume rule. And in addition, poor Odo must also contend with his mistress going behind his back to Charles with tales of Odo’s duplicity. While ambition sits at the heart of this tightly crafted episode, the tale reaches its apex when in rapid succession we witness Ragnar sensually bathing Yidu, Floki taking Ivar into the street to play with the other children, and Lagertha readying herself to wed Kalf. What is Ragnar after with Yidu? When he places his knife’s blade against her throat, it’s unclear whether it’s more sex play or he’s letting her know she’s being watched. As the children play keep-away in the street, the ball lands in Ivar’s cart, and he and another boy struggle for possession. Suddenly, Ivar aka Boneless, produces a knife from his cloak and kills the boy leaving a horrified Floki to wonder what just happened. And finally, in perhaps the most visually stunning scene of the series, we gaze upon Lagertha, stunningly beautiful in her wedding dress, as she prepares to meet Kalf. Though she didn’t tell him no when he proposes marriage upon learning she’s pregnant, she didn’t seem that enthused either. At the least, this scene catches us off guard until we remember to never, under any circumstance, underestimate Lagertha. Kalf enters her tent, embraces and kisses her just as she too produces a hidden knife and murders her groom. But that’s only the half of it. She exits the tent in her blood stained dress and is immediately surrounded by her shieldmaidens who engage the crowd in chants of “Long live Earl Ingstad” leaving Erlendur cowering nearby. It doesn’t get much better than this. The accelerated exposition places everyone on notice that the stakes have risen, no one is safe, and the Lothroks should not be dismissed.
