The Last Kingdom: TV Review-S5 "Episode 1"
"Episode One" brings everything back to a glorious boil to start the final season.
The Last Kingdom
Season 5: “Episode 1”
Ill omens and border raids make Uhtred extra vigilant at his northern outpost. King Sigtryggr is visited by his notorious brother Rognvaldr.
As we prepare to plunge into The Last Kingdom’s final season, I’d highly recommend you watch seasons 1-4 first if you haven’t already. This is a show that took big leaps in maturity in seasons 2 and 3. It’s a wonderful story. I think you’d miss out on a lot of you haven’t seen the previous seasons (all available on Netflix).
(BEWARE OF SPOILERS)
S5 “EPISODE 1” RECAP
In The Last Kingdom universe, many years have passed since the end of season 4. As would be expected, ‘Episode 1” gamely takes on the task of updating us on where all the characters have ended up during this time. So, this episode recap is a bit lengthy as a result.
Brida (Emily Cox), deeply entrenched in the old pagan ways, has been in Islond (Iceland), raising hers and the late King Caunte’s daughter, Vibike (Emili Akhchina) among the Vikings there. She sets off to attack England.
In English Rumcofa, Uhtred of Bebbanburg (Alexander Dreymon), with Finan (Mark Rowley), Osferth (Ewan Mitchell) and Sihtric (Arnas Fedaravicius) at his side, senses something is wrong with the world; he’s still protecting King Edward’s bastard son, Aethelstan (Harry Gilby), now grown into a strapping young man. Assassins nearly take out Aethelstan during a ritual Blood Month wild boar hunt.
In York (now under Danelaw), Sigtryggr (Eysteinn Sigurðarson) and Uhtred’s daughter Stiorra (Ruby Hartley) rule an uneasy peace, especially with his unruly brother Rogvoldnar (Micki Stoltt) around. In Rumcofa, Uhtred prepares to repel an incursion of unidentified Norse sea raiders just as Aethelflaed, the Lady of Mercia, is about to visit. The “raiders” turn out to be traders led by an old friend—Eadith (Stefanie Martini).
Aethelfaed (Millie Brady) and her daughter Aelfwynn (Phia Saban) travel to the Blood Festival in Rumcofa, escorted by Queen Aelswith (Eliza Butterworth), Aldhelm (James Northcote) and Father Benedict (Patrick Robinson).
In Winchester (Wessex) the lead assassin returns to tell the treacherous Aethelhelm (Adrian Schiller) of the failed attempt on Aethelstan’s life. An older and wiser King Edward (Timothy Innes) goes about the business of ruling with crusty Father Pyrlig (Cavan Clerkin) as his advisor, unaware that Aethelhelm and his daughter Aelflaed (Amelia Clarkson), who is also Edward’s wife, conspire against him in the matter of succession.
Young Uhtred is terribly wounded. With the help of Rogvoldnar, Brida and her Norse army enter York and set to massacring the inhabitants.
S5 “EPISODE 1” REVIEW
“Episode 1” proceeds at an easy pace, re-introducing a raft of main characters and allowing enough time for their new situations to sink in. The plotlines from season 4 are also given room to reemerge naturally, so nothing feels forced. Yet there is still plenty of treachery afoot. The maniacally obsessed Brida, now consumed by revenge, is coming after Uhtred and his family, surely to result in a major confrontation between them on the last battlefield in the last episode.
As The Last Kingdom mixes true historic personages (of which very little is known) with purely fictional characters, they have leeway in how they build their story. Their depiction of the life and death of King Alfred stayed close to the historical record so I’d advise not researching the real Aethelflaed or any others due to the spoiler potential.
Poor Uhtred. He’s lost so many lovers it is truly sad (a typical writing ploy to keep the romance amp turned up to 11) and now he has to keep seeing Aethelflaed on a platonic basis. Eadith is a possible partner but methinks she wouldn’t last. It will be interesting to see how many major characters the show decides to off in the final season—and if Uhtred ever does regain control of his home at Bebbanburg (he’s surely earned it).
I’m somewhat miffed that the character of Hilde, the fighting nun, has not returned, at least, not in the season opener. She was a great character and she and Uhtred had shared such a deep connection . . . I’ll be disappointed if she never reappears. “Episode 1” ends with a number of characters in peril: Stiorra, Sigtryggr, Young Uhtred, King Edward and Aethelflaed (I include Lady Aethelflaed because she appears pale and ill), and surely not all will survive much beyond episode 2.
As we’ve come to expect, the show’s eye-catching cinematography and near-lyrical dialogue carry us away into the world of our beloved characters: this is The Last Kingdom in its prime. We’re lucky to receive the final season at this peak and not later, after the heart of the story has waned (as it did in Vikings). Destiny is all.
EPISODE RANKING: 8.2 out of 10
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