The Last Kingdom: TV Review-S5 "Episode 10"
"Episode 10" caps the epic final season with a wildly satisfying conclusion but the story of Uhtred of Bebbanburg isn't over yet.
The Last Kingdom
Season 5: “Episode 10”
Armies converge in an epic, final showdown that determines the fate of a king's dream for England - and Uhtred's hope for securing his family's future.
(BEWARE OF MAJOR SPOILERS)
RECAP
King Edward (with Aldhelm, Aethelstan and Young Uhtred) and his army threatens Bebbanburg’s gates. Inside, Sihtric and Finan escape their captors. Aethelstan continues to try to manipulate the wily King Constantin. Wihtgar takes Aelfwynn to the ramparts but Uhtred jumps them, allowing Aelfwynn to run.
Edward sends a unit to assault Bebbanburg’s gates but, unbeknownst to him, Constantin’s Scottish army is about to arrive. Uhtred links up with Sihtric, Finn and Hild and they work their way to the feasting hall where Aelfwynn hides, but events force him to abandon his plan to save her.
Constantin orders Wihtgar’s men to abandon Bebbanburg’s walls and scamper out via the sea gate; he hopes the impulsive Edward will believe the defenders have lost their nerve and order his men to attack. Edward takes the bait and soon finds his army sandwiched between the Scottish horde and a foray from the stronghold led by Constantin himself.
Outnumbered, Edward’s shield wall of Wessex and Mercian troops is shoved towards a sea cliff. Atop Bebbanburg, Uhtred sees Stiorra and her force of Danes at the battlefield’s edge, withdrawing—he races to convince Stiorra and her men to help save Edward. Once trapped between Edward’s soldiers and those of Stiorra, Constantin’s army collapses: he orders Bebbanburg burned and hostages taken as they retreat.
Uhtred enters Bebbanburg to confront Wihtgar. Aethelstan follows and ends up forcing Aethelhelm to admit his sins to Aethelweard. Aethelhelm commits suicide. Uhtred kills Wihtgar. Uhtred finds his home engulfed in flames but a sudden rainfall saves the day. After an exchange of hostages the defeated Constantin heads home in a sulk.
King Edward arrives to embrace the victorious assemblage taking place in the heart of Bebbanburg; he awards Uhtred his long-awaited Lordship of Northumbria and the seat at Bebbanburg. However, Uhtred angers Edward by announcing that he has made a treaty with King Constantin and Northumbria will not join with Edward’s England.
REVIEW
I was reluctant to watch “Episode 10,” partly because I didn’t want The Last Kingdom to end and partly because I didn’t want the final episode to fail: fortunately, neither thing happened. The final episode is more than worthy of the show’s triumphant final season. Plus, there is a full-length movie sequel titled Seven Kings Must Die in development at Netflix.
“Episode 10” serves both as a comprehensive series conclusion and a jumping-off point for more sequel mayhem, with Edward and Uhtred still at odds and Constantin lurking in the north. Also, I’m hoping for Uhtred and Eadith to hook up in the movie.
With this epic, big budget, blood-splattering final episode, The Last Kingdom stays true to its classic, melodramatic core by neatly wrapping up its main storylines and character arcs. This is especially true for our hero, Uhtred of Bebbanburg, whose relief at achieving his destiny is both sad and exhilarating: the bittersweet ending montage of people he’s lost along the way is a heady reminder of the price he paid (and we paid with him) to claim that destiny.
The Saxon-born and Norse-raised Uhtred has always embodied the cultural, political and military conflict of late 10th century England: his dual identity caused him both success and hardship but it makes him the right man in the right place to convince Stiorra and her battered Danes to lend aid to Edward in his time of need. Uhtred’s speech to Stiorra and her Danes is powerfully written and performed, focused on his dream of a homeland for both Dane and Saxon.
That was one timely rainstorm that saved the timbers of Bebbanburg, huh? For all its talk of the Gods and destiny, The Last Kingdom has largely steered clear of any supernatural happenings that could be construed as a god’s handiwork or acts of magic. But Uhtred has spent all five seasons believing in his destiny despite being tortured by circumstances and bad luck, so this happy coincidence here at the end works—he deserves it.
With the significant losses of major and minor characters leading up to “Episode 10” I feared a few more might bite the dust in the epic finale, yet despite gouts of spraying blood, none of the principals fell. Only the bad guys met their makers. I didn’t mind that at all—the carnage of the previous installments made me anxious for the characters in the final act as designed—and my relief was palpable when everybody made to the end. I was worried about Aldhelm, Hild and Sihtric for a minute there.
Yay! Hild survived! And with all the drama unfolding in “Episode 10,” the writers of The Last Kingdom still managed to slip in some humor, like the Bebbanburg Guard racing past the stunned Hild and Aelfwynn. In a little twist, Hild’s companion on the Bebbanburg beach at the end must be a setup for the film: Osbert is Uhtred’s third living son by his second wife Gisela (Peri Baumeister), who died in childbirth in the first episode of season 3.
With layered battlefield action and the narrative driven by the heart of a hero, “Episode 10” proves a fitting conclusion to a series that found its way to greatness.
EPISODE RANKING: 9.8 out of 10.
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