Vikings - Complete series

Can Vikings compete with the big series? The first two, maybe three, seasons certainly did. After that, the series kind of slides off. It's too unbalanced to be truly fantastic. The first two seasons of Vikings were a joy to watch. The action scenes are fantastic, the decor is a feast for the eyes and the story also does its utmost to entertain. The piercing sky-blue eyes of Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel, Raised by Wolves (2020)) seem to give you no choice, Vikings is the one to watch.

And if it's not Ragnar, it's 'crazy', sweet Floki (Gustaf Skarsgard, Westworld) who holds your attention. My lovely husband had more with Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick, Big Sky), which I totally understand. Lagertha is a woman to be reckoned with. She stands her ground on and off the battlefield as a shieldmaiden, but also as a woman, mother and queen.

Lagartha: The Truth Can Be A Bad Choice For A Wise Man.

The choices Ragnar makes affect everything and everyone in the series. He is a man who has made history, but he is surpassed by his beautiful son Bjorn (Alexander Ludwig, Heels). Over the years you know that Bjorn is going to make more history than his world famous father and that's a good thing too. Unfortunately, this makes the series a bit predictable.

Floki: I Joke About Many Things, Son Of Ragnar, But Never About Ship-Building.

The first two seasons, also part of the third season, fly by. After each episode, you'll crave more. More battles, but also more of the history of the Normans. Vikings were plunderers and barbarians and yet they were also far ahead of their time. Women fought along and were not averse to a good fight. The shieldmaidens also play an important role with the explorers from Norway.

What is unfortunate is that the series, from the middle of the third season to the sixth season, has too many slips. It's like a bumpy road, or a sea full of waves that Floki's boats could handle. Just when you think things are going smoothly again, there is that one scene where the speed is completely taken out. As a viewer, that is not pleasant to watch. It has too many downs compared to the ups.

Although history is not followed in Vikings, some historical moments did happen. Just not in this time frame. The conquest of Paris, for example, or the expeditions to Great Britain did indeed take place. But you don't watch Vikings because of the correct storytelling. Then you better watch a documentary on History. Vikings is brutal, full of violence and barbaric rituals and in my opinion does not need to retell history.



Vikings is also about the fight between the Gods and God. Between the Barbarians and the Christians, between the British and the Norwegians, the Franks and the Norwegians, between the whole world and the Norwegians. The Vikings believe in the Gods and they have an unwavering faith that they will go to Valhalla when they die. Therefore, they are not afraid of death. In fact; they welcome death, which makes them formidable opponents on the battlefield.

Despite the sometimes bumpy road that Vikings takes, the series is not bad. It remains a pleasure to watch. Even if some storylines are a bit too long and not all actors can hold their own next to the excellent acting of some of the main characters. In addition, the ending may be there, although I do wonder what happened to some characters. On to Vikings: Valhalla, set 100 years after the events of Vikings.

My rating is an 8, with the first season getting a 9 and the last a 7.

Ragnar: "The gods are man's creation to give answers that they are too afraid to give themselves."