Vikings: Valhalla TV Review-Episode 8
The first season finale, "The End of the Beginning" is emotionally powerful, unabashedly violent, rife with smart twist and turns and ends with a cliffhanger.
Vikings: Valhalla
Season One, Episode Eight: “The End of the Beginning”
Olaf and Kåre gather their forces to invade Kattegat. Palace intrigue over control of England's throne results in an unexpected turn of events.
(BEWARE—BERSERKER-SIZED SPOILERS BELOW)
London: needing Queen Ælfgifu’s boats, Forkbeard has Emma sent back to Normandy. Godwin counsels Queen Ælfgifu to bring her Mercians in line. Kattegat: Jarl Estrid and her pagans carry out a human sacrifice to win the favor of the gods. Olaf introduces Harald to Jarl Kåre, who does not trust him.
Among the Vikings, the political chess game ramps up in the final hours before the Christian assault on Kattegat. While pretending to support Olaf, Harald communicates Jarl Kåre’s strategy to Leif at a parley: the Christians plan to attack via the harbor on the high tide of the Wolf Moon. After a human sacrifice to the Nordic gods, Jarl Estrid assembles her shieldmaidens.
Olaf betrays both Harald and Jarl Kåre with the intention of being the only intact player standing post-battle. On the walls of Kattegat, Jarl Estrid is mortally wounded as the gates fall to the attackers. Harald, returning to help the defense, is badly injured. Freydis defeats Jarle Kåre. Olaf kills Liv. Freydis escapes with Harald. Olaf takes the great hall of Kattegat.
In England, Queen Ælfgifu is tricked by Forkbeard, and Emma, allowing Forkbeard to find and take her fleet on a revenge tour to Kattegat. Olaf, upon seeing Forkbeard’s fleet and the resulting fleeing of his men, runs. Leif is locked in berserker mode.
“The End of the Beginning” kicks off with a twist, namely Forkbeard’s removal of Emma and her banishment to Normandy, a decision apparently fueled by his need for Queen Ælfgifu’s armada. Advised by Godwin, Queen Ælfgifu negotiates a deal with her Mercian brethren to prove her value to Forkbeard, but despite her confidence she herself is being outmaneuvered.
The lead-up to the battle is exciting as the massive Christian forces move by land and sea. The first assault is wildly cinematic, the plot twisting as we learn how Olaf has outwitted both Harald and Jarl Kåre: he’s led the defenders of Kattegat into misaligning their defenses by feeding false tactical information to Harald, and he’s let Jarl Kåre’s army take the brutal losses associated with leading the attack.
The value of a story’s heroes is measured by the quality of the antagonist(s) they face, and Olaf has proven no oaf. By midway through the episode it appears that the pagans and the fanatically bug-eyed Jarl Kåre have been mortally outplayed by him. Jarl Estrid, Altöra and Arne fall as the Jarl Kåre’s berserkers overrun the gates. Harald is severely wounded.
The great hall of Kattegat is once again witness to a great confrontation: leaving Karl Estrid on her deathbed, Freydis meets Jarl Kåre face-to-face. Shieldmaiden vs. berserker, pagan vs. Christian, female vs. male, both characters deeply traumatized by the world and bound to their beliefs, the bloody swordfight is an analogy for the entire first season.
As I feared all along, Liv dies; she’s cut down by Olaf and her painful death serves as a catalyst for the dark, berserker side of Leif to erupt. Aware that Kattegat has fallen and knowing she must survive, Freydis rescues the bleeding Harald and retreats to the countryside, seeing Kattegat smoldering in the valley below.
But it ain’t over yet. Back in England, the triumphant Queen Ælfgifu returns to London only to discover that she’s been outsmarted by Emma, Forkbeard and Godwin; her idea to negotiate with the Mercians gave Forkbeard time to find her fleet, and now Emma sits on the English throne once again. In Kattegat, the arrival of Forkbeard’s fleet sends Olaf’s army running and Leif, now deep in the throes of berserker rage, is left in a perilous position.
“The End of the Beginning” is the best episode of Vikings: Valhalla’s good first season, serving up excitement, intrigue, bloody mayhem and enough satisfying conclusions to allow the cliffhanger elements to fly. The story proves its worth in the way Jeb Stuart masterfully designs characters and constructs and executes its plotlines. I’m all in on Vikings: Valhalla, Season 2.
Poor Liv.
EPISODE RANKING: 9.4 out of 10
SERIES FIRST SEASON RANKING: 8.3 out of 10.
(All eight Vikings: Valhalla season one episodes are currently streaming on Netflix).
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