Vikings...season four part 2

[Gov Kodos]

Who the hell were those people in the last scene?!?!

That was Bishop Heahmund and the grieving widow from the funeral. He is an historical bishop who died slaughtering pagan vikings. Yes, priests got it on a lot back then. Celibacy was more guideline than firm Church rule and dogma until about the 12th century. Randy and adulterous priests were a focus of a lot of Medieval comedy. They were aware of how corrupt the church was back then. Anyway, Hirst mentions the new bishop in this interview.
http://screenertv.com/television/vikings-season-4-finale-michael-hirst-helga-sigurd-headmund/

 

[The Old Mixer]

The fact that you had to explain that says that the show isn't doing its job. If they're going to tease a new character, they should tease in a way that seems relevant to what's going on in the show.

 

[Gov Kodos]

They could have made clear the dead guy was one of the nobles from Aethelwulf's battle at the start of the show. Died from wounds after the battle was far more common than dying in the fight itself. It would have tied all that together a lot better than was done. Hell, Heahmund could have even been with Aethulwulf at the battle or providing aid at the evacuation. A lot of places in the earlier part of the show to give him some introduction.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Yeah, those two scenes felt forced and unnecessary. I knew he was a new character being introduced because I saw John Rhys Meyers' name in the credits and I knew he was joining the cast next season (although I didn't know he was going to appear in the finale). Still, there didn't seem to be any need to have those two scenes. It's suppose to be a tease for the next season...except it failed to tease. Only confuse.

Otherwise, a good episode. The opening battle sequence made up for not seeing Aella's final battle.

I was shocked yet not entirely surprised by Helga's death. More disappointment than anything else. I've always enjoyed her character, but during this past half season, she hasn't done anything except being crazy about adopting that poor kidnapped girl, which in itself served very little purpose other than to bring upon Helga's death. Poor Floki. He's lost his daughter, then Ragnar, and now Helga. As he said to Beorn, he's an empty shell of a man now. I wonder if he'll even return next season.

Ecbert's death was a long time coming and I liked the bookending of his death in the pool, which was one of his first scenes (or was it his first?). I was a little disappointed that we didn't get to see Ivar's reaction to not being able to blood eagle him. Maybe that was why he was extra sour at the banquet? I didn't expect him to kill Sigurd, but I also didn't care. Aside from Beorn and Ubbe, I don't really care about any of the sons of Ragnar. Meh. One less.

The show is going to be quiet different next season. No Ragnar, Aslaug, Aella, Ecbert, Sigurd, and Helga. Possibly no Rollo and Floki. Aside from Lagertha (and Floki if he sticks around), I'm not sure if I even care anymore.

 

[Gov Kodos]

I feel much the same, I really don't care about the sons of Ragnar. The show has gotten too large a cast of characters who really are not that interesting. Some like Siggurd and Hvitserk and Ubbe were just indistinguishable story wise. Bjorn was getting some great development with his wild man in the wild arc fighting bears and assassins but all that got shunted aside for the brothers who just are not very interesting.

Auslaug got fouled by being made so unsympathetic from the outset displacing Lagertha who kept showing up to save the day while all Auslaug would do is complain and knock out kids. She was further in the shadow of Siggy who was stronger than her circumstances and further cast Auslaug as a weak character. It made Lagertha's victory over Auslaug very underwhelming and Lagertha's whole war on her seem to come out of the blue and for no very good reason at all.

Ivar has his moments but there's Harald, Bjorn, Lagertha, Floki, Aethulwolf and Alfred... too many storylines scattered all over. They can focus on one but then we're just repeating Ragnar's story in a way- young viking moving up in the world. At this point, I would rather have Rollo and the Normans story told as a new series than go on the meandering path Vikings seems headed at the moment.

 

[Beagleman]

Bjorn lost me this season. I think Ubbe is the only rational Ragnarson now. Damn, I liked last episode's un-crazy Floki but I guess that's not gonna happen again now, poor Helga.

 

[Forbin]

Well, as long as there's a chance of seeing Katheryn Winnick kick ass, I'll keep watching. But yeah, it's not always easy to keep interested when a show changes personnel this much.

 

[137th Gebirg]

I'm truly fascinated by this turn of events and the introduction of the new character Heahmund. Hirst mentions that he and others like him are the precursors of the Knights Templar. That sword they show at the end of his scene labeled with the word "Ananyzapata" has some almost magical properties, reaching into Kabbalistic (ancient Hebrew) and Gnostic (ancient Christian) traditions and the ancient mystery schools which, of course, were some of the core tenets of the Templar Order and its descendants. There's a whole write up (spoiler alert, BTW) of the symbolism inherited in the sword, both the name and pommel.

Also, interestingly, it would appear that History Channel is a doing a similar kind of semi-historical drama about the Knights Templar called "Knightfall" starting this fall, which Vikings seems to be leading into with the introduction of this new character. Vikings was notorious for incorporating their belief system into their world, as if their gods were living, breathing beings living and walking amongst them. Kabbalists and Gnostics also had a very strong belief system that got into deep esotericism and mystery schools that could almost be as "real" to them in their perceptions of their world as Odin and the others were to the Vikings. Those belief systems would eventually lead to the western Rennaisance and the rise of Freemasonry, Rosicrucianism, Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Illuminati (yes, they did exist under Weishaupt) and all the rest. I'm extremely intrigued where both these shows may be potentially heading.

I could even envision a scene where one of the descendants from one of the characters from Vikings - maybe even one of the remaining sons or grandsons of Ragnar - catches wind of the "New World" centuries before Columbus. He/they head over there, funded by post-purge Templars in exile, to eventually wind up settling on a small island covered with oak trees off the Coast of Nova Scotia that would eventually become the home of the infamous "Money Pit". So much potential in these shows!